PARTICULAR PROBLEMS

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4803, 28 June 1939, Page 3

PARTICULAR PROBLEMS

CENTRAL KING COUNTRY. SPECIAL LAND DISTRICT. ROADING AND HOUSING. The need for a special land board district to deal with the particular problems of the central King Country district, both road access to the remoter parts of the area and some consideration of rural districts in the matter of housing provision, were special subjects touched upon by Mr. M. 11. Wilks, president of the Taumarunui Chamber of Commerce, on Saturday on the occasion of the visit to Taumarunui of the delegation arranged by the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. Wilks said that four land board districts converged upon Taumarunui, but no matter how well they were represented on any of those boards they would never have their special problems solved until a central land board district was set up consisting of men who understood the conditions of the district.

The speaker also emphasised the need for better roading- facilities to the outlying areas of the central King Country . They had good main highways both to the north and the south, but to the inland districts communications were not so good and more should be done in that direction for the development of the district and the progress of its industries.

Mr. Wilks also made a plea for something to be done to provide better housing conditions for rural districts. A great deal was being done in town areas but nothing for the country where the need was just as urgent.

Evils of Prohibition

Without desiring to introduce controversial matters the speaker also said that the evils arising from the prohibition of liquor in the KingCountry constituted another problem for the residents who laboured under a great disability compared with those of other districts, as they had no voice in the question of whether there should be liquor licenses in the King Country. He said the time was overdue when that should

be remedied. They looked at the

matter not only from their own personal point of view but from an economic standpoint. There was also the moral point of view for the younger members of the community.

In conclusion, Mr. Wilks raised the question of the need for a revision of the taxation system and the introduction of a comprehensive system of land settlement, which was overdue.

At a later stage in the proceedings Mr. W. A. Sheat, president of the South Taranaki provincial executive of the Farmers’ Union, said he was impressed with the suggestion of the chairman that there should be a new central land board district. He thought other districts would appreciate the point made and not consider it a parochial proposal, and that they would be prepared to give up some portions of their areas to the constitution of a new district if it was going to be for the better development of the central portion of the country. He congratulated the farmers of the district on the fine display of root crops made at the show. If the space was available they could stage an exhibit which would be hard to beat in the whole Dominion.

Drift to Towns

Mr. Sheat also agreed that the money being spent by the Government on its housing scheme could be

better distributed. So far thousands

of houses had been built in cities and provincial towns but not one had been erected in any rural district. ® “That is not the way,” he said, “to arrest the drift of population from the country to the towns.” The speaker also touched upon Mr. Wilks’s reference to roading expenditure. He said that the farmingcommunity had not' received an adequate return or benefits from the public funds spent on roading. The money was not going to give better access in rural areas or to the opening- up of new country, and iT was not giving farmers any relief from the problem of high rates which affected them in aril districts.