INTHE WAIKATO.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1584, 30 October 1912, Page 14

INTHE WAIKATO.

A RICH AND FERTILE DISTRICT.

GO-AHEAD HAMILTON ITS CHIEF CENTRE.

ROSY FUTURE PROSPECTS.

The Waikato district takes its name from the river which, rising on. tho 6nowolad elopes of Mount Kuapehu, flows north-easterly to the Tasman Sea, the last 150 miles draining tho Waikato Plain. At the present time practically all the land is under tho plough, and whtit little remains in its piativo state is speedily coming under the sway of man. That the eoil is'naturally rich is shown by the fact that before the advent of man- . ures and scientific farming, wheat-growing .was extensively carried out by Maoris : under the guidance of Europeans. marks of the old wheat-growing days are ■still to be found at To Awamutu, where one may still find,the totara, niatai, and .white pino timbers of the old flour-mill in almost perfect condition. Old milt eites are also still in existence on the Eawhia and Aotea harbours. The district is! blessed with a very congenial climate, the scenery and nataral resources of its river aro beyond description.' Before tho railway was completed the river.was largely used for traffic,- as this' was the only means by which the early settlers could receive supplies. Tho opening of tho railway completely changed tho general aspect of the country, and / \&s the trafficon the river ceased the en'ltranco was allowed to silt up) and now launches are the only moons of river transit. To an enterprising people this river offers a remarkable future. Commerce will take its place. The district will benefit to an untold degree, and Kawhia, Waikato'a port, will como into its proper ' sphere and take its place amongst leading harbours' of the Dominion. Beforp the Maori war Kawhia was an extremely

bnsy port. Fourteen vessels in ono day were engaged in loading wheat which at that time was grown mainly by tho Maoris under the leadership of the great Rev. John Whiteley, Wesleyan. Missioner, .who was subsequently killed during the ■war at White Cliffs. After his death, Kawhia was closed and thrown into the Native area and :.the settlement : of the. iWest , Coast was. practically put an end to. , A FINE DAIRYING DISTRICT. , The district is admirably suited for

nairying, as'abundant pastures predom- ■ ..-■■ Snate. have been erected in its principal centres, and largo quantities of dairy produce are exported, while year- ; by year further developments are taking '. ■ place. ,It is claimed that in the near ! future the. "Waikato will bo tho largest exporter in New Zealand. • All the big i •'• estates have been out up into smaller i dairy farms, but there is always plenty ' of land on the market due to the retirement of men who from a. small beginning ! have taken their- full quota of resources ! ' from the soil. Southern buyers aro at .last turning their attention to the.Waikato and most of ; the largo purchases ~~ ' during tho last two years have beon by southern speculators who, buying farms ;-• of from 400 to 800 acres immediately cut ' them up into 100-acre sections, which are quickly realised at a good profit. Scv- ! oral largo swamp areas have recently ■ : been drained and tho result has been . the placing on the market'of new untilled land ,which could be obtained cheaply and at a reasonable figuro. Should sit any time tho dairying industry di- , minish in importance the land could be profitably used for growing cereals or for fat sheep-raising. Geographically speaking, tho, Waikato is the nearest part of New Zealand to Australia, and any , - interchange of produce or stock between the two countries can most easily take <• "■ place from its shores. Kawhia is 200 miles nearer Sydney, than Auckland. ! Fruit-growing can be carried on in all its branches. Apples, pears, oranges, lemons, raspberries, gooseberries, strawberries, cherries, and other small fruits , aro abundant. Honey of fine quality is produced in large quantities., Near tho Kawhia Harbour the tobacco ■plant grow 3 luxuriantly, and the industry ieould easily be developed. >

REPRESENTATION. The Waikato has never been so well represented in Parliament as it is at tho present time. The electorates represented by Messrs. J. A. Young (Waikato) and R. ■1 , . Bollaril (Raglan) are totally within the' ■Waikato Plain, whilo tho electorates of tho. Prime Minister (Franklin), and the Hon. W. H. Hemes (Tauranga) enclose parts on the borders of the plain. Manukan, whose electors returned Mr. F. W. Xang, also borders on the Waikato. So ably represented, the district, it is hoped, will ero long claim tho opening of a port on the west coast A survey of a railway to Kawhiahas already been promis-. fid. HAMILTON. In the Waikato all roads lead to Ham-

