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Hokitika Guardian, 28 August 1924, Page 2

Tilt; difficulties in tin* way cl Rritirule in India are many. It is a hat task, and it is being proved over an over again, that it is not possible I

establish quickly in the land what might he described as bread based representative institutions. The tnllmvni? will serve to illustrate the position, the story being taken from a London j aper. Most ot the men who drive taxicabs in Calcutta are Sikhs front tho Punjab. It was alleged t' Other day that a Siklt cabman had drugged and kidnapped a Moslem hoy. The story grew as it spread through the bazaars, until it was reported that the Siklw were looking for Bengali children to offer as sacrifices at the new King George Docks. Instantly the city was aflame with wrath, rioting became general, and seven or more quite innocent Sikhs were beaten to death by the angry mob. Some mes-

sagos suggest tlistt the niitoroak is per-luij-.s tin- result ol' tln- recent I'oofishtio>»s of the Bengal politicians who have paid homage to a. man hanged for the murder of a British official, lint "o do not credit this view. The true explanation is probably- just what appears on the suifare, and nothin" more. An Indian liioh is extraordinarily credulous and "ill believe anything. The iilea of sacrificing liunian life at the inauguration of groat public works is eoinmon throughout the land, and tin- absurd accusation has often been brought against Englishmen. sometimes to the accompaniment of riots. There is no story too wild lor the Indian masses to accept, no belief too improbable for tlieni to endorse. Some years ago a skilful Indian engineer was found to have burned a victim in the furnace of his engine because it was not working well. A whole district in Southern India revolted when Queen Victoria’s image disap) eared from the rupee, because it was thought that the (beat White Queen laid been murdeied. When the wells were disinfected in time of plug no millions fancied that the British were trying to prison them. Inoculation against plague was rumoured to be a similar device, though Hindus took kindly to vaccination against smallpox, because with them the cow is holy. The well-educated clerks in a (lovornment Department in Calcutta were discovered one New Year's morning on the roof of their office, secretly making offerings to a shrine built up of reams of paper and account books and ink and pens and blotting, which they thought must typify a god who was the real soune'of their well-ls-iw". Not in a thousand years will Indians in large numbers be really fit for representative government on A\ ostein lines; yet it wa.» of these people that Mr Montagu and Lord Chelmsford made the amazing declaration that •‘the placid contentment of the masses is not the- soil on which Indian nationhood will grow, and in deliberately disturbing it we are working for her highest good." Their fatuous words nro rightly scoffed at to-day as the difficulties in India increase.

1 l Tin: account brought hack liy the members of flit' Westland Land Board of the striking scenic lieauty <>f the eountrv about tln* Saltwater Lacoon. south of the r.ittle Wanganui river. confirms tile previous ivimrte. Indeed all a loll" our Coast !>earh there are many hoauty spots hut little heard of nowadays. Lake Mahinapua so adjacent to Hokitika, is such a lieauty spot almost entirely overlooked these times. So at other lagoons along the Coast, of which Okarito 1-agoon is another outstanding example. The Saltwater Lagoon is ;t large sheet of water not of tlioro \* no w.^vny,

mul tlu? only highway is down a rough, trackless river htil, and thence by the ocean I leach. A land route, however is possible, mid tin? @hief Commissioner of Lands lias suggested a roadway branching from Mount Hercules. The late Charles Douglas. the well-known explorer, traveled the country from the main south road to the ocean beach by what is shotvu on some maps as Douglas track. The line could he picked tip again no doubt and might serve ns a base line from which to seek for a better road route. In times past, thwre was talk of alluvial gold being found in the terraces of the widespreading Hat between the inland road

ad the ocean beach. There is a good retell of country to cover, ami prosectors might find their way to that

locality if access were better and more was known of the country. The Saltwater Lagoon has been regarded always as a notable beauty spot. Pioneer travellers, including Sir .1. Von Ilaast. have recorded its beauty and praised its glories. The opening of a route

to stteAS a place might well be worth while. At one time there was the sug-

gestion to carry the main road nearer to the sea beach, first to secure a more stable site .for bridging the Little ’Wanganui river, and aLo to avoid the toil for transport over .Mount llerettle*. The expiating surveyors decided otherwise, and now any road access which is to come. must, he hv a brunch road

rom tlie arterial south road. There could not le any engineering difficulties iPollt- such a route, which would avoid he line of till* river bed and the

roitMcsomo river crossings, and at tin same time lead to a good deal oi ex 'client, swam]) country being opciici

up for fill me settlement. The loon

ty both for its beauty and prospects o utility for future settlement shout not lie overlooked.