The Chronicle. PUBLISHED DAILY MONDAY, JULY 25, 1910. LOCAL PATRIOTISM.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 25 July 1910, Page 2

The Chronicle. PUBLISHED DAILY MONDAY, JULY 25, 1910. LOCAL PATRIOTISM.

In Papatonga and Horowhonua. Takes the people of these parts possess two of the finest inland scenic ■attractions in the North Island. Yet it is dojibtful if one person in five huiukied, outside of those rosidenib in the county, regards these lakes as anything more than sheets inland water ; and a great many have not heard of the lakes oven, ft seems to us tlii>t if tihe attractiveness of these stretches of water iand their vicinities were proclaimed as often wand as Thsietewtly «as they ought to be, an influx of casual population that would be financially helpful to these parts could be attracted hither. The advantages of tourist traffic, too, are nob confined to the immediate dissemination of exitim monies; to-day's bird of passage tourist may induce his friend to become a permanent lamd hnluW nest year, or ho may see i something in the contour of the district, or Hβ contiguities, to induce him to stay and start ami industry. Some of these suppositions may be based: on slendor supports of possibility, but tlho fact remains that the town or district that proclaims persistently any special advantages ib really possesses will have more- prospects of ima/terial advancement than a similarly favoured locality that leaves everything to chance. Palmerston North, for instance, owed, part of its rapid advance to its ma/turally favourable situation, but just as surely its phenomenal progress and prosperity were hastened by the thorough 'belief in ite possibilities that was held and displayed by i'te business folk and civic folk generally, throughout tho last two decades. PalmeistOiii North, in the centre of a huge plain of pastoral and agricultural land, certainly had an exceptionally good chance for development; but it can: be said truly tliat the Horowhenua County also has niorp than usually good

prospects for advancement. Though in some quarters it is customary to speak of ''our circumscribed a/r©a," thte fact remains that about a dozen straight miles of land >lie between the sea coast and the sheltering ranges to the eaet of Levin,'and that for about three times that distance fruitful and ever-verdant lands stretoli north and south within the county. The fact is incontrovertible that from Waika.nae to Shannon tho whole district is unexcelled for dairying purposes; nnd lin the same localities there are fruit farming areas admittedly equal to the best to he found in any part of the world. Levin, wi'th its excellent high-prassuro water supply, 'and. gas works—added to cheap rents—offer. l ? special facilities to manufacturers; Sh-aiiinon. and Otaki have special inducements to offer also; the chief n'eod of all 'three places is for all their citizens ito develop a full and en during belief in the possibilities of their towns and districts, and to act upon it ixiiii to-dlay or to-morrow— but to-day and to-morrow, next week, next monith, next year, and the year after. When that spirit hocomos instilled into the population of a" well-situated district, 'tihe progress of that district flnd Hα towns must be regarded as assured ; prograss, in short, comas from persistent effort born of full belief, and not from tho spasmodic endeavours which are colloquially ' known as "booming." A townsman who merely takes a city acquaintance 'to see some part of tho district possibly may be doing for himself and the place that supports him more good than he wots of; .so, too, may the regatta committee or the sports dub, or the picnic organisors who induce nn aggregation of visitors to come this way. The people of Horowhenua should maintain and heigh'tcn that solfbelief in their district's possibilities which already has done a good <le.al to help forward their country. If a place makes steady progress its people in tine aggregate must participate in the benefits; nnd, conversely, the man who works soldy for himself, and neglects the communal interests, marrows his field of tivity and restricts the scope of his business possibilities.