BEYOND THE QUEEN CITY.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LX, Issue 16892, 7 February 1917, Page 6

BEYOND THE QUEEN CITY.

(liy Our Special

■ ■■•■. 'The Parliamentary tour-of the Gre.it ;iN.ortliern Peninsula, which was succe »■ Sully concluded.on Weunesday even ng last, was perhaps the biggest aiid lr.o^' ambitious enterprije of iii> j.ind e^'er at-

tempted in this Dominion.. it was not, '}.'■', -however, as its. .name might imply, a J^ta-te- enterprise, io \vus organi-ed. i.nd financed by the people of the 'North, ;.; , through -the agency or the North AuekMni Executive and Development Board, and it cost tne taxpayers not so ■ . .niiich as a single penny. Ihat it, was , •good business", tmi > will i^iuredly . demonstrate.'. To" those who took part m it,, •the,.'tour '.proved" a'inique, an pstructive, aiid entirely pleasiueable#xper?ence. In.the popular con.option .;.■■., ■■'jofVrery Jarge'Vniiinber of Southe n-irs, 5; . what is usually , underskod.. by "the North" te mlhaie s in the .Vi«ni% of Cf Auckland City. They 1 n.w.. of bourse, V; 'that beyond that busy, tTiriying mc-tro'-'folis there is some territory, represent- ! , '' ed o,n tne map in the lorm or' a fant^s- ' tically shapei peninsula. .But. into that ?-., territory—some of-it the bdest se.tie.l ■ . territory of the Dominion—they have ;.|;;- not been induced to penetiate; and I : = consequently, they have known or- it| .) , jauly by Jts. reputation—a reputafou I ;/;;• ; that h.as not been sll ti at could be " . desired, and that has' foi.n.; uides^ivad ■";■-:■■ acceptance in the drmmng phrasj"" thp il poor north?' It is aii :ndisputfibl e ia^t .-,■.■■ that mo&t reopie • soutu of Auckland i r .■■■■...had come to iegard tha North as a soit, % of "No Man-y .Land," in which tiie f ■ dieweis of timber' and the diggers o! : : gnnt eke out a more or U*n precarious ;Ky livelihood under: conuitioiis far from f; enviable, Gbnsequently.it is sal'b to say /•'"■■■• *?at the'majority ot tnose who sat out .;" ; |' rrom rjevonport'on'taemorning o, Jan>;r< "v. nary 16, ■ IU,L"7, would liDttee oten sur■HX'r :^™ed had they fouiiithemselves tray- - aniid condition? approximate to );;; t.ie.Sahara. They went out oxpejt'ny, t'^V^'-'find a desert or a Mild-erness, an-i >■>:;■■ they.,. ■■ ■■ -.- .'■• •. ... ■ ■■ .■ : |:3S;' Discovered' an eden;. ' ; K/: '/xr-a land rich,'in* its '.mighty; hills :?nd % ; fertile val.eys, rich Ujond all Southe n pf; dreamy in its magn^cent harbours and fcVwaterways, rich in the possession of a arid practically winteilcss W, climate, -iich in- historical assets; of j value (ior the most part sadly j g;; and shamefully:neglected): «nd rich, l^.tpo,- m the sterling character, Courage :^fi ■ and; endurance of' its' p.orieei- 'settlers. itlas ; this revelat oh to the Southern I few^ isi:fcors been made in 'vain? "".Surely j ;lfc /Not. The knowledge they have' /gained p '':■■s■ ll\ .be, spread far aud wide, ?nd men fsxv: looking for new homos and great bpnorp;.