NORTH AUCKLAND.

Hokitika Guardian, 20 January 1917, Page 3

NORTH AUCKLAND.

The Parliamentary Tour Warkworth, Jan 16 The much advein’sed Norihai Auckland parliamentary • tour oom meoced to-day, when a party totftllin) 125 left Devon port in mo ! or care One ot the principal purposes of sh tour is to educate member* of P.irlia ment concerning the needß of tb wintorleas north in the way of. roadi and bridges, but the southern repre eentation is numerically poor, the Hoi D. Baddo coming from Canterbrry Mr Field from Nelson, Messrs Dicksoi and Statham from Dunedip and Mess: Anderson and Malcolm from the fa south. The Speaker cf the House o Representatives is one of tbe distic guisbed guests, and the Hon A. M Myers represents tbe Ministry. The first day’s trip went as far ai Warkworth, a prosperous seulemenl at the head of one of the numerous iulets of Hauraki Gulf. The forty-mile trio involved stops at various townships, where the hospitality of tbe prople was unbounded. So far the journey has revealed a great variety of country, but the outstanding fact seems to be that it is badly under-stocked. Warkworth, which is the seat of government of Rodney Coanty, furnished the mein item on . the programme of tbo day's functions, for the visitors were entertained at a veritable banqaet in the Town Hall. Warkworth, by the way, extended a piotorial welcome “from the Poor North,” but really the poverty esen so far oa tour ha? been of a ebaraoter to make some supposedly tich districts envious.

At the evening function the Hon A. M. Myers made a little speeoh of thanks for tbe hospitality of tbe people, in the course of which ha skirted round tbe edge of the public works question. He said thai during tbe past five years tbe exoeud’tura on public worke, apart from rad way construction, was £2,100,000 in tbe North Island and £1,2-32,000 in thi South, but tho latter figure included £469,000 on ths Odra Tunnel. Tbe expenditure on railway constructor! in ths same period was £2,092,000 iu the North and £1,232,000 iu the South, Mr Myers evidently fchongat that the expenditure on fcha O i:a tunnel needed justification to northerners, for he went on to say that it would not have been good business to stop the supply of money after so much have been spent, even though the tunnel was absorbing money which might have been spent in the North. However, he added that after the war the North would have a claim to a larger proportion. He mentioned tbe earning capacity of tbe northern railways as warrant for the prophecy.

The southern metnbars of the touring party, including Messrs Goorge Jameson and J. A. Frostick, of Christchurch, express as being dedghfed with thefirsi day’a experiences, and indeed, that is the sentiment of every macaber of iha party. Mr Baddo, who was one of the speakers tc-aight, had made the round trip a doze-i years agi, a.ud was able to talk quite as one of the authorities on the roadless and winterlaas north. Whangarei, Jan 17

The Parliamentary iour of the North Island reached Whangarei to-night, after an eDjoj-able ran through gome impressive country. of the features of the day’s journey wag the trip through the long, beautifnl Waipa Gorge. At each townahip members of local bodies made the inevitable and invariable requests for belter means of communication. The Main North Road, upon which the settlors chiefly depend, has long stretches of clay surface and there wa3 abundant evidence of the serious effects of wet weather on the transport problem. However, the tourists, so far, have enjoyed delightful weather. The hospitality of the settlers and townsfolk is very lavi-sb, nothing being left undone by the promoters that would make for the comfort and pleasure of the guests. The principal centre visited 10-day was Watpa, established sixty years ago by Scots from Nova Scotia. Tbe district has a little railway problem of its own, which was disoussed for tbe information of the politicians. To morrow will be epent in excurB : ons around Whargarei Harbour.