ROTORUA WATERS

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 344, 4 October 1932, Page 5

ROTORUA WATERS

(Special Commissioner). ,

PRAISE BY MEMBER MR. CLINKARD DEALS WITH VARIOUS MATTERS. TOURIST TRAFFIC NEEDS.

Wellington, Saturday.The opinion that New Zealand was too much dependent on her expor.t trade for her prosperity, and that wherever possibilities for local production existed they should be explor-" ed and developed to the greatest extent was expressed by Mr. C. H. Clin.kard (Government, Rotorua) during the course of his speech in the Ad-dress-in-Reply debate. The speaker also stressed the value of developing the tourist traffie to the Domipion. Value of Mining. "There are many possibilities to be explored in connection with the development of the Dominion," said Mr. Clinkard. "In my own district there are no mining centres, but that fa,ct does not prevent me from recognising the tremendous importance of developing the mining industry. Here is a ehannel in which a great many men might be absorbed. I want to congratulate both the Mines Department altd the Unemployment Board for the encouragement they have been giving in this. direction, and to express the hope that they will eontinue this policy. In fact, "I"- would suggest to the boai'd that, in connection with refractory ores and low-grade ores, it might be be possible to make the assistance definite for a greater period. By that means a great deal of assistance might be given towards relieving unemployment."'" f Developing Tourist Traffie. , ... "Anqther cbannel for development workls our tourist traffie. New Zealand offers great possibilities in this direction. I am one of those who believe that we have not even scratched the possibilities of this traffie, and, although there has been a good deal of critieism of the Matson line, I believe that it is going to do more than any other factor we have had up to the present in developing the tourist traffie between New Zealand and the United States. There are possibilities not only in our tbermal wonders, our caves, our rivers, lakes, forests and mountains, but also in our facilities for relieving suffering humanitly — facilities which I think have been neglected up to now. Rotorua's Medicinal Waters. "We have springs in New Zealand with great curative properties, the waters being unexcelled by those in any other part of the world. I have had opportunities during the last 12 01* 14 years of s'eeing some of the most remarkable cures. I have actually assisted to carry men groaning with pain from the train to a vehicle that was to convey them to the Sanatorium, and three weeks later h'aye seen them walking to the train to go away. Those are actual cases, arid yet I do not think that the possibilities of the curative power of the waters have been sufficiently advertised. Land Settlement Schemes. Dealing with land settlement, Mr. Clinkard said that it was unfortunate that there was now a very limited area of unoccupied Crown land suitable for settlement, but he considered that a elose stoek should be taken of whatever there was and that should be made available for settlement at the earliest possible moment. A large tract of cowntry betwfeen Tokaanu and Taumarunui had recently been brought to his notice as eminently suitable for settlement. A road leading to the locality was under construction and it should he pushed on to completion. Facilitating Transfers. "Then I think that we might do something to assist in th'e bringing about of closer settlement of our pri-vately-owhed lands by investigating ihe costs which were accumulated during the' war period," said Mr. Clinkard. '"Quite properly, during the war-tiipe. and shortly afterwards, where there was a gamble in lands, the stamp duties and cost of transfer were made heavy, but I think that now, when it is most desirable that those lands be subdivided, it might be wise to facilitate the transfer of portions of the holdings in cases in which one farm can he subdivided into, say, two 01* three farms."

Unemployment Board's "Work. Mr. Clinkard said that the Unemployment Board had done exceedingly well under the most diliicult circumstances, but they still had to search round to find useful work. Particularly in the towns the nature of the work was not too satisfactory. Th'ere was a complaint hy the unemployed, and he thought that it was justifled, that in many cases the closer the men got to the centres where the committees were situated, the greater were the ehances of getting work. He had known many cases were men had, therefore, to come into th'e towns from the backblocks. Surely their aim should be to keep them in the backblocks and send the others out also. Where possible the men should be returned to their own districts. In the Rotorua electorate there were some Gisborne men, and if they were among their own friends and relations they would have a better chance of getting back into the ordinary walks of life than they could have among strangers. In any event their aim should be to get all the men into the eountry. Personnel of Committees "I am not satisfied with the personnel of the committees, said Mr. Clinkard. "These bodies were hurriedly appointed and no doubt at th'e time the members of the committees were selected they they were suitable for the work in hand, which was th'e distribution of relief. I am not satisfied that the committeemen are all the best type to act as employing agents, and I therefore recommend the Minister to investigate the matter and overhaul the eommittees."