GLENORCHY-QUEENSTOWN ROAD.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 4324, 27 July 1937, Page 5

GLENORCHY-QUEENSTOWN ROAD.

LAKE COUNTY URGES CONSTRUCTION. The construction of the Queens-town-Glenorchy road was urged by the Lake County Council in a remit to the conference of local bodies and members of Parliament in Invercargill on Friday last. Mr W. Gordon, who supported the remit on behalf of the Lake County Council, said that this question was an old one at which they had been hammering for a number of years. There were some 300 settlers there, practically isolated, and they had a steamer service of one trip a week. Their newspapers came once a week and they received six papers on one day. The Minister of Public Works (the Hon. R. Semple) and the Minister of Mines (the Hon. P. 0. Webb) had visited the locality and were sympathetic, but they considered that the cost of the road was prohibitive. If that road was completed it would open up_ a vast scenic reserve and rich agricultural land. The locality aim contained one of the largest scheelite fields in the world, and many men could be profitably employed there at the present time. The estimated cost was £130,000. The Lake C. Council was unable to assist, as the matter was 100 big for it. It was purely a Public Works Department job. A LARGE AMOUNT.

The Leader of the Opposition, (the Hon. Adam Hamilton) said that he had always held that it was a useful road and ought to be completed. The sum mentioned was a largo amount and he thought it was meant as an estimate for a first-class road. Mr Gordon: That is not warranted. Mr Hamilton: If it was reduced to an access road it should be done. There is a lot of road Avork that should be done in that district. That locality is one of the scenic beauties of the future.

Mr J. Hargest, M.P. for Awarua, said that he took exception to the altitude of the Lake County Council two or three years ago over the Cue n?' own-Kln.gst.oa road. The council asked the members of Parliament to support it, and they did to their utmost, only to find in the end that the only people against it were the members of the Lake County Council. Mr Gordon said that he was two years on the Lake County Council before be could get a motion in favour of the Queenstown- Kingston road passed. “■There is no locality that should be isolated like this,” said Mr Denham, “even if the road cost £200,000. The members of Parliament agreed to support the Lake County Councils remit. A similar remit was forwarded by the Queenstown Borough Council.

COUNTY ELECTION SYSTEM. ( Mr Gordon also moved, on behalf of the Lake County Council: “That the election of county councils through riding representations be endorsed.’’ Mr Gordon .explained that a definition of county ridings was sought. Did the proposals to abolish the system involve the whole of the riding system, or was it just the monetary aspect that was involved? It was thought in .some quarters that (he intention was that all the members of the county should be drawn from one riding. Personally he did not think that was intended. “I understand that applies to finance and not to representation,” Mr Hamilton said. The chairman said that the idea of the county representatives was to ask the members of Parliament to pndorse the principle of riding systems. Mr Denham said be held the view that the riding system should be abolished and that the counties would be better served by a complete representation of the whole. Mr McNaught defended the riding system, saying that he could sec no object in doing away with it. Mr Hamilton said half the counties of New eaZland had abolished the riding funds. He thought they could all endorse the riding system of proportional representation. “We would not find members of Parliament agreeing to be elected for Now Zealand and not lor their electorates,” , he added, “and that is what those people are aiming at.” • The remit was endorsed.