ADVANCE MARLBOROUGH.

Marlborough Express, Volume LIV, Issue 198, 21 August 1920, Page 5

ADVANCE MARLBOROUGH.

CONFERENCE' AT PICTON

UNITY OF ACTION

A conference between the Progress Committee of the Mariborough Chamber of Commerce, the P'icton Oil amber of Commerce, and Colonel G. Mitchell, organiser of the Wellington Central Pirograss League, was iield in the Fdresters' Hail at Pi(.to:i last evening. Mr J. W. jyhirtiiffa (Awatere County Council) was also present.

The objects ol' the conference were to come to some arrangement as between the two Marl borough bodies to enable unity of action in the furtherance of the interests of the province as a whole end to talk over questions of vital importance to the welfare and progress of the district.

Mr C. Peelc, president of the Pieton Chamber,, presided over a, repre-sent-Jitive gathering. The chairman said that; it had been suggested that the two Chambers should join and work as one in their efforts to attain the objects for which they both were working. He welcomed Colonel Mitchell to Picton. The colonel was a wa.vm of tho interests of Marlboro ugh. * He . hoped that r.ll parts oi tho district would pull together. The main topic for discussion was the steamer service. They were met for the purpose of coming to some decision on that subject. They all thought that the service should be a daylight one.

Mr \V. J. Girling &aid there seemed to b& a 'feeling abroad that Blenheim had not been working in the interests of the whole ptoviiice. Ho ~ hoped that the outcome of the meeting would be that that jklea would be exploded. With reference to the proposed steamer . timetable, the Union Company had asked for suggestions and no reply had yet been madie to the company's communication. Tho question had cropped im that the : Progress Committee in' Blenheim had been ■responsible for puttting off the Nelson service. That was not so. They were also working for better accommodation for passengers to Pictcin. The Blenheim" Committee was not responsible for the cutting otit of tho through boat. The company had said that the service to Nelson would be direct when tho direct service to Picton was inaugurated. As regarded the time-table, thsy were of the opinion that the daylight service would be bcGt in the interests of Marlbo rough. If people were- to be encouraged to came. here _ they should be able to see tho beauties at their front door. Many business men wero in the habit of running across to Wellington,, but they did not have sufficient time in Wellington, He suggested that, an arrangement could bo made for cue boat a week to be a night boat, Tho speaker also hoped that something would be clone to the foreshore so as to make it a beauty spot; He trusted that the plans of Mr Buxton would be purchased and the- sche-Tio gone on with. He thought that' the Progress Committee in Blenheim would -assist financiallly and otherwise in that matter. In '.'onneotion with tourist/ aecommodsitio.'i, something should be done "to better the' conditions.. The Blenheim peoplo wcj'o proposing to erect , a hostel in Blenheim to accommodate travellers to Marlboro ugh, and ho hoped that Pieton would do likewise. Ho touched oil the housing probleni, light railways',- and other matters, and explained ithe position of their organiser, Mr Will Lawson. It was nob proposed to held him tightly to Blenheim. They wanted him to travel about tho country They wanted Picton to use'him in any way it could. Blenheim wished to couple up with the Central League in Wellington, and he'hoped that Picton would »ka couple up with that body. He •moved "that tire meeting recommend to tho Union Company that the timetable bo altered to allow the steamers to leave WelHngon .on Mondays and AVednesdays a~t 1.30 p.m., and Fridays at midnight, and to leave Picton on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at 1.30 p.m.' Mr C". W; Pairker seconded the .•naiion. Jt' seemed to him thn^t tho present running of tho trains did not Knit the time-table. Travellers would not ba able to have dinner in Picton. , He . though they should havo" a later train from Picton. .It could veiy easily, be arranged. Mr It. P. l^tirncw &aid he had 'read" a st^tconont that the so-called Blenheim Progress Committee had agitated for «.

