THE MARCH OF SETTLEMENT

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 285, 1 December 1910, Page 6

THE MARCH OF SETTLEMENT

FARMING WITHOUT CAPITAL. AN INTERESTING EXPET_MENT. —» OWHANGO, KING COUNTRY. (From Our Own Correspondent.) This portion of the vast anil sparsely populated district, known generally as the "King Country," is rapidly habilitating itself as a settled area. Owhango itself is a recently laid-out township on the Main Trunk line some 18 miles south of Taumarunui, but gives its name to a large adjacent district, the greater portion of which ie within "the North Wa_n_rino Improved Farm Settlement," where, for the first time in the history of land settlement in Maoriland, the trial has been given of not only putting 'landless men .without means on the land (for that has been tried before, notably in the Far North of Auckland, at Motukaraka and Punakatere, in the Hokianga district). But as a new and wholesome departure from what wrecked these at one time healthy settlements, the settlers to whom sections were allotted in the North Wainiarino Improved Farm Settlement (all of whom were landless married men out of permanent employment, and without means), had in the first instance road work given them at the ruling rate of wages, until the bush-falling season started. Then they set-to falling the bush on their respective sections, and for this work, improving, and bringing "into heart" their awn sections, they have been paid at from 22/6 up to 30/----per acre for the scrub and bush-falling alone, thereby, as I have said, establishing a new and most important departure in closer land settlement, a departure to which the name of the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Ward (Minister of Lands) will always be remembered gratefully by the men and their wives and families, to whom he has given the priv_ege of making a home for themselves in this portion of that CirstW—lle ''terra incog," the King Country. And that this scheme of land ■ settlement, most unmistakably ■promises to be a pronounced success, I shall shortly show. And it is to be sincerely that many other blocks of land throughout*this North Island of ours will be thrown open to the deserving working man, poor and landless on the same conditions, for be it understood by the sceptical that the improved farm scheme is in no sense a ■ bolstering and battening-up of the lazy ' nondescript. Not at all. The very essence of the scheme, and what is going to prove and maintain its success now and in the days to come is contained in the short sentence: "No work, th—l no pay." If the settler who takes up his allotment of land under the improved farm scheme won't work to improve it, then the improved farm scheme has no room or place for him. Twelve months ago the sections of land in this North Wainiarino Improved Farm Settlement, to the number of some 125, I think, and ranging from 80 up to 200 acres in extent, were allotted on baJlot to landless married men without capital (i.e., sufficient capital to enable them to go in for land in any of the ordinary land ballots of the Dominion) and out of regular employment. Out of ! these 125 successful balloters, 100 arc ■now on their sections, 40 odd of whom are in Owhango district, the balance bo- | ing at Kaurimu, Kakahi, Piri—ka, and Manunui, all of which are villages along the Main Trunk line. But as I am in Owhango for the next week or two, I shall deal with the settlers here first. At Oio, on block 8, Mr. W. Fitzgerald i owns 198 acres, and has 50 acres felled; whilst his neighbour, Mr. P. Eiynn, who owns 140 odd acres, also has 50 acres felled; their immediate neighbour, Mr. H. Crowhurst, who holds 198 acres, ha 3 .10 acres felled. On block 4, Mr. E. P. Loge holds 134 acres, and also has 30 acres felled. On block 3, Mr. J. W. Brown, who owns 183 acres, has 07 acres felled; his neighbour, Mr. W. Ramsford, who owns 160 acres, has 35 acres felled; Mr. M Anso, on same, block, who ownp 196 acres, has 45 acres felled, and his neighbour, Mr. A. Bringegan, who owns 106 acres, has 35 felled. All of the fore-joint; are on the Kaitiaki block, on the Hunua block. Sub-block 10, Mr. J. O'Donnoll. who owns 130 acres, has 52 acres felled, whilst his immediate neighbour, Mr. C. J. Brown, who owns SS acres, has 50 of these felled; Mr. F. Parker, who owns 150 acres, has 55 of these felled; Mr. B. Hill, who owns 84 acres, has 40 felled; his immediate neighbour, Mr. J. Foy, who owns 100 acres, has 40 of these felled; Mr. "W. E. Flynn, who owns 100 acres, has 51 acres felled; his immediate neighbour, .T. MioLeod, who owns 100 acres, has 40 acres felled; his neighbour Mr. W. Bekey, who owns 100 acres, has 35 acres felled; Mr. B. J. who owns 142' acres, has 30 acres felled; his neighbour, Mr. P. Real, who owns 121 acres, has 50 acres felled; his neighbour, Mr. J. P. Ward, who o-vvns 100 acres, has 50 acres felled; Mr. S. R. Johnston, who owns 100 acres, has 30 acnes felled; his neighbour, Mr. B. Koets, who owns 100 acres, has 40 acres felled; Mri Koets' immediate neighbour, Mr. A. Brown, who owns 100 acres, has 30 acres felled; Mr. H. Wilkinson, who owns 156 acres, has 40 acres felled; Mr. Xaylor, who owns 100 acres, has 50 acres' felled; Mr. P. O'Khe—, who owns 103 acres, has 35 acres felled; his neighbour. Mr. Geo. Seswick, who owns 133 a-cros, has 25 acres felled; Mr. R. Morris, who owns 120 acres, has 40 acres felled. These twenty settlers are all on block 10. which is the best bandied block—so far as evident earnestness of settlement goes —in the Owhango district. On block 9. Mr. J. B. Davey, who owns 179 acres, has 51 acres felled; Mr. J. Ralph, who owns 160 acres, also has 51 acres felled: Mr. ,T. R. Marshall, his neighbour, who owns 130 acres, has 46 acres felled, Mr. B. Murray, who owns 100 acres, has 20 acres felled; and his neighbour, Mr. B. McDonald, who owns 120 acres, has 25 acres felled; Mr. J. Hones, who owns 154 acres, has 50 acres felled; his neighbour, Mr. C. Pittams, who owns 194 acres, has 45 acres felled; Mr. A. Mcllcvs. who owns 100 acres.: has 27 acres felled. Thus these 36 settlers, all of whom are within a short ratlins of Owhanigo township, has felled off their respective sections, 146S acres 1 of heavy bush—of a gross total, 4692 .ii-rc-. tiint their sections aggregate. Not i n I'-tl result by any means, when one ! considers that six months ago not an | axe was in a tree on any of these! sections, and most -certainly speaits for' itself a- to the grit of these mon in ' thus tackling to hew a home for them- 1 selves out of the heaviest and densest forest to be found in Maoriland. That thpy have a sure and ample reward ahead of them, also goes without saying. for there are no two opinions as to the gra-s these lands grow when the bush i.= cleai-pd and burnt oft*. "Your own" has never seen in all his travels through? out the Dominion, not even in his native

