FORTROSE-GORGE ROAD HIGHWAY.

Southland Times, Issue 19899, 18 June 1926, Page 9

FORTROSE-GORGE ROAD HIGHWAY.

To the Editor. Sir, —I have read some if not all of the controversy in your columns regarding the Fortrose-Gorge Road main highway. The letter of Mr John Graham of Glencoe is much to the point, but none of the correspondents hit the right point in the argument. The main point in the first place is that the route from Kennington to Waikawa via Morton Mains, Seaward Downs and Mat aura Island was declared the main highway. The Waihopai riding portion of that was to its own self, Kennington to the blacksmith’s shop at the Back Water, and the small bridge at the east end of Mataura Island. West of Kenington to Invercargill for five miles the line goes down the centre of the road and Awarua has the one half to construct and maintain. Now this route taps a large area on both sides not served by rail and is much used, as buses run on it, pick up farmers as passengers from their cow sheds after milking and return in good time and deposit them at their gates or shed in time to milk at night. The buses cross a railway line once only from Wyndham, or the starting point each way, and it averages five miles off the railway on either side. So if these people had to go to a railway, either north or south, they would have to take a horse and trap, which is possibly away at the factory from a railway line such as Oteramika is. It is also the straightest and most direct (Mr N. A.' Neiderer wants them straight), but you cannot now make them any straighter than did the late Theophilus Heale, who surveyed them about 1859 to 1861. Now the distance, as Mr Neiderer says, is no further from Waimahaka by road than rail—2B miles. Now I maintain that in the road from the Island bridge to Invercargill and also along the road from the proposed site lower down, via Seaward Bush, there is very little difference, as the present road that is in use is one and a half miles to the south of one point and half a mile to the north of another. About 60 chains at the Gorge again to north and at proposed site about one and a half miles south- at nearest proposed site and five or six miles at furthest site in dispute. But even that is only a part of the dispute; the district is served by a railway, one of the 24 lines in the South Island that does not pay according to the last returns, and the proposed main highway crosses and re-crosses the railway line six times in 18 miles, five times the Seaward Bush and once the Dunedin line, before getting into the business part of the town, as against once in the case of the route not served by rail. That should have the best highway and the safest in regard to crossing accidents, which alone condemns the other. It is also up a swamp nearly all the way but wants a decent road at all times, especially roads leading to it as feeders to supply it, not a highway to compete with the line and increase the loss on it. But that is not all. It was taking the subsidy from the other (which is in a deplorable state with pot-holes) for four years that brought on the whole trouble. It will take about £9OOO per mile to convert it into a decent highway, or £lB,OOO to get that two miles to site of the bridge, and the bridge must be built after that. This is a bit high, as they understand “high” down there, but there is frequently a raging torrent up to 10ft deep between terrace and bank of the river. A bridge is wanted for stock, but to be really useful at all times, in all weather, it would require, like the to be about three miles long. A small substantial light traffic bridge up Io three or four tons for sheep, cattle or milk carts about Millards’ or Gobbs’ Bend and a small household school on either side, preferably on this side, is a necessity down there and to avoid having children driving six and a half miles in bitter weather to school. The land on either side is not suited to heavy roads and they should be debarred. A bridge to cost the £3OO of the two ridings’ offer and another £6OO or £lOOO on Government vote would be much appreciated down there. And as for Mr N. A. Neiderer and his straight roads, over the Mataura the geographic features are different. You must tunnel the mountain or make a cutting or go round and up and down every steep place; but I am sure, highway or no highway, Seaward Downs to Invercargill will always have six or seven travellers to one or two on the other route for the outer 10 or 1-5 miles anvhow. —I am, etc., JAMES D. SHEPPARD.* To the Editor. Sir, —The Gorge Road main highway scheme is exciting so much interest and so many mis-statements have been made about the matter, that I think it advisable to write you showing why this and surrounding districts object. Seaward Downs is credited with being the chief objector, but that is not “so, as Wyndham, Pine Bush, Mataura Island, Edendale, Morton Mains, Woodlands and the other districts leading from Waituna to Kennington are just as emphatic and freespoken in their protests. The principal statement that the supporters of the scheme use to discredit the objectors is that they object selfishly to a bridge over the lower Mataura. This is not so. There has been no objection expressed io this, and if the people interested can agree on a site, and can convince the Public Works Department, and the county engineer that they have sufficient traffic to justify its erection, no one will oppose the bridge. Again we are accused of selfishness in that living in well-roaded districts we are trying to prevent people less favourably situated from obtaining good roads. This does not. come into that matter as Councillor Neiderer stated in the Seaward Down’s Hall that each ratepayer in the Gorge Road district had already a gravelled road to his section, and Councillor Golden told us that his ratepayers living in the vicinity of the proposed bridge would be in the same happy position within six months. We are told that the proposed scheme of bridge building and the construction of necessary approaches will involve an expenditure of £lO,OOO if carried out under the Main Highway Scheme. We maintain that the suggested benefits do not justify such an expenditure. The cost of turning the Gorge Road route into a main highway .will not end with this sum, as the road from Gorge Road to Invercargill is in places so narrow that cars have difficulty in passing, also the nature of the formation is such that the widening of the road will be a costly affair. The six level crossings on this road also render it. unsuitable. We maintain that all this involves an expendi-

