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Hokitika Guardian, 12 October 1922, Page 2

There can 1k“ hardly any two opinions as to the necessity for maintaining Lake Kanieri road in a passable condition. Tile road, leads to a famous beauty spot, which as time goes on will attract thousands of visitors to tile district. Developed as it should bo It will become one of the principal tourist resorts of the Dominion. But it is highly essential that the road access should bo such as to moot tile requirements of motor traffic. Until a year or so ago, tbe road was able to accommodate the volume of traffic using it fairly satisfactorily, but sine® the heavy traffic has been using the road it lias proved unequal to the traffic, and the amount of maintenance done has not been equal to tbe requirements. A report was before the County Council on f l uesdav indicating that £2OOO was required to put the road in order. The amount is beyond the ordinary resources of the Council, which has deferred consideration of the issue for a month; hut in the meantime we are drawing nearer and nearer tbe holiday season when tbe volume of tourist traffic*will be increosing. The ordinary repair work will not suffice. The road requires largely remaking and that means a. call for more money but where it is to coma from except by special taxation is not clear.

A remarkable contribution to the discussion of Germany’s attitude on the reparations question has been made by Mr A. Iniidsbuigh. a well-known German economist. In an article published in the “Xeue Froie JVesse” of Vienna, he says the great evil from which Germany is suffering j s that the annual reparation payments were fixed on the basis of Germany’s capacity to pay. '“Owing to the arrangement, humane in itself, which specifies that the payments ought to be limited to the capacity to pay, tihe German Reich has fallen into tile position of a debtor who has handed his creditors securities dependent on an improvement in her affairs and who finds himself in a painful dilemma. Tf his economic si nation is good he is obliged to pay; j if he does not wish to pay, he has i to " ork to create a defective economic I situation, or nt least to show nil the ! outward signs ot depression. Change this to politics and you reach an im- ! possible state of things, since the Go- i vernment which will apeear the best ] from a patriotic point will he the one I which will endeavour to produce such I unfavourable economic symrftoins that I the obligation of payment falling on the nation will be reduced to a minimum.” When a German economist can write in this fashion it is no wonder that the French feel strongly, as would he said in the ease of an indi- ! vidual. they have to deal with a frau- [ dulent debtor. !