tri-weekly service. That was not so. They had always agitated for a daily service, but they accepted the triweakly service on the principle that half a loaf was better than no bread. He thought that the direct connection between Picton Mid Wellington would be of much more benefit to the port than the Nelson service, especially when the}' worked up to^ a, daily service. He thought that the one lato boat a week would prove ysati.sfactory. The ; daylight boats would be of great benefit to those travelling with, families of children. Mr H. J. Mitchell heartily supported the motion. Quite a number of people travelled to C'hristchurch overland, and he threw out r.he suggestion that a daily car to Christchurch could connect w:th the service from Wellington to Picton. By. this iiicans they would tret a ni'ici-i larger traffic, and it would be a great advertisement to the province. Mr Beck said that • Picton was losing a very good [service when Ihey were' closing the call m of the boat on its way to Nelson. They were, after the three daylight services each way. He. thought it could I.© worked in.' PiHon would bo losing quite a lot by giving away one of the daylight trips. Mr R. V. Bythell said they had to consider the womenfolk j.hd the ohild?en. They *vere doing that will two daylight trips. With Ihe commercial portion of the community it was a- question of time, und the midnight boat would suit.

Mr G. Maitland said that Mr Girling had opened lip a new suggestion iii making one of the in'i>s a midnight one. From ,1 business point of view it was a very g<!od suggestion. He was in favor of the motion. Mr Madsen asked wny the time

should be 1.30 from Wellington. He understood that the time would be eleven o'clock.

Mr Beck: "They couldn't work the Cargo."

Mr Madsen said that very often /there was ample time for dinner, but passengers did not know it. If they did know it they Avould l>e very glad to go into the town.

Mr Furnefis suggested approaching the railway department to obtain the concession that the train would leave ar; a specified time after the arrival of tho boat. A placard could b.j j,ut on the gangway notifying the tune of the train leaving for Blenheim. Everybody " then would know the exact time they had to spend in Picton.

Mr Beck said that the crux of the situation was that the beats stio-.JJ airive and leave on schedule time.

Mr Maitland said that they could not blame the- Union Company for the irregular running. With 'the coal they had to put up with they eoulu not possibly run to schedule time.

Mr J. Blizzard said one thing that was overlooked was the waiting at way-side stations for the train. The proper timetable should bo kept, :;nd it the steamer did not arrive hi time a special steamer train should be pvt

Mr C. S. M. Healey suggested that the time of leaving be one o'clock.

Mr Bythell emphasised that what they wanted was a regular service run to schedule time.

Mr Will Lawson suggested that they should consult the Wellington Central League in the matter and get the views of that body.

Mr Girling suggested that the motion if carried could go forward to the Central League, and if it eoi>v cided with the views l of that body it could be sent on to the Union Company.

Colonel Mitchell said that as far as the timetable was concerned the Progress League would support whatever was decided upon as the best thing in the interest of the district.

Mr Beck said that he would like some indication in the motion that they wanted the boats to be run to schedule time.

Mr Bary suggested that if ilio train Mould leave Picton sit seven o'clock on two nights a week it would meet all requirements. If the boat was delayed it would be a, fair tiling for the company to give the passengers their dinner on board.

. Mr Girling felt sure that the rcmpany would not agree to the time of leaving being one o'clock, but he was willing to alter his motion fror^. 3.30 to one o'clock. He liked Mr Bary's •suggestion about the seven o'clock train. He thought that it could be arranged with the Kailway Department. He thought that before long they would get a daily service.' Let them be content in the meantime with the tri-weekly service. He was sorry that they had not heard more from . the, Picton people about 'cm [/timetable, He took it thnfc they all aocjtr^sc-cd in .tl.e &ugg.2sted timetable. He would alter his motion tc j read one o'clock from Wellington on I the daylight trips, and two o'clock from Picton. ;

Mr Parker said that the idea was that the sailings from Picton on Thursdays was to be six o'clock, and Mr Girling said he would make his motion read that way.

Mr Madsen thought that the motion as at first moved would have beon unanimously accepted. They wanted a daylight service from both ends. .. *..

Mr Maitland n greet: with' Mr Madsen. He would support the original motion if the six o'clock proposal were cut out.

x Mr Beck said he *voii!d move an amendment to make the Thursday sailing one o'clock.

Mr Girling then said 'that his committee were willing to waive that portion 'of the motion.

The motion as amended was then declared carried unanimously.

