WESTLAND.

Hokitika Guardian, 20 October 1921, Page 4

WESTLAND.

LOOKING BACKWARD. ! Paper prenared by Mr John Murdoch of Ross for Westland Progress League). Do you ever look backward? I ben T hope* you enjoyed the reports ol Sir .Julius von llaast F.R.S. in bis wanderings oil this Golden Coast, published in the local newspaper. He says: “The words written in my Nelson report of 18(50 in which I pfophesied a great and brilliant futuie for ‘this district, had already been partly fulfilled and if only the still untouched (1800) treasures of coal are raised, this may be stjll more brilliant and a much more lasting industry secured to the country than by gold-min-

ing,” Had Sir Julius been alive to-day no would have seen bis prophesy fulfilled full measure pressed down and running over. What would be have thought of our coal mines. our timber our cattle:- In his day cattle were driven to toe Coast but to-day prune South Westland cattle top the Canterbury .markets. Last week in Hokitika one of your loading citizens after being introduced to the Apiary Instructor said: “I am one of the fools who believe m Westland." ‘T am another.'’ said I. “and am quite content to be counted as such until Westland comes into her own.’’

The dawn of a new era is upon us. (lor isolaton from so-called civilization will soon la’ passed, when the iron horse joins East and West, via Arthur's Pass Tunnel. It is no use looking backward unless the retrospective view of tlm past grips you, profiting by the experiences of past mistakes and looking forward determined to do letter work in the future. The Editor of the Guardian said quite recently that we should advertise the Coast more than we are doing and T believe lie is right. Westland is capable of more development than any other part ol New Zealand. We need more population, more money to organise and develop her secondary industries. An advertisilg campaign to be successful must not be carried on bv fits and starts but like Dick Seddoii. keep pegging away for Westland. The following clipping reads like ancient history hut it is only August ]!)20, “The Hon. W, D. S. MacDonald championed in the House the claims of Westland for a State Experimental Farm saying that there was much land in the district which could he very profitably settled if the Government would heln the settlers in that way. Mr Hudson I.Motueka) expressed his pleasure at hearing the lion. MacDonald make that suggestion. The West Coast used in he looked upon ,i> a place where nothing hut coal was produced. The great agricultural possibilities of Westland were now being recognised and lie predicted that it would eventually rival even the great dairy district of Taranaki.” .1 ... I Ixo.l U'lllHl

I un urn mi"" travelling in other parts o| New /calami tn v experiet.ee. when mentioning •Westland but it has been a common rejoinder in referring to Westland: “Oh. that’s the place where it is raining all the time, is it not? Ouite a wrong impression is gained by‘outsiders of our climate. When we have rain we do have some rain, hut when we get- sunshine (we got more ~f jt than many folk think) there is no place in N.Z. where the air is so clear and free from high winds. I am indebted to Mr A. Chosney for the following six months record of rainfall and sunshine | have chosen the months October to as these months from a Beekeepers point of view are the months that count when your cheque collies due; 192(1. October. Rainfall IJ.IHin on 20 days, heaviest fall any one day 1.82. November Rainfall li.liiu. on -■> days; heaviest tall any one day J.lt. December, Rainfall IO.SOin. on 1.) days; heaviest fall any oil,- day H. 5-1. 11121. January Rainfall ll.lillin. nil 12 days heaviest fall ally one day l-Cli. February. -Rainfall 1 .5-1 in. on 9 days, heaviest fall any one day 5.12. March. Rainfall B.7Kin. on 21 days heaviest fall ally one day 2.02. It is a well known fact that the most of our rainfall falls during the night Owing to the close proxmit.v of our mountains to the sen when the laud breeze sets in after sundown the moisture front the mountains is drawn towards the sea. Note that the lainfal| for February is 9 days rain (totals -S. I in.) and in one day we had J.l2in. o:f ruin. This is the only month in that year that "as too dry lor Beekeepers and if you told our Canterbury friends we had a drought they would think we were joking. I Now for the Sunshine record. 19211. ttrtob'T. Blight sunshine 105 hours ; 12 minutes. Sunless days 5. November. Bright Sunshine 151 hours, 0 minutes. Sunless days 0. 1 December.—Bright Sunshine 197 hours, ,'!l minutes. Sunless days I 1921. | January,— Bright Sunshine 259 hour, 12 mimiles. Sunless days 2. February, Bright sunshine 229 ] hours. Sunless days 1. | March.—- Bright Sunshine 177 hours, j lf> minutes. Sunless days 1. j Only one day in February (probably the day nil which we had M.lSill. ol I rain) we had no sunshine and the ofli- , eial figures of sunshine during the j other months is a record to Ik* proud of particularly when Westland is the j place referred to as “where it is rain- , ing nil the time and the bees are enrer;ed in a solution of rubber because they can't use umbrellas.” ! Perhaps I will be pardoned if I use another man’s record for the benefit ol those who did not see them. “Here arc some figures of the bright sunshine records throughout the Dominion. which ••indicates how high Hokitika, j stands in the list. The record is lor j a period of six months ended June ,'JOth last. It gives the hours of bright siinsliine registered at the various stations.” Napier 1159 hours. Christchurch 1072 hours. Jlnstertun 1008 hours. Hokitika 1058 hours. Wellington 1050 hours. Auckland 1002 hours, Gore 990 hours.

