SETTLEMENT ALONG THE KAIPARA RAILWAY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 6948, 23 February 1884, Page 1 (Supplement)

SETTLEMENT ALONG THE KAIPARA RAILWAY.

\BV OOR O'JVN REPORTER;]:

The other week we gave some notes concerning the progress of Avondale. VVe have since taken a trip further up the line, tb^seppSiow. matters were progressing in the other districts along the railway. Waikomiti is; still keeping up its old reputation./as.'a.truitgrowing district. Several new settlers have started between Avondale and Henderson, among them Messrs. Parker, take,: -arid Foley. Beetham'a Sauce and Pickie? Factory at Henderson is in full swing,; and .we noticed some splendid land be has oh,the banks of Henderson's Creek planted out in; tomatoes for the uae of the factory,:'anaJ looking well. On part of the block recently sold by the Hon. T. HendersonJ .'clearing operations appear to be going ;on. ;;. One. of the most pleasing features./g in'.-.the;, landscape is the handsome new public school erected on land given by Mr. Henderson; Two stores aud a baker's shop:. have Jh'een ! erected recently—one of the stores Ibeiiig.; kept by the Messrs. Lourie, and-the!other by Mrs. Hepburn. It is surprisingthattiie., fine streams of water in the district/haye.: not been utilised for manufacturing pur-.' poses since the closing of the old timber' mill. On account of being thus favoured;;: the district ia admirably situated'as"a place , ', in which to establish a wcollen factory being connocted with Auckland by rail "and' water, and having the advantage in Henderson's and Canty's Creeks «f a fine watpi 1 ; supply. Bptween this district'and:tiie: Waitakerei there are evidences of progress and improvement. Mr. Gibbons is about tb; start a firewood mill near Swanson:station, in order to supply firewood for Auck- : land. The machinery is specially'devised., for cutting the trees into short , lengths. I '-.- At the Waitakerei station has been erected a new Postal and Telegraph. Office; which is a great convenience to the We noticed that Mr. James Dilworth is. carrying on improvements on the farm lately occupied by his deceased brother, Mr.' Andrew Dilworth. A considerable amount of fencing appears to be going on adjacent to' the railway line above Waitakerei. 'At Taupaki Block, which was sold many years ago by the well known Maori chief Paora Tuhaere, of Orakei, a considerable amount

