FROM TARANAKI

Southland Times, Issue 20788, 31 May 1929, Page 8

FROM TARANAKI

PARTY OF FARMERS ARRIVAL BY SPECIAL TRAIN BRIEF VISIT ARRANGED Travelling by special train a large party of South laranaki iarmers, who are on the early stages of a tour of • the south island organized by the Railway Department, in conjunction with the farmers Union, arrived in Invercargill at 10 o’clock last night. The party numbers 170 excursionists, including 3'J ladies. Many of the visitors are at present on their first trip to the booth Island and comparatively few have previously visited Souuiiand. Ihey are an, tneretore, Keenly interested to see as much as possible ot tne southern portion of the Dominion in the short time available for them. The present excursion will extend over a fortnight and will include necessarily brief visits io Southland, Otago, and Canterbury. The party will remain in bout maud until to-morrow afternoon. To-day will be occupied by a motor lour of the Western District, and tne visitors will be the guests at a social function arranged m their non. our this evening. the party will leave Invercargill eany to-morrow morning to inspect tno Eastern District before leaving bore in the afternoon for Dunedin. From the Dairying District. The party is thoroughly representative of the tanning community of bouth laranaki, which comprises a large dairying district from which is produced a large proportion of the dairy produce exported irom lhe Dominion. Hawera is the urban centre of the district and is- a flourishing town of from 5,000 lo 6,090 population. ■ Other smaller towns in the district are* Palea, Manaia, Opunakc, Eltham and Kaponga. There is also a small contingent from North Taranaki. Taranaki is considered to bear more resemblance to bout bland than any other portion of the North Island, and the visitors arc, therefore, particularly anxious to inspect and confirm this view. Leaving Hawera at about ten o’clock on Wednesday morning, the excursionists travelled by tram lo Wellington and connected with the ferry steamer Wahiuc. A fair crossing was experienced, although some of the visitors were unfortunate enough lo suffer the trials of sea-sickness. At Lyttleton fhe special train, which will be. occupied by the visitors during their tour of the South Island, was boarded, and after breakfast at Christchurch the long' southward'journey was commenced. The travellers were much impressed with the evidence of heavy cropping seen in Canterbury. At various stations en route, lhe party was welcohied by prominent banners’ Union officials and the visitors were most enthusiastic with the cordial receptions extended. After tea at Dunedin, the remainder of the journey was made in darkness. The arrival at Invercargill was the end of 600 miles of railway journey occupying two days, as well as the ferry steamer. Ihey were, however, a happy crowd and the holiday spirit pervaded the party. . . . The excursion is under the direction of Mr J. Pringle, commercial agent of the Railway Department for the North Island. Mr C. E. Barnes, commercial agent for the .South Island, joined the party at Christchurch and will accompany the visitors for the remainder of the journey. Mr E. K. Cameron, secretary of the South laranaki Executive of the Farmers’ Union, is acting as secretary. Among the travellers are Mr E. J. Betts, president of the South Taranaki Executive, and Mrs Betts, Mr W. E. Carter, vice-president, and Mrs Carter, president of the women’s division. To-day's Programme. Cars, which have been kindly made available by Invercargill and country residents and business firms, will assemble at the Crescent at nine o'clock this morning, and the visiting farmers will be taken on a tour of the Western District. The trip is scheduled to commence at 9.30, and the route lo be taken is left optional to the drivers of the cars who will visit various points of interest and typical farms in the district. The party will assemble for lunch at Otautau at one o'clock, after which the journey will be resumed, again at the discretion of the drivers, and the party is due to return to Invercargill about six o’clock. In drawing up the programme of entertainment, the local committee considered that an optional scheme would be preferable for the tour in order that the visiting farmers might have more opportunity of visiting individual farms and viewing the general aspect of the countryside than if a set route were followed. This evening, the visitors will be entertained at the Victoria Hall. They will be welcomed by the Mayor of Invercargill (Mr J. D. Campbell), fhe provincial president of the Farmers’ Union (Mr R. Sim) and other speakers. The entertainment will take the form of a social and conversazione. To-morrow, the party will leave Invercargill by train on the return north. A portion of the visitors will leave the train at Edendale, where they will be met by farmers resident in the district who will take their guests to their farms. After lunch they will be taken by their hosts to Gore, where they will join the remainder of the party who, having proceeded to Gore by train, will have been met by farmers of that district and similarly entertained. The visitors will leave Gore at 2.30 o’clock in the afternoon for Dunedin.