One Aspect of Westland’s Potential Greatness.

Hokitika Guardian, 23 August 1923, Page 4

One Aspect of Westland’s Potential Greatness.

(Contributed). “Cumuli' il fait noir dans in valiee, J'ai mu qu'line forme voileo .[•'lottait la-baa snr la foret. Kilo sortait do la prairo; Son [lied rasait, I’herbe tlourio. Cost lino e't range reverie! Kilo s’eliace ot disparuit."

In tlione ivuiidciitilly e.xpre.sstvo wonts <|o .Mussot visualizes tlie present o ul tho Spirit of .Spring, <>i' too ]• mure, v, illi lior promise ot the re-awabetting o) Nature tho Honor- blossoming midor Ik-i' foot —: and it i- in like manner t/iat we soo the Spirit of Soiontilio Kndoavour hovering over tho plains ami standing turr-ts of \\ estTand. .Mur-li has l.* ; oii said, and much probably l• litainr In la' saiil. regarding tho agricultural jso..-ihiiiiio.s o| mi- westoru province: and tin' cniapioiioii m l lie Arthur’s Pa-- Tunnel api-cui's to lav.'

made n realize nmro mill WoMlnn'l iin j !(!|'t a lico to New /oa land ; hut a part nl an Knipiro "Ito-c ver\ exist , noe demands an independent''.' ul lor

iiupurtations. a more coniotr rated and fuller utilization of the vast resources at present unexploited. and a more eve n distribution of its population. Westland must ami will mine midr the magic wand •>! Si-ieiice. wit" *i'.vails only the advent of the men who know hoa to 11-. e and rule il ? jsn.■ i .

Tho gift of prnphesy is forbidden us; hut ot;r lives arc uiade up of dreaiiis and vi-ioiis. which. however tar bo\oud our power to mnsuiamate, yet ever servo to lighten our burdens, and encourage us to 11ipc!i• ■emicave.ur. Time admit - ol the mention <>l only a low Hidii.-u i.i ho- M :.1 random from tho mantles- pm,'.—* - of moilern rcienco. man.' oi ih-i" being dependant ~.i an ahumlanl J’lecirieity for pow er aml *aln r put p, • --

In Wot land's tiva.-ur.t there i- no mere precious thing lhan tho vast hvdro-olo! trio poLont ialities. u hnli lielike some iorgnltcn j,iinhoeded, and which, uuliarii'.-s-od—daily run m waste —wliil • mi tin- other side of tin* world at the heart oi tho Knipiro. men are dismissing the almost superhuman i ash ol ul il izi no the ris,- and fall of tho tid.'s as a ,-oiiree of cleot rival power. ]n the pi o-eiii lip', when the am mil aoconiplishinents oi si-ioiu-e aro almost liovoml the i iUiiprelionsKin oi all. savin;' the loadino seiont ists. modern tliveii:ions lar xtirpa-sing the strange dreams of .Jules Verne or ih« "imdertud suggest ions of Swill, in llimrall hut nllr.ileiln.hote ml ri".,oy and \\ isoom- !'■ Inot hard, to imagine Westland a- a ere,-it industrial province. with (history ii pealing itself, lull in a different ninnlurl. a population ol tens ol thousands; a- there were in the early days when the magnetic iiillueiice i>l gold brought men llui king from all i omm's ol the Earth.

With the advent of wireless telegraphy. and the aeroplane, the world has shrunk in size, and the British Knipire will in, loiigor 1 1 a series oi isolated dominions and colonies depending lor units' on a sentimental attachment ta til,. Wntliei Connlry. tan a living comh iiiation- the separate meiiihers of which are mutually dependant noon out* ihiollhm*.

But ‘‘l'lun 'vlkmiisuoVf'i* much Oil. of him slad he liineli reipiiivd so it is to those yet virgin lands which are naturally endowed with indispensable, but la ten i resources, that we mast turn it Wi* :iro ;is a nation, ever >i 11 t*.) justify tiu* sac red tni:>t whic h has I c*en L'iven us. ;is tlio loading cace in the v,oriel.

