EGMONT NATIONAL PARK

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 195, 15 May 1936, Page 15

EGMONT NATIONAL PARK

Free Access Urged MINISTER’S OFFER TO TAKE OVER CONTROL An offer that tbe Public Works Department would take over the control of and responsibility for the roads in Egmont National Park if the local bodies concerned would liquidate the Park Board’s debt and concentrate with the Tourist and Internal airs Departments on the conservation of the forest, was made by the Minister ot Public Works, Hon. R. Semple, to a deputation representing the Park Board and Taranaki local bodies, which waited on him and also the Minister of Internal Affairs, Hon. W. E. Parry, and the Minister of Lands, Hom F Langstone, yesterday. -Mr. Semple said that if his offer was acceptable to the parties concerned legislation would be brought in next session to validate Mr. C. A. Wilkinson. M.P. (Egmont), explained that the affairs of the park were administered by the board, which had a number of sub-committees, and work done on the roads and in. other ways was financed by tolls levied on persons entering the park. A meeting of a representative character had been held some time ago to consider an offer bv the Minister of Public Works that the roads in the park area should be taken over by the Main Highways Board subject to the adjacent local bodies paying £1 in £3. The offer had been agreed to at the time, but since then objections had been made by the Taranaki, Eltham and Clifton County Councils, which maintained that the Government should do the whole job. On two occasions in the past few years the Park Board had borrowed from the New Plymouth Borough Council, and tbe amount outstanding at tbe present time was £3150, security for the loans being toll fees. The opinion of the meeting which had been held had been that the people should have free access to the park, and that the district should bear a reasonable proportion of the cost. 'Sharing the (Jost. Mr. S. G. Smith, M.P. (New Plymouth), said that the local bodies did not object to contributing to the,upkeep generally, but an amount of £3150 was now outstanding on reading and legislation would probably be required to make the local bodies pay their share of that. Mr. W. J. Polson, M.P. (Stratford), explained that the Clifton County Council’s objection was that it was not close to Mt. Egmont, and had a scenic reserve of its own in Mt. Messenger. Mr. J. B. Murdoch, chairman of the Hawera County Council, said that if the mountain was thrown open to the people and the tolls were cancelled the revenue would be gone.

Mr. Semple: Most of it goes in maintaining the roads, does it not? Mr. Murdoch: Roads and hostels. Mr. Semple: Surely an up-to-date reading system would be an advantage to the adjoining counties. Mr. Murdoch said the roads were very good at present. The local bodies were not out to give away more than they could help where they were not directly benefited. Mr J. McMillan, Mayor of Stratford, said that the Stratford Borough Council and the Stratford County Council would welcome an opportunity to make the mountain free. By levying a small rate these bodies could raise tbe sum of £ll2O, and tbe amount necessary for the total upkeep of the park hnd been estimated at £2lOO. Mr, Smith said tbe New Plymouth Borough Council and the Taranaki County Council had always contributed funds to the upkeep of tbe park, but the county council was afraid that it might be asked to double its contribution for a road not in its territory. If it was made clear that there would be only one contribution, he did not think there would be any objection. Mr. H. Baily, secretary of the Park Board, said the board was very much in favour, of the Government's proposal to take over the roads. If that was done and tbe board received a grant of £2OOO a year it could carry on. “All Parks Should be Free.” Mr. Langstone said that the question to be considered was how’ much would have to be saved by the Government taking over the roads. The amount of the local bodies’ contributions would then have to be determined. “If I could persuade the Minister of Finance to give me a grant for the upkeep of domains I would be prepared to help the board,” said Mr. Langstone. "I am firmly of the opinion that all parks should be free to the people.” Mr. Parry said he entered into the matter only in respect of the destruction of pests. It was no use killing out the goats in the park if adjoining landowners were going to continue breeding them. In his opinion they did more harm than good. Mr. Semple expressed the opinion that the levying of tolls was antiquated and stated that the country’s beautyspots should be free to the people. When

he made his offer of £3 for £1 he felt that Would bring about some understanding between the Government and the local bodies, “Some of tbo local bodies seem to think they are going to be doubly taxed, but that is not the idea," he said. “I think the New Plymouth Borough Council is entitled to have that debt of £3150 liquidated. _ I am prepared to get over the difficulties by dividing the responsibility among the Public Works Department, the local bodies and the Tourist and Internal Affairs Departments. I believe it would take £lO,OOO to put the roads .in the park in good order and £l5OO a year to maintain them. If the local bodies' will liquidate the debt to the New Plymouth Borough Council I will undertake to say that the Public Works Department will take oyer the whole of the liability for the roads. The local bodies can then concentrate on the conservation of the forest, in conjunction with the two Government departments concerned. If that can be done it can be validated by legislation next session.”