A BIRD'S EYE VIEW

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 147, 23 June 1915, Page 11

A BIRD'S EYE VIEW

PROGRESS EVERYWHERE VISIBLE ? FARM, VILLAGE^ AND TOWN

C i» iinpoaiible for any observer .gassing leisurely through, the Manawatu district not to be impressed with the evidences everywhere of rapid progress. One a^urally expects to find in most partß of a young producing country like New Zealand a steady development, but in the MaD&wstu there is striking evidence of progress far above the average. The obvious fact is that the district is reaping the results of natural wealth, its richness Of' Soil, equable climate, and regular rain supply, and ita - excellent situation. , One Very pleasant experience, for instance, is to pass along the chief arterial routes of the district and observe the thriving settlement. Houses and cottages have multiplied everywhere. They stand dotted along the roads in remarkable regularity. This applies to by-roads almost as much as to the -main highways. Between Shannon and Palmerston North, in the Moutoa district, a£ Glenoroua, Himitangi, and up towards the Rongotea, newer settled districts, the increase in the number of homesteads is very- remarkable. It betokens more than anything else, perhaps, the increasing wealth of the district. Another feature is the change that is rapidly taking place in the appearance of the country. Just as less than.^ a generation ago, in most of the localities mentioned, a wilderness of heavy Btanding bush gave place before the axe of the settler to paddocks of blackened stumps and logs, so now are the _ last evidences of the fallen monarche disappearing, and the cleared paddocks yielding their full measure of grass and crops for the flocks and herds. It is a pleasant change, for it represents the accomplishment of tha desire of every industrious land-holder, and it represents, also, the expenditure of much toil and much money. In the lower Manawatu, back of Shannon and Tokomaru, the clearings have been pushed over the first range of mountains, and cattle and sheep are yearly increasing on these extensive lyreas. On the outward face of these .heights the carrying capacity of the land is exceedingly poor ; but the settlers who have gone further back with the axe, and have cleared away the bush and sowed the grass, ' are finding that where the slopes do not face the sun the soil is not bo productive- But the slopes which face the railway line are carrying on the average from two 'to two and a-half sheep per acre. A .TASTE FOR- COMFORT. Another very noticeable thing is that the rudo shanties and four-roomed cottages, which once stood lonely and bare on the forefront of the log-strewn paddocks, 'are being replaced with a sturdier and more picturesque type of homestead. These tilings, to the casual unobservant passer-by, come as a natura^ sequence in the development of a district, but they are well worthy of note, because they mark a happier and more prosperous stage in the existence of the families who had established their homes, in the first place, in the wilderness. The nests have been built and have been extended to meet the, increasing needs,- and the .farm children, | who, after all, are the backbone of the nation, are being reared under conditions which will give them ©very good advantage in their future life's work. Some fanners vnth larger ' holdings are spending .considerable sums of money in^ beautifying their homes, ■with the object of establishing them as the future ancestral dwelling places of their descendants, after the custom of British families. This also is worthy of a place in the records of a. young because the .tendency has been' to buy land simply to sell it again at an enhanced value, without any intention of a, permanent residence, a practice which , Las' been 60 mtteh deplored because of the undue inflation it gives to values. It is also a step towards creating among the rising generation, and those who follow after them, a love of home and a patriotism for the land of their birth" ■which only comes with an attachment to the halls .of their fathers. But that this might come about the homes require to be of an enduring nature, and the grounds made beautiful. Such is now the tendency in certain directions in the Manawatu, and the example of those who are poiriting the way in the same pirit in which they came as pioneers to <* young district, is referred to at greater length in ''succeeding columns. It is a, movement in 'which the district is taking considerable- interest, for in the past the principle generally followed has been to gauge the expenditure upon homes by the price likely to be obtained "should the holder desire to sell and move elsewhere. To support places of this sort, of course, a considerable area of land is necessary, and there are those who fear that the policy of closer settlement may bring some Governments in the future down upon them and compel subdivision ; but there is little fear of this being done where the holders pursue a progressive policy and extort the utmost out of their land. VIGOROUS VILLAGE LIFE. Old-world writers gauge the prosperity of the countryside by the progress or decay of the village life, and ii this be done in the case of the little townships in the Manawatu, the observer will be struck immediately with the rapidity with which the number of buildings, the populations, and the supply-capacity of the stores have lately increased. Take Shannon, Tokomaru, Moutoa, and little penlres in the Oroua district, for inntance, cud even, the older, established.

