MANAIA AND THE PLAINS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume II, Issue 108, 27 April 1881, Page 3

MANAIA AND THE PLAINS.

(feom our own -correspondent.)

The casual visitor to the Plains cannot help expressing a feeling of astonishment at the wonderful progress going on in all directions. Houses are going up all over the Plains, the land is being rapidty cleared and laid down in grass the pigs are being exterminated, and a scabby sheep is now difficult to find. Manaia presents a much better appearance than almost any new township I have seen, and I have witnessed hundreds of them springing up in different portions of the colonies. Of course, it has not grown, as if called into existence by the magician's wand, as is the case with golclfield townships ; but the few buildings that have been put up are of a very substantial character, and are an evidence of the owners' faith in the ultimate progress and permanent prosperity of the place. Lloyd's new hotel will be finished in less than a fortnight, and "mine host" expects to be able to attend to the wants of his thirsty patrons by the Ist of May. There will be sleeping accommodation for twenty boarders, and the building has been designed in such a manner as to admit of its enlargement whenever required. The rooms are not as spacious as fliose in Mr. Lloyd's hotel at Hawera, but that could hardly be expected. He informed me the new wing would be an improvement in every way, and that it would be put .up as soon as the requirements of the township demanded it. I was considerably surprised when Mr. Nicoll's manager took me over his new store. It is a large two-storey building, somewhat similar to Mr. Snell's at the Waitara. It will be a general grocery and ironmongery store, and if the whole of the building is not required by Mr. Nicoll, one side of the shop will probably be let to a draper. There will be a tinsmith constantly employed, and I was shown some large corrugated iron tanks already put together at Manaia. Mr. Langley is putting up a large addition to his store, and also a stable. The new bakehouse will be completed in a few (lays, and the first batch will be ready for consumption by Friday or Saturday, if all goes well. The oven, which is built on a solid foundation of stone, is a large one, capable of baking 4 cwt. of flour at one time. Brick-making has been started at the rear of the township. Mr. A. E. Langley informed me he has now 10,000 on hand, all made from the clay which he discovered a few months ago within a mile and a half of Manaia- He appears to think well of the quality of the clay. The natives state that there is a belt of totara in the bush, five or six miles at the back of Manaia. I believe, if such is the case, the Government will endeavor to lease it, for the benefit of all tbe settlers. It is to be hoped the report will turn out to be true, as totara will be needed for many purposes. Mr. Cockburn, blacksmith, Hawera, is about to open a branch shop at Manaia. The timber has been ordered, and the forge will be ready next week. For the present, I believe Mr. Oockburn does not intend to open more than two or three days a week, but he will doubtless soon find that he will have enough business to keep a man going every day. I heard that a section had just been bought by another of the "large and sinewy hands" fraternity, with the view of opening in 'business at Manaia. Sections in the main street are in demand, and Mr. A. E. Langley, who has been the first to start in the commission agency business, told me that the present holders are looking for about 100 per cent, on the price paid at auction, whilst some of the purchasers will not sell on any account. The Recreation Ground, near the A.C. Camp, haß been ploughed up, and it will he sown down in grass, and trees and shrubs planted immediately. The A.C.'s may be able to challenge the first eleven of the Hawera C.C. next year, as they will soon have a ground for practice. Mr. MeKenzie, Sheep Inspector, has

been all over the Plains, with the view of ascertaining whether there are any scabby sheep still at large. I met him at Manaia, and in reply to my inquiries, he stated that, so far as he could learn from the settlers and the natives, there were not any to be found. Since the advertisement appeared in the Star, authorising the settlers to kill any infected sheep found on the Plains, about 50 had been destroyed. I heard a tale of two scabby sheep, which was not altogether unlike the celebrated story of the two black crows. It was really wonderful to learn the way in which those two sheep had multiplied into an indefinite number. Mr. Hastie is ploughing up a paddock of 60 or 70 acres close to the road, and he intends doing the same with the remainder of his land, believing that it will pay best. Mr. Martyn, the framework of whose house is now up, is going to follow suit. I heard at the time of the auction sale that Messrs. Martyn and Hastie were what is called " thorough farmers " — i.e., that they did not intend doing anything Iby halves. I now believe it. Mr. Martyn will, I understand, go in for a large area of turnips, as his land is very much overrun by weeds. The large wooden harrow, , made by Mr. Cockburn, to the order of Mi*. Muir, did its work well, and the latter appeared to be thoroughly satisfied that he had been well repaid for his outlay. All the settlers are busily at work, but some of the absentees — for whom, by the way, a section of the Patea County Council showed great solicitude — are getting nothing whatever done to their land. The consequence is, that the pigs, which are such a nuisance and a trouble to the resident settlers, and the extermination of which causes such a serious loss of time, retire to hiding places on the absentees' land. I should like very much to have an opportunity of showing some members of the County Council over the Plains. Their views would undergo a considerable change, or I am much mistaken. All the deferred payment settlers, who purchased at the first sale, will have to reside on their land within six months of the date of the issue of their licenses. It i will be interesting to note the progress made in the course of another six months. We hope to be able to report progress, for the benefit of our readers, at the end of that term.

Foe remainder of Beading Matter, see Fourth Page.