The Whangamomona Sale, Yar&.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 11818, 16 November 1901, Page 2

The Whangamomona Sale, Yar ds.

MR KING'S INAUGiJAAL SALE. • Thursday, the 14th November,; wa§ quite a red letter- day in the" history of ' the Whangaraomona settlement, or the i Happy Valley, as if is sometimes c^lle'd".. On that day Mr Newton King -held his first uahrof "stockin^'the-Tjew-yarda just'; completed;for a bi«n.v The yards are^situ-* nted on the Ohura Road, about If toiled, from McCluggage^s,- store nanftboatdinjf house, and quite close to the junction of the Ver^ Road^ which leads to. th^steamer landing plape on the Tangarakau. a distance of about five miles.. .A month, ago the timber, of. which the yards are" built was r ßtnpo. baujk, and it speaks wellfor the energy 011/lt J. McCluggage, Mr ' King's, agent ther«,arid"owner. of thej saw : mill, and <Mr McLeod.HKe bridge builder^ who< undertook the erebtion of tbe yards, that they wo-e ready in.timf for the salb. .They comprise 17 pens, 2 drafting yards, and-arace, and tbeyr are Sdbstaniially\ built and will accommodate nearly' loo{> head of cattlej <Ort Thurs4fy.i_they were pretty veil filled^ the, number \ yarded being aboab^OO* or j7QO. . i * •>, i Prior to the commen,cenient of the sale on Thursday Mr A. Goxhead, l speak TJ iug for his fellow . settles =. took the opportunity of welcoming Air King and the other visitors to the Vailey.-iifle aaid it had been intended to erect a marquee and provide sotnesorfe- of - auospEead for the" visitors, ' but eireu instance* 1 \had; pie-, much being « done-u ;inl t|iat wayt however^ they heartily \ welp 'corned the visitors, who3 would find|some vefreshmetrj; i in.a^bootK >Herh6ppd Mr King's enterprise would be rewarded,^ or his success meant the success of the 1 settlers. < Cheers,) • . sf " . .j, Mr Kin^ briefly expresaed^his thankß, He had had the question of establishing yards at Whangamomona under consider* ationfor a long *irte/ and his Stratford manager, Mr F. W. Webster, had sttopgly, urged the necessity of havingT jands here, Stratford beinf too- far.a way Rot, jthe. settlers to attend and drive their Rattle. He trusted the venture would be a>Bacce«9,' and remarked that while) he. sferted hifrStratford sales yeais ago with a very fejur 1 head of cattle, here they had a very big muster for the initial sale. He believed that Whangamomoha/would !in important, cattle centre. . ; Mr Webster then" commenced selling, the first pen, some good yearlings, fetch ing 60s 6d each.i Except' fdr heifers, which sold well, bidding was shy, and all the auctioneer's eloquence «ras unable to quit most of the steers at auction, though la' good manY were placed afterwards. The severe drop in the outside market* caused buyers to be cautions, while vendors were more' hopeful- of an ! early, recovery, so that business was a little restricted. On the wholei however, the sale was successful, and augured Well for the future. "' ' - '•' *" ' T •• • /, It is not a little remarkable that so largo a muster, both of settlers "and of cattle phould be jjoisible in a disttict which si)fc yeark 70g67 og6 was virgin forest and the settlement of which has been attended with*. -*more j thun ,^ ordinary - difficulty.. situated.as^itJiisJiabre' thin 4l|, miles from a railway nndVithcut even a metalled road to connect it wfth the outer Worldl The condition of t(he cattle, proved thai the VVhangambmoqa - valley and th< valleys converging upon it. in which they were nearly all reared, are well suited for the purpose.