DISTRICTS NEEDS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 4361, 4 October 1916, Page 7

DISTRICTS NEEDS.

SOME-. URGENT MATTERS

DEPUTATION TO HON. W. FRASER.

RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION TO BE PUSHED ON. .

some buildings for the protection of good s were necessary before regular traffic could be utilised. They were* in hopes that even some temporary buildings could lx* erected for the coming wool season. The same remarks

could apply to the Ngatapa. section, a service on which was being run by the Public Works Department, but which they hoped would soon be handed over to general use. Then there was the Motu-Opotiki road. A small bridge was required over the Waiawa, river which.-.would avoid them making about twenty crossings. With the widening of a part of the road, and a. small deviation, it, would make a very excellent motor road, and connect .this district with Rotorua, and bring it within a day’s journey. In fact a man bad gone through from Whatatutu by that road in 12 hours. A very little expenditure would make that road a good motr traffic road for fhe summer. There was another matter in_ connection with roads, namely a deviation on the Motu-Moromoku. An amSuiif had been placed on the Estimates he understood. It was a small matter and lie hoped would be undertaken, for acleviation of ;l little over a mile would shorten the ten mile*road to 5 miles. A stock track siding at Bushmere road intersection' was another matter they had been endeavoring to get, for it would be close to the stock sale yards, and the Motu and Matawai settlers would benefit, and later the Napier line. 'Taking into consideration the nresent time those were all the matters the Chamber thought would be within practicable range of being done, although all their wants were not exhausted in those demands.

| In reply to the Minister the District [ Engineer said that. a. section of tin? j Motu-Opotiki road, from the Mere- ; mere Hill to the new deviation, required '.videning. At the Rotorua i conference tire Opotiki County Council | had suggested the transfer of a v6te i for the Otara river protection works ; for the widening of that section of the ! road, and they were prepared to find | £1 for £1 for the work which was ati--1 tliorised. The District Engineer further said that the question of the Bushmore siding had come up several times and the objection from the Railway Department was that it was too near to Malta raka station. There was no difficulty from an engineering’ point of putting in the siding. THE .MINISTER IN REPLY. Replying Mr Fraser said that he was very gratified at thp. tone they were using regarding the expenditure of money, and the recognition of the difficulties his department was in, .also’ in realising what lie would like to do under ordinary circumstances. That was very much the feeling expressed wherever he went. _ Wherever local bodies had put before them the exact position they had said: “Well we know that you cannot do anything more, and recognise that the war is the first question.” He was very pleased at that spirit evinced wherever lie went and must say it was only what they could expect. Dealing with the particular works mentioned by the deputations the Minister said he was limited to a certain amount of money and could only spend half the amount on the Estimates for any one district. He had gono into the question, of the Motu-Opotiki road but the county had had more than its half expended on it. There was only £26,000 over to make pip the halfs of those counties that had not had their half, and additional appropriations could not be made. The District Engineer said that the Moromoko road 1 was not authorised. Mr Fraser said that then it was impossible to deal with- the work unless the local body from one of their authorised works liked to make a transfer to that road as being of a more important nature. Only the local bodies could decide on tfiat question, and they'.would have to find out the feelings of tlie people in the locality. He could not lightly-agree to the transfers in the view of possible protests. They could see that lie could not authorise any more money for fho road for he. hadn’t got it. With regard to the other road he would sec that when any further money was placed in his hands by the Treasury it would he spent inthe best direction, and first it would go towards the other half of the items on the Estimates.

Regarding the Bushmorc siding lie had to refer those matters to the Railway Department, for he had nothing to do with the line after it Ava-s pot into the Railway Department’s hands. The. settlers should do their best to lay their wants before the Minister of Railways. He advised the deputation to get the sympathy of the Railway Department, and then if they authorised the Avork he would do it.

PUSHING RAILWAYS ON

With regard to the railway itself he had told Mr Armstrong to finish ,the ballasting of the line to Motu to get that off their hands, and also. put up I the buildings. Plans Av r ere being prej pared and he hoped it Avould not be ! long before they had erected them at , KoAvhai. \ The District Engineer said it Avould be about 'March next. ... ;* Mr Bright: That Avouldn’t benefit the wool season. Mr Fraser: If I ballast the Jine the wool can be brought doAvn. Yon Yah carry it now. Mr Bright: Except that there is no protection for the avool while Avaiting. Mi - Fraser; There are plenty of places where avcol is brought hi without' shelter. ! You can cover it with, tarpaulins, or put it in’the trucks andcover them. He. wanted that worn' finished .and handed over to the Rail- , Avay Department. With the other ; line he also intended to push on and j complete as much as possible. The difficulty on the line to Ngatapa 'was , that Avherever there .were bridges over j a certain -size he could not get steel i for them. 'He had put up temporary j uvooden bridges to carry .the traffic, hut' ! the top Avork had to be of white pine, j and the Engineer told him he Avas not - satisfied, because it Avould. not be long i befofe they had to be. renovated. He j intended , to' push on with Hie tiers,

