PREMIER ON TOUR.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 152, 21 March 1908, Page 5

PREMIER ON TOUR.

FROH ROTORUA TO TAURANGA.

MOTOR CAR AND SLIPPERY ROADSo THE NEEDS OF THE DISTRICT. .SPEECHES AND DEPUTATIONS. ; IBT TELEGEAPH—MESS ASSOCIATION.)' , Tauranga, March 20. The Prime Minister (Sir J: G: Ward) visited. To Puko and Tauranga yesterday. Ho left Rotorua.at eight oj clock by motor-car , for To . Puko, along the new road which winds to a height of,sixteen hundred feet-through the Mangirowa Gorgo.. Notwithstanding that the motor-car was, a very powerful one, considorablo difficulty was experienced in climb-; ing tho. mountain side. Heavy rain tho previous night had mado the track' very slippery, and tho party had frequently-.to'get out when the'wheels'failed to grip and assist ill pushing the car up the sharp-slopes. Some members of the party appeared to find this harder work than they were accustomed to, and one of tho,few settlers-met. with along, the : route was anxiously asked what. the. rest of I ' the road was like. ; '-'You ain't got many more hills,, but-what, there is is dirty/' was the terse reply, and so it proved. When tho. gorge 'had been passed the remainder, of tho journey to To Puko was comparatively easy. . : : : ; -; ; \

AT TE PUKE. ; ■ ■ Tho w|iolo township ,of To Puko turned out to greet tho Prime Minister, '-'including guard l ot. honour consisting of tho'hjcal brass .band andcSdet corps. A committee'headed by Messrs." C. Lally'(Chairman of tho Road Board), R. King, and-J. .A. Young, received tho- Primo Minister,' who was. sub-,, sequently phterfcained at •, luncheon 'in the local 1 hall;. Before that, however, 'ho re-'"; ceived local deputations, asking for - grants •for,'roads, etc;, a new post office, courthouse; arid;" telephone.;.' - The. luncheon- was .largelj;," attended. '' ' .'' '; Mr. King, J.P., presided, and proposed ' tho ,health of the Prime Minister. The pro • sent >Government, he,said, bad; shown at ' activo! interest/in. the,, requirements of the \ backblocks by- sending Ministers': t-o risit remote settlements • from';.timo'-to t-ime, and ,thoy wero glad to welcome the Prime, Minis- ' ter to To 1 ul;e. ':/•:'.'" , Tho Prime Minister, who was heartily received, said - he conceived: it to bb his ,duty, ' •as head of'tho Government,: to traverse the country, . particularly, 'tho- remote,',-portions,-' and make himself'acquainted with'the' re-. quiroments of - tlio whole country. ' Referring : te; the,;question of. railway' facilities, "'SirJoseph' Ward said it was the intention of the Government, after tlie completion' of tlio North Island Trunk: Railway/;which ho bad every .' reason;./to .believe, ./would; 1 be"-' finished by., the 'timo' specified/, to,T 'consider ''-the • question ;of the :authorisaation'' of Iriew - lines. - But for tho fact, that.. last year tho ;Dominion bad hoi-rowed' a million of money t-hs financial ' s year just ' about to close would lia-To been-; one; of, the most; succcssful Ne*', Zealand had. 'oyer' ex-, porioncsd, and as -'it was' thoy started next yoar with a surplus of ■ soven'hundred and ', fifty thousand pounds. The Government was dotermined to assist by every means in '.its powep; the people", in tho. interior and re-.', mote parts of.the country;.' Ho was/sorry.: to find that' ono of _thb ■ Wellington news-' papers for the last sis or> eight-weeks had-', been publishing 'articles , that were calculated ■to. bring about; a r financial crisis in tho country.- It was.a discredit and disgrace to.; thoso who wero concerned to try and -write down thoir, oT?ri (»untryi ; .'-'.lhey' tfere-appar-ently, doing it from the stupid ahd'abOmiri•able: standpoint' of ; party 1 politics .'•••Wo. ought toLresist.it/and'wo; oughtvto let th'o',people . •who-did it distinctly; iniclerstand; that we look upon them as dwlPjar to. their nativo land; (Cheers.) Tho Government had overy confidence -' in '• the , '.l^ominion—(cheers)— 'which, stood•■tO-day_.in a stronger--financial position than it had ever- dono .before. • The. Primo Minister • 'left for , Tauranga./' ./ ' - /. / /" ■.*■ '• ■■ "■ AT TAURANGA.

The Premier was received (it.Tajjrapga by a committee ; of '/leading ' towMDfeoplo, and was' entertained/ iii the 'local''Town Hall; Thero was 'a largei assemblage/ .The Chairman (the Rev. Canon'.'Jordan) welcomed -tho'Prime Minister".to Ta,u'i/anga. ,• '•

Sir Joseph' Ward expressed his gratification .at.' tile' cdrdiality:'of' the welcome 'ex-; tended him', aiid: at-tho conclusion, of liia . remarks.;,received, a • number' of' deputations respecting local wants,.. ■; The ; Cdtinty ' : Council asked . for a loan ' to . rebuild tho' Wairoa Bridge. The Prime Minister said ho would bring ,up the matter in. connection with, next year's estimates, and . would have a special departmental' report, mado, on the'matter. / y' Tho Primo Minister w.as then approached 1 , regarding . tho''. growing ;' harbour requirement? of tho district, and. the 'request ..was made'that the" Government should,constitute, a' ,Tauranga-'Har!i?ur'^Board;aid".endow ifc with''suudr.v_ blocfe of ', district"'Crown land, but, tho /Primo ' ),{inister' said 'the-' request':; was a very'important'.onoj and would nave to bis, preferred in writing/ The" Govern-; merit had to . he very careful regarding 'the : ' grafting'" of: Crown'- lands. If the ■ request;' were submitted to the Government it wouldreceive careful/ consideration. " '; , ' './ A rcnu'est for railway facilities was put beforo tnePrime Minister. It was suggested tliat if' tho Main" East Coast, line/was 'placed on the* Government programmQ. it should go ' through Tauranga, via To Puke, .in tho direction of Gisborne. It was urged' that this . flfpuld'-: bo a payable and - .easily "cqhstructed 1 ' line.'.-"Sir Joseph'Ward"said''that' ; 'whcn : the• Main .Trunk,.'line T.'a-s finislioi tho Government would be ablo-to consider tho pressing •noeds of other districts. '■

A PUBLIC MEETINGS.

< lii the evening Sir Joseph Ward addressed a well-attended'-'.meeting "at the". Tauraijga " Public, Hall. ..In the course of:his speech''be'/ reviewed some''of -tho .work of tlio : past' - sioii/"'Dealing with tho. land /questiouj : ho said, that somo peoplo said the/..Government : wanted tp;nationalise thc ; lands of. New land because they" had . set, apart 7,000,000 / acres for nationalisation.,'purposes."' The . , land settlement policy that the Government was, carrying out was a good one for the people.--The graduated land tax was tho only/ increase iii taxation that the Goveninient/. had made, and' on the other hand the Government had made reductions and "remissions '/ to- -. tlip \ exteut/ •of £1,500,000 to" •' t-lm / pooplo.'"' Ho did '"not. object to' criticism, but' upon • this point, of the in-v ■crease- in taxation it was ''not - justifiablo, for,: it was incorrect.'The'.graduated, land, 1 :tax'.was in/the best" interest of a'.yquiig country which it was desired should' remain as , : freo as possiblo from tliq curse of landlordism,-. which had tlib Old World. Sir Joiwpli'"AVard to-morrow : goos" througb /i Teteko, Matata, and Whakatane, to Opotiku