CANTERBURY AND WESTLAND.

Hokitika Guardian, 31 August 1923, Page 4

CANTERBURY AND WESTLAND.

(Wediu’sihii - s C.i. C i. ‘Press.” i

The Hon. H. J.. .Michel, M.l.said quite truly last night that ii has not yet been realised what the tunnel means to Canterbury and Westland. 11l ihe inafter of land settlement alone tlieio ace quite extraordinary possibilities. North of (.1 reymouili there are fertile valleys must of the wav to Westport say forty miles; south there stretches a strip of land a hundred miles long, all or nearly all suitable for dairying, and only tiie southern reach without the advantage of good roads. We have said ..efore. hut must say again, that when the Fast Coast really lays hold of these facts there will be a West Const boom. Fur it must not be supposed that ais land is good only in a relative sense worth settling after every other area has been settled, and safe to liny only if secured for a sung. There is some land in Westland that is sour, mil some badly inlcsted with blackberry • hat to pay normal prices for it would lor to court disaster. But the best ol the dairying land is free ol blackberry, and it i- such genuine dairying and ...at the uiiprly experienced Special Commissioner who visited the Const tor “TPe Press" early in the year found ten.- (' thousands of acres of “as heavily grassed land as cue would see anywhere in the Dominion, arid much of it as good in quality as the boomed North Island dairying country." The pi, uire could, have been made much more striking had ii been thought wise to adopt the standaids ot the new | average “write up." There is simply I no question at all about the boom that is coming; ilie questions e.i'r. how soon will the IJailwuy Department alj low it t-o conic, amt in "hat way can J Canterbury ami Westland best co-ope-rate for their mutual benefit ! On the question of the iuiinel charges we haw aheatiy expo.-mil a strong opinion i |e.u i .iiyei nment has a duty Here mu ne iely l i Westland, and not merely to ('aiiUo bury, but to all tliu-0 taxpayers throughout the whole Dominion whoso money has been sunk in the Alps. The .sooner this special rate can he removed the sooner will Hie amount of goods carried be- commensurate with the needs ol the two provinces, ami with the great hopes the whole Dominion has now lormed of the commercial success ol the (Hua venture. And wlmt applies io goods in rates applies to passengers in speed and general convenience. There is no excuse for the slew and primitive service from Gieymouili to Hokitika. If .an excuse exi-ted before the tunnel was opened it does not exist any .ongcr and the Department must .‘.how that it is aware of the new era. Passenger traffic is far too profitable to throw to private carrieis.