HALCOMBE TOWN.

Wanganui Herald, Volume X, Issue 2701, 9 February 1876, Page 2

HALCOMBE TOWN.

(From our own correspondent.) February 7th. • I must now introduce your readers to the new township of " Halcombc," which bids fair to rival its elder sister, Feilding. A glorious site for a town is close by, but for some reasons best understood by the Agents of the E., and C. Corporation this was sold, and the locality I am about to describe ultimately fixed upon. It is situated on the South side of the llangi : tikei River on the line of railroad, and is about midway between Feilding and Marton. Bounded by the main bush on one side, and high ridges on .the other, it appears to be rather 'shut in, as it were ; tut still the undulating flat is considerable, and is already dotted with little houses, which appear to spring up by, magic under the hands of the contractor, Mr JR. Birch, who, of necessity, employs a considerable number of hands.' Large quantities of timber are now ready for use, and more is being cut as rapidly as possible. A large saw mill in the very centre of the township is just commencing to work, under the superintendence of Mr Jones, and attached to this will be a planing machine. Mr Maysmor is about to erect a large public-house, and if the slightest inducement is offered others are ready to do the same. Mr Capper has already completed an oven and bakehouse, which is to be con- , nected with a large store, and which I i hope may prove a good speculation.

Mr Lash is the first in the field to supply the wants usual in new places, such as the inevitable boxes of sardines, jam, cases of preserved milk, and other items which the emigre' to an out of the Avay place can well imagine. Messrs Owen and Mountfort arc busy laying off sections and roads in the suburbs, the town ilself, with its- ample reserves, having been completed. A number of building sites have already been disposed of under conditions of bona fide occupation, and every care seems to have been tnken to avoid the interminable mess and confusion AVhich Followed in the Avako oL : the Feilding immigrants ; but the summer is rapidly passing, and, pleasant as Halcombe toAvn now looks, the avi liter Avill turn it into a slough of despond and discomfort unless some good drains are dug before the Avet season set in. A road of about seven miles will be made from here to a point higher up the llangilikoi than whore the railway crosses, to communicate Avith a Bridge for which the Provincial Government have long passed the estimates, but which Avill iioav I imagine be undertaken by the General Government, as ifc is of the utmost importance to both Upper Rangitikei, Feilding, Sandon, and a large surrounding country. The bridge would not be, an expensive one, and, as in the case of the more extensive one at Bulls, and would almost pay the interest by the tolls.

Near to Halcombe is the Kale ariki Saw Mill, the property of Mr C. Dougan, which is Avorked by a portable 8-horse power engine. Here Aye find a rare good totara bush, now alas only too scarce, on a most picturesque flat,level Avith the Rangitikei River, through which also flows the ever sparkling litttle Rangitawa stream, murmuring on over a pebbly beach, here and there bestrewed with leaves, while again peeping through the' branches of overhanging giant trees, the shining sun lights up the spot, while anon is heard the whir of the saw or the whistle of the engine announcing work, work again to' complete an order of some hundred thousand feet for the Corporation. The breaking down frame, &c, as the whole in fact* has been erected by Mr Murray, Engineer, of Wanganui, and testifies well to the thoroughness of the work. On all sides are little cottages, with here and there a garden and a grove of semi-wild peach trees, while the wood around »eemed alive with the woodman's axe. But as it was getting late in the day I had no time to pay more than a casual visit which certainly repaid me ; in fact I was loth to leave and expose myself again tc the broiling sun and the blistering wind. Strangers should certainly pay Halcombe a visit, especially those who are in want of new fields for business enterprise.