THE KAIPARA AND WAITEMATA ECHO WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED "THE KAIPARA ADVERTISER & WAITEMATA CHRONICLE." HELENSVILLE, THURSDAY, Dec.7, 1916 THE NORTHERN MOVE.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 7 December 1916, Page 2

THE KAIPARA AND WAITEMATA ECHO WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED "THE KAIPARA ADVERTISER & WAITEMATA CHRONICLE." HELENSVILLE, THURSDAY, Dec.7, 1916 THE NORTHERN MOVE.

AT a meeting of the Rodney Qcmnfcy Council, when the Parliamentary trig through the I^orth was c|isc,ussed, there \*ras no. general approval for it;, especially while the worl4-W^r wa^ raging, and one member went so. far as to say that " he though a man of Colonel Bell's physique and activity ought to be somewhere 6lse,'' r IJear, hear, was the chorus. Qthers have been saying the game regarding Mr Yernon Reed,1 while we think it would be a splendid idea if both gentlemen were at the fro.nt I gut no, they are on another- wioket, both, in our opinion, having one eye on the Parliamentary to.ur," and the other eye fixed on the next general election, when, no doubt, there will be great rivalry for the Northernmost seat, the one from which Mr Reed was requested to retire after being elected three years ago, owing to certain electioneering informalities disallowed by law," and jthe other who has but recently ' jumped from some part of the Waikato, where he was Colonel in the volunteer force, into the Far North, and.' h^s' be'cqme a fairly largg'landed proprietor '^c have been perusing jthe C 6,1. Be[l article (press interview) in a recent number of the "Star." Some portions of the schemes as proposed to be laid down by the " development Board " are much required reforms and crgd'ibje, sorn.e are unique to say the" ''l,<?as.t,

whilst one or two are simply humbug, and far-fetched —food for the next hundred years, and hundreds of millions. Now, to our mind, the most important schemes are the acquiring of all large native blocks (and others) " before " proposed railways are laid down, and the completion, of the Main North Trunk and several branch feeders without undue further delay. But of course nothing can be done while •the war lasts, and for some time afterwards. But why did not the Government step in before the speculators who bought up the Kaikohe blocks just on the eve of the railway reaching that township? Governments past and present have been winking the other eye at many such land jobs, which is a shame and a disgrace. Anything, any move to stop such, proceedings as we have seen up North, and we agree, the same as all proposals to foster the fruit and fish industries, freezing works, and agricultural advancement; with such all in a flourishing condition manufactures of every description are bound to follow, but we do not say an influx of Southern settlers is going to do all these wonderful things. What we know of new blood in the North during the last ten years especially, much good has accrued from the cutting up of private estates, particularly in the Bay of Islands (Waimate, Pakaraka, Okaihau, etc.), where Southern and Taranaki settlers who bought, have now nice homesteads, and are happy. It is absurd though for Colonel Bell or any other toy-soldier to talk of " drawing attention to the attractions of the Winterless North for tourists." We" "drop it" here; draw the line as it were. Old hands know what winter weather is in the North, without our laughter.