Martinborough-Pahaua Road.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XVIII, Issue 1682, 30 March 1885, Page 2

Martinborough-Pahaua Road.

A meeting of the settlers in the Lower Valley was held at the Martiuborough hotel on Saturday afternoon last. The meeting was convened for the purpose of taking the opinion of the public as to the most suitable route of several proposed for the new Mar-tiuborough-Pahaua road. Mr King had proposed one route to the County Council, which he affirmed was the most direct one ; Mr Skeet had also submitted to the Featherstou iload Board another line, via Grassy Hill. Some contend that this line, although not quite so direct as that proposed by Mr King, was, through the deviation, likely to obviate the necessity of making another short piece of road, and is of a sounder foundation for a road, taking in more of a dry ridge and less of the gully swamp. Several other routes have also been at sundry times mooted. The meetiug was influential and representative. Mr Coleman Phillips was voted to the chair, and among those present wete Messrs Buchanan, M.H.8., J. Martin, W. Donald, Wallace Smith, J. Tally, Sutherland, McLeod, Matthews, Pain aud Douglas. Mr Skeet, the engineer for the Feathevston Hoad Board, and Mr King, the engineer for the County Council, wete also present.

The Chairman said the object for which the meetiug was convened was to obtain an expression of opinion from the settlers mostly interested as to the beat and most convenient line of route to bo adopted for the proposed new Martiuborough-Pahaua road, leading from {Stockman's whare up aud over the summit of the range to Bush Gully aud from theuoo to the Pahaua river. Three hues had been submitted, oue by Mr Bremner some time ago, via tho Peacock Spur ; that line did not seem to he in general favor aud would probably bo abandoned. Mr Skeet had proposed a line leading up a spur via Grassy Hill, A third and intermediate one said to be r Al ° direct, had Uoen submitted by Mr King! the County .““Hueer; the last hue was via Fiat Spur. He (ihe OhairuiTh thought the broad question was oue of accommodate.'! aud lie thought they would see the necessity of adopting the road which would ultimately accommodate the majority. Fie would call upou Mr Skeet to explain his views of tho matter to the meeting.

Mr Sheet said that doth Mr King and himself agreed that cither o£ their lines were preferable to Mr Bremuer's. If the meeting thought Mr King’s road preferable to his, of course it woutd save two miles of construction, the road via the flat spur being undoubtedly t,.e shortest, but he questioned if the flat spur road would not ultimately be the most expensive to maintain, as they had that way, only a short distance to run out the grade, and there would be also a great diiliculty in getting sound ground in Uiai locality; be believed Mr King had tried to find a line with an easier grade than 1 in 11. We (Mr King and I) favor the proposal of a 1111 11 grade ; both Mr King’s line and my own meet 100 feat below Mr Bremner's line on the bush gully side ; we save an ascent of 1350 feet on this side, and have a muck easier grade on the Pahaua side. In answer to Mr Tully, Mr Sheet said his line would be shorter than Mr Bremuer's, but he was not prepared to say how much. Me Buchanan said if they could see some intelligible sketch el the several routes they would have something more tangible to determine upon. It appeared that Mr Skeet’s and Mr Kemp’s line would meet below the summit line, 100 feet beneath Mr Bremner’s, which of course was a great consideration. Mr Phillips said there seemed to be a concensus of opinion that Mr Bremuer’s line was out of the question. Mr Buchanan said he supposed the meeting then being held was only intended to be a conversational enquiry, preparatory to further steps being taken. He weuld like to heai Mr Martin give an opinion as to the beat line, he having recently visited that direction,

| Mr Martin said after looking over the ! ground, he considered Mr Sktel's would he i the dryest line although perhaps Mr King’s was shorter. He would propose, pro forma, that grassy hill line should be adopted as the choice of the meeting. Mr Donald said the grade was not the only thing to be considered, slippery ground should also be taken into calculation; easy grades of course were very necessary, but he feared Mr King had not sufficient time to examine the nature of the soil.

Mr Tally said the most important question was that ot keeping the road iu repair, after it is made. Ho asked Mr Sutherland, as one of the residents in the immediate neighborhood to explain to the meeting the relative merits of the three roads in question. Mr Sutherland said he thought as the best standing line, Mr Bremners might perhaps be desired, but to suit the settlers, Mr Skeel’s line via Grassy Hill was decidedly the best, as, if Mr King’s was adopted, a short piece of road, about three miles, would be necessary to connect Grassy Hill with the maiu track, but Mr King’s road, though the shortest, was in a slippery rotten place, and would be the dearest in the long run. To the Chairman—Mr Bremner's spur is the hardest ground. Iu answer to Mr Buchanan—Mr King said his line wou'd cost for survey for construction L2O per mile from Stockman’s whare to the Pahaua river ; his (Mr King's) line would save 230 feat ascent from Mr Skeet’s and 350 from Mr Bremner’s.

Mr Matthews proposed and Mr Buchanan seconded—That a committee be appointed to go over the ground and determine the best line of road, such committee to be attended by Mr King and Mr Skeet, and to consits of Messrs D. and W. Sutherland, Douglass, Buchanan, Tully, Donald, Martin, Phillips and the mover ; the said committee to report at the next Council meeting. Mr Martin withdrew his motion in favor of Mr Matthews’, which was adopted.

Mr Buchanan proposed and Mr Martin seconded—That tbe party meet at Stockman’s whare at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, the Btb April. Agreed to, Mr Buchanan said it was a great thing to reduce the grade, providing they did not get into bad ground, but would Mr Bell, the contractor, now on a portion of the road, wait the result of the investigation. Mr Skeet observed that the branch road which would be required, failing the main toad deviating by Grassy Hill, would cost about L2OO per mile. A vote of thanks to the chair closed the proceedings.