OTAPIRI-MANDEVILLE ROAD.

Southland Times, Issue 21716, 31 May 1932, Page 3

OTAPIRI-MANDEVILLE ROAD.

To the Editor. Sir,—lf you will kindly allow me I would like to refer to some statements made by Mr Overton regarding the Otapiri-Mandeville road in your issue of the 20th inst. He stated “that the Otapiri-Mandeville road has been looked on by the County Council as the next in importance for construction for some considerable time,” and also “that our present and past members, Mr Perrelle and Mr Hamilton, had assisted in obtaining grants for it.” In both these statements Mr Overton is throwing dust in your readers’ eyes. The County Council has never held that view. The Council considers that Mr Overton requires a road to his Homestead and rightly so, and intend to give him that. The road from Warwick Downs to Lora Homestead, six miles in length, three of which are unmetalled, is the first part of Mr Overton’s proposed road to Mandeville. It has always been, known as the Warwick Downs-Lora road, and it has been for this piece of road that both Mr Perrelle and Mr Hamilton have assisted by getting grants. They have never tried or thought of getting money for a road beyond Lora station. The proposed road from there to Mandeville might be convenient for Mr Overton as a short cut to Dunedin, where he has business interests, also for others to attend Dog trials on the Waimea Plains. It would be of no benefit to the general public and in a few years would be another Coal Creek road. Mr Overton should hve asked for a metalled road from Warwick Downs and then he would have had the support of the whole district instead of asking for thousands of pounds to be spent. Thanking you for throwing your columns open for this correspondence— I am sure it will help to enlighten some members of the Farmers' Union and the Unerhployment Committee.— FACTS.