NOTES FROM OUR TRAVELLING CORRESPONDENT.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1248, 30 January 1896, Page 23

NOTES FROM OUR TRAVELLING CORRESPONDENT.

BIRMINGHAM. The nearest railway station to Birniiugham is Feilding, and when leaving the train the traveller can take the coach, which runs daily, or ride, the distance being 18 miles. To hire ;i horse at P.ilrncrston North or Feilding would be against all the rules of ecouoray, as the amount of the charge at the livery stablea would secure to the traveller the freehold of a very woitl.y steed. From Feilding there is a go d metalled road to Birmingham, and fur twenty mile.; ahead in two directions to Apiti and Pemberton. 'J'he Birmingham settlement was surveyed about twelve years ago, and now for about twenty miles in every direction the country is intersected with good roads and the bush felled in every direction. Party newspapers and city politicians .-ire ever on the howl about pauper set:! ,•• nts, Let. if these gentlemen would oi.. ~ .it a week in this district, and mix with the settlers, they will had that at least three out of every live came into the place with less than £3O, and now have holdings of from 100 acres upward, with extensive improvements, for which from £S to £ll per acre is asked. This means that the owner, in twelve years' time, has increased his wealth by £IOOO. What j city labourer or artizan can say this? The | settlers will tell you their early career was j surrounded with much difficulty, hut they were never without food and the necessaries I of life, although at tirr es hard pinched. Every thinking man must, admit that the thousands of persons who have gone to the bush districts would form a formidable army l of workmen in the Colony, and that it they were still competitors in the labour market what a deplorable state of things there would be for the working man. These settlers, hundreds in numbers, are now providing work for hundreds of others at this season of the year cutting grass seed. The traveller can rid-: over about 200 miles of roads from Ifeilding round the Kiwitea district into Apiti, Pemberton, Kangiwhia, Pohangina, Ohingaiti, and on nearly everv section there is from one hand to over a dozen employed at grass seeding. The work lasts for a month or six weeks, and is either taken by contract, or one shilling per hour is given. The men make about eleven hours per day, the work having to be got through quickly for fear of adverse weather, a-nd the sooner the seed is taken the sooner the land can be used for grazing. The Cheltenham Dairy Company has erected a creamery at Birmingham, to which there are a number of suppliers. The Cheltenham factory is worked on the cooperative principle, but on account of the small supply of milk at Birmingham the j creamery can scarcely be called a success, lhose who are suppliers are not satisfied and the non-suppliers, sceine; this, cannot be persuaded to go in for milking for the creamery. j

The old slab wharcs are beginning to disappear, and new residences budt of -. vn timber are fast taking their place. "' Mr loos. Lowes, who has leased the Birming-

