THE CENTRAL ROUTE.

Feilding Star, Volume IX, Issue 601, 8 November 1887, Page 3

THE CENTRAL ROUTE.

■ ■ : ■'...•• TO THE EDITOR OF THE STAR.. Sib,— On the 25th October you published an article extracted from the Waikato Times, in which it was stated the country along the central route from To Kuiti to the Whanganui river is totally unfit for settlement, that the writer of the article in question had to lead his horse up the hills, as riding up them was out of the question. If such was actually the case, the face of the land must have changed very much since three years ago when I passed over it. What land I saw there was very fair, much better than was expected, and it would be well adapted for either .small farms of, say, 200 acres, or grazing farms of 1000 acres and upwards. On the hills there are extensive table lands, in some instances more than a mile across. Our Maori guide rode a horse which would not fetch 50s at auction in Feilding, and he carried his rider the whole of the way without a stumble. lam now speaking particularly of the country from Te Kuiti to the proposed line from Taranaki for about 40 miles as exploded by Mr 0. A. Mountfort. The land near the Junction is poor on the flats, but the hills and table-lands are very good. For, say, forty miles down the Ohura the country is very suitable for settlement, as it is open along the river banks, where swarms of wild pigs are running, all of which are in prime condition ; a sufficient evidence in itself that the land has something in it, for otherwise it would not support them. All down the river there are old Maori plantations ; and when I went up the peach trees were laden withlfruit. At Aorangi the Maoris supplied me with some splendid pears. I saw also several stacks of wheat — - then rotten — left standing near the null which Moffat (afterwards shot) was working When he was arrested for powder making. From the point where the line leaves the Ohura and turns towards Taranaki, is about ten miles from the Main Trunk line, over which a good road could be got, we were informed by the Maoris, without any trouble. The country keeps good for about 10 miles towards Taranaki, being partly fern land with extensive patches of koromiko scrub. This is easily cleared, and the quality of the soil, where these growths are prevalent, is always very good. The only thing further required is a system of roads to allow of settlers to make home-steads.—-I am, &c., A. J. Mouwtfort.