Levin as Headquarters.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 30 August 1911, Page 2

Levin as Headquarters.

FOR ELECTORAL BUSINESS.

SOME INTERVIEWS

Interest has been aroused throughout the Otalci electorate at the report that tho registrar's office at Otaki may be removed to Levin : and that Levin sohould bo regarded <is the premier town in the electorate. T .riio arguments in sup part of Levin's claims are not seriously disputed in ' many quarters, Otaki's precisions being based dhiefly upon its archaic past. The progressive spirit that has marked Levin's administration gives peculiar emphasi sto its claim for tiro removal of the registrar's office to a more central and suitable) position. A BUSINESSMAN'S VIEWS. A Chronicle reporter yesterday discussed the matter with .Mr VT .M. Clark, the, well-known draper and clothier, of Oxford street, Levin. Mr Clark is in a particularly commanding position to speak on the subject, and in doing so. after seventeen years residence in tlie locality, ho said ho wished it to 'be distinctly understood that lie was not approaching the matter from a biased point of view. Levin, he held, was tlie most central position in the electorate. "For instance," ho said, "if a resident in Foxton wished to see the registrar, he would have to travel thirty miles to Otaki, and the same thing would occur to Otaki if one of its residents wanted to see the registrar and his offices were in Foxton. Levin is the most central and the most progressive town in the electorate. During the past seventeen years the progress it has made, compared with Otalci and Foxton. is marvellous. Tho two latter towns have practically kept in the same position, while Levin has gone ahead wonderfully. Again, Foxton is an isolated sea-port,, out of the centre of traffic, and it would most fortainly be inconvenient to the general welfare of the electors if "Foxton was to have, the registrar ' located there." Mr Clark added that the longer he lived in Levin the more convinced he was of its future stability. To mako Levin the premier town would, he held, be an equitable arrangement to all concerned. "Wo have the majority of electors in our district." lie eontinned. "we have the County Council. and wo have the premier stock sales on this coast. These arc oil decisive arguments in favour of the registrar being located in Levin. AH the small towns to the north and south are -now centralising around Levin, and one only needs to visit Levin on Saturdays and Saturday nights to sec the people who flock in from the surrounding townships, i Ten or twelve years ago Manakau l trade used to go to Otaki. but they I all come ihero now. Koputaroa i went to towns north. Its people trade here now. Altogether, from | whatever point one looks at- the nuit- \ ter, the central town should be solI o"ted as the most- suitable place for ! the reoristrar, and that central town ! is Levin " IciIAmMAX CHAMBER OF COM- | MERGE. * ! The Chairman of the Levin Ohamj ber of Commerce, Dr. 'Mackenzie, | was also interviewed by « Chronicle j reporter. "From a geographical ! point of view," ho remarked, "and. j from tho point of view of popula- | tion, the registrar's offices should be j situated in Levin. Foxton is a i corner of the district as a glance at this map will show you. Besides, it i!:as not the facilities for getting t-11 f returns in speedily from the other places as Levin has. We are in telephonic communication with all of the rest of the places in the electorate—with practically every polling booth. These are very big items on an election evening. As a matter of fact Foxton is out of it altogether. It is not in direct telephonic communication with several places. Take Tokomaru. for instance." Continuing, Cr. M ac- ; keir/.ie said that when he name to Levin thirteen years ago, Foxton had. a population of about 1000. Levin had n population of ttfiO. Today Foxton had a population of :ib:>ut iniO and Levin KiOS. This I was a fact that showed the develop- ! inenf of Levin. Then the Levin Borough was cirenms-ribed- about the third the size of Foxton. and consequently in Foxton they had the whole of the surrounding population included, whereas in Levin the whole of the near surrounding population vas excluded from the official population figures. This meant that ;m K-ist .smother -">OO people were living on the immediate outskirts of a circnins"i'i!,'cd borough. ".As for Otaki." declared Dr. Mackenzie, "'when 1 arrived here it had a popn];iHon probably a little larger than it is now. A few Maoris have died in the meantime! It is a. place where when it. was first made they never finished the contract, or when it was first made they did not know how to complete the joh."