EAST COAST RAILWAY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19702, 30 July 1927, Page 8

EAST COAST RAILWAY.

TE PUKE'S FARM LANDS. LARGE AREA AWAITING USE, A PROMISING GOLDFIELD, [BY OUR SPECIAL COMMISSIONER..] No. Yt That portion of the East Coast railway already completed between Tauranga and Taneatua runs for 60 miles through one of the finest districts in New Zealand. For nearly its whole length it borders or intersects a series of reclaimed or partlyreclaimed coastal swamps of exceptional fertility, admirably suited for dairying, rr.aize growing or the production of many valuable crops. 'The swamp lands fringe the sea coast of the Bay of Plenty, while inland there are broad slopes of lighter soils well suited for dairying and fat lamb raising, under cultivation and manuring. * These broad slopes rise gradually to the great plateau which separates the Bay of Plenty from the Rotorua and other inland districts, where there still exist fine timber forests and, where the timber has been cut out, a gently undulating upland plain well adapted for grazing purposes. It is estimated that within an easy distance of this 60 miles of railway there are over a thousand square miles of farm lands and potential farm lands, all more or less suitable for working in small areas, and outside this radius, yet still near enough to feed the line, are greater areas of pastoral and timher lands. ; This 60 miles of railway is still in the hands of the Public Works Department and terminates at Tauranga, so that service is naturally restricted and will be until the gaps north of Tauranga are closed and it is connected with the through line to Auckland. Yet it is already carrying a considerable amount of traffic aiid passengers. The chief official in charge of this section informed me that it was now averaging from 1300 to 1500 tons of goods a month, consisting of maize, butter, cheese, flax, livestock and, of course, general merchandise, while the number of passengers averages from 2000 to 3000 a month. This official, who has had wide experience of New Zealand railways, stated that the business done by this line already equals that of some South Island long-established lines, and that the volume of freight and passengers exceeds what was anticipated.

Through Sixty Miles of Rich Country. I have travelled through the country traversed by this 60-mile section of railway several times and know its resources. Quite recently I followed the line southward and was surprised at the advance the district has made, during the past few years, and more impressed than ever I was by the opportunities for settlement and increased farm production. For the first few miles south of Tauranga the line runs across an extensive flat bordering the sea. Much of this flat is still in the wilderness stage, because it is owned by Maoris and much of it is only partially developed, because those who own it have not had the capital or the time or the inclination to improve it fully. There are evidences enough, however, to show that it can be made highly productive because wherever it has been cultivated properly there are good fields of grass and good crops of maize and roots. As one nears Te Puke, the flats widen out and the slopes beyond them broaden and one"* can see what a wide extent of territory there is between the line and the distant hills. The cultivations grow more prominent and the stock more numerous. This class of country would please the eye of a southern farmer, even if he did not know the advantages of its genial climate or the infinite variety, of crops it was capable of producing. A Prosperous Farming Region. The Te Puke district became prosperous and productive long before the East Coast railway was talked of, simply because of its rich soils and its natural advantages. It is the centre of •an improved fen land, for the Long Swamp, the Waihi Swamp, Te Tuna and Kaituna swamps are all within easy , distance. These are mostly drained now, but before they were drained they were the scene of an important flax industry, which is still maintained to some extent. The drained portions of the swamps and the higher parts of the coastal lands were famous for cattle-rearing before they became famous for dairying, and I can remember when Te Puke beef was m demand everywhere and thousands ox prime animals were driven to distant markets yearly. To-day, dairying is the chief industry, and is growing steadily, year by year, but sheep-farming is creeping in and will, I think, expand rapidly when the farmers are able to send fat lambs straight from the paddock by rail to the Waikato or Auckland freezing works. Maize-growing, too, is a prominent industry, and since the price of grain has risen so far above the standard of old days and freight to the markets is likely to fall considerably as soon, as the East Coast line is completed, this industry is certain to expand. There are already a large number of prosperous farms and farmers about Te Puke, and yet there is an unexpectedly wide area of country farmed but crudely, or not farmed at aft. Some of this land no doubt is owned by Maoris or by Europeans who hold it waiting for a rise in values. It is a matter for surprise and regret that so much land, so near to a railway and enjoying such a favourable climate, should not be made productive, and evidently there is ample room here for men to handle this class of country. Gold Mining at Te Puke. Besides being an exceptionally fine farming district, Te Puke has the advantage of possessing a most promising gohlfield. The geological conditions and tho size and character of the reefs closely resemble those at Waihi. Although the reefs system has been traced • for miles, mining has so far been confined to one property which is known as Muir's Reefs., This property, which commenced working only a few years ago l , has produced bullion to the value of £168,000 from a comparatively short run of reef.

The stone in the levels above the aditlevel becoming worked out, a shaft was sunk to a depth of about 500 ft., and levels were opened up at this depth with the idea of cutting the r.eef from which so much gold had been won, and also to intersect what is really the main reef system to the south-west." Unfortunately, it was found that when these low levels approached closely to the reefs so much water was encountered that the pumping plant could not deal with it, so that operations have been held up while a powerful electric pump was obtained from England. This has. been installed and is ready for working, but there is now some delay*- owing to a dispute about the supply of hydro-electric power to drive the plant. When the pump is working it will only be a matter of a very short time before both the reef systems in the low level are intersected. If the stone in a lower section of what is known as Muir's Reef is as good as it was in the upper levels, profitable mining will at once commence. If good values, also, are struck in the low levels of the main reef system. Te Puke will have one of the greatest mines in New Zealand in its midst.