OPUNAKE

Taranaki Daily News, 23 June 1922, Page 7

OPUNAKE

(From Our Own Correspondent.) The Town Board rate this year is l£d — a farthing increase on last year—an indication that the board’s finances are scanty. Practically no new permanent work has been done during the year. Wsth an increase in rates there should be something doing in linking up some of our blind streets and renewing some of the back street culverts. A few unemployed men who sought work under the Government unemployed proposals will probably be put on at the Whangamomona works. There is plenty of scope on the Wiremu road and the Opunake'railway, if the authorities are prepared P UB h on niore rapidly with these works. The Federal Band is to be complimented on its past years’ work. They have cleared off £2OO liability for uniforms and increased their assets by adding to their stock new music and instruments. Our cottage hospital is now open to re ceive patients. A patient suffering from pneumonia has been admitted. The Opunake Dairy Company sold the : r shipment of butter (now in transit to England) at Is 7d per lb. The contractor for the erection of the new convent school (Mr. Tqng, of Hawera) has made a start with the preliminary work. The delay in accepting any tender on the original date of calling tenders shows a saving of close on £6OO. The organisation in connection with raising funds for further improvements and additions to the present convent building is steadily increasing the finances. A big star fixture is the £4O tug-of-war. Messrs. George and Caddie have completed their earthwork contract in connection with the hydro-electric works. The | same firm has also completed the piercing of the tunnel and cutting a race. With fair prospects for prices of our pro- ■ duce for next season, we in the country j hear rumors of hard-working families who ’ have had the ‘’slogging” taken out of their ■ energies through being unable to meet rent, rates and interest charges on the farms they have purchased. It is a problem that is difficult because, in many instances, the occupier and owner have been caught in the swirl of high-priced land. We in Tar i- I naki have more productive holdings than ’ any other province per acre, and producing more per head of the population than I any other province, consequently we should i be able to stand the strain better than any ' other province with the same standard of | price of land. We in Taranaki have over ! 300,000 acres of land occupied and classed j as unimproved. What must be. the amount I of occupied unimproved lands in other pro- ( vinces, seeing we are the least ? The ‘problem for us to tackle is to get this vast amount of occupied unimproved lands brought into a productive stage. Two new cottages are to be erected in Domett Street, one for the manager of the electric power house, and the other for Mr. F. Thompson. Now that the cottage hospital is open to ! receive patients, it behoves the Town Board to grade 'Layard Street, leading to the hospital. The road is very rough.