A VISIT TO MATAKANA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIII, Issue XIII, 25 November 1876, Page 3

A VISIT TO MATAKANA.

A stranger visiting Matakana will be surprised at the large number of small boats waiting for the arrival of the steamer there. On my visit there were no less than sixteen boats waiting for goods from Auckland, and I was informed that at times 25 boats may be seen at the same place on the arrival of the Anne Milbank. The settlers must lose nrachj time during the year, ou account of there being no wharf accommodation at Matakana. A small sum of money spent in the erection of a wharf, and a store in which the goods could be put, would be' a great boon to the district, which is certainly entitled to a share of the public revenue for such purposes, not only on account of its large population, but also on account of its increased and increasing imports and exports. For the last 16 years the respective Superintendents of the province made repeated promises to the settlers that their requirements would be attended to, which, however, has not been done. Perhaps the district will get on better now that they have the management of their affairs in their own hands; although I am doubtful as to the satisfactory working of the Counties Bill, which seems to be, to a great extent, an unworkable measure. Sheep-shearing is now the order of the day all over the district, and the wool is said to be quite as good as usual. Some time ago the settlers, deeming sheep-farming to be more remunerative than cattle-breeding, sold the cattle and purchased sheep with the proceeds. It appears, however, that the change is not to be so beneficial as was at first anticipated, and that the settlers entertain doubts as to whether sheep-farming is more profitable than grazing cattle. I noticed that several of the inhabitants have planted small orchards of late years, but they do not bestow that attention on them they ought to do. They think that all they have to do is to plant the trees, and that fruit in abundance should be produced afterwards. Messrs. Mattson, of Omaha, have a fino orchard, which is yielding plentifully. • These gentlemen pay great attention to the rearing of fruit trees of various descriptions, with which they supply the settlers at less than Auckland prices. To agricultural pursuits they do not pay much attention, for they scarcely grow enough of potatoes for themselves, —cattle sheep, and poultry seem to take up all their time. ■ There are several schools, in the district, and these are all well attended. A portion of the money voted by Parliament for educational purposes should be spent in the erection of suitable school-houses in the localities in. which the accommodation for public instruction is inadequate. I believe it is the intention of the settlers to remove the old church from its present site to the Sandspit, which is a more central place and of easier access than where the edifice now etands. The building, when removed "to the Sandspit, will be used as a school as well as' for public worship, which will be a great convenience to the inhabitants of Lower Makatana..

The inhabitants should at once take steps to obtain a share of the £10,000 voted for public works north of Auckland,' as up the present time they have hot received anything like the amount they are entitled to out of the money spent in the north.—[Own Correspondent.] . _ . '" ."''j,'.!,''.'' j r ,