TE AWAMUTU COURIER Printed on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays WEDNESDAY, 3rd NOVEMBER, 1948 THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 77, Issue 6985, 3 November 1948, Page 6

TE AWAMUTU COURIER Printed on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays WEDNESDAY, 3rd NOVEMBER, 1948 THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE

WHEN it was seriously proposed to dismantle and shift one of the Air Store buildings from its present location at Te Awamutu the local and [ public bodies turned instinctively to | Mr Semple in the belief that he of all ' members of the Government would I seek to avoid waste. Admittedly a i conflicting situation had arisen. The ; Air Department had, in terms of pol- ' icy, to establish only one stores depot i in each island, and further floor- > space was needed at selected points, i On the other hand, the establishment ! at Te Awamutu, being on Crown land and thereby not affected by the Government’s pledge to vacate private property which had passed into occupation during the war years, was capable of being given permanency of use as a residue asset preservable from war expenditure. Between the immediate departmental needs and the possibilities of civilian use, Mr I Semple has had to exercise discretion and hold in balance the genuine needs of the country. Fortunately, he is able now to give an assurance that from the basis of war-time establishment there can in due time be permanent development in public or industrial spheres. Actually the existing buildings have approximately one and a half acres of raised concrete floor space, with a stud height that allows of duplication of this floor area for light industries. Placed with" in an industrial area, with water and sewerage and other amenity services, and on the main communication routes with rail-siding access already provided it will require no considerable investment of public capital to effect any change-over to industrial purposes. Mt Semple is already able to state that the building available and about to be declared surplus is allocated to the Railway Department for a transit store., and it is not difficult to see in prospect rail marshalling yards and a distributing centre for bulk commodities by motor transport over a wide area. The part this will play in the distribution of fertiliser alone more than justifies the step the Government is taking. Out of the wastage of war one asset is arising that will aid and expand post-war development in the whole area centring on Te Awamutu—ian area which is everywhere acknowledged to hold in reserve considerable scope for development in both primary and secondary industry. The local and public bodies did not err when they turned to Mr Semple, and in the decision now announced there is evidence of regard not only for immediate problems but in the treatment of such questions there is wisely the recognition of the future with its tasks and responsibilities that lie ahead.