GISBORNE'S OUTLETS

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXIII, Issue 11956, 29 May 1933, Page 5

GISBORNE'S OUTLETS

WAIROA ROAD RE-OPENED.

STILL trouble to south.

AIKAHOU AND DEVTL’B ELBOW

bad gap of nine miles. ■'

SERVICES TO RUN TO-DAY

) Except fit two • points, separated' bv nine- miles! aiul.con_stitutitis;.«-spr-ions sap, the Gisborne-Napler road ] in . . n o\v-been rodore.d-.tonormality nS tiio result of - strenuous work ' by sorvicomen. during the week-end. The road wag’ opfen yesterday to .traffic as t - fir ns Waika.hou bridge and then xhern was u gap of uine miles to next big source of trouble, at I h o Devil's Elbow. Prom thoro on to Napier little trouble was .likely. .At jeast one service cfir’ made tho trip from Wairoa to Gisborne, yesterday, and experienced im sdrirfus trouble nror this' section. ■ Service'" companies will make attempts .to . got through jc-dav and cars will be despatched southwards from Gisborne and Wairoa this morning. Other cars will ifUe Xapior and. * should the road Mu prove impassable at the two points mentioned; trans-shipment will to resorted to. Large gangs -of nicH. however, are engaged on elcarj nfT operations and it is quite pcssiKlo that' tiio cars will get through -bi s morning. At the Wnikahon Bridge, one of rbe main trouble-spots, very' good progress was being made with the clearing work yesterday, when another large slip came down, and all t! 10 earlier labors were -nullified. The other had portion, at the- top 0 f the Devil's Elbow, is in the locality of the recent widening operations and where new* cuts' had been made in the hill-side. Slips ' came down at the Matahoum. Gorge, and also at Kaitffke, in (short distance beyond Bartlett’s. These wore the four main sources of trouble, though there were also a number of other smaller slips which were negotiable with care. The pontoon ferry over the Wairoa River proved very difficult •to handle, in the swollen waters, and it wn.s decided to open tho new traffic bridge to tho public, an action greatly appreciated by tho travelling public.

S COAST ROUTE OPEN. IN USE YESTERDAY. Trouble was experienced' at several points on the Coast road, between Gisborne and Tolaga Bay, but from the latter point northwards traffic suffered little inconvenience. • The Red Bus got through safely from Gisborne late yesterday and, unless further trouble is- experiencogd, the whole road should- be. re-opened to(v';v, though drivers of Light cars should exercise every caution over the muddy sections and should experience no' difficulty in getting through. Service ‘companies intend despatching cars as usual this naorn-

mg. Ono of the worst bars to traffic occurred on the Gisborne side of ihe Tatapouri ITid. whore a large quantity of spoil came down and com pletclv covered the road. Still another' big obstacle wa s provided M the gorge near Tolaga Bay, a. slip coming down and covering abo two chains of tho road with spoil 4ft deep. Smaller .-sources of trouble wore at Ooosman’s camp and on I.ois,cl’s flat which was covered with water on Saturday. Yesterday, however, this flooding had subsided 11 niil it was no longer a ar * c -

V Clangs of men were sent out to the .different points immediately 1 10 trouble became apparent; <?xce - lent work was performed during the week-end. Completing ihe task i® -° more or less permanency, however, will still occupy a few' days, 11 traffic will be able to use the roa . nil the time.

WAT CERA AND MOTE ALL TMOH 1

Pram/,calk- no trouble eras experienced on the AVaineka and AJotu routes, and ears Went through as usual Yesterday. A. large tree came down across the rood near Wairata, and Saturday’s cars were delayed for a time at this point, bur. the o' rtruciion wa & . removed ' soon nt 0

other -district roars. Riverside road beyond- Brow-a> unsafe for traffic on account o -- nnmber of small '-slips and wash-out^ Darwin road, giving access /*>£ Kaiti to the Holo-in-the-WnR, fair order as far as Oman s, from then it is unsafe for. n-s the result of slips an uas o • The Waimata road was blocked b> rhr 3 in themile beyond Air. A. “• turn-off and traffic was held up <' Itliis point during the week-on . , K expected, however, that the mad will be' re-opened to-c.ay. . - The Tahunga and -the PatutalPRere reads , are reported to be open though some minor aH P s ~ occurred on both routes. . Slips occurred on the far c. the Tiniroto road, at the bluff section and on the Gish side of tho Kailroura bridge. Near the bridge footdeep clay covercc - road, hut the • use of, chains made p& c -?ago possible,' though 'every e had to bo exercised. Between _ -• ■ ~ borne and tho bluff, the road is good older.

AIAIL ARRAT?ChKMEE-T£ L .- . p V'. r -11;; V'- 'A V : ERIDAY’S MAIL DUE TO-DAY . TRANS-SHIPMENT REQUIREDDESPATCH BY BOAT TO-DAY - Gisborne’s mail arrangements havo been seriously interfered with y the - blocking [of ‘the. .south road ana | Friday's mail .from the south is not ;«r: . ; ■ 1 ' . j

expecteck to arrive here until early l?S§ay- view; pftbe nncertaiiity regarding: the roads, the- chief'postmaster, ■ Air; D. Black, " v has "decided to' forward Wellington and South Island mail by tbo Awahou which is scheduled to. leave Gisborne at 2 o’clock this afternoon. Tho mail lorries which set out on tho south road last Friday had a very unenviable time, the truck from Napier being marooned at the Devil’s ‘Elbow, and- the: one from Gisborne getting into similar difficulties at;’iVtatahoura Gorge. Last evening Sir. Black* wag advised thatit had been found possible to tranship- tlie mails and that -the lorry fqr Gisborne had avriv.ed safely at Wairoa; ” It,—wag duo to leave “" that point about S o’clock last night, and was expected to reach here early today, always provided no further slips ocenr.

Vancouver mail wag despatched yesterday morning via Rotorua and Australian mail, due to leave Wellington tomorrow, was sent off at tho same time. These mails will be sent on this morning by train, Air. Blaelc ha s . boon advised, and there should be no difficulty about making connection with the overseas vessels. In view of the' uncertainty regarding the south road, Air. Black has decided to adopt the wise course of despatching all Wellington and South Island’ mails by the Awahou which is duo to sail for ’Wellington at 2 o’clock this afternoon. Businessmen and others, therefore will ho welladvised to post all mail directed iff ihoso parts as early as possible ’today.

The south road may die open today, but, even should this not prove possible, it will .still be possible to send out and receive mails via 'tbo Wnjooka or Alotu route.