KING COUNTRY SETTLERS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15558, 16 March 1914, Page 10

KING COUNTRY SETTLERS

THE RETARUKE VALLEY. [SHOW OTTB tTAtrMAnTmrri correspondent] Tire King Country lie* in three provinces —Auckland, Wellington, and Taranaki. Most of the still unsettled portions of it ore in tine Auckland Province. The Taranaki section still containn a considerable area of unoccupied Crown land, while in the Wellington province the last block of .40,000 acres is now under survey. Settlement has spread southwards along tbe Wanganui River from Taumarumii, and northward along the same river from its mouth, so that the final link in the chain will bo supplied -when the block referred to above has been balloted for. It is a matter of much interest to visit at certain intervals a block of country which one ha* seen in a state of virgin bush, and to not© the results of the settlers efforts since the preceding visit. Three years ago the then Commissioner of Crown Lands at Wellington (Mr. James McKenzio), who is now Under-Secretary for Lands, accompanied by the members of the Wellington Land Board* rode through a large -block of land called the Morinui, the survey of which was then almost completed, as that of its neighbouring block, the Whirinaki, is at pregont. I had the pleasure of Tiding with The party on that day—it wan a journey "of 20 miles through a surveyor's slash track, and our horses were the first that Iliad «ver trodden it. In November, 1911, the land was balloted for, and very shortly afterwards the settlers were in occupation. Quite recently I again visited the Morinui. The most striking and tangible sign of progress that I noted was a number of flocks of sheep being driven from the Morinui farms to the Kaitieke sale, which was to take place on the following day. The miles of new fencing running along the road-line or up the ridges, dividing ' section from Beckon; the new grass on recent burns, or .the older grass on those «f the previous season; the improvements to the dwellings, and especially the gardens, ' all these gave me the impression that settlers are getting a grip on their holdings. As the main road through, the Wliirinaki Block, to be opened up shortly, will junction with the Betaruke Road, near the'landing, a piece of flat ground near the latter has already been selected for a township site, and will be surveyed out iato town lots by Mr. Blake when he has finished with the Whirinaki. The. Retaruke farmers have already learnt that it is no child's play to bring a section into profit. It swallows money with sin insatiable appetite, while the output is considerably lowered by unlooked-for losses. Animals rtray away into the neighbouring bush and get lost. Others die from the eating of poisonous plants, such as tutu and rangiora. Cattle fall between prostrate logs, and are unable to txtricate themselves. Unexpected difficulties are met with in bringing grass seed to the new burns and in packing wool away. In spite of all this, howeyer, the men stick to their guns, and every year brings them nearer to being masters of the situation. The Befairuke River is one of great natural beauty. It flows between etecp walls of rock, and its banks are clad with dense forest. On the right bank of the river, next to the River Trust Reserve, the Wade Brothers have a couple of sections, and have a substantial house, charmingly situated in native bush. A narrow swing-bridge hung like a thread across a chasm, gives access from the farm! to the road. On the left bank the first section met with is that of Mr. Dobbs. This settler is the father of a large family, and he and his lady have already done a great deal of improvement in the way of fencing- and clearing. It would be tedious to give particular/of all the sections. They are, almost without exception, already assuming the settled look of older districts. The farthest point of the Morinui Block in about 28 "miles from Raurimu, and the road from that township has, except for a few unimportant pieces here and there, been brought to the point where the Morinui Stream junctions with the Retaruke, i.e., a distance of oyer 20 miles altogether. Though the Morinui Block is hilly .country, yet it contains some excellent flats suitable for dairy cows, and already a scheme is on foot to send cream to the Piriaka dairy factory, via Raurimu. As only a small proportion of the settlers are married men, and as children are few and far between, the question of school accommodation is a difficult one A school was erected by the residents but, as the distance is about four milei from Mr. Dobbs's house, and as the roac is rather dangerous, he is doubtful about ending his children to it. A notable factor in the development o Retaruke will be found in the establish ment of stock sales in the Kaitieke.

Three years ago the British Navy's air- ' craft consisted of one naval airship, then in the completing stage, and no aeroplanes at all. To-day we lead the world in seaplanes, and have at least fourteen airships built or building. In January, 1911. less than a dozen officers, all told, were engaged on aerial work, whilst at the present tune over 100 naval and marine officers are engaged in flying and other duties connected with aircraft. The Royal Flying Corps is making great headway, but few people in the Dominion realise' what groat, advances have been made in aerial navigation. Flying in the R.F.C. has reached such a standard that weather makes no * difference to premeditated flights. Critics of the aeroplane, who saythat it is a fair-weather machine onlv, would have been silenced had- they been present whoji the Eastchurch contingent recently carried out cross-country reconnaissance in a full gale with a temperature below freezing point, and with ft hail and snow storm to make (worse. Such work is being done frequently at, every base of the flying corps, the members /of the corps doing then' work unostententatiously and tearing trick flying to thoee for whom it pro- , Tides a Jiving.