West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), Wednesday 9 January 1935, page 16


GREAT EASTERN HIGHWAY.

Dispute Over a Name.

Representatives of the Bassendean, Bayswater, and Perth Road Boards and the Midland Junction Municipal Council waited on the Minister for Lands (Mr.

M. F. Troy) yesterday and urged that the name 'Great Eastern-highway' should be bestowed on the main road running through the road districts mentioned. The Minister in reply said that he was not prepared to alter his previous decision that the name should be given to the Belmont route from Perth to Guildford. The deputation was introduced by Mr. W. O: Johnson, Mi A.,iind consisted of Messrs. J. Hegney, J. .Clothier, and L. Thorne, M'si^V., the ; chairman of the Bassendean Road Board (Mr. R. £. McDonald) and secretary (Mr. L. R. Latham) and Messrs. J. Ward (representing the Bayswater Road Board), W. W. Abbett (representing the Perth Road Board) and Cr. F. J. Warnock (representing the, Midland Junction Municipal Council). . Mr. Johnson said that the road leading from Perth through the territory of- the Perth, Bayswater and Bassendean Road Boards and the Guildford and Midland. Junction municipal councils, and connecting with the York and Toodyay roads, was not gazetted as a main road. The members of the deputation hoped that it would ultimately be declared to be a main road.. The route through Bayswater and Bassendean was two miles, shorter to Perth than the Belmont-rbad from a given point in the Guildford Municipality, where both routes met. Mr. R. E. McDonald said that a census of the traffic passing over both routes had been taken over seven days, and showed that over 1,300 more vehicles passed over, the Bassendean route than over the Belmont-road. Several exchanges followed the announcement by the Minister that approval had been given for the Belmontroad to be called the Great Easternhighway in October last. The alteration, he said, had been approved after consideration of the facts and at the request of the Main Roads Board. Objection was raised by one member of the deputation to the Main Roads Board 'pinching' the \name Great Eastern-highway, which, he said, was coined by the Perth Road Board for the other route. . 'I don't propose to alter the name, retorted the Minister bluntly. 'That is where the matter stands.' He advised.the deputation to waif on the Minister for Works concerning the declaration of the Bayswater-Bassendean route as a main road, and to approach him again with another name. '