TOURIST SEASON

Taranaki Daily News, 16 October 1935, Page 6

TOURIST SEASON

PREPARATIONS ON EGMONT. EAST COMMITTEE MEETING. Preparations for the approaching summer tourist season engaged the attention of the East committee of the Egmont National Park Board at a meeting at Stratford last night. It was decided to make arrangements for the use of a tractor and road grader on the lower reserve road to improve the surface. It was decided to make arrangements for the use of a tractor and road grader on the lower reserve road to improve the surface. , ~ The painting of the buildings should be done before the summer tourist season began, said Mr. J. C. Robins, chairman. The committee had suggested it last year, but had deferred it on the grounds of expense. He considered the work could be done this season. It was decided that the painting of the exterior walls and roof should be put in hand, the chairman to make arrangements. A tangerine roof and tile-brown walls were suggested as the colour scheme. ’ Care should be taken that when advertising of Mount Egmont was undertaken by the Tourist Department every side of the mountain should be given attention, said Mr. Robins. The committee would not want to go on its own, but it would not want to be “left.” It was decided, to write to the department in that connection. . , j- * Reporting further on the attitude'of the Park Board to the committee’s request for permission to raise an overdraft, the secretary stated that since the last meeting of the committee he had been advised by Mr. W. C. Weston, chairman o£ the board, that immediate action was being taken by the board to secure permission for the committee. Tn answer to a letter from the Park Board asking the Public Works Department to inspect the Manganui Gorge and advise the board as to the best method of improving the track and making the gorge safe for traffic, the district engineer, Mr. P. Keller, stated that he would be pleased to look into the matter with some officer of the board who was acquainted with the site. The board forwarded the reply to the committee and suggested that either Mr. Anderson or Mr. Thomson would be able to supply the engineer with the required information.

He had interviewed Mr. Keller, in company with Mr. Robins, said Mr. Thomson, regarding the improvement of the entrance to the gorge and the labour for the work.. The engineer had arranged that weather permitting he would be able to inspect the gorge on Thursday morning in company with members of the committee. He had suggested that the committee should secure single rather than married men for the work. The caretaker advised that since he had come to the mountain house he had laid down two lawns and contemplated forming more, but the mower was useless. He asked for a new mower. The request was granted. Snow and frost on the upper part of the Plateau Road had softened several parts of it and these had been filled with knapped metal and blinded, reported the caretaker, Mr. J. Three loads of shingle from the red shingle pit were spread , on rough patches .of the road above the house. Several slips had occurred from the banks above Governor’s Cutting, the water-tables having to be cleared. Some of this conglomerate was used for blinding. Several repairs and additions were made to the ponga fence

in front of the house. All the material from the camp at the pit was brought to the house to be used in the building of a garage. Two new signs were erected. one at Ladyshoe Camp and one at the turn-off to Jackson's Look-out. , A few signs of goats were seen near the entrance of the Curtis Falls track

into the Manganui Gorge, but the goats had not yet done much damage. 'l’he season continued to be an exceptionally good one for ski-ing, the Stratford ground being wellt covered with snow throughout the month. Each week-end was fine, and large numbers of enthusiasts availed themselves of the sport,

There were present at the meetiM-... Messrs. T. R. Anderson (chairmaw-IWR L. Kennedy, J. C. Robins, B. P. Thomson and W. Vickers. . , .