A deputation from the Gisborne Chamber of Commerce waited upon the Minister for Public Works yesterday. -The deputation consisted of Messrs JV Bright (chairman), D. J. Barry, J. E.. ToneycJifFe, J. Albrecht, S. S. Dean and W. Hamilton Irvine (secretary). Mr Bright said that the Chamber was very pleased to see Mr Fraser, although they were not to expect many? loaves and fishes now. However, they were pleased to be able to place their wants before the Minister. The Chamber had recognised since the war began that it was not a time to urge upon the Government expenditure except for urgent work, of a returnable character . In sjute of file difficulties under which they were .laboring the district was going ahead fast, and for the year ending December 1915, the exports exceeded those of the previous year by £434,000 odd. The total exports 1914 were £1,506,842, for 1915 £1,941,736; an increase of £434,894. On a population basis, taking the population at 21,1.58 the exports averaged £96 13s 6d, while the average for the Dominion was A 24 l s 9d. That showed they had a very fertile district, and they hoped to see a marked increase as in the past'. First they wished to refer to the Matawai-Kowhai Road section (Matawai-Motu line) of the East Coast railway. The section was complete but they understood that

and then if he could not get steel ho • wauki.put on temporary .structures.! The Engineer would get instructions next week to put on more men and push on the lilie up to, Ngatapa. Beyond Ngatapa they had 'instructions to push on with the formation as far a s the money was (available. - Lastyear the amount allotted to that line was very much exceeded, and other linos liiLcl to suffer to a certain extent. However, there was £20,000 down this year,, including the Ngatapa section, but up to August over £7OOO was spent. With tlie balance lie was going on till the money was spent, and if he could do more later he would bo pleased. With regard. to handing over the section to the Railway Department it was difficult to do so ue-

cause it would hamper the . action of the Public Works Department

later they got on'to work 1 yond Ngatapa. The Railway Department did not care to take over short lengths. He would -see what could bo Rone, but could not give, a definite answer. If. the Railway Department was willing to take it over, when completed it might be done, although lie would have to consider the matter of construction further ahead. 110 was going to put more men on and push on with the piers on tlie lino to Ngatapa, and see that if temporary work was done it . would be safe. There was that addi- j iional point, that he did not think the j Railway Department would take over the lino with temporary buildings. Mr Bright asked regarding the | bridge over The Waiawa river to save j twenty crossings on the Motu-Opotiki j road.

Tlie District Engineer said that the bridge was not authorised, but plans were being prepared by the Opotiki Council, who proposed asking- for assistance. The Opotiki Council were prepared to find £l5O and asked for another £l5O to open the deviation, which had been closed by floods; but the bridge would cost £I2OO. Mr F'-a.ser said that lie could not find £I2OO .for a bridge. - Mr Bright : Our anxiety is to get a motor road to Rotorua via Opotiki, so as to get some of. the tourists back this way. He asked could the deviation be done. . y i Mr Eraser said that lie could not spend any additional money on the county. There was something for flood damage that lie might be able to get. He promised to go into this with other matters when lie got back lo Wellington.

TH E ROAD TO OPOTIKI. Mr Bright said that- it the road was completed they intended to notify the boardinghouses at Rotoiua, and they thought it would bo very beneficial to settlement if people were coming along those stretches of country. Mr Fraser said that lie regarded the Motu-Opotiki road as in a different position from many other roads. He intended to look upon it and provide for it, much as he had looked upon the road from Parnassus to Kaikourn. He pointed out then that the.railway had got to a point when further progress was going to be exceedingly expensive, but there was the alternative of a good road. That alternative was taken. Here-'the. railway could not get ; beyond Motu now. and he realised tJ ; ’.t special provision had to made, ana he was going to find money s oniowhory to make a good road to Opotiki. Mr Barry: Would it be-possible lo go over the road? Mr Fraser: I intend going over it in ‘the.summer. _ , In conclusion the chairman, of the Chamber thanked the Minister for the courteous attention he had given, and hoped that next time he was here the war would he over, and he would have sufficient fund* to give the sympathetic attention to the requirements of this district, for ho could assure thy Minister, from long residence here, that it, had been neglected in the past-- j both in rail ant! road- construction, j They bad not had anything like the i attention that the fertility nl tin* J place, and the value of the exports warranted. They were making giant strides, and hoped the Government would recognise that and when they’ had the, money to spare would consider what the district .had suffered m the past, and help them accordingly in the future.