NEW ZEALAND’S FUTURE

Taranaki Daily News, 8 March 1935, Page 4

NEW ZEALAND’S FUTURE

LINES FOR DEVELOPMENT ITS NEED OF MORE POPULATION. SCENIC BEAUTY APPRECIATED. VISIT OF VISCOUNT CHAPLIN. The design and equipment of the dairy factories in New Zealand and the well organised co-operative system of dairy farming had impressed him considerably, stated Viscount Chaplin, who with Lady Chaplin is making a brief visit to Taranaki, in an interview last evening. He had d’esired for a long time to visit New Zealand, continued Lord Chaplin, but to make even a hurried visit entailed absence from England for over four months, and it was not often possible to arrange. They had spent a most interesting time in North Auckland, and he had been fortunate in catching a 2801 b. striped marlin in the Bay of Islands. A trip to the Poor Knights Islands with Lord Moyne for the purpose of obtaining some tuatara lizards for the London Zoological Society had been quite successful, and he and Lady Chaplin had also visited the Treaty House at Waitangi. On the way from Auckland they had seen the Waitorno Caves and found them unique, and they were looking forward to a visit to North Mount Egmont this morning. The progress of settlement in the districts they had seen was remarkable, continued Lord Chaplin, but it seemed to him that a good deal of the forest had been destroyed needlessly, and he was glad to learn that preservation of the forests and reafforestation were now receiving much more attention. JOURNEY FROM WAITOMO. The journey from io New Plymouth was most interesting; the roads were good, some of the scenery charming, and the farms in Taranaki much more resembled those in England than did the less developed country north of Auckland. Lord Chaplin hoped to inspect one of the large freezing establishments during his stay in the Dominion, as he Recognised the importance of the dairy, meat and wool industries to the Dominion and to the markets in the United Kingdom.. From Wellington Lord and Lady Chaplin are going to the South Island, proceeding from Canterbury to Southland and thence to Lake Manapouri where, if time permits, Lord Chaplin hopes to have some deer and wapiti stalking. He is, however, desirous of seeing as much as possible of the Dominion during the time at his disposal, and may have to restrict the deer-stalk-ing programme. There is in Great Britain a definite; trend towards the Pacific as the best route by which to travel to New Zealand and Australia. After spending a. day or two in California he had reached Auckland four weeks after leaving England and without any long period at sea which, added to the time saved, made the journey more attractive. The proposed air mails from Great Britain to the Dominions should make intercourse between the two countries much more intimate, and he had been most interested to see that the New Zealand Postmaster-General anticipated' an air service might be established in two years’ time. With mails reachingEngland from New Zealand 20 days sooner than at present other travel was almost certain to be stimulated, and it was quite evident that all the authorities concerned were in earnest about the matter. PUKEKURA PARK VISITED. Lord and Lady Chaplin paid a visit to Pukekura Park yesterday, it beipg in Lady Chaplin's opinion one Of the most beautiful parks she had seen. Lord Chaplin is one of the trustees of Trentham Gardens in Staffordshire, formerly the property of the Duke of Sutherland, The Duke had bequeathed the property as public gardens under trusteeship, and part of Lord Chaplin’s stay in New Plymouth had been occupied in choosing from a local nursery some plants to be sent to Trentham, where it was hoped they might form the nucleus of a small “New Zealand” section of those gardens.

In the north they had seen the toheroa canning factory, and. had arranged for samples of the product to be sent to Great Britain where, if properly organised, Viscount Chaplin thought a market for toheroas might be developed. It seemed to him, said Lord Chaplin, that New Zealand had room for a much larger population. That was, of course, a matter for arrangement between the Governments of Great Britain and New Zealand. The time might not be opportune at present, and any plans would need to be carefully thought out. It did seem, however, that with population needed in New Zealand and young people in Great Britain seeking opportunities some arrangements to the advantage of both countries might be possible. He had heard nothing in regard to the increase in Britain’s defence votes beyond what had appeared in the Press, continued Viscount Chaplin. Judging from the reception accorded Mr. Baldwin’s statement a month or two ago it was fairly certain that the White Paper, signed by the Prime Minister, Mr. Ramsay MacDonald, and the increases in the estimates proposed would have the approval of a majority of the people of Great Britain. There was no doubt that by taking the public into its confidence the Government would make its position clearer and would allay the anxiety felt by some lest Britain had gone too far in showing an example in disarmament. Unfortunately their stay in Taranaki could only be a very brief one, concluded Lord Chaplin. They hoped to see other parts of the North Island before leaving for England by the Niagara on her next voyage to Canada.