BACK IN THE OLD DAYS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 762, 10 March 1910, Page 10

BACK IN THE OLD DAYS.

:' / ■. _ PIONEER'S TALES. '■ iLa-fely. 1! have been in some, of the mora remote .backblook ' districts (writes our •travelling or, rather, •'what;were backblooks,':but whichj to-day enjoy ..nearly all the comforts of civilisa-tion,-'and now possess good roads, frequent ?.mails,'post office and telephone', stores;handy, a butcher and a baker,';and daily; visitors. ' In almost every place ■there is the public hall, and, where there is'not' a church of some sort, religious services are 'of frequent 'occurrence.' Finally,', The Dominios, ■ which- has become a daily, need;'is seen in'every hole; and dormer. .How different to a few short years ago!.-' .1 was visiting a farmer in one of the Wairarapa"districts.recently, aud he told Me some amazing'things about, the early days'when he took up his land. • It is now; eome twentyrtwo years ago, and he was the first'man to take up. land'in his district, wherehe has resided .'ever,', since. .He took-:up 300 acres at sixpence an -acre Tent,-' but' when the law'- 'was-altered he converted into, l.i.p. The land was mostly scrub and black birch. The. family eorisisted of himself; his' w.ife,\ and fix ehildreri. ■ He' had' an old horso' with whichVhe packed in his first lot of goods, nfhileihe and his wife carried what they could not put'on the horse, arid .walked th* twenty miles from the' township to, the section. On landing there, he' put up tent .for the wife, and the younger. iiddies, and made a tent Shelter for; him-: self-' and • the. others* All the tools he had were a. cross-cut saw, an axe, a hamnier, a.- single knife, and..a few nails. The first thing he did was.to clear some,scrub to' make, a garden, in which' he Wanted a few potatoes and vegetable'seed's.-. The most est'raordinary thing: about;'it; was, that allvthe actual cash they spent .for food during the first twelve months was eight' shillings and elevenpence.;;, There were any amount of wild cattle,'pigs, and pigeons on.'which- they lived—plenty,of 'wild honev in' the hollow trees and'konini berries'for fruit. . Instead of tea they made broth from whatever. meat they were using. . .•' : "'.'.'"',," One time they had been on a porK diet, so wanted beef, for;a change..' A. Maori who happened to be on the place at the time went out also,'-and'On..their vay'- they shot la" big, boar. ; Soori : after ithey came across a cow' and calf: lhe. *ow cleared'out, and, on the spur of the Imoment, ho'.shot-the-calf. Soon after he tfi'red his last bullet;- and .wounded the icow. Ho decided then; to cut open the Iboar and find "the bullet. ' When he got it''it 'was .flattened.-out" .against a ..bone, co the Maori took two. fiat stones ;from •the -creek and roughly . moulded' '.up' the bullet,'.sb that.;it'wonld-go - iato.the gun; •Next: the guu. was loaded up, and the cow /*as' i tate'n"and'''shdt.'' i ;His-,boys were 'too yourig-:at first to help him, so he;fclled litis bushand cut the, scrub'alone: Gradu*lly:he.got: on,"till at last all;his lAhd • down. r To-day he winters ;400 •jsh'eep; : 12" head'of ; battle, '■ and. five', horses. (He'-ias : a 'very comfortable house, and ißome Outbuildings)- an excellent': garden >and of chard,', and ;aboyo' arid beyond all, owes •'no f ''nian'a'"peiiriy;'' He lias helped his.spri's to. get'farms'.;of their own;," arid '.is.'as fine .an'example of a>pioneer asvqtie'oouldLwisK'^to■'"spei"--'■'>•;"".■-.''■ ;' r-'

.firmiT/.whorii.:;l ''came',' nc.ro.sS: ' efc.the" west'sideof-tie- r'anges"tb,p other <day;told"irie : his father' .canle.out between !I8*0;and ; .1850. ..Tlieyi tpbk'up-- laud', and - (had ; :i''very 'hard "time ''itt many" year's. \Diiring 'the time of '.the' Native troubles ithey always'went about : in ' fetyr of "their. (Stives, • many aUinie', being on. the verge Wf'a massiore. : jThey were seven- years ;without milk,' .butter, 1 , beef, or muttbu, and at one. time...were nine month's without flour;- sugar, Jp'r. salt..,; They mostly liv«d- on pork, pigeons, -potatoes, arid Ma6ri cabbage. To-day-this farmer owns a'' beautiful-farm not' a hundred -miles . from' W&ngan'du . 'His' home'is'the home «if ! hospitality, and he is glad to welcome »ny who wish to.talK about the' ''days'of : Wd."-" •' --'."'■ •