THE MOKAU BRIDGE.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXII, Issue 2515, 17 December 1927, Page 4

THE MOKAU BRIDGE.

Tc-day marks an important epoch in the future of Te Kuiti. The Mokau Bridge, to be officially opened by the Prime Minister and the Minister of Public Works, marks the ccnsumation of a work which means a large increase of traffic through this town, which cannot but help to make ’ Te Kuiti a still more important centre of the motor traffic of the North Island. That the , town will benefit by the Mokau Bridge is beyond doubt. It is the half-way stop between New Plymouth and Auckland, and the majority of those travelling this journey either way will prefer to spend the night here insteady of making the through trip. This means business to the town, in which all will participate, either directly or indirectly. The traffic will go further than between Taranaki and Auckland, for this being the main arterial road from end to end of the North Island, it require little stretch of imagination to realise what the extent of this traffic will be within the next decade. The opening of the Mokau Bridge will give an added impetus to the number of travellers over this road, and Te Kuiti, with its favourable geographical position, will in the future become much known to the outside world.

Those directly interested in the travelling public in this town are to be congratulated on the way they have prepared for this traffic. The motor services radiating from here are equal to anything to be found in other parts of the Dominion. Competition is keen, but this has proved an advantage in giving the best services possible. A few years back Te Kuiti had an unenviable reputation for its accommodation, but even the most fastidious cannot now complain in this connection. It is safe to state that nowhere in the Dominion amongst the small towns is the traveller better catered for than in Te Kuiti, and there is no better advertisement to a town than good service of this kind. There is only one drawback to the optimistic future of this town as a tourist centre. The main reads in the vicinity of the town are in a deplorable condition, and unless the Main Highways Board or the Government are prepared to give more financial assistance to bring these up to a higher' standard, there v/ill be no improvement. The ratepayers cannot find more money for this work, and it is futile to ask them. The foreign traffic even now is much heavier than the local traffic, and with the passage of time the position will become even more acute.