WANGANUI’S REGIONAL COUNCIL

Wanganui Chronicle, 16 October 1947, Page 4

WANGANUI’S REGIONAL COUNCIL

'THE selling up of a Regional Council tor the M anganui dis--1 triet. has already resulted in action being initiated in two directions that are of importance: in relation to the breakthrough at the South Spit and a commencement, at bringing deteriorated land back into production. The one is An immediate problem while the other is a longer term problem. It is the duty of a Regional Council to view not a locality but the whole region as one unit. This is'a point of view that is not easily to be developed. Representative men arc appointed to represent particular localities and while localised representation remains in full charge of the field it will be difficult to get rid of local claims and aspirations. Fortunately these have not yet shown themselves in the newly constituted council and it is to be hoped that they will remain absent. The Regional Council is in a favourable position when dealing with such a subject as the South Spit break-through in the M anganui Harbour. The Regional Council is not interested, for intance. to prefer the Harbour Board’s finances as against those of the Marine Department or to shift the burden from one shoulder to another. The problem, when under review at the.eouneil’s mi cling, was revealed as an urgent tas’. and that it is not being attacked with the rigour it demands. Who is responsible for this” The Harbour Board’s resources arc inadequate to the task: the work is not being pushed forward with sufficient s to make an impression upon the problem and unless hick favours the enterprise it may be that the whole of the. work will bn of no avail The situation should be reviewed now and an effort made to speed up the task of reinforcing the Spit. If it be necessary to, have the matter voiced in Parliament it is possible the Leader of the Opposition would be good enough to represent the district on this occasion. . The reclamation of the deteriorated areas will be no simple task. It does not follow that because success will be achieved in one direction the same.methods will result in equal success being attained in another place under different conditions. Each are,, will probably be found to require particular treatment, an experience well known to farmers. Further, in order to bring these lands into production once again it will be necessary to expend considerable sums upon roads and other facilities. Once it can be demonstrated that a certain class of land can be reclaimed <> . an economic basis it will be necessary to review Hie whole area to discover where extensive and comprehensive operations can best be commenced. , It is not o be < xpe ted that the Regional Council will be able to produce quick results Rather Mill it be in a position to coordinate operations within the district and so even out. I ie torque of regional development. If it succeeds in this it will do mueli good, but the future holds promise of a wider sphere of usefulness bring opened to it.