TE AWAMUTU.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18020, 20 February 1922, Page 10

TE AWAMUTU.

GARDEN OF WAIKATO.

REMARKABLE PROGRESS.

EAPID GROWTH OF TOWN.

DISTRICT'S POSSIBILITIES. 'ADVENT OP ELECTRICITY. The to-irn of To Awamutu is in the cei'ire o{ seme of the finest dairying country in tho whole of tho Waikato, and for a radius if 26 miles the milk produced comes to this town. When it is realised that the Area which claims Te Awamutu as its commercial centre includes the districts of Ohaupo, Paterangi, Te Roro, Pirongia, Te Rau-a-moa, Kakepuku, To Mawhad. Kihikihi, Korakanui, Wharopuhanga, Matapara, and Ngaroma, the importance of tho town will be appreciated. Although this part of tho Waikato, like many others, has only been developed Nrithin comparatively recent years it is no Mean contributor to the wonderful record in primary production established by the Auckland Province. The excellent nature pf the soil, aided by ideal climatic condijtions, including a bountiful rainfall, has enabled iha farmers to win from their land a volume of wealth unprecedented in any part of the Dominion in such a short reriod of developments One special featnre in connection with the rapid progress of the To Awamutu district, is that the people on tho land started on right lines, doubtless profiting by the experience of the pioneers in the older settlements of the country. Thus only the very best strains of dairy stock are to be found on the farms. It is a comparatively easy matter to chronicle the results achieved in this district, but the fact that they have not been secured without much hard work and many trying experiences must not be overlooked. Above all there have been no "strikes" and no go-slow policies in operation to hamper the development of the country. Tho task that lay to the farmers' hand has been performed with a will and with a knowledge that it is only by industry, combined with hard work, that the best fruits of the soil can be reaped. Consequently there has been an abundant harvest at To Awamutu and the people of the province are tho richer for it. All this has happened since the Rev. W. Williams, the pioneer of settlement in this part of the island, landed on the banks of the Waipa River in 1854. In those days the possibilities of the Waikato were practically unknown, and Mr. Williams and Mr. A. N. Brown, who discovered this centre of untold wealth, ■were the envoys of civilisation as we know it to-day. Undaunted by the lack ol communication with the outside world thess hardy pioneers stuck to their task and laid the foundation of the borough bs it is now known. Growth in Seven Yean.

The prosperity enjoyed by the farmers fluring the war period was shared by the people of the borough, and as a! result

the value of property rose rapidly. Te Awamutu was constituted a borough in 1915, and the ratable value in 1916 was £292,500, in 1919 it was £301,525, while in March 9, 1921, it had increased to £579,076. The latest valuation gives the figures aa £607,790. It was only to be expected that a town with such a large and wonderfully fertile hinterland would progress, and to-day it is one of the mileposts in the Waikato, which proclaim the extraordinary development • that has followed the opening up of the country by tie construction of the Main Trunk railway. It is the best evidence that could be offered in favour of a policy of main line construction, without which Te Awamutu would only have been a hamlet on jthe wayside, instead of a prosperous commercial centre bidding fair to out-rival many others established years before the residents boasted even a town board. Having regard to the vast possibilities of the district the progress already made is but a mere beginning compared with what may be > reasonably expected in the future. The layout of the town is such that there is room for thousands of people tbere, and as production develops on an intensive scale, secondary industries will follow in the waio of primary industry. The advent of electricity will cause to Spring into existence schemes for uiilis. ing by-products of the soil, which to-day are being wasted, and as these become factors in our productive system it follows thai, Tfl Awamutu will expand and become one of the great wealth-producing tributaries of Auckland, the chief commercial centre of the Dominion. The Dairying Industry. Te Awamutu, proudly christened by the inhabitants a s "The Garden of the Waikato," is situated on the Main Trunk railway, 100 miles from Auckland, and is ZoOfl. about sea level. The climate is idctl and there is an uniform rainfall and even temperature. The population of the borough is now 162.3, the increase since ion br-m- 645. The greatest increase, however, has taken place in the dißtn<-t8 surrounding the town. Ten vears apo the country be\onJ the Punui Over .as entirely covered with scrub, out n .,w every iv, f f or 20 miles hevond ie Awamutu ls .losely settled, and there are three dairv factories in that part of the district. In that same locality Z bttte owns considerable areas of land n n Hospital and VYa.kena Prison R< formatoy Dunn 2 the last fi„-, vears there has been considerable Bub-division of pro pert.es around Te Awamutu. Dairvin, has made rapid strides, and the larue null: powder actory recently opened bandle s tno milk from no fewer than 4000 cows. Te Awamutu offer, exceptional attractions aim mducemerts to all, f lom , he independent man in jearch of ease to the humblest labourer, but to no class docs it ofler sin h inducements as to the farmer either big or small; nor does it matter y/hat branch of fanning it is desired to gfldsrtakes, Jhe, reason ig not hard to

find. Firstly, climatic conditions and, secondly, tho nature of not oniy the subsoil, but the stratum of earth for 100 ft. below it provide tho reason. This is an enormously valuable asset, and accounts for the continual greenness and growth during tho driest summers in and around the district for miles, while country to the north and south is brown and baked. The almost total absence of high winds, or any chance of flooding from tho innumerable low-bedded rivers and creeks relieves the Block and produce-raiser of two anxieties. Promise ol the Future.

The land is easily worked, and, what i« perhaps of more importance, its nature is such as to lend itself readily lo chemical lonversion to any required chemical condition. With such conditions existing, it is only natural that dairying should have gone "ahead, but when the capabilities of the district are considered it may safely bo said that the industry is still in its infancy. The district offers great opportunities to the fruit farmer, and for anyone of experience desirous of finding lucrative employment of either much or little capital, openings present themselves such as aro rarely found elsewhere. All kinds of fruit do exceedingly well, and, as showing what can be done, one resident cleared £300 from his gooseberry patch, which was worked by himself and his wife in their spare time, tho only paid labour being for picking. Stock-raising is carried on most successfully under ideal conditions, and stock from tins district has gained many successes in the principal show rings of tho North Island. Sheep-farming is carried on to a fair extent, and on many occasions wool grown within half a mile of the town boundary has topped the Auckland market.