OHOTO, THE PARAPARA ROAD, AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11615, 20 July 1905, Page 6

OHOTO, THE PARAPARA ROAD, AND GENERAL.

A Trip into the Interior. A representative of the "Herald" recently spent a few days in.. the.: interior, and in the course of his rumblings traversed the famous Wanganui-Parapara-Ractihi road and irack^ for ' a 'distande of about 45 miles, and rwe'h;t through a part of the great 'Ohoto hush.; Tllp latter he will have cinise to fWembef for .enirie little time, for a portion of his Stay there •was much against his will, for the rea»'"n that, like many other._amateur. as also cxpeiienced bushmen, hefoijpl it fairly c,afy to get into.the .foreSC^butt; not .quite nso easy to get out. Being midwinter, the track was not in the very b<?efc condition for travelling, and the experience of ' oJi r trolling a horse— not" to say one's feelings and imagination — while floundering in three or four feet 'of mud on the side of a 'steep cliff called a track, either partly covered up... with ., debris from above or nearly all harried a>ay by, slips from below with the certain conviction that a false step on the part of the animal would mean a drop .of from 50 to 100 feet into the Mangawhero ' River, is much ea-ier imagined than described. An experience such as .this by our legislators would do more to "impress tli.eni/ with the NECESSITY 0E ROADING .tEHE INTERIOR than a bushel of Land Commission reports. Our representative found' the road in faircondition as far as the iiberfeldie Bridge, though there were' many sections of it that "were . anything' but a. credit' to 'the controlling local body, wljose sins of- omission in respect to keeping this highway: in good order are deserving of as- much, if not more, reprobation than those of; the Government for failure/to continue the Parapara track. There" may have beensome justification for tlfe latter, but absolutely none for the neglect^of the Wanganui. County- Council, whose road-making career is anything but a . credit to it. From the Aberfeldie Bridge to the bridge recently constructed by the Government over the Tauakira Stream, a distance of four miles, the road is passable, arid' that about expressea its condition. Thence onward for two miles over THE NEW FORMATION about which we. have heard so much^the road is all .that"* cquld be ; desired, save that the- addition o| metajl\ttg/i would-, of ; course be-a"great advantage.. This_.newly-. formed road • varies from 14ft to . 20ft in width, and is' certainly one of the best pieces of formation it has .been our representative's privilege..^o .see. in .new^country, and is a credit alike- tot ttieVejiguieer, and those .who carried out the contract. At the time of -our representative's visit there were-many.. slips on the new road — a difficulty that Will bW'cShstalitly. occurring for the next couple, of .years, — and these were being' cleared' aw»y by a couple of men,' whose duty it is to keep this and the adjacent section, of road in order. -One thing suggested -by our representative's visit was this: Whether it would not be advisable to urge the Government to make the extension of 'the road 10ft in. place of 14ft for the time being, thus enabling a much greater length to be' constructed for the money voted for the work? When once taken through, the road could then be widened. Of cotirse' there would be a disadvantage. _%lth. tennis" of 'horses in a narrow road .wh/e:fe "curves 'abound, but the question'is one worthy 'of (johsideratibn. Two co-operative gangs', of .four jnen "each were engaeed on..sections of on the Parapara side of , the new .formation,, and were making steady progress. , THE -.eO-OKEEATEVE • BABGURER and the "'doveriim'eivfc that 'him have be^ft imtieli*almsed"f6r'varlousi mtieli*almsed"f6r'varlous reasons* mainly oil 1 the ;_ ground^Tiat the State does not get quid pro. quo 'for its outlay with respect, to. this. cla«3 of labour. A - visit to the Parapara; 'however, will not-only-dis-pel any notion of Government", extravagance, but lead, to the cp.nvictioh that the Government Js, after all, Really a, hard task-master. : That, At -any rate, was. the opinion ]by .Qur' . representative. ■ When returning' from his' short trip he overtook the members of one of the, gangs — four able-bodied mcn r w.ho came up from Wellington- Ijp try . their fortunes on cooperative -work,-^-who,. after a- week's trial had cried