SETTLEMENT IN THE NORTH ISLAND.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 418, 29 January 1909, Page 6

SETTLEMENT IN THE NORTH ISLAND.

; .;-v>.kDVaCE ; TO : LAND:;SEBEEE3,: '.■, '•;." ...[Br.TBLIeaiPn.—SPSCtIIvCORKKSPONUBNT.): ;".. . s,: ; r 'Chrlstohurch,>January 27; Mr. F. H. Fagan, a farmer connected with large .land transactioiis;iii .therNorth. Island for • many: years, ! b'as"a■ great deal' to say in regard,to land;settlement' jrr" the 1 .north.. Speaking to a roJMrter -who'lnterviewed Km in .Chnstehurch. , yesterday,: ho'said .that there; was- an "enormous: demand,for land in several parts'of , 'the North Island;i3ut'there waVnot sufficient.. land;pff.ering; ; , If ;|tlieV-Government, would opeii'up .Native: .lands."ai(i,df : make' bush lands ■!. available, the .pressure' 'would be lieved.:- -Mr/V'F(igan--;beHeyes.AtlfatvTaraiiakl-will not be a good district : to- gijito in/search' oi- landi'until' , .tHevGpvernmenfe.,throws more lands' are far back, at present,-.and |he rpadingj's bad";■ The land ; seeker, 'frbm'tlift south ought; to'go further north.th'an ,: Taranaki.:- From:a' dairying point of: view,';;he.rep6mmends the .Bay. of.. P)enty,;,the. Thames. Valley, :and'.the Northern\'Wairpa'districts. a. railway, from , Waihi to' Gisbbrne ; tlie Bay' of Plenty, w;ill. present, a field -,'fbri' settlement. that :',s_ not': equalled in New, Ze'alan.d.; : .''He.describes" it. as: one of the forgotten ;-<plac6s:.: of .the Dominion. 'Land-is therefore 'Ve.ry.,cheap!•;.A retired. -farmer■...from; Wavefley.:.. recently dropped in. at'a,stock- Bale' 'hear Auckland. ~He 'saw some;fat';cattle, there that attracted rhis attention immediately, and he decided to discover something- about them. Hβ was. told' that they came irom' the Bay of. Plenty. Hβ went by.steamer to Tauranga, reacKed the farm , where'the:cattleVhad , been' reared, and was so impressed with, what-he 'saw; that 'be bought a' farm'' there;.';;. He paid £7 an'-acre ,for it,' and he. Says: that it : i\\ guite as 'good as- his, Waverl6.y,.-;l£nd■;■ which' is valued'at. £25. anaqre. :: .In"; the ;Bay of Plenty land can- be bought at' prices ranging from -255.' to. not'more than;;£l2 '.. an'.'acrei Auckland can be. reached from 'Taiir.anga in twenty-four hours by steamer/ and in. twelve hours by coach and rail. The North of Auckland''also- has possibilities that are. hardly dreamt of in the south. , FrqnY'HukerenurtO' the North.Cape there is a surprisingly.large ouantity- of good land. In :the : Hokianga district,: and on the whole. of the west coast of , the_ Auckland' province frohj - Helensville toKaipara and Hokianga; land could be obtained at from- 10s: an acre- for "really decent"-quality to £20 for:"tip-top" I swamp land, :: ■; '.-■-;. :v; : :' ■,?■•*.:■ y. ■■■..-, -v;|