NELSON'S COMING DAY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIII, 12 February 1929, Page 9

NELSON'S COMING DAY

BRIGHT PROSPECTS (To tlio Editor) Sir, —I think Nelson may safely congratulate herself oin her prospects for the present year, and, if all goes well, for several years to come. From a surface viewpoint the mil look was never more encouraging. For a long time now the building trade has been busy. 'Jliis briskness naturally radiates, and oilier trades are busy. The building trade in the near future is likely to he even busier than ever it lias been. More beautiful homes will doubtless he erected, and many big public jobs are now in view and certain to be gone on with. Blanks in our business streets have been filled up with, good modern shops, and more are to quickly follow. With all tlio new shops with their increased competition there are no really serious complaints regarding trade amongst retailors. The Main Trunk line, shamefully delayed for more than 50 years, is to he earnestly pushed on with. Upon that important point we may, I think, repose entire confidence in the present Government and administration, clearly move anxious to givo Nelson her meed of justice than any in power for fully half a century. For this alone it will he lo Nelson’s advantage to support the present Government for all that Nelson is worth. It may be a long time before wo get another so favourably inclined towards us. Our products this year also arc most promising—apples particularly --and provided there are no hitches in the shipping facilities we should have a record year. As to the shipping question we must he continually mi the alert, however. On this question we cannot afford to have even the proverbial “fortv winks,”

And I see no reason why Nelson should not have its fair share of the tourists and the visitors who annually visit our shores. In this, I. am sure, we are by no means fairly treated. The time is coming when Nelson must have its own representative in Wellington and in Auckland, and in perhaps other centres, to see and to insist that Nelson is not shunted off tlio itinerary and told that it is a place where “there is nothing to see.” There is plenty to see here, and visitors will see things that will do them good to recall for tlio rest of their lives. These arc a few of the definite objects actually in our hands now, and for us to push forward. The future holds possibilities as yet undreamed of. _ Some few we may be able to' envisage dimly—Nelson as an airport, for instance. No more suitable spot for an airport can be found in the whole Dominion. Think what that would mean for Nelson. And we have tlio climate and a landing station practically ready and waiting, made for us by Nature, at our very doors, on the Tahuminui flats, with a perfectly straight run out to all the great centres of Australia, without hitch or impediment of any kind. Those who locally govern and control our destinies should be alive to these things, and also alive to the fact that we are living in the swiftly changing times, the potentialities of which, clearly seen and firmly grasped, will he nothing short of enormous. Something more than the building for the mere day is needed. We should build for the unfolding future. Nelson will develop into an important centre, and we must have more elbow room. Thank goodness we are not handicapped in that respect either, because we have thousands upbn thousands of acres in the forefront of tlio town, ready for reclamation. And it is not one moment too' soon to start and seriously tackle that most important and vital question. “What others have done we can do,” and we have not very far to go in order to see what reclamation has clone and is doing for Wellington, for example. In Wellington most of the land lias been reclaimed from a very considerable depth of water. No such conditions rule here. It is all shallow water, and the hills near by are waiting. The City Council and the Harbour Board cannot do everything. Bodies such jis these are the reflection of the people behind them. Citizens as a whole should arouse themselves, and really “wake up” and not shunt all the work and all the responsibility on to the governing powers. “What am I doing?” “Am I helping or am I hindering?” These are questions I cannot shunt on to my neighbour. That would be the altitude of a slacker. —I am, etc., OBSERVER, Nclscn, 9th February.