TRIP TO THIS WEST COAST.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6692, 30 April 1883, Page 6

TRIP TO THIS WEST COAST.

FARMING AT TABANAKI WANGANUI, &c. Ko. 2—By F. L,. Under the guidance of. Mr. Fantham, who had been over the road but once before, X started to see the bash portion of the native reserves, to be leased nnder the provisions of the before-mentioned Act daring the present month. The forest was entered at Normanby, by what is known aa the Boylan Road, which was followed for a considerable distance, through- a dense bush, almost level, and in many places heavily timbered, whilst in other places it partook more of the nature of light soft-wood, whose roots would 89011 decay, if the bush was fallen and suc-

cessfully fired. Just at its commencement is an extensive saw-mill, the property of Messrs. Robaon, who contemplate extending their operations, and who have just got a lot of new machinery from Auckland for that purpose. The road for some distance was considerably cut up by their large bullock teams carting out the timber for the mill. Few settled places or homesteads were visible on the road, though roadmakers—the proper pioneers of settlement— were busy with the small culverts and miniature cuttings, which, when complete, will leave a road calculated to make miles and miles of forest laud of excellent quality available for either ordinary bush work or for small settlers. Oar object, however, was not to follow this road for any considerable distance, but to strike on to one which we supposed turned off from it at right angles, known as the Skeet Road, which, however, we missed, only to discover our mistake when some miles astray. We came upon some road contractors, who directed us aright. When we returned to the point indicated, we found that the Skeet Road turned off somewhat obliquely, and. though by no means difficult to find, may nevertheless be easily mistaken, in its imperfect state, for a mere bush track. We expressed our astonishment that the- authorities had not ejected directing posts at this and similar crossings and turnings, in order to show the hundreds of people who are at present inspecting those lands which way they should go. It would be an inexpensive matter, and yet much more effective and much moro easy of attainment than ascertaining at every point the route by which,to proceed by the inspection of a cumbrous., and flimsy plan of the locality. As We proceeded, we found the Skeet Road to improve, and it is by no means a bad riding road, and, as all over the forest, the quality, of .the land is shown by the rank vegetation, in the clearings, in the shape of cocksfoot."" This road was, I believe, formed" : by the'A. C;' force—a matter in which they have rendered valuable service to tbair country—services which, in a mere com-" mercial. sense, ; .will prove, and are even at the ■ presentj,; time, I. have no doubt, amply remunerative ; - for it has rendered many thousands i, of 5 acres, previous to its construction utterly. inaccessible, available for immediate: . 'and successful settlement. Riding along ; the line, the country does not strike«those who inspect it as being well watered.v> : <On;,the contrary, neither creek, spring,* nor. swamp for considerable distances , are to, bs seen. - But this is probably , ascribable to the fact that the professional ■ gentleman*. (Mr. .Skeet, after whom the road takes its name) carefully avoided all such ■ places in.;order-to construct the road with- ' out;;such -expensive appendages as bridges, s culverts, and drains. .