enough, .as-they were unable at the prices given (4d per. yard for loose and 9d per yard for papa) to make more than 3s_or 4s, per- day. The members of the other gahg-^well-known - Wanganui. boys, of considerable experience -in road formation-s-were likewise dissatisfied, and intimated to our representative their determination to "cut it" as soon as they had finished their section, unless the; Government gave a better price". It may not be interesting to remark at this juncture that our representative visited several cooperative camps at tlie^back of the Kohi, on the Whenuakiifa River, a couple .of months ago, and the men. there were getting 6d*and/ls for similar work, though it is only fair to mention that at the latter place the-road was bejnY cut'tijirough the"" bush, while the land "is cleared at the Parapara. This matter of.wpges^ is. a.lso one that might receive the attention' of" the authorities. Our representative , has not ascertained- whether,, anothej. gang has been 6ent to replace the Wellington quartette. The road has been surveyed for a couple of^oyies the* Qtlter aside, of the cooperative camps, and. on the day of our representative's return a. surveyor's camp bad just been constructed seyeral miles ati'l further" on, the intention being to con r tinue the surveys of the road inland. In the course of a .few days the ro'jld will have been completed up to the property occupied by Mr Lewis, the last white settler to be met with untilthe' residence of Mr O'Connor, the rpadman, is reached — about 40 mites from town. ' From "M.r Lewis's the track " to Raetihi — some 35 miles in length —goes ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY- THROUGH NATIVE LANDS, and herein is'to. be found' -the reason, why the Government' has so'ltrng delayed the construction., of,,.tli,is- most.. important terial highway. True, there are -a few small sections of land along 'the line of road held by Europeans, but the area thus occupied is insignificant. ( On, ;the western side of the track over the Mangawhero Eiver Messrs Ellis and Robinson have several thousand acres of freehold and leasehold laiid& 4ft Me" Tauwakertu lßjiock^ a good pdrtidttadf. .which is already felled and in grass, and there are a few other European holdings, l£Kt"the <: %reat bulk of the land* is Iffaori propei-fyr- "Quite a. number of old iiAtive clearings are passed en ; route td the OhcrtpQßlbck, ,/the ;Ma*6ri settlements of cdurse'naenig located, in the" pick of jbhe country,.^but, they, .are not 'joi any very' great 'exten't^/fchV natives evidently belng ; content to ' plcar only', 'sufficient for uioir immediate requirements. While .METAL is not abundant along the track, there- are nevertheless indications of grave} deposits in peaces, and at : ptuhangatoi-^34 miles from"* town — there are. large numbers of immense stones ob- concretionary nodules, 98 hard as granite, and weighing Up to 30

' tons, in and near the bed of the stream. while between there and Aberfoklie similar stone 3 are met with, one at the latter place weighing fully 41) tons. It may be ( explained that the Parapara Track, better known as "FIELD'S. TRACK," was surveyed by our old and highlyesteemed friend, Mr H. C. Field, and about 35 miles from town takos a turn to „the north-cast,, to ..Karioi.^this. section be;,. ' ing called "Field's" Track"' as distinguished from the Parapara Track, .via , the Olioto tg. Eaetihi, surveyed«,by Mr G.'.T. 'Murray. During- the late Mr Ballanec's term ol I office three men. were employed keeping /'Field's.- Track" clear, .and. they utilised ..-.their ' s^axe „ time . cutting dow-W" tiie bush .- a cljain .. wide • on the road. To-day one man 'has to attend to both' tracks, a task that would "strike terror-- into many a heart equally as, stout as>" Mr A If . . O'Connor's: Of courift, it ii simply ■RIDICULOUS TO EXPECT ONE EOADMAN to keep the tracks in anything like- order, aiid in the Winter the most that he can possibly do, even with, extra "assistance which he. is permitted to obtain, is to see.that the line is not absolutely impJissable. Oue representative does not envy Eoadman O'Connor his task. 1 QUALITY OF -THE -LAND. Between Upokongaro and Aberfeldie the land on the Waiiganui Eiver,; "side is chiefly rough, broken country, ,->with steep,, narrow spurs., but it is better 'further inland, and at Ohoto there .is a very decided improvement, the frequent sharp ridges .of light