MOUNTAIN HOUSE ROAD

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 62, 25 May 1928, Page 2

MOUNTAIN HOUSE ROAD

DEPUTATION! TO MINISTER,

REINSTATEMENT OF GRANT ' ASKED FOR. In the course of his remarks yesterday when a deputation from the Egmont National Park waited on the Minister of Lands, Hon. A. D. McLeod, Mr J. C. Robins, chairman of the East Committee of the Park Board, said that his committee started with a sum of £3B handfa! in it by a. previous committee. Hi their first year they received 'donations from local bodies totalling £6O, and this money was ex'pended on cutting scrub on the road, removing trees and re-conditioning the House. During the three years the committee had been in existence a sum of £495 had been spent in opening up the road and £3Ol had 'been spent on the House, which was in a very bad state of repaid. A sum of £lO, donated by a friend of the committee, had been spent on a survey of the road to the plateau. Teh committee had thus spent about £9OO in the course of three years.

SOURCES OP REVENUE. Of this sum £124 was represented by donations, £52 was raised by entertainments, £57 was received from the Jubilee Queen Carnival, the Borough and County Councils gave £l7O in grants, and £2lO had been received in tolls. Starting practically without resources the committee had worked the road up to its present condition. There had been a permanent caretaker at the (House since January Ist, and in the short time since then 1000 people and 260 motor cars had visited the House. This gave some indication of the possibilities Of the House if the road was properly metalled. The possibilities of the development of the. House were much increased by the fact that the Mountain was so close to the railway at Stratford, enabling people to take advantage of excursion rates on the railway. The Minister: But do many people travel on the railways? (Laughter.) Continuing, Mr Robins said the committee did not stop at the House. A survey had been made which showed that a good road could be run to the plateau, which would mean that people could take their cars to a point 4000 feet above sea level, where they could enjoy a splendid panoramic view.

SPORTS ON THE PLATEAU. On the plateau there was ample scope for ski-ing and tobogauning. Already the .members of the Mount Bgmont Alpine Club were forming a ski-ing ground on the plateau, in anticipation of the road being carried to the point. The committee were at present engaged on a campaign to raise funds and this would be continued in future. They had not the slightest intention of sitting back and asking the Government to do everything—they intended to continue the efforts to i aise money locally. If the road to the House was metalled there would be greatly increased revenue, and though perhaps .the committee would not be able to defray the whole cost of the road to the plateau they would have a considerable sum of money at their command. One in 13 was the greatest grade on the road to the plateau, and the distance was only two miles 39 chains. The position must be looked at not only from a Stratford point of view but a national point of view. The cost of visiting Mount Egmont was not very great. They hoped as time went on to further develop the Mountain as a tourist resort, and when railway connection with Auckland was completed it should make it extremely easy for people from all parts of New Zealand to visit Mt, Egmont. The committee had the support of all local bodies and organisations, and they felt that they had the people of the district behind them '['be local bodies had in the past "given all the support they oouhl and the speaker believed that support would be continued. Mr I’. K. Anderson, chairman 01 the Stratford County Council, spoke shortly in support. He said the County Council had passed a resolu - tion supporting the deputations request. Mr P. Thomson entered an apology for the absence of the Mayor (Mr J. W. McMillan). The Borough Council, he said, had also passed a resolution supporting the deputation.

A MATTER OF POLICY. In replying, the Minister said he recognised that the whole question of the finances of National Park Boards required to he put on a much sounder footing than obtains to-day. In whatever was done for the Egmont Park Board the Government had to bear in mind the policy which had to be followed as regards other Park'•Boards. If anything was done for the Egmont National Paik Board it could be taken for granted that the same would have to he done for all other National Park Boards. Therefore, he could not engulf his colleagues by giving the deputation any promise. The whole position had to be overhauled. The Government had one definite line of policy—they would take no responsibility for buildings. He had laid that down last yiar when approached by the North and South committees in reference to buildings. The Government recognised a responsibility for capital expenditure which could be properly described as such. 'Money for such must come from the 'Public Works Department, and though money appeared on the Estimates as a Lands Department vote, it really came from the Public Works Department out of the country’s loan hioney. Therefore, ho must closely consult with his colleague the Min-

ister for Public Works before lie could give any indication of what the Government intended to do. Last year a grant was made to the northern committee. It might be that the Government had been caught hopping. A grant of pound for pound was made.

REDUCING MAINTENANCE. In that case, however, the Public Works Department hold that the annual maintenance cost would be greatly reduced by the proposed capital expenditure, and such expenditure was justified. It would have to be considered to what extent the local bodies would fall into line, as had been done in the case of the northern road. There had been a considerable capital expenditure on the northern and southern roads from Public Works votes. The matter of the general administration of National Park Boards also required consideration. He recognised that a number of gentlemen rendered : yeoman service on those Boards. No doubt people who lived away from Meunt Egmont as the best tourist than those who lived in its vicinity. Personally, he looked upon Mount Earnout as the best tourist resort in the country, because it was <1) readily accessiole to such a large population. National Park Boards must have some assured finance for administration purposes. It might be necessary to base this on some contribution from the local bodies. He intended to go into that! phase of the question to see what could be done. Mount Egmont was a national heritage, but more especially was it a heritage of the people of Taranaki. The tourist traffic from overseas might develop, but it was more necessary to look well after ouJ own people than those from overseas. Every facility should be provided to enable New Zealanders to see the beauty spots of their own country. Answering a deputation in the south bo had said that the Government subsidised counties os in the pound up to £2500 and he saw no reason why Park Boards should not be financed in a similar manner for admiiusuvtion work. It was desirable to guard against local effort being allowed to fade away and the whole responsibility being thrown on the Government. A system should be laid down so that the local organisation tvould know exactly what Government help would be given to local efforts. In (fion-f----clusion the Minister said be could make on promise as to a grant, but the deputation’s request had his entire sympathy.

HISTORY OF TjHE GRANT, Mr R. Masters, president of the Progress League, asked if the ;Miuister suggested that local bodies might subsidise the construction of the road. Mr McLeod said he threw out that suggestion. Mr Masters went on to explain that the grant was first made' when Mr Hine represented the district. It was then a straight-out grant. Subsequently, a certain amount of money was spent in anticipation of spending th e whole of it. When the slump came, the Public Works Department was short of money. The speaker was then member for the district, and Mr Coates put the question very pointedly to him whether the money should be spent on the road to the Mountain or in the backblocks. He (the speaker) replied that in the circumstances the money should be spent in the backblocks and that the work on the Mountain House road could proceed whbn money was more plentiful. In 1925 the Government put the grant back on the Estimates to carry out the work. In conclusion, Mr Masters said he had mentioned the facts he had in order to show that a straight-out grant had been provided as far back

Mr McLeod said lie would say quite frankly that if the Minister of Public Works would agree to a straight-out grant it would have his (the speaker’s) fullest support. But he knew the present difficulties of the Minister of Public Works, and could say that his difficulties were no less now than they/were in 1920 or 1925. Perhaps the Public Works Minister’s difficulties were greater at the present time because of the difficulty the settler had in meeting his obligations. If the work lent itself to unemployed relief there would be a better chance of getting a grant now. Mr Masters: I think it would lend itself to such relief as the greater portion would be spent on labour. Mr McLeod replied that that phase of course would be gone into.

Mr J. C. Robins thanked the Minister for his sympathetic hearing, and the deputation withdrew,