BURIED IN THE BUSH.

Northern Advocate, 20 August 1919, Page 4

BURIED IN THE BUSH.

BACKBLOCKS HARDSHIP.

SETTLEMENT AHEAD OF ROADING.

A few miles down the Wanganui River, at a place called Retaruke, 40 soldier settlers are struggling for a living and trying to win out with a home. These men are reported to be having a hard life. The block of 40,000 acres is undulating bush country, very steep in parts, but whe.-i cleared will carry two sheep to the acre. The holdings vary from 400 to 1600 acres, and the. men are living in tents with only tracks to their sections, The present arrangement for financing the men is most unsatisfactory, but want of access is the worst feature. The present outlet is the Wanganui River, but some of the settlers are seven and eight miles back. Raetihi and Raurimu are 35 miles away, and the settlers' chief hopes centre on enterprise from the Taumarunui end, from which a road is being pushed down the river bank. This road is now within eight miles of the Retaruke settlement, and when completed the trade will go to Auckland instead of to Wanganui or New Plymouth. To get to the .Stratford railway would require a bridge over the river at Retaruke and a fifteenmile road, £50 TO REACH A DOCTOR. It costs 16s a bale to ship wool from Retaruke to Wanganui, and five guineas per ton to ship stores from Wanganui to Retaruke, the distance being 105 miles. Some time ago it cost £50 to convey a sick man by launch to Taumarunui. At Taumarunui a traffic bridge is in course of completion, but has been held back for want of iron work. When this is completed the road will be pushed to Retaruke and metalled. A lot of other good country will also be opened up.