WHANGAMOMONA.

Taranaki Herald, Volume L, Issue 12179, 31 January 1903, Page 6

WHANGAMOMONA.

uur uwn v;orresponaenx. ; „ Mr J. Da vie of Hillside during the past year erected a rieat dairy factoi'y to meet the requirements'" of himself and some neighbours. On the morning of my visit I found- busincsK in full 'svwing and five suppliers present. Mr Davis showed me through the building and explained the working. The machinery is all up to date arid its compact arrangement facilitates the work. Mr Davis is able to carry on the whole work with the aid ot members of his own .family, each of whom is quite expert his or her own department. 1 From 1 re-" turns shown me I saw that his butter 1 j had obtained first-class grade. His pluck and energy deserve success. " The road eastward is close to • tlie i hills on the right" so the flats are on the left. The valley narrows opposite Hillside but mmediately widens out, giving a large area of good lovel land to Messrs Jamieson, May, Hill, arid Anderson\ the settlers on the left. Mr J amieson has done a good deal of planting and made a handsome winding avenue to his residence on the right bank of the Whangamomona. Mr May has done a considerable amount of clearing last year. Mr Hill has completed his fencing and will greatly enhance the value of his property when he gets his swamp drained. Mr Anderson carries on his storckoepihg business at present in the former residence of Mr J. Wallace, but I found in course of erection on separate adjacent sites a convenient store and a large private residence which ■will include accommodation for a few boarders. Adjoining is a site given by. Mr Anderson to the Primitive Methodist Church on which a church and manse will shortly be erected. The authorities of this church have, place;! Mr Harris in charge of the district from Tahora to Tutatawa a ltd the prospectß aro good. Mr Harris, who is deservedly popular, holds regular services at Whangamomona. and Tahora , . schools, at the Town Hall, and at Mr Cornwall's in the Whitianga district, all inside this sottl&menti. Mr Anderson has opened a Sunday school in the Whangamomona school being assisted by Miss V. , Scott and Mr Batchelor. Miss < Worm has one in the Tahora school.

I hear it is lik«ly that a Roman Catholic Church will shortly bo erected here, probably in a central posi- . tion. I hope to see it carried out this year. On the right side of the road next to Hillside, Mr P. J. White has a iiandsome cottag* req«n±ly.. enlarged. He has also quits an array of little hoi\ses on his .property! * • ' 'xhe next is- Mr Webbr -which has a good frontage both to jthe. Ohura and Kohuratahi Roads. > i(r-.Webb is prepaiing to build & new) /residence opponite to his section. That of. Mr 'J. Gowey similarly favoured in respect of a double frontage, 'itr Gowe^ has also a 'continuation ol Mr ' Hills Bwamp, the drainage of 'irhich'" would greatly ' add: to his awiats.' Ho has given a site on his ground, for the Kohuratahi Hall, for "irh.ose ; erection pome timber is already > deposited. 1 Mr Croft and an assistant were busy in cheir new .brick field-,.*, a part cf , Mr AuHerson's sectioa: *'^ • On a future occasion' I hope to be able to continue mf' brief sketch of the settlement. At pretent I am obliged to stop in sight' of Mr Izett's residence and Chokebo're Lcdg^ ihe residence' of the laird "pf that ilk. An interview with the genial laird will form a fit introduction- to my next sketch. Our cricketers have left to day for Pu'*angi to try conclusions -with, ihe 1 •knights of the willow" 1 in Hhat Hbing. township. • ' s ! After an abseno*, of a. year I recently visited the Metrojpoli* of. our. settlement, I would, make a filial appeal to the . proper authorities to. duly christen its Po&i officially. It isj I believe, called the -Barney as 1 the. Settlk}Inieiit, which covers 100 square . <miles I at 'feast and contains two other post ! offices. " Whangaville"' and t( W3ienaj busy' ''have bo^h failed to stick} 1 The common designation is still simply "'lie Charing/ a nanie. quite uliequa! to the present pretensions of the town and ., still less to" 1 the' hoped-foV flitiire. ' 111 1 suggest, "eiiher "Mr iCluggagevilleJ' or " Wardtown.!"' The first from the firm that- hai built it, ancl the second from our lately ActingPren^ier;" -Mr Seddon*« name has already .been attached to several spots of earth. ■ I found decided marks of progress in the town. A large two storied buildling of 30 rooms is in course of erection to % the order of McCluggage Bros. It is intended to supersede the j present establishment which is much too small for the demands, made on ;it. I also found a Town Hall- which | look much better i£ it were three or 'is a commodious building, but wouW four feet, higher. . v t MqCluggage Bros. • havsj built commouidus stabling for Jhe\use of themj selves 1 and customers, and Mr P.: J:' White is about- tb» ereot. livery etables. P.> J. Wh;te and -Son- h«£ve taken tbfe mail contract from Stratnin<?re : toJ>he metropolis here, and, on mail nights Mr White, meets the coach and takes' passengers further north to their des-' iination or to meet- Hatrick's steamer "tt Port Putiki—tuniv which leaves on the following morning. ■ Mr^ Hammond,- saddler^ has erected a handsome cottage and '-neat shop near, the river. , Xx; George/Simpson is erecting a billiard room t in an up- r tb-date style. It is 40 feet long, ,15 feet high and has a double bridk chimney to , accommodate ' the • public room and attached dweUing.. xThe^wallsand roof are of corrugated iron lined'with felt except the front which is. of Jwood, rusticatedr .- - ' „. '.!, v ! - 1 fbuofd. Mr and Mrs Reid 'in charge of the Avoca^ Temperance Hotel. They jean look- back *;to the days of the primitiv* earth floored,buncked, .calico- , whare. t "bf "the early, day^ \^hibh^ accommodated 'as/when pioneers' and .forward to manulactiire ■ wh6n ' theI building in of erection will become, the temporai|y home ~ of tourists; and others. ' • ■> ■Mr Dan Wildermoth ," I found in charge of the store. He hails froni. Tini" Arpo and possesses, all, the geniality one would' naturally expect, in; a native of such an Irish sounding 'iown v . .:>•'..'.' ■ : , The new boanding house is in the kands of Messrs Irvine *«d Henry of Siaratford, In, the junior partner Mr" Henry I was pleased to 'meet an old Nelson acquaintance of 14 yoars .ago.' From the stores towards the Saddie about a niile of road is, to be metalled this summer ; MoClUfgage Brosi axe the contractors. * Thsy have erected rke *n&w style of kilns which are simple, large funnels cut in^ a. papa hill I« these papa arid firewood are judiciously mixed. The top ia covered with\ a wooden .'sihed.* , After some hours, burning the papa becomes, as hard as mountain .limestone. Chutes from ,the kijn are £hqn opened, and the papa comes down v them and may be parted to the roadf The papa road made tw9 yearp ,»go from the ' store eastward ie in fine orde«T and east of it i.i a contract Of over, two , milep tSken by .Messrs Brooking and Black of Stratford, and superintended by Mr C. M, Grant. The kilns there ' are completed and good metal is l. now re^dy for spreading. The weather has been so broken that road formation preparatory to metal liugr has been impossible. It is now, however^ in hand, and weather ' being favourable the work of spreading will proceed apace. The initial expense of kilns is great. Granted tho, k use .of. kilns for future contracts -in continuation the expense will, only be about half \as grea^i. W/hen the, present coniaracts are finished there- will be over " ' four miles of the wqns^ part of the road available for all sorts of. traffic -at "ail tinie«. ' The settlers should then move for an extension eastward which v at say six shillings, per yard the J Government should , not hesitate to grant. Few additional miles would meet, the ! wants of the. present milk suppliers, who have, had a very , bad time this season. The road, has nsver been so bad at this pear;6d^of the year. After passing the kilns on Mr H. Ca llinghdja's , properly . and Mr J King's, frrick , kilns I found a handsomf new- residence belonging to Mr W. Gill, our popular blacksmith. During the past year Mr Gill has been promoted from tBjV bachelors to the benediotß. Opposite his residence is the spacious sale yards of, Mr Newton King and the Co-opsrative Dairy Factory. Under Mr Dbffubrusch, as manager, this factory tHfixs out butter ffraded as A. I. Previews to reaching the Crickfield's, I noticed another new rpside»ce that of Mr Coxhe a d. Jt is 'a 'handsome building: very well situated "on a knoll at th* junction of the Vera and Whangamompna The spacious ana weH-bwlt residence of Mr A. G. Ctarie ta al«b *>PP««te the Dairy Factory- It rt «" tuat^^ a fertile Peninsula formed by a ahai p 'durv* of the river. O»ths right hand I noticed the ruins of Castle ,0 Kelly,

