King Country Chronicle SATURDAY, AUG. 24, 1912 KING COUNTRY CONDITIONS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 494, 24 August 1912, Page 4

King Country Chronicle SATURDAY, AUG. 24, 1912 KING COUNTRY CONDITIONS.

Considerable attention is being turned to the King Country a present by politicians, who are evidently becoming aware of the fact that such a district exists. Unfortunately the knowledge is coming too late to prevent the creation of several problems which will have to be solved in order to ensure progress on sound and satisfactory lines. Still, where knowledge penetrates there is always he hope that action will ensue in order to effect a remedy. It is this hope which animates our settlers to agitate persistently for boards; it is this hope which inspires our representative in Parliament to draw a picture of conditions which exist in connection with new settlements in one of the finest districts of the Dominion. In our native lands; in our roading system; in our townships, and in certain other respects the King Country offers a field for initiative which may well inspire the best efforts of our public men. That such efforts will be required we have ample demonstration on all hands. A district Buch, as the

King Country, which has been held back for years behind the adjoining districts, is naturally malting giant strides in the march of progress in order to overtake its competitors in the race. Special treatment is there fore necessary in order to properly meet the demands of progress, and the duty of claiming such treatment, in the natural course of events, lies with the public spirited men of the district. In such (in i/nportant subject as the creation of a new hospital district there docs not appear to be any possiblty of outside objection being urged. Still, it has to bo borne in mind that the principle of large hospital districts is strongly supported by many of "our politicians, and any application to effect a severance of the district from Waikato Hospital district will be keenly combatted. The person who stands for a principle on all occasions, regardless of the merits of individual cases, is apt to bo dangerous to a district anxious for progress. It is therefore a mark of the highest wisdom for our public men to carefully organise and prepare in all cases when advocating the cause of the district. Urgent claims for special treatment are apt to be regarded with suspicion by people unaware of local conditions, and in promoting the cause of the hospital district it will be well to walk warily, and acquire all available information before taking definite action. That such action must bo taken sooner or later we are fully convinced, and when the movement is started it must be supported by the united voice of the great district involved. People living at a distance, particularly in the South IslanJ, fail to realise that in the King Country the Dominion possesses a district equal in size to an ordinary province, while in wealth and variety of resources few p, vinces will be able to equal it whet, the necessary development has been accomplished. Residents of such district need riot be confounded whan charged with lack of modesty in voicing the local claims. Charges of that description are easy to make by residents of districts in which the work of development has proceeded without interruption since the colony was founded. Had the King country been allowed to progress in like manner it is safe to assert the necessity for agitating to obtain elementary requirements would not exist. The district is in urgent need of roads, and railways, besides other public requirements, while the attention of the legislature to the existing land laws, and other conditions, is also earnestly , desired. In order to obtain the necessary attention it is the duty of our residents to co-operato for the common good, and by eincero and well : directed effort compel the attention of , those to whom we look for assistance to progress.