“Gazette” District News

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4403, 19 April 1922, Page 1

“Gazette” District News

PATETONGA. FRUIT GROWING. Outsiders are not generally aware of the fact that dairying and flaxmilting are not by. any means the sole industries that thrive in Patetonga. It will be news to many, for instance, to be told that, in the opinion of practical and successful commercial fruit-growers, such as Mr H. N< Taylor, who was for twelve years on the staff of the Department of Agriculiturs (Orchards the foothills of Patetonga comprise some ol the best land in New Zealand for both pip and stone fruit-growing on a commercial basis. Approximately a thousand trees are now in bearing, and yielding well. The acreage under orchards would be greatly increased if the settlers had direct access to the Paeroa Railway Junction, or, better still,’ if the Piakp Riyer were made more navigable, so that the fruit could be sent expeditiously to the Auckland markets. There are certain places on the hillsides, called “pockets”—sheltered and sunny areas eminently suited to the cultivation ofl fruit. R is to be hoped that the means of transport will be greatly improved at no disr taut date, because, as was pointer’ out in a recent leading article in the “Gazette,” on “The Flaxmilling Industry,” the stability of a district greatly depends on mixed farming, so that w;hen the market goes down on one kind of produce the commercial life-blood may be kept circulate ing by the influx of money from the sale of other products.

KEREREEHI. TELEPHONE SERVICE. RESIDENTS, WAKE UP! After much battling .the Kerepcehi telephone bureau was supplied with a switchboard, on the understanding that there was a definite demand/, but so far. the people most interested do not appear to have gauged the sit* uatior. correctly. The intending subscribers want telephones, but 'the position is that the Department, which is short of ’phones, is n'ot likely to supply them until the prospective subscribers have made a start, at least, with /the erection of the wires. If this is not done very shortly the switchboard may be taken away again and sent to some district where a little activity is shewn to put.it into use. Trade follows the telephone, and if the residents of Kerepcehi want to make their centre grow they had better learn a telephone lesson or two from Turiia