THE SNODGRASS CUP COMPETITION.

Hokitika Guardian, 26 January 1924, Page 4

THE SNODGRASS CUP COMPETITION.

THE PROVINCE OF WESTLAND,

ITS HISTORY AND RESOURCES

illy Miss -Mary Kerridgc, awarded first priy/ 1 , pupil of Convent School, Hokitika, post primary scholar).

A precious p;em is enhanced hv the fineness and strength of its setting. A diamond shines forth from a bed of gold or platinum; a work of art Lorn a wonderfully wrought I tamo. The Province of Westland, that jewel or rather casket ot jewels of flawless beauty, has a setting than which no lovelier eould he imagined. The eternal snow-capped mountains with their exquisite heauLy of form and colour and the mighty ocean, everchanging and yet changeless, have been given to Westland as guards. Between the mountains and the sea is a strip oi land 240 miles long with an average width of 2d miles bounded oil the north by the Grey and Arnold Rivers and on the south by the Avarau. On this wonderful Westland—a land within a land because of its natural isolation—have been showered many of Nature’s choicest gifts—towering mountain peaks, gleaming glaciers, wonderful waterfalls, exquisite lakes, tempestuous rivers, dense vegetation, natural avenues of iorest; giants and, better than all sights and sounds, warm-hearted and generous people whose hospitality is known throughout the land.

Over the widest ocean of the universe came a canoe —a small, trad craft skillfully carved from a forest giant, and manned by dusky warrio, s who chanted strangely musical words to the rhythmic. play ol the oars. Thoe picturesque savages were fugitives. Their chief—Ngahue—was lleefrom liin own island ot llawaiiki. As they neared the ‘'Long White Cloud’ Aorangi seemed to beckon a welcome and to point out the mouth of the Arabura as a suitable refuge. Onward they went and found not only a refuge but also a hoard of Pounamu Greenstone. So runs the legend telling of the first coming of the .Maoris to New Zealand.

Ngahue returned to llawaiiki and told his friends of the wonderful land lie had discovered. The rusult was the coming of other tribes. In I V2O the Ngatiwairangi tribe came down from Poverty Pay to the West Coast. There they lived for 250 years growing rich in trading the greenstone which was at first peacefully exchanged hut which later gave rise to wars, the respective battles being Hokitika, Mahiuapua, Paparoa. The victorious Ngaahtiv tribe killed or made slaves oi their enemies and so were in undisputed possession of the land until ls'27 when Te Rauparalm invaded the Coast and annihilated the settlements. So great was the destruction that only a remnant oi' the former .Maoris remained. We owe many names to I lie .Maoris. Ilium, lanthe. Mahinapua like poems an- such names, made eloquent to lit the landscape and the romance of tin' long, long years. The first Europeans came for seals and whales, but eould not remain in the district as the .Maoris were cannibals. In 1545 .Messrs l.runner and lleapy tested the Coast for its suitability for sell lenient Inti on ret urning to Nelson they gave an unfavourable report of the country. They returned later and found coal on the north hank of the Grey River. The great explorer el the "I,and of the Greenstone” was dames Mackay, an intrepid and energetic bushman, who spoke the Maori lanaguge fluently. Jte v. as eommis.sieued by Governor Gote-Ilrown to buy the laud from the .Maoris ». ho at fi‘-( refused to" sell unless the cbitriet between the Grcv anil Hokitika River., was reserved for them. Ihe term, were refused hocuu.-e the reserve «a • too large. However, in 13(50, Mackay purchased from 'be Maoti r.-j'.''. l .""" at lex of land on tin: Mr-1 Crn.i-t lotL'.'kH) leaving' 1(1.0110 acres for native

reserve^. In the early sixties it was rumoured that Westland was practically one Inigo cold-field. Immediately dickers Hocked over the II urnnui Saddle and from Australia panic many craft laden with miners. In 18(54 the population of Westland "'as 830, in 18(5o it was 1(5,000 and in Decern her 18(53 it was 50,1X10. As many as 500 a day were landed far Cl a head. In many eases the ships were often over-crowded, many would-be passengers failing to yet berths. These were indeed rosy times for shipping interests. Hokitika was an important port, being the first and last port of call lor vessels in the Australian trade. In 1807 there were mu: hundred hotels in 11 eve 11 Street, dancing saloons, billiard rooms, a grand then Ire and all kinds of shops and stores then in good order and condition. There were three main gold hearing deposits—riverine leads consisting of partially dried nj> beds of creeks, as at Knmara and Rimu; beach leads and isolated patches of auriferous gravel as at Hell and Bald Hills and Humphreys’s (lullv. These leads clothe the seaward faces of the lulls and are worked by hydraulic milling. The amount, of gold produced was enormous. hi some eases claims yielded CIOO per man each week. In 1815(1 the prosperity of Hokitika readied its zenith. There was gold found in the outskirts of the town, but. t is thought to have been a hoard that some milling party had jirevi mrly lost. When roads and tracks were made, dams built and water races set running through the country, hotter rich nuggety gold was found inland. After the beach leads and tunnelling for gold became less productive, prospecting for gold was taken up. When the claims were abandoned owing to the influx of water, dredging was started. This method of obtaining gold is still paying, as is exemplified by the American Company’s dredge which yields lOOoz a week. In 1871 the towns began to take a more •settled appearance for until then the people were here to-day and away tomorrow because whenever there was gold found in a place there was immediately a “rush” for that locality. At that time Westland was part of Canterbury and part of Nelson which method of government was inconvenient. People having claims on both sides of the Grey River had to get two different Miners' Rights because that was the boundary, it was detrimental to progress so after lunch agitation on the part of the inhabitants, Westland became a separate province by Act of Parliament in 1867. We cannot pay too much tribute to the pioneers for they were of the best type of men. This is due to the isolation of Westland because when the country was difficult of access the weaklings did not have enough stamina to continue their toilsome journey. The first comers were it hardy hand who faced indescribable hardships and met risks and accidents fearlessly. Gallant men perished in the snow, rivers and forest. They have no memorial but they remind us that pioneers’ bodies are the bridges that join the settled world to the wilderness. The typical digger was a fine specimen of manhood—a man in the prime of life hardened by privations, God-fear-ing. generous, energetic and enterprising. The diggers had a distinctive dress and even a code of their own. They made money easily and spent it lavishly

