THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto: Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5, 1922. MINISTERIAL TOUR.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4399, 5 April 1922, Page 2

THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto: Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5, 1922. MINISTERIAL TOUR.

Information and experience of a kind that could never be acquired in a Government office in a city was obtained by the. Hon. D. H. Guthrie and party during the tour of the Hauraki Plains on Monday. Many bf the matters dealt with did .not concern his department directly—although they all did indirectly—nevertheless Mr Guthrie will assuredly i forward the requests on matters’ outside his immediate province to their respective proper quarters. Some may say that this course is unlikely to bear any fruit, but others take the view that the greater number of angles a definite object can’ be. approached from, the more likely its ultimate achievement will become. There is certainly virtue in mere/repetition ; in fact, the history of most public works, is one long succession of agitations and representations' from many aspects and direction before fulfilment is reached. Tn regard to the matters directly concerning his Department, the Minister will doubtless give definite official replies in due course, either for or against; maybe in some cases compromises will be effected. Members of deputations must at least have been gratified to note that the Minister displayed a remarkably close interest in every proposal, without exception. His questions and remarks clearly shewed that he had an intelligent grasp 1 of the points involved. His manifest sincerity augurs ')vell, and there is no member of the Government less given to “talking to the gallery” than is the Minister of Lands and Acting-Minister of Railways. For a politician he is becomingly modest—-but then Mir Guthrie’s career has been one of statesmanship, which is another and higher thing. Obviously, he has •more than a calculating official interest in the soldier settlers ; he has a personal regard for their welfare, and ’ intimated more than once that the Government would not deal harshly with any man who failed to come up to time with his payments, so long as he had, proven himself a trier, and not a waster, ,or, to use a Diggers’ term, a “lea'd-swinger.” There can not be many of this latter sdrt, for Mr Guthrie stated that there were very few indeed of the soldier settlers in any part of New Zealand who would not ultimately “make good,” to borrow a useful American phrase. The Minister could hardly fail to realise that the exsoldiers on the Patetonga peat country are greatly in need of having their present burdens lightened, and it will be most disappointing if the misfortunes of these men at , least are not generously recognised. On .the face of things, there is room for optimistic expectations in this direction.

From all quarters of the southern portion of the Hauraki Plains there was manifested a clear desire to obtain facilities for direct access to the Paeroa Railway Junction such as is now enjoyed by the residents of the central and northerly areas. Tahuna, Patetoriga, Kaiher-e, Ngarua, and Torehapa settlers made it perfectly plain that adequate means of communication to the railway junction, to Kerepeehi, ’ and to the Paeroa and Hikutaia stock sales would make the conditions of life much more agreeable and prosperous for them, and in these aspirations they will doubtless have the support of all the local bodies on the Plains and in Paeroa and Obinemuri. No amount of scheming can .alter geographical facts, and! the wretched anomaly whereby the settlers of, say, have to go a distance of about' thirty miles to reach a railway must be swept away sooner or later by the construction of roads, bridges or ferries, and canals. Just here it may be pertinent to comment on the doubt'expressed by Mr Guthrie as to the chances of the request of the Kaihere residents foi; a bridge over the Piako River being granted, especially in view of the financial stringency still existing. It is. more than ■ likely, however, that instead of Constructing a bridge at present the Lands Department will offer to build a ferry, which would probably cost about £5OO, as against approximately £4OOO for a bridge. Should the offer of a ferry be made, the settlers would be wise to view it favourably. A ferry would serve for the time being; it would force on the construction of roads, and would undoubtedly be the forerunner of a bridge. Half a loaf is better than none at all “in these hard times,” as the song runs.

On the whole, the tour may be considered very satisfactory, and if the same requests are put before the Minister of Public Works (Hon. J. G. Coates), whom it is understood will .be visiting the district shortly, then the dual representations should prove effective. The whole district would, benefit accordingly—to say nothing of the national gain by affording manifold facilities for increased production by drainage of land, protection from floods, and providing the means of cheaply and expeditiously transporting exports and im-P'n-U