TAUHOA BLOCK, KAIPARA FLATS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11800, 1 November 1901, Page 6

TAUHOA BLOCK, KAIPARA FLATS.

This block of land is not connected with Tauhoa proper, being entirely separated from the older settlement by Hotco tidal estuary i and the Maungakura, block. Accompanying- the Government sub-enume-rator on his annual round of collecting the agricultural returns I tike advantage of the opportunity of visibly ascertaining the progress of affairs in this comparatively new district. Ten years ago, standing on the trig station on the boundary line of the Kaipara Flats settlement", and looking south and west, there was a magnificent outlook over 15,000 acres of denselywooded country, beyond which lay the waters of the Kaipara and numerous tributaries which open out from amongst the sand dunes near the harbour bar. This 15,000 acres c f land were about that time opened up by the Survey Department. Mr. A. II Vickerman and staff laid off the block, which was speedily taken up. principally by the sons of settlers on adjoining property, and by extending vises® holdings the Government retained a few hundred acres as a forest ieserve. To-day the scene from the same outlook is still a magnificent one, but of quite another type. The greater portion of Hie bush has disappeared, and in place .thereof homesteads are dotted here and there over the landscape, and instead of the somewhat sombre verdure of the outward appearance of the forest is the beautiful emerald hue of luxuriant herbage, sustaining thousands of sheep and herds of cattle, some of which would make a creditable show in any part of the colony. The Government have recently re graded and oonsilqrably improved the main road through the block, and it is now available for sledges, which _ is comparatively a great convenience in getting out the wool on to the West Coast Road ready for water carriage to Helensville. The settlers in the northern sections use the Kaipara. 'Flats outlet, which the Government are now forming for vehicular traffic to the proposed station at this point. The first farm on our route is the 700 acres belonging to Messrs. Jordan and Son, who have grown and harvested during the last eight years considerable quantities of grass seed, principally of the crested dogstail and fescue varieties. Modern machinery is used for cleaning the seeds, and they are consigned to the Auckland market in A 1 condition. The Messrs. Jordan have also a fine flock of sheep of the Shropshire Down class, which are looking well, and have produced 100 per cent, of lambs this season. The next is the farm of Messrs. E. and R. Davie-Martin Brothers, energetic and capable pioneers from the Eastern Maluirangi district, who have made the grass grow to some purpose from the evidence of the flourishing condition of their stock. These gen-tle-men, however, have not yet attained "the summit of earthly happiness under the order of Benedicts. The homestead looked comfortable in a sense, situated in a sheltered hollow at the edge of the bush, but no bright, cheery housewife was to be seen, and the music of children's voices was not in evidence. Moreover, the house was not of sufficient structural dimensions to admit of the performance of swinging around the domestic species of the feline race, as the sub-eume-ratov expressed it; but to make up for this domieilary deficiency the woolsheds, etc., were built on a much larger scale. All animal life responds instinctively to the moods of Nature. The salubrious breeze meeting us from the wide expanse of ocean lying miles away in front of us and perfumed ere it reached its by myriads of blossoms, and the vivific effects of the glorious spring sunshine, gave a springy and elastic motion to our horses, which made them difficult of restraint, and speedily brought to view another bachelor's section, the same class of land, but much broken. The quantity of feed, even in this month of October, is surprising. A well-woolled class of Lincoln sheep looked as if they were literally in clover. Mr. Arthur T. Woodcock, the owner, has been fortunate in having splendid burns. The country through which we were passing had been remarkably heavy bush, and the labour of falling on such broken ground must have been great, and one cannot help but regfet the vast waste of timber. Will any of it ever be replaced? Some of the giant ratas, rimus, kahikateas, and puriris must have taken centuries to produce. Will tho coming centuries reproduce them? Scientists tell us that there is no waste in Nature, that the processes of disintegration and decay are the constituent elements of reproduction, and. indeed, this fact is obvious even on the surface of things, for the valuable chemical properties of the burnt timber aro the natural available fertilisers of the soil. But New Zealand entirely denuded of her forests would be much less fair, apart from climatic exigencies. We pass on to Messrs.' A. ' DavieMartin's section, which comprises 500 acres, nearly all in grass. This is not a homestead section, as Mr. Martin is one of the leading farmers of the Kaipara Flats, and has also property in IComokoriki and Ahuroa. It was evident that the owner was making a muster of cattle from the sound of dogs on the distant ridges ami the mob of cattle which were gradually accumulating near the boundary fence, and a splendid lot of cattle they were, both fat and stores. Some of them purchased last year doubled their value from the prices realised at our recent local sale. The next along the route is Mr. Patterson's homestead, where great improvements have been made during the last year of an advanced order, in the way of boundary and , division fences, enclosures for seed-growing, and garden. The garden, however, is not, on a scale with other improvements—only a bachclor s patch." Tho flock of Boir>ney sheep owned by this gentleman were of splendid finality, and, together with the creditable herd of Devon and Shorthorn cattle, could produce enough wealth to keep a large household comfortably. If our chief legislators were sufficiently wide awake to the possibilities of this part of the North I think they would institute not a "Single Tax" but a "Bachelor's Tax," not that I favour coercive measures, but would suggest as an. inducement that greater facilities be ottered in the way of transit and communication. The road grades are splendid, but there always is a " but"—human nature, as typified by Dickens, is always asking for more. The road is not wide enough' for wheeled vehicles. A regular coach, running from the Glorit to Kaipara Flats Railway Station, is still somewhere m the dim and weighty future. The resources of this district from a dairy point; of view are exceedingly promising. Granted suitable outlets lor milk carts, and factory established, the yield per aero in percentage of butter-fat wou.d be second to none. In the meantime tho production of beef and mutton must have pre-eminence, as they are able to convey themselves to market, and loss labour is involved.

Continuing: our journey along the longgraded slopes and uplands, surrounded on all sides by ridges and hollows of every conceivable shape of outline, we see here and there along the whole route small or larger shelter reserves of native bush that at the present time are one superb mass of lovely white blossoms, more profuse this season than ever I have known them, and the beautiful golden kowhai, " kua ura to a o te kowhai. Looking down from some of tho points of vintage into tiia lovely wooded hollows of dazzling efflorescence one could imagine that the floral goddess !ia.s for some mystery of Nature surpassed herself this season. Rapidly drawing nearer the waters of the Kaipara, which flash and glisten in the sunlight, we approach the first real homestead we nave seen foe miles; a homestead containing a household and the comfortable appurtenances of civilisation in contradistinction to baelielordom. Moreover, we receive a courteous invitation to luncheon and rest, hospitality being synonymous with* tho name of Mr. and Mrs. Perkins, of the ulorit, and the absence of the head of the household was tho only drawback to the pleasure of our visit. Mr. Perkins has earned the gratitude of very many of his fellowsettlers foi his practical and kindly help in time of sickness and his gratuitous and skilful homcepathic treatment in numerous trying incidents and accidents of bush life 11ms wo traversed the new road through the Tauhoa block, end al ag the route lies not one acre of poor land, while some of the sections, and flocks and herds therein, would riot be esusily surpassed in this portion of the ,V' n , e t ? t ' l °, rni !. ns - ,It is rather unfortunate that the block should be named Tauhoa, as it I will often cause confusion in postal arrange- | B # e "p S and other matters, the older district of rauhoa_ being in tho same part of the j I^ipara.— [Kaipara Flats Own Correspon-