WHITE'S BAY ROAD.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVIII, Issue 92, 21 April 1914, Page 5

WHITE'S BAY ROAD.

[TO THE EDITOR.]

'■'■■. r > —At a meeting of the Picton Road Boaxd held on Saturday I proposed thlat the Blenheim Borough Council be written to urging them to interest themselves in the completion of the beach road to White's Bay. I should like to explain why I did this, and; also endeavor to remove g, misunderstanding-•■■■■which some of the people of Blenheim labor under, -In reading the papers during the Jast few months, one .caiy^jt help being struck by the amount of money and trouble the larger towns are going to to get parks or breathing places for their, populations. Exactly in the same way I > lookupcir White's Bay as being the picnic ground of Blen-' heim. Anybody has only tb note the numbers of drags, motors-,. and traps ■that-go-there day after day for quite six months out of the twelve to be convinced of this. I have been approached, as chairman of the Picton Road Board, to get my Board to clay or otherwise improve the sandy gateways on the inner road that runs down through Mr J. Neal's and Chaytor and Co:'s properties; but I have always: . pointed out, firstly, that that rcatl leads nowhere.. It ends; absolutely, at the/foot of. tlje hill, or 50me.,;.20; chains .from - ;ibh£>, spring wher^,t|ie. Tyell, is, '.said, about 50 chains 'from ! the. .sea,.' Secondly.* I would ./ne^ei./ .agree : to; my Board: spending,1' ratepayers;1 money : on, q.ny i^oad there, when if does not serve one of- our people, and having so much, to be done -elsewhere: ; Save for perhaps one day in the year the roads aj'e ■ used solely by people from Blenheim. I would suggest that' tihe Borough Council take the matter up; and, -through the Member' for the district,: try to get; a, grant of £300 and make the- outer or beach -road n really good one for motors as well as drags. With the Opawa bridge finished, this would make White's Bay within three-quarters of an hour's drive of Blenheim—still less with most of our local drivers. To my mind it would not be a bad idea if the picnicking jjortion of Blenheim made this matter a plank in the "next Mayoral election, and supported only that, candidate who pledged himself tr> push the bettering of the road for all it is worth. In time to come a resort like White's Bay is going to he a very precious possession to Blenheim and the- surrounding district, and the sooner this is recognised the better.

; HARRY J. STACE, Chair-man, Picton Road Board