MINISTERS PRAISED AT WESTPORT

Southland Times, Issue 23680, 1 December 1938, Page 6

MINISTERS PRAISED AT WESTPORT

MR SEMPLE AND MR WEBB ON VISIT (United Press Association) WESTPORT, November 30. The Minister of Public Works (the Hon. R. Semple) and the Minister of Mines (the Hon. P. C. Webb), who;are visiting the Buller district, were guests at a representative gathering of citizens and members of local bodies at a smoke concert at Westport tonight. The Mayor (Mr J. Kilkenny), who presided, said Mr Webb started Westport on the road to progress and had turned a down-trodden community ihto a prosperous one, with a great future. Praising Mr Semple, the Mayor said he was the greatest Minister of Public Works the Dominion had had. Mr Webb commented on the land development schemes in the Buller district, which were proving successful, he said, and the Pakihi land experiments which had produced great results. The prosperous state of the coal-mining industry, not only in the Buller, hut other districts, was also commented bn by the Minister. Mr Semple spoke of the use of machinery for developing farm lands and the big experiment to be made in February at Westport. He predicted successful results and great benefits for farmers who had big areas of land to clear.

The Minister praised the Public Works engineers in New Zealand as the best in the world.

The Minister inspected the WestportInangahua railway and other works and the Pakihi land development areas.