GREY AUTOMOBILE ASSN.

Greymouth Evening Star, 13 February 1932, Page 10

GREY AUTOMOBILE ASSN.

WEST COAST BRANCH MEETING

; The monthly meeting of the West 1 Coast Automobile Association was held last evening. Present: Dr W. McKay (Chairman), Messrs P. C. Heaphy, E. McDonnell, A. J. Fairmaid, G. R. Harker, L. W. Louisson, J. Hambleton, J. Higgins, P. Goode, and W. F. Marley (Secretary). The Public Works Department wrote stating that at present the Lewis Pass Saddle work would not be carried out but stated that when times were better the work of completing this link between Canterbury and Westland would be completed. The Canterbury Automobile Association forwarded particulars of their last meeting, at which Mr Tyndall, Public Works Department, had been present,' ?nd at which the building of the Waimakiriri Bridge had been discussed. One difficulty that stood in the way of the building of the bridge was that it was not included in the five-year constructional plan laid down by the Public Works Department. Mr Louisson said that while there was no need to go into the comparative advantages of the construction of the Lewis Pass or Waimakiriri Bridge routes, he thought that a protest against, the, .lack of support on the .part, of thp, Canterbury. Association for the building of the bridge was called for. The Waimakiriri could be bridged for under £-20,000 a sum considerably- less than the /Lewis Pass work would involve. He would move that the West Coast Association emphatically support the claims of the Waimakarirl Bridge, and also protest against the. attitude taken up by the parent body in regard to it.

Mr McDonnell asked whether in view of the poor support that the Canterbury Association was giving the Waimakariri Bridge project, it would be worth while for the West Coast Association to break away from the parent body and resolve itself into a separate Association. z Mr Harker said that the West Coast branch should certainly receive more information as to the doings of the parent Association. Newspaper reports were all they had seen of the meeting in which the Waimakariri Bridge had been discussed. Dr McKay said that the Canterbury Association had previously promised to support the building of the bridge but it seemed that their protestations were mostly a matter of verbiage. No one would be averse to the construction of the Lewis Pass route, in good times, but from every point of view it was common-sense that a road which had stood the test of time for 60 years should not be deprived of 40 per cent of its utility for the want of one abridge. In the report of the meeting Mr Tyndall had said that other bridges besides the Waimakariri would require to be constructed. He disagreed with that. For every hour in a year that the other creeks on the route held up cars, the Waimakariri held them up for 100 hours. There was no doubt that the present road communication between Christchurch and the West Coast was not up-to-date. He supported Mr Louisson’s motion.

. Mr Garde said that many Christchurch people were, he thought, under the impression that the Lewis Pass would be safer than the Waimakariri route.

Regarding the so-called “Five-year-plan” of the Main Highways Board; Mr Higgins pointed out that three and a-half years of the plan had already gone. The motion was carried.

The Runanga. Borough Council wrote asking the co-operation of the Association regarding the straightening of Raleigh Creek bridge, which the letter stated had always been a source of danger situated as it was on a very much used main highway.— It was decided to urge the Highways Board to go on with the matter. TEREMAKAU BRIDGE. The Railways Department wrote that an investigation had been made into the circumstances which had occasioned a letter from Mr Ashby, regarding a car crossing the Teremakau River Bridge, and that it was found that there had been no risk of an accident on that occasion. The letter stated that in the opinion of the Department there was only a comparative small degree of risk for cars on the bridge providing reasonable precautions were taken. The Department did not think the risk was sufficient to warrant the cost of having a permanent bridgekeeper, nor the erection of an automatic signal. If the Association or a local body would supply the cost, then the Department would be pleased to co-operate, providing no technical difficulty arose. The Secretary reported that he had replied stating that contrary to the Department’s letter, the train had stopped not before it reached the bridge, but forty feet from the Greymouth end, and suggesting that the matter should be referred to the Main Highways Board, and the cost be borne jointly by the Highways Board and the Railways Department. Dr McKay moved that the Highways Board be approached regarding tlie matter and asked to arrange with the Railway Department regarding the erection of a warning signal on the bridge, and to discuss with the Department the apportioning of the cost. The letter should also point out the danger .that the Association considered existed for cars travelling ovei' the bridge. i

Mr Hambleton said that there was a distinct danger of trains “coasting” on the bridge, making no smoke. The train could not be heard or seen until it was on to the bridge itself. Mr McDonnell pointed out that an accident had occurred on the bridge some years ago, when the train collided with a horse and trap. Mr Harker: Yes, it cost the Railways £7O. The motion was carried.

The Secretary reported that a complaint had been made that a disfiguring petrol advertisement hoarding had been erected just in front of a 'splendid Rimu tree on the Nelson Creek-Matai road.

Mr Harker said that if the sign was not on private property he thought that it might be pulled down Mr Higgins said that some time ago in Dunedin, two doctors had been piosecuted ■ and fined for pulling down a sign.

It was decided to hold the matter over, the Chairman to see the hoarding and to report to the next meeting.

The Stationmaster wrote regarding the Tainui Street crossing stat-

ing that the automatic signals were worked by trains on each line. The other three crossings had each good visibility and if reasonable care was taken by motorists there was little risks of accidents. The letter regretted that the Association’s recommendation that engines should not run on the side line, could not be carried out. It was decided to reply that the Association considered that something more in the way of precautions .could be provided for at the Albert and Herbert Street crossings. Mr Hambleton pointed out that a delay of only two or three minutes would be caused if shunting engines waited for other trains to pass before passing the crossings. The Secretary reported that a complaint had been received from a motorist regarding erosion at the Nine Mile making the road really dan. gerous when visibility was bad.

Mr Higgins said that 17 men were working on the construction of the new road, and when that was completed, the danger would no longer exist.

Mr Heaphy referred to other, parts of the Coast Road, where passing was difficult and said that, when more money was available, a kerbing should be erected on the outside of the road.

The Chairman referred to the ten ders received for the construction of the Orangipuku- Bridge and moved that the meeting urge upon the Public Works Department. the acceptance of a. tender for’ the bridge so that this important link in the West Coast roading system could soon be completed. The motion was carried, and it was also decided to refer the matter to the member for Westland. Mr Hambleton reported that the construction of the Flowery CreeirKapitea Road had now been carried as far as Kapitea, and two more miles of roading, as far as Awatuna were required to finish it. He understood, however, that work on the road had ceased.

Mr Harley said that he thought that a grader could at least make v track that a car could travel on over ithe last two miles.