THE KING COUNTRY CHRONICLE. THURSDAY, OCT. 14, 1909 THE ROADS DEPUTATION.

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 199, 14 October 1909, Page 2

THE KING COUNTRY CHRONICLE. THURSDAY, OCT. 14, 1909 THE ROADS DEPUTATION.

THE agitation with regard to the roads of the district i 3 being widely supported in the out districts and there is every probobiliiy of a strong deputation being sent to Wellington with a view of urging upon the Government the great importance of the roading of the backblocks, both in the interests of the district and of the Dominion as a whole. The deputation should have no very difficult case to establish. The Minister for Public Works has rather a fondness for pointing out that in the administration of his Department the interests of the Dominion as a whole have to be studied in priority to local requirements. With such an obvious duty nobody can dissent and it is to be hoped the deputation will emphasise the point that by adopting a strongly active policy in I connection with the roading of the backblockr, Ihc best interests of the Dominion are b-ing conserved. Further, it may be pointed out that by the non-adoption of an active policy; by allowing our settlers to wallow in the mire year in and year out; by cramping their industries and making it im- ! possible to work their farms to anything like the best advantage the Government is doing much to retard the Dominion. The staple industries of the country are all connected with the land and the prosperity of the country is so insuperably merged in the progress and propserity of those industries, that too much attention cannot be directed towards fostering and extending such industries to the utmost. That a fall in wool could produce such a financial stringency in the country as was experienced last year is striking evidence of the extent to which the backblock industries affect the country at large. To quite as great an extent perhaps is the prosperity of the country affected by the dairying industry. The clo3c settlement of our rural lands is a policy advocated by all shades of political thought, and such a policy lias only been made possible by the spread of the dairy industry. It must therefore, be manifest to all that the interests of the Dominion are best to be served by making it possible for our people to dairy. The industry has been started modestly already, but the condition of our roads renders it impossible to pursue it to advantage. Small factories in the district return to suppliers little more than half the prices obtained by factories in better roaded districts, while in only a few favoured localities is it possible to engage in this most profitable branch of farming. The universal cry is for the small farmer, but for the small farmer to exist he must have roads. The deputation can have nothing placed against its requests other than shortness of money and the urgency of other works. There ar« no other works of equal im--1 portance, and the more this point is emphasised to the Minister, the more will he be likely to sec the "true interests of the Dominion" in our backblock ronds. And now a word as to the duty of the people to the members of the deputation. Men who devote time, and effort, and interest for the public good, are entitled to much more consideration than is usually received. In the case of a deputation such as is projected the necessary funds for the payment of expenses should be raised by the public without any difficulty. This duty is manifestly outside the scope of the delegates -themselves, and it is to be hoped the proper steps will be taken to meet thecase without further urging. .

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