The Hokitika Guardian SATURDAY, MARCH 11th, 1922. THE WEEK.

Hokitika Guardian, 11 March 1922, Page 2

The Hokitika Guardian SATURDAY, MARCH 11th, 1922. THE WEEK.

The district will accord the Hon Minister of Public Works, who is with us to-day, a cordial welcome to Westland. The Hon. Mr Coates lias been a friend to the district, a fact which he has demonstrated in a practical way. We have waited long and patiently for the completion of the Arthur’s Pass tunnel The end is at last in sight, thanks to the speeding up which has resulted since Mr Coates took office, The need for the bridges over the main rivers of the south road has long been urgent. It is something like sixteen years since tlie late Mr Seddon opened the Big Waitalia bridge, the first of the large rivers to be bridged. Then came the fine bridge across the Wataroa- river, and after that we had the Big Wanganui bridge. Then there wag a pause. Tlie battle for the bridges went on intermittently till finally private enterrpise showed the way to bridge the Mikonui river and. the local body promptly helped to see the job through. : Next we had Evans’ Creek—- not a ! formidable undertaking. Following came the Little Waitaha Bridge, tho main structure of which is now completed, but the making of tlie approaches are painfully slow, and no doubt the Minister will be asked to sliced ‘up the finishing touches. On top of this we have the Little Wanganui bridge under way—a considerable work hastening slowly because of the lack of tradesmen. Finally we lmve tenders called for the Waitangi bridge —the last of the largo structures required on tlie run through to Wai'ho Gorge,

Fon these overdue favors rendered necessary by reason of the growth of the southern district, every credit in these latter years is to be attributed to Mr Coates for keeping the works in mind and despite tbe reported stringency of funds, being abio to keep the construction going steadily. Now the hon. gentleman is about to traverse the south country and see for himself its potentialities and its wants and

requirements to help it tlio quicker to come into his own. We have complained already at the brevity of the

vis,it and the amount of travelling pressed into ea'cli day, leaving no time for side visits or closer investigations of local wants than the briefest of stays permit. But we have to accept the position as it is and la? thankful that the lion. Minister is going into the far south. It is long years ■ since a Minister has gone into tho far south. Now and again Ministers have made hurried trips as far as Waiho Gorge, hut the present is tho first complete through trip since the time of the late Mr Seddon nearly three decades ago. South Westland always entrances the visitor. It is a land of distinctive scenery which in itself is enrapturing. It is a . great stretch of country with settlement dotted here and there which suggests the greater possibilities ill that direction, if the country were opened up and better communication were possible. It is a highly mineralised country, the secrets of which are largely with nature still because of the lack of scientific research work under proper leadership.

Apart from the need for roads and bridges in the south—and particularly the bridges over such rivers further south as the WailiOj Waikululpa arid Cooks—the Hob. Coates will note the gl'cat stretch of country which is proving itself ideal pastoral land. The possibilities for settlement and industry in this respect require to lie noted, as a basis for formulating n scheme to secure closer settlement and operative industry. With this accomplished roads and bridges will become an imperative necessity. Tlieii there is the question of outlets for tile district. There is the suggested improvomeiits to the Okarito harbor; the great urgeiicV for pushing 611 the long promised landing at K rube Bay, and the importance of improved shipping facilities at Okum. Tll the three centres named railway connections are impossible for a very long time, yet if stock raising is to be successful, if dairying is to be established, there must lie a ready outlet for the products. The isolation of the south is its great bugbear. If Mr Coates can do something to mend the defect, something to encourage the settlers who are struggling oil under the adverse circumstances existing, he will do South Westland a great service. He Will find it a land with great forest tracts covering miles of Crown Lands, ajid. h e cannot but realise that in helping the settler with improved facilities for transport, lie is improving also the estate of the Crown, rendering the land more valuable and enabling the value to Ik> taken off the laml for the benefit of the country at la rgo.

Being a North Island member no d»ubt Hon. Coates is familiar with the lavish expenditure going on year after year under the heading of tourist ex- ■ penditure. The country has put many | hundreds of thousands of pounds into . North Island tourist resorts. It has spent many thousands also in favored ! spots of the South Island, hut the | West Coast ns a whole and Westland ' in particular, has not participated in j the favors meted out by the Tourist Department. As the Minister pushes south he will see the lake and mountain scenery; its natural glneier attractions so easily accessible; the ■ wonderful range of scenic country which strikes the traveller revealing fresh scenes at every turn of the road each more captivating than the other. Seeing all that is +o he seen in that direction it is to be hoped that our visitor will not fail to press the claims of Westland as to the right to participate liberally in the annual tourist vote. Here we have some of the most remarkable scenery in the world—a natural wonderland—but it is not recognised by the powers that be. We do not know that a Minister in charge of the Tourist Department lias ever seen the glaciers ! That emphasises the neglect the district suffers from. And so being fortunate in having Mr Coates going through the country, we would ask that he not overlook the asset which is here, an asset capable of drawing thousands of tourists annually to New Zealand, if the district were ' better advertised and better served by the Department responsible for diesliarge of that, important duty to assist the development of the country.

! Some of the best land in Westland is its , swamp land—if drained and worked, i This has been demonstrated in different j centres in a small, way. There has not i been a comprehensive scheme to bring I the swamp lands of ’Westland into profit. Yet they are many, and well worth attention, for their cultivation is rich in promise. Swamp lands are spread all along the Coast, and are chiefly Crown areas. It would repay the Government handsomely to go into effective schemes of drainage before cutting up and putting the land on the market. Something has been done as beginning, but the project is hastening so very slowly, and needs pushing on. The Minister will see various stretches of land i good enough for wheat growing, but it lies fallow and submerged by overflow j waters. Where the land can be drain- j ed in any area at a reasonable cost, it will he a. job well worth taking in hand .for it is country easily settled. There is less labour than in removing the forest and getting the land into ' tilling condition. Once the swamp

la.nds are drained they are ready for sub-divison, a.nd stock can foraige right away. Now that land is growing dearer. and that there will soon be an influx ofi fresh faces, many of the swamp areas offer a, ready means of meeting the new demand if the work of drainage were an accomplished fact. So among the experiences of Mr Coates when south, a careful note of the swamp lands and their possibilities for early settlement should not be overlooked.

The Minister’s stay here is of the briefest duration. To-mOrrow lit Moves south, aiid has been lilvited to traverse the lloss-Waitaha ramway of Stuart and Chapman Ltd. This is a stretch of soliie ten miles, involving a, large expenditure in construction, including what has been a public boon already, the bridging of the Mikonui river. The particular section is of special interest because it covers the authorised length of the Ross-Waitaha, railway section for which Parliament appropriated money, raid which Mr Coates’ predecessor, fsir W. Fraser, refused to go on with, and dropped the work off the list. Incidentally other works in more favored places were substituted, and only recently the Prime Minister opened a. railway in the North Island which was authorised since the Ross railway extension was dropped. It is interesting to recall this fact, for the Minister will see the circumstances under which private enterprise stepped in and did what the country should have done. The inspection of the railway, for such it is, will afford information, also of what can be essentially done in an economical way to construct what is essentially a form of light railway. The line is to serve a considerable tract of timber country, the freightage from which would have justified the public work being done m preference to private enterprise. The latter, however, having stepped into the breach, the people are now desirous of using the line for transport purposes, and seeing the Government has denied the settlers » public railway, the request is to use the tramway for settlers’ stock and goods traffic as a feeder to the Ross railway. It is a simple request and when Mr Coates realises the magnitude and importance of the work it is to be hoped he will do all he call to help the settlers achieve their wishes.