The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1919. MOTOR LORRIES AND SETTLEMENT.

Taihape Daily Times, 1 September 1919, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1919. MOTOR LORRIES AND SETTLEMENT.

With which its incorpofated “The Taihape Post and Waimarino News.” l

in the political manif_eS_to recer.--.iy; circulated by the Liberal Party Leader 3 in Parliament motor lorry services and 1 branch roads are advocated. W:.r.h-A out doubt, those who have become somewhat conversant with the -motor services developed in Britain, in other countries, and particularly in therwar zones, have been struck with the ciliciencyand cheapness of that system of haulage__ Without the motor lorry ‘ the railways and tramways would have 3 been a hopeless failure in feeding and equipping such rarmies as were neceslsary to achieve victory. One protected lorry stood while twenty or more ihorses would have been killed, but that is .b_y .no means their greatest advantage and success. Motor lorries and tanks went where horses could not go, and they took loads over roads and .no roads that no span of ‘horses could have taken them. on ‘good roads their speed was three or four times faster than that of horses, l1'(IldC1‘iIlg' them superior to any horse [ ha.ulage. The immense success of motor haulage in Europe did not es‘cape the tnotice -of Sir Joseph -Vlfard, ‘and he recognised what a splendid aid !to settlers and settlement in New Zeailand motor lorries might become so llcng as the clutches of the profiteer were kept from making their use imlpracticable by dishonest inflation of values. If this country is going‘ to {very largely increase its production it is appa’rent that railways -that wont’ ‘work are Worse than useless. The taxpayers have spent millions of money [in constructing railways, and then [have entrusted them to a body of men iwho have not sufficient intelligence to be able to keep them at work. The Government admitting its incapaciny to run the railways, imported a railway—man and paid him several thousands of pounds a year to do the work for them. But he also failed, with the iresult that great loss is being sustainied by both Government and people ‘because the powers that be do not lknow how to use the railways the [people have entrusted to them. VVitb is-uch an increase of settlement and iproduction as the Liberal Le-ardi-1-‘s imanifesto provides for not only will railways have to be taxed to their “most extreme capacity. but other services will have to augment their freight haulage; new roads» will have to be made, and motor lorries are to be supplied to local public bodies by {the Government at cost price_ The practical nature of the motor 151‘0D0~'i11 has received an undeniable testiln')ll_V from the British Port Transit Committee, a body appointed as far back as 1915. This Committee is urging the British Government to utilise motor tl'anSDort in ordinary peace time haulage; that short distance roads be made where they would assist in: Smrtening the distance to ports. All motor waggoll purchasers, the Commltte°’S report states, should be comPelledy to use them for conveyance of goods; and the whole motor transport, together with mflways Should be brought. within a single network of transport organisation, bringing port‘; nearer to roads, roads nearer to railways, and motor transport facilities nearer to both.‘ The British Transport

Committee's duties do uot end there;

it has to see that merchants do not congest. docks and other" storage with their merchandise. The Committee has urged Government to penalise merchants who offend in this connec. tion, and the British Prime Minister is being interviewed on the subject; if -his Support is forthcoming the Transport Committee is sanguine that an immediate drop in food prices, estjmated at from fifty to seventy per cent, will result. From this it will be seen that public works are being used as a 11199-115 Whereby a. few human bloodsuckers may weaken the national stamina for the gratification of their vile passions. With such motor transport as Sir Joseph Ward proposes for the back country in this Dominion farmers must reap incstimable benefits. In this district there are short pieces of blind roads that urgently need to be put through so that the land thereon .is accessible from either endo -It Would be a. distinct advantage to settlers and to traffic generally to have the short distance of road made to connect the Papakai road at the south end Motor transport would render a daily mail service possible in old settled Taihape country, where there is virtually no mail at all at the present time. More roads and efiicient motor facilities would immerisely increaseproduction, and enable the producer to get far better and more uniform remuneration for what he produces, and such facilities would in-: crease production by the easy and rapid transport of root crops from best cropping land, for feeding purposes on lands where cropping is very difficult and uncertain. The advantages of motor transport to a huge terlritory like that of which Taihape ?the marketing centre cannot well be over-estimated‘, but roads are first necessary, and it will be noted "that Sir Joseph ‘Ward has not underestimated this supreme aid to produc-itic-n and settlement. He proposes the {expenditure of £4,000,000 on \public! roads and bridges during the em‘ suing four years, an average of £1,000,000 a year on roads an-ii bridges. Is there any settler ini the country around Taihape, or any business—man in town who will 'not realise ‘what progress the persistence such a 'roadiilg"'and -bridging‘ policy means to -th:i's'7disti-ict, The Ma.oris.lhave_ given some 70,000 acres of land for soldier settlement, but al'thougll.the -soldiers are clamouring for [land ;;Government is_ doing nothing; ithe land is lying idle vvhile the coun|try is drifting deeper into debt. ProdUCßl‘s‘al‘C working off a “dead horse” ‘so long as t__his do-nothing policy is lfollowed, and they williroalise this to ‘the full when taxing machinery is in ithe making. There are other larg-‘e ‘areas of land available for settlement, ibut the land aggregation Government gvenally go on with -their aggregation. [That magnificent grazing run in ~ the Mangapapa Valley, Te Kuma, let as a ‘grazing run, that would have cut up 'into 150 or 200 acre blocks, has been iclande'stinely"passed over to the ag[gregator at the price’ of ‘an “old song.” {This country is being3ruincd by its icwovernment and ‘Land Boards, and iduring the coming election campaigns to good deal of light will undoubtedly be shed over the wicked Waste that ‘has been the vogue. With ample ‘reading and cflicient motor transport ifacilities such appalling wastefulness ‘could not have been so audaciously practiced ‘to the disadvantage of those {men who’ are taking the utmost out of }their land, who have to carry the ("'O- - speculators on their shoulders isc far as wealth—producing and taxagtion paying is involved.