AKITIO COUNTY.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 2937, 14 March 1922, Page 2

AKITIO COUNTY.

A POLITICAL FAREWELL. ADDRESS BY AIR A. AIcNICOL, ! AI.P. One of the largest picnic gatherings in the history of the Coast district was held at Waione on Friday last. Beautiful weather -prevailed and settlers were present in large numbers from aM the surrounding districts. Among the visitors was the member for the district, Air A. AlcNicol, AI.P.*, who took advantage of the opportunity to say farewell to. the electors of the Akitio county who had been transferred by tile North Island Representation Commissioners into the Alasterton electorate. Speaking * price to presenting the prizes to the school children, Air AlcNicol said desired to bid farewell to the people of the district, although he would remain tlieir member until the dissolution of Parliament at the end of this year. He knew that the people of the country were opposed to being severed from the Pahiatua, electorate, and personally lie deeply regretted tlie, step that had been taken. He had bc?come greatly interested in the problems of the back country on the Coast, and lie realised that its development was essential to the prosperity of Dannevirke and Pahiatua. The whole community of interest of the Coast, lay with these two centres, and not with Alasterton. He did not, of course, know who would! be member for Pahiatua after The next general election. That was for The people to decide, but whoever represented the seat he would be failing in his duty] he did not take an interest in tlie back country. Continuing, Air AlcNicol said that probably the question of most political interest to farmers was the meat pool. At the time the Government took up this scheme, "the outlook for the sheep farmers was next door to desperate, and there was no indication of anything being done to improve matters. The meat companies were advising the farmers to sell at impos- I sible prices, because the market was I expected to fall even lower. There was no use looking at a. position like that. The Government lia.d to do something, and so the pool was for- I undated. Objections had been taken to the pool, because) it was sa'id it meant State control, but the administration was in hands of a producers’ board. Air AlcNicol paid a high tribute to the gentlemen who had been elected to the board, and said they werci men who could bo fully relied upon to study the best interests of the producers. The principle of the pool was sound because it enabled the producer to get in closer touch with the consumer and farmers were being

given an opportunity to control their own affairs. The outlook for our products was under and would improve as the nations of Europe gradually recovered irofm The terrible cMsor-j ganisation of war. The Customs Tariff •which w:a<s one of the great achievements of the present .Parliament was framed so as to as far as possible foster our local industries and if we •ecuhi create a maiiufacturing\ population in New Zealand farmers would lmvci a market in tlieir own country. Touching on. the question of depression Air AlcNicol sard that one of its effects was the position in which it placed .some of the pioneer settlers of the country. There were men and women in the Coast district who had endured a.’l the hardships of pioneer ing (w ork and by grit and deterimination ha.df won through to an alssured positioni in life. These, early settlers ha.d reached .an age in life when they were fairly entitled to Took hack with contentment over their years of toil. 1 nlortimately the financial crisis liail largely robbed them of their reward, but when one saw the way in which

men and w'omcn in the hack country it was impossible not to bo proud of the isettler.s of the Dominion. After nil they had a great country in Now* Zealand and they were part of a great Empire. Air Al -Xicol said that would probably be the last occasion on which he would address the YVaione and other settlers in the district as their member and he could on 1 y re gretf ull y wisi i 11 icon fa rev el 1.

Mr AlcNi'ool then presented the piize-s to the (.school children, each receiving a handsome book, and at the conclusion of the ceremony lie was cheered.