ONGARUE.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 450, 23 March 1912, Page 3

ONGARUE.

The township of Ongarue which is situated about 35 miles south of Te Kuiti and about seven miles north of the starting point of the Te KouraStratford railway, has long been known to the general public as the point from which the Stratford railway was supposed to bo constructed. The town lies in a basin and has roads running from the Taupo, Taumarunui, Waikaka-Aria and Tangitu districts. The place has been considerably hampered owing to the non-progression of land settlement. A number of settlers from outside the King Country have recognised the value of the land, and during the past year a number of acres of Jand have been settled. Mr McGregor, a Turakina settler, recently purchased an area of 2000 acres at the three-mild peg and got down 1000 acres of bush, which are awaiting burning. Mr J. Gemmell, of Palmerston North, has recently taken up an area of 27(H) acres in the vicinity, whilst almost in the town Mr Knight has negotiated for an area of 200-0 acres. Recently a further area of 2500 acres has been taken up adjoining Mr Knight's. On the Taupo road an area of 10,000 acres of native land has been leased by Mr Percy Baldwin, a solicitor of Palmeraton North, and he proposes during the coming winter to fell an area of 1700 acres of bush and erect about four miles of fencing. In the country surrounding the township a considerable awakening has taken place during the past year, and it is safe to aver that the lands in and around Ongarue, which were regarded as useless will be turned into good profitable grazing country. It is estimated that at a point five miles from the township on the Taupo read that there are about 80,000 to 100,000 acres of first-class Crown lands, which have been in the hands of the State for about fifteen years. This large block >'s mostly good bush country, there only being occasional belts of pumice land,and extends to the shores of Lake Taupo. The majority of it is said to be good dairying country which would be eminently adapted for close settlement. Residents in the district have communicated with the Government pointing out the urgency of having this valuable area of land thrown open, but nave been notified that it is impossible to go on with the work owing to a shortage of surveyors. Mr T. Carroll, of the Auckland Lands Office, is at present engaged in cutting up a large area of land in the vicinity, of Ongarue. A number of private surveyors are busy in doing native land work. A feature of native land surveying is that surveyors have to follow the lines drawn by the Native Land Court on a map, and are debarred from using their own intelligence as regards how the country should be subdivided. There are many glaring instances of the result of such procedure, as the lines drawn were done so irrespective of the position of the country and roading facilities. It is the intention of the firm of Messrs Ellis and Burnand to establish a big sawmilling scheme in the district, and, in fact, a start has already been made with the work. It is the intention of that firm to have two mills running close to Ongarue township within the next six months, and that from 100 to 500 men will be permanently flmployed in the sawmilling industry. The work of layng a tram line into the Putakataka block has been commenced and already there are 40 men working on tEia line, the

distance of which for the time being will be six miles. It Is, however, generally understood that Messrs Ellis and Burnand will complete the circuit, eventually, and join at Mangapehi, and it will be,when finished,one of the most up-to-date milling schemes in the King Country. The firm have the milling rights over a very large area of country and have in addition to a good supply of mixed timber a plentiful supply of totara. The tram line being laid is for locomotive traffic, and is the same guage. as the Government railway line, oft din. The establishment of the timber industry in Ongarue will be one of a great and lasting benefit to the town. The fact of the mills to be erected in close proximity will give a decided impetus to trade. The industry will mean active building operations m the town during the next six months in 0.-der to supply accommodation for the large number of workers that will be employed. In the township considerable improvements have taken place during recent months. The new post oflice, which oust approximately £ISOO, is a decided improvement to the town. The building is a handsome structure, lofty and roomy, and we'll fitted throughout: and is a marked contrast to the. manner and conditions under which postal business has had to be carried on in the past. A few fine new houses have been built and several additions made to business premises.