There aro two monuments in .Hokitika that claim our veneration for they are constant reminders of really great Westlanders. The Pioneers’ Memorial forces us to pay tribute to the fearless hand that overcame difficulties which we shall never he called upon to strive against. To reach Westland meant perils by land and sea, to make homes there involved hardships untold, dauntless courage and unflinching sacrifice. These men literally ‘blazed the trail’ for-us so that we of the next generation should not simply admire their works hut continue the labours they began. That the young Westlanders have learnt the spirit of self-sacrifice and patriotism is evident when one stands with head hared in respect for those who fell in distant lands and whose names are carved in stone on the granite obelisk which tells, better than mere words can, of the spirit of the younger generation. Westland is rich in umlevelopeiT minerals. There is a rich mineral belt running through the main range. At the Christchurch exhibition of 100(i were exhibited specimens of all the known minerals of the world which were gathered within Westland. Locus of greenstone is only in the Griffin Range, north Westland, where there is also an abundance of finely coloured serpentine which is unsurpassed as a decorative stone. After mining .sawmilling is next in importance. The materials are close at li;uid. At the rale that timber is being milled the land will be deforested in a few years so the Government has taken charge of nurseries from which the cleared areas will he replanted. Coal and timber will form a large proportion of the traffic of the. Midland Railway. Because of ihe forest there will probably be paper made in the future. Oil the Coast are immense possibilities for the development of hydro-electric power. The chief installation is aL Lake Kanieri from where power is distributed for the Riinu dredge and Ini lighting the Hokitika borough. There i- an unlimited amount of undeveloped power, some of the largest of which

are in unsettled parts of the I’rovinei

and near deep water sounds which might he utilised for elect i o-ehemieai and electro-metallurgical industries. Westland is a veritable fairyland of which the scenery is unrivalled, fts natural and incomparable beauties are devoid of artificial aids, thus making it a tourists’ paradise. There are numerous lakes, many of which are small mountain tarns others. tidal lagoons, others shallow sheets of water half overgrown with reeds ami raupo. Aiming the most beautiful is Lake Kanieri. The rich green bush brightened in summer by the flaming red rata is a beautiful sight. Then there are the native ferns and wild mountain *loners that delight the eye. The sunsets of the Coast are unsurpassed. hut as Oscar Wilde says, "We do not appreciate sunsets because we do tint have to pay for them.” We

are too used to beauty lo value it. V.VII may it be said of Westland that "The beauties transcend the painter’s brush and the poet’s metaphor. Effort. 11. desi'i ihe brings but a pathetic consciousness of human frailty.” lOsehal.

Now that the Midland Railway is completed Westland is expected to prosper and progress. North Westland had the advantages of harbours so tluil the Otira Tunnel is chiell.v the portal of prosperity for .South Westland because it will help very materially in the development of that part ot the country. With a better means ol intercourse a lid improved trading relations, will arise dcvolnpinciil ol natural resources together with expansion o'i settlement and increased output of produc ts. There is a likelihood that a sanatorium will he erected at tiie hot springs of Waiho. I lit 1 scenic glories may he easily reached and the motor .service is not nearly as laiigneiug as the coach, so more tourists will tome and the revenue of Westland wifi he increased. The Hokitika Exhibition will jrli erthe (lie resources of the J’l ovillrc.

li i(, is true 1 tint flic |>«■< >j>lt» lire in a great measure lilt? product. of environment and tliai sunoundings react dm the mind, the people of We-l-Innd ought to he a people energetic as the restless ocean, with hearts warm as our gloving sunsets, characters channel, ss as our locks, clear as tin; Alpine waters, true as is heaut.v itself. AVestlaiid in her geographical .situation, her configuration. tier elinmte and soil offers everything to toughen the fibre, quicken the ]iereeptimi and strengthen the imagination. Surely tlu> greatest of its resources is its power of lifting the spirit above the petty things of life and of giving us those tilings which money cannot Imv but by which uiir lives are made the richer and better.