of progress has. ; been made since the district has beeri'tapped...'by the. connected with , Ancklaad.: .\Ve were pleased to notice;- that the .westerri JpprtionV gi- the, block,"containing aohi'e 6000; to 7000 acres,' has beenirecently acquired from "the natives,' and is shortly to be brought into the;rna'rket'v and ?.w.iU ,:,, beVeold?.,\by" : '.- , :Messr3. f - , l , iVaile'^.ia,'nd : ■Douglas, at their mart,' Shbrtland'-3treet,,. by 'publicauction;'' Thie'diyision'nf the Taupaki , 'block" has.bfee'n ..many : years, -in :c6Qseqaence.;of:ita;saperi6f ..jquality, and.: : a3 furhi.shibg excellent' feeding , ■ground for'their.cattle.andh'bries;" -ItSaettle , - , .. ; .ment: is. of some /public: ' intertstj-- a'e'.'it' is the' Jlargeetblockipf thekindyet femainingfor sale ::between'-A'tic'kJaad.'arid\:fielepsTilleV'/iTt' : haii : ibeeri cut up;,.iritoiaßout MO; sections. ..ranging .ifroin:l2rt'b. i 67.o actes,/and is' 'half : .bash; :halfi ' operK jfcrh; laud;>.. Surveyed roads ;tap. the; . block . ih:;,.eyery. j direction;, at'H : easy jgradee; /giWng.access.tc> the- railway., stati."n... ■tances varying .from'ij .miles .toyfive j miles'.. It is calculated,..that.the.timber.pn:the s ;block ;—kauri, puriri, totara; rails,and:.firewoods, ''jvould, at. .present royalties;, yield. :the sum of £6000. : The opea.jand ia. iieavy.. : : ferh : interspersed; YFi.th tu paki .'an'jij,flax;. and; .'■seems" admirably adapted, for ..agricultural: ■.purposes. ■ The .sections., on; tHe.-easterii and: .'southern; side; of ;tbe;, trunk -road: running' ,'through...the' block, comprise, :eoil .of good jqiialityj .and capablei... of srowiric!:. .every: yariety,. of farm, produce. . They. ,are ..partly .■■timbered..: .Tie .block 'is ..well, watered;; ..throughout, and the .open lind . and -manuka; ."land, .when' el.earedj will be. easily :able for the greater part,, The timber.; on /the wooded .sections.'ban be 'brought dWn. ■.the/Mbkprda .liiyer to the. key piece: ipf.,.the; block' oh; that.side, ; a reserve,, of 49. acres' ■ being made.over which tnesettjers.can tiapetiinbfecto the suryeyed road which ■ runs;ihrough : the block jto the railway ;Bta-.. ~|ipn. , .'lt is bElieved'that a; large portion of. the", timn.er in ;t.h.e gullies of Waiitakerei. t\ will have to. come, out by this route.. The! ■ ; proprietors ipf the block under notice have: ..liberally set aiide 11. acres for school and.; . church, purposes. . Mr. .Bpilari, who beajrs.a.. high, Teputatip.ri' is a scientific, and, practical: , .farmer, and whom we met in the district; iri.' ■speaking of the open, part of the. block wis .empHatic iu his opinion that it wae '']bhe: : for agricultural purposes he had. .yef;.Bein /in tbe North,of Auckland',. : ah.d ; r'rriuch'superibr to, the .land in the surrounding,: ; districts,'" and stated that that was .not.prii'y'.i opinion, but that,..of the lataMK Andreyr DilvGrtb and others, who were. tho-. I .roughly ,conversant With, it. Sir. Bollard. :hoid3 that there is no reason way the block;' :should: .nipt be speedily covered by thrifty andprbsperpua settlers, and the same facev ■ put .upon the country as has been done fur;ther!aions[ the line at Paeroa by Messrs. [ . Philipps.and. Monk. ] Coming back to.the Kumeu, improvements ~are steadily going on, the plantations of Mr. : Ayi?are looking healtliy and pleasant amidst.. f .the stretches of fern along the line. We: /understand this gentlsmsu has handsomely offered. £300, on condition that, the settiers .give £200; towards the. erection Pf a new \ArJgjican church. Mr, Ellis, the hotelkeeper, .' i/is steadily enlarging thp breadth of lan.d. : under cultivation at his homestead. At,the. .; Wa'irriakau station and also at the Kumeu, ;. there appeara tp be a good .deal done in thetim-. ber. trade. At the/former station we.noticed a number of , fine kauri logs, which : had been, brought by bullpuk teams, from the Taupaki block, some ot them estimated at six tons in, . \yeight. Wβ were surpvised tp see. logs bf euph fenormous weight brought to the etatibn by, such means of transport, and it shows, that the grades on the.roada are not difficult.. The.pid,grog shanty—it cpuld scarcely be. called a happily been closed, ,aijd the place has faileii into, jhe hands, of Mr> A. ;K. Taylor,; who has re-let it as apriviate resi-. . dence, . Mr- Taylor pwns a large tract pf land in the neighbourhood, and is carrying .on. extensive improvements. At the. \Vai-; , makau Railway .Station, at the time.: of .-our, ! visit, a party of workmen-were engiged.in altering, one of the remarkable curves for ■which the Kaipara RailjTiay is .fam'ed.l The ialteratibn vyill render, the approach to t'he /.s'atioh. much more aafe-T-fpr, life and, Umbras.;' -w fill;, as save a.gpo.d dealof w.par and tear on; the roiling stock. It is intendedy when. this, work,is completed, to shift the station-house; to : the other side of. the line. .. .The great drawback to the progress :pf .settlepient along the Hne.js the amount of land;' .held by.absentees and; speculators, who...are, simply holding on till the small bpnajid^ settler has giVeinvaliie to their speculative inv,est T: iriehts by :his imprpyemente, when they will :b"e. prepared tp sell at a handsome, advance to other pioneer settlers. In many cases the small settler ia so heay.ily handicapped by the. high prises thus extorted for land, thai he never gets his nose from tfre,[grindstone It was. hoped that the Prope.ity Tax and. .the.ijan.dTax would cure this state of thing?; but sompbpvv the evil is as rampant as ever.