*,/tiihities will- bVkcTto-.turol'ti*eir eyes pfe^»Fai;ds tha/North, and will find: amid p-' the^ thousands- of how iihpe^iled- acres Wk■' pie. solution of'the s?cr^i|)||Sappy <§m prosperous; citizerishipr^ The bad old fei: .under whic]i; a fiw ;stretch J |*pPf; country aggvegaiing approi:ir>i«t&ly pS- Some 3,800,0 CO; acres has .so long suthas,been Canisl/ed for ever, and ■£%':.': ' the North—the. .great: Noith.- fertile I ff \y:shd fruitful—stands revealed m its real '%£'■■£&& c ft'luwn^-. chara: ter. For li;teen 1/-4«A" lng J>yh:ch the, motor cars gj^::;travelled, .something,, over 800 wiles I ff •;:;^he v vis.!tors, wer^f, .torriedA tlwough th.c v^sl6very;M?© :'c : %fcM *Yerv han^-t^ey':sa#/|rcjit^|.ii;^i-ss!-es^f: «nopf'upied-.loiid;]iungry;,for"':etf-pft.."element. Certainly they saw some poor |g but t'-ey saw,t(o, a g'r&Lt d^al pvs^#od land,,anr[ the frrnk'yexpre se I #■ ,vP lnlon «f more than one competent §;S,ia.nner' trom theSnuth was flat l^^ s sf-arcoly an;atre cf all the> land sWv>tney hadssen- whii:h was riot cipabl« |;^;^" being: turnecl;.to useful and profit' $!$-Wsle accounV Indeed, it may .truthfitip"^:Jy/be;;said that the' sou the n farming v.:Br?JD;.we'iii- th'fi round w:th the |/;a. touring/party were unanimous in the fCilPP^pn1 that/speaidns £eherallv, Norfi ||,s; Auckland' aifords .■- , " ; |i^:'SCOPE.:F.m^VERY'TYPE OIT "'■ fi;!i-iivv;\" FARMING "■■ ,;..;■■',"•'. Msffl^cultivation: PaHiculfMy were they ! |^i impressed by the gre^t ay©;? eminently l^'stnted for grcring and'dairying. Tricy tH sawi r thousands of, acras\that ,wil! carry X •■:-':f; 'to: the/acre, hundreds of thou-*-<Jsands' that will,'.carry a cow to two f~r : acri>3, Jittfe' t'lbit -.wi]1 .not fa <^. n '^a cbw"tb"tfiilee,ac'res. To the s-iit-H^bility of the land is .added an ideil cli-%r:j-iria^te' and an jibrridant rainfall.- A'-ove $:x- ; the land -ia cheap, : np'«;-. ..h c that in ghvgeneral terms,jt .may he. sa^d that the f-|;»iax;mum price", in--North Aucki-nd is |^:.6fiuivale'ht tojthe niinimum price for' |fv; SHnilar land anywhere south of AnckW?*W& pvovince. . md this, it mt^st be t^VA<terzbood yr , ( c^f»es! to all classes of |^:i!iP,' whether i-f.or nixed tarin- %£:}■%&, dairying, or.fruit .growing. . As xo j;V,;.what "the poor,(?) north" is cnpable ® ?IW the matter, of fruifa --vo i.iutioh th^ had eyidenc'fi:/ At |g: every place; wheraahfiH iwrs^nlled, tTi^: !gv ; party found the sfttlem assembled to fvh greet them witif lavish hospitality, and % . atno placs did the iiievitablo v spread" feu fa^l to .include - gene:-ous rupply of |#-aelicious , , fruit^-peacli-es, ', ne'^tannesV punig, and grvrn.,; leing (onspic!:o; S'y % hx Jeviclence on nearly every tab 1 3 at *r pu^Uc qi^private bilte-b. The. g ; , ptdnestabHshed iruit-growing :, district f;^ Henderson;. in,eibsevteuch: with the p■'■ $^V- CCit s ■ demonstrated p, the material worth of the industry,

