CONGRATULATIONS

Greymouth Evening Star, 21 December 1934, Page 15

CONGRATULATIONS

The Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes (Prime Minister) has forwarded the following message to the “Star”:—

“On the occasion of the seven-

tieth anniversary of the settlement of the district, I desire to congratulate the people of Hokitika upon the achievements and progress of the district during the past seventy years. '

“The West Coast has always been a substantial contributor to the Dominion’s annual income. The district of Westland is famous for mining, and contains the greatest area of alluvial auriferous ground on the West Coast, The increase in the price of gold in recent years has given a substantial impetus to

the gold-mining industry. Coalmining and timber-milling are other industries of major impor-

( . tance. The quality of the West Coast deposits of coal is well known throughout New Zealand and overseas, while West Coast timbers have also obtained for themselves a well-earned reputation. “With increasing population and closer settlement, greater diversification of industry has taken place, and farming, particularly dairy-farming, is now playing an increasingly important part in the industrial life of the community. With the valuable resources which Westland possesses, further progress and development in the district are assured. “I wish the Jubilee celebrations every success, and trust that the years ahead of us will bring to the people of Hokitika, and of Westland generally, a still greater measure of prosperity than they have experienced in the past.”