papa formation giving place to hills with more gentle slopes, between, which there are considerable areas of y flat country, the soiL over .all being good. Indeed, in some parts of .the Olioto there are hundreds of acres ..of natural, clearings, " which, it may be remarked here., haye, with the. usual native ' foresight, been snapped up by the Maoris. Already THE BUSHMAN'S" AXE is preparing the way for a more profitable yield than Nature has provided. A number of sections have recently been leased . from the -Maori Council by-Europeans«fcnd ' natives. The latter, we are informed, have done so jnerely with the idea of holding on for enhanced values when the road is made through, and with no present intention of converting the bush into pasture. I The European lessees, on the other hand, "intend- turning the land into profitable account at once. Amougs<; others,, the .Mason Bros, have let a, contract for .felling. about 50D acres of bush, Mr P.emberton has a gang of men on cutting 400 acres, and others are preparing to follow suit. Talking, of- % ENHANCED VALUES, ' reminds our representative that the Government has quite recently made an offer to the natives for' the property .on which Eoadman O'Conn,or resides — from 10 to 2O acres. The Maoris, w]i O a. few years ago. would." have been qttite .willing to take 5s or 10s per acre, now asks .£5, claiming that that is its present value,- seeing that it has been improved and there is a probability . of the road ■ -glio'rtly. being formed. And so the price of native lands will' advance. The pity of it is -that the whole of the Ohoto. and adjacent blocks were not purchased by. the" State years ago, arid even now it is not too late to COMPULSOEILY ACQUIEE THEM on the lines ' suggested by the Wanganui. Chamber Commerce and advocated by the .Premier,- Sir -Joseph . Ward, and othe? politicians. Successive Governments are, oi'-coursfr, in a measure to blame for the non^acquirement of these lands, for' had a reasonable siim, been offered, in place of the,'- few shillings tendered, the whole of ; the'-Nortli Island native lands might long ere. 'this have been the property of the' Crown. Though the natives have not been "lobbed as they were in the early days of settlement,- when, for instance' the' Now ' Zealand Land Company obtained 10,000 acres of land not 100 miles from Wanganui; for a "go-ashore" of the value of 7s 6d, for all -that' they have, not been treated by 'the respective Governments' 'as they should have- been. Talking of the ( Government .acquiring the native" lands, ' our representative; after conversing with surveyors, and others who .liave an intimate . knowledge .of the country, is thoroughly . satisfied that the 4 Wanganui Chamber of Commerce and the people, of Wanganui •generally should have first of all agitated for .the purchase of the native .lands, and then turned the,ir attention to the road. As ,it is, the ' position has been reversed. The, cry. has been '"The P,arapara -Eoatl/' "The Parapara Hoad)", in place of "Acquire the Land," with the result that when the road is completed the value /of the native lands will have doubled and trebled. It is to be hoped the Chamber will follow up the motion passed on the .subject .of the {Government purchasing th^ land, and, that the member for the district will use Ii is influence in having the necessary legis--latibn placed on the .Statute Book. " To revert to the; „ .QUESTION OF THE EOAD, the distance from -Wanganui to the Olioto Falls .is about 45 miles. Only 27 miles of v road. are formed, while it is 18 or 19 miles from the Falls to Eaetihi, or roughly • 35 - "miles of road to' com•plcte the connection between Wanganui and Eaetilii. One contractor ventnre'd the opinion that, -judging by the , dost of the two miles' ' of road recently formed, it would take 100 men two, years to complete the w>ad to the Falls, or, roughly, £20,000 TO CONNECT WITH EAETIHI. At the present rate of progress, it would take from ten to fifteen years to' accomplish what the. people of Wanganui are aiming at. It is, however, satisfactory to hear that'there'is a. probability of, a much larger sum being placed on the Estimates tb.is year for the work. It seems fairly certain/ however, that the .Main Trunk railjway will be finished long before .the road, and a« a ' consequence much of the trade that would otherwise come this way, will be diverted to Auckland, or Wellitig<on. There