OPENING UP LAND.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 384, 2 June 1915, Page 8

OPENING UP LAND.

TOE ROADING PROBLEM.

NORTH ISLAND CONDITIONS,

By Telegraph.—Press Association.

Dunedin, Last Night. ( The Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Society's Winter Show opened to-day in line weather. The entries showed a falling off of about 100, as compared with last year, "when they reached a record for the society. The attendance was below that for last year, the receipts showing a considerable falling oft', as compared with the first day in 11)14. The quality of the exhibits is very good, comparing very favorably with those of previous years. The show was. officially opened by the Hon. W. 'Fraser, who, in the course of his remarks, said, the productivity'of the soil would be increased by raising the number of those holding land. It •was little use putting people on the land if at the same time they were not given roads. In many parts of the North Island people who had been on the land for years had no roads to their places, and in parts thev had to packcream out for miles. These were ttye people who needed assistance first, and it was no light task to rone! such country. New Zealand was'an exceedingly difficult country to road, especially in the North Island, with its bush and broken country, and tlien metal was hard to get. ill his -first Public Works Statement he 'put roads before railways. Of what use was a railway if we could n«t reach it? He was trying to give effect to that policy, and during the last twelve months he had expended on various kinds of roads £807,000 and on railways .£(510,000.