UP THE MANAWATU.

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 9317, 11 June 1891, Page 4

UP THE MANAWATU.

FEILDING DISTRICT. -Continued, HALCOMBE. (OUR TRAVELLING CORRESPONDENT.) About ten miles from Feilding, by the M&kino Road, stands the township of Haloombe. The land on both sides of the road leading thereto Is all well settled. About four miles from Halcombe (fronting Makino Road), Messrs Manson Bros., own a property of over 7000 acres. This land is portion of the Waituna Block, and was purchased by the present owners from The Emigrants* and Colonists’ Aid Corporation in 1886, The price paid, 1 believe, was £1 7s 6d per acre, cash ; all standing bush. Messrs Manson lost no time in setting about clearing the land ; 1100 acres of bush being felled the first season ; 11 miles of fencing were erected the second year ; and 1600 acres of bush felled in 1589.. A further area of about 2000 acres was felled last year, 1700 acres thereof being satisfactorily burnt, and on the occasion of my visit was being sown down to grass. Of the 5000 acres already cleared, some 3000 acres are now carrying stock. From 7500 to 8000 ewes are kept, besides cattle and horses ; and the flock is being gradually culled and improved, tho intention being to keep Lincolns only. Last year the percentage of lambs was considerably over 100, and 7800 lambs were turned off. The clip of wool was also very good, averaging over 71b per ewe. and over 3lb per lamb j 163 bales of wool (4cwt each) being clipped. Mr C. Bridle has charge of this property for Messrs Manson Bros., and the general appearance of the place and stock is much to his credit.

The Stanway Road branches off from the Makino Road uoar Messrs Munsons’property to Halcombe. Along the Stanway Road are some excellent farms, amongst the principal being those owned by Messrs Riddiford and Lane respectively. Halcombe township does not impress one very favourably, The number of empty houses, many of them fast going to decay, and absence of stir la very noticeable. It appears to have been a place of large expectations at one time, which have not been realised. »Suoh indeed is the case. It is on the Manchester Block, and was originally laid off with a view to its rapidly becoming an important inland town. There is a railway station reserve of four acres. Tho station itself, as regards size and style, is far in advance of the requirements of the place, and some eight or nine years ago, about £IOOO was expended by the Railway Department in endeavouring to obtain a good supply of water, the eugine sheds being then at Halcombe, which sub-* sequontly were removed to Palmerston North ; no satisfactory water supply being obtained after sinking for it in various places. The passenger station and goods shed at Halcombe, indeed, are the best along the line as compared with the requirements of the locality, and includes refreshment room, and post and telegraph office. As to why four acres of railway reserve was deemed necessary, I was told that the reason assigned at the time the township was laid off was that it was thought probable railway workshops would be established there. The township is prettily situated, and most of the residences have nice gardens attached. If the residents expended a little more money in painting their dwellings and places of business it would be a decided improvement in every way. It, appears the place is too healthy to support a doctor, although having a population of over four hundred. It contains a very comfortable hotel, several stores, two butchers’ shops, &c., and a branch of the Bank of New Zealand, evidently built with the expectation of doing a very large business. The bank at first was open daily, but for the past five or six years has only been opened every Friday, being worked as a branch from the Feilding office.

There are no leas than five places of worship, viz, ; Anglican, Presbyterian, Primitive Methodist, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic. The Lutheran is tho finest structure, and Is pleasantly situated on tho hillside above the town, with bell tower and nice bell. There, is a good public school, with about one hundred and thirty scholars attending. Quite a number of Danes and Germans are settled at Halcombe. As may be supposed from what I have already stated, house property is at a very low value, and may be purchased for a small outlay or leased at a modest rental. For about four or five shillings per week a comfortable house, with garden (stocked with fruit trees), may be rented. The laud on the west side of the town, towards Sandon and Balls, is open and of poor quality for grazing purposes, as compared with most of the land in the district, having a heavy clay subsoil, requiring to be thoroughly well worked, and when that is done It will yield good crops. Towards the Ruahine ranges it was originally all bash land. There are quite a number of large farms around Halcombe, the following being all within a radius of about three or four miles of the township :—Messrs Maosou Bros., 7000 acres ; Lethbridge, 3000; J. J. Wilson, 3000 ; D. G. Riddiford, 2000; A. Bell, 2000 ; H. Cornfoot, 10D0 ; R. Linton, 1000; Strathendrie estate, 1000 acres. Mr Bell has an extensive sawmill a short distance from Halcombe, adjoining the Stanway road, in connection with which a large number of bands find employment. Halcombe cannot expect to progress otherwise than slowly, business, as a matter of coarse, gravitating to Feilding, the natural centre of the district. I think I must bring my jottings with respect to Feilding and surrounding districts to a close with this letter, for the present. During my visit I saw much to interest me greatly, and was'much impressed with the prospects and possibilities of the district.