ilton, the capital of the gTeat sub-pro-vince of South. Auckland. It ia at once the centre of one of the finest agricultural and dairying centres in New Zealand, and is the scene of quite phenomenal developments in both, trado and industry during tho last few years. Fow places in New Zealand have made greater progress of recent years than Hamilton, and the reasons for this are not far to seek. The town is exceptionally well situated on tho banks of the Waikato River, which is navigable up to Cambridge and down to the Waikato Heads, a distance, roughly speaking, of seventyfive miles. In its passage through the Borough of Hamilton from.tho curve at Coates's to Claudelands, the river forms a singlo reach, which is spanned by tho two bridges which carry the road and rail traffic across.' Oα either'bank are dotted many fine and picturesquo residences, sheltering amidst a wealth of lawn and woodland, which immediately impresses the visitor. Tho toji-n lies high and dry above tho river, the railway bridge, which is practically on the same level as Victoria Street, standing 90ft. high.

The town was first constituted a municipality in 1878, with Mr. .Tames Mansfield Gelling as the first clerk and returning officer. The first office of Chief Magistrate resulted in Mr. J. R. Vialou beinff elected, Dr. Beale, Messrs. N. R. Cox, Frederick Gaudin, James Hume, Dnvid Gardiner, Richard Gwynne, Albert Potter, Thomas Dav/son, Isaac Coates being elected as councillors. lor some reason, or other, brewers appear to have been in a discount in those .days, and the NoLicense instinct is still strong in the com-

muuity. It was in May, 1885, that Mr. George Graham visited the Waikato, persuading Te AVaharoa to sign a paper declaring his allegiance to the Queen, and at Tamahere the covenant was signed before Brigadier-General Carey. Tho remarks of the Native on signing were: "All I think of is that peaco is made, there is rest, a breathing from the weariness and fatigue of working this evil work of war. The weapons of war havo been cast away." : MILITARY SETTLERS. At Hie end of 1861, or early in 18G5, the main • body of military settlers arrived and garrisoned the town, which was then started on the eastern side of the Waikato River. Each settler was granted an acre of land in tho township, and 50 acres of rur'al land, but in the caso of officers up to 300 and 400 acres were allotted, according to their rank. The housing of Jthe settlement at that time consisted of tents,, the Government afterwards granting the settlers 1000 feet of timber and' twelve months' rations. The regiment consisted of 400 men, mostly married, -with families, many of whom camo from Australia. In the early seventies Hamilton was still a struggling settlement. . Many of the original settlers having 'left for the

Thnine3 and other goldfields. Koine camo back, but the majority never returned. THE FIRST BRIDGE. Tor years the traffic across the river wns carried on by means of punts. On November the twenty-second, 1877, a public meeting was held, Mr. Vinlou in the chnir, to raeinorialiso the Government to pluce tho sum on the estimates for tho erection, of a bridge, but it was not until the year later that tho bridge, which cost <£9000, was commenced. Mr. Livingstone was the contractor anil the bridge was opened on November 12, 1871). Within a week of its opening the bridge narrowly escaped being destroyed by firo through a cauldron of boiling tar being; upset; happily this was averted, and the bridge stood, until tho new one, just lately erected, took its place. The first bridge was named by Mr. Whito "The Union." A toll was at first charged, but was afterwards abolished. Sir Frederick WMtaker [ visited Hainiltoa to declare the bridge free Of toll. PUBLIC BUILDINGS. There are several fine public buildings throughout the town of Hamilton. Tho Agricultural Department is at present erecting a substantial ferro-eoncrete building. The Hospital is one of the finest in the North Island. The District High School is a very imposing building, and has a commanding view of the surrounding country. There is the Public Library and Town Hall. The inevitable picture theatre has its hold upon Hamilton, a fine, up-to-date building having been erected near the railway station. Tho inhabitants of the town are well catered for -with rej gnrd to amusements. The river ioffers I special attractions'for the motor launch, while bowling and tennis are onthusias- | tically carried on. All tho religious bodies are represented in tho town. Tho Anglican Church being an extremely old and historic buildings, while tho Roman Catholics have erected one of the finest and largest churches in any country district in New Zealand. The Wesleyan Methodists haw recently built a new church in Hamilton East,' and are now contemplating rebuilding in ' Hamilton West. The Primitive Methodists have a church midway between Hamilton and Frankton. Other denominations have centrally-situated churches. BUSINESS AND INDUSTRIES. Tho special attraction of Hamilton after tho river, is Victoria at once, impresses one with its fine buildings,

