IN SOUTH WESTLAND

Hokitika Guardian, 22 March 1928, Page 2

IN SOUTH WESTLAND

iHE .MEMBER’S TOUR. Air Seddon, AI.P., returned on Tuesday evening from visiting the southernmost parts of the electorate. It was the most .strenuous riding trip Air Seddon stated he had ever undertaken, as the intense heat made travelling almost unendurable. The route lay over scotch. ing river beds and over some high countijy, the heat not for one day abating. The oldest settlers do not re-moiiiher such a season in South Westland and every farmer is availing liimseli of *;udry weather to burn and .dear !'<•■ holding. A record seems to have been jehie (! this year in the number of visitors oi tin- Ecanz Josef Glacier. Tln-oitv's seem to he coming and going in steady streams and on all sides one boa"s glowing tributes paid In the charms cl Wallin—no one is disappointed, On the other hand, surprise is generally expressed at the beauty of the place. •Several notable rock climbs have been done recently, the remarkable warm season favouring this branch of mountaineering. The Graham brothers and their stalls have been kept very busy tiiis season. At Woiiokn the large Im- ici Ic ng erected for the Sullivan Brothers: wui he completed in July and will ennui? visitors to enjoy the beauties of tie box Glacier. Mr Seddon states that herds of Hereford cattle were met- coming both trbm llaast and UUuru—-soitio live hundred head in all—of the very fil-st quality. The long trek from Oktifu is most arduous and difficult as the brittle trade over the Maori Saddle extending lor some miles, is most dangerous in places. Rarely the mobs get through without mishap. Sometimes the beasts take fright and the terrified animals are pushed over the deep terraces and go hurtling down the gullies. Fortunately only three animals were Tost this year, which speaks volumes tor the patience and skill of the drovers. .dr Seddon stated that he told the people at. Okiiru that the present route over tlie Maori Saddle must lie altered. The track from the Paringa River reaches a height of over 1200(1 loot and lor miles the animals must travel in file. In places the track cannot he maintained for it just slips away alter floods, whereas oil the lowlands it. is possible to constmet a track which could ne afterwards widened to provide a comparatively flat road. At Okiiru the people who industriously make cheese and butter are handicapped by a must uncertain port, and poor wharf accommodation. The jell' - which served the Elsie is now high and dry. However, negotiations have been entered into to improve the wharl. and it is hoped that the vagaries ol tl - ." OUuru River will he overcome; Air Fodiibn staled that road Communication is being rapidly improved, and the Far South will soon come iut -- its own. The question of bridging Cook's I’iver is now under consul -- lion. Tluit will necessitate a roan deviation at Weheka hut once constructed the bridge will prove a boon to settlers south of Weltoka. I In- road from Wailm to Weheka is being inproved at the present time, all the sharp corners being removed. Ibis road is one of the finest iu tlie Dominion, and tourists are haul in their praise of it. It is a booti to sei tiers, too. From Weheka to Karangarua and on to Hruce Hay the road is good and in winter when the rivers are low motor ears can travel right from Hokitika to the Hay. Between Hruce Hay and Alnhitahi there is one section of road to be completed to give road access to the Alnhitahi settlers. Thc improvement in the road trom Mahitalii to Paringa reflects the greatest credit on the Public Works Department's overseer. Air M. Carroll. Ihe track from Paringa to Blue River and so in to the llaast is in the best possible condition. The more one travels over it the more one regrets that for the settlers’ sake such a route was chosen. At Okimt Air Seddon was impressed with the interest created by the dairy industry among the settlers. No longer is beef ” the only production of OUuru, for butter and cheese loom large now in the industries of that little spot. With close attention to the grading and selection of cows the herds are rapidly improving and OUuru will soon he making great strides. Air D. Nolan has shown wonderful enterprise and he manages a plant which is at once a sawmill, a milking shed, and a cheese factory. The cheese produced is of excellent quality. In a short time Mr Nolan will lm milking a Friesian grade herd of over 100 cows. Other settlers are busy making butter. . r Seddon expressed himsell delighted witli the evidence on all sides in the Far South of improved herds ol cattle, -- renter clearings, an increased number of settlers, all of which augurs well lor the future of the southern part of his constituency. Air Seddon will return south to visit Watnroa anu Harihari beiore leaving for session.