ROUND ABOUT NAPIER.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XVIII, Issue 12, 16 July 1886, Page 19

ROUND ABOUT NAPIER.

Situated, as Napier undoubtedly is, on all but an island, and circumstanced as it is with so little dry land in its immediate vicinity, the work of effecting communication between it and the country districts was attended with much labour and expense. Besides the numerous loads which traverse that part of it known as Scinde Island, there are three main roads leading out of Napier, viz., the Hyderabad Road which runs alongside the railway line to the Spit, crosses the inner harbour on a very long bridge, and goes on to Petane, Wairoa, Taapo, and Gisborae ; the Main South Road to Olive, Havelock and Waipawa, and the direct road to Taradale across the swamp. The most^expensive of any of these to make, for the length of it, was that to Taradale, a distance of four miles, It had to be built with concrete, like a mole or causeway, the water being sixteen feet deep in places. It were well had they made it somewhat higher as it is not unusual at times to see parts of it under water. Approaching Taradale along this road a new racecourse may be seen, the land for the purpose — 55 acres — being purchased for the rather stiff price of £58 per acre. The ground has been levelled, ploughed, and laid down in grass, and when I passed by it was depasturing a large number of sheep. The first meeting, it is expected, will take place on the new course during the Christmas holidays. Hitherto the Napier races have been held at Hastings, twelve miles distant by If I mistake not, it is a rival club that has gone to the expense of purchasing the land near Taradale for a racecourse, aa the Hastings course, were it not for the distance from Napier, could not be improved on . The original owner of the land on which the Taradale course is, who haa pocketed £3000 by the sale of it, will derive more benefit from it, I ' venture to assert, than the other parties to the transaction. It will be interesting to know how horse-racing will progress at Napier, under the auspices of these two rival clubs, but it is to be hoped that they will arrange their meetings so that they will not dash. The great demand for surburban resid ences around Napier has induced a few owners of property at Taradale to cut np some of their land for that purpose, one of them, Mr. Tiff en. even going the length of offering to build any size and description of cottage on very reasonable terms, the purchase money for which only a moderate rate of interest is charged, to extend over a number of years. A building Bociety, in my opinion, does not offer such facilities to a man for the acquisition of a house and piece of ground as thiß speculator does: Tiffentown, the name of the proposed suburb, is about 3i miles from Napier, at the back of the " Waverley," and within a mile of Taradale. Another property known as the " Gtieenmeadows " between Taradale and Meanee is to be cut up and sold for the same purpose, a road to be run through the swamp to connect it with Napier. An English company I am informed, offered to reclaim the laud along the Taradale road some time ago on certain terms, but the negotiations were broken off through some cause or other. If thiß were- done and the part of the swamp close to the town drained, there would be plenty of land available for building purposes close to Napier. Taradale, which lies in a south-westerly direction from Napier, is situated on a very level piece of country not far from a low chain of hills, and close to the Tutaikuri River. It consists of two streets, the continuation of one of them being the main road to the Meauee Mission Station, l£ miles distant. Taradale has a fair compliment of the ÜBual business places to be seen in townships of the same size throughout the Colony. It has two hotels, two or three general stores, a couple of butcners' shops, a bakery, two blacksmiths' shops, a post office and telephone station, a State school, a police station (the constable in charge of which must surely have a sinecure) and last but not least, a shop where the son of St, Crispin mendt the " soles " of all who may favour him with their orders. One of the hotelß in the place, the " Taradala," owned by Mr. Martin Ryan, a man well known on the West Coast, would be a credit to any town in New Zealand. The yard, stabling, and other outhouses attached to this splendid hotel, are in Keeping with its general appearance and appointments. I spend two nights at this hotel and have a chat with the kind-hearted hosteßS, with whom and her brother lam acquainted for a number of years. Here, also, I renew my acquaintance with the O'Shannessy family, the father of whom is one of the oldest Victorian colonists living. Old Mr. o'Sb.annessy, of Taradale, arrived in Port Philip district, as ' Victoria was then called, the same year, 1839, as bis great namesake, the late Six John, did. The Taradale man came to New Zealand in 1861 at the time of the rush to the Tnapeka diggings, when he started storekeeping, and has remained in this Colony ever since. Mr. O'Shaoneasy, who has a remarkably good memory notwithstanding his advanced age, can tell some humorous tales of the early days of the Victorian goldfields, on a number of which be worked. His children are natives of Victoria, wito one of whom he lives. Mr. Bowes, a brother of Sister Mary Scholaatica, of the Order of Mercy, Auckland, who is married to Mr. O'Shannessy 's daughter, and who is an old Victorian too, has a fine farm known as the " Gums " close to Taradale, on. which he lives. The son with whom the old man live* is engaged in dairying and farming, an avocation bj which a Urge number of the people around Tar*dale get their living. Taradale resembles a country village at Home where all the people know each other, 'and where so few changes take place in the yertonaul of those engaged in business. The only change that I

