FARMING ON THE WEST COAST.

Hokitika Guardian, 28 January 1926, Page 4

FARMING ON THE WEST COAST.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR SETTLERS. CHRLSCH U’RCII. Jan. 27. That the Otira Tunnel has made a great difference to the farming industry on the West Coast was the opinion expressed to a reporter yesterday by Mr IV. W. Smart, a resident of Havelock North for many yeare. “The tunnel has brought sheep and dairv farmers on (be Coast within case distance of the Addington saleyards,” said Mr Smart, “which has encouraged them considenahly. I was slaving at a place about seventeen miles south of Ross, where the farmers sold their fat lambs on the trucks at Ross at 31 s, showing the benefits which have accrued from the opening of a big market. Pigs can he put on the trucks at Ross on Tuesday, and sold at Addington on Wednesday. West Coast farmers have been brought info closer touch with big buyers, and there

is more competition for their stock.” Mr Kiimi't went on to say tlicit there were thousands of acres of good dairying land on the Const, which, he expected. most jioople did not know niton t. He noticed also that thousands of acres of good land was crowded with blackberry. Tt was a great pity that this pest could not he eradicated; it was almost impossible to gel rid of blackberry, however, Tf a farmer poisoned the hush, lie poisoned has land also. “Tn my opinion," he went on, “there is plenty of room over there for settlors with energy. Most of the farmers already there are prosperous, and some milk as many as fifty cows. At Harihnri. where I spent a short time, there is great deal of excellent land. Il is now a thriving district. with a dairy factory, where a coinpartivelv short time ago there was only hush. I hero is a private tramway from 110.-s to within easy distance of Harihnri, and I suppose it is only a matter of time before it gets right into the district. ’I he Coast is a.good farm-

| ing country. They have a lot of rain I there, hut it is warm rain, and cveryl thing seems to thrive under it."