The Southland Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Luceo Non Uro. FRIDAY, MAY 23, 1930. MORE ACTION NEEDED

Southland Times, Issue 21090, 23 May 1930, Page 6

The Southland Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Luceo Non Uro. FRIDAY, MAY 23, 1930. MORE ACTION NEEDED

Mr Perrelle’s telegram to the Mayor of Invercargill does not clear up the uncertainty in connection with the Pebbly Hills afforestation work, and the reference to Mr Taverner’s statement in Dunedin leaves the public in doubt still as to the area to be planted this year. Mr Perrelle has informed the Mayor that the area to be planted is as much as can be undertaken this year, but the plan so far adopted is to limit operations to one thousand acres, and this, we are assured, will provide work for a fair sized gang for about three weeks. Surely all this effort for such a short period is absurd, especially when the supplies of young trees are available, and the cost of supervision will be only very little more, if they are greater, for a programme embracing the whole of the six thousand acres. If a thousand acres is taken in hand each year, the cost of planting the Pebbly Hills area will be greatly increased, and the Government’s aim is economy, not unnecessary expenditure. Another point to be considered is that the Government is pressing forward with this Pebbly Hills project this year partly because it will be able to give relief to unemployed men, but if these men are to be taken out to this work for three weeks only they will obtain very little in the way of relief, and the Department will secure a proportionately poor return for its outlay. The protest made by the Mayor of Invercargill has provoked this reply from the Minister of Internal Affairs, but actually it has not procured much more information than was available before Mr Campbell spoke earlier in the week. Mr Perrelle has given an assurance that preference will not be given to Dunedin unemployed to the exclusion of Southland men looking for work, but it must not be taken ’from this that Mr Campbell had no good grounds for his statement. Actually the information on which this protest was based was decidedly disturbing, and though the local representatives of the administration will not furnish details it is tolerably clear that the protest was urgently needed. It is also clear that Mr Taverner’s idea was limited to one thousand acres for this year, and if that area is enlarged it will be as a result of the protests made from this end. Mr Taverner should furnish a frank statement of the position to the public, and we think the Southland League should interest itself in this matter with the object of seeing that the Pebbly Hills scheme is not saddled with unnecessary expense as a result of uneconomical methods being followed by the Government. This is an opportunity for the Southland League, and we feel sure it will have the support of the whole province in any endeavour to prevent the Government from making the mistake of limiting its operations to one thousand acres this year. So far the League has not displayed activity in support of the Mayor of Invercargill. Why 1