A Wanderer's Notes.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IX, Issue 23, 27 December 1884, Page 2

A Wanderer's Notes.

A sketch appears m the Patea Mail giving a description of a journey from fiangitikei to Mataniau, from which we extract the following : — Fielding is well and squarely laid out, with the station on one side,, and is rather larger than Hawera, and contains some large stores and hotels and public buildings. Like most of the towns on the West Coast, it has the misfortune to have overgrown itself, being at present as large again as-it should be. Leaving Feilding we again enter heavy bush, the land being of fairly good quality, but too dear at the price paid for 1 it. After 14 miles of good road we enter the Manchester Corporation township, Ashurst. It contains merely a store or two, a butcher's and blacksmith's shop, and a Temperance IJotel, being a blue ribbon place, also a number of 4-roomed houses ail built on the same plan, and giving it a very monotonous appearance. The country as a whole all through the Bush is very good and has a large number of settlers on it, aud is capable of supporting a lot more. At present a great waste of valuable timber is taking place, as, could an outlet be found for all that could be sawn, an immense trade would be done m this line. At present a number of sawmills have stopped work altogether, and those that are keeping going are not paying working expenses. At present the only way to get r»4 q£ the timber is to burn it, for which the country must m future suffer. The same bar to advancement that prevails on the West Coast prevails, via., the high price settlers have paid for their land, and a great quantity of it must eventually change hands at a loss to the present holders.