will always' be this consideration; in favour of Wanga>ui: the settler .will not. gq to the expense of railway or .yivdr fares if" he has. the r'pad available. His' time is his own, "and wliile he 'may be prepared to spend" the .best part of a week • in carting supplies and driving his- stock to and from market, he will think, twice . .Ijefore putting his hand '.infhis pocket to • ,meet the post 6i conveyance "by other means. . While on the* -subject of roads.' it may be mentioned that the Government* is ,:pusliing on with the EOAD TO TAP THE OHOTO BLOCK from the river side at Galatea. , Our representative was informed that the distance from the river to the block' is from 12 to 14 miles. Of this, five miles of road have been completed at tbe river .end and,],} .on the Mangawhero end, and a portion of Ithe, six "nilles .estimated vei to do is' already in liand. When this, auxiliary road ia finish'i!d"it will be very 'convenient for tapping « number of the sections, but , 'THE-MAIN HOPE LIES IN THE -PAEAPAEA EOAD, which will open up many other blocks of land besides the Ohoto. Further, it must

not be forgotten that years ago the Waiinaiihd setters were promised this arterial highway, auu altlumgli their land has»becn loaded^ with a portion of the cost of the • road, they have no.t yet seen the fulfilment of the promise. In the circuinstaiiccs it is n/)t surprising that some have.despairod, and, now look to the railway for the outlet the.y have so loftg required. It is out of the qnestion, however, to talk of the railway serving the lower portion of the Ohoto and other lands in the vicinity. The NATUEAIT OUTLET IS VIA : t WANGANUI, and hence the *6ad must be pushed on. It is pleasing -to note that the Land Commission emphasises the necessity of x*oading, >vliicli it considers equal in importance with llic tenure question. Hitherto settlement lias been far. in advance of the roarls, and the Ohoto is no exception to the rule. Alr?ady some 15 or 20 sections, embracing over 20,000 ACRES^ HAVE BEEN TAKEN UP, chiefly by well-to-do settlers wlio already hold. or are interested in other lands. And it>is our representative's opinion that most of the Olioto lauds will thus be dispersed of, the poor man, owing in large measure to the want of a; good outlet, being practically piit out of court. This is much to be regretted, for portions of the 'Olioto, particularly at the -Karioi side, arc . '-> MOST "SUITABLE FOR SMALL SETTLEMENT, the land being especially good, and within three to ten miles of the railway. Before, however, the poor man gets a chance it •will, .in the opinion of our representative, be" largely taken up, if not by the settler who already-, holds land, by his brothers and sisters, -uncles, cousins, aimts, etc. So far as the . TIMBER ON THE BLOCK is concerned, there is not a largo quantity , suitable for milling, though there J.s a fair sprinkling of rimu and matai, but more of tAwa, rata, lienai, miro, and birch. One one of the hillsides clpse to the falls our representative noticed several large totara trees, one ' measuring fully 20ft in girth and 20ft or 30ft high, without a limb, but these few and far between. , THE FALLS are .undoubtedly "the" scenic attraction of the Wanganui-Earapara-Ruetihi road, and a splendid view can- be obtained while riding along- the track. They extend the full width of the Maiigawheo River, the unbroken sheet of water dropping from ],10ft to 15ft, while a few yards above there .-is a smaller cataract. When encamped 'about a mile from the falls our representative was, startled one evening by a noise, which he > took to be- the precursor of a storm. He- was, however, informed by a native that it was not thunder, but a peculiar sound from the falls occasioned by the wind. In this connection it is interesting to recall the fact that the falls were FIHST DISCOVERED BY MR H. C. FIELD, who first heard them when surveying four or five miles distant. When the road is completed they will form a great attraction for tourists- and sight-seers. Our representative returned to town more fully impressed tlian ever with the great possibilities of the interior, and more Jirmly convince.! of Uie wisdom and necessity of the , State acquiring ihe freehold of the native lands and pushing on with the W anganui-rPa ra para-Raetihi road.

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[ :i3 WANGANUI HERALDS THURSDAY. JULY 20, JQOS