A VISITOR'S IMPRESSIONS

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 6 January 1921, Page 3

A VISITOR'S IMPRESSIONS

MR WILSON IN AFRICA

Mr J. Wilson, who with Mr J. C. Riramer, returned to Helensville recently from an extended trip to Africa and India, has some very interesting observations to make regarding the former country. Mr Ray "Wilson, who went with the party, has remained in the country, and has taken up (with a partner conversant with the country) a considerable area of land in Rhodesia, situated some hundreds of miles from the coast and at an elevation of about 2500 feet. The climate at this altitude, states MrJ. Wilson, is very pleasant, corresponding to the hot days and cold nights experienced at times locally. The possibilties of this vast country of Rhodesia are illimitable, and provided the settler goes the right way to work, fortunes are to made. The cultivation of maize, coffee,

sisal-grass (or hemp) affords great op--^n^ortunities, and during the war there -~^; was a great market for the latter especially, although a drop has been experienced lately. The better quality land is being bought up In large areas by settlers and syndicates, who realise the value of their purchases. Some of the settlers have not made a success of things, chiefly through acquiring land that was not first-class, and not having the proper knov/ledge as to what the land was capable of. On some of these holdings was to be seen hundreds of acres planted in wattle (for the bark) which has proved a commercial failure. The speaker was impressed with the large number of wild animals to be seen during stages of their journey. In some places through which the railway runs, wild animals were seen only a few yards away from the train, and on one or two' occasions giraffes were noticed. On a good many of the lines in these localities', wood only is used for the engines', and contractors supplying the railways wi|b fuel make large sums on their' ppntrapts. Native labour is exclusively employed on all marmal work, and the natives are fairly adaptable to most oiasses of work-