places of Foxton and contiguous Rongotea and Bulls. Some of these centres certainly draw largely upon the flax industry/ and its numerous employees and their wages, but there, is no doubt that the backbone of the prosperity is the farmer. In the past year or two a remarkable number of business places have gone up, and one cannot help being impressed with the largeness of the stocks that are carried in the case of some of the general stores. These places do a very solid , little trade with commercial travellers from Wellington and Palmer--ston North, and it is a trade apparently which is much sought after. It is all' pleasing evidence that behind the centres of population, which depend so much upon the productiveness of the land,

there is a wealthy and prosperous district .which is rapidly fulfilling its expectations, ' and yielding up its richest harvests to enterprising settlers. palmerston north shows the benefit: Palmerston North, is undoubtedly feeling 'the benefit of the, good times, for during the past year several new and substantial buildings have been erected in the town. No fewer than twelve shops were built during the twelve months- ending 31st March last, at a cost of £43,000, and 116 dwelling houses of a valuation of £50,050, the total amunt spent on buildings in the borough* in the period named being £99,178 10s. This is £20,000 in excess of the figures of the' previous year, which also were exceptionally high. It may or may not be a significant sign of progress, but in the last year or two almost all the banks operating in Palmerston North have built new and very much larger and more imposing premises. And since 31st March -last the general building activity (if anything) has increased. , SOME FIGURES. The rapid progress in the districts under review is perhaps more effectively illustrated by figures. In 1900 the northern portion of the Horowhenua County, from Buckley to beyond Tokomaru, known as the Tokomaru Riding, had 405 assessments, and its capital value was £264,058. In 1913, the date of the last valuation, those 405 assessments had increased to 594 — land had been cut up to that extent — 'and the capital value had risen to £1,013,432; nearly 400 per cent, in 13 years. \ It has not been possible, unfortunately, to cover the whole of the Manawatu district in the • same way j but figures that are available show that within the years 1905 and 1911, the dates upon which the valuations were made, the lands of the- Manawata rose in value between 30 to 40 per cent. Probably, if the later valuations, where they have been made were available, it would bo found that in the more recent period not included the increase was very considerably more. |

did not take up the privileges which were theirs in common with residents of other ports of the coast, and the Railway Department finally came into possession of the wharf. The board- was unable to obtain the revenues of the port, and because of this fact and the keen competition and cut' freights of the newly Manawatu Railway Company, little 'shipping had come up the river for years. The board was dissolved in the year 1886. Shortly after this, however, the flax industry began to boom, and at once the harbour became desirable. The river was too uncertain in its course and at its 'bar to offer the facilities it should, and it was gradually becoming shallower; indeed, old settlers declare that in the very early days considerably larger vessels than now were able to enter the river without any fear of the bat, No revenues were available for the deepening of the channel, and the Railway Department refused to hand over any fart of the wharfage dues. Thns things went on; the harbour was totally neglected, small vessels of light drauvht, chiefly the Queen of the South, the Huia, and the Awahou,' pursued a fairly Tfipular trade with Wellington— as regular as the frequent delays at the bar and running aground on ever-changing mudbanks woujd allow. The Railway Department has declined to spend any money ' Out of the revenue it has received over the wharf upon the improve ment of the harbour, or upon ths wharfage capacity or conveniences.

PRESENT DAY PERSISTENCE. A few years back the Manawatu district awoke to the possibilities of the 'port, and a new Harbour Board was formed and legally constituted j but no power was conferred upon it to obtain the revenues of the wharf and the Railway Department, under succeeding Ministers, has steadily refused to hand over any revenue or to lease the wharf. This is the position *to-day. Meanwhile the district has rapidly advanced, population has doubled itself many times, and the heavy bulk stuff — the ever-increasing produce which is shipped away to Wellington for transference to the liners, the merchandise which comes from Wellington for business houses in Palmerston, ' Feilding, Woodville, Pahiatua, and Shannon, the coal for the railways, the various gasworks, and the 50,000 odd people who are rapidly losing their supplies of firewood and drawing more and more upon the mineral fuel— all this traffic is carried on under facilities no greater than those which existed when the Manawatu was in its infancy. This, at all/ events, is the complaint of the Manawatu, and it is a complaint which has been before tha Government very frequently during the last three or four years. The revenue which the Harbour Board

