"FAITH IN THE BAY."

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 257, 30 October 1928, Page 9

"FAITH IN THE BAY."

MR. STERLING AT TAURANGA. EXPLODING A FALLACY. CITY AND COUNTRY INTERESTS. (By Telegraph—Special to "Star.") TAURANGA, this day. "I have great faith in Tauranga," said Mr. H. H. Sterling, general manager of the New Zealand Railways, at a smoke concert last night in Tauranga, which was tendered to the members of the commerce train party after they had been driven round some of the citrus fruit farms near Tauranga. Mr. Sterling 6aid that when he first visited Tauranga a lew years ago, his friend, Mr. Dynes Fulton, had 6aid to him: "There is something ahead of the Bay when they get fertilisers down there." After his recent appointment as general manager he inquired of Mr. Casey in Auckland how things were going at the Bay of Plenty. Mr. Casey replied: "Good; the fertilisers are going down there by the ton." "I then knew," said Mr. Sterling, "that all was well with the Bay. "If you »av that the Bay of Plenty line is a good investment for New Zealand," added Mr. Sterling, "and you give proper consideration to the questions of income and increment, then I say the line will pay and pay handsomely." During his three years of commercial work in the Auckland Province, said Mr. Sterling, he had often asked himself whether the tremendous building activity was based on a firm foundation. He believed that the foundation was absolutely sound, because it was based on the great progress of the primary industries. "We now have the Bay of Plenty unlocked," he continued, "and we are going to find here a store of gold that will enable the commercial men of the city -to give new facilities of developing your district which in its fertility is second to none in the civilised world." (Applause. )