The Hardships of Pioneering.

Kawhia Settler and Raglan Advertiser, Volume IV, Issue 365, 19 June 1908, Page 3

The Hardships of Pioneering.

A wellknown ex-Munawalu resident who since Janumy las*, has been living at Kawhia, has a remarkable instance of the hardships . 1 pioneering in bis new district. The hardships apparently are mostly the result of the difficulty of procurirg labour. The settler (Mr R. Were, ex-chairman of the Kairarg: County Council) bad just arrived at Hamilton from Kawbia striking the Mam Trunk Line at Te Kuiti. At Kawbia, he said, be owned 8000 acres, 1000 of which were bush, and the other 1000 felled and partly Bleared. Since January the portion of the cleared land that had been grassed had been swept by fire and the whole 1000 acres bad to be sown. Labour was absolutely unprocurable, although t shilling an hour and “found” were offered, and the settler and his two eons set heroically to work to do the task themselves. The seed was “packad” from Te Kuiti by the settler’s daughters, and by dint of working doggedly day after day the who 1000 acres, requiring six tons of seed, was at last covered. Mr Were felt tbesenBations of the record;breaker. The Kawbia, be said, was good country, but there were great obstacles to settle meat. When the roads were in good condition, (the charge for the carriage of good frcm Te Kuiti was £8 a ton. At present the roads wore eoft and heavy traffic was impossible. The charge (or “packing” worked out at |d per lb.—Weekly News.