NOTES OF A VISIT TO HELENSVILLE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6819, 25 September 1883, Page 6

NOTES OF A VISIT TO HELENSVILLE.

(continued.) THE BABYLON DISTRICT. Perhaps one of the most gratifying features in and around Helensville is the increasing attention paid to the reclamation of the land from a state of nature, so that when the timber is done with agriculture will replace it as ■a means of livelihood. In and around the township there is about 2000 acres under grass." Besides this a large area is in process of being cleared across the river, the erection of a fine bridge over it, and the lay ing out of a Government road through the Babylon block to the West Coast haying greatly stimulated settlement in that direction. ' The Babylon block was sold by the Government not long ago at £2 per acre, and was taken up principally by small settlers. The land is of very good character, and. is now changing hands at £3 and £4, some of it beiDg held for£6. Some of the settlers intend to commence wheat-growing next season. The new road from the swing-bridge through Babylon to the West Coast, it is anticipated, will become a favourite route with tourists desirous of going to the coast, and of seeing the hot springs and lakes. Considerable traffic that way is expected during the coming summer ; and parties can ride along the ocean- beach on the sand for over twenty miles at a stretch. An Otago Scotch farmer, Mr. Stevenßon, of Balclutha, within the last week or two, has taken up over two thousand acres, and with characteristic - energy is losing no time in getting to work. Teams and agricultural implements have been already sent up, and from the smoke on the plain at the time of our visit it was evident he had commenced olearing operations. Perhaps one ot the mast grateful features to the eye on the landscape in looking from Helensville across the river in the Babylon direction, is the comfortable homestead of Mr. Hay, near the swin<r bridge, who has settled there within the fast couple of years or so, and who3e home with it 3 picturesque Burroundings is but a tvpe of scores of others which within the ne'xt few years will dot the plain of BabyloD.

OPENING UP OF BACK COUNTRY. The subject of access to Helensville from the back country is of importance, and in connection with this we may state that Mr. Ralph Keesing, the owner of the Toukauri block, ha 3 lately dedicated a road through his land giving access from Kaukapakapa and the neighbourine districts to Helensville, the river, and Helensville South railway station. This was done at the request of a number of the settlers. This road will ■nrobably be declared a main road, as it will open up a large extent of country, and give facilities for bringing in produce to the railway and river. PAEROA. Turning our face Aucklandwarda by the midday train we came on to Paeroa, passing en route the pleasant homestead of Mr. Hands (formerly the property of Judge Rogan), and some excellent land, a native reserve, and still in cultivation by the natives. At Paeroa we had the opportunity of seeiug what can be done by energy, industry, and capital, on the estates of Messrs. John Phillipps and R. Monk, and which form an oasis in the dreary stretches of fern which characterises the route of the Kaipara Railway. The former gentleman has about 1200 acres and the latter nearly ICOO acrea, making a Compact block haviDg a frontage of over three miles to the railway — the line running through both estates, and the Paeroa station being erected on the former. One of the first things that strikes the visitor is the comfort about the homesteads and the commodious and substantial character of the farm outbuildings, showing that the men have faith in the land and in their own capacity to realise a remunerative return in the long run for their heavy expenditure. Taking Mr. Phillipps' farm first, it may be stated that there is over 400 acres in grass or in cultivation. A number of men are employed under an overseer, and three teams kept constantly going. About 100 acres ,per annum 13 being reclaimed and laid down in grass. Attention i 3 being principally directed to the fattening of cattle and sheep, which are slaughtered and shipped to the Northern Wairoa market for mill consumption. There are at present about 100 sheep and nearly 200 head of cattle running on the farm." The breeding of horse stock is also attended to, suitable for farming parposes. Two Clydesdale entires are kept, and six Clydesdale brood mares, one of the latter being winner of five first prizes at Agricultural Shows. There .is stabling accommodation for seme thirty horses, and provision also made for a dairy. On the premises are machines for chaffcutting, crushing oats, maize, and beans. On the ground floor is a tram-rail along which food is taken by truck and distributed right and left to the various stalls. Some of the stalls aie fitted with sliding doors, with sash-weights, so as to be used as loose boxes if necessary. The supply of agricultural machinery is excellent, of the latest type, and imported direct from England to order. We noticed, among others,

in the ont-buildings, one of Clay's cultiva

tors, Howard's simplex side-delivery reaping ', machine, and three of Howard's turnwrist ploughs. The soil is a brown friable loam, improving towards the sandhills, and the swamp land near the railway when ' drained is also excellent. A breadth of this

