GISBORNE SOUTHWARDS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 12469, 20 March 1911, Page 4

GISBORNE SOUTHWARDS.

HAN<3AROA v

MANGAPOIKE,

REPRESENTATIONS FROM *HE INLAND LEAGUE. ' ' '

Prior to his departure for the Coast this morning, the Mayor (Mr 'W. fiir Ly«nar) introduced a deputation repri?' ' senting the East Coast Inland League regarding the route of tile Slybdrn*-' Southwards line. The deputation" comprised Messrs J. Barns Graham, Fl Morice (Hangaroa), A. C." Steele (TaN hora), J. L. Spence, H. K. Kent, arid G. J. SI Small (secretary)', Tiriiroto. 'V The Mayor, m introducing the" • deputation, explained that they desired to. place before the Minister the advantage of an alternative route via lfonga- . roa, m preference to the one under ''consideration. He stated that the tttehibe#s of the deputation had travelled 40 w 50 miles to see the Minister. ■ ' '* SURVEY OF ALL ROUTES. U' Mr Morice, who acted as spokesman, said they desired the Minister to investigate all the routes before- He dtf? cided upon any particular one/ lt« went on to say the route thett' adv<!k cated was along the Hangar w riv»r and up the Aroha stream} acrosV' a low saddle and through Ngatapa. Be < had heard it stated the saddle was only 700 feet. They desired to point oui that the route drained some 1400,000 or 300,000 acres, whilst the Mangapoike would only tap about 80,000 acres; : The Minister: Will it not Up this* country also? • l ' Mr Morice • I don't think so. Mr Steele : There .is very high cou& try between. ' ; - ■■'•■■' •• '• The Minister: Could you not take a road through it? ' ''-i' Mr Steele explained that ■ the ' road _ would have to climb over the hill- ahd' down again. ■ \ Tlie Minister remarked that v they surely did not want hint' to unokeV a railway where they could not make ft road ? ' . V Mr Small produced a plan of the db* triot, and explained the various routed' They suggested* joining"' the/ present raffc way at WaerehgA-a-hika: ' ; Mr Kent explained that the 'Wph mountain range was a natural barrifit which prevented them from Having.*^ cess to the Mangapoike. The deputationists explained variott* details of the respective" t outes. *. ' The Minister questioned the; depots tion where they obtained all thik infor mation from, regarding what the 1 engineers had done. It was all mistaken. Mr Smith explained that the lasted 'Mr Whyte^ had been over the routes with the engineeers. ' > • The Minister asked where the inform mation came from that the Mnngapqilt*) route had been condemned. , v ' : Mr Small produced a copy of a mbm*)* randum of Mr ' Holme* (Engmeer : in> Chief) of 1908 to the' Napier League: "^ The Minister, after perusing:' the memorandum, 'asked Where the coftdwni nation came m. The memorandum did not say that the Tiniroto route waa any better than the Mangapoikri toute. MR HOLMES RECOMIMSNDti •>: MANGAPOIKE. ' - ' The Minister asked whether the deputation would like to hear what bit Holmes reported on the Tiniroto I'oUtet The deputation expressed their destafe to hear tue report. . ■ ; '< v The report, from which the Minister quoted, declared that there was no doubt about the superiority of., the Mangapoike route from an engineering, point of- view. The Minister said thfey would thus see that the Department was m possession of information thai the deputation was not aware of. ■< . Mr Barns Graham and other deputa* tionists .assured the Minister that th* route they were advocating deviated m a different direction to that reported on. - .'