could notice in tnis line at Taradale since my previous visit, is in the post office and general store, the property of Mrs. Barry, who has disposed of the goodwill of theoa to a new comer. Mrs. Barry, who is an energetic business woman, intends to revive a business which her late husband carried on years ago, and which is expected to bring in moie money than storelceeping. I visit Mrs. Barry's private house and am treated to some excellent music by her daughter, Miss Barry, who has received her education at the Napier Convent school. Miss Barry is a most accomplished player, being able to read any piece of music at first sight. She played me some difficult pieces, the one which pleased me most being " II Travatore " the opera of the same name being considered Verdi's masterpiece. Taradale Buffered dreadfully from the Tutaikuri River when in a state of flood In years gone by.fThe firßt township at the Meanee was wiped oat of existence altogether by the same cause, soon after it was laid out. So troublesome lad this visitation become that an application was made to the Legislature f»r permission to take measures to grapple with the difficulty, which was granted. A River Board was constituted, who levied a rate of Is 6d in the pound on the property affected for protective purposes, and an embankment was built along the river bank for a considerable distance, which had the effect of keeping this turbulent stream within legitimate bounds ever since. Taradale has enough of water in front of it, or in the direction of Napier, without being troubled with that which runs behind it. A number of the holdings around Taradale are rather small, some of them not exceeding 1 0 acres. These are a part of the old mission ground which was cut up and sold a few years ago, and which realised from £40 to £50 per acre. These small farms, which are principally owned by Oatbolics, are exceedingly fertile, the potato crop grown on them last season yeilding as high as 20 tons to the acre. Those landsharks and doctrinaires who contend that a living cannot be made on a small farm had better visit Taradale, where they can Eec a number of smiling homesteads and happy and prosperous people, on anything but very extensive farms. I don't mean to say for a moment that the Taradale farmers are trusting to their holdings altogether for a living, as numbers of them take road contracts and do other work besides, which bring them in a good deal of money occasionally. The Meanee Mission ground, which contains nearly a square mile, or 641 acres extends from within a quarter of a mile of Taradale along the main road to the Meanee township, and from the main road to the Tutaekuri river. It was purchased by the Rev. Father Reignier, S.M.,f rom the Crown a great number of years ago for a very low price, some say 5s per acre. The great increase of population, coupled with the extreme fertility of the soil and the improvements made on it by the Order has enhanced the value of it at least 160 per cent, since Father Reigaier acquired poseession of it. They have sold a good deal of it already for very fancy prices, but much of it yet remains in their possession. The Marists have another large tract of country at the Waitangi, some distance from Meanee and another at ftedcliff, near Taradale, but what use they are making of it I cannot state. The Meanee Mission station is situated close to the main road from Taradale, via Meanee to Napier. The church ani schools look quite fresh and neat, while the priests' house is one of the very finest in the Colony. It was built expressly for retired clergymen of the Maiist Order, four of whom live there at present, viz., Rev. Fathers Reignier, Yardin, Michel and Lampila. The Rev. Father Reigaier, S.M., ia the senior of the quartette in every respect, as°he i's neaily 80 years of age, thirty-eight years of which he has spent in Hawkes Bay. Her. Father Yardin, S.M., who has been administrator of the diocese of Wellington, ia now parish priest of Meanee, and can preach an excellent sermon ia English. The Rev. Father Lampilla, 8.M., whom I became acquainted within 1870 at Wanganui, where he was pastor at the time, has been until lately iv charge of the Kaikjra district, and looks strong and active yer. The other priest lam not acquainted with, but believe fhat he laboured one time in the districts around Wellington. The Manat Fathers at Meanee are grand old men who have laboured long and arduously in the service of their Divine Master, who nave boine the heat and harden of the day, and are now fairly entitled from their length of service to spend the lemainder of their days in the easiest possible manner consistent with their tacrtd calling. The Mission schools for Maori and European children of both sexes are nowiu charge of a Sister of St. Joseph, who has for assistant teachers a postulant of the Order, and two young ladies from Onehunga, Misses Mulkern and Donovan. The attendance at the schools is very good at present, and the new teachers are giving great satisfaction. Several teachers have had charge of these schools from time to time, among others Mr. Hamill late of Auckland, now of Kumara, Mr. Rearden of Napier, and Mr. Dineen, at present some place ia Canterbury. There is a scheme on foot to connect Taradale with Napier by a tramway, a company bping already formed to raise the necessary capital for tie prosecution of the work. Thia will bring about a great increase of traffic between the two places, and will be the means of lowering the present high tariff for the transit of goods and y passengers. It will also enhance the value of property at Taradale, as it will render it a more desirable place for those engaged in business in town to live in. It is proposed to connect Taradale with that rising place, Hastings, by a direct road instead of the present round-about one. The ne-w road will lessen the distance to be travelled at present between the two places just one half. The large increase! of population in Napier and the limited quantity of land there for building purposes coupled with the works now projected, are having a telling effect on the Taradale and Meanee district, property there being hardening in value. The further extension of the roada to the Omahu and Puketapu settlements has aIBO acted as a stimulant to awaksn the prosperity now so manifest at Taradale. Granting that the Tutaekuri River was diverted from its present coarse and made fall into the bay near Olive instead of the inner harbour as at present it is within the bounds of

possibilities that before the last year of the present century has run its course, the ground now known as the " Swamp " will be built on and that it will be all a town from Napier to Taradale and Meanee.'