formerly the residence of Mr D. r G. o' Kelly, who hds. removed to the Auckland district. Mr Lawrence Ferry resigns in. his> ste.ad living at * 'his neat cottage "Review" situated on an eminence and surrounded -by a' neat and flourishing garden, orchard ; and pond. Mr Ferry is one' of bur most energetic settlers, and ,is bringing up a large and healthy family., w^ose appearance speaks volumes -for idle climate of this colony and the Miutritioua nature of its products. Opposite, the -neat cottage embowered in\ roses? and other - flowers, the residence- jot Mr- . " John Funnel. His surroundings' are ' -, a credit to his taste. On the rfame' side; further east, I observed another., new residence which looks very! w»ll'. indeed, and- has a spacious garden m front. _- This is the residence of Mr E--Jennings. Opposite to him is the homestead of Mr Charles Fearon. Adjoining this is Eegi's farm occupied by Mr A. ' W. . Hod Her, who- has recently completed at. -considerable expense a horse bridge going- across to ,hia premises. We,- then reach the Maceo Road leading ' to f Mr McCutchan's. T3ia Sawmill aiid:>BayJcentoro fiffther 'td the sections^ of Mr -A. Co'xhead and Mr 6. StockweU, arfti which will be, , carried on to the "Waifcara River. 'Surveyors' are now preparing "this . dis* trict for settlement; \ \ , '■ -~\ ; ;| The School Reserve adjoins the Ma*"- H . ,co Road:- It- has recently been.fenceif having for the previotis four : years* v .been a common. - Some '50 children attend tue school, but "owing to the. v \ roads, Hbte weather, and the distance. in ; many cases' the average attendance , is very far short of the roll number,', ' and the attendance fiaost irregular and' unpunctual. „ " ■ Passing the .school we come to a very nice new residence erected, by Mir T. Joyce, who owns 1 the 1 sections adjacent, and opposite to the school reserve. Mr Joyce'sr property is a very . valuable' one. ' Adjacent to it is ' the t ',i section of Mr" E. McLbugKlin, also ,of good quality, on 4 wMqh „the (^wne*/ erected a haiidsome'Jfeside'ncV ' some . years ago. '[ . ' „, „ - _ ~ "~. ? ' "" On tKe right side 61 the Ohura Road "'-, and opposite to all these is; the prop-" • erty of Messrs T. Davis, ancl Son, of : Hillside, amounting- '• to about 506 acres. Mr Davis erected a good new residence here some time ago. (To be Continued.)