f THE FRUITFUL NORTH.

A LAND OF GREAT OPPORTUNITES.

Representative.)

while the corr^arativeiy recently Jaid out orchards of, the HUAPAI FRUIT COLONY idforded a revelation, of what, in less I tijan three yea is can be acv.-omplis .ed by co-operative elfort. Over IOL> orchard- sections nave been taken up (somo 2U or more by Wan^anui citizens), som<j. 6U,UOU. fruit trees have, c-een-plan-ied, together with the ne^essery tempor.irj ana pcrma >c.»ib she.ter, and the piescnt gt'owc-.j and ai^i.an.e of. the oi-chaids vye.l tor tse future, wheii \ag time arrives for the co-oserative grading, raekmg, and marketing of the piod.;ce. T..« ; m.izing tinng is that a counviy s-j richly endowed by Nature,' and which in the tarly days Of settlement i s.d a. big sLarfc of the test o. u.e J>ominion, should have been lieriijitted. to stagnate for so long. Tiie settlers, mo'^t of them, attubivte the bl-ine to successive Governments. The North, they declare, lias been robbed and neglected whi! e more favoured southern.'uktrL-ts have Lepu •fattenei by Ministerial spoon-feeding. Uouljtiess there is some truth in the •ai.egation. iiut the politician is :m,t aiono to blanie. The people wt ths North,are --emsetves,largely resyonsibj 3 for the ez'zUrig condition of affairs. U:ey 'ought .years ago to hava protest, ed gainst the free exploitation of th<? giim lieids, and insisted upon every hundred-weight of that immensely valuable prod (ct contribi!;i.i; -x leas nable roya!-^.' to the public funds, for the purpose, primarily, .oProading the rennisula. ■ it is idle now to' say that this was the duty o. tn e .Government of th=> day. Oi)yro'usly 3 ifwas- 'i .t it wrs stiU more the duty of the people diractlv interested to see 'to it that the' Government was..effectively reminded of ..ts duty. It t s not yet;too kts to make ■th«. 1 emaumiij ka.nrt - d ?i *. c «: urce t revenae. Again; speakihs generally, th 0 settlers appear to have been '■•■■L'ESS'''.SiflLIF-RELIAN'T and less enterprisinr^- thar their felow to.loinstj m,many, other parts of tne Domimon. .On the whole the country d:es not lack foi-.roads. The fact that s:me thirty odd 'jiutor cars were able to, make .t;i"elcn^"' ]3unin"w. ;c'n they .oid is-proof.- Uac ti.ere were roads, of I a iiort; lor.them to .'travel on. As :i matter of fact. the diivers had the P'easiue of talcing their ca.-s ever many stretches 'of fairly good' roads. mit,| S:x; e.Jt, in ,two^or, three localities, the revenue irom fates is wholly ui&decjuate ! to provide:..for proper 'maintenance. IJeavier rates i.nd-xnore.couraEeo s borrowing 'are essentiaL to .tae tblutitn- of ,'the raading' problem,, and the sooner the responsible, ideal, authorities siicccsd 10. ; pei suading their constituents to ] ealise this fact the better it will be for alj conqer^e^l. 'x^e Crovernment must, <rt c-ourse, Ise tal'el lipcn to do its share: it will pay 'the State' to expedite the completion of the" trunk railway and ,ts essential feeders,.a*id : : this matt r the North is uiidoubtedly entit.ed to si:ecial consideration. ,'1 he, native linl 'problem is also.clamourous .10tv- solution. In every coi.rity ti».-re ■ sv'v© mus'. that the North; has of; hrte- been^sjCirrin^.in its slumber. The tour j.isb ended-will, we Peheve, serve toocmplete t.- c Awakening. 'It should lead to ;'a ..constantly increasing infusion of'new- blood, arid 10 tho creation: of, a. new>spirit of enterprise the ejfFo.ct.oiL; which will be fe.t from Dev-Qnport to iin'Taia. But to this end the Parliamentary tour must be looked, upon merely s 1 ha-"beginning of a courageous campu,>u. There 's room and io spare..in, the ifnutful, winterless no.th for more than 'the entire present; population of New Zealand, and if what is undoubtedly one cf tre most beautiful- pieces of" "God'; OwnCoiiritry". is- to come into its own the slogan of. the, Development Board MUST BE KINGING wherever there are; men and women ]ookmg fo r new homes and fresh opportunities'■ In cne resnect the North M at this moment pe:;i:li'drly H-fcimats, ; and that is -in the possession of a leader \M enterprise such as Cp.'onpl Allen jJell. To that £<?nt'ema-n and his serretanal j-R'ssocwtejj Mi- E: j; S-miiel, is largely due the rtraarkabty' successfi'l organisation and manacement of t'^e great .tour—ia-.to'T which, \ye sinrevelv hoiie, wiVmark.the dawn of a new s rid blighter era. -for/North' Auckland. To those who w,ero privileged to parti ipate in the tour the experieire was not al-top-ether that of a joy ride. Happily, -.\o serious .accident occurred to mar the lleasnre of the trip; bit there were some exceedingly nicrow escapes from disaster,' several minor inisTiars to s'nn of the .'cars, and some exciting and 'strenuous.experiences. It was only U'-Jtural, therefore,: that at the banquet hold to the" conclusion of tho toqr. the guests should voice their confident belref in .the, p:.o9pero-B destiny of the North, .'and at' the same time giv© expression to their sense of indebtedness to Colonel Bell and the members of his executive,, to the hospitable people of the uoninsiiln,. and +o those gentlemen—the car owners and drivers —who,' as one"speaker ,-nnt.it/ "have had our. lives in. their keeping for the past fifteen days."