GOVERNMENT DECIDES ON TEST FARM AREA AT AHAURA

Grey River Argus, 14 October 1948, Page 4

GOVERNMENT DECIDES ON TEST FARM AREA AT AHAURA

The Government had decided to allot an area of 700 acres at Ahaura for the purpose of establishing a test farm, said the retiring president of the Westland Progress League (Mr W. D. Taylor), addressing the annual meeting last night. He added that, the test farm would be proceeded with as quickly as possible, and there were many thousands of acres of better land awaiting development on the West Coast. “The West Coast is now the only part of New Zealand where substantial parts of virgin land await development,” said Mr Taylor. He added that the Government was aware of this, and in the next few years they would see vast strides in land development. The future of the West Coast lay in the expansion of the land, and it was undoubted that the district possessed great farming potentialities."

GOVERNMENT THANKED The area of the test farm, and its development would be watched with keen interest by the rest of New Zealand, and the Government was to be thanked for its decision. In the meantime the people of the West Coast must practice and preach the gospel of land development. Mr Taylor said the West Coast suffered a blow when the Government decided not to appoint a resident magistrate. The position, since Mr A. A. McLachlan S.M., had been transferred to Wellington, had deteriorated, and they now had to depend on the three magistrates from Christchurch. They should urge the Government, that when the next magistrate was appointed, it should be to the West Coast.

He said they had all been disappointed that they had not yet got the new Greymouth police station, but the Government had been faced with many difficulties. He could state, however, that plans were almost completed, and that arrangements had been made to remove the houses on the proposed police station site. COMPLAINT ABOUT HOSTEL Complaining that no attempt was made to provide entertainment for visitors at the Franz Josef Glacier Hostel, Mr J. Doyle said some action should be taken. In addition guests had to dine and freeze because there were no fires in the dining room. The question of accommodation was another thing that badly needed improvement. The incoming chairman (Mr G. R. Harker) said that efforts were now being mad£ to have the annexe rebuilt. He added that next year it was hoped to accommodate 250 to 300 people, who would be attending a conference at the hostel. It was decided to request the Government to make the next magisterial appointment to the West Coast for a period of not less than live years. NEW OFFICERS The election of officers resulted:— Patron, Mr J. B. Kent, M.P.; president, Mr G. R. Harker; immediate past president, Mr W. D. Taylor; vice-president, Mr F. A. Kitchingham; executive, Messrs J. B. Bluett, T. Pratt, J. Saunders; hon. auditor, Mr E. Parfitt; hon. secretary, Mr J. Saunders. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded Mr Taylor for his able work as president for the last four years.