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Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2015, 26 February 1907, Page 4

EXODUS FROM SOUTH TO NORTH. NEED FOR RAILWAYS. 11l proposing the toast of the AVliangaroi district at the supper tendered him, Mi' McNub spoke very candidly on the railway question, and took tho opposite view to that expressed some tune back by another Minister, that North Auckland, with its water carriage, required no railways. Mr MeNal) said ho had a hobby of dipping into history, and that line] led him Uo find oil record that at periods of GO and 70 years ago men who had visited this country expressed tho opinion that the North Island would he the contro of a large ami industrious population, and that tho South Island would support a largo population, hut nothing to what tho North would. For nearly GO years I lie South Island had the largest population, hilt tho foresight in the eld prediction he had mentioned was liecoming apparent. Ho did not profess to ho able to explain the reason, hut lie knew that the South Island hud a fairly rigorous climate, and with the prosperity that had surrounded them for some years past) the people were able to travel, and New Zealanders were great, travellers. Tho South islanders found what a mild climate the North had, so they decided to come here and settle, and there was a continual stream of South Island people coming North. First, came the old people who desired to spend tho winter of their lives here, and then the young ones naturally followed. Again, with tho lands being opened up, the young men were coining hero ,aiul ho did not believe wo were within sight of the end of this exodus from tlie South to the North. No one was more sorry than lie was to soo it. For ono thing, it was making the constituencies so large that it was becoming difficult to manage them. Ho was a great believer in the theory that in the North they wore tho last to find tho correct, method of treating the lands. He was of the opinion that hitherto considered worthless land in the north would yet support the largest population to the square mile of any in tho colony. Land that used to bo considered the waste and worthless land of California now supported the densest population in that State, or anywhere else in America,and ho believed that this was going to happen here. Closer settlement was the key to the whole secret. He believed that as soon as they got railway communication thoso lands would commence to come to fruition. Ho was one of those who believed there was no moans of transit like tho iron horse. It was said by some that the railway was only for the merchant, who wanted to deliver goods to tho hour, hut the more it was looked into the more it was found that tho producer was the one who had to deliver up to the hour or tho second. A short delay might mean wet weather and min of the produce. Until they had their railways they could not deliver to the hour or the minute, but nothing else would do, and the day was rapidly going hy when tho mosquito fleet of the coasts would servo the trade. There was no doubt that when railway communication was established between Wellington and Auckland tho Government would ho able to produco moro results for visible expenditure than in the past. Therefore, ho thought there was a fairly good time coming for the. North Ho hoped the present good prices for produce would continue,. and he felt sure there was prosperity ahead of tlie North that was little dreamed of a short while back, and that when they got all the transit facilities required they would do more than share in the'general prosperity. (Applause).