TOUR OF MAORI COMMUNITIES

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25129, 10 March 1947, Page 6

TOUR OF MAORI COMMUNITIES

TRIP PLANNED BY MR FRASER (P.A.) WELLINGTON, March 9. To meet the Maoris in their own communities, and inspect a number of land development schemes, the Prime Minister (Mr P. Fraser) is to leave next Saturday on an intensive tour covering most of the North Island, Mr Fraser will be accompanied by Mr E. T. Tirikatene, member representing the Maori race on the Executive Council, by Mr G. P. Shepherd,. Undersecretary of the Native Department, and by Mr A. S. Blackburn, chief supervisor of Maori development. The party will visit a number of land development schemes on the East Coast, in the Waikato, and in North Auckland. At Mahia it is to inspect a carved house, one of the oldest in New Zealand, which is being restored with Government assistance.

At Hicks Bay the party will see a portable crusher at work on .the lime deposits there, supplying the lime reSuirements of Maori landowners in le district. At Ruatoki one of the biggest Maori dairying schemes will be inspected, and thejparty will then go to the Rotorua district to see major land development-• schemes there. The tour will take Mr Fraser as far north as Kaikohe and he will then return, via Auckland, to the East Coast and thence to Ngaruawahia to attend a regatta there on March 29. He,wilr return to Wellington via the King Country.

Facilities for the servicing of motorcars at garages in Sydney or Melbourne did not appear to be as good as they were in New Zealand, said Mr J. P. Palmer, a Christchurch garage proprietor, who returned from Australia by flying-boat on Friday. Mr Palmer said he understood that improvements were being made in Melbourne. He added that there appeared to be more new cars on the roads in Australia than in New Zealand, but the used cars there were generally showing the same signs of deterioration as those in the Dominion,