THE PROPOSE!) NEW ZEALAND SETTLEMENT. „

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 808, 11 June 1903, Page 2

THE PROPOSE!) NEW ZEALAND SETTLEMENT. „

MR R. E. McR&E INTERVIEWED.

Mr R. E. Mcßae, the well-known Hawera farmer, who went to South Africa by the steamer Tevon, and selected a block of 40,000 acres in the Ermeio district, where he intends to establish a New Zealand settlement, returned to New Zealand by' the Ruapehu on business connected with this settlement scheme. ' •'

The block of l.md comprises h'/e farms, in a district known as " New Scotland." It got this nutue in the early days, when a large tract of territory was given by the Trinßvaal Government of that lime to a Scotsman . named McCorkindale. Be' died not long after, and the land came into the hands of a Glasgow Company, but the Government shice the war bought the whole of it back again. Mr Mcßae has thus acquired his 40,000 acres from tho Government, from whom, he bays, he has obtained exceptionally good terms. The land is iertite and well watered, the Umpilasi and Usutu rivers, and several tributary streams, miming through the block. It is undulating land, and about 6000 feet above the sea level. The character' of the soil may be judgQd, Mr Mcßae says, from what has already been done at the Government experimental farm close by. Here the crops have done remarkably well, though the drought of last year is said to have been the worst that hnd occurred for twenty years. It is a wonderful country fur growing timber, but the natural grasseß are all too course and rank. There is uo reason, in his opinion, why the district should not become a good dairying country ; but it would be necessary to prepare a lot of winter fted, as there the summer is the rainy season, nnd in the cold, dry weather of winter the country loses its giftts. He is satisfied that, worked properly, the land will grow the average English grasses »nd very good summer feed, and that dairying operations will result very well, especially as the settlers will have a firstclass market at their doors in Joha ne-.burg. So far as communion tion with the outer world is concerned, it may be. stated that a line of railway has been projected from Machadodorp, on the Pretona-Delagoa Bay maiu lire, to Ei'melo, the formation having been already done. A still better line of railway, however, so far as the district is ponaenied, will be that running from Jphanuebbnrg to Ermeio. This line is qow open for trxtfia for a short distance, from Johannesburg to Spring?, but the extension to Ermeio is to be proceeded with at once. The money hasbeen voted, and it = is intended to bring 500 men from England to work at the construction of the railway, A flying survey has also been made of a line to conmct with Delagoa Bay, tbo proposal being lhat it should be taken in a loop southward to avoid tbe heavy grades of the pre. sent line between Pretoria and the coast. This loop line would pass through tbe block of laud purchased by Mr Mcßae. It- is the intention of Mr Mcßae to cut the land up into suitably-sized holdingfi for the New Zealand settlers. He wjll give the fjrat ghnnpe of seleotion to peopie in his own district, Taraaiki, and feels {satisfied that the land will all be taken up in that district. He proposes that the new settlers should take a trial shipment of stock with them to test (he country. It is probable that be will return to South Africa in thiee months.

The land

even if it be not devoted to

dairying purposes, is, he says, the very tioture of a sheep country. •• I am condent, 1 ' he "added, '*\,'aa,t a nattier going there with a little capital, arid working very quietly and slowly for a year or two, v.ill do very well. He must not expect a return until he has got his land in grass, and got rid of the natural grasses; but after the second of third year, he -may look for hlB retuj-n, and I am obtain that he will do very well,"— Times,