ROADS AND PROSPERITY.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 609, 5 November 1913, Page 4

ROADS AND PROSPERITY.

The need for roads throughout the district is becoming more keenly felt as the dairying industry extends. Favoured with an exceptionally early season this year the roads have taken up at least a month earlier than usual, with the resalt that tt.e dairy factories are receiving supplies far in excess of the most optimistic estimates. Even the newly-started Waitanguru factory, which is situated in one of the worst roaded of districts, is feeling the effect, and it is safe to assume that the factory will be able to turn out at least doubie the quantity of butter than would have been, the case had the roads remained in their usual boggy state, With such an effect aB this due to a little fine weather it can be imagined what the position of the settler would be if means of access by good metalled roads was provided. To say that good in tha country mean all the difference between hardship and prosperity to the settler is to under stats the case. In addition to assuring to the settler commercial success it means freedom of social intercourse; the possibility of education for the children; emancipation from the haunting fear of the result of sickness or accident, and the providing for the home the manifold comforts of civilisation which are usually conspicuous by their absence in the backblocks. The avowed object of Mr Ma9sey is to make land settlement attractive to the people. The scope of such intention should be sufficiently wide to include all classes of settlers, both present and future, and the object can only be achieved by adopting a comprehensive roading policy, and prosecuting it vigorously and intelligently. Give the backblocks settler proper and permanent means of acceßS to the land, and he can be depended upon to do the rest, other conditions being equal. This fact is being continually affirmed, and it is being further emphasised by the manner in which dairy factories are being established successfully throughout the Kinp Country under conditions whi.'l. would ho iTociitcd by well

meaning town:- people who theorise on the ;;iiid question without knowledge of land settlement oonditiona.