Our Bush Settlements.

Waipawa Mail, Volume X, Issue 1062, 22 March 1887, Page 4

Our Bush Settlements.

PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE. (Special Correspondent.) DANEVIRKE. From time immemorial the Germans have been the most bitter enemies the Danes ever had. The historical records are filled with innumerable wrongs, which burly Germany from time to time has heaped on the little nation, settled on the peninsula of Iytland and the many islands lying between that and Sweden. The bitterness has rankled so much the more in the hearts of the Danes, because the repeated attacks from their aggressive neighbour have been those of a bully and from mere greed.

In order to successfully stop the Teutonic hordes from overflowing and outnumbering the population living on the Danish peninsula the idea occurred to the patriotic Thyra Danebod, Queen of King Gorms, who was reigning in the Middle Ages, to erect a national bulwark in the form of a fortified wall across the southern portion of the peninsula from the Baltic to the North Sea. This national work was called “ Daoevirko” and means “the Danes’ work.” It was found to act so well towards the purpose for which it was erected, that the original rough structure was improved and strengthened from time to time, till it becatno the principal defence of the nation. Repelled attacks of foes and heart-blood shed there has made the name of Danevirke dear to the nation, and it was these homo-memories which influenced our Scandinavian pioneers to christen their settlement iu the 70-Mile Bush “ Danevirke.”

Out of the 22 families settled by the Government in the then virgin forests 14 were Danes and 8 Norwegians ; the Danes being in the majority assumed the privilege of choosing the name of their new home. In speaking of the past history of this bush-settlement, I think it is not out of the way to make a few remarks about the mode of settling these Scandinavians on their holdings. They were the second batch of assisted Scandinavian emigrants who were brought out here by the Government. They arrived in Napier on the 17th September 1872, and at that time the Hawkes Bay railway line had barely started. Together with the Norsewood settlers, they formed a motley crew of rough diamonds ready and fit to cut the way for civilization through some of the desert forests in the colony. If they had known then what was ahead of them, in the shape of hardships of every description, I reckon they would have hesitated to face the bush. In happy ignorance of the lot before them, the male portion of the emigrants and their goods and chattels were conveyed by numerous wagons across the plains to the edge of the bush at Norsewood, while the women and children remained behind : n the barracks at Napier. The journey up to their destination was a serious one, but without much expense in comparison to what unassisted settlers have had to pay. They were charged at the rate of £1 per person with p*ovisions ftee. On their arrival at Norsewood the location of the emigrants on their respective holdings was fixed by drawing lots under the superintendence of the late Mr Friebe g, whose widow is now a well known and well-to-do settler near Makoluku. 22 of the families were allocated for the seitlement now named Danevirke. Fiom what the pioneers had seen of the Norsewood country, the Danevirke portion hesitated to bury themselves 17 miles fai her in the wilderness of the forests, the greatest doubt which influenced them being the means by which ihey would be able to exist there. They passed large sheep stations and farms on their way up, and were inclined to think that the plains offered them better future chances. In order to dispel these inclinations, Mr Frieberg procured them a promise from the Government that five year's work would ho provided for them, principally in roadmakiug. They then accepted their fate. While waiting for their families to come up from Napier, the Danevirke settlers put in weeks woik for the Government, at 5s per day in roadmaking. On the arrival of their families, a start was made for the present Danevirke settlement. Very few except the pioneers themselves ran have a clear idea of the difficulfes of this journey. At that time the present road had been felled and partly cleared, but with logs and thistles it was pretty well impassable. The old Maori track was therefore followed most of the way with light luggage and packhorses, and men women and children trudging along behind. Any one who has passed this part of the 70-Mile Bush will easily understand that it could not have been very smooth travelling. After many a weary foot step, and pretty well baked, the caravan at last reached their future home. It did not look very encouraging and must have been greatly disheartening to theso stiang rs in a foreign country, who had no colonial experience to enable them to judge correctly of the mine of wealth around them and who involuntarily guagerl their future lot according to the hardships already encountered. Danevirke now and Danevirke then was as diffeient a s cheese to chalk.

The present clearing where now green meadows and smib'ng homesteads surround a rising township was then nothing but a mass of fern, scrub and blackened tall stumps, the fern covering most of the spaces between the dead standing limber and reaching 10ft to 12ft high. A kind of general camp was at once improvised at the creek near where now Mr Allardi-e’s hotel is standing, and for several dp' s the families were choosing and finding out their respective sections. The Danes, being the greatest in number, reckoned themselves entitled to choose their land first. They located themselves in the eastern portion of the settlement, which is now known as Mangatera. The Norwegians had to accept the remainder. If the Danes had known what they know now, their choice would have been quite the reverse, as there is no doubt that the west end of Danevirke not only possessed the most valuable timber, but also has reached the highest price in land.

Little by little the main camp was broken up, and the various families settled down in tents on their respective sections. The names of these original pioneers are following : Anders Nielsen. Hans P. Jensen, Gronbcck, Israelsen, P. Johannesen, J. Bak, Mortensen, J. Mikkelsen, C. Larsen, C. Jensen, H. Vinn, A. Bernlsen, B. Amundsen, Antou Neilsen, E. erson, A. Fuger, J. Ualvorsen, E. Sorensen, Niels AndeiseD and P. Jacobsen.

Out of all these 22 pioneers there are now only the following families, who pinned their faith to Danevi.ke through thick and thin, and by so doing have been amply rewarded; namely, H. Jensen, Hans P. Jensen, Gronbeck, J. Bak, A. Berntsen, and B. Amundsen, in all six settlers. The ferins on which the original settlers obtained homes here in the bush were on the deferred payment system, to extend over a period of 5 years, at the rate of £1 per acre. Later on, their time was extended to 7 years. Added to the £4O for the land was £8 for the passage out, in all £4B. To enable them to meet those payments they were put on to make the road from Tahoraite to Piri Piri. At first they did this work by the day, but later on it was parcelled out to them in contracts from £2 to £2 10s per chain. I have

heard a good few of the then contracts were dissatisfied with the manner in which they were forced to go over the work again and again, and to excute finishing touches to their contracts, which tbeir subsequent experience in colonial life has taught them were wholly unnecessary. Whether this was done by the Government officials to prolong an easy earned pay or only to humbug the innocents abroad, I cannot tell, but the fact remains there as a fact. The result was, that numbers left this portion of the road and agreed to take up small contracts under Messrs H. Monteith and Mackay, who had undertaken to form the road between Piri Piri and Norsewood. They found themselves gainers to a considerable extent. [To be Continued.]