Around Radnor Road

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 80, 3 April 1923, Page 5

Around Radnor Road

(By Our Special Reporters With the sun brightly shining and Mount Egmont looking down in' majestic beauty on the surrounding country, I managed to find a good deal of pleasure in riding on my horse (which does not kick and is always ready to go) in the direction of the Mountain via Radnor Road. Not infrequently certain roads, even around Stratford, have a name which sticks to them like the proverbial glue, for changes in the way of settlers. Happily, Radnor Road has a good name from beginning to end, even beyond the little cheese factory of seven, suppliers, for its genuine settlers year in and year out, still.manage to-live queitly and comfortably on their farms in this, |lje. hot a road of and whenever the' strairger comes - along, veil, they do not forget to ask you to “take a bite of tea,” and in this way still uphold the good name which they held ten years age. Much of the contentment of the farmers and their wives is due to their “settled ways”—they 'have had the good sense to remain where they were, and even the much-talked of beautiful land in Waikato has i upt lured them, away- from the oM v spot on the Radnor Road. There is a saying in the Old Country—or to be correct in the County of Suffolk (England)—“if you don’t buy your neighbour’s horse you’ll have to marry your next door neighbour’s Uaughter.” 1 would not like to suggest that this neighbourly advice has been literally followed by the scttl j.of Radnor Road, but there are cue ;pi, two families on that road who Law ikupt' to the immediate district n. tMi* 1 nuptial selection which perhaps , ayeounts, for the general contentment; noticediamong the settlers there. 1 As, a by-road Randor receives a fair share of attention, except in a por turn near tim school w lieie there are inuie mg stones lying loose titan sixpences or coppers, t'emaps an extra uuy s rolling, or some mere uuua. spteauuig, ana then rolling, would aiuhe it easier lor the car onver, or ••'cue other man.”

runners are busy sowing outs 10. spring use, and others are doing to.eir nest to have their land clean In seeping their eye fund their hoe ana spauej m the noxious weeds. Itag(toit is not so plenum!; blacKuerr.es are grauuai'.y being Kept unuer, ana t ahionuan thistle is hot nearly so Duck as m other districts. Turnips an; promising, and several paddocK.s oi tiiese are clean, iree of weeds, ana a creuit to tiie larmers. Uue -or two empty houses on this road would be better occupied, but perhaps they will be taken up soon, a great draubaOK to this neighbourhood is the absence oi telephone communication. It is Imped belore long that this state oi tilings will be remedied, and perhaps some more pushiul settler will “stun the hall rolling” and get a telephone •or use when the necessity arises. About three miles, up the road from ilie mam Mountain Read is the local cheese factory. Although it only boasts of seven suppliers, it just shows what the co-operative system means when a few rarmers get together in one road and run their own factory-—further, maintain a resident manager (1 must not say much about his residence!) and make their o«n cheese. There is a commendable spirit existing among alt settlers on the road, and a common unity of aim and outlook, which other places might justly envy As to the type of dairy cattle kept, on one or two farms the sturdy black and white, or a Friesian cross, can he seen, but in the larger herds Jersey, (and some good cows to) seem to be the favorite animal.

The school erected a lew years ago is creditably looked alter by the local committee, and Miss Carroll, the present teacher, is doing her best to keep her pupils together, and to uphold the high standard of efficiency which this school has hitherto maintained. Radnor Road has reason to be proud of its settlers, and they happily have not. yet found it necessary to remove to “pastures n?w,” like sn many other places, which, speaks well for thij district,