IMPRESSIONS OF A TRIP NORTH OF AUCKLAND.

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2649, 21 December 1915, Page 8

IMPRESSIONS OF A TRIP NORTH OF AUCKLAND.

LAND SETTLEMENT AND'THE WAR Sir,—Just having completed a three weeks' cycling tolir' between Whangarei and Hokianga, the impressions left on one's mind may be of interest to others, and so I venture on furnishing the same to'your readers. As this is tho third time I have visited the north, I am able to form a judgment of what is going on, and the fact has been brought home to one that the muchabused North of Auckland country lias a great future before it. Kauri-gum land when properly worked' yieldsf satisfactory results,' and one was glad to see that there were settlers' here and there whose industry was being rewarded by good crops of grain. .. .I called at one settler's house and remarked on the beautiful grass that was growing about, and said he must' have , a particularly good patch of ground. The reply was : u 'No better than all around, but the ground has been well attended to." I saw as good grass and as good, crops of oats as one would see in almost any'part of New Zealand, where, formerly nothing but stunted manuka was seen. • ■ : I was speaking to a surveyor who was cutting up some of that same gum-land, a man of considerable, experience ill farming a 6 well as in surveying, and ha said the land was all right when • pro- 1 perly treated, and one was glad to find large areas being broken up and prepared for occupation. Now, what is it that hinders progress? Doubtless the bad roads are chiefly accountable.' Any person looking for land and traversing those roads in wet weather, especially if ho was a married man with a family, would never dream of looking at the land at. all; the state of the roads would completely destroy any • chance of his considering the land that he passed through! for the roads oftentimes become all but impassable, except in a place here and there where they are metalled. On inquiring as to the rates

prevalent, I found that these wero ridiculously small, and I might venture on giving a suggestion, viz., that the question of a main road from Auckland : to Mangonui, with some important laterals, should bo taken up as a complete scheme, and to find tho capital iti some such way as this: To assess the present value of the land, borrow a sufficient sum to make thoroughly good roads, and in various ways securo that locked iip land, by whomsoever owned, be thrown open for settlement. At the end of, say, live years, revalue the land and repay the capital, with interest from the increased valuo, and one feels pretty confident that the total amount required would not nearly equal the advanced value of tho land, • and would leave the settlers with cood roads. Some might remark tliat this would be a very German principle to go upon, but land is a national asset, and not only is the present occupier concerned, but the whole community.

One was very much struck with the poor postal facilities' and the contented way in which settlers put up with this. One settler stated that once a week would be quite enough for him. An improvement in this matter would also induce settlers. Ferhaps'your readers will bear with me in expressing my, feelings as to some painful things I witnessed. Almost every place, had a publichouse, and evidently all doing a good business from their point of view. There were generally numbers of men filling the bars, many of whom gave evidence of being intoxicated. And sometimes men in khaki were in this oondition. The poor Maoris were the principal, victims, and in the evenings (the bars and the billiard saloons were all well patronised, and in the aggrogate, one saw hundreds of young men who should have been spending their ' time elsewhere, at this critical crisis of the world's history. The master of a Maori school, who is endeavouring to do his best to uplift the Maoris, 6aid that all his efforts were more than nullified by the "hotel and the billiard saloon with their destructive effect upon tho youth, and he stated that now the Maoris were able to sell their land they were doing this in all directions-and were squandering their money and thus would, soon be without land, without health, without character, hopeless and destitute —a menace to the State. This in the twentieth century! Would that the\ example of the Tsar of Russia could be followed by our statesmen.

In discussing tie ever-present war 1 question one found, an almost unanimous opinion that conscription should ; come in. Persons would remark "Why Bhould our best men, those . promising ' to be the backbone of .the community, ' men who have formed or are forming ' homesteads, bringing tho ■ land into cultivation and forming homes ■ be allowed to leave the country, ' while there are still hundreds who; are 1 not so circumstanced, who have practically no one dependent upon them who simply get a little money and spend ■ it over pleasures and recreations, and who _ consequently could easily go and should go. Men who would be all the better for the discipline of; the camp v and who would'ihave a little interest in life instilled- into them by the realities' of stern/warfare;' And tie , attitude of many settlers and parents is that until ■something is done: by those ii responsibility to 'reach this class,- ,they , will not encourage any more of . the substantial young men going to the war', for they feel that the burden at present is unevenly distributed, and that all should be made to bear their burden, and that t'hose who have good reason for staying should bear a heavy poll tax in lieu of personal service, In the American Civil War, those who had to stay at home were taxed at first at £36 per annum, and during the last two" years at £60 per. annurti. Such a tax would commend itself to all who. being ' true patriots, wish to see this war through in a satisfactory manner, for with money in hand men couldv.be secured from other quarters-of-the; world' for. tho business in hand. Lastly one is glad to see that the leading papers oil urge something in the way of decentralisation—centralisation has proved itself tod tardy and ineffective.—l am, etc., ' . ■ ; , FRED. H. SPENCEk •