Taranaki, better cocksfoot, and clover than is to be seen on the roads and railway line in and about Owhango. Undoubtedly this district has a very great future before it as a dairy centre. The rest of the North Waimarino Improved Farm Settlement »I shall deal with in a future letter, and now will supply you with a few local items. More to come. Last Saturday week a large meeting of settlers was held in the Public Hall "here, for bhe purpose of forming a Settlers' Association. Over forty improvedfarm and other settlers were in attendance. Mr. J. O'Donnelf was appointed chairman, and in a few brief but succinct remarks strongly advised the settlers to form themselves into an association. This was done, and some forty odd gave in their names as members of "The Owhango Settlers' Association." Mr. W. T. Jennings, M.P. for Taumarunui, was elected president; Mr. C. Beaumont, chairman; Mr. R. Morris, hem. treasurer; and Mr. J. P. Ward, hon. secretary. Messrs. H. Brown, F. Butters, P. FTyn_, P. Neal, W. Fitzgerald, F. Parker, B. McDonald, T. Biggins, and J. B. Davey were elected as a committee, of which the president, chairman, hoc treasurer and secretary were to be ex officio memibers. It was decided that the hon. secretary write to the Railway Department, asking the Minister to favourably consider the running of a train at least one day a week from Ohakune, or Rauximu, to Taumarunui and back, so as to allow the residents of Owhango and district to get down to Taumarunui and back the same day. The committee was also directed to approach the Auckland Education Board to. get the Owhango school district duly constituted and gazetted, and, further, to see that provision was made by the Board for the erection of a public school at Owhango. During the past twelve months there has been rumour upon rumour as to this and that sawmiller coming- in here to erect a mill or mills, to cut out the truly magnificent timbers (totara, matai, rimu, and kahikatea) that abound here. I now learn that the Messrs. Karlsen and Sons, of Da_nevirke and Te Tutu (near New Plymouth), are going to remove one of their milling plants—that at Te Tutu —and erect it here, to cut out an area of 1700 odd acres of forest adjacent to Owhango. A gang of men is ibusy clearing the site for the mill, also a siding to the Owhango railway station. Messrs. Ellis and Burnand, s_w_t_lers, of Hamilton, etc., also Mr. John Prouse, of Wellington, have been up recently too, inspecting, under the guidance of Mr. Amundsen, Government* timber expert, two more milling areas at R—urimu and the Otapouri respectively, and it is sincerely to be hoped that 'both firms will see their way to start here, as there is ample room and ample, timber fcr at least three large mills. On Saturday the school children of Owhango, -who —umber some 43 all told, are. to be treated by the puhlic to a monster picnic and games. Mr. Ben Murray, with his usual energy and zeal for sport, is "the head and front of the offending," so, needless to say, given fine weather, the youngsters are assured of "a big time." A dance will follow in the evening, and as my fellow Owhangoites of both sexes are in the main most ardent disciples of Terpsichgn-e, an enjoyable evening is confidently looked forward to.