FUTURE OF CD. FARM.

Shannon News, 12 March 1929, Page 3

FUTURE OF CD. FARM.

DISTRICT CONFERENCE ARRANGED. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE TAKES THE LEAD. POSSIBILITIES TO BE PLACED BEFORE MINISTERS. A discussion by the Levin Chamber of Commerce on Thursday evening on the need for concentrating more on local affairs resulted in a resolution to convene a meeting of the leading local organisations to consider the future ot the Central Development Farm, which the Government proposes to cut up tor settlement in a few months. The point from which the discussion arose was a remark by Mr A. W. Hutchings that the Chamber was not doing enough in the way of work ot local interest. Mr K. Aitken said that the evenings were taken up with the consideration of outside affairs when 'the Chamber might give a little more attention to localmatters.

A SUBJECT OF PRIME IMPORTANCE. Mr Hutchings: The business people of' the town are not here. A good deal of agitation is going on regarding the disposal ‘of the Central. Development Farm; but we are not giving the citizens any load, and not- discussing it in any way. There are business men who should be vitally interested in the disposal of the Farm, but who are not taking any. active interest even in makingpublic their views on the question. The time will, arrive very shortly when we shall have to make up our minds as to what we are going to ask the Department to do with it, and before that there should be a roundtable conference of the leading men of the place to discuss the matter frankly and freely and decide on what action' should be taken. We cannot expect ,to do any good with the Government unless we have the people united and determined to get certain things done in connection with it... Mr Hutchings added that, the Levin District High iSchool School Committee should not be alone ,in their endeavours to have a certain portion of the Farm reserved for educational purposes. There was no doubt that the Committee were agreed that now was the proper time to have a reservation made there, not- only for the educational requirements of the present, but for probable requirements in the future for the advancement of education. The President (Mr C. S. Keedwell): Unfortunately we have .never had any statement by the Department as to exactly what its intentions are.

Mr Hutchings: An act lias been passed that it b$ cut up and leased and that ’the rent be devoted to the purposes of agricultural education. SUBDIVISION .CERTAIN. :

Air 11. G. Kerslake stated that definite information .had been received by a gentleman.in the district, who had written inquiring about forthcoming land sales, that the Farm would be thrown open for selection in June; so evidently the Lands Department was going ahead with its proposals. The Secretary (Air F. P. Walkley) mentioned that the employees had received notice of the termination of their engagements in about three months.

Mr Hutchings pointed out that the Borough Council had decided to ask the Prime Minister to visit Levin, but they had nothing arranged in regard to making any particular request of him. If the Chamber did not- take thelead, it seemed as if nobody else would. Air Kerslake suggested that, other local bodies be invited to confer with the Chamber on. the matter in an endeavour to ascertain the considered opinion of the town and district. APATHY IN BUSINESS CIRCLES. Mr Aitken said it seemed from the “Chronicle” report that the Council were not very clear as to the reason why Sir Joseph Ward should visit Levin. This may have been because no definite information was forthcoming as to what was going to happen to the Farm. If'it was now known that the place "was going to be thrown open, it was time for the Chamber to move in the matter, and they should move in a united way. It was a very fine opportunity of getting back to where they were a few years, ago; they were certainly’more united three or four years ago, especially on educational matters, than they were to-day; they seemed to have gone back considerably. Here was a fine opportunity of showing a united front and placing it before the Prime Minister. Unfortunately the business men of the town, in the majority of cases, did not seem to take the necessary interest. He had spoken to one or-two of them, trying to induce them to come to this meeting, not in connection with discussing the Farm, but to get a little more interest in their own affairs. It occurred to him, in discussing this matter, that the business men Vlid not look on the Chamber as the kind of organisation they wanted. It seemed that a great many of them were a little afraid that the general public would assume that any remarks made at the (Chamber were sanctioned' by. them; in other words, they resented being associated publicly with the views of the Chamber. In their more immediate concern of fixing holidays, the business people were terribly lax. Mr Hutchings: Would a Shop-keep-ers’ Association suit them better? Mr Aitken: That is what seems to be required by most of them, and would probably fill the hill; but we cannot arrive even at that if we have , not got them here to discuss it. Air P. W. Goldsmith: That is a very much narrower thing than the Chamber.

Air Hutchings: If the business men are not concerned in the welfare of

the town, it is a very lamentable state of affairs. The question of a High School could very well be discussed by the business men of the town

Mr Kerslakc suggested that the Chamber call two meetings —one about the Central Development Farm, and the other a meeting of shopkeepers to consider forming a Retailers' Association and doing something about the holidays.

The Chairman: We used, to have meetings convened in regard to holi•'davs, but certain ones made up their minds that they ivould not be bound by the decisions.

Mr Aitkcn: It might be worth while giving it another trial.

A COAIPIIEHENSIYE AIEETING

On the motion of Mr Hutchings, it was resolved that a general meeting be called of representatives of the Levin Borough Council, the Horowhenua County Council, the Horowhenua A. and IL Association, the Levin branch of the Farmers' Union, the Returned Soldiers’ Association, with the Chamber of Commerce and Messrs J. Linklater and W. 11. Field, M.’sP., to be held on Thursday next, to discuss the subdivision or otherwise of the Central Development Farm, with the object of putting proposals before the Government, in view of the probable early visit to Levin of the Prime Minister, the Minister of Lands and the Minister of Education.