THE COMING SESSION

Otago Witness, Issue 3523, 20 September 1921, Page 6

THE COMING SESSION

OTAGO'S REQUIREMENTS. Following the custom of the last few years representatives of the Utago Expansion League, Dunedin City Corporation, C'hamb r of Commerce, and On go Motor Club ltiei local members of Parliament on the 12th 10 discuss the requiicments of the province in view of the coining session. Mr t.'has. Todd (president of the league) pitsided. ihe district representatives present wore Vo--.- J, Horn, C. E. Stuthum, T. K. Sides-, E. Kellett, and J. M. Dicksons. lIYI )RO-ELECTIUC LEYELOPMEXT. Ine first subject dealt with was hydroelectric qe\ tlopmeiit, which was in the hands of Mr I odd. Nil' Todd said that, if Otago had Canada's proportion of one horse-power to every five of the population, they would have 30,000 horse-power developed instead cf LOGO. J here was a long way to catch up. He asked members to place liydro-cie-rric development before unv other public works. FORESTRY SCHOOL'S LOCATION. , S.r George Fenwick spoke in support of toe proposed establishment of a School of Forestry' .at Canterbury College. Ho urged members to look on the matter from a dominion view-point and to do their best to nave the recommendation of the Commissioner carried out. ARTERIAL ROADS. Cr John Wilson was entrusted with broaching the question of arterial roads, lie conn uded that it was the pleasure-seek-ing cars that were doing most of 1 lie damage to the arterial reads. He trusted that the legislators would see that some measure of relief was given, and that it would be made possible for the arterial roads to be put into thorough up-to-date order. Mr W. Wright, representing the Otago Motor Club, said that good roads were indissolubly bound up with motor traffic. In New Zealand the people were just, waking up to the importance of the arterial road, 'i he road was the feeder of the railways, 'i he railways could only carry away what was landed at the s nation*—goods and passengers—and the better the road the more there was for the trains* to carry. The ’’good road movement” and the motor combined were solving to a certain extent the congestion in the cities. Good roads increased the productivity of the land, Hinging the land on the margin of cultivation into cultivation. RAILNYA Y CONSTRUCTION. Mr G. J. Errington was entrusted with the subject of railway- construction. He mentions the case of the Roxburgh Railway. saying that a letter had come to Dunedin in which it was stated that- if there was any cut in railway work this one would be the first to be stopped. The league asked the parliamentary reprs seutatives to keep an eye on the position and press the Government to keep the railway going. It: meant everything to the fruit industry. Those who had gone into the industry had mostly gone under a promise that the railway would be on the spot bj' the time their trees had grown. Another matter he would like to mention was the Tapanui branch railway, the service on which had been restricted so that now it took three day's to make the trip to town and return instead of the whole trip occupying a single day as previously. Mr Errington also asked the member® to keep an eye on the Kingston railway with regard to excursion fares so that people would not have to stay in Invercargill on the way to Dunedin as was the case on the occasion of the South African football matches in Dunedin. TOURIST RESORTS. Mr W. B. Steel, secretary of the Expansion League, spoke briefly about the tourist Hacks in the Sounds district. Ho suggested as an alternative route to Milford from YYakatipu going up the Dart Valley, through the Routeburn, and down the Cleddau Valley into Milford. This would provide a round trip of unparalleled view, and one which he thoughts would not be surpassed anywhere in the world. They knew the money available for tourist purposes would be small, but they had the promise of Mr Nosworthy that whatever the amount was it would be evenly spent on the two islands. He hoped members would see that this promise was kept, because in the past the tourist resorts of Otago had been starved. The Milford track had been allowed to fall into such a state that it had become almost impassable, and it had taken a long time to get it into nearly the condition that it should be. Another suggested track was from the west arm of Lake Manapouri to Deep Cove and Smith’s Sound. This could bo opened without cast-to the department, because a private individual was prepared to open, the track, conduct tourists over it, and put a launch on the Sound which would give tourists the benefit of 70 miles of sheltered water, on condition that he was allowed to rent the track from the department for a few years to recoup himself for his expense. The fee would not exceed that for the Milford track, so there would be 110 chance of exploitation. Seeing that the department had not any money with which to open new tracks, it should encourage private enterprise to open up the scenic wonders of which we were all so proud. TAXATION OF COMPANIES. Mr C. S. Owen, president of the Chamber of Commerce, dealt with the subject of the taxation of companies. This, he said, had a far greater bearing on the general prosperity of the country than was commonly recognised. 'I be land and income tax could not be increased from £1.321.722 in 1914 to £7.927,668 in 1920 without disastrous effects and without eventually strangling the market. GOVERNMENT TRADING. Government trading was discussed by Mr T. Somerville, who urged members to consider the whole subject, seriously and endeavour to find out what, the position was. As agreeiT upon at the beginning cf tho meeting the replies of representatives were taken in private. ——■ ' .. --a