BUSY MINISTER.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 3000, 19 December 1935, Page 10

BUSY MINISTER.

■MANY DEPUTATIONS. i MR. F. LANGSTONE ON TOUR. •i 5 SHABEMILEERS' PLAINT. J (By Telegraph-—Own Correspondent.) ROTORUA, this day. I The Minister of Tourist Resorts and Minister of Lands, Mr. F. Langstone, had a busv day yesterday. In the morning he inspected the Onepu and 1 ara*wera development schemes, and iccci\cd a/ deputation regarding a landing area for the Rotoiti Timber Company when passing through Rotoiti. ; The Minister arrived at Rotorua for ljNfjh, being accompanied by Mr. A. F. Mojicur, M.P. Immediately afterwards lie; opened the carved gates at the Whakarewarewa native school, being accorded a civic welcome by the Mayor, Mr, T. Jackson, and greeted by a large gathering of Maoris and pakehas. At the. conclusion < f the ceremony, during -which the Minister said he looked forward to the day when the teaching of Maori would bo compulsory in New Zealand schools, Mr. Langstone was presented with a carved walking stick bv Tpnihi To Taiu, an cider of the Tiiliourangi tribe.

Minister and his party then proceeded to Ngakuru, where they inspected development schemes and received a deputation from settlers who complained tnat, despite promises made by the Department of Agriculture that after a certain period they would be given opportunity to select their farms, they wire still "being kept as sliare-milkers, •wiiile the Department was collecting a proportion of their cream cheques. Ihe deputation also contended that they had experienced difficulty in obtaining necessary stock and equipment. The Minister said that he would go into the position •with his colleagues and endeavour to adjust the matters regarding which complaints had been made. He considered tfiat if possible arrangements should be iriade to allow share-milkers to _ select tlxeir farms without the necessity of gding to ballot.

'Returning to Rotorua in the evening, the Minister was confronted by a formidable list of deputations putting for"wkrd requests involving sums which varied from small amounts to thousands of pounds. Among them were a number of questions put forward during the past few years, but regarding which no finality could be reached under the past Government. The taking over of the ■water, drainage and electrical supplies in the borouglv from the Tourist Department by the Rotorua Borough Council, the provision of a proper housing scheme for the Whakarewarewa and Ohinemutu pas, the raising of the lake level, the provision of hetter access for fishing, Government assistance for the purpose of converting the Kuirau Domain into a suitable sports area, Government assistance for the maintenance of tourist roads, and a request for the gift of certain areas of Crown land in order to improve the layout of the runways at the borough aerodrome were among the requests put forward and considered by the Minister. In all Mr. Langstone promised sympathetic consideration, with the exception of the request for the assistance for tourist roads; which he intimated could not lie considered, as no money -was available for that purpose at the present time.

(The Minister received further deputations on tourist matters this' moaning, aid leaves later in the day for Waitomo Caves.