OTAGO CENTRAL. TO THE EDITOR.

Otago Witness, Issue 1679, 26 January 1884, Page 13

OTAGO CENTRAL. TO THE EDITOR.

Sir, — In your last Saturday's issue appears a long communication from the pen of Mr Hodge, giving a minute description, from personal observation, of the course of the Otago Central railway, the value of the land it passes through, &c. ; but on reaching the Eweburn Station Mr H. leaves the course of the line and strikes across the Maniototo Plains to Shennan's station, and from thence over the Rough Ridge to the Ida Valley Station ; then followed the old Rock and Pillar road to Clyde, and on to Cromwell, and then retraced his steps to Dunedin via Lawrence. From the whole tenor of Mr Hodge's letter, I have come to the conclusion that this is his first visit to the interior of Otago, and the route he took after leaving the Maniototo Plains must have given him a very poor opinion of the quality of the agricultural land in these parts ; for had it been designed by the line's very worst enemies he could not possibly have selected a worse route to see our large tracts of agricultural land ; and with your permission I will take up a description of the country from where Mr Hodge left the course of the line — viz., Eweburn Station. The first place we make is Eden Creek, which is some 10 miles from Hill's Creek. There is a large strip of good agricultural land in and around those places, but I know nothing of those districts only from passing through ; but from the point at which the line crosses the Rough Ridge into Ida Valley, and down to the Poolbum Gorge, there is a very large quantity of first-class land, and from the Poolbum Gorge to the Ida Valley Station (at which point Mr Hodge crossed the valley) the land is not to be beaten for grain-growing and grazing purposes, and from this point to the end of the valley the land is equally good. The length of the valley as described is fully 20 miles. Then start from Hill's Creek to St. Bathans, from thence to Cambria, Blackstone, Lauder, Rpottis, and then on to Clyde, hugging the Dunstan Range after you leave the Spottis — from point to point a distance of 45 miles — is all good agricultural land, and a very large portion of it is first-class — quite equal to the Ida Valley, with a much better climate. The land above Cromwell I know very little about, except by report. Mr Hodge in the latter portion of his letter deals with the reasons why the Government should at once construct this line, and refeis pointedly to the deferred-payment settlers selling out their land to capitalists— which is very true, and is going on in the district at the present time, and we are thereby losing some of our very best settlers. They say, What's the use of staying in such a place as this, where you cannot sell your produce at any price ; and, as a rule, what little you do sell you have to take it out in stores ? It's very seldom that a farmer gets any cash for his grain. We have grain enough in this district to last fully 12 months without touching the crop now ripening, and we cannot sell at any price, neither can we convert our wheat into flour, the miller refusing to grind for us who live in the neighbourhood of the mill, but will do so for those who live from 20 to 25 miles from the mill, the plea being that if he does not grind for them they are in a position to take it to the Naseby mill, whereas the distance is too far for us. Mr Glass, of Ida Valley, is carting the whole of his wheat to Dunedin, a distance of 125 miles, and is getting 4s 3d per bushel for it, which is 9d per bushel more than he would get here, even if he could sell. The cartage will be fully one-half the price of the grain. I would like that a large number of Dunedin gentlemen would follow Mr Hodge's example, come up and see for themselves, and give us the benefit of their observations through the Press. lam fully convinced that Dunedin will reap more benefits from the construction of this line than the present or future settlers ever will. Property would rise in a very few years fully 100 per cent., and the whole of New Zealand would feel the benefit of a large population settled on the lands, instead of, as at present, only one here and there.— l am, &c, Blaoke, January 16. Farmer.