THEN'AND NOW.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 604, 4 September 1909, Page 14

THEN'AND NOW.

•■■ v..;? , -r°—: — ~ —■'-■ ■■--..-:-■'-' '■<■'•• ■■ <.- ':' Sptclaf Oorrt.ipeß4eni.J' •.■ : 'i y'^vip'''- ■■;..',:'■ ; .;- V; Auclilarid 2. ■;. ;: .£itilV>is''-hi'ard'\6£Vtlie,;kaup , ;gnm-industrj lowa'days, ibut it,'is-an important trade'-" for ill" 'thai.- Uri;.tte , l"nprtHfan;;Wairoa ;, jdisti:ict .fibre , ;-are r some'9oo'men 'employed;Jri T witfling ,Uanti',gum; /GOO'of, them , being:,.Crpa. .iansi'^^i'Be''w^tly!vaferi^e;-aniouWvwon : ''pei naii.\is :; slightly, ;■ over half -J ind.HTie'avflragb;weekly earnings.- amoTint' to 10s.' 'Shore :arej,iriany : who - make double -that luk',' ahH."dther^ r again', 1 Avhoae/, 'incomo'Ais amentably short of ■the amount' stated./;- The !eii<iitio^B/:-'ef' : -the--M«ißtiyi'-. , - c ;ori years' ago,'aria-totally ichangeUP-Although ibb; tonnage'received .in Auckland'"compares ■avoUrably" with,; tbat of; previous" ; :yearsi the sla'sSea .now .dealt' with are '.such.:t-hat. were ;hen,;uaraarketablo.,','TheV old-time ..t'diHgei scraped.-Kis'(-'gum -with lavish to th'e : .value"of chipa,and,.as for !dust,.'.it-.waß m article'onlyTvalued'-for fife _kindjingV ; j'Now it."matters-not.ho>f poor and inferior.arc. the ijuijlitiesi "all.':.grades pass''into-;the..-.buyers' nandsj'and itis'■s.afe'to fully thirds of the-total:amount handled,is composed "of -.chips;;a'hd-- sittings: Shallow fern rami which is the'most prized f6r 'tbo'manuf actur'o.. of --'Varnish, is), still,' 1 ' in .'places, fairly plehtifuli-.'akdi'tha fortunate ■ digger '. who jtrikes.ia; pocket, of .such is remunerated. to a degreelrwWch -bis. forerunners never in their dreams -imagined. .During the summer' months,'the':bulk;,of the. grades 1 is obtained;from -the; swainps, and; it is in this class of work that'the'Croatian'excels, TVitli his.,nbther>-limbs : ;encased -in-hip boots,;.h« aucc'essEiUly scorns fhe: rheumatic effect ;"ol working by .'.tho aid of peat''saws, ."axes,T-'.and".,immense: pipe syphons, puts; in wide drains in' tho wettest swamps, "i- ahd^.thereby.' converts . untreadabl« bogs into exploitable 'firmv.soil;" In _manj instances'they have found failure, but,'uitb( most :have s been -well 'rewarded, for their enterprise. 'It was , prophesised a decade age that.inVthis--year { ; pf grace ; kauri- gum would, as ' : an'" article- of. commerce,','be) a thing "pi the:£ast,.bnt-the ! immehs'e".swamp areas hav< yet" to?yield..thefeharvest,.and .when som< systematib;' .plan is ' evolved',; whereby.. th< deeply-submerged and mprassed resin- can ,bt moro : adyantageously,. obtained, then ■ the. industry will take-o" a new lease of. life; Ai it- is, -the- sum of £1250 is -weekly' disbursed amongst Wairoa .diggers/.'and;. that ■in ltsell constituteo;a fair! volume pfvtrade._ Occasionally- reports come .to .hand of. big. finds In days; of yore such were of common occur reiico ■; on /virgin fields;' but even to-daj searchers aro' rewarded in finding valuabk patches.' Hecently, at Mangakahia- a' Native woman' and her pajty,toak.2scwt. out.of. at .area only-'a few yards square. : . A party oi 'Austrians 1 a few weeks ago unearthed, lr th6'Kaihu Valley, a semi-transparent piec< weighing'22olb.,, and only .a few .days.age a;lump weighing 301b. was discovered or ■the°.'"ri > Ver"baiik"at .appoint.where the tide- ' J3c..6uied. .away.', the Buxfaoe.';...' . i'C:-.'-: -.'-'.■.-!'' ; '■' "'■.'" ; '!•'•'";■'.■"