THE MAIN TRUNK.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 129, 30 May 1908, Page 5

THE MAIN TRUNK.

i- COURAGEOUS SETTLERS. TOILERS IN DISCOMFORT. » ♦eiT interesting story of * trip through the Main Trunk line; and some good comparisons with other lands 01 the country seen, were given a "Star" representative to-day by Mr. C. E. Major, M.P., for Hawera; who arrived in Auckland via the almost completed new route last evening. Mr. Major, made the purpose of "seeing r what the country was like, as questions affecting the route, and the country it traverses, and the places reconnects are to be dealt with during the coming session. Mr. Major was accompanied by Messrs. J. Bull, junr., and F. Cameron, farmers of Rangitikei.. Messrs. Bull and Cameron's opinion at the end of the trip was, thaV notwithstanding the: quantity of fair to medium land; with occasional patches of good land, they were much better served so far as farming pursuits were concerned in their own district. Mr. Major, coming from the centre of what might be accounted the richest pastoral land in the Dominion, was fain to accept the opinion expressed by his companions. Judged, said Mr. Major, from the opportunities yielded to travellers along the route, it appeared that there was very little land, coming under the category of rough or precipitous. — -was mostly land which would carry cattle or sheep. , It was. difficult to estimate the carrying capacity of land without some actual experience of it as a test. The quality of the soil varied greatly. The majority would be classed as moderately good—that was, land capable of carrying, when properly grassed, about two sheep to an acre. There appeared to be good land in some places over which fire had swept, but in many instances this land had not been resown n, Th^ chief facto * which occurred to Mr. Major as a.traveller was the conditions inseparable with any district in the early stages of settlement. Tents, and whares of slab, iron, and rubberoid, were the dwellings, with almost pathetic attempts at an occasional kitchen warden and a. plentiful bestrewing near every habitation of empty tins, betokening that the tillers of the backblocks depend largely for their meats, milk, and other eatablee on preserves. The impression is borne in upon the traveller's mind that in all human affairs the beginnings are in poverty and discomfort. In some directions the conditions are, to say the least, squalid. A pleasing feature was the bright, healthy and intelligent children, who boarded the train at "the various stages for the purpose of reaching the public schools. This helped to dis° count any unfavourable impression that , had been formed regarding the surroundings in which their parents»were struggling to carve out homes. Taranaki, in it 3 pre-dairying days, was to a certain extent in a like condition to the settlements along tb_»*£ain Trunk line, but that state had been passed' so far as the province of dairying was concerned, end the era of prosperity- and plenty was assured. There was no reason to doubt thSt in another decade the present conditions along the lino will have changed considerably for the better, and in twice that time all the present almost pathetic attempts at making provision to live housed from the weather in makeshift dwellings will be obliterated, and the good homesteads, plantations, orchards, and fences one sees during the 250 miles' train ride from Wellington to New Plymouth will be in evidence from Taihape to this city. The traveller, of whatever race, must be impressed with the courage which the people of this Dominion are possessed of, and the skill of their engineers in undertaking a work that, compared with the population behind it, could only be expressed in the term "colossal." The many huge viaducts and tunnels, and the great physical difficulties which have been overcome, could not but help appealing to the mind of every reflective traveller. Although there are vast areas of bush with millions of feet of good milling timber' along the line, New Zealand should profit by the experiences of other countries, and leave nothing undone to prevent any wanton destruction of this, one of its most valuable assets. The world's shortage of timber was a question which was occupying the attention of practical economists and their statistics upon the quantity available, and the rate of its consumption should prove an object lesson to our legislators. There were some who were of the opinion that, on account of its attractions- for tourists, and the fact that it enabled people to reach Auckland from Southern parts without undertaking the West Coast sea trip, the completion of the Main Trunk line would interfere much with the traffic returns of the Wanganui-New Plymouth section of railway. Mr. Major is, however, of opinion that if the new line does affect the other at all, it will be inappreciable, and that after a year or two the normal will be regained both as regards passengers and produce, the steady increase in population in Taranaki being his warrant for this assumption. In the opinion of Mr. Major and his two companions, the construction of the line will give great impetus to the settlement of land that would otherwise have lain unproductive for many years. They considered that Auckland would get the bulk of the trade from north of Ohakune, and that all trade south of that point would gravitate to Wellington. It was the good fortune of the trio ' to witness the putting into position of the last girder, of the Makotote viaduct, the coach pulling up to give the passen- \ gers an opportunity of viewing this in- . teresting and almost historic event.