POVERTY BAY TO WAIKATO.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10574, 27 January 1906, Page 4

POVERTY BAY TO WAIKATO.

♦— WANTED— A ROAD

THE POSSIBLE ROUTES

The following article is published by the Waikato Times: —

The need of a more direct and shorter road from Gisborne and the East Coast to the Waikato than that via Napier has long been felt. That a large and flourislung district like Poverty Bay should have no direct communication by road with Waikato and Auckland must be a matter of surprise to our Sowtih Island visitors. Although a direct road is chiefly required for stock-driving purposes, it is also needed for the ordinary purposes of communication, and it is, next to the completion of the Main Trunk line, the most important work for the Auckland province. This has for some time been recognised by out*' more progressive Waikato farmers and a small section of Auckland's business men. who 1 fully appreciate the benefits that would accrue to tlieir portions of the province as enabling store sheep to be obtained when required. At present sheep destined for the Waikato, from the Poverty Bay district, have to travel almost down to Napier before turning up north, which necessarily means a long and trying journey for this class of stock.

Everyone who has given the matter a thought is unanimous as to the necessity of this road, burt the best line of route to be followed is not quite so obvious, owing mainly to lack of personal knowledge of the country. Other points m connection with this matter that will naturally be taken into consideration by the powers that be when approached on the question of route are: How will the line proposed work m with, roads already made, and what scope of country, settled and otherwise, will it tap? The Government is bound to take these points into consideration, and it is therefore necessary to the earlier fulfilment of their hopes that our Waikato people interested sliould study this question from a similar standpoint. Also, remembering that it would be a, better policy to try and obtain the be6t permanent lme, even if it means a rather longer space of time before completion, than to take the line of what may be called least resistance, with attendant disadvantages of scarcity of feed and shortness of water.

As far as we can ascertain, throe alternate routes luive been suggested, all of which have Rotorua a»._a common objective, viz. : (1) From Ormond through the Urewera Country at the head of the Huiarua range to Galatea; from Gisborne tv Wairoa. Hawke's Bay. thence to Galatea via Waikai-emoana; and (3) from Gisborne to Opotiki via Motu, thence via Wlmkataiie and Tc Teko on to the Hot Lakes centre. As it has been put forward m print recently that the Opotiki route was not practicable for sheep on account of the rivers that would have to be forded, it might be Avell to point out tiliat there are only two rivers of any importance on this route which have still to bo bridged. These are the Wliakatane and Rangilaiki, and for both of these varioussums have been placed on the estimates for bridging for several years past, and there can be no doubt tliat very shortly fording or ferrying these rivers will be a thing of the past. The distances on the two last-mentioned routes are approximately as follows : Gisborne to WTaitoii 68 miles, Wairoa to Waikaremoana 36, Waikaiemoaua to Waiotapu via Galatea 79, Waiotapu to Rotorua 21, total 204 miles: Gisborne to Motu 55. Motu to Opotiki 56. Opotiki to Rotorua 76, total 187. A new and shorter road from Motu lo Opotiki via the Otara Valley flias already been put m hand by the Government which will effect a saving of 24 miles, so that m considering the ]>ermaneiit route this should be deducted from the total just given. The old stumbling block to travelling' stock along this portion of the Bay of Plenty, namely, Ohiwa harbor, no longer exists, as a driving road has lately been constructed round tho head. No information is to hand m reference to the suggested road through tlie Huirau Range, but no doubt, as soon as the question is taken up m earnest., this will be available. The line, via Opotiki, is all made and open foi traffic, with the exception of the new road between that place and Motu, and offers for almost the whole of its length great advantages m tho way of feed and wafer, and it will also, m the near fu ture, undoubtedly become the main coach road from the East Coast to the Auckland railway system. The Huirau route will, on the other hand, probably be somewhat shorter, but the country along the Galatea track is not famed for tlte richness of its feed, and this will require to be weighed against the saving m distance.

The A. and P. Associations and Farmers' Clubs of both Waikato and Poverty Bay should direct their energies to obtaining the fullest information on tlio matter, and tiy to arrive at a unianimouis and well-consfdered decision as to the best route; appointing, if necessary, a representative commission to go fully into the question. This having been settled, the strongest representations should be made to the Government to take the matter m hand. The road would not only act as an important feeder to the North Island railway system, but it would m a great measure fend to break up the isolated position of Poverty Bay, and give that district a "road out" with mutual advantage to the Waikato, and to the greater part of the Auckland district.