THE CRY OF THE NORTH.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16823, 13 April 1918, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE CRY OF THE NORTH.

AN UNDEVELOPED COUNTRY.

BY ELSIB K. MORTON.

Oif late years, the cry of the need? and the possibilities of the North Auckland district has become so loud and convincing, that at la-t capitalists are becoming interested, even the Government has officially taken notice, and it seems possible that these claims will eventually meet with that recognition which wi> enable the North to couio into her own again, as one ol the gieat weaitn producing districts of tho Dominion, Lu'ii now, blaived ol tliu essentials (o progress wiuui wouid enable tlio seller to make tl.e must of ins holdings, theie aio mauy prosperous estates, miles of rich pu»ture and fruit land, hue herds of catt.e and Bocks of sheep, and where, from end to end of the North, men ol staunch com age working against heavy odds because they believe, heart and soul, in the possibilities of the land they hold. Cundit.uiis vary, of course, in different districts, but in the main the needs of one part of Northland are the same as tho needs of another—settlement and development taking first place. lake the Kaipara, for instance, Hie hist thing that impresses itself upon the mind of a visitor is the enormous amount of undeveloped country—not rugged, bush-covered land, not the precipitous ranges of southern parts of the province, but iniio upon mile of gently-rising hills, covered with dwarf tea-tree and tussock, with cabbage-trees and lias marking tlio course of many an abundant stream. In some of the Kaipara districts, 'round about Dargaville, there aro still large tracts of native bush, and timber-cutting and sawmiiling are important industries, but little trace remains in other parts of the splendid forests of bygone days.

The Wealth of Early Days. Nowadays there is no heavy bush round about the Utainatea and adjoining districts save an occasional patch onuoiiie hillside, winch has somehow survived the axe and fire of the settler. In early days virgin forests clothed lulls and valleys fur mile upon mile. With the axe arid saw of the timber-cutter, spear and spado of the gumdigger, tho first great wealth of the Kaipara was won ami lost. There was no talk of tho "Poor North" in those days! And if one tithe of the riches that have been taken out had been put in again in the form of roads and transport facilities, there never would have arise that familiar old bogey-cry. For many years llleao timber and gum lands yielded rich treasure, and played an important part in laying the foundations of the prosperity which is New Zealand's to-day. And now, shorn of its first store of wealth, thousands upon thousands of acres lie undeveloped and wasted. The country cries aloud for settlement, yet because nobody ha* believed sufficiently in the possibilities of the North to advance the capital requisite for development, becauso tho Stat* has never seen its way to repay a little of the riches won in early days, much bf the country is still roadie?*, or worse than roadless, progress is impeded, and land that might be made richly productive is left to the struggling settler, who with [i oncer patience and endurance still keeps h.9 faith and makes his fight in face of hopes deferred and endless difficulties and disappointments. Fifty Tears ot Grazing. Much of the land of the North is admittedly patchy, yet there is evidence on every band of what can bo accomplished by even the smallest amount of attention. On tho hillsides of the Ruatuna Estate at Matakohe there are acres upon acres of grazing land, burnt off and surface sown close on fifty years ago, which has had no attention of any kind sinco, and on this land to-day are fattening herds of some of the finest Hereford cattle in North Auckland. On the same estate there are wide stretches of hilly country, which have never known lire nor plough nor planter, still covered with primitive growth of cabbage-trees and tussock and self-sown grass from other hills, and hero in dry summers, when other parts of the country are parched and dry and bare of feed, flocks of sheep thrive on the fallen leaves and natural food, and find water in plenty in streams and pools that the hottest summer fails to dry. Where this land has been cultivated the results have more than justified the faith of the settlers.

The Hopes of the Pioneers. In years gone by the pioneer settlers of the North cheerfully endured all manner of hardship and inconvenience, because they believed that their sons would gather in the rich harvest of their endeavour, and they took courage in the thought that tho rough places would be made smooth for those wlio followed after. Alas, poor dreamers! In how many homesteads is not the son to-day fighting his lather's battles all over again, picking his wav through winter's awful morass over the self-same tracks his father's visions lung ago converted into well-made roads, watching his, little children set out on the weary, long way to tho selfsame school he himself trudged to in boyhood days! So sure they had been, these lads and their parents, that another and a nearer school would soon cut short those long miles! And so the old tale runs on, still the waiting, still the hoping, still courageous hearts and the will to endure.

In many districts, of course, great improvements havo been effected in late years, thanks to vigorous representation in Parliament and to the progressive spirit of the settlers themselves. The question of good roads has been settled in places which a few years ago were, awful examples of the "roadless North." Comparatively recently, that is, within tho last five or six years, several townships in the Otamatea County raised local loans for roading purposes, so that travel round about iMatakohe, Huawai, and Raupo is now possible in winter, while other (daces are practically isolated, with seas of mud between them and other outposts of civilisation. And this, be it borno in mind, at a time when stock is on tho move for distant markets. There are railways in the North, it is true, but any settler will tell you that the urgent need is not only for good arterial roads, but roads connecting up with branch lines stretching out into tho surrounding districts.

Till tho Boys Corao Home," It is in the outlying districts of Ninthland that one realises the extent to which the manhood of New Zealand has been depleted by the war, and the splendid spirit in which tho home folk, for the most part, aro meeting tho hardships of their absence, and keeping things going " tiil the boys come home." Even the homesteads which had no sons to send to the front are now feeling the pinch, for no labour can be obtained to keep things going. In one splendid orchard in the Kaipara, for example, too ground a few weeks back lay literally cvered with ripe pears and loaches; there was no one save the old folk to gather and pack, no nno to build tho boxes and send the fruit away. In other families tliere are little mites of eight years old doing their part, bringing the cows, helping with the milking before and after their Jong walk to school. There are families where the girls are doing all the farm work formerly done by thoir brothers, doni'.- it not in the smart outfit to which the English illustrated papers have accustomed us, but in their brothers' dungarees, driving the cream cart through miles of mud, facing bitter winter weather, tending the stock, getting in tho winter feed, even attending the cattle sales to purchase and to soil. Thus are the settlers of Northland facing the set-back which war brought in its train, at a time when it seemed that the tide of progress had at last really turned in their favour. Yet they are "carrying on" with spirit undaunted, looking ahead to the return of their men from the front, to that timo when the debt of the years shall bo paid, and the North known indeed no longer as a land of promise but as a laud of richest fulfilment.