IN THE BAY OF PLENTY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1804, 17 July 1913, Page 4

IN THE BAY OF PLENTY.

POOR ACCESS TO SHIPPING PORTS. Mr. Wm. ltutlcdge sends an interesting reply from Raukokore. in the Bay of Plenty. In a covering letter ho says:— "I might mention that in this neighbourhood and along the coast, from hero to Opotiki, wo aro beset with noxious weeds in sliapo of blackberry and Bathurst burr. There is an inspector resident in Opotiki, who conies here at odd times and gives the Maori farmer notice to destroy the pest, but I only know of one individual case when the Maori has eradicated the berry. The burr no one attempts to eradicate." 1. As far as 1 know schools are properly conducted, except that tho youth does not appear to bo taught much, respect for his betters, judging by those one meets every day, of pakeha and' Maori. 2. Returns aro all good, except that freights on stock and tonnage are increasing on the seaboard, sheep costing 3s. por head freight to Auckland from Bay of Plenty. 3. We have no railways, and our roads ■are unfit for stock, as they are merely bad tracks—tho old . Maori tracks—and always in a bad state, with rivers which have to bo swum across. i. Postal service is fortnightly .and will suit when a ' telephone is erected from 'Capo Eunafrayf'to' .Tekeroa/und Opotiki'.,] which is said to be under construction; 5. Know nothing of agricultural shows. G. Subscription to the "Journal of Agriculture" is of great benefit, as it is always enlightening.' ' 7. Know nothing of buying and selling interests. 8. lientcrs of farms here are oiiyl in their infancy, and all tho money is going out in bushfelling. . 9. Tho only farm labourer is the local Maori as bush feller. Competent pakelias can always find expert work, such as fencing and carpentering.; and men aro very hard to obtain for cither, or for ploughing, unless you own own teams, Maori teams must be emploj-ed. and they are nearly always a pair of bullocks. • JO. Conditions for wage labour ought to bo. satisfactory, considering a good man .gets from 355. to .£2 per week, and found in same food as tho proprietor This is for competent Maori or pakeha 11. The most important requirements of this neighbourhood I can mention aro better tracks or roads to shipping places along this coast, and tracks ■ into backblocks, ono- block. Kumi, consisting of somo 308,000 acres. I understand the Government has owned tho last place for 30 years, and never utilised it on account of its inaccessibility to the coast. I presume that is tho reason, or that the land may ba. mostly worthless. As I have not seen it, I cannot comment on it. A telephone line, we understand, is in progress, as I have already mentioned.