MOUNTAIN SCENERY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20710, 7 May 1929, Page 10

MOUNTAIN SCENERY.

FINE ROAD THROUGH BUSH. OPENED BY PRIME MINISTER. (Pee United Peebs Asbocxatxow.) NEW PLYMOUTH, May 6. The Prime Minister (Sir J. G. Ward) to-day opened the new bitumen sealed road to the North Egmont mountain bouse, running for a' distance of three miles and a-quarter through primeval bush. The cost was £7OOO, half of whijh was a loan raised by the New Plymouth Borough Council under a special Act on' behalf of the National Park Board, -the other half being found by the Government. The day was gloriously , fine. Sir Joseph Ward spoke appreciatively of the fine .public spirit shown by the people of the district in developing the mountain resources, and referred to the. desire of the Government to assist in such a good work. He also spoke of the beautiful bush in the park. • The chairman of the Park Board (Mr T. C. List) stated that the good road'had already justified itself by the added .revenue accruing being sufficient to pay the interest and sinking fund on the loan. One of the greatest problems before the board was the extermination of goats from the reserves. The rangers had daring the past few months shot over 600 near the road, but thousands more were devouring the floor of the forest and barking trees up to 24 inches in. diameter. If the work was not vigorously pushed on, the goats would destroy the whole of the vegetation and. the. forest, leading to the drying up ,c£ the present /catchment: areas and the ruining of Taranaki as a rich pastoral province. The board had recently cc lenced reafforesting its open land, having planted 110,000 trees, and it; was hoped to continue to work and provide work for the unemployed in the winter.■,