Ministerial Visit

Mt Benger Mail, 9 February 1938, Page 3

Ministerial Visit

HON. H. T. ARMSTRONG IN ROXBURGH On, Tuesday Mr H. T. Armstrong (Minister of Labour), paid an official visit to Roxburgh, when he was met by the Mayor (Mr F. A. Laloli) at the Council Chambers. The Mayor in extending a hearty welcome to the Minister on behalf of the Borough Council, stated that Roxburgh is noted for its fruitgrowing and splendid climate; that sheep farming was also very successfully carried: on —top prices being secured for Mt. Benger and Teviot grown wool and fat lambs were sent to market from the Roxburgh East and Dumbarton districts. His visit was greatly appreciated and we were very alive to the importance of his visit as a Minister of the Crown and as Minister of Labour. His major problem was unemployment, but happily under the numerous schemes inaugurated by the Government this had largely been overcome and Roxburgh was cooperating with the Government in using subsidized labor to carry out useful work. He also mentioned that we were a small community but we set ourselves the task of having the very best living conditions it was possible to obtain. Mr H. Henderson welcomed the Minister on behalf of the local branch of the Labour Party and in the course of his remarks referred to the excellent work done by the Minister at Geneva. Mr John Bennetts (Tuapeka County Council) asked for assistance to open up connecting road from the Shelter Shed to the Bush road which the Southland County were constructing through the Waikaia Bush. The road had been already formed from Shingle Creek to the Shelter Shed, a distance of seven miles, but assistance was required to complete it in co-operation with the Southland County a distance of a further seven miles. The road would prove invaluable for stock purposes (there were 10,000 sheep and 1400 cattle , using this road) Mr J. Hainsworth (Ettrick fruitgrowers) asked that the irrigation scheme which had been promised by the previous Government and for which money had been granted in the Estimates be gone on with. Barely enough water was obtainable for drinking purposes and much could be done were irrigation to be applied to the orchards.

Mr Armstrong thanked those present for their warm welcome. He said that it had been a very instructive tour to visit Central Otago. The reason for his tour was to obtain the co-operation of local bodies in solving the unemployment problem. Whilst it had been greatly improved, he said that the Government was still out to assist those men who needed work. He' said he was favourably impressed with the representations and thanked the Borough Council for their co-operation in the unemployment problem. Mr Armstrong later inspected the proposed Ettrick Scheme and then proceeded to Alexandra.