-.Following up the line of road, however, you-; cross *.some beautiful little rivers and streams,'whose .source is, in moat cases, to be .found in.; the ~ gigantic besom of Mount Egniont,Vwhose..snow-crowned top looms continually in the distance. The principal river crossed on this lma is the Waingongoro} the approach to the ford of which, if perfectly;, safe,'., is, notwithstanding, very rough,: and.?:'exceedingly unpleasant. In forming the Skeet Road, we were told that the Constabulary sowed grass-seed as they carried on the work. If so, a rich harvest has been reaped during the past year as the result of their labour, for many hundreds of ' bushels of • pure seed must have been reapod by some persons during the past season. • There was one stretch of straight road, 'several miles in length, which was particularly s noticeable for the rank growth of grass, all ,of wliich had been reaped and threshed on the spot. Mr. Fantham said that when he rode over the road before, in the early';part .of the summer, his horse could scarcely be seen, and he had on several occasions'pulled the grass up to its full length ; 1 on either - side of his horse, and then tied the heads in a knot over his wither- I found in many places dead stems of grass six, inches higher than my horse,- though he was over fifteen hands high; Along this straight line there area few settlers, .whose habitations are small, and whose.elearings, as seen from the road, are as yet by. no means extensive. In this locality,'there are also., some of the sections soon to beUeased, but, except for the ques,tion;of;.water, about which I coald get little definite, information, the land is so level, so uniform in .quality, and so similar in natural growth, , that for miles a selector could make . little;mistake iif he promiscuously made his choice";-from , the explicit and well defined plans are freely circulated for public convenience,':, of, course making due allowance for locality. - ; Nearly. at the end of the Skeet Road, or. where it diverges in the direction of Okiawa, a • new township, named, after an old Maori settlement on the Waimate.Plains, we came npon Mr. Charles Hoskings,s:late ~of,, Waiuku, who, with a three horse team,-was carting grass-seed on to'asbushs section owned by Mr. Maunder, lato of the-Mauku, who, it will be remembered,'was so unfortunate as to fracture his leg some'. .time ago—a fracture which, I regret to say, ia. very Blow to mend. A good portion of this'section" has been cut down, and an attempt' has been made to burn it, which? latter appeared, from the road, to have been a failure. Mr. Hoskings said that in this.respect Mr. Maunder was little worse than his neighbours, and that the generality ,ol the bush was much less inflammable here than lih Auckland^—a statement fully corroborated by, the failure to get clean sweeping burns seen; on every quarter. The operation ;of sowing grass among the debris".;muat be a task of no ordinary difficulty."'' The road leading from the Skeet Road is . very appropriately named the Von Tempsky Road, in honor of the brave com:mander; of' the ' Forest Rangers, who led them on to the desperate attack on the Maori stronghold of Te Ngutu o Te Manu, where "his brave life was sacrificed. This road is well formed, and is a main trunk line to the matiy bush sections sold for cash and deferred payments during the late sales, as well as to some of the reserves to be leased. About two miles from its junction with the Skeet Road the traveller comes to the site of the late tragic scene just alluded to. The spot is. fringed on the roadside with a thin., line ■' of soft wood, of a rich and luxuriant foliage; but, looking through it, an''extensive clearing is visible, which I estimated to contain about 35 acres, which was ! on all sides again skirted by the same line of rich bush foliage, forming, as the setting sun fell upon it, one of the most beautiful ;pictures on God's earth, and a scene.:).which,,to one altogether unfamiliar! .with.its tragic history, would be associated with feelings of the most perfect harmony, tranquility, and goodwill. My guide had but an imperfect knowledge of the spot, but from information which had been imparted to him by one altogether familiar with it, we had' no difficulty in finding the spot ' where, we thought, in all probability the brave'Von Tempsky fell, aod the rata tree from whose hollow truuk we supposed the fatal : shot was fired was clearly and indellibly'marked by the many holes made by the adze or tomahawk to extract the bullets which we thought were fired at it when it concealed the Maori or Maoris who committed the fatal act. After riding about among the rich grass which grew all over the fatal clearing, which we found was Lut a link, of a regular chain of clearing, and expressing our admiration of the bravery and heroism which would prompt a man to attack Maoris in such a spot before the existence of any road, and when all around was a dense forest, only thorougly familiar to the defenders, and at the same time feeling that were »ve ths original owner we would fight to the bitter end to retain the possession of such a spot. We left it, regretting that we had no gnide to give us the particulars associated with the place, which we were so anxious to obtaiu. In this respect we were subsequently more fortunate than we could reasonably have hoped to be. After emerging from the bush we saw some smoke issuing from a clearing across the road, and on putting a few questions to the settler who attended it he kindly took us back, pointed out all the spots which had

