WHEN TOWN REPLACES COUNTRY.

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 646, 1 July 1921, Page 10

WHEN TOWN REPLACES COUNTRY.

THE PROGRESSIVE COMMUNITY.

CARRUTH ESTATE, PAPATOETOE

IMPORTANT SUBDIVISION

HISTORY OF THREE GENERATIONS.

Man lives beyond the deeds of his ancestors;! he begins where they left oJf, And, with each successive evolution of the fickle wheel, of fortune, a retrospective glance into the dark ling ages of %e past is not without a certain beneficial effect upon the human mind). New Zealand has not been backward in the great world-wide scheme of progress, and it must have been this “live wire" spirit which inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, on his return to England, to make the astonishing remark that Auckland would one day be classed as a great centre of the world's trade. He prophesies an Auckland that will be as great in the water hemisphere of the globe as London is in the land. Further he considers that this country is capable of supporting a population of thirty millions, and is surprised at the advancement that has been made in less than a century. Several country districts he passed through had much the same appearance as the rustic parts of England, with scattered farm yards sheltered by cosy clumps of trees Nor is the spirit of development entirely Without sentiment, though the rapid progress is largely due to economic forces which tend to overcome the disadvantages imposed by remoteness from world markets

Some Causes.

Although the causes of growth are wide and far-reaching, they may be said to have their source in the original endowments of nature, the natural agents, so ' called, land and water. No doubt Mr A. G. Gunn, chairman of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, realised their power when, on Friday, June 10, as he stood by the Waikato River within hearing of the loud-roaring waters of Arapuni, he voiced the opinion that if Auckland continued to grow at her piesent rate she would in ten years have a population of 400,000 people. Each town and country district has, shared in the growth and in some 1 cases the pages of history were smeared with the blood of brave pioneers. This article,/ which will deal with Papatoetoe, may be taken as typical of the general progressive movement.

Papaioetoe’s Old Identities.

The original occupiers of property at ‘Papatoetoe, among whom the several thousand acres were parcelled out, included Messrs John and James Wallace and Paton, fronting Station Road, and Mr Wm. McLaughlin, of Puhi Nui Road.

It was essentially a Scotch settlement and one of the important land marks was the Scptch Church, now St. John’s Presbyterian Church. Near it were the school and the blacksmith’s shop. Houses were few and far between. More than thirty years ago Mr John Wallace sold his farm to Mr Carruth for £3O an acre, Mr James Wallace, however, continued to farm his property until about twelve years ago, when he sold to a Mr Madill. from Tuakau, for £4O an . acre. The purchaser five years later disposed of his land at £9O an acre to Mr W. Johnston, who cut up the property. * Mr Paton had meanwhile subdivided his property extending from the Great South Road to the railway line' The district was now reaching the dawn of its development, after having remained dormant for nearly two generations. With the introduction of refrigeration into the country, marking, as it did, the beginning of a new era in dairying, a creamery was built some 35 years ago on the site at the corner of the Great South Road and Puhi Nui Road.

The Carruth Estate.

Yet, despite the changes in the aspect of the country, caused by the appearance of new and up-to-date houses, one part remained unchanged. That was the Carruth Estate. The homestead and farm that had originally belonged to Mr John Wallace, remained with as little alteration as the hand of nature could effect during a couple of generations. Part of the estate had been practically a toi toi march and when drained became particularly fertile land. The increasing demand for land resulted in a substantial appreciation in value and it made it necessary that the estate be sold for house sites. Having three road frontages of more than a mile in extent it was particularly well adapted for that purpose. Last year the sale was made by the executors in the estate of the late Mr Robert Carruth and the property of 136 acres was purchased by a syndicate of five. It is now subdivided into sections ranging in size from quarter acre to seven acre areas, those facing

Station Road having a frontage of about one chain. In all there are 102 sections, the nearest of which are about thirty chains distant from the station. The others that are intended for settlement, some 75 in number, will be from 40 to 70 chains distant. Most of these front dedicated roads, two of which strike in from Carruth Road to meet another which runs almost parallel to Carruth Road at a distance of about 16 chains from it. The subdivision of the property is legarded as such an important step of progress in the district, because it is now the only large open biock within a mile of the station, that it is attracting much attention from residents outside Papatoetoe .as .well as property owners in the district. Several; of the sections have already been disposed of, and although site is regarded as being of first importance, the rich loamy volcanic texture of the soil is a valuable asset, especially in the larger sections more remote from the station.