Mr Girling then introduced Colonel Mitchell, who thanked both bodies for the invitation' to be present. He was glad to bo with them and to listen to their desires. He would explain to them the organisation of the Central Progress League in Wellington and what it meant. Some ten months ago a band of progressive men decided that some organisation was necessary to push along the province. Wellington was perhaps the most conservative city in the Dominion. There was not the same local spirit there as they found in other centres. This was due in a large •measure to the fact that the Big House was in Wellington, and people had always looked to Parliament for anything they wanted. .As a result the other centres were walking away from Wellington. A Progress League was therefore set up, embracing all the areas'served by Wellington as the :;hief port. It embraced Marlborough,' Nelson, part of Hurunui, and the whole .area up to Gisborne on one side and New Plymouth on the other* It was proposed to form Chambers of Commerce m all these areas, these chambers to set up local Progress Committees, which in turn would take in local body representation. These Progress Committees would link up with the Central League 'in Wellington, which would thus work through one body that embraced all the local institutions. His League recognised that it could not help Wellington unless it helped to develop the country served by the j-oit. Wellington was just a feeder for the districts it served, and it wsis out to help these districts to develop themselves. He wanted them to concentrate en whatever was necessaay for the welfare and progress of their province, and so get something done by Parliament. The members of Parliament for the areas served by Wellington had united in what was the Parliamentary Committee of the Central Progress Leagues and that meant a solid front in the House to back up their just demands. Of course money was necessary to run the League, but the very first thing tfoe^r • should bear in mind was the necessity for concentration on those things necessary to develop the country, and to keep an at it till something was done. If anything was wanted in Auckland all the people teed the same line. Wellington was nplit up into many factions and nothing was done. He was not parochial, but if there, were 3000 men employed ou public works in the country and

j 2000 of tliem were employed in tho j Auckland province, leaving 1000 for , the rest of the Dominion, there was j something wrong. The truth was that there was the predominant weight in the Ministry from the Auckland province. The speaker said lie wanted the people of Picton to realise that their beautiful harbor did not belong to them alone, but to the whole of she Dominion. The time would come, he felt sure, when the Government would own the steamer service across the Strait. With the Main Trunk Line completed and an up-to-date ferry service Marlboro ugh would boom "along. They should fight for purely local requirements, but should join in with others m the fight for the big things that concerned the whole of the community. He had hoped to have seen a better .service between Wellington : and Picton, and he believed that a ' better service would justify itself. But they would have to get a better i boat than the one h® came over in last night—"not even a place to sit down'—"four hours of agony." They had to take wlnfc the complin v gave them. But that did not say they were satisfied. They should concentrate, their efforts in hammering away for a, better service. If the company did not do it they would have to do it themselves. In reference to the. Nelson cut-out he quite saw the Union Company's point of view. It did not pay for the grease to run the engines. He did not see that they had a just claim to demand that-tho Nelson boat should call in at Ficton.

Colonel -Mitchell then spoke of tho rjanner in which the beautiful -native bush had been destroyed and he threw out suggestions and pleaded for all efforts to be made to stop any further destruction of the beautiful scenery of the Sounds. He did not think that there would be a vote on the Estimates this year for the, Mam Trunk Line. They might get' the £15,000 repeated, and if so it was the duty of the League to see that «i was expended. The Picton and Blenheim people would get monthly reports of the number of men employed and the progress made. If no vote was given it was equally their duty to hammer away and see that it came in the Estimates of the next Parliament. He believed that le<nslation would be brought down this year to give s po\ver to local bodies to construct light railways. They could be easily and quickly constructed, lliey would help settlement, help development, and he the forerunner of the broad gauge. If they waited people to come here they should give them adequate accommodation. He did not know that they had a housing problem here. They had one in Wellington. He then; described''the conditions there as regarded the housing shortage. Everybody had a right to a decent house to live in. Ihe settlement of the land was tho whole basis of progress. Marlborough h\d not held its own in the matter of settlement. There we too many big estates. It was only by having a closely-settled and contented peasantry that they could be assured of internal and- external peace. Jn conclusion the colonel urged them all to sink all local prejudices, realise, the possibilities, and club together to obtain the things that really counted and to join up with other bodies in one continual effort. New Zealand was the mostcontented, happiest, and most Godblessed country in the British Empire to-day.—(Applause). Mr. C. Peek congratulated the speaker on his address, and he said that he could pledge his Chamber to join in and help in everything tending for the good of the province. Dr R. G. Adams said that they should be more energetic in placing wore produce and people on the wharf instead of blackguarding the Union Company. It 'was only by opening up the country that' this could be done. A railway up the Wairau Valley would double the importance of Blenheim. It would not be in any way in opposition to the Main Trunk Line. He would impress upon Picton that they wanted Picton's assistance to help'them to get a connection by road with the West Coast. It would benefit Picton even more than it would Blenheim. They would also have to push for direct communication with Christeburch. By putting a- light railway line up the Wairau Valley they would get within roach of * timber. Light railways would also help in the tutting up of large estates. If they got the West Coast road through the railway would follow. There were no engineering difficulties up the valley for the construction of either a road or railway line. He had been over the route many tiir.?s and knew -it well. He solicited the help of Picten to that end

