BAY OF PLENTY.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 6964, 18 January 1918, Page 4

BAY OF PLENTY.

A Fertile District.

Opening Up the Land(Manawatu Standard—January 11, 1918.) With the completion of the railway from Whakstane to Mount M3unganui (Tauranga), its linking up wnth the East Coast railway, and the construction of the harbour at Mt. 'Maunganui tfie Bay of Plenty has a gre&t future in store. This is the opinion of Mr Donald Grant, an eretwhile settler of Palmerstan Nortb, and now a resident cf Obinepanea, a few miles from Te Puke. When in Pslraerstun Noith, Mr Grant :ook a keen iutereat in local bodies, and he haa invested his present district with an eagerness to advanca its interests. Mr Grant visited Fa]mer3ton yesterday, end in ttie course of an interesting conversati in told a Standard reporter that the Bay of Plentj' wsa making great progress. The railwsy from Mt. Maunganui to Whskatare . has been constructed as far as Mstata, which is only 15 miles from Whakatane. At the present time the work of bridging the several rivers which intersect this area is in progress, after which the construction will be completed. Even now people desirous of travelling to Auckland from Whakßtaiie can motor 15 miles to Matata, and fake the train to Tauranga, where tl)« boat is caught for Auckland, .and arrive at the htter place next morning. Tf.is is a distinct advantage t;j residents who have long felt the lack of better communication with Auckland. A):d with the opting of this railway, the settlers are not handicapped in getting their praiuce away as previously. There is an area of many thousands-of acros of ewareu land which, ia being dreined, and which it ia confidently expected will produce magnificent dairying land, apart fruru that already adopted for dairying. A-FUTURE HARBOUR. . Speaking of Taurargi I urbour, Mr Gratis dawned tiiat witn an expenditure of only £39,!G0 it can be ma-le aeci'ind. to none in New Z°?.]n\)d. At Mt. Maunganui ia a splendid depth of I waier, ad Home hosts can easily \ make tne entrance. "The idea the ■ aetsisrs tavc kept steadily in view is to get the liners to take their produce —flax, cheese, butter, wool, frozen meat, etc, —direct to the Home n arketf," said Mr Grant, A PRODUCTIVE REGION. Turning to flaxmilling, Mr o'rant quid that tie district had become a great centre of Uia industry, Meswi Broa-1 and Ingram, of Pahitereton North, ard Mr Mends, who at one time lived in Pahrierston Norths were turning out very large quantities of hemp from tn?ir mills. The flax is all of good quality, and of the highest grade. Keferring to the progress made in agriculture, it was stated that butter a^d cheese factories have spiling up all over the district, Bacon-curing works and the freezing operations just opsned et Wuakatanc all testify to the g?eat ar.d rapid growth and fertility (f these pastoral lands. "Immediately the war ends, it ia anticipated that another freezing works will tie opened —either at Mt. Maunganui or Te Puke," added Mr Grant. "There is r.o part ct New Zoalat-d where land may be had so choacly for <ueh a prosperous district,1' was Brother advantage claimed for the Bay of Plenty. Fur fattening purples it hai gained a distinct reputation, and both snee.jp nnd cattle thrived on it, GLIMATIC ADVANTAGK3. "The climete of Taiu-aiiga,'' Mr Grant went on in aay. "H...a". ideal oho nnd the town is a splendid place for'anybody wishing to retire, a:id to spend the evening of hia life in' con-, tent and quietness, Grapes, orangos, lemmp, as well as sll the hardy fruits, grow lu;cioualy in the open. The town is growing, too. as a tourist resort, and sa 3oon aa the branch line from Paengaroa to liotorua is constructed — a distance of only''3o miles —the tounata who <mit Rotorua will go on to Taurßt;gs and the seaside. At present Rotorua to Tauranga can only be made by iriutor or coach service, and the duaty roads do sot lend enchantment to the ride or drive. No pßrt of ,ths Domifliufj has been more JoyaJ during tbi^ great war than the Bay of Plenty," added Mr Grant. "Time and again haa t'ne district filled its quota, and we have not had to uae the ballet j yet.'*" j IMPORTANCE OF THE RAH/WAYS In conclusion, the visitor staled that ; the Government haa realised tbe imi portanc? of failwaya for the vast pro ductive areaH of the Bay of Plenty, and, notwithstanding objection from the Auckland people, who desired the line ttrbe constructed from Waihi to Tauranga, nre pusbing tbe work along to connect up tbe fertile areas of the Bay and so tap ir-to rich and productive parts. At present over the line already in existence, a ballast trai-i, also carrying goods, is running, a..d the VBlue of the goods being carried has made tha line pay for itself. The line ft present runs to Motu, en the East Coast i-pilway, and with the completion of this railroad a great district will have been onened up. Part of the plan is to build a bridge across the harbour to Tauranga, bat owing to the war tbia has been delayed, a 3 there was a lack of supplies of steel and other material. Though the people under the?e circumstances made a suggestion tLat this connecting link shouH be of wood the Government wisely refused, and will erect in steel as socn as suppliea^are obtainable." J

As there i? v gnod deal of sickness about at present and domestic help very hard to get, the local members of the St. Joho Ambulance Association have expressed their willingness to render voluntarily, whut assistance they can in urgent cases of need. An appeal to the President, Mrs Baigenf, from miy sjf.k or ovpr-worked mother through ■ickoess, will receive immediate attention.