Kiritehere.

Kawhia Settler and Raglan Advertiser, Volume IV, Issue 329, 13 September 1907, Page 3

Kiritehere.

(from our own correspondent.) We are to have a telephone at last the settlers having agreed to give the £56 per year guarantee as requested by the Government, so that the telephone to Marokopa Heads will soon be an accomplished fact, and a boon to shippers. Lambing is progressing very favour ably, and there seems every prospect of a good percentage. This is decidedly healthy sheep country. Owing to the warm spring rains having sei in there is a good show of grass, tne growth being very rapid. Road work still continues to make steady progress, four contracts being under construction at the present time. There are a party on each of the fol lowing roads—the Waipawa, Kirite here Valley, Maungakckapa and Waikawbui. The Marokopa bridge is alar under construciion, Messrs Scott and party being engag'd on this work at present. There is a considerable increase in the number of letters carried since the weekly mail service started, which ie giving a ver}* satisfactory increase of revenue. Good progress is being made with busbfelling. There will probably be 1,000 acres fell in the Kiritehere block this season.

There seems every prospect of the flax mills having an increase in the output of fibre for the forthcoming season, considerable improvements, in the way of trams, having been effected during the winter, especially at Haribari. The Marokopa Milling Co., have got their sawmill nearly ready for Work, so that they will have timber for trams and building.-'. The company intend to work the flax at Turia kino this season. Mr Lane, who has been in charge of this mill lately, has left on a three weeks trip to Blenheim. Men continue to prepare the fences and roads for the mill that is to be erected at Nukubakari ibis season. I understand that Mr Williamson has the contract to land the machinery for the mill. As the flax has been sold at Maunganu, there is every liklehood of a fourth mill starting on this coast shortly. Our resources in flax are considerable, especially so if a little draining is done. Work is likely to be started draining swamps at Kiritehere where a mill can be erected after the flax Las bad a show to grow a little. There is a good swamp, known as Pou’s three miles up the Marokopa river from the heads. This requires draining, which would be easy, and after a reasonable time a mill could be kept continually going. There is a quantity of drained swamp at Mr Haylock’s on which flax has started to grow, This swamp was drained for grass, but flax seems to come up rapidly and theie is a question whether flax will not pay better than grass. There is a email quantity of flax growing at Tabaroa, which could be considerably increased by draining a swamp, which would give a supply for a mill. Undoubtedly everything depends on the price of fibre keeping up. Flaxmilling will asrume considerable magnitude on this coast before many years.