MINISTERIAL VISIT

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 20 April 1922, Page 8

MINISTERIAL VISIT

HAWERA RAILWAY STATION

OMONA SETTLELtS

On returning to Hawera from Qpunake yesterday the Hon. J. G. Coatee, Minister for Public Works, visited the I Soldiers' Club, where lie received j several deputations, who were introduced by Mr. E. Dixon, M.P. Mr. Murdoch, president of the Hawera Chamber of Commerce, | brought Before the Minister the desirability of proceeding with the preliminary work in cozinection with the erection of the new Hawera railway station, so as to afford work for the unemployed. He said that the new Hawera station had been promised tor a number of years, and it was felt that the time had arrived when the work should be proceeded with. The Chamber of Commerce could supply the Minister with the names of quite a number of unemployed men who were so situated that they could not go into the back country, and could only accept work near the town. The next -matter he wished to bring before the Minister was the need for erecting a new police station on the site at the bads of the court, releasing the present site for the peace memorial and other public buildings it was proposed to erect. The Minister would be able to see that the ''present police station had exceeded the days of useful service. Mr. Patterson said the U.S.A. wished to have the way clear for the erection of the Peace Memorial, for which the public had subscribed £3000, in addi- ! tion to providing £5000 for the Soldiers' Club. The erection of the memorial was necessary to the completion of their scheme, and they wanted !to have the police station removed so that a start could be made with the ! memorial. Mr. Dixon • said the matter had been before Cabinet, and the Prime Minister j had said that if it was allowed to stand over till March he would see what could be done. Mr. Coates: The idea is to remove the present station and build a new one.

Mr. Duffill (architect) placed the plans of the Peace Memorial before the Minister, and also explained what was intended in the way of erecting municipal buildings, including a town hall. Mr. Coates said the Public Works Department had been authorised to sell the old police station and have plans prepared for a new building, so that the matter was now in hand. 1 T?ie ueputation was supported by Messrs Fletcher, E. H. Harrop, B. McCarthy, and R. Sage. The next deputation consisted of; Messrs Nairn and Robertson, representing a number of Omona settlers who suffered severely from the late cloudburst. The road^ needing attenI tion, was the Whenuakura Valley road, which was stated to be in an injpassable condition. Mr. Nairn said that the settlers had practicaly to crawl to" their holdings. Last year at this time there were six married men with their wives in the distpict. and now only one woman was left, so bad were the conditions. They had to carry their food in on their backs, and were laced with ! great hardships. All the holdings were ' Crown lands, and the settlers would , have to give them up if the Govern- ' ment could not do something for them. ', There had been some expenditure on ! the road, but there were still seven miles needing attention. The Minister said that money could only be found by the department in exceptional circumstances, but the eirj cumstances in this case were exceptional. They had already spent over ■ £2500 on- repairing the Omona flood I damage, and he did not think that they I had been treated badly. The road I about which complaint had been made i should be put right, and the only, question was who should find the money. • He understood that the land was not j very good. i Mr. Nairn: No, but the- settlers have put all they had into it. . - Mr. Hawken said that other ridings . in the Patea County had kept the main , road up to the Patea bridge, and he ••' did not think tne Patea County should be called upon to do more for the , Omona riding. The settlers were right up against it. He was aware that the Government had spent £2575, but he could see no chance of getting further money except through the department. The Minister, in reply, said that the money for the new railway station would have to come out of the railway improvement account, and would be dealt with by the Minister for Railways, and Mr. Guthrie may take a different view to himself on the question of the importance of this work as \ compared with others. Mr. Dixon had ■ already brought the matter before him. No definite answer was given the Omona deputation, but we were afterwards informed by Mr. Hawken, M.P., ' that, after considering the question, the Minister was convinced he was bound to help the settlers, and that the sum lof £500 would be made available at once. It is suggested that the settlers ;b© permitted to do the work on the ' roads.