The Taranaki Herald. (DAILY EVENING.) WEDNESDAY, JULY 2, 1913. THE GREAT DESIDERATUM.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 144134, 2 July 1913, Page 2

The Taranaki Herald. (DAILY EVENING.) WEDNESDAY, JULY 2, 1913. THE GREAT DESIDERATUM.

“What, in your judgment, is the most important single thing to be done for the general betterment of country life?” This is the last of a series of questions recently addressed to its readers by The Dominion, which has since published a large number of replies received from various parts of the country. These have varied greatly, as perhaps is only natural, though for our part we should if.pne thing to b^-done.

which stands out quite “on its own” as the most important. The replies, however, so far published include better education facilities, more help,’both in the house and on the farm, more workers’ dwellings in the country, better organisation among farmers, a better system of farmers’ finance subdivision of estates, the substitution of music for gardening as a subject for girls to be taught at country schools, cheaper telephones, greater difficulties in the way of land transfer so as to tie people to the land more effectually, the completion of the Strat-ford-Main Trunk railway and the conversion of West Coast Reserves leases (a local opinion of course), “something to remove the deadly monotony of country life,” “plenty of amusement for the young fry,” and better means of communication. If the same question were put to us we should answer it thus: “Roads, more roads, and better roads.” Better educational facilities would be little use without good roads for the children to travel on to school. The subdivision of estates is ineffective unless good roads are simultaneously provided. Hired help will not stay on the farms if it is virtually imprisoned there for half the year on account of the mud. Farmers cannot organise properly if the roads are such that they cannot meet together frequently. Amusement for the young fry cannot he provided unless there are good roads to enable them to attend , social gatherings in the long winter evenings. Dearer land "transfer might prove n double-edged sword, cutting both ways, and deter people from taking up laud in the country if the facilities for retracing their steps were reduced in case the life proved uncongenial. There -s much to he said in favour of cheaper telephones, but infinitely more for better roads. Better finance for farmers would follow better roads, for there is nothing that binders them so much as the cost of transport. We will warrant that nine farmers out of ten, if they were to go carefully into tho matter, would find that they lose more in a year by bad roads than they could save by any possible change in their system of finance. Far and away the greatest leakage in their profits is due to defective roads. Every journey they make themselves, every load of produce they send off their farms, every ton of fertilisers they use, all their stores, etc., have to pay heavy toll oh account of the bad roads. The day has long since passed when a man objected to metalled roads because they necessitated shoeing his horses, but even now it is not generally realised how much is lost by the lack of first-class roads. The aggregate saving to a community that would he effected by the provision of roads good enough for motor traffic would be enormous, but it might appeal more to the individual if he reckoned up the cost of repairs to his vehicles, the extra wear and tear of.his horsaflesli and his gear, and the loss of time entailed in travelling over bad roads in a year. He mav think he cannot afford a first-class road; the fact is that he cannot afford a had one. Country life would he infinitely more pleasant and farming would be a much more profitable occupation if firstclass roads existed. Good roads reduce distances enormously, especially with motor traffic. If the roads were good, children could travel further to school, and larger and more efficient schools would -be possible. The deadly monotony of country life would be relieved more effectually by first-class roads than by any other means, because the people would he able to pay aud receive frequent visits from their neighbours and friends at a distance. Tho Do-, minion may take it Horn us—as having more than a passing acquaintance with conditions of life in the country—that if it will advocate good roads, more roads, and better roads, and urge ' the Government to pay more attention to this matter, it will do more for New Zealand 'generally and for the country settlers particularly than it can do in any other way.