A Medico Turned Farmer.

Southland Times, Issue 11296, 31 October 1889, Page 2

A Medico Turned Farmer.

Not quite two years ago, tired of the worry of professional life in the city of Wellington, Dr Hutchinson took up land at Ngatimaru, in the Taranaki district, whither he took his family, commencing life in the '. bush in real earnest, and with a determination to succeed. Some public speaker, in allusion to Dr Hutchinson, said he was sorry to learn that a misguided doctor had gone to live in the bush at Ngatimaru. But the doctor, it seems, can get along very well without such commiseration, and indeed ii worthy rather of congratulation for his pluck in starting operations in a wild bush district. Two or three weeks ago, the doctor being on a visit to New Plymouth for the purpose of lecturing before the Ladies' Literary Club, was interviewed by a reporter from the Daily News, the first question put being : " How do you like bush life, doctor?" The reply was.: "I like it more than ever I expected I should. I had grown tired of the worry of professional life when I was in Wellington, and I thought it was my duty to myself and my family to commence a new and ah independent life, and I consider there is no life so independent as that of the pushing, successful farmer. You do not know how strongly I feel on this question, and how I should like to see our young men in this colony settling on farms, and endeavouring to achieve an independence, instead of trying to get into the civil service or banks, and live in fear of being dismissed or fawning to their superior officers. There is no independence to be secured in the civil service, or in many of the occupations of city life, and I cannot understand how the young men of the colony prefer a dependent, miserable sort of life, when, if they only showed energy and manliness, they would enter upon the healthy and active life on a farm. You must not think I have settled down in the bash for mere pastime. I am a hard worker, and my family and I mean to earn our living by hard working, improving our homastead, and we have the satisfaction of knowing that all the improvements we do are for pur own benefit." On the reporter expressing pleasure that the doctor spoke so hopefully of bush life, Dr Hutchinson continued as follows; — "I have had a trial of one year and nine months, and I am perfectly satisfied that I acted wisely in taking my family upon the land. The land at Ngatimaru can scarcely be excelled anywhere, and although we have had difficulties on account of bad roads — as I was the pioneer settler of the district — yet we will soon overcome all these troubles — we- are doing it every day. I have left my farm to come here and give a lecture, and I know that my son will be able to manage perfectly well in my absence. He was in the civil service, but he left in order to join me on the farm, and he is now my right hand and will be a much better man, physically and every other way, than he would have been had he remained in the civil service. My three daughters, too, are more contented and happy doing their share of the work than if they were playing lawn tennis or going to afternoon tea in Welling* ton. I wish you and every one occupying a position like you would urge upon the people the importance of settling on the land. It would be the making of the colony. The Government have done well in letting people get cheap land ; it would even pay to let the land go for nothing almost, provided there were strict residential and improvement conditions enforced." In the course of the interview the doctor further said : "It is my earnest desire to see the young men of New Zealand especially give up town life arid make for them* selves a permanent home in the country, The great essentials are to work hard and keep free of debt ; have everything your own, and it gives a man great zest for hard work." Already — though on the land such a com* paratively short time — Dr Hutchinson haa started a dairy, «nd also gone in pretty extensively for fruit growing, having planted out 450 trees of various sorts. The production of fruit is indeed to be & specialty at Ngatimaru, as the land is eminently suited for fruit growingAll appear to admit — politicians, social reformers, editors, and others competent to give an .opinion on the subject — all admit that the settlement of the country is one of the factors, and a main one, required to lift this colony into the position for which it is pre-eminently fitted as an agricultural country, capable of sustaining a large population. And Dr Hutchinson's strongly expressed opinions in regard to the independ* ence of life in the country, and the duty of young men especially making for themselves permanent homes by settling upon land, might well form the subject of a lengthy homily on this all-important topic. [It is safe to assume that Dr Hutchinson made sufficient by " the worry of professional life in Wellington " to make farming a pleasant occupation by reason of easy financial circumstances. — Ed. S.T.J