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Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8487, 15 July 1907, Page 4

Auckland West, dwelt at some length on the difficulties that confront settlers in the North Island. The South Island, he said, had been settled. Its broad acres are wealthproducing, the forests have nearly all been subdued, the Native difficulties have been reduced to a minimum, and prosperity is the order of the day, whilst in the North, in days gone by, and in the days we now live in, there have been and are difficult.es that are terrible to contemplate. "We have great areas of country that have not yet been broken in," said Mr Poole. "We have primeval forests standing and defying practically the onslaughts of the settlers. We have the Native problem not yet settled, although blood has been shed and money has been spent and brave men and woman have given the best days of their lives in the settlement of their small holdings." He contrasted the conditions of settlement in the North with the conditions of settlement in the South for the purpose of justifying the complaints that have been made by many regarding the neglect of various matters that are of vital importance to northern settlers. He felt inclined to believe that unnecessary provincial rivalry was not desirable. He believed that, as a colonial people, we are particularly favoured in that centralisation of population has not yet taken place in New Zealand as it has taken place in other British dependencies Instead of a single city, we have half-a-dozen cities that are developing upon lines of their own, and are thereby keeping separate large bodies of people who are altogether better than if they were found together. Unnecessary rivalry is, of course, not desirable, but there is bound to be friendly rivalry between cities. This should not be aggravated tj such an extent that the representatives from the various electorates should be creating a cat-fight every time they get into the House of Representatives. "I think," sail Mr Poole, "that the rivalry that might exist here should not be identical with the j rivalry that was supposed to exisi ; between the twin cities of Minnesota in the United States of Am2rica. St. Paul and Minneapolis are adjoining cities, about twelve miles apart, anc it is stated that the Bible was abolished in the State schools of Min--3 neapolis for the simple reason thai 1 there was too much about St. Paul ii " it. I am not anxious to go too fai . in making provincial demands, but I do say that tiie difficulties under which northern settlement has taken place should help us to have oui claims and our desires of a reasonable nature gratified in the House without being censured by some irresponsible members from the progressive South."