swamp land ie being cleared and drained this season. A paddock Las been put down ' in several varieties of turnips, by way of experimenting as to which variety will do best on the soil, for the purpose of hereafter planting extensively for fattening stock. About scwt. of bonedust is given to the acre for grass, and 7cwt. per acre for potatoes. ■When Messrs. Phillipps and Monk took up this block many years ago, the cost oftransport and the difficulties of communication with Auckland would have daunted hiss determined men. To give an illustration of what the Eaipara Railway has done in this particular case alone, we give the contrast between the Past and Present. When they took up the land, they had to ship their light goods to Eiverhead and then, by sledge, many miles to Paeroa. ' The heavy goods had to be shipped to Riverhead, thence taken to Helensville by bullock , drays, and then again punted up the Awaroa, with its devious windings, about ten miles—though by rail, from Helensville to Paeroa, the distance is only three or four miles—and again carted from the landing to the Now goods by train, are

delivered within three minutes' walk of the

homestead, and at one-fourth the cost. The - estate is managed by two o:t Mr. Phillipp's son3 —Messrs. J. and W. PhLilipps. On Mr. Monk's farm, about 400 acres-has also been brought under cultivation, and some of the grass paddocks look very well. He had, until recently, 500 sheep running there, but latterly attention has been given to the fattening of cattle, of which there are about 200 on the estate. Mr. Monk is having a considerable breadth of swamp land reclaimed, of which there is some four

hundred acreß. We could see the smoke rolling np trom the swamps, showing that his men were busily engaged in olearing operations, and this land will well repay the expenditure on it in clearing and draining, as it is the best on the estate, Mr. Monk has

not only kept in view the useful, but the ornamental, in the erection of his couutry residence. During his twenty years' managership of the Union Sash and Door Company he had purchased and gathered together the rarest and most beautiful specimens of

New Zealand woods obtainable, including many fine specimens of mottled and figured kauri. These have been used in panellings, ceilings, mantelpieces, and staircases, and it may be questioned whether a single bush home in the colony could show tuch elegant decorations of this character. Here, as °ai; Mr. Phillipps's farm, the sand from the immense stretch of sandhills trending towards the West Coast is steadily encroaching (owii'g to the prevalence of westerly winds), as is seen by landmarks put up, and by the peach trees of old native cultivations, being -buried up in a few years. Mr. Monk ia planting out poplar trees extensively, and sowiDg buffalo grass, which measures, it is believed, will arrest the progress of the encroachments. His - estate ia managed by his son, Mr. E. Monk, under his own

incidental supervision. Opposite the Paeroa '"is' v aa extensive range of forest timber. '.Mr. Hands holds the Helenaville end, which Vis almost intact. The centre is Slatter's'Busb., which is being worked by the. McLeod. Brothers, the timber being jacked ■on. to slips and run into tho Awaroa, where the log 3 are floated down to Helenaville. The .Auckland end-,of the range, clothed •with magnificent timber, is'still in the hands of the Government, but, it is stated, will be shortly brought; into the market.

; THE SANDHILLS. Under the courteous guidance of Mr. Phillipps' overseer, Mr. Latimer, we started across the sandhills for the West Coast. The fantastic forms into which the sand is thrown, by the action of the wind, and the formation of the gullies, present a very curious effect. Here and there were to be found trees buried to the branches in the sand, while at intervals the toe-toe struggled for exiiitence there. After a hot and heavy, tramp of nearly two miles up the slopes in the ! . yielding sand, we came to cliffs of indurated sand, several hundred feet high, which is apparently the old coast line. From these cliffs is to be seen one of the grandest and "most magnificent views on which the eye' of man could rest. At the foot of the clifis is a belt of sand a mile wide, then.a belt of shrub and undergrowth of same width, which has established itself in the sand—containing excellent feed, strange to say, and the resort of wild pigs, cattle and horses. Beyond tins again is a strip of land a mile wide, dotted with fresh water lakes, which exist up almost to the very margin oi the ocean. These evaporate in the summer time, but are at present, in some cases, spacious sheets of water. The view from the. cliffs is a grand one, the eye resting to the left on the Waitakerei coast line, with the picturesque Boat Rock standing sentinel off the shore—the breakers racing up its beetling crags—and carrying the vision to the right, it rests on an unbroken coast line of 40 miles on to the Kaipara Heads. Far as the eye can reach, the majestic billows of the Pacific are rolling in on that yellow band, with eternal refrain — even at a distance of three miles from the coast line each roller being seen distinctly coming in, combing, and dissipating itself in seething foam on the sand. Perhaps some of the grandest scenes in the province are to j be seen on that coast line, but though within one day's travel o£ Auckland it is almost a terra incognita to tourists, still every year is increasing the number of visitors. We felt recompensed for all the toil and discomfort, by the grand scenery stretched before us, and this is the experience of every visitor. The encroachments of the sand inland, however picturesque, are decidedly unpleasant in their effects to the settlers, Tn some eases the sand is running down the gullies like water, and has reached almost to the line of the railways. Aged natives point to spots nearly two miles inside the • present line, where in their childhood stood pahs and cultivations, now buried in the sand. The Government will ultimately have to face the difficulty, and, as the French Government have done in , Algeria, combat the enemy by planting ailanthus, or adopting kindred remedies.

