The Taranaki Herald. DAILY EVENING SATURDAY, MARCH 30, 1918. TARANAKI'S ANNIVERSARY.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 16093, 30 March 1918, Page 2

The Taranaki Herald. DAILY EVENING SATURDAY, MARCH 30, 1918. TARANAKI'S ANNIVERSARY.

After a five months' voyage from Plymouth Hie little barque Wiliam Bryan dropped her anchor off the Sugar Loaves on the eveningl of March 30, 1841, exactly seventy-seven years ago. The passengers -who had copio so far (o. find a new home in these southern seas did not land until the following day, and March ill has consequently always been observed as the anniversary of the I'oundatimi of the settlement of Now Plymouth, as it was then called, or Taranaki as the district has since been styled. There are still among us a few of I hat little hand of venturesome souls, who have seen the

settlement grow to Its present stale of prosperity. It has not been an unbroken period of progress. Indeed there were times when the abandonment, of the settlement was seriously contemplated on account, of the troubles with (he Maoris. On account; of its complete isolation and the want of a good harbour progress was slow until 1860,' and at settlement did uni, extend many miles inland and only from Bell Block to Talaraxmaka along the coast,

with a wirlo gap ticlwMvn Omata and the Tataraimaka settlement. It was, however, a contented little community and upon the whole the settlers’ lives seemed to he cast in pleasant places. But "in March, 1860, serious trouble arose with the Maoris over the ownership of land and for the next cip'ht or nine years there was little sectirriy far li.fr or property. The settlers were forced to abandon their humps on the land, and many of these were destroyed hy the Maoris. The land itself soon became a wilderness and ovorprown with,furze, so that, about, 1870 a fresh start had to be made, and the growth of Taranaki really dales from that year. Even then there was a feeling qf insecurity about the Maoris who,'as a matter of fact, were from time to time troublesome for a further period of ten or twelve years. The setllement was also still isolated. The railway from the south did not reach Hawera until 1885 and the port of New Plymouth was an open roadstead up to 1884. Oh account, of these serious handicaps Taranaki dic\ not appeal strongly to people looking for land or for a place in which to start business. Gradually, however, the excellence of the land and the climate became known and a steady stream of new settlers came, in and paved the way for the prosperity and rapid progress which set in when the factory system of dairying and the application of the refrigerator to butter became established, somewhere about a quarter of a century ago. Since then the district has never looked hack. Every year has seen a steady extension of settlement and a growth of exports, sometimes more, sometimes 'less, according to the seasons and the markets. Taranaki is an ideal dairying country-and it' owes most of its present prosperity to the cow. It must, not, however, he supposed that it has no other products than butter and cheese, for there arc within the provincial district three meat freezing works, and the production of wool has reached quite rcspeciahle proportions. As. settlement extends further into 1 he hack country (he exports of wool and frozen meat will grow, though in all probability the cow will always furnish the greater part of our products. During the past year the total exports from Taranaki probably exceeded 1 ,£■!,- 000,000 in value, a greater value per head of population and per acre of land in occupation than any other provincial These figures will, however, lie doubled in a few years, for little more than half the land is yet occupied, and that is not producing half as much as it will under the better system of farming which is beginning to he practised. An important factor in the development of- the district is the harbour at New Plymouth. As already staled the district was greatly handicapped for many years by the want of a harbour and it is only within the last year that large ocean liners have been aide to berth at a wharf in Taranaki. Consequently most, of our produce had to hear the heavy cost of coastal freight and transhipment at Wellington. The war has prevented full advantage being taken of the improved shipping facilities, but. when normal conditions are restored it will be the exception rather than the rule for our exports—and our imports too —to bo transhipped at Wellington. People who have lived the. greater pari of (heir lives here often fail to realise what the possibilities of Taranaki are. Bright hopes have so often been doomed lo disappointment that this is perhaps not to be wondered at. There are those, however, who have retained unbounded faith . in the town and district through all its vicissitudes, and occasiomdly we find visitors expressing a great belief in our future. Mr. Blair Mason, the Harbour Board’s consulting engineer, for instance, spent a few weeks here some time ago and as the result of his investigations formed a far higher

opinion of the possibilities—certainties, we- mi "lit say—of development than the average Taranaki resident holds. Then the other day wc heard the Hon. Mr. Herries repeatedly say that “we” —meaning the Government or the Railway Department—believe This is going to become a city and the most important port on the west coast of New Zealand. Honestly we believe that the pastoral and dairy industries will themselves bring this about. There are, however, reasonable prospects of other industries being established which will bring great wealth to the district and a great trade to the port. From time to time hopes have been raised high concerning "oil and iron, only to be cast to the ground. Rut neither is -beyond hope; indeed there is more than a chance that both will yet “turn out trumps,” and either one or the other, if successful, will bring great wealth. Then the abundance of water power for the production of “white coal” is a factor which, with enterprise, will help materially in the establishment of other manufacturing industries. While the war has in one way brought great prosperity to Taranaki on account of the very high prices our chief products command, it has unquestionably- hindered the progress of Hew Plymouth, which otherwise would almost certainly have grown at an exceedingly rapid rate during the last two or three years. As it is the town has undoubtedly moved ahead in a marked manner, and we feel certain that when peace is restored and confidence returns with normal conditions an era of prosperity will set in here such as the town has never yet enjoyed. May the little remnant of the pioneer settlers live to sec this!