Invercargill 802 hours. Dunedin 852 hours. Compare the hot nor’westers of Christchurch and the gales ol \\ ellillgton with Westland’s clear ati.iospbele, beautiful hush and mountau sveneiy. sparkling water, singing birds, a veritable “Paradise” when the sun shines Who says ought against Westland,

then count him not as friend. We have suffered from isolation we have been misunderstood, misgoverned, misjudged. We have been long suffering but one day Westland will come into her own. Official prejudice received a seven- rebull' when a Proprietary Company had the foresight to do "hat the Government should have done, anil they are going to make it pay too. There is nothing like a railway to open iij) tlie country, then settlement will follow. Large Murks "ill bo cut up for closer settlement and we will get more population. The Government policy says get your population settled

on tin' hind nml Hum we nill l"dld von ;i vnil'vnv if we can't (let nut of it.. If tlm Railway were opened to AAata--1./a. 1 believe in twelve months it would be a paying coiieeni. The Private Company now building a lino should have been allowed to pit their 1 lie down on the Railway Reserve and in 10 years or less ( loveiiinient tube over the line at valuation extendin'' it to AA’ntarna. \Vnl;e up Southerners, agitate, put some spire into voi r Railway Dengue. Don't wait to he spoon fed if you want the Kailwav extended to AAataroa. Amongst secondary industries capable of intelligent development is Commercial Beekeeping. 1 do not wish to confuse readers with some men who kept a few hi\os and have never seen the inside of a brood chamber. These men I can only liken to a mail driving n live horse Coach, he claps his foot on the brake throws the reins on the horses hacks, letting them go at their own sweet will. They are to he pitied hut unfortunately their neglect ol the brood chamber owing to foul brood they become a menace to the commercial man wlm knows that if he does not keep his hives free from diseas,, he will have a very poor crop at the end of the so a.so*. lOn i,or a recent visit of the Govern-

I lin in'; ivitiu h.'h v -”’ *■ •• \ incut A.pinry Inspectin' he etdled e:i all he could lind in a town not 100 miles away from Hokitika, he says. I found things in the town in a deplorable conditnn, foul brood rampant, in every ease it was found necessary to serve notices to destroy colonies. A our district should take every precaution to prevent importation of any bees from this locality.” I used to Is' told that the reason why j these men got so little honey was that the bees were in tin l habit of visiting the Brewery and lienee no work done. Now I can better understand that these men could not have kept their brood chambers clean as where any disease is urcsenl in a hive it means loss to thr owner. If a man kept a horse or cow for months without giving them the necessary attention you know the results. Don't keep bees unless you are prepared to give them the necessary attention otlu'nvi.-e you become a nuisance to yourself and a danger to your neighbours. The Mcl'.voy treatment for foul brood is tlie only treatment reemninciidcd by the Department and should niiv man anxious to treat his bees visit Ross I can give him a demonstration

I rco ol oh;iroe. The majority of men want to got tho hoes lirst and the ~xiicriencc afterwards but my advice is to get the theory first then experiment afterwards. The colour um! ipmlity of Westland honey is simply excellent, ill spite of official prejudice. A sample of our honey shown at the Christchurch Conference was severely criticised, one man said it was bound to ferment if kept 12 months. I left a 21b Parchment Pot with a Christchurch Iteekeeper to lie opened at Conference in Auckland 12 months later and the Secretary reported as follows: ■‘l received a sealed sample of your honey nut up a year ago to lest ils keeping ipialitios and found it opened up ipiite sound and had a soft granulation. Mr Uvlands, Manager of the IT.I’.A. says of Westland honey: ‘'As regards color, grain and consistency the West Coast honey was very good, hut some of the flavours were awful. I have been told that some people who keep liees rob the hives and puthoi's, brood, grubs and pollen all into a tin, melt it down, strain through a piece of scrim and si'll it as honey. If you see honey dark in colour, at the bottom of a glass jar like No 1 sugar, at the top in a liquid state, this is not first grade honey and is dear al (id lb. when you can get first grade in bulk for !kl. When this class of honey is sent out as Westland honey they think it has been extracted until it lias lieen lasted. Honey should never be melted as ii destroys the flavour giving a hm lit taste and should any steam get in il is only a matter of time when fermentation sefs in. In one State in America six inspectors are employed. In one season O.fifif) colonies were inspected, lint, of Ills number 2-'tf) were treated bv the Inspectors and 18 colonies were destroyed. being too far gone to treat. I In Westland we get an odd visit from the Inspector hut, we need a man stationed here who lias time to instruct those who put their money into the industry. and until such time as we get instruction many men will he like tile man who throws the reins on the horses backs in driving bis lie,, horse coach.