CASUAL COMMENT

Hokitika Guardian, 9 May 1936, Page 2

CASUAL COMMENT

AND SOME OBSERVATIONS.

(By Observer).

The vagaries of the weather appear ijo have, of late, treated the whole Dominion to its respective shares of good and bad. The type meted out here has ranged from the superb downwards, but on the whole this district has enjoyed some very pleasant interludes, and there is evidence of this in the maintenance of feed. Till that severe wind came a week ago, the greeness qf the grass was commented on, but the gale in its intensity blackened, the fortage very generally. The unusual experience may prevent quick recovery, but generally there is a good store of winter feed harvested, further evidence of the better growth of crops in the district. In view of the damage to the growing grass* this bounty of nature may prove an opportune gift with the falling off of the luscious feed. The farmer’s lot promises to be cast in more pleasant places anyhow for this , season, and the next task will be to produce the best articles. Certainly quality should be considered before quality. . : ; .

, faster has passed, but it is interesting to know that the question of a fixed Easter will be under consideration tlijs year. Last year the Vatican bad the. matter brought forward promin-, ently, and is considering the subject under attention, with the limitation that the Vatican should be unlikely to consider a thirteen month year. The League of Nations has a committee set down for next October to ponder over the issue. It is pointed out that in 1930, the year begins on Sunday, January 1. which is deemed an appropriate starting point. , In additipn rto the thirteen month year of 28 days each, a twelve months’ year with quarters is spoken of. In both cases there would be an odd day to comjplefce the year, 1 with an extra day also in leap years. These present some problem it appears, though our Minister of Labour might find a way of disposing of them as statutory holidays. However, a modern reform of the calendar to include a fixed Easter might meet the world re-' quirements, Apparently in this age of chjange and' new order, even the unoffending calendar doing such ’ patient duty is. pot to escape molestation. Doubtless 1 pur travelling farmers wil| be; in the vicinity of Riverton - in l the * course- Pf their itinerary. Riverton is to celebrate its centenary next .January, though" some sqy - the centenary date, is ;almpst three ye.ars past. The prettily-situated town afmts Foveahx Straits,, and it • was-there-a whaler, Captain Howell, landed to, relit, and was able tq make friends with the na-> tives, some of whom had been driven’' from the West Coast bv the North Island invaders. Howell’s friendly gestures captivated "the and i ended in the! seaman being given a jjilaori princess to wife. He was spare the making of a choice for . the beautiful Princess Koi Koi Patu, whom he had not seen was selected. The dusky maiden dwelt on an island nearby, an . with - all poipp. ‘ and cpremopy ; -wag brought ashore to meet the bridgegroom. The-young bride was carried by. dusky warriors to a dias where the two met for the. first time. It is recordedCaptain Howell was vastly pleased and proud with his, good fortune for Koi Koi was accounted a very beautiful maiden, and true to type, they lived happily ever afterwards.

I Captain Howell had by this period | become a general favourite and very | popular with the Maori tribe, and in I due course many of his merry men took I Maori .wives. It .was a gala day ifi j Riverton when the marriage was solem- | nised, and the'tribe hailed him as their | chief and. rangatira. He would, how- | ever, have to promise to remain alI ways amongst them, and having mar- [ ried the chieftainness, he received as a ! wedding gift and marriage settlement, . a great gift of territory which, inciud- [ ed Milford Haven, the name applied t [ 'all the lake country in Southland, now j known as Lake Te Anau and. Mana- | pouri. Since this marriage of a century | ago, there has been in Southland t | .‘greatest harmony : between the Maftris I and the dwellers in the- South, It can !r- ’be realised that the anniversary ol | Howell’s coming and landing on th- | extreme south of the island will carry., j considerable importance to the people | of the district, and a very elaborate celebration is to be organised to mark so important a centenary.

In a study of tourist traffic, and ask ing the question who benefits, a writer in a northern paper calculates that in j a normal year 7000 to 10,000 touiists arrive in New Zealand, supplemented by another 2000 who come on sport, theatrical and commercial business. Their average expenditure is set down at £IOO a head, so that over one mil .ion is left in the country, a decent addition to the national income. This money is spread through the c mmun ity. All transport and. accommodation business, people have the opportunity to benefit, and the centres particularly reap ! a harvest. Rnrticul, rly where 3i;ui,sing steamers call, the tradespeople have a harvest in the stocking of th ships with fresh supplies. Subsidiary traders and artisans get their share ii supplies to the transport concerns, and the hotels, etc., where tourists musi lodge. There is a wide ramification ol the disposal of the hew money coming into the country when the position is studied, and it will be found that the sum is divided over and over again as it passes through various hands for services rendered, or supplies provided; Seeing that this monetary circulation is so substantial it is well for districts with scenery or attractions to sell, to be sure that it is kept in the picture so that such localities will not be missed in the tours. There have been occasions when this district, notable for its wealth of scenic territory*

has been positively omitted from important tours by visiting parties. It is not clear really, that the fullest protest is made on that account, and in view o fthe pounds, shillings and pence in the tourist trade, a district like Westland should do more for itself and expect more help from the authorities in attracting an additional share of the traffic. There are parts of New Zealand favoured Specially by Government outlay which ensure more than the lion’s share of the traffic going to the national resorts. In such cases the authorities have made a business of it and are helping themselves first. But where private enterprise i s doing its part it is entitled to a share of the result of the public expenditure, and for that participation Westland should strive persistently and more determinedly than in the past.