INTERVIEW WITH MR. GEORGE FOWLDS, M.H.R.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11544, 1 December 1900, Page 3

INTERVIEW WITH MR. GEORGE FOWLDS, M.H.R.

Mb. GEO.-FoWLns, M.H.E., returned yest?rday from the King Country, having left the Ministerial party at Maramata, and ridden over to tho Poro-o-torao tunnel, to catch the ordinary train for Auckland. Tho Hoa. W. Hall-Jones and the remainder of tne Ministerial party remained to more leisurely examine the works near the tunnel, and to attend a banquet at Te Awamutu in the evening. A Hekald representative waited upon Mr. Fowlds yesterday afternoon to ascertain the impressions of his trip to the King Country.

" What progress is being made with the works of the Main Trunk line?" said our representative to Mr. FowMs. "They are beinfe. prosecuted," said Mr. Fowlds, "with greater vigour than they have been for many years past, and the engineer" on the works are open to put on all the good men they can lay their hands on. The men employed on the works are averaging 8s 2d nor day in wages. Of course, gangs of really good men can earn more than this. Some of the works a few miles from the tunnal have been dirty and sloppy during the winter months, but the main portion, right down to the Wanganui River, is of a light pumice formation and comparatively clean. There need lie no complaint of want of employment on the part of any who are competent to handle a pick and shovel.' " What are the prospects of the line being completed within four years?" "It is only a matter of a little increased vigour on the present scale. The line will be open to Kawakawa by next September, and if the Government will hurry up with the bridge work there is no reason at all why the railway should not be running into the Wsimarino forest within two years from this date. There seems, however, an inclination on the part of the Government to force the construction from the southern end into this forest before reaching it from the northern end, although the distance to make the lino from the southern end is greater than from this end. If the lino from this end does not reach the forest first it will be a serious injustice to Auckland. Auckland people interested in the timber trade should be on the look-out to secure timber rights in this vain able forest before the whole forest is secured by Wellington speculators." ""What are your impressions of the laud along the Main Trunk line, so far as you have seen it?" "Round Taumaranui itself there is some fairly good land, though the bulk of the land from a few miles beyond the tunnel, down to Taumaranui, is rather poor. This is the portion that Mr. Parkea in his report says is the poorest on the whole of the Main Trunk route, but to speak of it as a pumice desert is absolutely absurd. Right along the whole way, on the sides of the road, there were fringes of cocksfoot and clover struggling with the tea-tree and fern for an existence." " Supposing the line were made through to Wellington, how do you think it would affect Auckland trade?" " I believe Auckland would control _ the trade well down beyond the Wanganui River, down to the junction at Marton?" " You also inspected the route of the Stratford light line?" "Yes: wo went over 30 miles, down the Ohura Valley Road." " What are your impressions of the land there?" "The land is somewhat broken, but of magnificent quality, and capable of growing wonderful crops of grass, and is specially fitted for grazing. I have hero a specimen of foxtail grass from Mr. Ellis' place at Mangaroa, measuring over 7ft in length. We saw on his place a mob of the finest fat bullocks I have ever seen. Mr. Ellis and others assured us that there were thousands and thousands of acres of land as good, or better, than his. A great portion of this land is owned by the Government, and it seems to be a disgrace that this land has not been thrown open for settlement long ago. A good coach road runs quite alongside large quantities of this Government land, and I was assured by some of the men working on the railway that hundreds of applications would be sent in if the land were thrown open for settlement. In fact, some of them have written to the Crown Lands Commissioner of Tarati3ki, about it, and have received no reply. If this land is not immediately thrown open by the Government, now that Mr. HallJones has had his attention drawn to it, I can only conclude that the Government mean to shut out Auckland selectors from this choice piece of land. When the railway is opened to Kawakawa next September, selectors would be able to drive into the ground with a carriage and pair, and surely it must bo some occult reason that would induce 'he Government to get settlers into the backblocks, 40 and even 50 miles from a good road, and leave this land unsettled so near *i>n railway. On the whole, lam better pleased with the prospects and possibilities of the Auckland district as a result of my trip than I have ever been before." "How was the Minister impressed wiih what you saw?" " I believe it has been a revelation to Mr. Hall-Jones, and that in the future his influence in the Cabinet will lie in tho direction of securing a more just and liberal treatment of Auckland interests." v