WHANGAMOMONA.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13662, 28 March 1908, Page 8

WHANGAMOMONA.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) March 26. — The settlers held a picnic and sports gathering here on St. Patrick's Day. It was a great success. The committee worked hard to give a good day's outing. In the evening a dance was held in tho Kohuratahi Hall, which was one of tho best over seen here.

Mr Connett gave a very business-like address on the Harbour Bill in New Plymouth, and dipped into ancient history. In doing so he brought to light a phase of the question that does not seem to have been understood — that is, by the Harbour Board Endowment Act passed" in 1875, Constituting a Harbour Board and endowing it with a quarter of the land revenue. If 'the present loan were wiped out, what would become of this .quarter of the land revenue? I presume it would go into the consolidated revenue. That being so, Taranaki's sbar© would be small; on the other hand, if the proposed loan is carried, in a few years' time the quarter of the land revenue would be such that it wonH almost pay interest on £250,000 for years after. One has only to look at the map of Taranaki and see the enormous amount of land still idle, which on« account of the demand must come iftttf'the' market wtyh- 1 in a. yeary few years. So tne prospects are very rosy for a] good %arbonr 4nd no harbour rate, which mus* be greatly to the interests of every 1 ratepayer in this province. '•-•',» Tho settlers on -. the' Mangaere Road are complaining bitterly of the want of^access to their foldings. Some of these people felled and grassed last year, and now cannot get either cattle or sheejp to' their ctearings. The 'present roading policy, is the very worst any Government could have to make dissatisfied settlers and "kill --land settlement. The Land Boarft'forees 'these people to spend their money arift'time in swaging provisions to clear the bush. ; Thus the settlers -carry -ottt their part of the contract, but the Roads Department sadly fails in its part — in giving access. The result is that the land 13 depreciating through not being eaten off, and capital wasted. If we could only get a Minister for Lands that understood back country bush settlement, things might be different.