“FOREIGN” TRAFFIC.

Hokitika Guardian, 21 January 1926, Page 1

“FOREIGN” TRAFFIC.

AND A!ICROSCOriC COUNTIES

CHRISTCHURCH, Jan. 19

“You have a lot of very small counties, and anyone who comes from outside the little lots, you call ‘foreign.’ You must get together and broaden your vision and then you won’t he coining to us and asking us to buy you a wheelbarrow,” said Mr A. E. .full, of the Main Highways Board, referring in a joking way to Canterbury’s many small counties yesterday. .Most of tlie business consisted of discussions on administralives matters, and these remarks lightened the somewhat tedious atmosphere considerably, causing county representatives, who were waiting on tlie Board, to smile. "If you get together,” continued Mr .lull, “your mole Hills will not appear like mountains, and you’ll have a real county. 1 am a counties’ representative myself, and I am talking to you straight. At tlie same time i know the difficulties that burden large and unwieldy counties, and i know also the difficulties of the microscopic counties.”

The question of “foreign” traffic, ho continued, hail been before the Board in the North Island as well as in tho South. If the small counties of tlie south were of a respectable size, 90 per cent, of the traffic at preset regarded as “foreign” would become “inside” traffic.

“Don’t he silly,” said Mr .lull when one county representative asked if lie would have Christchurch and Dunedin in the one county. Mr Jull went on to say that part of the 50 per cent, subsidy given by tlie Board was intended to cover damage' caused by “foreign” traffic. Machinery was now available in the. Act for the amalgamation of tlie counties without any reduction of the subsidy allowed the small counties.

Mr H. Tallott (Ra.ugiora) spoke enthusiastically of the nmalgmalion of counties, and said that lie hoped the Board would help the idea along.