ROCKS ROAD DANGER

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 20 May 1927, Page 3

ROCKS ROAD DANGER

To the"'Editor)

Sir, —Your correspondent over the noni do plume of "Ratepayer" puts forward ft .novel and original idea for a cheap and very effective, method-'of 'dj* : posing vt the.'' Spoil that" "will 1 'accrue from The cliffs on-Rocks road when the "necessary"improvement is made ,; to make this road' safe- for-man'und beast. We may assume that there will be a lot of fiddling and time-wasting before this most urgent work is put in hand, especially if we have to wait until a poll of ratepayers can be taken, and it will be generally admitted that some more expeditious method should he possible for putting" siich urgent work in hand. Probably if we had a tragic accident with' the loss of a few precious lives, a method would quickly be found even if it was not. one of get i big something for nothing as' our esteemed Mayor would say. There have"been repented suggestions for securing permission to dump the spoil over: the sea wall, arid our friend "Ratepayer" shows us how this'can be done almost as cheaply as the proposed dumping or carting, and at the same time'provide one of the most desirable objectives that we could wish for, thai of connecting Rocks road with Haula - shore Island Which, while the property of the Citv Council by deed of gift on the part of Captain Monerieff,'remains useless' for the purpose' for which it was given, "that of a children's and adults' pday ground,"- and-gardens or picnic resort. . ; ' -' Ample rock will ; probably \>n dislodged' in the process of cutting back the cliffs' with which to build" walls to enclose the more than ample 'spoil that will -be ' available for " filling in at it tithe of the cost it will mean to cart it to either King's Acre or to Tahuna beach.' Any attempt" to dump the spoil over the sea wall on to the open rocks to be washed away by the tide is bound to be resisted by the Harbour Board for the sensible stated reason, that it would entail enormous expense and wasteful expenditure of public money, to dredge the spoil out of the inner harbour. As a layman one cannot claim to know what effect on the harbour would accrue by the blockage of the old entrance by the proposed road across to Haulashore, but we may safely assume that it would he vastly less disastrous than that of (lumping the spoil into the open harbour, and the suggestion of "Ratepayer" is worthy of serious consideration by the Harbour Board and the City Council,' as the. local authorities concerned. The former, other things being equal, will we Van rest assured raise no obstacle.

In the matter of using either explosives, or warships, to bring down the spoil from the cliffs we must be guided by the most reputed best engineer's advice available. "Ratepayer's" suggestion is a rough, ready and quick way of achieving the objective but whether it is the right one or the best one may be open to dispute. We can all agree with his most sensible brain wave suggestion for a cheap and utilitarian method for disposing of the spoil that will come wo must hope that the City; Council will explore "Ratepayer's" suggestion to its utmost' ' limit of expediency and practicability in co-operation with the Harbour Board and Tahuna,-, Town Board, for out of a multitude of counsel should come wisdom and wise decision.

Unless the present City Council and Mayor show a very different attitude and support towards the improvement and development of Tahuna than its predecessor, there is little hope of its advancement during the next few years. A continued "dog in the manger" policy is one of the most uneconomic "penny wise and pound foolish" that can he conceived, and with bur new Mayor driving another wedge of procrastination by suggesting he lias an alternative scheme to pit against the Tahuna Sands Associations expert devised plans for bench improvement, it looks like holding up any progressive move from being made lam, etc..

.IMPATIENT FOR PROGRESS Nelson, 18th May. i "•'•••' - -