OUR INDUSTRIES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 143, 12 March 1919, Page 4

OUR INDUSTRIES

TOUR ROUND NEW ZEALAND "..' WITH THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE MR. J. P. LUKE INTERVIEWED Mr. J. P. Luke, M.P., Mayor of .Wellington, returned from Kelson yesterday morning after a tour round the Soutli Island us a member rf the Parliamentary Comniitteo which' is inquiring into the industrial position generally. The committee has had a most interesting and instructive experience, and t'ho report it'will furnish will,' according to Mr. Luke, bo of the greatest value to Parliament in the lashioning of industrial legislation in the near iuture. Fine weather was experienced the whole of the time, and (lie committee sat early and late in order..to cover the ground efficiently in the time at its disposal. Value of .Hy'dro-Eloctricity, In Canterbury, raid Mr. Luke, tho committee heard (-vi.dcncß on all the different industries, primary and' secondary. It was found that .the industries of that provinco ' were. probably . more varied than in any ether part of the Dominion, , .-owing- chiefly to tho! great facilities offered by the linking up of Ciu'istolnu'cli jind -Jther centres wit'u the Lake Coleridge hydro-electric scheme. On the evidence given before the com-, mittee of tho benefits so conferred it was no wonder that the rest of the Dominion desired to be linked up to similar sources of electric energy, us 'it., was without doubt that cheap electric■ power was a considerable factor in'the success- and progress of any district. In some concerns in Christchuieh the committee saw, the practiability of establishing separate | motors for different machines demonstrated, so that when ' one particular, machine-' was not ncoded it could be thrown off. By doing so they not only were ablo t0..-effect ,u-saving in power I consumption but-iii wear and tear on shafts, and belting.' In Canterbury general prosperity <was evident on every hand. A good harvest was assured, and there wos eyerywhew a general ajr of comfort pleasing to see. Dnnedin seemed lo be very sound, with the exception' of some of the secondary industries, ..which Mr. Luke says' were not progressing -at the -late one familiar with them would have liked to see. Duncdin enjoyed fhe_.riiviloge of electrical power, derivfu' from t'lie. Waipori works, but the supply was not ns extensivo as Canterbury's. Current for the tramways . and lighting was supplied from that , source; But with (he exception of-the primary industries and the shipping, thostate of progress there was not so marked- ns it wai in other parts of the Dominion. Possibly when all tho men returned fiom the war, and additional and a more elastic energy was available, an improvement might tako place. ■.■•'• ■

The' industries ,of Invercnrpill were not very dissimilar in character from those of .Duncdin, though <-scn - province appeared to ; have seme outstanding feature that-represented wealth. -Southland's wealth was c'eri<'«l mostly from cropping, grassing, , nnd dairying. There, too, tho committee /v-'iis asked especially to look into.the flax irdustry; In Wheat-land. . Coming north, the committee took evidenco at Oamaru and Timaru, at the buck of which centres tho members of the commitloe were afforded the opportunity of noting tho development of wheat-grow-ing, On tho evidence heard it was mado plain that-the committee would not-only havo to study the requirements of the fnrinpr, but also lo look into, tho marketing of the 'wheat "and its progress as flour to tho ultimate .consumer. ■ The crops, which earlier in the season, were not expected to reach tho average, were said to not only ."have feachedtha.tpoint, but were absolute records in some localities. ...Tho .committee.-al90 ( gained' an idea of tho tremendous- expansion possible in wheat-growing on tho South Canterbury Plains if the-'mutual interests of tho.grower nnd .consumer could bo- satisfactorily served.-■ Timaru' in recent-years had come greatly into favour as a/summer, seaside, .resort for tho peoplo of- the South Island, and tho municipality' had made considerable improvements in tho direction-of "the city'beautiful," which inado the place very attractive -to visitors.

West. Coast; Backward'. . '■ "One woiuld- .like to speak, more 'en-thusiastically-about the condition of the West Coast," said Mr.' 'Lukp:-', "Having known .the Coast for forty years and-ap-preciated its vast store of mineral wealth, I can say truthfully that its development and growth have not been commensurate with "the desire of. the. local community the people of. the Dominion as a whole. The chief primary industry is' coal-mining, but apart from that the lack of constructive works that would open up tho district is not only de-tsviji'jntal to tho iudiistry, as -far as the colliery-owners .and men are concerned, but to the rest of tho community of the West-Coast, There is no doubt that difficulties, and even drill .times, will be experienced, until the developmental laihvayes are pushed on with."

Roses at Runaiiga. At Point Elizabeth Mr. James (manager) gave members of' tho committee- every opportunity to see the whole' of -the State coul mine right up to tho work ing. face, and they were-also given facilities for inspecting the home- life of tho niiner. Ruuanga was the last-located and established township in connection with' the mining industry ofthe Coast: The situation-, was:: good and the gardens- were- a pibture of floral beauty. No political meeting could'draw such .an assemblage as the annual rose show at Hunanga, and if other mining townships were, modelled on the lines of Runanga there would be- a ' great deal. . less dissatisfaction among the men as far ns homes were concerned. Unfortunately soma of the township's were not nearly so well placed; somo even offered ; difficulties of-'access and were too far from the work. ' Timber Industry' Languishing, • Mr. Luke went on to say tliat there was still a good deal of gan'milliiig done on tho coast, but. the industry was languishing, as it had been for somo years past. 'Ho did not profess to'know much about the-land,: but'he thought' that greater care might hnyo been manifested in preventing the rapid spread of blackberry, which was'a real .menace to tho district, Still there were districts given over snccesssfnlljr to dairying.. In other parts there were ■ lands apparently good to tho eye.V'but owing to £omo peculiarity of the soil wore quite useless. A' few inches below the surface.it was as hard as cement, and the water could not got away. -- • • ■ ■ At Reefton the committee- was shown considerable . measures of brown- coal, which would fill all domestic requirements and ordinary steaming purposes, but without railway.communication these measures could not be profitably worked. If such coal could have been made available during the war period great difficulties would have been obviated, and we would not have had to turn to tho resources of Australia. " The Apple Countfy, Nelson provided a. veritable transfon , - malion scene after New Zealand's "black country." 'J'he impetus which had been given to the apple industry Was marked on every side. There wore-now thousands of acres in crop, and the season was a good one, and the apples excellent in quality. The (rouble of the industry wore two, viz.—(l) Want of efficient organisation, and (2) transport. Most of the, apple-growing country was of little valuo for anything else. Large trncls of country that had proved, to bo almost valueless for grazing or agriculture had proved to be the best land for applo growing. Mr. Luke, tlioro renewed his acquaintance with several folk from Wellington, who had become orchardists, and they, one and nil, spolto optimistically of the outlook for th.e.industry. Thoso contemplating going in for the life should wear in mind, Mr. Luke said, that tho trees did not boar for the first six years, and they would have to eland out of their money for that time. The report of the committee on the fi'uit industry of Nelson would deal with organisation and transport. Finally Mr. Luke said that he thought tho action of Parliament in setting up the committee, and in asking it to take evidence during the. recess, had 'been quite justified, ns tho.value of tho report would show,