NORTHERN JOTTINGS.

Evening Star, Issue 3436, 25 February 1874, Page 3

NORTHERN JOTTINGS.

No. 5. {From our oxvn Correspondent.) NEW PLYMOUTH. There is one straight, long, and undulating street running through and through the town, called the “Devon line.” It is the main thoroughfare, containing nearly all the chief places of business and best built houses, and is to New Plymouth what Princes street is to Dunedin. There are numerous streets running from this thoroughfare at right angles to others that are parallel to the main; but they are only partially built, and make no pretensions to business or architectural display. The town stands close to the seashore, one street alone parallel with the Devon line, between this thoroughfare and the beach. Were Tokomairiro nearer the sea, and the around on which it stands undulating instead of flat, in buildings, character, aid 1 sngt 1- , it would resemble New Plymoutu more than any other township I have seen in New Zealand. New Plymouth has more places of devotion than hotels; and if Good Templarism increases at its present ratio will soon have more Good Templars than people who look on the wine when it is red m the cup.” Of good buildings there are none, tne .Barracks being the most conspicuous and the Provincial Government offices the most disreputable-looking in the t»wn. They are both placed on the sites of old pahs, the Barracks standing on the one attaining the greatest elevation, commanding the district around for several miles. In future they have to serve a double purpose, viz., accommodate the Government immigrants, when they arrive, as well as the Armed Constabulary. The Government buildings are a double row of low weather-boarded and shingled hovels, situated on the flagstaff hill. There is a good reading room and library in the building called the Literary Institute—the upper portion of which is devoted t o the sittings of the Magistrate’s and District Courts. The library contains few new books, and the reading room a small selection only of periodicals and Colonial newspapers. There is not even a map of the Province published, a piece at Hawera, and another at New Plymouth being, all that has yet been laid on paper and surveyed. From Opunake to Stoney river, and from Waitara to the Mokau all the geographical knowledge the Province possesses is hypothetical. The town itself has metalled roads extending both ends of the Devon line for six or seven miles—beyond which distances the roads niay be laid out, but remain stiil uuformed. Towards Stoney River, however, the Government is engaged in road formation, building bridges and culverts across streams and rivers so that there will be a possibility ol reaching this portion of the district without ploughing through the sand or jolting over the boulders on the beach. The railway in course of construction from the .town to the Waitara is an exp;riment in every sense of the term. I cannot conceive where for many years the traffic is to come from to defray its working expenses. It is true that it runsi through twelve miles of a sparsely populated district tbe Maori and white population perhaps being nearly equal-terminating at Waitara, which is a township containing two hotels and about a score of other habitations. Were the Waitara, a good bar harbor, it would be easy to understand the reason of this piece of railway construction, but when ic it is remembered that it is something worse than the Grey, it will be apparent that it cannot be made the port of entry for the Province. If anything could be done to the Waitaia river to avoid the construction of a harbor at New Plymouth, it would be a fortunate thing for iaranaki, and this piece of railway construction could be understood; but as it is, it begins and ends without definite purpose or possible traffic. All this West Coast of the 1 North island wants connection by rail with the harbor of Wellington, and every mile of railroad constructed either in the Provinces of Wellington or Taranaki should form a portion of this main trunk line. The formation of a harbor at the laranaki roadstead has been a matter of consideration by the colonists for the last twentyjU® probably so remain until the half-century matures it. If, however, a harbor is made at the roadstead, the necessity of an immediate through line of rail to Wellington would be avoided, as far as New Plymouth and its vicinity is concerned; but the country about Hawera and ratea has no outlet for its produce, neither can it have until connected by rail with Wanganui, or with New Plymouth, after its harbor is constructed. Thgrg have been some negotiations recently dispussed l>e£\yeeu the Superintendent, the General Government, and the firm of Messrs Brpgden and Sons, relative to construction of a harbor in the roadstead. The plan most in fayqr wjth fiis Honor is to give the Imrbor dues to the constructors of the wo i£? a, period as may be considered sufngient to recoup the outlay. Leave will most probably be sought to carry out this proJ 6 m l dunng the of Parliament. ibe roost serious trouble, financial or otherwise, the Province will yet have to encounter is the acquisition of landed estate from the Native owners. The blocks of land lately acquired “7 t ‘* T ° General Government from Tahana and the Ngatimaru tribe may bo regarded as exceptional cases the bulk of the Natives being irate at the sales. The non-selling Native population is materially increased by the migration of the Ngutiraukawa tribe from the lands they conquered and possessed in the houth. It is not by any means clear, to those outside the Native office, how the Provincial authorities take over from the General Governrnent the large blocks of land purchased from the Natives. Thus we hear that when the Superintendent was last in Wellington, he took over from the General Government 47,000 acres of land ; but the public are not informed as ‘to the price the Rrovmpe Iqis Jo pay'pi-be credited With fpr such taking oyer.” Lands, Maoris, ProUridal h'nd General politics toads' and railway construction, are all mixed together by the Native office in the North island.