IN THE FAR NORTH.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume VI, Issue 350, 8 February 1917, Page 2

IN THE FAR NORTH.

TOUR OF THE PARLIAMENTARY PARTY.

VIEWS OF THE TRIP

THE PEOPLE AND THE LAND

(Bv L. S. Fanning.)

On the morning of 16th Jatiuaty thirtv-three motor cars, containing about a hundred and twenty travellers (members of Parliament, journalists, business men. photographers and kinematograph operators), left Devonport as the guests of the North Auckland Executive and Development Board. The. party vent up the East Coast as far as the nairow neck of Maria V an Diemen, and returned along the western eoast. Including the runs inland the route mileage was about seven hundred and fifty. In the course ot fifteen days the tourists had opportunities to'see a large area of country sunable for various kinds of settlement.

THE PRAYER OF THE NORTH. In the room where the writer vv as billeted at Warkworlh on the first night out. he saw a little book entitled "Alv Counsellor,” with the sub-title : ' “Holy scripture arranged as morning and evening meditations for edification, guidance, and comfort. Curiosity prompted this recorder to look up the passages set 'down tor that day, 16th January (the opening day of the Parlia-mental-v Party s tour), lie saw thest words: "What will ye that I shall do unto you'! • ■ • Lord, that our eyes be opened. Mat. XX, 32. 33 ‘"The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind.” l’s. CXLVI, "Open thou mine eyes, that. I may behold wondrous things out of the law. Ps. CXIX. 18. The faith and 'nope of the lar North are that the. eyes of Parliament and the Government will see the need of roads, more roads, better roads —also railways—-to bring a great area of country into profit for the benefit, oi New Zealand as a whole as well as the district which has been neglected during long decades.

A SUMMARY OF IMPRESSIONS Between the beginning and the i-jid of the tour, which had to be hurried, one has a recollection of many sandwiches between meals, many meals, many miles of all manner of roads, many welcomes, much cheering, and some speeches. Above all is the. memory- of great kindlier of the people to the dusty travellers—a warmth of greeting which cannot be forgotten. And amid all this hospitality the brightest memory is ot the merry laces ot healthy children, the little girls and the big girls in white raiment, bonnie and winsome. Air. Okey, member for Egmout, spoke truth when he said that any bachelor (and presumably any widower also) could easily change his state for the better in the Far North.

Those excursionists who bad not ventured ]>reviously beyond Auckland. City have been impressed by the large area of land tliat awaits development-. Outside the Auckland district the average New Zealander has a very hazy idea of the I ar North. To him Auckland Ciiy may mark the northern end vr the Dominion. ,He remembers ihat the school map did have soething north of the Queen City, but he may have a notion that there is only enough land for a few men, a handful of sheep, a dog or two, a few Maoris and some rabbits.

The wide range of country in which wealth lurks for industry and perseverance comes as a pleasant surprise tinged with some sadness—the great loneliness —solitude where many families should be vvinning a good reward for sturdy toil. FRUIT ON GUM LANDS. Between Devonport and Albany tbe party passed through a large area known as “worked-out gum lands.” The old notion was that when the Kauri gum had been won the land could be only a playground for lizards and spiders among the fern and manuka. However, Hie visitors could see patches in orchard crop and pasture in this wilderness of which much can be changed into a garden. They had high praise tor peaches raised from this oncedespised soil. Indeed at many points of the pilgrimage there was convincing evidence that certain dand, cominonh regarded as fit only for bracken and bramble, could be brought into profitable use.