shops, and offices. Its width fully provides for the farther development of tho place in tho future. Thn-o are numerous progressive linns doing business in the town, amongst the leading of which must,, of course, ho mentioned tho Farmers' Cooperative Association. The increase of tho business has exceeded all expectations, and has thus proved that the farmer under good co-operative management is capable of looking aftoi his own affairs. Hamilton is indeed fortunato in having such a fine business of this description. There is a large manufacturing furnishing establishment, and a Farmers' Cooperative Bacon Factory, that is doing business all over New Zealand. There is a large brewery and two cordial factories.. Building development is proceeding rapidly, large , premises for the Bank of Australasia are in course of erection in Victoria. Street, while other handsome offices have'just been completed, or nearly so. Amongst the auctioneering and. furnishing firms who are noted for up-to-dated-nesa in their methods must be mentioned i tho one carried on by Mr. King. This firm at tho present time is said to bo doing the largest business in their line in Hamilton. This has been in no small measure duo to the gonial manner of both Mr. King and Mr. M'Kee, which has in-

deed l>ocn a strong factor in building up s> successful a business. Neiv premises for this firm have recently been ncquired in tho main, street for their up-to-date furnishing department, which would do credit to many of our largor cities.

Messrs. Fow ami Co. cater cspeoially for the farmer's business, dealing with tho smaller necessities in connection with tho farmer's life, paying also duo attention to the land. Tor tho inner man there are numerous caterers in the town, and among the leading must bo mentioned Mr. Morrison, who has an exceedingly attractive shop and premises. Mr. Douglas has been the main means of providing a daily supply of fresh fish, but ho has to contend with many difficulties on account of the impassable roads to tho coast. A glance at tho advertisements in this issue will give Some small idea of the clas3 of businesses carried on in this progressive inland town. Of course there aro the usual number of largo drapery establishments, jewellers, and other businesses that go to .make up the everyday life of towns. Among tho progressive land agents who have been essential in the placing of so many settlers in tho district may bo mentioned Messrs. Cooper and Manning, who havo secured contrallyisituated offices in the most up-to-date and frcwest building in Hamilton, a picture of which appears elsewhere. Messrs. Bowater and Co. have also found it necessary, on account of the development of their business in the district, to open an office- in Hamilton. This firm are agents for tho United Insurance Co., and although new arrivals in the district, their long knowledge of agricultural and farming pursuits should go a long way to ensure their carrying on a successful business. EverylliinS portends to a particularly bright future for Hamilton.

RAILWAYS.' Hamilton is the junction for many lines, the branches to Thames, Rotorua, Auckland, a,nd Wellington all meeting there. Tho opening of the Main Trunk lino brought about a new era. Southern farmers came up and «aw the possibilities of the district, and a land boom was soon commenced. The distance by rail from Hamilton to Auckland is SO miles; from Hamilton to Morrinsville Junction is 15 miles; Hamilton to Rotorua, SO miles; Hamilton to the Thames, 62 ' miles; Hamilton to Wellington, 311 miles. In close proximity is Frankton Junction, which is now being constituted a borough. This junction is one of the busiest of the

North Island.' Raglan is'clamouring, for connection with Hamilton, and an easy lino could be made from Franktou, connecting the Raglan, Aotea, and Kawhia Harbours. Thus would pass through the famous Moorangi IDock of 50,000 acres, 30,000 acres of which have been acquired by the Government. This block is eminently suited for dairying, whilo milling bush abounds and can be utilised.

If you can get at a cow's production her type need not be taken as a guide. Her value depends on the former; tha latter is only an estimate of value. . A horse should be reasonably mature before he is colled up to do work, but any time spent on training from his earliest years will be amply repaid in more satisfactory service. Every boardinghouse-keeper can give you the cost of feeding their boarders, but few dairymen know the cost of keeping their cows, and many of them are only free-boarders. The solid excrement of the sheep is, weight for weight, the most valuable as a manure, as it contains more nitrogen and phosphates, and is much drier. Safety in pig-breeding can only bo secured by eliminating disease, not by grumbling at rigid inspection.