ham Hotel to Mr Harrison, has settled within a couple of miles from the township, on the road to Apiti; He holds a highly improved piece of country with a neat and comfortablelooking residence, and his neighbour is Mr Hodge, a nice old gentleman with agreeable conversational power?. Further on are IV) essrs Southey Bros., who are large suppliers to the creamery. These two young men are exemplary bush settlers, and by their tin-, tiring industry and thrift have laid down for themselves a prosperous future. On a branch road leading to the Oroua River, .Mr • Fauthorpej a decent old Yorkshireman or over three score years, hale and hearty, passes his time in farming a 100 acre allotment. Further on is Mr Waugh, who also has 100 acres, and goes in for a little cropping. Over the river, Mr Bayuc, a sturdy young i- nglishman, has shown ihe colonial axemen that his palms can also stand some blistering. His neighbour is Mr Bell, who has a. nice residence facing the river, and furthers back is Mr Lindsay's. -4te Following the road over the river, and then through a rough track, will take the traveller into the Pohangina count}-. - i About the best cultivated farm in the ais- M trict is that of Mr Mcßeth, on the Birming- I ham-Fending road, about a mile from the. 1 township, and his fine residence which stands on a beautiful flat some distance from the road, leads the traveller to believe before entering the district that Birmingham of 12 ! years' existence is a place of some cultivation ! Mr Mcßeth is a large employer of labour. <1 and is deservedly popular with the working 1 men. and is highly respected by his neigh- 1 bours. Messrs Cossey, Wishaw, Xoliey, Petti- " grew, Marsh,,Moss Bros., Gerkc, Johns, and. McDernoit arc all eettled on farms near the township which arc improved. The accommodation for travellers is much ahead of older places Mr McNair's accommodation house is excellently managed, and Mr Harrison, the new botelkeeper, is a werthy successor to Mr Lowes. j In the district there appears to be a failing • in the apple trees, and there is scarcely any i large fruit this season. The Government fruit expert visited the district, and the j settlers do not appear to have iuterestsd j themselves sc mueh as they ought to have J done. Mr A. D. Stanley, a settler, who carre to the district recently, is interesting himself: in fcrmine a lawn tennis club, and judging from the support he lias received, there muse be a trood deal of interest taken in the gamu by the inhabitants around. ; The Post Office at Birmingham is known in j postal guides as Fowler's ! This is to dis- , | tinguisb it from the English Birmingham!. ; apitl Apiti is distant from Birmingham nearly 10 in lies. The scenery along the road is unin- > teresting, save here and there where is patch of native bush. A bout the most spot is after crossing the Oroua Biver|3| going about a mile—Messrs Cowan AS homestead appears in view in a bend river. The steep bluff, about 100 ft high, ia_l the shape of a crescent, forms a shelter for I the homestead, and with the river winding I round and the native shrubs and ferns grow- I I ing on each side, presents a beauti.'ul picture. I , Messrs Cowan Bros, are euergeie settlers, I J and the logs and stumps are. fast disappear-'H ing in their holding. ■ i The Apiti Cheese Factory, which is run bj» j a company on the co-operative I promises to be a successful concern. ThtiH I building and plant is on an elaborate scalo,S and is under the management of Mr Browu-fl lee, who is an Otago youth from the Stirlinaß factory. He comes highly re.com and if cleanliness and carefulness couutJH anything, the cheese turned out ought tj« of« superior quality. The director.* ' Messrs Nix (chairman), Miller, ClaolijH j Osborne, Johnston, Viekery, and I). A. 111 l I (secretary). The directors themselves taH^H great interest in dairying, and have wor|H | hard for the concern, which is a credit district. The factory put through 600 per day, hut is capable of putting 2000 gals.Jß and as it has only been started this season, next will no doubt, be an About a stone's throw from the f.""%ffl Messrs D. and G. Prince have large faijaj These settlers are well-known at FkctahijM where they resided for a number of y<f« Their Forty-Mile Bush friends will be Jfl to learn they are doing well. fs^^l Mr Meehau, who is well-known fil Wellington to Wanganui, has made hints comfortable on a piece of land just a!?§s| the town-hip. His stately residence certainly the best dwelling in the district. ■ The township of Apiti has advanced in the last two years. Mr boarding-house and Mr Lager's hotel are 1H the disposal of travellers at a modest rateß Messrs Stewart, Ilile\, Caldwell, lir<-s., Clapham, Pawson Bros., BuckmaoM and Campbell, have improved places nearß the main road. ■ For ten miles beyond Apiti the countrjß is taken up, and quite a number have goneM to live in the Salisbury Block. ° 1 An amusing incident occurred at thefl Apiti factory one morning last week might, have resulted seriously but for theM presence of mind of Mr I). Prince. MjH Stewart, who was to leave the factory aftefl having received his quantity of whey, wasM rather astonished when his trap horse, of going forward, suddenly swerved siclsH ways, ard collided with Mr Riley's ccnM veyance, which is a home-made four-wbeelerH The trap horse fell ciean into the fourH wheeler with his hind-quarters, and it wafl difficult lor a time to tell what would he thfl result, as cans, horses, traps, and wbefl barrels were in a heap of confusion m| Prmce, taking in the situation, at oncH secured the head of the fractious steed anS the harness was promptly --nfastened bfl wiling hands. When the cans, barrels, tratfl and aorses were examined it was found tISM no damage was done, and, as Mr Riley pfl it, not even a bruise in a can." :~^H