I’UHOI’S WELCOME.* 1 I’iihoi. where one section ot the partv’ had lunch on the first day, saluted the visitors with a brass hand (local talent). Here men and] women of Bohemia made their homes fifty-four years ago. They had some good land in the little vallex, but they also had unpromising hillsides; to break into cultivation—and j they triumphed admirably. What the Bohemians 'have done on some conipaiativelv harsh land others can surely do. Mr. Biuldo (member for Kaiapoi. Canterbury), remarked at Warkworth that such land needed ■‘only a plough and a little superphosphate.” WARMTH AT WARKWORTH. Warkwurtli's head and heart went out wamdy to the big partv, and beauty and brawn were there in abundance to greet the ‘■trangers Some went through the cement mills, and others inspected orchards and farms. A clay of extensive entertainment closed with a dainty dinner in the Town Hall, where the ch airman uttered a phrase which stuck in the minds of many. He invited the company to sing grace, thus: ‘ Gentlemen,we will now sing grace.” This was followed by the hearty exhortation : “Now get right on with it.” And this was done. WANTED, ROADS AND RAILWAYS. Speeches of settlers at M arkworth ami elsewhere bad ever the same reference to tbe need of roads and railways. One speaker at Wai>pu (after mentioning the occasional iel-.eek to the waterway traffic) said ! pathetically: “We have no road, n<) river, no railway.’’ Those are the three Rs to promote settlement jin North Auckland. I The general opinion of 'he setHlers is that the making of arterial ‘roads should be a .function of State, and that the- local bodies should ' lie responsible tor the "feeders’ or I side roads. 'on THE ROAD TO WHANGARI’.I North of Warkworth the I’arliami'iitarians (and others) had a memorable personal intioductiou to a rugged road. The cars did some buck-jumping, and several hard hats suffered sadly by the ov ner<s sudden bouncing against the hoods. I Mangawai and V aipu had more good cheer, and folk <«f Rualaku gave the legislators a piece of friendly frankness in the form oi a

sign displayed by the wayside*.; Somebody had drawn an outline of a man milking a cow- beside a motor car, with these words: “Cheap butter for N.Z. Toffs.” This was •" gibe at the export tax of £d per lb on butter, denounced by the dairy farmers as a class-tax. WHANGAREI’S CEM EN T. Whangarei provided plenty of entertainment and instruction by land and water. On the Iwth ihe whole oi the party went to the Wairua Falls inspected the electrica. 1 plant installed by the Dominion Cement Company, and had lunch at Ihe Company’s works. Indeed this visit served practically as an opening ceremony for the very large enterprise (a mill with a capacity of 90.000 tons of cement a year). Then one section of the party crossed tlie harbour to the meat works, and another landed on Limestone Island where the New Zealand Cement- Company has its mill, which lias a capacity of -Ui.OOO tons a year. Thus the two Whangarei companies have a total capacity ot lijU.t.iOO tons a year. As New Zealand consumntion at present is at the rate or only .sii.oimi tons a year, it is evident that the sut'ply of cement can keep well ahead of the demand. However, the jirmiiotrrs of the new enterprise are confident that New Zealand's use of cement will be greatly extended in the near future. THE HIKI RAN'GI >WAMI’. Kamo s natural soda water was sampled on the morning of the 19th and there was also a imurishnig of tea. cakes and sandwiches to take the procession as far as Hikurungi. Hero the travellers climbed a hill and locked down (not seornfullv) upon the 30.000 acres of swampy land that awaits drainage to change it into first-class ground for pasture and crops. The estimates of the cost of drainage range up Io- £75.000. but even at this figure it would be a cheap conversion of a Intent asset into live territory. The town of Hikurangi—sustained by coal and cow—does not impress a stranger as a place of hustle and bustle. The streets and many of the buildings are, out of repair, but the people’s hearts are sound. The girls who fed the invaders in the hall had a brightness ami cheerinessin pleasant, contrast with the drabness of the main highways. Mr. Malcolm, member for < lutha (Chairman of Committees in thill raise of Represent al h <“•). de< hired his belief at Hikurangi (hat Parliament would consent I<> a drainage scheme so long as the people concerned "ere prepared to mem 11m cost. GREETINGS DE CHILDREN. Ou the hill overlooking Hikurangi Swamp a shy little eirl had a basket <>f pretty button-holes for the members, who were mightily pleaded bv this attention. They showed lheir gratitude by giving money to a local patriotic fund. Another little girl spread gladness at Kavvakavva by means of baskets of largo peaches and grapes (the gift of her father). Indeed the greetings of children at intervals along the winding read throughout the- journey were always an inspiration. Large InmiL ies seem to be the rule in North Auckland as in Taranaki and some other country districts. (To be Continued).