-- v The Minister, quoting from the teport, pointed out that the Tiniroto route was nine milas longer and would edit £10,000 to- £12,000 a mile. [However; if the deputation thought they had ft better route, and that was wnat they were looking for, he would send the Engineer-in-(Jhief out to-morrow to examine it. The deputationists replied enthusiastically that that was what they- wanted*' The depmtationists asked if the MisH ister would consider the .route from -U revenue point of view. — :*. The Minister said he would, but the cost" of this nine or ten extra milen would more than counter-balance the revenue that might be earned. They 'were building a line from Napier .to Auckland, and they were not going to 'put an extra 10 miles on to it. : * AN ALTERATIVE ROUTE. ,-' Mr Steele then brought under the Minister's notice the advantages of toh lowing the Tiniroto route, and, continuing up the Hangaroa to Waikohu, where it would join ithe Gisborne-Mjotu linfe. This route, he said, would traverse almost level country. The Minister : If you can show me such a route I am prepared to consider it. ■'<-.'; Mr Steele: That is what we came to usk you. • ■» The Minister : I will booh find out what it 18 worth. \- • Mr Steele declared there was 10 ot 12 miles of perfectly flat country. The League did not desire to direct the route, but simply to ask the Minister to have the same examined. The Minister remarked that this alternative route hod not been ■ mentioned m the League's letters before. Mr Small admitted that he had not done so. TO CUT OUT OISBORNE. The Minister pointed out that the Alternative roui^e would hot touch Oisborne, but personally he was hot particular whether it did come to town. . Mr Steele explained that the Waikohu route was shorter as a main trunk Jim* than the Mangapoike route. ; The Minister* Do you think the Mayor and people of Gisborne will support you with this route? ' The Mayor: We will liave Bomethtnjf to say on this matter. ~ ■'••/ The Minister : I will not take much notice of either side if I can save some %0 miles. \ \ . < :'} k The Minister intimated his willingness to send the Engineer-in Chief to examine the routes to-morrow. Mr Holmes was looking for other route* and cheaper ones. . . .Mr Maurice stated tb«H the HangaidaPatutahi route would serve the, flats of both Te Arai and XtAiMhh I ,^ ONE IN FORTY GRADE. . The Minister emphasised thai the Tinfroto route, according to . the , engineer's report, would necessitate 1 a,'ofcs m forty grade; it would descend orte, mile m 40 miles. <* Mr Morice suggested this might/; be got oVer by a small tunnel. He.! did not thmk the engineer knew of this oaddle: The Minister ' thought the -Engineer might have found an even bettet" route. He regretted that he had not the if*!"*!* with him, they had been left at Otpjttj, The Mayor remarked that he ' should have thought the deputation would have desired communication with Gisborrie, not Auckland. » v .-■/ •- Mr Steele: But we are lodkirfg at 4fc' from a national -point of -view. Mr Steele explained that they would undertake to snow the engineers over the routes, and if the engineers said it was no good the deputation wouM a bo satisfied. ■<% MISLEADING INFORMATION., ' The Minister asked where the 1 Becretary obtained his infortnilioh that J^pOO had- been voted last session , for, BUrvet'i", Mr Small said that it wtffl ! pflfelft\|jj«f at tho time. ..'■■» The Minister replied that it was ; a< misstatement. The vote was for construction, not surveys. He cai]tioneil the League against the circitfatioir ot, such misstatements. When they, did, th^' it- was quite likely they would i, not t»e listened to ■at all. < FLYING SURVEY TO BE'MAtyM The Minister remarked that he' %4s sorry he could not go over both routes, '■ a8 time would not permit. He hart gOW over part of the Tiniroto route tiuttPyeffr. Surposely. He had no objection to '■ a ying survey over the routes that had not been previously surveyed, bttt He had been given to understand . that the . Tiniroto Toute was quite impracticable: Mr Steele urged that time should be given to the engineers to make a careful examination. They did not want) a.

enrsory glance at the country. At this stage the Minister stated that ifciwas time for him to be travelling, as he had r fo reach Toldga Bay that night. He Would be returning from the Coast by Wednesday afternoon's steamer, and foe would then be prepared, to meet the •deputation again, and talk over the mat ter, with the .plans before them. •The- deputation then went on to discuss road matters.