Prosperous Wanganui

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXI, Issue 18900, 22 December 1923, Page 22 (Supplement)

Prosperous Wanganui

Metrocolis of the West Coast A Year of Remarkable Progress The year 1923 will be a memorable one in the history of Wanganui, principally for the , reason that it has risen to the status of a ■ deep sea port which can be worked in safety iby the overseas class of steamers. March 23 ! last was a red letter day when the overseas freighter ‘‘Hannah” pioneered the way to i berth safely at the Castlec! iff wharf, the I• ‘ Tregenna. ” an overseas steamer of larger ] tonnage followed, and the day of berthage of •the refrigerated type of vessels is at hand, j j for thev, too, can work the port just as I easily. ‘ ; The coining of the Home boats to Castle- • Tiff is the consummation of long deferred desire, and important as it is to Wanganui it j is equally important to the huge district of I which Castlecliff is the natural outlet and • distributing centre. I From a commercial point of view the port of "Wanganui is :d rat vgicaily excellently 'i:ua:e<l. being the sole port that is capable I of development into a deep water port on the long -oast line between Wellington and New Plvnrulh. It is served by one of the best navigable aland waterways in New Zealand, aml more important still has a back country ■.'thin a radius of fifty miles, which includes •ome of the best dairying, pastoral and forest lands in the Dominion, a potentially rich, fertile and drought-free area. There is nowhere in the Dominion a territory of such potentialities in the direction lof closer settlement and increased output of primary products. The fertile coastal belt is ideal tor dairy farming, while the breezy uplands of the back country is recognised as the perfect location for big framed, well-condi-tioned sheep and beef strains of cattle. MUNICIPAL PROGRESS. i Municipally Wanganui has progressed by embracing the Gonville Town Board areathe largest town board area in New Zealand —and amalgamation with Castlecliff is on the i tapis. It will mean a Greater Wanganui with i a population of 26.000 inhabitants, the fifth I centre in size and importance in the Domin- ’ jion, a centre with every prospect of reaching an even higher civic status. IMPORTANCE OF ROADS. I One of the most important things for the district is the improvement of the present .roads in the back country and the construction of more roads, particularly those of an arterial nature. In the Wanganui County i the three arterial ways of the most- import-' a nee are the Parapara road, the Wangaehu I I \ alley road, and the Wanganui Riverbank road. In the summer months the Parapara I J is qude a passable road for through traffic. ■ | and steps are now being taken to metal ai i length of it in the lower end of Waimarino I County, in order that the road will be open) ■at all times of the year. Public opinion is I unanimous in regard to the need of completI ing the Parapara road to the point of being a first-class highway, and the passing vear has seen a genuine movement in that direction. 'l'he Wangaehu Valley road has likewise a short midway length to be completed. The work is steadily progressing, and it should not be long before this valley provides an additional outlet tor Wanganui's back country. The need of the Wanganui Riverbank road has received additional emphasis during the past week by the fact that the low state of the river has necessitated farmers transporting their wool overland, to be railed by a

circuitous route to Wanganui. At present j from below Pipiriki the river road practically I exists in name only, and in places is scarcely above the dignity of a bridle track. With j the exception of the Gentle Annie Hill below ' Parakino, there is a good level route all the I way. The metalling problem is, to a largo , extent, solved by the abundance of supplies 1 in the bed of the adjacent river. In Waitotara County the achievement of , fl the year has been the linking of the Ahu Ahu | ’• country with the extension of the Bangi latan East road, and settlers now have an outlet by • road, whereas in previous years they were dependent upon the river. Through the year | the making of a road from liaorikia right j through, the Kauarapaoa Valley has been in • progress, and with such success that there is j now but a couple of miles to complete. Pond- | ing in Waitotara back country has consist- !• ently kept pace with the spread of settle- , jpent, and the policy has been one of pro- ■ gross ion. MAIN HIGHWAYS. For all the county councils the m.-.-t im- * port ant event of the year has been the inauguration of district highways councils, I which have for their main object the con- { struction upon modern lines of arterial roads. | Under the new scheme a local body must find ' half of the cost of construction <f a main 1 highway, and two-thirds of the cost cf main- : tenance. Similar provision is made for roads ; which may be declared of a secondary ’ nature. The scheme, although in its embryo i stages, is not regarded with universal satis- ■ faction by reason of the fact that the whole • of a county may be rated for one particular ; road to serve a portion of the county and the needs of foreign traffic. However, the pro- ( posal has a legislative backing, ami is io be | tried out.