ROAD EXTENSION TO OPUA WHARF.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9115, 25 July 1888, Page 6

ROAD EXTENSION TO OPUA WHARF.

Ax important meeting was held at Okaihau, on the 3rd inst., to urge on the Government to make a grant out of the loan to open a road to Opua. Mr. James Nicholson was voted to the chair. The Chairman stated that it was a great hindrance to the advancement of the district that we had no direct communication with the port. The road ended at the Waitangi Falls, and boatmen had to be employed to convey goods and passengers to Russell, a distance of six miles. All their goods coming from town had to be boated from Russell to the falls, often resulting in damage and loss of goods. It was a notorious fact that no farm or dairy produce was exported from the Bay of Islands district, principally owing to the fact that settlers could not reach the port without paying six shillings for a boat to take them there, whereas if a road were opened to Opua, they would have direct communication with the steamer at once. Mr. Blundell stated that he had been over the most of the proposed road, and spoke very favourably of it. • So far as he went, it was an easy road, but he could not speak of the two or three miles nearest Opua, as he had not been over it. Mr. Press, of Waimate, also spoke of the advantage which would result to the whole districtWaimate, Qhaeawae, Kaikohe, and Okaihau—from the opening of this road, and stated that he was lately over the ground and explored most cf the route, that three-fourths was almost a dead level, and the balance, so far as he knew, presented no great difficulty. Mr. D. M. Anderson and Mr. Lacy Williams also spoke favourably of the proposed road, after which Mr. Anderson moved, and Mr. Williams seconded, " That in the interest of the development of the Bay of Islands district, it is desirable to open a road to connect the Waimate Falls road with Opua ; that Mr. Hobbs be asked to urge Government to allocate £5000 out of the loan for that purpose." Carried unanimously. It was also resolved unanimously that the chairman telegraph the above resolution to Mr. Hobbs. ft was proposed by Mr. Lacy Williams, seconded b y, L Mr ' J - White, and carried nem. con., "That the chairman, Mr. D. M. Anderson, Mr. Press, and Mr. Marsden Clark, be a committee to draw up a petition on the subject. It was proposed by Mr. Blundell, seconded, by Mr. Press, and carried nan. con., That this meeting request the councillors of this riding to urge on the County Council to strongly support the petition. A vote of thanks to the chairman terminated the meeting. Great credit is due to Mr. Press, of Waimate, for exploring out this new route, and for the energy he displayed in bringing it before the public. There is no doubt that it will be a great boon to the whole district If it only can be opened, but we cannot shut our eyes to the fact that probably the inhabitants of Kawakawa will oppose it as diverting some portion of traffic from that town ; still, I doubt if Kawakawa will lose anything by it, and in the long run it is sure to gain by the impetus that road would give to various industries inland. It is intended to hold meetings in other centres of population to agitate the matter, and to bring it under the notice of the Government to support out- member, Mr. Hobbs, hi pressing the matter on the Minister of • ™bhc Workfi,_[Qwn Correspondent.]