Feilding is bonnd to steadily advance, I have referred in my letters at considerable length to the purchase and successful settlement of the Manchester Block, under the auspices of The Emigrants and Colonists Aid Corporation, of which Feilding is the capital. Experience gained on the Manchester Block goes to prove that with respect to the selection at Home of emigrants, such should only be made by some colonist of experience, and not by one who has not gone-through the mill of early colonial country life. The only inducement to be held ont to the would-be emigrant should be the certainty, if he is steady and industrious), of acquiring land of his own—an impossibility at home—and through that land of becoming independent of any employer, and having a sure pro vision for his old age. Emigrants should be led to expect a very rough life at first, and no attempt made to keep in the background the difficulties they will have to overcome. ■As I have already remarked in a previous iettsr, referring to tbs Manchester Settlement, the emigrant with capital at his command can, in proportion to the amount of his capital, dispense with some of the qualifications otherwise absolutely essential to success, industry and sobriety being in both oases, however, indispensable. Within the past five or six years nearly 100,000 acres of Crown Land, the outlet from most of which will be via Birmingham to Feilding, has been disposed of. 1 make this statement from the following approximate estimate, which will, I believe, bo found to be under rather than over the mark : Palmerston Small Farm Settlement, say 10,000 ; Feilding do, 10,000; Pemberton ditto, 10,000; portion of Apiti Block (lying between the Palmerston and Pemberton Settlements), 12,000; Orona Coal Creek Block, 12,000 (the outlet of a portion of this land will be via the Harbour Board Block to Feilding); West Waitapn Block and portion of Apiti Block, about eighteen miles north-west of Feilding, 13,000; Ota-makapna-Pakihiknra Block, access to which from Feilding will be via Waituna Valley and Makino road, 20,000 (tbe western portion of the last-named will be mere accessible from Hanterville later on, when reads thereto bavo been constructed); another block of about 12,000 acres, being unsold portion of Orona Coal Creek Block, is now being ear-

veyed (the greater portion of which will have its outlet at Feilding), and will no doubt be disposed of at an early date. In fact, with respect to the quantity and qmlily of country looking to Feilding as its outlet, that township has the prospect of a bright future. Year by year the development of so much new country must tell, more especially within the next few years, of the land north of the Manchester Black, when the bush settlers get over their initiatory difficulties, and their prosperity re-acts on the townships with which theyare connected, Feilding being the natural outlet and centre.

FREEHOLD v, LEASEHOLD. I do nut purpose attempting within the limits of this letter, discussing the above great question. In a few words I will say, however, that travelling for months past among the settlers as I have been doing has afforded ms excellent opportunities of knowing how they view the matter. Without hesitation I venture to assert that no terms no matter how liberal- any Government may offer will compensate in tbs eyes of the bona-fide settler for the withholding of the right to ultimately acquire the freehold. The great Incentive all through to those who, starting with little or no capital at command, have so bravely entered upon and endnred the hardships and privations of pioneer bush life, has been the inspiring thought that by-and-bye the land would be their very own, a home for themselves and their children after them. Do away with the right to acquire the freehold, and yon do away with the chief incentive to the pioneer settler. In the course of conversation with them many a time, have I heard them say they would rather see their sons clear out of New Zealand altogether than take up land without the right to obtain the freehold, thereto.

But I must drop this interesting subject, at any rate for the time befog. Last week I omitted my nsnal ‘Up the Manawatu ’ letter, in order to give the readers of the New Zealand Mail a description of the newly established freezing worka at Wanganui, where operations are to commence on Juno 10th, according to present arrange, scents.