The Gorge Road.

Woodville Examiner, Volume XXI, Issue 3805, 9 October 1905, Page 2

The Gorge Road.

COMMISSION ADJOURNED INDEFINITELY. SOME COMMENTS. At Palmerston on Saturday, Mr W. S. Short anno mce l that the Government had acceded to the unanimous request of the local bodies that an adjournment should be made until the question of the Lower Gorge bridge could be taken conjointly with the matter of the Gorge Road. The local bodies are to bear the cost of the adjournment. The following items are clipped from the Manawatu Times this morning concerning the Gorge and Range Roads: -- The Gorge Roal is by no means in a fit state yH for vehicuhtr, or even equestrian traffic. One enormous slip, op,;odie the IDst tunnel at the lower end of the Gorge, his not aT been cleared away yet. and when itis, appear to beachauce of many more tons of earth from high up the slope taking its place on the road. There arc also other small slips offering obstruction at various portions of the road, an 1 some of the bridges are in state of rottenness and incapable of carrying heavy weights. Men are at work on the road, however, and are giaduaMy rendering it passable, while repair have also been commenced on the bridges. A Palmerstonian who journeyed from Pahiatua via the Range road a day or two ago states that for some four or five miles the road on the Pahiatua side is little better than a quagmire, and that a considerable sum of money will require to be spent before it is rendered fit foe light vehicular traffic. The traveller via the Gorge road has now to pause at the toll gate at the “upper end" while the venerable toll-keeper with much politeness obtains his name and address, and his destination. Then when he arrives at tiie ferry on this side of Gorge the same process has to be gone over again. The object of the respective Counties in having this done is that some idea may be gained of the extent to which the road benefits tl e various contributing local bodies. The performance has been going on for the last three weeks. As only cyclists and pedestrians are able to use the roads, statistics so obtained can be of little value to the Commission to which they are to be submitted.