A NEW NORTH ROAD.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXV, Issue 3753, 29 July 1869, Page 5

A NEW NORTH ROAD.

I To the Editor of the Daily Southern Gross and Weekly

News. Dear Sin, — If you will be so kind to publish in the Weekly News tho enclosed copy of a letter sent to the Superiutendent, you will greatly oblige me and others of your subscribers hers. —I am, ke, John Gkimuer. Forest Home, Mahurangi, July 20, 1869.

(COPY OP LETTER TO TI£B SUPERINTENDENT.) Mahurangi, 23th Apr.l, 1868. Sir, — We, the undersign, d, having between the 17th and 24th of this month p>ss>ed and repassedon horseback between this place and Auckland by a new northern route (the old one being at present impassable), very enrnestly desire to call jour Houor's particular attention to the same. Leaving Alahiuangi by the North Road, but soon turning from it, traveller procead by this route to the west of the great Ahuroa Range i»ver which the old North Road is conducted, and which is very difficult tojchmb and very tedious to descend), and, passing through the parishes of Ahurost and Koraokoriki this new route avoids all difficult hill* until the latter settlement is passed. A bush, through which a bridle-tiack of four miles length has been cut by some of tue settlers, lies between Komokoviki and the Mukuiau. In this bush the traok pa^es over hills, iv some paits of which the declivities aie for a short vpice rather steep,but which, with a wider road, wou'd not be found to seiiously impede travelling; or they might, it is evident, be altogether avoided, dossing the Makarau river on a good f.u'd, aud tho Wait.ingi on another, the travellers now enters iCaukapiikapa aud proceeds to Auckland by the u&ual route. Your Honor, we feil sure, will (with your usual courtesy) permit us to observe that, feeling deeply interested m the prosperity '^of these uoilbern part",as well as in that of the wholo of tuo province, we venture to s-tate : — 1. That having passed over the old North Road several times— one of in many tiims— we &\e well acquainted with its advantages and disadvantages ; and knowing that the latter dv gieally prevul, wo consider th it thab load bu,s inconsequence become nil but obsolete ; ai,d that v/e, though living uilhm 25 miles of Auckland as the ciow ilLes, are practically without any load but the hta, by ■which to reach, with cattle, &c, the metiopolia of this gieab province. 2. 'lhat the numeiou3 and expensive bridges leqmred ou the Notth RoaJ, the unfoidable character of many of the rivers lL parses ov<'r, it-> gr< at length, aud the extent of unoccupied bush winch it traverses, together with the many high and steep ranges ovei' winch ifc is conducted, will, for many years to come, tender the piesent Noith 'load veiy tedious and difficult, veiy expensive to keep in repuir, and very liable to interruptions, through disasteis happening to bridges, making it impassable to horsemen and oattle, 3. That the new route (which is of course open to improvements) presents qxiite a contrast to the old Js'oith Road in most of the fore-mentioned respects. It has for inßt*nce the following advantages :—: — 1. It is shorter by several miles. 2, It passes over no range like the Ahuroa, and that between the German settlement and " Ihe Paddock ;" and the bills to be passed over are uot nearly so numerous, so high, or so steep as those on the old route. 2, The bridges lequired to make the road passable are already there, and those required to mike it convenient and permanent a<e few, and, with but one exception, of very inconsiderable span. 4, Evciy river is fordable in case of an accident happening to its bridge. 5. No fesry^ is requited on any portion of the i oad. C. There are settleis at present located at moderate distances from each other throughout the route, which is far from beiDg the cabo on the old route. 4. We therefore deem it not improper to press the subject of the adoption and improvement of this new route upon the attention of your Honor. We may be excused for doing so not only by the foregoing but also by the following important considerations ;—; — 1. It will be but justice to the isolated but patient persevering set\lers of Komokoriki and Ahuroa ; to whoße efforts and almost unaided energy we owe the fact of this land communication with Auckland being open at all. 2. It will bp a great advantage to the settlers and inhabitants of Mahurangi and Matakana, aud the growing communities around, to be provided with the meanß of travelling from place to pi ice, and of conveying t) and fro cattle, sheep, and horson, between Auckland and their homesteads otherwise tban by sea. And of course it will, in some good degree, be a corresponding advantage to their customers and connections in Auckland also. 3. The rising aud very importaufc district of Albertland and Northern Kaipara, aud indeed the whole of the north, will derive benefits from the route we venture to advocate; for, as your Honor is aware, t io unused roads to Albertland, and ouo to Whaugaiei, &~ , may bo f-aid to branch from ihe tei ruination of this new route, and only waifc the magic h".nd of management to improve and render them of use ; thereby causing the territories beyond to become integral part of the province, aud uot, as they now are, to all practical purpose-*, distant and foreign lands to their nearest neighbours. 4. It will help to remove the disgrace resting upon the province that a large district of country, quickly increasing in population, though struggling "with gteat difficulties has been left by all the late Governments without the material advantage, without the civilising influence, and without: the safeguard, protttt:on, and comforts afforded by the existence of a great trunk road connecting it with its metropolis! ; to which it looks as its souroeof intelligence of every kind, its centre of in-flu-noe, and its market iv whioh to buy tnd sell, Ac. 5. If the Government will adopt the nnd, cubting it a proper width in the bush to let in the aim and the air, it will become a p u "n ment and growing improvement. But unlesn this is done^itis in vain to hope that a few men who are immediately interested can, however earnest and hearty they may be, prevent it becoming, like the Pakiri road.in some places a quagmire, — a b.oggy» andalmoßt impassable and dangerous i|Lpk. 0. A good road will keep some valuable t e^lera on their lands and bring many others to theirs, thus advancing tha country in population and

prosperity. The want of one is driving »omo would-be settlers away. 7. And if politico-provincial motived are admissible into such a letter as tbis, then your Honor will permit us to say that in tbwae part j , as we believe, the making of a, really good trunk road between Auckland and the JXorth would prove— would detnonstiate— to many persons wlio cannot otherwisi be eorvinced of the truth, that provincial institutions, however expensive they may be, aie nevertheless of Rome übo to the country districts as well aa an adv .ntage to the town. We have been (at the request of the parties vitally interested) encouraged to lay these statements before your Honor, by a conviction that it is your Honoi's desire to do all iv your power to jiromoto the prog cnty of the whole province ; by the kuowlelge (hat, whatever at,' mpta to improve the communications of the North have been made, they weie chi fly on^iuat-d or effected iv your Honcr's foimer occsiuation of offioo ; aud by the ptr"iu«ion tint it now in jour Honor's power to comply with our request. — We aie, &c, JOHX GiUMMER, JoH^f S, HUDSON. To John Williamson, Esq., Superintendent of the Province of Auckland, New Zealaud.