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Hokitika Guardian, 21 May 1920, Page 2

Tile important deputation which niet the Minister of Public Works at Hari Hari yesterday must he credited with all sincerity in the advocacy +'or the completion of Bold Head road. At the same time we cannot hut think that they went the wrong way about it, for they appear to have imperilled rather seriously once again the bridging of the Little Waitaha Hirer. As to the bona tides of the settlers there can, of course, be no question. They o'Fcrtd to find £3,200 towards the cost of what they asked for, a sum very übstantial indeed. But in making the offer the way they did they rather spragged the wheel of progress which we thought was rolling along smoothily towards the early bridging of the river. That accomplishment appears to have been put hack somewhat indefinitely. It seems rather strange, that with all the. advocacy for improved means of transport into South Westland, the extension of the railway was not mentioned. With a road already in existence it appears superfluous to build another road running adjacent to : t, and in the near future to expect a railway to he built right beside the second road now asked for. Bold Head road or nothing seems to be the attitude of a. considerable section of the settlers south. It seems to be a strange tnde to take up at this stage with the Government on the eve of starting the bridge work so desirable and the completion of which will give the sot tiers immediate relief in carriage rates

Thorp is no doubt that with the buildin,e of the bridges, the coin petition in motor traffic will brine about a substantial reduction in freightage, and it is from this source the settlers can look with the greatest expectancy for relief.

AVith this fact in mind it is to ho hoped tho very urgent need for a bridge over the Little AA’aitaha will not be again jeopardised, but that the authorities will go right on with tho determination to make the main sontii road as completely available for all traffic as possible with tho very least delay.

Thk Prince of Hearts, who is now ingenuously engaged on the jocund task of placing the people of New Zealand under tho spell of his debonair and winning personality, was a guest at the AVelsli National banquet in London on St David’s Day. On that occasion Mr David Lloyd George, the foremost AA’elshman of the age, described Prince (himself a “David”) as “our greatest ambassador and the mascot of the Empire.” Of a’still greater David it is recorded in Holy AVrit that in bis untarnished youth he “behaved himself wisely in all Ids ways.” and all the people loved him, “because he went out and came in before them.” The Maoris at Rotorua, in their characteristically imposing address to “the first-boni of the line,” recorded their pride in the Prince’s adherence to the liberal traditions of liis race, “for it is meet that those who sit on high should turn an equal face to the humble as to the mighty.” If to these citations (says the Otago Daily Times) we add Shakespeare’s “One touch of nature makes the whole world kin,” and Burns’s “A man’s a man for a’ that,” and (waiving the 'circumstances.of sex') Kipling’s “The colonel’s lady and Judy O’Grady are sisters under the skin, ’ we shall perhaps be. in possession of the full philosophy of the phenomenon which is just now observable in New Zealand. Yet we may give one more explanatory or illustrative quotation In the course of a speech in the City of London on January 23, the Prince said:

You have been kind enough to refer to my own modest public services during the last four or five years. I can assure you I place no value on those services, except in so far as they brought me into touch with the splendid 1 character and public devotion of my fellowsubjects throughout the British Empire. ... In conclusion, may I say for myself that I am confident there is no better example of public spirit and patriotism that I have to follow' throughout the rest of my life than the example of my own fellow countrymen. “AA r alk, therefore, among your oeople, sure of their hearts.”