SOUTHERN TOURIST ROAD

Taranaki Daily News, 2 April 1934, Page 4

SOUTHERN TOURIST ROAD

MILFORD AS OVERSEAS PORT SCHEME ENVISAGED BY MINISTER. WAY TO SOUND THROUGH TUNNEL BOTH PRACTICAL PROPOSITIONS.

By Telegraph—Press Association. Invercargill, Last Night. A highway encircling the South Island with Milford Sound as a port of call for overseas vessels was envisaged by the Hon. Adam Hamilton, Minister in charge of tourist and health resorts, in a statement issued yesterday. “Recently two of the chief officers of the Public Works Department visited Milford Sound for the purpose of conferring with the engineer who has been working with a survey gang for some months on the proposed road and tunnel to Milford. The survey party has for some time, now been working on the Milford side of the saddle,” stated the Minister. “Although they are not yet ready to present a full and detailed report," the information obtained on this visit is sufficient to enable these chief officers to state that the result of the survey has been entirely satisfactory. They are now able to state that both the tunnel and the road are practical The matter of costs has still to be worked out and considered. “Survey investigations have proved that the better route is not by way -f Gertrude Saddle but by way of Homer Saddle. By adopting the Homer Saddle route the length of the tunnel can be considerably shortened. Moreover, the road down to Milford from the end of the tunnel is better by that route. The estimated length of the tunnel by way of Gertrude Saddle was 90 chains. It is found that 60 chains of tunnel will be sufficient by the Homer route. “If a road could be completed Jto Milford Sound and up the west coast it would, apart from many other benefits, serve two major purposes. Milford Sound would undoubtedly become a port of call for overseas tourist vessels and a round-the-island tour would be provided for motorists.