A. ;t visitor to Westland. 1 l.ave met fjuite ;i nutuher «d alhcii mcMt oi t-clueaticm, '1 l.ese 1 *i‘ ; P’‘ thev are in the miimrity may he *»ti«*i;cl**ci. and turn aside wiili a disdam--1 ;,1 -\Siis Minerva.” v-‘*n* t»ne |»*esumntuotis eimu‘j;h to enquire the [»>>••'- sdd<‘ :iud practical results d the 11 eniendou- power at tin* lonroha Canyon (for example*) were available throniihI)iit tho provinee. from the to tlse sea. and from the <r \v to Okarito a.iat the far South. Kissel in the* N.Z. -lournal of Science- and Tcehnolooy cmnnerntes the advamayes ot a t entra! p >wer-siai ion wiifi radial iran>mission. 'i lieit* has hc-n cel a liliie disci.'ssicm i* * ;ird n iix the Miilnhility of Westlai.-l If.*.- the- maniif:i( ture o! paper an industry for v.luch c-h.eap jiowei i ; es-v»e-tial. and wl\ich would lender Ne w Zeaj.iitd Indcpendvnt ot otit>Kk* resemrees. r n»en then* are two must important pioducts. niircejae and and tiieir eonipmiiid>. so invaluahi** in an agricultural cuunwy. the !ir»e*‘tc*r**m >* ot man in nsitureV eh-.-nueal lor tin* preservation ot Idt* cm lie world, upsc*i < i!u* Italamed c-yc h-: and coiisec|»n*ntl\ artilie ia! niean> have* 'o * = found to replenish the exhausted soil. Blosphei o-. linn* potash. ?t»id nilroeeii

are four ,'-sent lid elements; and a- fi'm ago a- ISS.S. Brofi's.-oi* Black ol Ittag' 11-,i;:t•'!I out the jaissihle drar-tie result ot sl,i|,|)iug iitti' t-l,>,ln,as to --tue

(o'.mtries. and making ~,, iirovisiott lor tin loss of elements essential to the growth of such produce. lie even "e!,t so fin- ns to sugg.-t that “Brohablv the explanation ot the degeiteril, V o! modern times, in these old centres ot

dense population, maintain-! for a thousand year-, i- to he Poind, in part at least, it not entirely, in the fact that they had tl't d up all the available phosphorus.'' The e.xeentioiis "ere China and Kg.vpt. In the liitter country the periodieal overllowing of the Nile supplied the necessary “fertilisers," while in China, the method of cultivation and utilization of sewage made up the dclicb'iicv : and modern countries.

(eermanv. arc ~-tly lollowing the a, eient Chinese mt'thods. altlu-ugl, o much more sceuilitic lin.-s. Bhospoorii i- obtained l>\' digesting I,ones wil ehanoal and sulpiittrie acid.

The inoderu nit,a.'gen prot esses are most in ter,sting, and are also more dependant on electricity. Bricily. Ike method employed consists in the liquefaction nl the atmosphere hy various pressure and self-intensive methods and then advantage is taken of the tart that air being only a mechanical mixture of oxygen and nitrogen-- the oxygen evaporates first, leaving the nitrogen. which is combined with hydrogen to form ammonia. Hydrogen is obtained hy electrolysis of water, a process which al-o produces oxygen. The plant such as in operation in Norway is n duplicate one—each half being complete ill itself, so that there is no in terriiption on account of mishaps. Then there are numerous products ot the super heat of the electric furnace —cal, inn, carbide being a most important one—-formed hy the direct combination of the two clmeuts. calcium and carbon ; that is. lime and poke, both of which are to he had in abundance.

The oxygon from the preceding process con Id be used with the carbide. to produce the oxy-ncetylono flume, to which iron becomes ns paper to the knife. There is the electrolysis oi urine for the mu mi fa i lure of caustic soda, with bleaching powder ns a by-product : but these are sufficient for our purpose, when we reincmlier that no mention has been made ot the existing factoties and industries wliicli. with the advent of abundant cheap power would multiply their output many times over. The prospect is indeed a pleasing one. especially when viewed trom nil Imperialistic siaml-point a fleeting the fut-uro self-sutllcoincy o! the Ivinpire. Other lands are doing iheir share ami putting their dreams to the test, lhe tropical plants 0 f the Umpire will provide the indispensable vegetable oils for the supplementing of ike insultieiont supplv of animal fats. In Hntish West Africa, men are everywhere penetrating the virgin forests and making the "wilderness blossom as the rose, tea. cocoa, coffee, amt oil-palm plantations are supplanting the dense tropical vegetation. Ami nearer home in I'iji promises to place the P.rttish T.mpiie independent ot outside sources lot sugar supplies: while Australia i' stirring its great energies in the ciiltiiation of ci.tton and the exploitation ot its untold mineral wealth. It is the age of the specialist: and each country must find and know itself, and then follow its destiny with all exertion ami faith. There is a lot of truth in O. "• Holmes’ description of enterprise: ’’lf you write a hotter Iwok. or even make a better rat-trap than the rest of yout fellows, though you live in the depth of the wilderness, the world will make a beaten track to your door.” And so Westland must have faith in itself—for “Faith removeth mountains”— and the

angels of Peace and Prosperity will penetrate to its furthest corners; but ii may not be immediately; and most certainly not without much and patient sacrifice. Our friends, tlie pessimists, however, need not fear, for that "will fall to the lot of the “sons of Martha,” whose blood already stains many a rock and river of Westland that those “sons of .Mary” may travel in comfort, even through and under the snow-hound Southern Alps ; and live in the peace and comfort ol all the conveniences of modern business and domestic surroundings. --lI.P.