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Hokitika Guardian, 25 May 1926, Page 2

Thk Rt. Hon. tlie Prime Minister;lias made a move at last in regard to the composition of his Ministry. Mr It. A. Wright of Wellington has been added to the team. Kir Coates is dropping into the way of doing things by halves —for lie still requires another Minister to fill the hill. That addition is to come later, and apparently will require to be Minister of Public Works which Mr Coates is giving tip. There has lioen the usual reshuffling of portfolios, and Mr Nosworthy, Mr RolleS; ton and Mr Stewart have fresh responsibilities. Sir Heaton Rhodes is to be leader of the Upper House, pro tern. Whether he is to keep the position clear for the return of Sir Francis Bell or for Sir James Allen, is not clear as .vet, and developments in that direction will come later. Kir Wright. ex-Mayor of Wclington. and a strong supporter for Reform in the Empire City, will not he a popular appointment for various reasons. But as a faithful and earnest supporter, of t' party, and who was at one with KL Massey even outside of politics, he wiT he acceptable, to the Conservative diehards. Mr Wright was at one time a resident of Hokitika and claims, and is claimed to he a West Coaster. A• a young lad he was an employee of

the "West Coast Times in the early days, and was a visitor and a speaker here on the occasion of the Hokitika Exhibition. Mr Wright will he a ready talker in the House, when his leader requires help in that direction. His fitness for the position o ! Education will of course he questioned. for his own education lacks the polish of the university. But he has a general colonial knowledge which r man with sound sense can make a good deal of use of in life, and West Coasters have the knack of doing that. His leanings will he more to the primary than the higher branches of education, we should take it, and that should not he very regrettable—at least for the time being. Although Kir Wright?s name lias treen freely mentioned for a. portfolio on this and previous occasions, he has generally been regarded as a good outsider. But he is at all events persistent, and his persistency has carried the day. We should say there has been a fair amount of wire pulling over the appointment, and that he has won finally is a tribute to the influence he was able to exercise. On .the whole

the appointment should prove of some value to Mr Coates, but there may be some heart burnings within the Party. It will be for ALr Wright to live those down, and he haS courage and energy enough to do that. A petition to the Rt. Hon. the Minister of Public "Works is now in circulation in South Westland asking that the Minister will be good enough to consider and provide for a substantial vote on the Public Works Estimates for 1920-27 for the construction of a road suitable for motor vehicles from Makaroa at the head of Lake Manuka (Otago) • towards Hnast Pass with the ultimate object of connecting tip South 'Westland and Otago by road. The petition points out that tlie connection between Otago and South Westland by way of the Haast Pass route lias been considered practicable since the earliest" days when the late .1 allies Afacandrow had the idea of girding the South Island with a railway crossing to connect Westland and Otago by way of Haast Pass, a route which presents no engineering difficulties. The route is a natural connection of easy grade and the break between settlements at Alakaroa in Otago and Haast in Westland,, can be accomplished comfortably ip a day by horsemen. The motor vehicle road suggested will accelerate traffic greatly and facilitate transport, and will be the means of developing tourist traffic for the reason that tlie route presents diversified scenery throughout. Hie settlement in South Westland is remotely situated and suffers from isolation. Connected with a settled district in close juxtaposition there would be profitable intercourse established, and a readier outlet for produce and stock. The road connection would give a marked - fillip to the progress of Southern ’Westland. The southern district of 'Westland to be tapped is an extensive one, largely Crown Lands. It is a settlement where there is room for considerable extension in regard to pastoral and dairying pursuits. It is a fine fattening district, and the area available is very considerable. The road would thus open up the public estate, for some of tlie large runs are available for closer settlement, if ready access and a better market- could be reached with less difficulty and delay. The territory traversed by the route provides great variety in mountain, bush, and river scenery, and is unsurpassed in the known tourist world. Opened up by assured means of access the locality should attract a steady stream of tourists who could pass up the Coast and visit the glacier, and lake region further north, thus ensuring a round trip of unequalled variety in native attractions. By establishing permanent settlement iii the south, the northern portion of "Westland will be assisted greatly, and the iniitulil advantage from, the expansion which Would follow, would he of national benefit lii the Dominion as a whole. The undertaking is of such inter-pro-vincial and national interests, and so much can be said in support-, that tlie petitioners should lie sure of the prosecution of the work in due course.