THE MOKAU COUNTRY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 258, 1 May 1912, Page 5

THE MOKAU COUNTRY

STATEMENT BY HON. G. LAURENSON. Wellington, April 29. "I was very much impressed with the possibilities of the Mokau district," said the Hon. G. Laurenson to-day. The Minister, who only returned last night from a visit to that part of New Zealand (he was present at a complimentary banquet at Waitara to Mr. W. T. Jennings), went on to say that the country is practically undeveloped. The climate is good and the land apparently of a very fertile description, and his belief is that it will eventually develop into a district of which New Zealand may well be proud. Mr. Laurenson was greatly impressed with the beauty of the scenery on the Mokau river. He only had time to traverse it for a distance of twelve miles, and he saw the finest scenery lie had seen in New Zealand. He was told that the beautiful scenery extends for another fifty miles. "The Scenery Preservation Department is reserving a strip of land on both sides of the river to the sky line, and the result will be," said Mr. Laurenson, "that we will have an area of scenic beauty the equal of which it will be difficult to find in any part of the world." The great difficulty in the development of the district is the. condition of the roads and the absence of metal. "One feature about the settlement that I noted with pleasure," he added, "was that most of the settlers I met had large families and the boys and girls were of a very fine type." The banquet tendered to Mr. Jennings was of a very pleasant description, and the gathering passed a unanimous vote of confidence in the Government and appreciation of the present Cabinet.