ture that will not bring in an adequate re- ; turn. Further it is not the declared policy of the Highways Board to construct a highway that will prove a direct competitor with the railway. I would like someone to point out any hardship that anyone in the Waihopai Riding is suffering under present conditions. We have the assurance of our members that each one has a gravelled road, and the railway service is also good. Who i among the ratepayers in the Waihopai rid- l ing wishes to go to Fortrose or who among them has business sufficient in that town to justify him in asking his fellow rate- i payers to assume a considerable financial . liability that he might have an improved ■ means of travelling to transact it? Coun- I cillor Neiderer has yet to explain this, i Again it is freely stated that the proposed ] road and bridge will greatly benefit the I people of Waikawa and Haldane, and that >■ we objectors are trying to deprive long • suffering communities of their just rights, i I understand that between Tokanui and | Waikawa and between Fortrose and Haldane ! there are considerable stretches of road that ! for want of gravel are barely passable during winter and spring. A bridge over the lower Mataura and a main highway through Gorge Road would be of little benefit to these good people while they lack a gravelled highway to their farms. Had Councillor Golden seen ’ fit to expend the surplus at his disposal by giving them this highway he would have earned their thanks and the approbation of everyone interested. Finally the proposal means that the road from Kennington to Seaward Downs will cease to be a main highway. We maintain that there is no road in Southland more suitable for a main highway, it passes for 18 miles or so through closely settled heavy producing land. It runs be- • tween two railway lines, parallel with both but a considerable distance from either and it is the natural route for all the motor traffic serving one of the most important and thickly populated parts of the country. Again the promotors of the scheme state that the new highway will cater to the tourist traffic. lam not aware that tourists prefer to travel over low-lying, swampy land made still more unsightly by stumps i and dead trees, with the air malodorous I from dismal swamps. I understand that j they appreciate the roads leading through i smiling land and greatly value the views j obtainable from the hilltops, and what do an extra five or eight miles mean to a , tourist ? To condense the whole matter into two blunt sentences: The promoters of this scheme having failed to convince the auth- j orities concerned that the promised traffic • would justify a bridge over the lower j Mataura have brought influence to bear on , the councillors and controlling bodies to j secure their bridge under the main highway scheme regardless of expense. Through an oversight on the part of the ratepayers they may be able to carry it through, and it would seem that they are determined to ■ do so without regard for the rights of the ■ majority of the ratepayers. Could anything ■ be more selfish than this attitude, i I am, etc., P. ARNOTT. |