attained. significance and., importance,- told na thiit there was 110 certainty as to the identical tree whence the' gallant colonel was shot, but bia brother aod othera, who were present at the time, think it was a tree recently destroyed -by fire, and - -when he afterwards, took us to the - well known spot where the "soldier fell," we thought there •.vaa everything within the line of range to induce one to think that they are right, in what, however, must ever remain a matter >f mere inference and conjecture. Some mrveyora have considerately erected a rude nouument, headed by a cross, on the spot vhere the colonel fell, and, seeing that the >lace contained about 50 acres, is very >roperly a reserve. Surely the Government hould erect a monument on the spot which ihould in some degree be worthy of the ntrepid and noble man who lost hi 3 life to jravely there in the service of his adopted lountry. Taking leave of our informant—an in;elligent deferred payment settler—we proceeded on our way, with feelings gratified jy the possession of so much knowledge >f the place, bat softened and suppressed jy the many painful associations which have •endered Xe Ngutu o Te Manu one of the nost horrifying and tragic spots in the itruggle for supremacy' between the two •aces in the colony. Shortly after leaving ;he place we met Mr. George Muir, late of ihiniwai, who has a farm near thi9 spot, >f which he speaks in satisfied termß. He vas proceeding homeward with an American vaggon aod three horses, conveying a stock >f flour and other provisions in quantities ufficient to keep want from his habitation ' Till the sprine time comes," even though ;he winter may be extended beyond its usual >ounds. Wishing him every prosperity in ris new undertaking, we wended our vay in the gloaming to our re;pective habitations, to which Mr. Muir vas close, and to which myself and riend arrived after an hour's smart riding, lomewhat fatigued, but very fit to make an mslaught on the "high tea" so bountifully provided by Mrs. Fantham, which was in a esser degree shared by Mr. and Mrs. Charles Laishley, of the Union Bank here. A plealant game of whist after tea closed one of ;he moat interestiog days which I ever renember to have spent. . After sleeping the sleep of the weary, "if lot of the just, i rose early, got my breakast, saddled my -horse, and went by apjointment to see Mr. A. Hastie, who was so veil known in Waikato and on the other •oast, and who at tbe present time has a nagnificeut farm on the commencement of ivhat'aiay be properly termed the "Plains,' ifter crossing the Inaha River, but I shall ipeak of it when dealing with the locality, kfr. Hastie has a number of bullocks feeding >n a bush section leased by him for a short >eriod, near the southern boundary of the Cempskey Road. I was glad to accompany lim to see his cattle, for he could point out >n the way the various sections of open land shich formed part of the reserves to be eased, end I was desirous to see the section >f bash land on which his cattle are, as it ealised tbe highest price at the late sale, riz., £16 an acre. We entered this section rom the side next the native settlement, vhere the celebrated and somewhat notorious shieE Titikowaru lives with his tribe, and it it first seemed like enteriag a dense forest, jut as we proceeded I found that the whole nterior was one succession of old native hearings, each, clearing being skirted by )ush of the most beautiful description, confining a foliage similar to that which covers ;he karaka tree. Each clearing ia up to the lorses girths with trass. The piece is enilosed with posts and two barb and two )lain wires, which would put an additional ,0s an acre on to tbe land,.. supposing that lie adjoining owner contributed to the cost, ience, as it stands, the price is far beyond he present commercial value, and must lave been acquired either for speculative )urposes or else under the apprehension that t would be absolutely unattainable in the uture, and will keep, even though it does

not pay three per cent, on the present outlay. I think I need say little more about the forest country in this locality. I cannot further describe if, because of its . uniformity. I had a previous knowledge of its quality, but I had no adequate conception of its quantity, though I have not seen anything but a mere outline of its great bulk and extension, and in contemplating the

vast population which the forest country, I when subdued, lying only between Hawera and the base of Mount Egmont, as seen from the top of the grand-stand, is capable of supporting, one is altogether lost in the multiplicity of figures which foim aad present themselves as representing the estimated number. The great topic of conversation on the coast at the present time relates to the terms and cocditions on which the reserves are to be.leased, and the verdict is one universal'; condemnation of them. During the past week I have seen what may fairly be called a full representation of the various sections >to. be leased, in their respective localities and positions,, and I have no hesitation' in saying that the upset price is in many cases fully double that which it should be, if the Government has any desire to see the : reserves successfully and profitably occupied, and seeing that the conditions are of the most { binding and stringent character. • It must be looked upon simply as an attempt at obtaining a "rack rent," which many of the leading settlers in the locality say will entail an obligation on those who agree, to pay it, which they will only fulfil after they have scraped all the proceeds of the land together for the owners, leaving nothing for themselves. I have no time to go into tne' details relating to" the nature and conditions of the Native Reserve Leases, bat one or - two relative" examples will ehow the absurdity of the authorities in

