THE KAIPARA AND WAITEMATA ECHO WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED "THE KAIPARA ADVERTISER & WAITEMATA CHRONICLE." HELENSVILLE, THURSDAY, Oct. 12, 1916 THE PARLIAMENTARY PICNIC.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 12 October 1916, Page 2

THE KAIPARA AND WAITEMATA ECHO WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED "THE KAIPARA ADVERTISER & WAITEMATA CHRONICLE." HELENSVILLE, THURSDAY, Oct. 12, 1916 THE PARLIAMENTARY PICNIC.

A LAND BOOM IN VIEW.

The above " venture" has caught on wonderfully, the expenses amounting possibly to a couple of thousand pounds, being almost guaranteed by local bodies and private subscriptions; the wonder is that no one thought of charging the general public to see the show, for undoubtedly it will be a " show " to see about thirty motor cars filled with the gay and festive, travelling at high speed from town to town, or hamlet to farm on the cheap. The great mistake is made though, owing to members of Parliament travelling through the Far North in the middle of summer instead of in the depth of winter, when Parliamentarians would have had a better idea of the " roadless, " "neglected" and"wintery " North, to get the blues upon horse-back, as the writer has often done during his peregrinations from Whangarei to the North Gape. And iet us tell one and all of the fact, that regardless of many hundreds of thousands of pounds which have been expended—thrown away almost—the roads are no better now than they were between thirty and forty years ago. This does not say much for grants and Government and local bodies' administration.

We think" the time of the visit is very inopportune—at a time when the country is involved in the great, war expenses and upkeep of territorials, camps, hospital ships, transports and returned wounded by the thousand. There is good time for all things. Now, there is no money available for roads and bridges, therefore the visit could easily have waited until the war is over, unless it be that certain landed proprietors have in view the oreation of a land boom-—there have already been one or two promoted before to-day, in the North, and tHey came off profitably. Even after the war is over it will take years to get money for the Far North. Industries have to be set at work; the wounded have to be attended to and put upon the land; and' above all else, the continuation of railwaymaking, now languishing for the want of funds, will have to be vigorously prosecuted in the North, if the country is to go ahead. It has been many, many years in the mire now. Years ago, Sir John Hall, Mr Eichard Hobbs, and the writer, had a taste of it—deep, nasty, tortuous—then came other Ministers of the Crown, Hon. Mr Ballance, good old Dick Seddon, Hon. John MacKenzie, Hon, Tom. Duncan, Hon. Mr Miller, and many others, alas, now all dead, but not forgotten, so that much was known of the bad state of the Northern roads,

though little relief was forthcoming. And we say again, with the exception of a mile patch here and there of passable roadway from Auckland to the North Cape, there is no improvement between now and thirty and forty years ago, and the coming Parliamentary visit will have no effect whatever. There will be a new election of members —perhaps two —-before any money can be spared or lavished on the Northern roads. But cheer up we must —it is a real picnic which is coming off next January, with nothing for Red Cross or wounded soldiers.

The following members of Parliament have definitely accepted the invitation for the Parliamentary Tour .--—Messrs G. J. Anderson, D. Buick, W. H. Field, A. E. Glover, A. S. Malcolm, E. Newman, G. V. Pearce, C. H. Poole, T. W. Rhodes, G. R. Sykes, C. E. Statham, C. A. Wilkinson, A. Walker, R. A. Wright, W. Veitch, R. W. Smith, L. M. Isitt, and the following Ministers : Hons. Herdman, Fraser, and Myers. The following are unable to definitely decide yet: Messrs J. Vigor Brown, T. K. Sidey, G. Witty, T. M. Wilford, and Messrs Hanan and Herries.