A VISITOR'S BIPRESSIONS.

Colonist, Volume LI, Issue 12470, 22 February 1909, Page 4

A VISITOR'S BIPRESSIONS.

(By our Travelling Representative.')is a pear-shaped estate of .5,000 acres, situated about six miles rom Murchison. It is reached by vay of "The Mangles," a long andvmding gorge. This sinister name •truck me as being, by no means inippropriato. The roadwiay is tortuous md being newly-metalled.in places, is lot soothing to the feelings of an orJinary town cyclist.^ It behoves him, ike the Laird o'Cockpen, to ride 'cunningly," otherwise he. himselfnay be mangles and form a siiitable iubject whereon a coroner's jury shall' jit. About nine months ago Brae)urn was cut up for close settlement. Chere is a fine open well-watered area,, ind the land is mostly good. The new iottlors appear, however, to be labourng under much too heavy a load; At•eady some havo.abandoncd their holdngs;. and if the present hard and adverse conditions arc" not modified, no're will deforced to •■follow." The rents and rates (3Jd in the £ on unmproved value) are said to be much ;oo high. In shortfa man must be a :onsiderablo capitalist before he can nake a "do" out of It. ■ Forest'lands ire taxed, as well as"the.cleared,'and ;hel new beginner has a poor chance, rtnless he can afford - to "hang on" "or at least a year or more. A settler must have a good heart to tackle land )f-this description at all, and he certainly deserves reasonable help and imcouragement at the outset. It is ?ood sheep and pasture land and bet-, ter things are hoped for with the'ad- 1: rent of the butter factory, referred to in a previous letter.;" ,But it would seem that prompt modification of-the" present conditions are imperative, if bhe settlement is to advance, or, in3eed, even exist. I like the look of Braeburn, and spent a , day and night jn the new selection, returning next morning.. The hospitality of the settlers is both genuine and ref resiling/,sis. indeed, may be said of all the places which I have Mtherto visited. ;-..