The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE WEDNESDDAY, JUNE 18, 1919. RESURRECTION URGENTLY NEEDED.

Taihape Daily Times, 18 June 1919, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

WEDNESDDAY, JUNE 18, 1919. RESURRECTIO N URGENTLY NEEDED.

With which is incorporated “The Taihape Post and VVaimarino News.”

A matter the local Chamber of! Commerce might profitably give attention to is the completion of a main trunk road from Taihape northwards. It is the custom for motor-car travellers—and there are very many of them in these rays——to drive as far as Horopito, perhaps not so far, then rail their cars to Te Kuiti, sometimes to Taumarunui,,but as roads -are of the impassable character beyond the latter place, cars are most frequently detrained -at Te Kuiti, or thereaboutf It may be the concern of Taumarunui people to attend to road. requirements ‘at their end, but it is undoubtedly to Taihape’s- interest, welfare,rand profit to see that the n:a'Jll trunk road through its scenic region: is made so that tourist tr-ilfic land! 1 business traffic may be maintained in a ; ‘passably possible state. The autliori-3 ‘ties, we understand, commenced upon» l an impracticable task "in making a road l l in to Tokaanu from Wa.imarillo, but the : dlificulties are great and the prospects ' for good so small that work has virtui ally discontinued. In any case, a road ,from VVailnarino would render nothing 1 towards completing a main trunk road, I nor would it benefit settlers and settle,ment between Tu-aihape and Tokaanu. E There is no road between Taihape and l VVaimarino practicable for motor or ! any other sort of traffic; we know that ;at this stage of development there lshould be such a road, but that lthoroughfare, when made, can never l become the main trunk road, and if it l were possible tourists would never use 0 it; they would, of course, i-n every lease prefer the picturesque, scenic l route via Tokaanu. Besides, that route ‘ is the only existing road to Auckland, I excepting by train. There are already -an average of sixty cars week passing gnorthward along the Waimarino-Toka-lanu route, to say nothing of local traffic; the road passes through country l that should contributc‘a, huge pile to‘wards this Dominioll.’s aggregate pro-

duction and riches, and yet we see, year in and year out, this road increasirigly used with difficulty -and ‘danger, merely for the want of a little bridge that would not cost the Government more than about £4OO. The scenic beauties and wonders of the northern part of the Taihape district are renderetl next to impossible for the want of a bridge Costing a. mere trifle, and, perhaps, a few loads of metal. Travellers train their ears between Taihape and Horopito, rather than take the risks of -‘the road. If the T-aihape Chamber of Commerce would resurrect itself, or take a specific for its lethargic encephalitis. and go seriously and determinedly to work to get this main trunk read between \Vaiouru and Tokaanu made passable and safe for car traffic, its members might prevent. the great Volume of business that must: eventually come from this splendid country going past T=aihape. to some, other business centre. It has been said -that the alien element is getting into the business of this district, and that it is the policy A of this elemerit to sit tight and ride on ‘ the shoulders of others who do labour

: for extension; that it is the influence ' fiand the do-nothing policy {of this ‘i alien element that makes united action ‘ 1, difficult, if not impossible. VVe do not {believe anything of the kind; to look] ifor excuses for inaction is to em-Q brace failure. A few earnest members of the Chamber of Commerce, with the assistance of a live, energetic secretary, would soon have the Whole Talihape ter-l ritory at their back in every desirable respect. Besides this Main Trunk road, through the magnificent, weird, and grand scenic region, the road between Taihape and Hawke’s Bray urgently needs local attention. There are other roads, maillextensions, and other-vrural considerations. to say nothing of the pressing housing problem. If the amount of business lost to the town per annum could be approximately esti-.-mated, the figures would have a marvel-

llour effect. upon the men who run our ' large business establishments; if the business lost from hundreds of thous~ ands of acres of land from near the

Borough boundary to sway back, for want of closer settlement, and because the chief needs of -that land are now supplied from ‘citieg and not from | Taihape, could be put into figures, the ‘ effect on Taihape businessmen would be , almost electrical. This loss is like indirect taxation, because we do not take the trouble to ascesrtlai-n the extent of" our folly we go on paying and losing i that which would make the difference between penury and afiilucncc. A new Parliament must be elected this year; a reconstruction policy must be adopted; intelligent repatriation must morcl energetically be pushed on; enormously greater production must. at once com-‘ mcnce; new modes and methods of land . settlement must come into operation:' the drift to social destruction as the‘ result of an insane land policy, an unjust fiscal polieiy has to be over-taken and drastic I'ec'uo‘n~st'.l'uCtiVc processes applied; the Vast, iinpcratice work in these connections has not yet been fringed, but crafty men are scheming secretly for conditions that will permit some degree of privilege and profiteering to remain. The present, above all other times, is the -time for every }man to lend his aid; his thought; his §efl’orts; his actions in the supremely, ‘overwhelmingly inlpOl'tallt-, essential changes that, for social and political safety, for maintainance of national entity, must speedily be brought about. We desire members of our Chamber of commerce to realise how much they could »accomplish for the progress and prosperity of -this district from now on right through the reconstruction peribd, and we urge upon them the huge advantage of commencing Work at once.