The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 1917 CHANCE OF A CENTURY.

Taihape Daily Times, 16 January 1918, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 1917 CHANCE OF A CENTURY.

(With which is incorporated The Tai nape I’oot ami Walmarino Nows).

It is not only individuals who vegetate, who fail to better themselves by indifference to opportunity, for many a community in this country has remained in an unimportant village condition because its members collectively did nothing to help forward the comman interests. The Prime Minister has announced that money is being withheld from public works because of the war; that when the war is over a vigorous policy of public works will be instituted and people and local bodies have been urged" to prepare lists of public works, that are needful in their respective districts. Other centres of population are preparing for the distribution of the money to be spent on such works for the quick obsorption of the thousands of returning men into civil occupations. What are Taihape local bodies, Chamber of Commerce, and Employers' Associations doing? What is every workingman who has a home doing to make that home more secure and valuable? Hereabout |is a vast field for settlement, for the extension of public works, for roadmaking to land to be settled, for bridging rivers to make unoccupied land accessible. What are' residents and those they elect to public and quasi-public institutions doing to share in the great doling out of public money to be spent on public works? Only three miles from the borough boundary we have an old settled district, some of the best producing land in New Zealand, and the settlers therein have no malt delivery; other districts are similarly situated. Short lengths of road need metalling to give a large, highly productive territory a daily delivery of mail matter, what are the settlers concerned and the town's deeply interested businessmen doing towards getting' this mile or two of road metalled? What are Taihape district members of the Eangitikei County Council doing towards having supremely necessary public works, these bits of unmetalled road made so that a daily mail can be run over them, scheduled and urged upon the Council for commencement directly the promised vigorous public works policy is put in hand? The men in this district who have taken upon themselves the supervision of the public business and interest are asked by the whole Government to have 'ready a schedule of works that are either needful or would prove profitable. These men are reminded that in other parts of the country such schedules are being prepared and negotiations are in train for securing authorisation with the- first money available. If Taihape does not apply for a branch railway to that vigorous, progressive settlement on the high-road to somewhere, some other place will and it will be lost to Taihape for ever. If Taihape does not move in having that river bridged where it will bring the whole territory on the other side into touch with the town, some interested people will have it bridged somewhere else, where it can be of little service to Taihape, in the increase of its business. There seems no reason why Taihape business-men and publicmen should not do something towards furnishing a list of needful works in response to the Government's request. Mr. Craigie, M.P., is urging the formation of a South Canterbury Developement League to encourage the extension of industries i n town and country, dairying, fruitgrowing, extension of railways, encouragement of close settlement, making of roads and many other works that are needful to the progress of the district, to find

employment for returned soldiers, and to help to keep the balance of the National accounts on the right side. Could not Taihape's leading men do as he is doing and invite all local authorities to consider some such proposals, which they might put in some concrete form before presenting? He points out that thousands of soluTc?* will want homes, that South Canterbury could accommodate many, and above all he impresses the importance that the proposed Development League should be formed now, got into action at the earliest moment possible. Some interested, selfish people, heedless of what their country's necessities are, tell us that the land hereabout is not fit for close settlement. We could take them to quite average land around Taihapc that by working, linking and manuring will, and is, carrying ten sheep to the acre, and we can also show land of exactly similar quality and character that is without any farming at all carrying one to two sheep per acre. The land referred to is not rich lea land but what some land-maligners call mountain tops; it is the ordinary up and down country that is plentiful around this town. There is ample land approachable from Taihapc to settle hundreds of men, and steps should be taken by townsmen to come to some just arrangement with occupiers of huge blocks for some of it being included in the closer settlement policy that the Government must shortly set in motion. There can be no doubting the fact that the districts which have their needs ready scheduled for Government consideration will receive the lion's share of'the money that is to be spent, and will benefit most by the extension of public works and increase of settlement. The Taihapc district is so huge and so much of it is yet virgin - soil, that, there is room for half-a-dozen Development Leagues, but surely there are enough public-spirited'men to organise and to vitalise one such Development League, to make absolutclosure that this district is not left to stagnate while unprecedented public expenditure is proceeding in the vigorous operation of the Government's soldier-settlement policy. This district has been asked to participate in a scheme involving the expenditure of millions of public money; if public men, tradesmen, shopkeepers, and public generally are too well-off to look after their business interests, then, they should omit to trouble anything at all about it, let it go to more virile and progressive centres. It is an occasion that .. does not happen twice in a century, are we going to let it go by?