COUNTRY'S REMARKABLE PROGRESS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13481, 22 July 1907, Page 7

COUNTRY'S REMARKABLE PROGRESS.

Mr W. T. Jennings, M.H.R. for Egmoii^ was 'one of the members of Parliam^wit^who^ratfelled over the route of the 1 Main.Trunk line during the past few days. A Herald reporter who callefiWnitfr' Jennings at his home this morning gledin^d some interesting part^cufors'of the I*,1 *, excursion. 3 "We left Ellington on Friday moring," said'.ihe hon. member,, "and ifiached^the end of the line— that is fax as*it*|s. avb present' laid — about 5 dlclock; in "the evening, and then went 071 to BaStihi, where we stayed the night; c The- party was banquetted by lijie^ settlers, and I had the honour of ttkqjjo^ing the toast of the Waimarino BisTrfct kkd County Council." U 'lOte-the* following day we drove from Ra^tihft j&jiQhakune, which has ahown wonderful. .development during thfelast uweive months *untir it is now ijuite.n with business pre1 iseßrOß both sides, of the main street. fee^tQiur^p^'tfie place appears full :>f tt-dmise: v - Fronvhere we continued our *ire- .through what is called the PubKb "forks'" service road, principally Srpjigh, bush country, seeing the varid is*viaduWs that are being constructed. ' hese are well on the way towards completion, no time being lost with their erection; foremen are working in shifts of .eigh*- h6urs day and night. We then reached the rail head at Raurimu. geHfga^-tfratn then into Taumarunui. The townships along the line all show -the great progress that has character-) ised the country since the advent of the 1 raifw(ay. Most of- the Southern members were deeply impressed with the immense value of the timber as they passed through., At Taumarunui we broke our journey that night, and again were most hospitably entertained, • the banquet being attended by settlers from all round s the district— Ohura, Te Kuiti, and Raurimu. The toast of the Member foi? the District was enthusiastically received by the party. It was Voposed by 'tne Rev. Mr Wood, and spoken to by.isey.eral settlers. In responding, I fjSatf with the position af the Ohura' distoot, quoting the last census figures^^wKicb' showed that mors progress Had been made in what was known, as the Bohaepqtae country than any other part of New Zealand. In dergone a complete change, tor when J first visited it there were only a cou•ple of house**** -Ta^atU/irui, whilst that day it sl®gV%s£vWg and flourishing townshTp. The Ohura and Te Kuiti also showed unmistakably *igns of the progrqw tfWi Ih«¥*\ft fl P n ma Q e ** ?so shoßt a time. -The, want of, better WdinJ MhdTO%L'W&9ft* con ~ «tructwm"oWifc^wkiJw«y4i«e from Ongarrue into Mangaroa (Ohura); also the 'question of rttftfag t timber down, the .Riv.er and the erection of a hospital baaing:' ' "A number o£*a&'par%s* prfefefeeded on riheir journey on^nday mqrning at 7 o'clock, arriving at Otfehunga at" 1.30 otTWta&ag* .<&Vn.4he Wangamti B4vot with^thqL intention of proceeding Ito mtfirtgto* to^ay 1 . The journey from.Tanmarvinni'K^iaccomplished in the muck, time of , six hours aid a-half, tfcl^fain averaging about 30 mtf«**n Jfcner-M -. rf 1 it u;f; ■ .' In Waikato thQ. low-lying country ,was under watery "fend l Mr ! Jennings ctfnsidterjkd, IJIIfftJJLQ?- t ain continued, anoiher"very Severe Iffood would be experienewl.* ; - • - % - . In irepjy Xp a, question as to^when the lino was lively to be completed Mr Jennings said°there was no 1 doubt in his • own mind »^t the 'North Island (Main Trunk railneads would meet before the endidFfc&rti&a*.* Mr Blow (UnderSecreti^cjr i ,'fpr,Public. Works) who accompanied rheparty ; mentioned at one 1 of" the .banquets that.Taihape and Taumarunui wpuld ,be the overnight stopping placed Ve¥ween Wellington and Auckland and added that-by.the end of this year, provided the weather was fav&tirtffoleyt&e 1 distance*, now separating, the railheads — about 28 miles — woula be f redttced by 10, and the end of neatf MfFph Jhe distance to be completed, acco^ing to the expectations of his office, would be , six miles. "So that," added Mr Jennings, "there is littlOdifllilrtwAfaY-foy* "^^ ,hft.cnw(iplftted by the time stated by the Minister for TTibltd Works (HonTltfr Hall- Jones).*' Mr Jennings again referring to the , timber flai'd eyide'nees of the industrywere frequent! Sawmills were being erected at varioYKTp"olnts all along the line arid small settlements opened up. Mr Jennings concluded by remarking that travelling in New Zealand is not so slow as some people imagine. We left Wellington on Friday and most of the party will return to-night af€er covering a distance of nearly 900 miles \ — in four days. l j