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Hokitika Guardian, 18 October 1924, Page 2

It behoves the people of this community not to neglect the prospects of South Westland. We have seen how the northern part, has heen developed arid fin-

ally come into its own h.v being linked up with the South Island railway r,v.stem. That is but a beginning of possibilities effective in removing long standing isolation, and giving the country a chance- to forge ahead. South Westland in all the essentials is a replica of the northern part. It is mineralised. It carries great belts of timber. It has scenic attractions in endless variety. It has fan like river Hats and valleys, pasture land and nature’s natural shelter all in one. It is impossible to contemplate the string of stock making its way north year after year without realising the pastoral qualities of the South. They have been developed for tlio simple reason that the product can walk out, the only way of reaching a market with local production. Prime stock of the highest quality are coming forward just now, and there if! the statement that upwards of A.OOO lambs will come out of the south in the first weeks of the new year. It is a country of potential wealth for pastoral purposes, for in addition to the live stock, there is the output of dairy produce ill both butter and cheese. In respect to pastoral and dairying settlement, the district has "proved its qualities beyond question. Yet the portion occupied for this profitable class of trading is but a little of tlie whole available for settlement. Then there are tbe scenic attractions, far too little known, though hv.-al enterprise is striving gallantly and unselfishly to make the beauties of the district more widely known. Act Sooth Westland is off the beaten track of the tourist and globe trotter. It seems to be only bv chance that a small percentage of the thousands comine to New Zealand and Hitting up the Hast Coast, fiml their way to tbe West Const, 'l'lie forest belt of timber in South Westland » very riel, treasure rt is a great asset winch, e-.0-nomicallv nomicallv milled, would pay for roads, railways and harbors to open up the country. But there it remains, the State lacking the enterprise to derelop the country, and the Departments puttin.r a damper on private er.teipn.se which might do the job for the country -is it lias done already m lapping t hV Inutile forest on the way south. Lastly there is the mineral deposit - rich treasure indeed waiting for the enterprise to tap it. But all these .ism ts . lie dormant, and the pioneer settlers ' and their sous and sons’ sous, struggle on gallantly to keep the country occupied.

.h-sT why South Westland. and huly the i'ar south, should remain so mtii-li of a tuna imognita to tin- world ut large. with all its varied and vainuhh- assets, is one of tin* quest ions the people of Westland as a whole should take into consideration. I here must l-.e a reason, and the cause of the difficulties holding up advancement should he removed. It is no doul.t the isolation and remoteness of the south district, That is possible of removal, just as our own harrier to progress has been removed hv the 1 icrcing of the Southern Alps. The harrier in the south is not as foimidable as that, for that, was not an accomplished fact till the last chain of mountain fastness was pierced. In the south thoie is nothin}' so difficult as that, Every chain of road made assists to leninvc isolation. Every bridge creeled brings the south nearer the north by the savin}' in time for travelling. Every attention to the harho:s is an improvement in the means of communication and intercourse. But these mailers are being attended to too much in piecemeal. A mure comprehensive policy is needed. Concentration on the development of South Westland should lie entered upon. It is a considerable task, hut it is well worth doing, for accomplished it will mean a gloat flow „f prosperity to the province. For some time now the authorities hate been considering matters regarding steps to develoj’c South Westland. Our readers will remember the Hash in the pan when for pnlitital reasons Iho Reform party used the I’d-ick liver settlement near Bruce Bay as a means to excite public interest in a p.olicy to open up the south country. But with the passing of the election time, to inteiest in the movement failed, ami now it is out of memory. But the territory is there for settlement, and the opportunity hot awaits proper handling to bring the project to p-nss. To our mind the mist essential mattei for the opening up of South Westland is roads, more roads, and still more loads. An expenditure of £ I (Itl.tltll! mieht he contemplated with a pood deal of eoolideoee for .such ail undertaking', for the outlay will bring int< profit hundreds of thousands of .acres of tallow laud, and open up tounlry of ore.it ]ii ssihilities. We place roads before railways because we realise the latter will he l<>ii}£ yearns in pu-hing far enough south t) reach the point where it will wive desilahle conneet ion. Rut roads call he opened at various points along stones and gradually Jinked up to afford through traffic for the benefit of . !i ; so r .ads should engage the most serious "attenlion.

(iovKKXiKfi tin* mailing of thf far smith of We.stlmil tlieiv are thioe sections worth looking into as :i means to improve fommunieatiim. These suggestioiis are based on reports and iccoiiimeiulations by tlit* Chief Commissioner of Crown hands who is naturally last qualified of it! 1 to speak on the future po.-.sil i lilies of the Jaml development. It was a Commissioner of hands who hronolit forward the Hlaek river settlement scheme, lint the Government stood to it only while it served an elertion .stunt. Hoads are in a different category, and tliose promoted if hacked properly should he accomplished in time. Of the three sections, the first (moving; south) is from Cook river .saddle to the Clearwater, hy a more inland road route, giving shorter at--ess, and crossing Imth tlio Fox and Cook rivers at more suitahle bridge sites than is possible hy the existing route. This road when linked up, means an important motor read connection for Bruce Bay District. The second road section is again a 'hack road. from .Jacob's river to Alahitahi. avoiding Bruce Bay Beach, and the toil up Maintain river. This would shoiten tho road, and is already far enough advanced to permit of a few hundred pounds seeing the connection put through. The third section is that furthest south, and is intended to connect Jackson Bay and Okunt districts hy a motor road. The project has been in hand for some time, and the survey of the route has been carried out. It -traverses a distance of some 2-1 miles, and the road if made would produce a new settlement in the far south, permitting such industries as milling and dairying to lie established very profitably. Knough has been written for to-day to indicate the possibilities likely to result from the reading of the' far south. The next, step should ho in securing positive action in the matter. The Progress League might well take the subject up. A great deal of information could be obtained first hand from the Commissioner of Crown Lands, and tho League could make it.s own investigations. Having laid the foundations for enquiry, the Government could then lie urged to go into the question with its own officers along lines to ensure the object in view being achieved in all rjood time. It 'is *ork which is ■tvorfli while for northern Westland as we know it to-day can be reproduced in the south with its towns and farms and industries and nil round produc-

tion, and the duplication will spell a Remarkable degree of iprogress ai.d prosperity for the whole district.