ALONG THE LINE. On the road to town wa noticed little change along the line since our last visit, which was with Tawhiao and party to Rewiti. The land is held by absentees, or by speculators for the rise, to some extent, but there is no reason why, from the character of the land, what has been done by Messrs. Phillipps and Monk, at Paeroa, should not be repeated over and over again along the line of the Kaipara railway, and the endless expanse of fern replaced by comfortable homesteads and emerald green paddocks dotted with sheep and cattle. At Rewiti there is little if any change, but further down, at Taupaki, where the Taupaki block was sold by Paul, of Urakei, in small farms, some years ago, things have a healthy and progressive look. Fern burning was going on in the Henderson's Mill district, and at the foot of the Waitakerei ranges, showing that the work of reclamation and clearing is progressing there. The Whau and Mount Albert districts are still going ahead, and in both districts a goodly breadth of land will be brought under cultivation tbis season, but in the former district the most noted feature is the increase of suburban residences for Auckland tradesmen, desirous of getting away after the business of the day to the quiet of country life. RAILWAY MANAGEMENT.

The settlers along the line of railway are very well satisfied with the arrangements for passenger traffic, there being three trains a day from Helensville to town, but there is not so much satisfaction with respect to the provision for goods traffic. This arises partly from a deficiency of rolling stock, and partly, it is believed, from the district manaeer's hands being tied up by cast-iron rules from the Circumlocution Department in Welling-

ton, which have been framed by officials who do not know local requirements, and possibly do not want to know them. A large quantity of baulk timber as well as sawn timber is being sent down the line from Helensville—the former being despatched by each of the three trains, but this does not keep pace with the demand, owing, as abovo stated, to the deficiency of rolling stock. If

proper facilities were given, the Helensville Timber Company would put on a night gang, and double their output of timber. They could keep an average of si* trucks going, but at present it is either a feast or a famine, double the number required being there when they are not wanted, and then the mill beiug delayed for days in the despatch of timber for want of a truck. The directors of the Helensville Timber Company, at their meeting next mouth, intend to take step? to enforce upon the Government the necessity of furnishing additional rolling stock, as it will be imperatively required to enable them to meet the engagements of their increasing business. A good story was told us of the way things are managed on the railway. Some trucks were loaded up ready for despatch, but it was necessary the goods should be secured with ropes, and these wera not at hand. I'he gentleman interested in the goods being forwarded ottered to supply the requisite roping, but the offer was declined with thanks, as only "departmental" ropes would be used! The trucks lay there for three days, till the stuff could be departmentally roped up, and the official mind consequently satisfied. The "yarn" seems almost too good to be true,

were it not that we have another instance of " how not to do it," further down the line, which seems to be almost incredible. Some distance from Wocdhill, a widow, named yixa. Hoe, has a bush containing a large quantity of excellent firewood. She paid to get a short "siding" pnt in, and some hundreds of tons of firewood have been loaded up there for the Auckland and other markets, being carted from the bnsb to the trucks. The railway management have come to the conclusion, it is said, that the trains should make better time to Helensville, and that can only be done by haviug fewer stopping places. They don't want firewood, and they don't want "feeders" to the line, so the widow has got notice that she can keep her firewood, for they intend to tear up the siding after all the expense has been gone to, and leave her out in the cold, Mrs. Hoe has protested, and eomeof the settlers have used their influence on her behalf, but all in vain. Even Mr. Hurst, M.H.fi. for Waitemata has intervened, but without effect. An "official utterance" has been made, and the heavens would fall if it were retracted,

consequently the rails of the siding are to be torn upthis week. The step may be a perfectly justifiable one, viewed from a departmental standpoint, but it is simply the laughing-stock of the benighted settlers of the district, whose bucolic intellects fail to grasp the situation.