The Stratford Evening Post. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 1913. THE MINISTERIAL VISIT.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 73, 3 April 1913, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 1913. THE MINISTERIAL VISIT.

The Hon. the Premier and the Hon. Mr Fraser should have been more than satisfied with the warmth of their reception by the people of Stratford last night. Possibly, though, there was rather a burden of deputatioual offerings and a more persistent cry for expenditure than was quite palatable, crowded in to a few short hours, ’kit in full excuse let it be said that,those who pleaded the cause of the hack* blocks’ settler were pleading a good, and deserving cause, while those wan listened were sympathetic men possessing no little knowledge of the difficulties which beset the man on the land. The banquet in the Town Hail was certainly" one of the most important functions of its kind Stratford has yet held, and, for the main part, party feeling was put away. Quite properly the head of the Government received a splendid reception, and when the Hon. W. Fraser rose to reply to the toast in which he was associated with the Hon. Mr Massey, .there was no less warmth in the greeting accorded him. Mr Massey came as an old friend if a new Premier; Mr .Fraser as a stranger to the majority of those who met him last evening, but he very quickly made many friends. As Mr Massey stated, the visit was in fulfilment of a promise made to' specially visit Taranaki to personally inspect the country through which the Opunake line may some day run, and he was good enough to further say that though the visit was partly on business it was also partly one of pleasure. Stratford will sincerely hope that the visit has had at least some pleasure in it and that the time so spent will not have been wasted by Ministers. There were some excellent speeches made, moderate in tone and pertinent to matters which ought at this time to be exercising the minds of people throughout the Dominion. Chiefest of all is that of finance and the note of caution sounded by both Mr Massey and Mi' Fraser, might well be heeded bv all of us. Nevertheless,

one may still believe that we live in a very good land, and that we are not in the slightest danger of serious financial difficulty, even though all our requests for roads and railways and other public works may not be granted, and Party Government lives and flourishes. The Minister of Public Works has promised to pay another visit to this district at an early date to make a closer acquaintance with such problems as the Mt. Egmont metal quarries and the construction work on the railway line, and we hope this next visit will not be long delav ed.