NELSON WANTS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 247, 12 July 1919, Page 8

NELSON WANTS

DEPUTATION TO MINISTERS FROM LOCAL BODIES A deputation representing local bodies in tho Nelson district--waited on .Ministers of the Government yesterday afternoon lo make a number of requests for works In their province. The deputation was supported by tho local members ot tho House, Mr. T. A. 11. Field and Mr. li. I'. Hudson. The. Ministers present were Sir James Allen, Sir William Fnuer, (he lions. W. 1). S. MacDouald, W. 11. Hemes, A..M. Myers, T. M. Willord, and D. H. Guthrie.

Sir .Tames Allen said that ho was glsd'J to hear from such a representative defe- I gation of tho wants of the Kelson district, but he did not know what tho lives of Ministers would become if othef districts followed their example. Rcferrinj; to a request 'made for light railways and for an extension of the standilu'ril lino to Murchison and beyond, ho said that these matters would have to no considered by the Government. Whatever Government might bo in office in thb next few years would have huge proV lems to faco in the. matter of public works to bo done. .Hallways would havo to bft constructed in accordance with their importance to tho country generally, and in the next eight or ten years only tho urgent works could be done first. The A'elson railway would haveto'take its turn with the many othera mat were urgent. A request had been made for tho appointment of a member of the Legislative Council from the Nelson district. ]'.-: could assure the deputation that there had been no intentional neglect of Nelson in. this matter. And he would remind them that with the present consiifution of tho Council it would not be possible to give every electorate representation on the Couucil. The number would be 100 great. Kb would refer this matter to the Prime Minister on his return.

As to the request that some of tintimber royalties colected in part of the Nelson district should ba returned to the local body for upkeep of tho roads, or expended 511 aft'oresravion work in fife same district, he understood thai this request had been put to the Govern, ment. He would ascertain what hail been done about it. The deuptation had asked that the Government proceed as soon as nossibwith the development of the hydro-elec-tric scheme to serve Nelson. He thought every member' of the Government roui iswl that the most: important works to bo done in the country in the next fo\. years were the hydro-electric schemes. Kcporls had been obtained on the more important of tlie schemes. One had been already developed at Lake Coleridge, and a" beginning had ken made with another to serve Wellington. No Government could afford to neglect these hydroelectric enterprises. Tho continued shortage of eon! had made this a most important matters; more important in his opinion, than the building of railways or roads, or anything else, to enable the towns to be 'lighted, and supplied with pawcr for industries and' transport. Tho Hon. W. H. Hemes had been asked to say something about the electoral boundaries in the Nelson district, for the new boundaries were such as to leave but little community of interest among the people' of tome, of the areas. The Minister said that nothing could be done before next election. The boundaries gazetted would have to stand for this election. The question of the margin to be allowed to tho Boundaries Commissioners had always been a moot subject 111 the House, and probably the House would have to pass another Electoral Act to givo the Commissioners bigger margins. In an Electoral Bill a few years ago the Commissions had been given wider margins, but they had made as many anomalies as in this case. If the sole test were io be population there must be these anomalies. Possibly some other considerations would have to come into account in tho fixing of boundaries. This matter had had the attention of the Government, and the Government next in' office would have to take these complaints into consideration. , , , A complaint had been made about a dangerous level railway crossing at Annesbrook. Tho Minister said that it bed been the intention of the Department to put a. bell alarm on that crossing along with others, but it had not been possible to get from Home the material for any of these alarms. The material had not been allowed to bo exported in tho war time. The Engi-neer-in-Chief (.Mr. Macl.oan) had been directed to visit the crossing recently, ami his report would soon be to hand. The case for a new railway station at Nelson was known to the Department. The' station was not what it might be, but; this was true of many ether railway stations in the Dominion. The Hon. W. D. S. MaeDoiinld spoko of a request for a continuous teleph.mo service in NeUon, and oilier Postal Department matters. Tho Minister said that the subscribers of Nelson ought to take "a poll to determine whether in the opinion of a majority of the risers of the telephone a continuous service was required. This was the proper legal procedure. He would go further into tho miitlcr, and see if ho could meet the wishes of the Nelson people without, a poll. Tho telephone through tho llai Valley to connect with Blenheim would be put through as soon as material coulu bo obtained. The. line had already been approved, nudcthe gap in the linn between Blenheim and Nelson would bo bridged when the muterial was available. He promised also (0 consider Hie request for telephones on the Takaka Hill. Ho spoke also of a suggestion that tho Government should prospect the coalbearing land adjacent to (he Puponga mine, now worked out in its present location. The Mines Department had been doing a great deal of prospecting and boring with, tho appliances at disposal, and big supplies of coal had been lountod in the past three or four years. Hft had also directed the Department to obtain some morn drills in order that more prospecting might be done. liewould be prepared to'have a prospect made in the Puponpa area. However, the present difficulty in regard _ to. co.i: production was not coal, but miners to get it out. In order to keop up supplies in recent, years the poliry had been to concentrate all the minors in mines which were well equipped, and mines from which considerable output, could bo obtnined. It appeared to hint that in tho future the policy might; have to be to assist small co-operative parlies of men to mine coal, rather than to depend only on the big_ companies. Sir William l'rnser spoko of the Ma-pua-Appleby Itoad. Tile difficulty m the wa.y of opening this road was that thero was a private owner who held land through which tho road must.go, and he. would not sell unless at an excessive price. Other owners had given land for nothing, realising that the road would benefit them. The trouble was that tho local bodies in the first place had allowed the land to bo cut up without leserving the roads. It was still' tho duty of the local body to obtain the land for tho road, and pay whatever might be tho compensation. If tho local body would undertake (0 pay the compensation, he would at onco take steps to proclaim the lnnd tinder the Public Works Act. He thought the road would be the most important in the Moutero district. The opening ot the stock track from Whangapeka to Karamon was a much bigger business, which would cost beforo completion many thousands of pounds. He had put some money down for this track every year, but only .1 certain amount could be given to the district, and thero were many other roads more important than this. This track would bo a convenience, but it could bo done without for soino time.

As to (he hydro-electric scheme, as soon as ho could spare an officer to mako a further survey ho would he glad to pond him to Nelson. At present ho lind r.ot got nil his men from tho front, and no could not spare a man. Ho could not promiso that tin's Nelson scheme would be among (lie first to he tackled, because the Government had first to go nu with the two big schemes for Wellington and Auckland. But ho would remind tho Nelson people that they hud power, if they chose, to go on with their own scheme, as the Southland people had decided to do. The Auckland and Wellington schemes would cost several millions before they were completed, and in any ease there were not men enough in the country to go on with all (he

works ill; oikc. He did mil know where iiii'ii worn lo Ijp got for I lie now works. •H present ho could not got; enough men for the railways and rauk Ho assured Jlii' deputationthai, his heart was in ilia hydro-clectriv business.

The Hon. T. M. Wilford was concerned iis Minister of Marino wilh <i suggestion made thai: (he Ciovoriitiicnl should obtain a Bfaßoiiig dredgo (o lie hired lo Inn local bodies for use in I lie smaller harbours, such as tlicre were in the Neleoii district, where the revenue, would not. warrant expenditure on expensive I'liml. The Minister said that he was not in favour of any such idea. Tho Wanganui ITarbour Board would be gelting a dredge soon, and I his would 1m available for hire, he thought, for part of the year, i'rewnlly he hoped to liavi" a special engineer to attend to marine matters, and it would be his duty to advise all harbour boards, and especially small harbour boards, ns to the work's fiat ought to be done. If dredging should be required, the Government might undertake to negotiate for tho local body for the hire of a dredge.