Department Surveys West Coast s Potential

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28926, 20 June 1959, Page 14

Department Surveys West Coast s Potential

(From Our Own Reporter)

WELLINGTON, June 19. A new and close look at the West Coast region is given in an impressive 180-page publication issued today by the town and country planning branch of the Ministry of Works, the first part of a national resources survey. Points made in the survey include:

The extent of the region’s farmable soils is limited, but the favourable climate makes them potentially as productive as the best farming areas in many North Island districts. The climate is better than in many parts of the eastern and more settled areas of New Zealand. Sunshine hours are higher than in Invercargill. Dunedin, or Palmerston North and rain, though torrential at times, falls mostly at night. In comparison with the rest of New Zealand the West Coast has a slower rate of popula“on growth, a preponderance of males of all ages, high in the working age groups, a high natural increase and a high degree of outward movement from the region. Many farm units are uneconomic Production could be consider ably raised with full utilisation of the available farmland and an effort should be made to develop marginal land. An extremely high proportion of the population is engaged in coal mining and is economically dependent on the industry. The future life of the coalfields will most likely be determined by the economics of production, rather than by any physical termination of coal resources.

Timber is limited, and although this industry now makes a valuable contribution to both the region's and the New Zea-

land economy, there seems to be no likelihood of expansion. Timber from forests managed on a perpetual yield basis, might well play a part in the future.

The Minister of Works (Mr Watt) commenting on the publication yesterday, said: “Most West Coasters will, I hope, see in this book a challenge worth taking up, and a signpost to the future which is brighter by far than many people would have us believe.”