The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. MONDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1930. WESTLAND'S BIRTHDAY.

Hokitika Guardian, 1 December 1930, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. MONDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1930. WESTLAND'S BIRTHDAY.

To-OAy is Anniversary Day ior the i J ro vince or \\ cstlanct, and is observed-, incidentally, as a bank holiday, but most folk are going about tlmir duties as usual. Westland was n province iong ago and for a very short period, but in that period under the Westland Provincial Council, a very important epoch in the history of the district passed. Westland, which hitherto had been" part of the Province of Canterbury, became a province under the Province of Westland Bill passed in August, 1873. and which came into force on Ist December of that year. Hence to-day is the fifty-seventh anniversary of that important day. It was a great day away back in the early seventies when Westland Was thriving as a highly important gold-mining centre. Tim fil'st a ltd ofily Superintendent of the Province was the late Hon. J. A. Bonar, who defeated the other candidates for the podt. Tim first Provincial Council consisted of <). White,, F, Ttdmrt, and W. Todd, rcipmsonting Hokitika; E. T. Robinson, 8. M*Tchell, representing K anion; H. H. Lahmnnn, C. Woolcock, and E. Wilkes, representing Grevmouth; R. J. Seddon„, and M. Houlahan, representing Aralmra; A. R. Guinness, end P. Dungan, representing Paroa; H. Cumuli,ng and J. McGaffin. representing Ross; and R. Canavan, representing Okarito. These were all giants in their day, and their photographs as a Council hangs in the local Town Hall, and would be worthy a pilgrimage today to pay some respect to the memory of those who "bore the heat and (burden of -the task of local government, nearly sixty years ago. The Westland Province, as aim all the other self-governing provinces in New Zealand, ceased to exist ais at Ist November, 1876. It is noteworthy that in the year 1906, some thirty years later, the late Rt. Hon. R. J. Seddon when in South Westland on what proved to he his last visit to the .electorate lie loved .so well, speaking at the opening of the first of the- large traffic bridges on the main south road, crossing the Big Waitaha river, lefeired to proposals in inind at that time to create in Westland a local body having the domain of the defunct Provincial Council, but without its legislative powers, to manage the internal affairs of the County as an experiment in local government whereby a number of small internal local governing (bodies were to be merged into one large whole to do the duties of all of them. But with the passing; of Mr Seddon who had personal acquaintance with the old provincial system of government, the proposel dropped out of mind. Westland County in a large area, but when it embraced also the Grey County, as it did in 18/3. it contained an area of over 6000 square miles. At present the County is over .200 miles in length and must have an average width of at 1c --t 2 0 miles, iso that the area of the present territory of Westland proper is over 4.000 square miles. Here, then, today is a great tract of country, a fraction onlv of which is developed °nd •''•cunic'd. And looking at the locMUhs wli'mli are settled, dottcu along the Coast, should we be content, end think Westland lias achieved its destine, and nothing more should he done to develop its fastnesses and remote places! This anniversary will indeed he vain, and its opportunity lost, without the high resolve on the part of the authorities to take v,p the work of development- and seek to advance the interests of a j moo toyv .vfiich farms with latent nwidhi!' L ms. The pastoral lands are trstilh'-'l tn h-v the settlements and the Productivity of the soil in fat stock and dairy produce. Tts mineral wealth has been beyond the dreams of avarice, and surely it is not going to he admitted that nature’s prodigality in that respect to exhausted. The vast stands of

timber lands are a rich store house of potential wealth, which will kike long years to exhaust, and longer if 'railway and port be not provided to tar) the treasure in the south. The land has the resources for flax production on a grant scale, and given the right class of timber, reafforestation can go on indefinitely in the climate the district enjoys. Its scenic glories are unexcelled. As a tourist resort Westland is being daily discovered by world travellers who find its attractions beyond compare elsewhere. Westland is a land of promise waiting itis latent resources to be tapped and utilised. If on this important anniversary and reminder we could arouse the spirit of the old powers, with all the modern accessories of life what a paradise- could be made of the Westland of to-day.