OTAGO EXPANSION LEAGUE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21992, 29 June 1933, Page 2

OTAGO EXPANSION LEAGUE

MEETING OF EXECUTIVE The Executive Committee of the Otagb Expansion League met'on Tuesday evening, the president (Mr G. J. Erringtou) presiding Members present were: Messrs H. M'Dowall Smith, H. M. Mackay, E. Tamblyn, A..R. Ellis, F. Finlayson, G. Newey, S. B. Crawford, D. A. Bell, J. Inglis Wright, and the Rev. W. H. Roberts. The president welcomed Mr D. A. Bell, representative of the Borough Council of Port Chalmers, to a seat on the executive.

Amongst the correspondence dealt with was a letter from South Africa. The writer gratefully acknowledged receipt of the information, and stated his decision to remain in Africa for a while longer until there were rosier prospects for his coming to New Zealand. In connection with the Boys' Agricultural Club movement which at present was seriously handicapped owing to the withdrawal of the departmental support, a report was furnished by the secretary, and correspondence was received from various interested parties, including the Governor-General, complimentary, promising support in any mariner in which it might be serviceable for the continued extension of the work. The action taken by the secretary and the president was approved. •'' Some months ago a suggestion was made to the league that an opportunity might be taken by the presence of so much relief labour to create a roadway or drive along the crest of the seaward sandhills of Ocean Beach. This suggestion was forwarded to the Ocean Beach Domain Board, the controlling authority, for its consideration. The league has now been notified that such an action could not be undertaken by the board, as it deemed it unwise to in any way disturb the formation of the sandhills on. the outer fringe of the Domain, as that was the natural protection for the beach.

Correspondence was received from the Port Chalmers Progress League on the subject of the continuance of the duplication of the harbour-side railway from St. Leonards to Sawyers' Bay. This work, which had been advocated by the league for the last 12 years, and a portion of which had been successfully carried out, was again considered by the executive. It was resolved to'reopen the question with the authorities, especially the Unemploy-' ment Board as the strongest claim for the prosecution of this work at the present moment was that it would provide a suitable form of labour for married men in the city, and avoid sending them to camps in the country, as at present proposed. The work was one of national importance, being the improvement of the main trunk line in the South Island, and its handiness to the city would remove all objections with regard to absence from home of married men. The precedent for this proposal was that the Railways Board was at present employing relief men further up the. line in flattening curves and removing slips beyond Puketeraki. It was decided that the executive take the matter up, and that representations be made in the, proper quarters. An interesting letter was received from Mr J. E. MacManus with suggestions for the establishment of a direct line of shipping between the Dominion and Queensland. The matter was brought by Mr MacManus under the notice of the Queensland authorities, and newspaper extracts setting forth the views of the Minister in charge of the department in Queensland were attached to the letter. While the executive was keenly anxious to see every possible connection with the outer world established with the Dominion it felt that at present the question of return cargo would be a most effective bar to the success of such_ a proposition. When the question of tariff barriers was settled and the possibility of an interchanging of commodities between Australia and New Zealand was more reasonable, it was stated that the question might again be brought to the forefront, but in the meantime the executive regretted that it could not press for what it felt would be an impossibility. The question of the re-commencement of operations on the Haast Pass road was brought up by the president and it was decided that representations be again made in this connection. The executive noted with pleasure the activities of the Otago Motor Club and the proposal to submit the matter to Mr A. Hamilton during his visit to Dunedin. It was stated that the necessity for this connection between Otago and South Westland had been pressed on many occasions, and recently the road was extended from Hawea Flat to Makarora. The road over the pass had been declared by the late

cngineer-in-chief, Public Works Department (Mr F. W. Furkert), to offer no engineering difficulties and the valuable agricultural atld pastoral land in South Westland which would thereby be brought into touch wi|h Otago was of great extent. Hopes were entertained that this also might be ;;§dded to the . works, to be. undertaken for*the common good. The burning question of the Post Office was again brought under the notice of the public by correspondence, which had already been published between the secretary of the league and the ActingPrime Minister (Mr.J. 6. Coates), This matter would form the subject of a strong deputation ,to the Minister of Employment (Mr «A. Hamilton) during his visit to Dunedin next week, and it was resolved that the representatives of the league should wait upon the Mayor (the Rev. E. T. Cox) and invite him to head the deputation in a similar manner to that in which his predecessor (Mr. R. S. Black) did when approaching" the Prime Minister last year. It was stated that Mr Hamilton was associated with the Prime Minister on that occasion and had joined in the promise then given that this work would take precedence. Mr G. Newey mentioned that a proposal was on foot to hold a youths' arts and crafts exhibition in Dunedin. The proposal elicited expressions of Warm approval. Members pledged themselves to Render every possible assistance to such an object. Mr Newey was asked to report at next meeting on the progress that had 6een made.

The question of the encouragement of a greater of cheese within the # Dominion was considered by the executive on a report handed in which indicated that steps would be taken to enlist public interest and support. The executive considered that the movement was one of great merit, and trusted that it would be taken up heartily by every section of the community, It was also pleased to learn that the standardisation method which had been recently adopted in regard to this important article .of export, had now been abandoned and that factories would once more be able to exert themselves in manufacturing cheese of the highest quality.