or wharf. The wharf, the board »tatei is intrinsically worth about £3000; it 'S old, and will soon require to be replaced. The Railway Department, basing the valuation upon the net earning capacity assesses the value of the wharf to the State at £36,000, but has expressed a willingness to accept £28,000; In the time of the' Hon. J. A. Millar the amount of the offer was £20,000. The board's estimate of its gross value iis $510,000, and they are prepared to pay this amount and no more. But they are equally prepared to retire into quiescence if the Department will adequately improve the port and maintain an up-^o-date wharf, for they assert that all tbv desire is that the district shall be adequately t Borved with cheap rates 'of freight At present there is « considerable difference in the rates of freight #er the railway from Wellington and seaborne to Foxton. It is even cheaper in 'the case of some towns north of Pal merston to import via Wanganui, and thence by rail, than to have gooda carried all the way by rail from Welling ton. • The Hon. W. H. Herries has hinted that, though the Manawatu looks to its own particular case, there are othee harbours in much the same position, where tho Railway Department, having erected the wharves, controls its revenues, and that he must view th? matter from .a national standpoint; h<» must conserve the revenue of the railways, and he has also, to bear in mind that a principle is at issue, and any con-

cession he may allow Mariawatu-- may be demanded by other localities. The filial outcome of Manawatu's agitation has been that the dispute is to be decided by arbitration, r and it is probable that an announcement may' be made at an early date. The chairman of th«» Foxton Harbour Board, which has so persistently moved during the last few years, is Mr. P. Hennessy, of Foxton, and the secretary, Mr. W. Bock, a Foxton flaxmiller. Those who have given the subject their attention are sanguine that with comparatively small expenditure the Foxton bar can be vastly improved and deepened and rendered reliable for small vessels in all weathers. The opinions are based upon reports received at var>iOus times from >experts. The river will require considerable attention, because the mud-flats change with each flood and a regular channel requires to be kept open. The distance of Foxton town up the river is four miles, and there are suggestions that the present wharf, being old, should not be reconstructed, but a new wharf' built at a suitable place nearer the mouth, and that it be connected with the railway. This however, seems to be a matter not very much pressed while the larger question remains unsettled. • '

gineer, had investigated the subject, and had reported that a scheme to generate 3500 horse-power would cost £43,000 ; and by damming the streams 9000 horsepower could be obtained at a coet of £80,000. If the two streams were connected, 14,000 horse-power would be •available at a cost of £120,000. This last mentioned proposal would have enabled Palmerston North also to participate. The flaxmills assessed their probable requirements at 3000 h.p. Nothing, however, was done, and since then tho proposal has dropped back out of sight. The flaxmills, also, have almost universally adopted the suction-gas principle for their motive power, and nave installed heavy machinery; but some of the progressive residents of the district still bear the subject in mind, and are hlpeful that at some future date the district will yet draw upon this natural supply of power. It is at all events interesting to know that it is there, ready at any time to be called upon.

siderably, and in flood time the water does not escape down the tortuous channel as rapidly as it might. The banks, especially where the swamp lies, are low and easily admit the water. Various schemes have been suggested for providing a more rapid discharge to the sea of the flood waters. A "cut" across one big bend of the river was at one time greatly favoured, which would take the channel across the Moutoa, and save several miles. A Royal Commission, comprising Mr. A. D. Thomson and others, sat at Palmerston to take evidence *on this matter, and heard a number of witnesses. The views that were then expressed are virtually the same as are held to-day, for the idea still exists among many interested persons in the , district that this is a matter that will require to be dealt with sooner or later. The question has not been acuto recently because of tho absence of floods in tho last year or .two, but this has been because of the good ' behaviour of the weather. As a matter of fact, two years ago meetings of settlers and property owners were held to consider "the cut" and other proposals. One enterprising property-owner , on the river bank near Shannon (Mr. F. Bryant) was not satisfied, although all