Settlers Lot Already Improved.

On behalf of the residents of Tutira, Mr. V. Barry, chairman of the Tutira Farmers' Union, extended a welcome to the excursionists. He expressed appreciation to the Department for the wonderful improvement that had been made to the country by the opening of the line. In five years the settlers' costs had been reduced by 500 per cent., and the land was able to take one and a half sheep per acre instead of a sheep to two acres as formerly. In another five years he expected that it would take three sheep per acre. He said that the relative merits of the railway and motor page 27 traffic was a big problem, but as far as providing cheap fertilisers and cheap transport of stock, the railway was, by far, more preferable.

Mr. J. H. Joll, representing the H.B. Farmers' Union, congratulated the Department on the great engineering work that had been achieved, and the way in which many difficulties had been overcome. The line had been wanted for many years, and he hoped that the country would develop rapidly as a result of being opened up.

Mr. Trevor Smith, Public Works Engineer, gave a most interesting survey of the construction work on this interesting section of railway.