HEARTY WELCOME

Wairarapa Times-Age, 31 May 1938, Page 8

HEARTY WELCOME

TRIBUTES TO WEST COAST

QUALITIES

RECEPTION TO VISITING FARMERS.

GATHERING IN MUNICIPAL HALL.

“The hospitality of the West Coast is known and famed far beyond our borders,” remarked the Mayor, Mr T. Jordan, speaking at the civic reception to the visiting West Coast farmers in the Municipal Hall this afternoon. Mr Jordan said he was pleased to welcome the visitors, firstly as West Coasters and secondly as farmers. The West Coasters were known to lavish hospitality on any visitors and the people of the Wairarapa were glad of the opportunity of showing how much that hospitality was appreciated. Referring to the loyalty of the West Coasters, one to another, Mr. Jordan said they lived in a spirit of family self-support and mutual assistance which probably was unique in this land. In the past, parties of touring farmers had been rushed away from Wellington without visiting the Wairarapa. “We regard that as an offence to our pride,” he added, “as we are proud, and rightly so, of our land and our production. I do not know who is to blame, but at times we have been treated as if we did not exist on the map as far as farmers’ tours were concerned.”

“We admit freely,” Mr Jordan continued, “your supremacy in natural glories, your marvellous mountain ranges, beautiful lakes, glaciers and wonderful forest and scenic drives. We have no marvellous history of greenstone and gold to look back on, but we are plain blunt men that love our land and our production. Observing that the production in the Wairarapa last year was valued at three and a half millions, Mr Jordan said he hoped that amount would be doubled as he believed the potentialities were here.. Wairarapa farmers were justly proud of their stock, but they were hot too old to learn and he hoped the visitors might be able to teach them something and would also be able to pick up knowledge to take back to the Coast with them. Mr Hugh Morrison, Provincial President of the Wairarapa Farmers’ Union, said he was partly a West Coaster himself as during the gold rush of the sixties, his father for ten or twelve years, had blazed the cattle trail from coast to coast supplying beef for the gold seekers. He had always found the West Coast people to be of sterling character, a rugged, hardy people, whose hospitality was a household word. ' Mr Morrison said he believed that such tours were for the betterment of the people of New Zealand. They provided farmers with an opportunity of becoming acquainted with the varying conditions in different parts . of the country and the problems individual farmers had to contend with. “We have every reason to be proud of New Zealand,” observed Mr Morrison, who added: “We have put up a very fine record in the past 100 years and have made more progress than any other country in the history of civilisation. Our exports per capita are the highest of any country in the world, our standard of living is the highest and we hold the record for the longest-lived people. Whatever happens in this world, let us stick together and remember and be proud that we are New Zealanders.” Mr J. Robertson, M.P., endorsed the remarks of the previous speakers and said the days of isolation on the West Coast were gone now. Mr W. Fisher, one of the visiting party, acknowledged the welcome, and said that although it was the third tour to the North Island it was their first visit to the Wairarapa. He hoped that the visits would be returned. Mr T. O’Neil, another member of the visiting party, said that what they had seen already in the Wairarapa had been a revelation to them. There was plenty of good cheap land on the West Coast and if they could get more farmers they would, in a - few years, make the district another Taranaki. This afternoon the visitors are inspecting Wairarapa College and Mr A. Norman’s poultry farm. TOMORROW’S TOUR DETAILS OF ARRANGEMENTS Tomorrow a tour of the Wairarapa Valle}’ will be made, when a number of places of interest will be visited by the party. The itinerary is as follows: —Assemble at the Municipal Hall and leave Masterton in cars at 9.30 a.m.: arrive at 10 a.m. at Sir William Perry’s Penrose property, where his stud Romneys will be inspected; 10.30 a.m., follow leaders to Greytown for an inspection of the small ultra-modern milking shed and plant of Mr Smallwood; 11.30 a.m. leave Greytown for back entrance of the Tauherenikau Racecourse, and inspect stud dairy stock and stud sheep of Messrs Quentin Donald and J. G. Donald; a stop of 15 minutes at the Tauherenikau Racecourse, and then drive to the garden of Mrs Charles Elgar, Fernside; luncheon adjournment at Featherston and Tauherenikau from 1.15 to 2 p.m.; leave Featherston at 2 p.m. for Mr J. G. Donald’s Ayrshire dairy herd. Kahutara cross-roads, or, if time permits, to Featherston dairy factory before the inspection of the herd; about 3 p.m. follow the leaders via Kahutara Road to Pihautea Settlement, out through Pukio and to Mi - J. J. Jameson's property, Tuhitarata, where stud Jerseys will be inspected; about 4 p.m. return via Martinborough to Masterton on any alternative route. The following are the officers of the tour: Masterton H. M. Boddington; transport. Mr L. T. Daniell; details, Mr J. Watson. Car owners are requested to be in attendance at the Municipal Hall in good time tomorrow morning so that a prompt start will be possible at 9.30 o’clock.