THE HON. R M'KENZIE

Otago Witness, Issue 2894, 25 August 1909, Page 18

THE HON. R M'KENZIE

PROM BEAUMONT TO ROXBURGH. (Fbou Ova Special Bzpobtzb.) ROXBURGH, August 17. f At Beaumont the Ministerial party was Jreakened by the return of the Hon. T. Mackenzie to Balclntha, via Clutha Gorge, and Messrs Jae. All-sn and A. S. Malcolm, who journeyed to Lawrence. The Hon. R. M'Kenzie, accompanied by Messrs R. Scott and Anderson, M.P.'s, left Beaumont at 9.30 a.m. and proceeded up the road on the northern side of the Clutha River, en route for Eoxburgh. Miller's Flat was reached at noon, and after luncheon, which had been prepared by the settlers of the district, tad been partaken of, Mr F. Daw formally ■welcomed the Minister, stating that it •was not intended to say anything by way of advocacy of tlie line, as such "would be a repetition of what had already been been said at Beaumont and would *be repeated at Roxburgh. He remarked, however, that last year 75 people had left the district owing to the lack of facilities for. entering upon fruit production on small areas. The Hon. R. M'Kenzie, in briefly ac knowledging thp t comphment, strongly advised the. planting of . as many- trees as they possibly could, as it would be an inducement to the Government to push on the railway. He remarked upon the nofcceable' scarcity of ' indications of extensive orchards since he had left" Dunedin, and said he had seen ac much that morning as in all the rest of the trip put together. Referring to the policy of the Government towards closer settlement, he said -there was no industry he knew of so calculated to effect that 'object as fruit growing. A deputation, of which the spokesman 7?i- Mr P ' C - Granfc > waited upon Mr M'Kenzie in his capacity as Minister of Mines to secure a grant "of £100 towards completing a track across the country from Mailer's Flat to Canadian Flat, above Styx This, he said, was the natural connection, as Miller's Flat was the nearest centre. The track 'would be used now fey prospectors who are investigating in the back country, convinced that therein lay tlie salvation of the country so far as gold-mining was concerned. If the Ormaglade and Teviot Stations should be settled in the infill* 'he tnok would be of sn-eat use in providing acc«ss to sections. Tho speaker aiso <<^Ke.j tnat the Minister should recommend the Government to extend its policy of advances to settlers to gold-miners, as successful gold-mining depended upon sufficient capital, and at present, supposing a prospector should find a good field and" have but little capital he was forced to -go to brokers, who, each having his own clique or ring, would investigate and supply the capital and perhaps give the prospector a few 'hundred promoters' shares," of about one-fourth of t-he value of the claim when he, having done all the work, was entitled to a greater share. The Ministsr interjected : You would get plepty of claims. ° Mr Grant replied that they would have the security, and what better security could be got than 'good mining claims,?' The Minister: And what about duffers? Mr Grant: We will satisfy them that there will be no duffers. The Minister: I have been mining for g. good many years, and I know. After Mr Scott had spoke in support of a grant for the road, saying that £100 had been given by the Government and spent, and that a further sum was required to complete it, the Minister said that if £100 would be of any use he would have the road reported upon by the Mining Inspector and would endeavour to get the Government to give £10^ With reference to the suggestion of advances to miners, Ire said he did not think it would be satisfactory to extend the advances to settlers policy to mining claims. As a miner he looked at legitimate prospecting as being a fair function for the Government, but after that was done it was purely a matter for private speculators. It would not be a. sound financial operation for the Government to ask the taxpayers of the country as a whole to enter into n speculation of that kind on anything like en extensive scale. Thds completed the Miller's Flat sojourn, and the journey to Roxburgh was resumed. The Minister stopped en loute at Mr Roberts's Toyiot Station, and at-

/ rived at Roxburgh about 4 p.m. Here a change of horses was made in his trap, and he was driven out to Coal Creek Flat by members of the Roxburgh League. On his return he received a deputation of local and Dunedin people in connection with the 6peedy prosecution of the line to Roxburgh. -f+~v which he was entertained at a social. It has b.?ui arranged that, weather permitting, the Minister will leave here ' at 7 a.m. to-morrow in order to drive over portion of the Moa Flat land and see the proposed route from there. Lawrence will be the objective for the ■ j night.