The Wakatipu Milford Connection. TO THE EDITOR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2809, 15 January 1908, Page 36

The Wakatipu Milford Connection. TO THE EDITOR.

' Sib,— l was intensely interested in reatfmg m your issue of to-day 'the account of the splendid attempt made by Mr Grave . and his companions to ".find a paes connect- ■ ing Milford Sound with the ' Hollyford River and Wakatipu. I" think that had it been possible they would hare succeeded, and th«y deserve the heartiest praise - for their arduous endeavour. The Dominion, should mow aooept the position and meet the situation, which is 'that" no possible pass exists and v other means -must be tried to reach Milford" from tho Hollyford Hive*. Mr-Grajre think, iko^aly way to make a road would bo to cut a'iedge zig-zagging^ down Ihe precrpitouawestern face (3000 ft)' of Homers Saddle. The suggestion is worthy of consideration, and will probably be forwarded -to • the Tourist Department for its consideration. In dealing, however} with the opening up of that country, many considerations require to. be taken into -account, »nd you, Sir, may pardon me for taking up yotir* space by quoting from the .report I furnished to youT paper on* February 15, 1307. In that communication, after I had described the possible .track to Te Anau from Waka.tipu, via Lake Wbwden, I made -the fol- 1 . lowing ■ observations :— , Isake Bowdien. is also .{Jhe. .centre from __ which the road* must bo taken leading to the " vertical waH that a* -present - blocks the way into the : beautiful 'Milliard . Sound. A very able re*port on this subject was, in 1890, made by Mr R. W. Holmes, C.E., to the Engineer-in-Gliief for th« Ootany, in which h© declares that" the Holyfoitr -route "to MMfor is superior to tb!a>t via Te JLn.au. The only "practical way was via Homera Saddle, 4 wHere an earthquake h»d occurred, capsismg ' the' ridge top into Bolyford Valley, and 1 forming a mass cf debris which reached! only at one "place to the-- top of the- ridge. * lit was -here tha>t poor Quill was lost. Thewhole route seems designed by Nature for orpad construction purposes. A. tunnel 400 yards long on a descending grade would! reach tbe Cleddou Valley on the Milford <=idei »t an altitude of 1300 ft, which Is the heigi.fi of the Cleddau at that place. A tunnel 6ft wide .and Bft high would" cost £5 » yard! to make. The approaches would also ooat a good deal. The scenery in the Holyforct eann<*i be surpassed in the world. Tha Halyford Valley, above the left band branch, consists of a gorge bounded by precipices , varying in hsoffht up to 5000 ft above .ha xiver, and wholly unscalable, -except wherei the two saddles exist at the tend. It follows round the base .of v Mount Qhrktinji, apparently perfectly inaccessible. Tha lowest glacier, in the vicinity <rf <3j« pro-\ posed tunnel, in the sunshine is 5300 ft above sea level. From these fig-ares it- will bet realised how. magnificent is the soenery in that region, and how 'desirable it is to form a road leading to so important a scenio centre as Luke Howfien. Otapo and Southland should ask that this work of piercing the tunnel be t>ufc in hand. We in the south are absolutely asleep as to what is Sfoinjr on in the north? in connection with developing our tourists resorts. Last year the "Tourist Department spent about £30.000 on new works, etc., on Rotorua alone-^not including Tel Aroha and other -places. This year it has authority to spend again on Rotorua some £40 000. and over and above tha* aboufi £10.000 on wages alone. What, Ihink you. has it on the Estimates Ifor all Otago and! Southland ?— a paltry £2000. ' We know at present the receipts are more from Rotorua than Otago. But were our gro-ot tourist resorts -in the soufli decantly handled and 'were a proportionate expen* diture made on them quite as good re* suits would be .obtained as from the norfh, «nd we in the south - would eh»re in +.he> general prosperity. Tn the north they are furnished with luxuries, while in the south bare necessities ate nol granted.' Take the matter of steamers on Lake Wafeatipu : for years a " better boat has been required. And the connection between Lake Wakatipu and Te Anau and! Wakatipu and Milford Sound should be) established.— l am,' eta, Thouas Mackenzie. Allan Grange, January 11.

"I would suggest," »*»<* *<* Mayor of ParnelL (Mr G. W. Ba«leyl at the meeting of the Parnell Council, " that we, on enterin? the New Year, express our adtairatiott of the very tactful" manner in which the Mayor of Wellinsrton has handled Mr Keitf Hardw." — (Laughter.)

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