GISBORNE-WAIKATO STOCK ROUTE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2174, 25 April 1908, Page 3

GISBORNE-WAIKATO STOCK ROUTE.

THE ROAD FROM WHAREKOPAE TO MAUNGAPOHATU

TRACK TO ‘BE FORAIED

The question of spending the Corn;tv money to form a route for trave.- , ling stock was considered by the Cook , County Council yesterday, when Or- , A. F. Matthews’ motion to allot £2UJ in addition to tho £SO already voted for the work of forming the \\hare- . kopae—Maungapohatu route came up for discussion. , It will be remembered that at the last Council meeting it .was decided to ask Mr. Cyril White to report upon the work, and yesterday a report was received. iMr. White saul that, acting upon instructions, he had, in company with two others, been through the track. Starting from the Hangaroa river, an expenditure of about £IOO was necessary to open up the track for sheep on the stretch . to the Anini river, which was comsideraly overgrown. For a short distance beyond the Anini river to vVairigarb there were'"about eight miles of standing bush which requires clearing, and the Maori track through at present was very, bad for horses, and wa3, in fact, dangerous. No permanent good could be done unless the bush was first felled a chain wide, cleared, and sown in grass tor 18fL There would still be several places whore cuttings would have to be made, and some boggy places either drained or corduroyed. He did not think this could be done under £IOO a mile. On his way through ho saw Rua, who offered to run an oft track through for £IBOO. |h°m ■ Waingaro on, the track was fairly clear, but' wanted a few pounds spent on overgrowth. The Government had a road party at work from Papatotora junction to 'Waikarcmoana, ami were making a graded track up to oft., and exoected to bo through by Christmas time; it was. eventually to be converted into a coach road. There was, he said, no two opinions as' to which was the better road for stock only, as the grass track, as tai as it goes, was well grassed, and had plenty of water and good camping grounds, and only required eight miles of bush to be put into tlio samecondition as the rest of the track, and also had tho advantage of being about 15 inile3 shorter to Rotorua than Waikarcmoana. As his idea ot the cost of completing this track was so much -in excess of the Council s vote, he had not attempted to mako any arrangement for going on ■with Captain Tucker saul that according to tho letter only about 8 miles of track would need to be completed to make the route workable. , In moving the motion, Or. Mat-thews-said bo was satisfied that it was unnecessary to compare .lie with tlio Waikarcmoana route, as the former route was so much shorter to the Waikato. They knew Masks to would take from 60,000 to 100,000 sheep from tlio East Coast every year, and the route, if opened up, would, be tho means of a new source or wealth to tho -Poverty Eav district. If tlio Council did its share they could then go to the Government, and ask for a £ to £ subsidy to complete tho road through to Rotorua. 1 Captain Tucker seconded tlio motloCr. Lysnar said that if tho motion was that tlio Council. should spend £ for £ with the Government o tto track ho would vote for it. lit did not think £250 woukLbe of an> in', oil the track, and thought that £lO 0 would bo nceiled to do the work, the County had not the money to si>o..i. There was not a word m tuo VP<ut to imstify tho expenditure.'ami other work needed attention before money was spent on a stock route. 1 he best route w-as the Waikaremoana track, which was now being opened up by the* Government. The Council shoivhl have a report'oil.both.routes from the Engineer' and he would oppose the motion until ho knew what tlic work. Tucker: We know so, little about the track that ,\c oughtPl or. Lysnar: Well/lot the Engineer cxp’.oro it and report to the Council, and if a track can go through, I ' vote for it. I will eyen vote nn to £IOOO, and it would be money won P .Tho Chairman : I havo no objection to sending a stock-drover over the route; but I would resist sending a

County engineer whose work was tho making of macadamised roads. . Cr. Shernitt: The bush only wants clearing, and £2OO will more than do the work, , The niotiou was carried. Cr. Lysnar said the money could not be legally spent, as the track was not a nublic road. Cr. Matthews: Well, I say spend it, and lot Cr. Lysnar take whatever estops lie likes to prevent it. I am TsArprisod at Cr. Lysnar, a man who is'seeking to-tnke a prominent- part in ibiblit! affairs, taking up a position of fractious opposition because ho can’tssget all his own way. Cr.. Lysnnr: I came to the Council to do m'.v duty, and, to look Mter the interests of tile ratepayers, vie have no night to spend money on places that lire not roads at all. I am surprised at a councillor advocating spending money on a place that is not a surveyed road, because we cannot legally spend the money. Let the track bo surveyed by the Engineer, and, if he reports favorably, I will support a motion that the work bo done. The Chairman: Tho money won’t be siiont in a hurry, and I have no doubt the difficulty will be got over somehow. The discussion was then dropped.