Mr Girling also bpoke in support of the West Coast road and the Wairau Valley light railway scheme. A meeting would shortly \b© held in Blenheim to form a-' railway board, and the matter wowld bo pushed forward for the common good. Mr Will Lawson expressed his pleasure at being present at this conference of representatives of Wellington, Pieton. and Blenheim. Up till then he had been a sort of connecting link between the; three. It had been his aim to get Blenheim and Pieton 'together in the Onward Marlborough movement. The- spirit iof friendliness shown in discussing tho proposed steamer service showed that tho two/towns were ready to pull together/ So far as Pieton was concerned, the most urgent question was" that of accommodation for residents and visitors. He hoped to see a mcft'C made to have plans of a new hotel prepared. That would be tho first step in the direction in which Blenheim was giving a lead. The money and material to> build would bo found sooner or later.. In regard to housing, Mr La-wf»on %nid he had been surprised to find that' of 266 houses to be built in New Zealand under tli9 Housing .Act of last year not one was being built in Miairlborough. This should not be, and the Progress Committee was taking the matter up in conjunction with the local officer under the housing scheme. Evidently the people did not know of the facilities for obtaining homes which this Act, offered. Mr Law son concluded by saying that ho was looking forward to doing a good deal of useful work in Piciin in connection with organising tho summer tourist traffic in particular.

Mr G. J. Itidde.ll (Mayor of Picton) said lio was glad to ha ye noticed the friendly nature of the meeting of thn two bodies., and lie hoped it would be tivo fvirerunner of solid business in their province. Ho maintained that

Marlboro ugh's centre w.is Wellington, and there would bo an enormous amount of business dan© between Marlborojgh and Wellington when they got the improved ferry service. The South Island Main Trunk Lin© was going to take a long tinie> to bo completed, and they wanted .something at c;nce. They should look to Wellington. In reference to tho foreshore, he could assure.them that the Picton people were alive to what was required, and it would not be* long be tore something was. clone to beautify that portion of Picton. Mr O. W. Parkvr spoke of the conservation of native bush. He mentioned Bottle Bay j;nd Da-vies Bay, An agitation had* bean going on to induce the Government to take these places over. They were a. national asset. Nothing as yet had been done in the matter. The people who owned the land certainly wore not destroying the lovely bush, but they should keep the matter in hand and push it forward at some future time. The price asked for the land was excessive, in his opinion. Mr Girling threw out a suggestion thao accommodation for "housing; visiting motor-cars might bo provided in Pictcn. Of cowsc^ anybody, using the acoonruodatibn would be* willing to pny for it. The Mayor thought it a good idea, but it would cost money.

Mr Tobbell said that Mr Lmio ha<f a, garage that wckilcl- accommodate » dozen cars.

Mr Bythell suggested that launchowners should publish a .schedule of their runnings and' prices, so that the public would have the information whenever they required it. The chairman mo.ved a vote of thanks, to Colonel Mitchell for his. address and to those present for their attendance. Colonel Mitchell replied* -and ono of the most successful meetings ever held in Picton concluded.