THE JACKSON'S BAY SETTLEMENT.

Otago Witness, Issue 1885, 6 January 1888, Page 27

THE JACKSON'S BAY SETTLEMENT.

"A Recent Visitor" contributes the following interesting article to the Wellington Post :—

It is now many years ago since this socalled settlement was formed, and many will remember the flourish of trumpets with which it was ushered iuto existence. It was to be a perfect arcadia, and the horne 1 of tens of thousands. The sons of Italy,, together with the more hardy natives of the "Vaterland," and other nationalities, were allured to the spot with the glowing descriptions given of this far-off land of promise by those interested, or rather personally interested, in such a costly and ill-advised experiment at colonisation. How such a place could ever be termed a bay, or selected for the purposes of settlement, it is impossible to imagine, for there is Deither the geographical semblance of the former, nor could the most mad-brained conceptions lead even hopefully to the latter. Whsever was the promoter of the scheme — for it was nothing short of a scheme in its most extended interpretation— deserves even now the severest censure, for it was positively criminal to send people to such an outlandish corner of the earth, hundreds of miles removed from markets and civilisation, and, above all, at such an enormous cost to the colony. That some person or persons derived great profits from the undertaking, goes without saying, because investigations by Royal Commissions into the transactions that took place are still on record, and the abuses of the past are not easily obliterated, even after a lapse of years.

Jackson's Bay, which may really be regarded as the fag-end of civilisation on the West Coast of the Middle Island, might with more propriety be termed the "Waipara bight," for naturally it is only a bight, and the small steamboat of that name, owned at Hokitika, is practically the key of the position, having been for many years handsomely subsidised by Government for the performance of a mail service along the coast — a service of very questionable value so far as the bay itself is concerned. It is almost incredible, but it is, nevertheless, a fact, that the steamer Stella supplies the greater portion of the inhabitants of the surrounding district with their requirements, owing to the high rates of freight charged by the subsidised boat— freights that are almost prohibitive, being higher, in fact, than has been charged by the Shaw-Savill or the New Zealand Shipping Companies' steamers from London to Wellington. In reality the settlers have patiently to submit and dare not dictate. The location, or what is left of the miserable failure at Jackson's Bay, affords an interesting reflection on departed greatness and blighted hopes. There are absolutely three families alone remaining— namely, the resident magistrate, Mr D. Macfarlane, who also embraces the positions of warden, gold receiver, land officer, &c, Mr Robinson, hotelkeeper, and Mr Lindsay, the R.M's brother-in-law. The buildings consist of the resident magistrate's pretentious dwelling, built and furnished by the Government at an expense of over £1000; a courthouse, a lock-up tumbling to decay, a disused schoolhouse in a similar condition, Mr Robinson's hotel, a smithy pro hono publico, Mr Lindsay's cottage, and a deserted hut, formerly belonging to the late James Teer, one of the survivors of the General Grant disaster at the Auckland Islands years ago. The site of the settlement comprises about five acres of stony debris, portions of landslips fallen from the high terraces, which rise up almost perpendicularly from the beach fully 1000 ft high. The whole shore line, from the bay to the Arawata river, is nothing but a series of high landslips. The whole country seems always ready to be on the move, and another such occurrence as the disastrous landslips of 1886 may for ever obliterate from the face of the earth the follies of the Jackson's Bay settlement scheme. Two graves along the shore, near the landing, form a melancholy foreground to the scene. One is that of poor young Olliver, son of the resident magistrate at Christchurch, the other that of kind-hearted Jimmy Teer, whose life of adventure closed for ever in this distant place. Another melancholy spot is at the rear of the hotel, for there lie the remains of poor young Robinson, amidst thousands of tons of fallen debris, caught by the relentless rnsh of the descending mass of landslip, which closed his earthly career for ever. There is not above half an acre of sandy beach on which a boat can land, the rest being all loose rocks, originally rolled down from the high terraces above. A. rotting jetty under the headland, amongst the rocks, completes the miserable picture of desolation and ruin. The jetty was built at great cost, tut was never used, owing to the rocky bottom which no boat dare approach — another small monument of engineering folly and reckless waste of public money. The settlers of the Arawata and Waitoto have to struggle against many difficulties, and have to rely in a great measure on the assistance of Government and county works to enable them to exist. The few scattered, miners are mostly engaged in beach, workings, between these rivers, which provide them with a living. The Government roads, as a, rule, are in good order, but the county auxiliary tracks and connections are greatly Degleoted, and in places dangerous. The track from Arawata schoolhouse to Jackson's Bay is about the worst in the district, and not safe to travel after dark. It is a siding track, of about four miles in length, and skirts the high terraces. It is nothing unusual for great slices of the track to slip away down to the sea, hundreds of feet below. Along this track settlers have to paok. their supplies when the subsidisefl b r qat arrives. If the boat entered the Arawata river the settlers would derive many advantage^, for they reside in the locality, which is fhe'only p)ace available for settlement, the lan,d being of excellent quality. The land at the W/ajtato river, a few mUes. north, is equally good, but |he settlers frqm both places roust go to Jaokson's Bay to either ship their atook or get their goods and letters, the convenience of the boat being evidently the first consideration. The machinery of the law at Jackson's Bay appears to a stranger a most extraordinary and absurd luxury, and the question' naturally arises in these days, of retrenchment, dan the colony afford it? But whether' the colony can. #$<$% ft or not, there fc not

the slightest appearance, bf its utility. There is certainly on record a few, rery few cases of the most trivial kind, and those litigants who have once tried the experiment of travelling to and fro distances of 30, 40, and up to 80 miles to interview the magistrate and seek redress always go back from whence they came poorer, sadder, bnt wiser men. Even if the majesty of the law must be upheld, public convenience should be considered. At present it is simply a judicial farce of a most costly character, and the sooner it is abolished, the better it will be for all concerned. The entire population from Ross to the Bay — men, women, and children — does not exceed a couple of hundred, a distance of nearly 200 miles. The most convincing arguments cannot alter these facts in considering the question. There is nothing whatever to recommend Jackson's Bay either to the miner or the settler, and no amount of glowing official reports on the probabilities of the future can possibly alter the fact that the scheme lias proved a most costly failure, and nothing should induce the Government to vote any more money for sustaining, and perpetuating the follies of the past.