THE HAPPY VALLEY.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LX, Issue 143763, 11 April 1912, Page 4

THE HAPPY VALLEY.

AFTER SEVENTEEN YEARS. Very nearly seventeen long years have elapsed since the late Sir John M'Kenzie, in pursuance of his well meant policy of giving men without means the opportunity of getting on the land, opened up the land in the Whangamomona district, afterwards styled- I‘The Happy Valley”—by some wag probably. Some hundred or more men, gathered from all walks of life, some of them totally inexperienced in bush work, were induced to take up the land on what appeared to be exceptionally easy and advantageous terms. It was over forty miles from the railway at Stratford and almost as far from a metalled road, but did not the Minister promise them a macadamised road “over the saddle” into the centre of the settlement, and a formed dray road to every settler's holding within five yours? So with cheerful spirit and full of hope they set out for the Promised Land . For some thirty miles it was all plain sailing, the road was formed, though not metalled. The last ten miles or so into the settlement was only a bush track; hut still, the Minister would soon have it formed and metalled, and then—well, then they would be able to drive their carts and traps to Stratford with the produce of their farms, and their fortunes would be made. They were all Mark Taplcys: at least most of them were; and they needed to be, especially those who, on reaching “the clearing” at Whangamomona, had many more miles to go in ordei to reach their selections, and nothing but a surveyor’s blazed track through the thick bush to travel over. But they were buoyed up with high hopes , had they foreseen what was in front of them for many long weary years there were few probably who would not have turned back.

The writer paid his first visit to “The Happy Valley” in November, 1901. That was about six years after the first settlers went in. Their metalled road to Whangamomona ' was -overdue, hut the metal actually extended only a little more than thirteen miles f-om Stratford; the remaining twenty-seven miles were formed, but even in November, and under light traffic, very boggy in places, so that the coach broke down and some of the passengers had to walk over the last saddle. Between tho foot of this saddle and tho township was a short length, only a few chains, of burnt papa, and beyond it was a mile and a half of newly laid papa. The first-named piece had been down four years and it lasted for several years longer without repair, proving conclusively the value of good burnt papa for road-making purposes. It was very expensive at that time, for tho simple reason that they did not know how to burn it economically. The cost was estimated then at 15s per yard by the Government inspector; probably it was actually a great deal more than that; but since tjien contractors have burnt papa and put it on the roads for about 8s per yard. If it is of good quality, free from sand — the stiff wet blue papa is the best- ■ and well laid it makes a splendid road. Unfortunately firewood for burning it is now getting very scarce in the vicinity of the road, and a high price has to be paid for it. This fact furnishes another strong argument in favour of the policy urged in the columns of the Herald, of metalling the loads aho-ad of settlement. But further reference to this question will he made lower down. Just now we are recalling tho condition of the settlement in 1901.

The township consisted of M‘Cluggn.ge Bros.’ store, the same proprietors’ boarding-house, a livery stable, a blacksmith’s, and two or three small residences. Up the valley about throe miles was the school, thou in charge of Mr. S. M. Scott. A little nearer was a dairy factors - , and close by Mr. Newton King’s saleyards, then newly erected. For several miles along the valley were scattered at short intervals the modest little homes of the settlers. Lip to this time the settlers had. most of’them, been employed a groat part of their time in forming the roads, and Mr. Nathan was still engaged up towards the Tangarakau in hacking out a road to the Main Trunk railway at Knwakawa, or Ongarue. Air. Rogers was the furthest hack settler, and he, by the way, has followed the road and is now at Tatu, beyond the Tangarakau. Tho bye-roads were little more than pack tracks, but settlers had already penetrated several miles along those away from the main road. Such was Whangamomona at the end of 1901. Six years of hard toil had resulted in a considerable area of land being cleared and grassed, and the condition of the stock brought, in to Air. King’s opening sale spoke volumes for the grazing qualities of the soil. In the succeeding years the writer has made three or four visits to Whangamomona, the last only a few days ago, and possibly a few brief impressions of the district as it is today may interest some of our readers. With the exception of a few who can bo counted on one’s fingers, tho original settlers have disappeared. A proportion were *fjuite unfitted for tho pioneering life. They were never settlers in tho true meaning of the term. As long as the Government employed them at road-making and paid them for felling the bush, they were able to make a living, though it was a precarious one on account of the high price of stores, due to the lack of a road. When the spoon-feeding came to an end they left,- and for years afterwards deserted cottages wore to be seen along the roads. Others, more independent, battled along heroically, making homes for themselves in the hope of reaping tho fruits of their labour when .the metalled road reached them. Of these, many found the task too heavy, and, after wasting several of the best years of their life, abandoned their holdings and went away to make a fresh start somewhere else. Some were’ able to hold on until they could sell out and so got back something for all the hard work they had done and the privations they had endured. They would have remained had there been good road communications, good educational facilities for their families, and so on, but they despaired of these and took the first opportunity to sell out, A few-—very few—have weathered the storms and are now in comparatively comfortable circumstances, but it has proved a long and bitter struggle against difficulties, the chief of which was the want of roads.

