THE SOUTHERN TERRITORY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18342, 7 March 1923, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE SOUTHERN TERRITORY

TAIHAPE'S RICH COUNTRY

FLOURISHING BUSINESS TOWN

NATURE'S BEAUTIES PRESERVED

Pleasantly set in a dip among the hills the thriving town of Taihape is the) southern gateway to the great King Country, a territory so vast and of such possibilities that one day it will declare itself a new province. Taihapo is a place of rare beauty, but its charms are not known to the great mass of the people who rush through it by train, diving through the tunnel on the south side without the slightest chance of realising the glorious view to be obtained from the hilltop overhead. Forgetting the smoke and grime of the railway yard below, one has an unblemished panorama stretching far north to the white mass of Euapehu towering over the distant bush-clad ridges. Straight below the splendid main south road a turbulent stream sings in a deep ravine. Here cluster a few willows, shyly keeping aloof from the native bush, which still guards the stream in its wide sweep round the town. The hands that have ruthlessly destroyed the 'bush on the surrounding hills for timber and in the task of settlement have wisely withheld the axe and fire from the forest in this gorge, and on the hill on the northern side, and the area is now an entrancing reserve. Thus what would have been an almost featureless town has been given a choice setting, and fine bush it is. Forest giants or many Rinds' rear their massive trunks and stately tops from the cool moist depths selected for them by Mother Nature. One could 'spend weeks exploring the gorges wherein primitive nature holds high carnival and the noise of the traffic on the iron way never penetrates. There the little river makes endless music as it splashes over rock and ledge and sprays the fern and the glorious native birds sins solos in their But ever from the hilltop, the eyes sanctuary. come back to the snow-capped mountain glistening in the sun, the silent majestic sontinel of the Island. _ It gives a sense of vastness that otherwise- might be absent, but also provides a link for all the King Country communities and for communities far more widely scattered. The Distant HKills. The intervening bush-clad ridges make the common King Country vista., proclaiming the fact that pioneering has not long begun in this region and beckoning onward the march of settlement. The faint blue haze that tints this distant bush tells its own story of the struggle of man against nature in the rough. It tells the story of the bush section and the lonely settler, who has had the will to seek opportunity in the far back and the courage to face years of stern toil and conflict. It may bring sadness to the heart of those devoted to forestry suggesting thoughtless waste of future wealth, but the settler and hji wife and their brawny bairns in the cottage on the first clearing cannot Hit down and wait for timber to grow from the bush left by the sawyers. Grass must take the place pi the trees if sheep and cattle are, to graze, and the days of plenty return. The slopes stretching away from Taihape once were all dense forest. Stumps and dead trees tell of the settlement, and no effort of the imagination is required to picture the homestead;} thatdot the faces as they once were. Bush tracks led to them,, and years of labour were necessary to produce these broad acres of grass, which is now healing the wounds caused by landslides. Much of the land around Taihape represents what is ioid settlement, ■.according 'to Country standards. As one proceednorth the face of the country is move raw until the earlier influences of the north are met. But Taihape, though some 30 miles from the southern boundary of the King Country, cannot be dissociated from ■ it or from its settlement and business interests. From the number and substantial nature of its many - commercial houses it is obvious that its lines of communication and commerce are carried far into the territory as well as in the other directions. ; - ':''' Sound Commercial Centre. Taihape is known throughout the business world as a sound town. The ports of Auckland. Wellington and Wanganui clamour to serve it, and the local people have unbounded faith in their destiny. Tho days of timber-milling, which established the town, have practically passed of course, but although exports are now mainly wool and sheep, Taihape retains its importance as a railway centre. It is the place whence goods trains are ate patched to Wanganui, Wellington and Napier, much of the goods traffic from the King Country, the 'Waikato and Auckland being " made up" there. The railway staff numbers about 140, and on appearances the railway yards have long been outgrown. • . , At Taihape itself there is not a dairy factory, the nearest being at Utiku, ' six miles "farther south. Whether the district will become an extensive dairying district cannot be foretold. At present it is a notable sheep-raising centre, and the miles of country that extend from it make it obvious that Taihape, having passed through the hectic pioneering stage, may now look forward to a future as "a market town. The class of building that is proceeding, the appearance of many of its shops and the manner in which it is establishing itself from the municipal standpoint, are sure indications of tho path it is' to follow. Taihape should not be overlooked as a desirable place for quiet holiday # and rest. As already stated, its environs are delightful and even on the warmest summer days there is a freshness and vigor about the atmosphere so necessary for those accustomed to sea air and the humid summer conditions of the North. To those who do not like always the conventional pleasures of the routine holiday towns.' Taihape offers a qUiet but engaging freedom. The influence of the mighty bush and the untamed places is suffiicently near to give a specially buoyant quality to a holiday there. Modern Treeslng Works, - The freezing works of the Otaihape Meat and Produce Company, situated en tiic railway line, two miles south of the town of Taihape, are a tremendous asset to the King Country, and to the district extending southward as far as Hunterville. They, represent the spirit of enterprise and self-help that has broken in the country from its primitive state. Although opened as recently as 1915, they have already returned more than their cost to the shareholders. '■"• Up till 1910 tho district was not a, fattening territory. It was in the state of development, but about this time it was realised that the surplus of fat stock was so large that a more convenient outlet than the two works at Wellington and the one at Wanganui would have to be provided. The local farmers formed a co-operative company, and in 1915 had their own concern running, built, incidentally, at prowar prices, which is an important factor from the financial point of view. The works are thoroughly up to date. The daily killing capacity is 1500 sheep and lambs and 50 cattle, and there is cold storage for 90,000 freight carcases.

Twenty-four mutton slaughtermen and one beef slaughterman are usually employed. A gas-producer power plant is used, the proximity of the Waikato coalfields rendering this means of power economical and highly efficient. The meat is shipped from Wellington, and so far no trouble has been experienced in railing it to that port in insulated waggons. Strategic Position. In common with all other works, the killing season is now comparatively short, the reason, of course, being the subsequent establishment of works near Feeding and Marton. The Taihapo works. however, occupy a fine strategic position, and there is no doubt that they will continue to be a permanent institution of the King Country, the output of stock s from which grows yearly, for each year sees more and moro country passing from the semi-developed state to' the developed, with more and more flocks producing their quota of "fats." No calculations of farming possibilities in the King Country are complete without allowance being made for the proximity and efficiency of freezing works near Taihape. Apart from farming, which it has pioneered, timber-milling is the great industry of tho King Country, and Taihape is the headquarters of most of the mills operating between Utiku in the '- south to Taringamutu in the north. The Kangitikei General and Co-operative limber Company deals with the output of some 38 mills, which normally amount* to about 15,000,000 ft. a year. The magnitude of tho industry and its importance to the- economic life of the district may be judged from the fact that on an average 1150 men are employed.