NATIONAL MEMORIAL HIGHWAY

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 204, 23 May 1919, Page 10

NATIONAL MEMORIAL HIGHWAY

. .\ BOLD PROPOSAL. A national memorial highway for New Zealand was proposed in a paper presented by Messrs. S. A. R. Mnir and N. Croflon Staveley at yesterday's session of the Town-planning Conference. The fitting commemoration of the Great War could best be achieved, urged the authors, by the building of one great national memorial. . The Dominion had established an enviable reputation for boldness and initiative in Imperial matters, nml therefore the proposal lo build a memorial highway throughout the length of New Zealand as a tribute to our soldiers should commend itself to the conference. Admittedly the scheme was a bold and rosily one, but not nn exti a vacant, one. as Hie resources and the natural beauties of this-Britain of the South deserved, and would handsomely repay the incidental development, The location would no doubt be something of n problem, and it would require the service's of an independent comniisison of experts to provide a solution. It should be governed largely by economic and aesthetic, considerations in linking up Hie large centres with the productive and the scenic areas, and avoiding as far as possible contiguity to the main railwav routes. . > Roughly, the length of the projected highway would be some 1200 miles. The initial construction would no doubt be eliiofly along road lines at present jn uso. and it could be presumed that local bodies would gladly bring their portion of the formation into line with requirements, preparatory to>the construction of the actual traffic bed, which- would be varied in width, etc.. according to traffic and other conditionsA . Local memorials, in the form of parks, amusement grounds, scenic attractions, accommodation fhelters. etc., would be laid down by the various communities, providing one great combination of memorials. Estimating'the length of tho road at 1200 miles, to connect Auckland and the Bluff, the authors considered that it would cost about' .£. r >ooo per mile, or .£0.000,000, to complete. Such an expenditure, mode at the rate of ,€1.000,000 per year, should bo well within the resources of the Dominion, and. would be thoroughly justified by the economic development it would promote, i