MINISTERS ON TOUR.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1716, 5 April 1913, Page 5

MINISTERS ON TOUR.

• : ♦ ■' — ' TARANAKI DEPUTATIONS. ..-(By Telegraph.—Press Aesooiatioa.) New Plymouth, April 4. Tho Promier (the Hon. W. F. Massey) •; and the Minister for Public Works (the ' Hon. W. Fraser) motored to-day through ■ tho district' lying betweiaii Opunako and ■ New Plymouth, winch is to bo traversed ■by the proposed Mohutia-Opunake railway. ' l'hoy received deputation on local matters, and in connection with tho desiro of tho lessees to 1 obtain tho freehold .of ■ the . West, Coast : leases,, the suggestion being made that the IJtate should acquire tho 'lands at the present valuation, and. treat them as ordinary Crown lands, leasing to'.the..present lessees with iho tight to obtain the freehold. . Tho Ministers promised that tho railway from Opunako to New Plymouth . would bo constructed; -If tho Government . sould not authorise the expenditure they /'.would not put any obstacles in the way. of local bodies constructing the lino thom- , selves. They also undertook to, bring : down legislation next session to deal with the Wesfc Coast settlement leases—to give fair deal to pakehas and Natives. - • On arriving at New, Plymouth in the afternoon, the Ministers reccfived a number of other deputations, the first of , Which urged tho claims of tho war vet-.-erans. - • It * was stated that 128 veterans were on the local list, of whom only 43 's; lllivo pensions, many • being declared meligible because, their service was in hos- / pitals, garrison, otc. . It was urged that these should, havo. pensions.- Mr. Massey said ho must provide -for necessitous ' cases first, but, if funds permitted, the -request of.tho deputation would bo grant '• 'cd. ";' Other deputations 1 dealt with roads, railways, and. a bridge oyer the Mokau River, to which Ministers gavo non-com-..mittal replies.....'' . .. '. It-was definitely stated that if tho. ' Opunake-Moturoa railway was to bo constructed, it would be a light line. Mr. Massey ? intimated that one 'of the best ' engineers of the Public Works Department, now in Europe, 'bad been instructed to visit Belgium, and furnish a report J on the light railways in that country. ' Tho Ministers were banqueted at night. Hawera, April 4. : The Premier andthty Minister for-Pub-lie Works wore accorded a reception at Opunako'last, night. A vote of confi--denco in-tho present Government was car'"""ried enthusiastically, *«