The Akaroa Mail. FRIDAY, MAY 29, 1903. THE PREMIER'S VISIT.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume LIII, Issue 2776, 29 May 1903, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. FRIDAY, MAY 29, 1903. THE PREMIER'S VISIT.

It is to be hoped that the delay in Mr Seddon's visit will be a good thing for us all. Had he rushed here in hot haste, before his West Coast trip, very little could have been shown or explained to him. He would have been met at the Little River Railway Station by the County Chairman and a few Wairewa notabilities, would probably have visited the Maori School, seen the statue at the Maori Hall, talked a little cocksfoot and close settlement, and then gone back to Rabbit Island, whence he would drive to Gebbie's Valley, open the new hall, in pursuance of his promise, and then return to town.

Such a visit as this would be almost useless to Peninsula people as a whole, and totally so to residents on this side of the range. Used to North Island and West Coast hills, the Premier requires a constant reminder that our country is of quite a different kind, He wants to be shown little settlements on the hills, like those at Red John's Gully, to have it fully explained that the district is capable of carrying a large population, and that railway communication, if not immediately remunerative, must very speedily become so by the further development of one of the most fertile districts in the whole of New Zealand.

It is to be hoped, therefore, that when he does come, it will not be for for a scramble to Little River and back but for a week's investigation, during which he can visit, not only Akaroa, but the principal Bays as well. The proposed railway routes should be fully explained to him, the very few miles of line required to open the harbour being distinctly pointed out and emphasised by

line's in terribly difficult country, the mere crossing of our moderately high range will seem a very small engineering difficulty indeed, and the junction of Akaroa and Little River by rail well within the region of practical politics. The necessity of the railway and tho probability of its proving remunerative, is, of course, the principal thing to urge on our distinguished visitor, but there are many other requests that can fairly be made »n behalf of this neglected Peninsula, that is every day sending its skilled bushmen to subjugate the forests of the north. The much-required wharf at the be-t point to meet the conch traffic to and from Little River, the substitution of level roads for steep hilly ones between German and Barry's Bay are legitimate objects for which to fco ask assistance, and in these and similar cases, every pains should be taken to explain our wants and the best method of remedying them as well. Little River and the Bays have also many crying needs, and there should be no neglect in pointing them out clearly and fully on the occasion of the visit. We trust that in order to see as much of the country as possible, that Mr Seddon will be driven round the Summit road, and so via Long Bay road to Akaroa. It is an unfortunate time of the year to visit us, for the cocksfoot paddocks are bare, the grass has almost ceased to spring, and the stock have in many cases lost their prime autumn condition. But we need never be ashamed to compare our pastures with any others in the Colony at any season, and so the wider the investigation, the better for all of us. A word might also be said regarding the proposed partition of the county. Coming to our borough, itself, we have a great deal to urge. It is acknowledged by all who have visited it to be an ideal tourist resort. In spite of difficulties of access, and many other disadvantages, the number of our visitors has steadily increased. According to information we gained from our late coach proprietor, the passengers to Akaroa were —to put it veiy mildly— quadrupled this season, and this without a scintillation of help from the Government. Tt is true we have a good friend in .Mr Blow, of the Tourist Department, Christchurch, who shows photographs of our f-cenery at his office in Cathedral Square ; but we are out of tlu> unite, ii'iil the great majority of Kuvo;i(':n travellers from the South join tho two great streams running to the West Ccast and the Northern Wonderland, whilst those from North hasten to the Southern Lakes and the West Coast Sounds. But it is not from this source that we anticipate a large increase of visitors, but from inland Canterbury and Otago. It is true many Englishmen may wish to visit that historic spot, where Stanley anticipated the French by hoisting the banner of St. George, the place of the French landing, and the scene of that great whale fishery, which preceded and contributed to the later settlement of the Colony; but it is only a small section that can ever be diverted from the main route. What Akaroa is destined to become is the seaside resort of the dwellers on the Plains and inland mountains. It is the Torquay of New Zealand, sheltered, warm, beautiful, and yet redolent of the ocean. Like Brighton and Scarboro it will give new health to the tired resident of towns, new energy to the run-down worker. The Borough Council are a progressive body, and are doing their utmost

to make Akaroa a fit place to fulfill its destiny. Our streets will compare favourably with most New Zealand towns. Our high pressure water supply is of the best, and the Septic drainage scheme, now in progress of fulfilment, will give us a fir.st-cl.iss repute as a sanitary resort. Years ago, when the Akaroa Improvement Association were endeavouring to urge its claims as a resort for recovering from illness and the improvement of health, they were informed by the Medical Association that the place could never be recognised or recommended by them till some improved sewage system was adopted. Since then, we have adopted a better method for the disposal of night soil; but it left the problem only partially solved, and it is not till our septic tanks are in full working order that we shall be able to boast of anything like perfect sanitation. That time, however, is fast approaching, and the Borough having done so much to develop ifcs own resources, it is only fair to ask for some small return —of the revenue that we have poured i into the lap of the Government for so many years—to improve the attractions of our town. Hanmer, Mt. Cook Hermitage, Queenstown and twenty othor tourist resorts have received ample Government aid, and most certainly we are entitled to similar help. Probably our most crying needs are a new school site and buildings and a new post and telegraph office and town clock. The present school site is damp and there is practically no playground for exercise, whilst the building is riddled with worms, and, in places, simply rotcing away. Of course, it may be said this is in the Board of Education s department and not the Government's ; but if the Premier car. be shown the absolute necessity of whet we require, a great step has been gained. The post and telegraph offices we have said so much about recently that we need not enlarge on the subject; but the absolute necessity of their renewal should be immediately urged. The Premier's memory

a view of the locality. To one like Mi , Feddon, who has seen the gorges and precipices of the Midland railway, the Manawatu Gorge, and a dozen other

should also be refreshed regarding the town clock, the correspondence regarding which went so unluckily astray. We have many other wants which

wil', no doubt, be fully laid before our guest by His Worship fclie Mayor and his confreres. The Premier is, of course, so absolutely besefc with applications that he must be assured of the extreme urgency of our wants before any good result can accrue. Let us hope that his first visit to Banks' Peninsula (apart from Akaroa) may be fraught with good and enduring results.