New Zealand Roads Are Not World’s Worst

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 6, 29 March 1927, Page 9

New Zealand Roads Are Not World’s Worst

MR. FURKERT COMING HOME WITH USEFUL STORE OF KNOWLEDGE Java is a Wonderland of Production (.Special to TUB SUN.) SYDNEY, March 24. Looking fit, and full of interesting facts collected during a 12 months’ world tour, Mr. F. W. Furkert, Engineer in-Chief and Under-Secretary of the New Zealand Public Works Department, arrived ill Sydney to-day by the Marella f Java and Singapore. He will finish his travels in the Ulimaroa next week. While the trip was essentially a holi y. a man of Mr. Furkert’s temperament could not ignore interesting opportunities to see how things are done elsewhere, and doubtless, very soon, matters will eventuate in New Zealand which will show that Mr. Furkert has beeq very wide-awake indeed white abroad. • His duties as New Zealand’s representative at the International Roads Conference at Milan gave him a chance to discuss roads with men from many countries. He has seen many countries, too. He says that apart from the old-established countries, whose roads are all tar-sealecl or bituminised, New Zealand roads throughout are better than those of the majority of countries. Other lands may have some better special roads, but none have such good highways and byways collectively. * When he landed, Mr. Furkert was carrying a stuffed tortoise, the shell of which was polished beautifully, and a box of Java butterflies —gorgeous things of all the colours of the rainbow, which he had bought from a boy i the wayside fc a few guilders. About Java Mr. Furkert quoted some amazing statistics, which should interest New Zealanders. He said that although only the size of the South Island, Java carries a population of 4u,000,000. Twentythree per cent, of the land is terraced for irrigation in connection with the growing of rice. This is quite apart from the land used for scores of other crops. . The total area under close cultivation is 3,000,000 hectares, equal to 6,750,000 acres. After feeding her huge population, Java exports products equal in value to Ne\v Zealand’s annual exportation. This shows what could be done in the Dominion, and what will be done eventually no doubt in the future. Like all New Zealanders who pass through Sydney homeward-bound — and their number is astonishing—Mr. Furkert is quite happy to be going back to that “last little land of all.” — Will Lawson.