CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XII, Issue 1223, 12 June 1919, Page 5

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

KOPAKI'S NEEDS. FACILITIES REQUIRED. The monthly meeting of the Chamber of Commerce was held on Tuesday evening, when tbe following members were present:— Messrs A. L. Stedman (president), Allison, Matthew, Walsh, Lori Ran, McLeod, Lamb, Mostyn Jones, Pine, Morgan, Jredale, Walker, Vauae, Fuller ton, Blackman, Smith, Bodd and Harton (secretary). Mr P. D. Hargreaves, of Kopaki, addressed tbe meeting on the difficulties with which tbe settlers at

Kopaki bad to contend in tbe matter of railway and road facilities. He said tbat Kopaki bad no rosd communication at all with Te Kuiti, and that the only way tbe settlers could get there, apart from tbe railway, was riding, and even then it was only a track. INDIGNATION MEETING.

Last November tbe settlers held an iodignation meeting, at which Mr W. T. Jennings, M.P., was present, and a strongly-worded resolution of protest was sent to the Government, bat without effect. Tbe settlors had tried every possible expedient to get even primitive or temporary lotding facilities, but tbey were utterly discouraged by reluctance of the Government to do anything. When a company with • capital of £2OOO was formed about four years ago to erect yards, it applied for trucking conveniences, and the Government said that if tbe company woold provide th* labour and material it (the Government) woold grant permission to erect the trucking yards. (Mr Walsh: How generous I) The yards were built, and one sale was beld, and then tbe company was ordered to shift the yards, and* as the shareholders could not get proper trucking facilities tbey would not erect first-class sbeep yards, with the result tbat tbe present yards are incapable of accommodating more than one truck load of sbeep. BUYERS DISCOURAGED.

One of tbe most serious drawbacks is thtt buyers will not come to the sates until there are up-to-date yards and proper loading arrangements, and tbe settlers are therefore at great inconvenience obliged to send their stock to Te Haiti, and often enough are compelled, owing to the difficulty of getting the stock back, to take tha best price offering. Tbe speaker said tbat goods were sent to Kopaki by rail twice a week, but as there wsa no goods shed, the goods were left in trucks till called for, and he himself had seen bags of flour and sugar lying in water at the bottom of trucks. Everything that bad been done in making roads and effecting emergency improvements bad been paid for by tbe settlers themselves, and the Government had not even made Kopaki a tablet station, despite the fact that, approximately speaking, tbe value of the goods sent to Kopaki amounted to between £30,000 and £40,000 annually.

GOVERNMENT DELAYS. Mr Bargreaves said that he had seen a letter addressed to Mr W. T. Jennings, M.P., by the Minister for Railways, tbe Hon. Mr Herriee, stating that tbe improvements at Kopaki htd been marked argent, bot in some inexplicable way nothing further was done, and he suspected tbat some subordinate official bad obstructed the arrangements. Six years ago he hid waited on tb« Bon. Mr Fraser relative to the road between Puketutu and Kopaki, and the Minister had said: "Is it not a fact, Mr Bargreaves, tbat this road runs parallel with the railway?" Mr Hargreaves replied that it did. "Very well," ttid Mr Fraser, "we shall do nothing in the matter, as the road would detract from the railway revenue."

Since then tbe sum of £1460 bad been placed oo the Estimates to open op tbe stock track between Puketutu and Kopaki, but, unfortunately, oat of this, provision had to be made for the erection of two bridges over tbe Mokau river, and he considered this sum would bo barely sufficient to erect tbe two bridges, and he urged that the width of the bridges, when they were erected, should be at leant 14ft to provide for future developments, and not 8 feet as proposed.

"GIVE US A TRACK." The settlers had said to the Government, "Well, if you will not give us a road, at least give us a stock track," and there is an early prospect of a stock track being granted. Mr Hargreaves contended tbat it was a reproach to tbe Government that there was no direct road communication between Kopaki and Te Kuiti. and it was preposterous to suggest tbat a paltry

cattle trtck would meet the nerds of the district for any length of

time. A Member: It is the duty of tbe County Council to do this road.

Mr Pine: Yes, I believe it is. I do not tbink the Government accepts the responsibility for making arterial roads.

Mr Hargreaves: It is a matter of indifference to us who mskes it, eo long as it is made, and made soon. KOPAKI NATIVE TENURE. Mr Hargreaves then dealt with tbe question of township sites At Kopaki. He said that on tbe east side of the railway line there was a freehold area, but it was not suitable for a township site, whilst on the other side there were about 40 acres which were ideally suitable for building purposes, but which, unfortunately, were native tenure. A post office and other public buildings were sadly needed, and therefore he would suggest that the Government should purchase this native land now, ratber than wait several years, and then be compelled to pay many times tbe present price. Every yard of metalling was being done by tbe settlers, and tbe Government was not spending a sixpence, and the natives were merely sitting tight and, as in Te Koiti, reaping tbe substantial indirect bene6ts of the labour, expeuditure, and enterprise of tbe settlers. It is another glaring instance of this wretched "taihoa" policy. Mr Walsb: Wait till we get a oaw Government. The President moved that tbe Chamber write to the Minister for Public Works urging that a road be constructed immediately between Te Kuiti and Kopaki, and that the settlers be given reasonable tracking and yarding facilities. Mr Stedman added that Kopaki was the largest settlement between Te Kuiti and Taumarunui, and the requests were only reasonable. This was seconded by Mr Mostyn Jones, who said it seemed utterly absurd that Kopaki should be isolated by road from its natural centre.

The motion was carried unanimously.