IS ROTORUA "SPOON-FED"?

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 939, 5 October 1910, Page 4

IS ROTORUA "SPOON-FED"?

■; : ;; ; A DEPUTATION. ».■ V , |'";: RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION. : ■'.. .'■A. deputation from Rotorua, consisting of Messrs. G. Hicks,,T. H. Sloan'e, J. R; Raw, and C. Crow ther, waited upon the 'Minister'. of Publio .Works (Hon. E. M'Kenzie), .-;■ and" - urged the '.;rieces- : sity/'of 'extending ..v.-the. Gisborne railway; line) 'to; Rotorua, : via "To' Teko,; commencing construction Oat. the Gisborne end. The deputation ; pointed out that the first; ten-to thirty., miles of the line.-.would be remunerative .by reason ;of"the/tourist traffic,' and it would also develop the' Rangaiki district, in -which the Government was undertaking a big drainage:scheme, as. well/as tap'the timber resources. ; ■ The 'district as .'a. whole' was delighted -with the progres-sive-land policy, of; the Government' in Rotorua, and: a flourishing, cattle-raising and dairying industry had arisen. '. Mr. Raw, president;of.the Chamber;of Commerce, remarked that, Rotorua had long been /looked '.','. upon; as: a; spoon-fed community, always standing at ..the i corner with a hat in hand r Its lands, were said.to'be'iio good, but the'.contrary had now been, proved, and if good roads; were ■provided to develop this land, Rotorua' would demonstrate its independence. Mr. W. D.' S! Macdonald, M.P., men-tioned;-the possibility of utilising .-. the water-power -available: at Okere /Falls to run the proposed line. : . ■-''■['"'■■ UV- ■■■'■ ■The /Minister replied that the railway would take", six years to get to Te Teko, but :would probably be fifteen years, getting to Rotorua. . Department' was now investigating whether the East Coast line would run up the coast, to. Te Teko, •or go inland to Rangaiki. No'dbubt the line would go inland, only for a saddle of .800 feet, which had to be'.crossed. other,section of the line from Te Puke' to Pongaroa would be authorised this ses-: , sion,: and although it would be -a long time/ before the Rotorua connection was made, itwoiild have to, be' built eventually, though the.,cost would, probably ex-, ceed one' and. a half millions. Probably the' expenditure. on the East Coast line between'Tauranga and Gisborne this year would be .£150,000. He was glad to hear that the people of Rotorua intended doing something for themselves, because, they had been living.' at the expense of the taxpayers for a long time: He proposed to. give them an opportunity of doing something, ibeeause the district would either become part of Tauranga'County, or Rotorua would be formed into a separate country.' The Counties Act was. in force once, but only one meeting took place. 'However, they would havo to do something now. ... s.'.: Mr. Sloan suggested that.New Zealand secured a large indirect, benefit from the tourist traffic,, and the residents: paid tip-top prices for electricity and water. : The • Minister said thnt : thousands of people' came to Wellington and Auckland who "never went to 'Rotorua, while the Wellington and Auckland people kept up their own roads. Rotorua was not singular—other districts in New Zealand were going to be treated in the same way. ; Touching upon the Hon. R. M'Kenzie's assertion that Rotorua is "spoon-fed," Mr. ■W. D. S. Macdonald, member for the district, pointed out to a Dominion representative that although the Government has spent one hundred and, fifty thousand pounds in purchasing the township, erecting baths, at Rotorua and -Whaknrewarewa, and supplying water; electric light, and power, and drainage, the conditions of lease at Rotorua were ■ all in 'favour of the State. The lease -was-' a ninety-nine yeai-s' one/and at the end of that -time ■ the State would ncquire the whole of the buildings erected. The lessees would'receive no compensation for buildings or improvements, but they were; compelled under the lease to maintain them in good condition; .If the' settlers had a Glasgow loase, or would receive compensation for improvements, there would be something in the suggestion that they wore being "spoon-fed," but ns it was they were being, no more, than fairly treated. .':■•.