placing such a: price s upon the fern and flax-clad unfenced sections. Whilst I have

been travelling in the various districts, I have seenone vor two farms which have lately been .-leased by public competition. Those farms have : been , fenced, grassed,

■watered, and have had all tbe conveniences

in the shape of house and out-buildings to enable the occupier to make a comfortable start, the land being equal to any here. ■ I have seen no farm which has realised more than 15s an acre per annum, ana even then there has been a purchasing clause giving the lessee the right of " equity of redemption," er to obtain the "fee simple" at any time, or at the expiration of a long term, at a fixed price, the rent to be paid half yearly, " after it has been made off the land," or at least an 1 opportunity has been., given to enable the occupier to so make it. The authorities, however, whose doty it should be to foster settlement, have given no such opportunity, but, ' on the contrary, have made such illiberal conditions that I feel assured will have the effect of preventing any persons but those whose lands are adjacent to some particular. section, which will complete their own block or give tbem some collateral convenience, from competing for them ; or if under the excitement which generally accompanies competion for good land—qualified, of course, by the tender insteadof the public auction system—itshould be taken up at the upset prices, the result will be as predicted by. the leading settlers before mentioned.... The upset prices per acre vary from 4s to 155., The rent has in all cases to be payable in advance, and certain improvements are to be effected as an imperative condition, and it will in many cases cost the occupier from £3 to £4 per acre to effect and carry out these conditions. Taking into consideration that the Hon. the Minister of Lands and the Hon. the Native Minister—both of whom must haye largely influenced, if, indeed, they did not virtually draft the conditions of the leases—are both men who have been engaged in farming operations, and must know something about the profits which result from such transactions, one is all the more surprised at the exceeding illiberality of the terms, and, though the lands should be all taken up at or above the upset prices, it will not affect in any degree the principle contended for by settlers down here, and I believe that for the next 20 years, or during the currency of the leases, anathemas will be hurled at the head of Ministers by those who will have some just cause for so doing. Of course there is no compulsion in the matter. No person is called upon to tender. It is further qualified by the supposed fact that the cost of plans, surveys, and other expenses will be made a first charge against the land, and not at the expense of the State ; but the terms are arbitrary, and in effect dictatorial. Instead of giving the public—who are the most qualified judges in such a case—the opportunity to fix the price above a certain moderate upset price, and then should they tender too high the onus of blame or mistake would be cast on the leasee, and not on the trustees of the native reserves, or on the authorities who drafted the conditions. It is only justice to say that there are clauses in the conditions of lease which provide for granting compensation for permanent improvements of some kinds, but in tbe ■ occupation of uncultivated lands most men require any ad-

awe at the expiration of 20 years—a. S^«rjrfeSS» destroy the forest la such a wholesale Pasted a detrimental K upon the coast as the result °f-,® general destruction of the bush in this locality, and said that whilst he wm spending hundreds af pounds to raise on his estate, the Government were compelling other occupiers a short distance off to destroy trees of incomparably greater beauty than hi. artificial bnsh can ever become. Notwithstanding anything written here, I sincerely hope that the reserves will be successfully occupied, though I am assured that moro liberal conditions in the leases would conduce to the advantages of both native and European. The weather at the present time is exceediDgly mild, though showery, and the snow on the top of Mount Egmont is daily diminishing, though my hope of ascending it during my present visit must be abandoned I expect to-moxrow to ride in the direction ;of Patea, en-route for Wanganui. A brief description of what farming and other operations seen in that direction will be communicated in my next, and on my return a full inspection of the new settlements on the Waimate Plains will be made and duly reported.