DEVELOPING TARANAKI.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 August 1922, Page 7

DEVELOPING TARANAKI.

SIDELIGHTS ON THE WORK IMPORTANT MATTERS DISCUSSED. Matters which vitally affect New Plymouth particularly and Taranaki in general were discussed by several speakers during the honoring of the toast list at Tuesday night’s annual meeting of the Taranaki Employers’ Association. Mr. P. Stain ton (president) was in the ehair. After the toast of “The King” had been honored, Mr. W. J. Penn proposed the toast of “Our Borough,” associated with the name of the Mayor (Mr. F. E. Wilson). The speaker paid a tribute to Mr. Wilson’s work during a term of office when the borough of New Plymouth had passed through a very critical period. The growth of the town had been very great, whilst the time had been one for the expenditure of money in many directions, with the additional difficulty of an unfavorable money market. Mr. Wilson had given a great deal of hs time to borough affairs and taken a leading part in the . many municipal activities that were growing up in all directions. Mr. Wilson, after referring to the need for harmony among what were now opposing camps in the community, stated that in April next, when the present council’s term of office expired, more than half of the present councillors would be retiring, and he appealed to those present to see that a more active interest was shown in civic affairs. He might say that he had no objection to all classes having representation on the new council, which, he thought, would have a very fair time when compared with the work of the present council.

THE BOROUGH S PROBLEM. Jt was surprising, he continued, what the council had to do with very little. The public should appreciate the fact that the Borough Council was to-day poorer in actual spending power than it had ever been before. It had been hoped a year ago that the hydro-electric scheme would have been brought into a revenue-pro-ducing state by this time, but this had no.t yet come about. Besides the payment of interest, the borough this year had to renew the loan at a high rate of interest. Even with these two big factors against them, the council was further handicapped by reason of the new Government Finance Bill, which virtually made borough councils live within their year’s revenue. The New Plymouth Borough Council was fortunate inasmuch as it had no antecedent liability as at last April, being one among very few such bodies. (Applause.) In Wanganui the antecedent liability amounted, he understood, to about £lOO,OOO, whilst if the Masterton people kept to the letter of the new law they would have no money at all to spend this year. “The Taranaki Chamber of Commerce”

was proposed by Mr. F. S. Johns, who referred to the excellent service of the Chamber in the interests of the commercial people of the town and district. The Chamber, he firmly believed, was at present in the most flourishing condition it had. been in since the speaker had been | associated with its activities 23 years ago. Good work had been done at that time, but later the Chamber bad appeared to fall on evil days to some extent. Thanks, however, to the energies of Messrs. Penn, Shaw, W. Ambury, and others the Chamber had carried on. and one and all of these gentlemen had done eminently good work in the interests of the town. Some had jeered at the Chamber at that time, saying that it never did anything, but he could say from personal experience that it did honest, faithful work, much of which was spade work, the fruits of which were being reaped to-day. The past year, said Mr. Johns, had probably been the most successful in the history of the Chamber. The bulk of the credit for this was, be said, due to the work of their worthy president, who had proved

to be the very best of presidents. The speaker confessed that he had at first had his doubts as to whether Mr. List would make a good president on account of the busy life be led, but he had done very excellent work, and the speaker offered him sincere congratulations: PROVINCIAL QUESTION. Mr. T. C. List, with whose name the toast was coupled, expressed thanks for the kindly reference to the Chamber and to himself. He confessed that had he known at the commencement what the work of president entailed he might have been a little diffident in accepting the position. The Chamber was doing work of very great importance to the province. Some of the work done was not proclaixped from the house-tops, though it involved a lot of work and time, but this those connected with it did not begrudge. Re ferring to the works upon which the Chamber was at present engaged, Mr. List first mentioned the representations made to have the mail train service between New Plymouth and Wellington speeded up so that an bout and a quarter to an hour and a half might be saved on the journey. This would mean the elimination of the small wayride stops, and, he thought, that with the united backing of the whole province th** speeding up desired could be effected. The provincial train service had already been greatly improved, and the new service accordingly was much appreciated by the travelling public. Other works in which the Chamber was interesting itself included the metalling of the Tangarakau Gorge road, which would connect the rich Ohura district with Taranaki, and cause trade, which at present went north, to come to this province. The work could be done at a cost of between £30,000 to £35,000. and was one of national as well at provincial importance. Then there was the work of completing the Lower Awakino road, which would open another rieh area which would use the New Plymouth port. The Chamber was in constant touch with the Minister of Public Works with a view of having the work expedited. If fifty more men and an additional steam shovel were put on the speaker believed the road could be completed by next winter. Then there was the Mokau bridge, a work that should have been done years ago. The Chamber were endeavoring to get money put on the estimates this year for this work, and for completing the unmetalled section of road on the northern side of Mount Messenger. These, then, were the works of major imoortance, but there were others which the Chamber was endeavoring to carrv out in the interests of the province. Th-re was the harbor. The Chamber had for a long time been working tn get direct boats from England to New Plymouth. One would sail from London in Sentember. He understood there would be quite a large cargo coming to Taranaki. This mean* a big thing to New Phunouth and Taranaki, and he honed the steam »r would be the forerunner of a regular service between the United K’ncdorn and New Plymouth. Then the Chamber h»d arranged an excunion trip from New Plymouth to Syd*

ney for next March. Mr. List said it would be well worth while for all those who could to endeavor to join the party. They were, perhaps, apt to become too narrowed by living in what after all was a small district and a small country. They should occasionally go away, rub shoulders with business men of other countries, make comparisons, get new ideas, and

view their own place and country from afar. He could assure them it would be a very valuable investment for any business men. The real object of the trip, he explained, was to demonstrate that it was possible for ships to call at New Plymouth en route from Wellington to Australia. The trip would also secure a return visit from Australian business men, who would make the trip direct to New Plymouth, seeing the North Island, and returning from this port, and he was in hopes the Sydney men would make the trip an annual one, as a finer trip could hardly be undertaken. One other matter the speaker drew attention to was the New Plymouth hydro-electric scheme. Referring to the visit to the works last week by representatives from Taranaki local bodies, Mr. List said the works had proved an eye-opener to those who had not previously seen them. The welfare and progress of the town and province was wrapped up largely in the hydroelectric scheme as much as it was in the harbor. With cheap electricity industry would be attracted, for all the conditions were favorable. No town would be better situated than New Plymouth with surplus electric power. The scheme, he contended, should be thoroughly exploited; the council could not rest with the present scheme of 3000 h.p., which had cost over £200,000, whilst by the expenditure of a similar amount they would develop another 6000 h.p., thus bringing down the overhead charges. It would therefore be good business to complete the scheme, though he realised the amount involved was very

considerable. To do this the undivided support of all the business men in the community was required. (Applause.)

Other toasts honored were “The Press,” proposed by Mr. S. W. Shaw, who delved reminiscently into a former visit to Ohura undertaken by prominent pressmen, and responded to by Messrs. W. J. Penn (Herald) and T. C. List (Daily News); ‘The Programme Contributors” (Mr. J. Bennett —Mr. R. N. Renaud); “The Ladies” and “The Chairman.” The evening’s proceedings were interspersed with a number of enjoyable musical items and recitations, those contributing to the programme being Messrs. A. E. Brooker, B. P. Bellringer, F. E. Gooder, C. B. Webster (songs), and Mr. Basil Hartman (recitations), whilst Mr. R. N. Renaud played the accompaniments. A splendid dinner was put on by Mr. and Mrs. F. Wallis and was much appreciated.