NORTHERN WAIROA NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14730, 12 July 1911, Page 12

NORTHERN WAIROA NOTES.

1; ;ftiKW.INQ AND DAIRYING.

WtaWT* operations in the Northern "iWaiwm. district are brisk, and the several plant* «d in full 'swing.' At lataranki the mill is 'going night and day, and at tfainmoi, Kopm-n, Aoroa, DargavJl*. JCaibr. Hoanga, and Tangowahine the •staff* at eat their maximum. Boom stocks pro la. o, and it is many years since so many Jogs wore- available. During the i -past two months heavy shipments of sawn timber have been made to Australia and ; the South Island. During June the summary Clan Boss, Waipori, Wairuna, Malbour ne, and lhumata took away over 6 000,00( for Commonwealth ports, the coastal fleet carried 500,000 ft to J.yttelton and Dmaediu, and at present there are loading the four-masted baryuentino Ti ■ tania, ax id barques Hazel Craig and Mar- ■ jorio Cri tig. The steamer Beulmck is >h«> ia a fori ;aight. and one of the Adelaide Steamship Company's fleet is expected in the courst .of a week. The llmmata, which nailed lai it week, is to be kept permanently on the Kaipara-Sydney run, and her advu nt marks an era of progress in timber carriage, for which she has been specially constructed. She has a cargo capacity for close on 1,000.000 ft, her equipment includes 15 derricks and eight winches I 0' which she is enabled to discharge a-i quarter million feet daily. She, with the Bentiiu-k and the Inga, belongs to the C« nig Hue, which is replacing its largo fleet- of sailing ships with modem steamers. Despite the heavy export, sawn timber sto <:ks are large, and there is every expectation that the operations for the current vear will constitute a record. A large amount of bush work is being carried on , but owing to the wet. season much won.'k has been slowed down for a month. A:» soon as winter ends there will be a wai.'e of activity throughout, all workings. In the larger bushes locomotives ' and" 'steam haulers do the heavy vork, and are able to continue operations throughout all seasons, but where bullocks are employ lid it is found more payable to spell thaiu during the worst of the wet season. Jin the Mangakahia district Messrs, Finlavson Bros., G. King, Eru Brown. Reddle Bros.. Wright 8r05... and Faithful and Nesbitt are working large areas of mixed timbers; Messrs. Welton Brown. Carter Bros., and T. Clotworthy have externsive contracts in the Mongonui ■watershed :, at Maromaku a gang of natives at* employ<i*lTO felling a large belt of milllie timb'ei.-.: at Paerata, Air. Movie is completing'the clearance of kauri in those parts; in 1 he Tapgilwa- Valley, N. Clotworthv has a large number.,of men employed : at Mapuna, G. Stanaway is well on with a white pine supply ; in the Tangowahine Valley Messrs. R. Hemphill and J. McLenndn'have largo outputs of white pine, and ri.mu : in the Awakino Messrs. T. Hawkins, and H. Morton are working on a large scale; at Horehore, Howard Bros, are Weekly sending away several rafts; and in the Kailm Valley, Messrs. Whitehead Bros.. Ussher and Stewart, and Eru Brown have largo areas to work. I A new sawmill has been erected at Wai : ma. at the bead of the Kaihu Valley, by Messrs. Woak and Co. This will enable settlers. to now dispose of all marketable timber at a profit, instead of as hitherto burning the bush in order to secure grass clearings. There is an extensive bushclad territory in the vicinity which contains millions of \ feet of . good building timber, and should afford the mill many year, of life. " I Preliminaries are being' arranged for the erection of a milling plant at Taita, in the Kaihu Valley, 11 miles from Darjaville. The scheme is to erect the mill adjacent to the railway and "to run a tram inland for some nine miles in order to tap the kauri and other clumps . in = the Awakino'Valley. It is estimated that over 20,000,000 f- of. standing igtimber;, is available for treatment/ and settlers it the locality have arranged that the royaltj basis is to be small as . the benefits tliej will receive from the industry being started in their midst will be manifold. The sawn limber is to be conveyed bj rail to Dargaville from whence it will bt exported. The erection of other smal plants in various bush localities is mooted »nd in' timber circles generally there is much activity

With" the passing of June, farmers are in:lined -to consider that the crux of win»r has been experienced, and are now coking forward to an extension of daylight, which in the course of a few weeks will bo noticeable. , v, Some fine parcels of beef and store catlie are weekly removed to the city markets. A drove of 75 well-conditioned steers was forwarded from Tangowahine Valley to Helensville this week, other lots are driven through Otamatea to the, railhead, and considerable numbers are taken to Whangarei to be shipped to Auckland. Beef stock is somewhat t easier in. price locally, but prime beasts command £10, and even upwards. A disquieting discovery was made last week at Kairara, where'a small colony of wild dogs was found to be located. This is perhaps the first instance of wild dogs found in these parts. Mr. A. E. Harding's pedigree Romney flock was this week augmented by the arrival of 10 specially selected ewes from Mr. G. C. Wheeler's "famed flock at Feilding. The ewes are all in lamb to the celebrated Godfrey XX., which commanded 60 guineas, and are a welcome addition to the Romney strain in these parts. Tinned milk is having a strong run in most households, owing to dairymen preferring to supply the butter , factory to a house delivery. In many cases the article is now purchased by the case, and although in the centre of a district containing 4000 dairy cows there is a district milk famine.

The West Coast lands which, during the past 12 months have attracted especial attention, are giving returns beyond expectations. Between Scarrot's and the ocean beach there is an area of 150 acres, which Mr. M. O'Connor had ploughed in January; and sown with green globe turnips and Italian rye. It is now carrying 800 sheep, and in view of the proved soil fertility a much larger area is to be put under the plough. At the back" of 'Aratapu, Mr. Wilfred Chad wick has laid down 50 acres of similar land in paspaluni ■dilitatum, and other settlers, ' noting the success attained, " are now directing their to portions of their holdings hitherto regarded as practically infertile. Higher up tin. coast, Mr. Bayley, of (Taranaki, has 600 acres under . "ass* and ho satisfied is ha with the remits, that ■Die intends to plough up 1000 acres more. :He has augmented his large ploughing •plant with eight more horses, and is fast converting what were waste lands into a ,smiling country side, which depastures many thousands of sheep. Mr. A. 'E. Harding is also making preparations for laying down 200 acres of turnips on the coast line, and increasing his alreadv larcre ilock.

Extensive additions are being made to the Northern Wairoa Dairy Company's factory, at Mangawhare, in order to tope .•with the fast-increasing output of butter. !A large wing is being added to the present building, the present cool storage room is to be devoted to the reception of cream, and a larger cool storage apartment is to be provided. A third churn ja beiiig died, and an additional re;frigerato i ine in being added to the -plant. Connected with tlie company is a •private telephone service, whereby all .creameries and many settlers are enabled !to communicate over 130 miles of line. A .second cable has been laid across the , river, and the line is now to be carried 1 5to the Qtamatea County. The factory .output is now one ton" of butter per "day, and winter suppliers will receive Ujjd ! per lb for butter-fat. Last season's payments ../.-raged lOjd per lb. The present [production enables the company to vend locally si fresh article, and so far no [draw Jiiis been made upon stocks in Auckland. K a; •!lag the high retail price of putter, Mr. Clayton, the company's mana'fß> states that there is no shortage of if 0 0; batter, but the .'increase in price 'is (Jup to outside influences. - •:: He lis ' iii- . clii ;d to believe ..that a, corner does-exist • wo: .cere vin the"Dominion butter niarUtei. and that alone is responsible for the |nfj,tion-in j^rw fr *j '-• • • •