The land- is it what it promised to be? . AVell, in some cases it more than fulfils the anticipations. Now tho bush is off them, the hills seem very steep and the Talleys sometimes very narrow. A stranger unused to it may think it terribly broken country. Some of it, also, is undoubtedly going

back. Bad burns, poor sowing, bare slips on steep sandstone formation, injudicious stocking, and neglect in ono way and another have all contributed to this, and it will take time and capital to bring this land into good condition. On the other hand, where the land was treated well from the first, and especially on the true papa formation, there is nothing to be said against it. In the warm valleys the soil is wonderfully fertile, and when the land round Mount Egmont and near the coast is bare a good growth of grass will always bo found there, ami the cattle keep in good condition all through the winter. There is a lot of good dairying country, when the roads are good enough to carry the milk, and where it is too steep for milch cows, sheep and store cows do very well. Fine fattening country, too, some of it, as is evidenced by the meat hanging in the butcher’s shop ,at Whanga. Where slips occur on the papa formation the grass soon takes on the exposed surface and good rather than harm is done. On the whole, early impressions are more than being borne out. It is a fine district, and every year the country served by the East Hoad seems to grow in extent. The Whangamomona Road, which branches off southwards from the township towards the Wanganui River, will alone open up an enormous area of country, extending as far as 35 miles in one direction, and about 18 in the other, and this is only one of many roads striking out north and south from the main arterial road to Ongarue. From Stratford to Ongarue is about 107 miles by road, ana the railway connecting with the Main Trunk line will be about 95 miles long. Both road and railway will pour an ever-increasing volume of produce, wool, meat, butter, cheese, etc., through Stratford to the port at New Plymouth. It is commencing already, but is only a trifle compared with the great stream that will flow coastwards in future years.

Now as to the roads. As already stated, the settlers were promised a macadamised main road to Whanganiomona in five years from 1895. It is now 1912, and there is still something like seventeen miles unmetalled. It is impossible to calculate what this failure of the Government to keep Sir John MTvonzie’s promise has cost the settlers. Some idea, however, may be gained when we say that it costs to-day about fifty shillings a ton to cart goods over the Alangare saddle from the 33-mile, siding, about seven miles into the township. What must it have cost when there was neither road nor railway? And when the goods have leached the township they have to be carried a great deal further along imm eta I led and sometimes unformed roads. Messrs. Court and Cottier are packing stores twenty-seven miles on horseback. Only the extreme natural richness of the country has enabled it to survive this treatment, But it ought.not to have been necessary. The blundering on the part of the Government has been almost criminal, and the worst of it is the blundering’still goes on. Where short lengths or road have been metalled the Public Works Department has either already destroyed the metal or is engaged in destroying it. Seventeen years- ago there was an nbnndahco of metal to bo obtained for the road, without having to carry it any very great distance. From Toko onwards until the papa country was within roach there was shell rock to be found, and this is capable of carrying the ordinary traffic of settlement. Once in the papa country the supply of metal was unlimited, but now tho firewood has gone, and the necessity of carting it long distances makes papa-burning costly. We have in mind several places along the road where deviations have been made from the original track. The old track skirted all the spurs, and subsequently these spurs have been cut through not only shortening ■ the road, but exposing large supplies of splendid papa, with the firewood growing on top of it; every convenience for getting out the best of road metal. Three years ago the Tahora saddle was an impassable quagmire for months at a stretch. Air. Hogg, then Minister for Roads, —-and the best friend the. settlers have had in tho Ministry—was shown over the road, with the result that he secured a grant for improving it and instructed Mr. G. T. Murray.to proceed with the work of metalling the' saddle. Mr. Murray cut through one of the spurs referred to above and at other places along the saddle found splendid papa faces, and before very long ho had two long lengths of the saddle metalled. There is, the writer believes, still a portion of the grant unexpended. There is papa loft on the hill, but the firewood has now to he carried a long way. Still the gaps should be completed. It is, perhaps, easy to be wise after the event, but the Herald . for many years has urged with much insistence the metalling of this road throughout. ; If the metal had cost £1 a yard money j would have been saved to the settlers and to tho country, for almost fabulous , sums have been spent in a vain endear- ; our to keep the road open. The difference between then and now is that then wood was plentiful for burning tho papa all along the road, while today it has gone and must be brought long distances. Then as to the line of the road. Speaking generally, Mr. Morgan, who was chiefly responsible and who lost his life when engaged upon I the work near the Tangarakau, laid off j the road splendidly. But in those | days, as now, the policy was to employ j manual .labour to the fullest possible extent. Hence, wherever a deviation | enabled the avoidance of a stream ]. which would otherwise have to be | bridged it was made, even though a j small bridge or a culvert, or a deep j cutting or filling, would save many chains of ■ lighter formation. It was ; not a question of expense, but of find- ; ing work for unemployed. No stream j must he bridged if the road could be carried round it. No cutting more than twelve feet deep if by going two, three, or five times tho distance it could be avoided. No filling of more than twelve feet if it were possible by a roundabout route to dispense with it.

It is frequently stated that no. road would carry the traffic, and that a railway is the only solution. The reply to this is that a good burnt papa road would carry all the ordinary traffic of the Whangamomona district for several years, almost without any cofct of maintenance. It is the Public Works traffic that is destroying it; and hern let it be mentioned that beyond Whangamomona there is a considerable length of first-class road which is now being cut up by the extraordinary traffic, and there is not a barrowful of spare metal to patch a little hole. The result will be that in a few weeks the road will be dangerous, and worse than if altogether unmetallcd. The road ought to have been metalled from Stratford to the Tangarakan ten or fifteen years ago, and followed up by the railway. If this policy had

been pursued and the railway works carried out under a common sense system there would have been no necessity to destroy the road by carting heavy material over it in order to put construction in hand many miles ahead of the rails. In this connection it seems a very short-sighted policy not to hand over the completed Hne between Te Wera and Pohokura to the Railway Department. Settlers’ traffic is carried over it, it is true, but at about double the rates that would rule if the Railway Department had control. Thus the settlers are denied the full advantage of the line, and why? Because the Public Works Department if it handed the line over would have to pay freight on its material. This is the crowning injustice to the settlers of Whangamomona. In conclusion, it may be recorded that the settlers in that district evince a warm interest in the progress of the New Plymouth harbour extension. Realising the potentialities of their own district, they are eager to have the closest possible communication with the markets of the world, which a deepsea harbour at New Plymouth can alone give them.