AS OTHERS SEE US.

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 150, 26 April 1909, Page 2

AS OTHERS SEE US.

Mr Hogg on The King Country.

The Hon. A. W. Hogg, Minister for Roads and Bridges, speaks in glowing terms of his impressions of the North, and has been particularly impressed . with the potentialities of the King Country. Speaking to a "Star" representative at Auckland onTriday last, Mr Hogg said that he had been spending all the time he could find at his disposal in making himself acquainted with every part of the Dominion, and his recent trip through the King Country had been a revelation to him. "I want to see right into all our industries, and find out what is being done in the matter of agriculture, mining and other spheres of occupation," said the Hon. Mr Hogg. "The King Country has opened my_eyes as to the future of that part of the Dominion. Down South, the general impression all g&js-gf has been that a great deal of this country is almost worthless for agricultural purposes, and only fit for fern and bracken. Travelling from Te Awamutu to Kawhia, and again from Te Kuiti to Awakino and Mokau Heads, I had every opportunity for inspecting vast areas, both of fern and bush land. And I was very much surprised and impressed with the character of the soil. There was every indication of the fertility of the soil, and from the road cuttings I observed that it was of a rich chocolate, and went to a very great depth indeed. With treatment the land should be fit for almost any kind of agricultural purpose. lam satisfied that there would be a general exodus from the South if people only knew the character of the country. Then, again, the beauty of the scenery is so great. I have been through the famous Sounds, and witnessed the glories of" the Forty-mile Bush, but I have never seen anything half so grand as the wonderful forest I scenery and magnificent gorges which j are to be found in the King Country."