ASHURST.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 37, 19 March 1879, Page 2

AS HURST.

Since it has become. generally known that j this BCW township, so prettily situated at the junction of th» Manawatu Rivers, is to be offered for public competition, a large mwnber of visitors have .been attracted to it. A coach is now put on daily from Fielding, .m order that intending investors might have the benefit of a personal inspection. The large passenger traffic between Palmerston and Napier causes many inquiries to he made about the. new township by travellers ; so that, when the day of sale comes, oomc- keen competition may be expected. Ashur3t is about eight, miles from palmerston, and thirteen , or fourteen miles from Feilding. It is almost needless to say that t'oere is : 'agood metalled rood; all the. way from Pahnprston, which has been much, improved) within the lasK two months, through, some nasty abrupt rises, here.. and there haying been cut away, ami-by regu-. lating the.levels generally. A new roaefchas lutely been formed, from, Fielding to 'the, new township, about, eleven miles of which has been laid down with 9-inch metal v There is yet a distance of two or three, miles tofmish, but the work is being pushedwell ahead, no less than twelve drays being.employed; and a sufficient complement- of j men for getting the metal out, and for filling; and levelling the same. The road, there- ' fore, willi, m all probability, be finished] before the! winter sets m, and the officers' of the Corporation deserve great praise for J : thq^orough business-h^e maimjr jn^which, - -- .-—j

tiie work has been done. The P >hangina road is also m course of formatica to the boundary of the Corporation Land, where it: a J j6ins v sorae; 'reserves owned by the. Wanganui Harb<^.Jß;sdrd. It is to be hoped that the Bo'ald! wi|l follow the excellent example set 'By th^ 'Corporation m making the road through it^ portion, and as a consequence enh¥ncing??itß value to a great extent by, so dpmg^ j .The tdwnslup''is about to receive a very ! considerable addition to the size advertised I during the past few weeks. Mr. M'Kenzie, I of the Otangaki Hotel, has decided upon cutting up 120 acres into,. quarter,r.acrj§ w sections. This might naturallyihavejOeenexpected, as Mr. M'JKenzie's prpseky : fftn\i the Palmerston and Manawatu~Gorge«roadsKt and also the new line of road which has been formed from Feilding, and JnlhoujK this addition the. township would |Kpk:lij3'; complete. Mr. M'Kenzie has tle.siiCTey^^ busy at. work, and it is his. intention to r secure the comer section at th'e'jundtibn o'ff^ the two roads fork new* and commodious 1 hotel. No doubt, this is a wise stepl for--' with the increased traffic, which, iaaure.to : take place, the present hotel , would' hardly, be found to answer the additional require'-*' ments of the travelling public. "''Mr. Raw- J son, architect, of Wanganui^ has the plans' of the new building m cburso''of prepara--tion, and Mr. M'Kenzie 1 expects i' to- have^' the work commenced m a- short time. Through the opening of the new road from Feilding, a nice circuitous drive will *r>ber available for the residents- of that town and Palmerston, which can be made quite comfortably m a day, giving plenty of time for rest on the way ; whilst the close proximity of Ashurst tp the Mahawafcu Gprgfei | will ! always make it an attraciive place* toVthat residents ; 0f both places^ as well as to those who are on travel bent. - - A -new sawmill has. been put up|by > :Mr.-; : j Peter Bartholomew, .of;;Feildingj. <cl|Se,[tot^ the. township, on the Pohangina road, \vhich. will be m full working order , this week. The miil'gives employment! tbaSout a dozen and a, half .men, and wiU; "turn out from „20,000; to 30,000 feet -of.4imikr per-^eek^ ; Mr. Bartholomew hasjiieftsed- sdmeiU2oOJ'.: acres' from the~XJbrpora'tion .foriafterfirlof3< years,' on whichHhereisra largerquan6Xty<o??; excellent timber, but principally composed -/i of totara and matai.!',." L^rselbgSjpf£tqtara '' were on the ground on Monday, aricf it would not be. an easy matter Jo flgd, any-; thing sounder looking or of a hugef. slze.^*" A team Of bullocks was busy at wori^diawi r ing logs to the mill, and the greatest portion of I the machinery AwWsm"lfei-plaee,;tneß foundations consisting of huge loga of totara, which apparehflyllbdkedi almost as" solid at&V granite itself. The whole of the machinery appeared to be new^iandrseemed-spf^the;.^ strongest and most durable kinff. \)jgn£rp.** will be two vertical saws.-^early fiye- t fee<L ! m diameter, at work ; so khat there wuTbe at least 20,000 feet per weefe turned; qutvV - -Some, of the. men were hard at work sinking." a well, and there was a moderate influx "of:water;at a. depth of- about- 20 feet. The delay m reaching tiie wafer .was/Jibe only, serious drawback towards get^ng. steam upv" | and a general comme^icementVniMeti^^ais [ the works, so that it may be confidently anticipated, that this, pioneerof- our. bush; civilisation is now pulling along a't^fuii" speed, and preparing Jhe-way-fpr/ the future, -settlement of what^appeaW/tb be excellent land. We.- can cordially, ijoin .with,, Mr. • Bartholomew's many friends, in/wishing him, success m his new industry, of which we. have not.even, the j remotest, shcidow. of a ■ doubt. . rVXiB believe. that m6*st*6f the. timber - •will find it?" way. ihte, Palmerston,' as" being, so much neerer the^mill^ £olhi "S'eiid'ing^ 5 which is, of course, a very material con-:sideratibn-v ■-■."■ ■':•'.; ..'. ■".,::•. - ',;.' r ';- . Ashui'st has already its store, Mr. Kelson, late of Palmerston',* made a start there. TJmt other indispensable" thing to a new t'owhsbTrpr— v\7.:, a blacksmith's shop — has not, however, yet made its appearance, so far as cftliid be.seeh. and there^slmurd'jhe? a fair opening for some." mighty man, with strong and sinewy ! hands," m 'the* locality. But of. very much greater importance-.Sbaß, even the latter is the establishment of. %.. Post-O^icei We take leave to bring. the. ms^'-cr under the notice of the HeadOffic^ : at Wellington. There is a" large number oK; people residing about the district, andrthere. |; can hardly be a doubt that a .nexy~office. j 1 would be -found to pay -tmeli.^ JJFo&"the. J present, there would be no great necessity of establishing an office which would isequire. a clerk being sent there.. - In all probability, some person could .be fpund. t» do the "required work for a small sum ninfil/ , the growth of the place rendered the establishment of a regular .pfece^ecessarv. Th©-, increased faciliuOT?^butd befpund'to more, than amply repay yfche": Postal Department for any small sum which -it would have ". to-. '. pay, by enabling'correspbridence^ tb ; he mnclj I oftener transmitted^ and^ by:thft;<jbnsequent increase to the revenue. 'The matter is such an impoTtant corCe^that;- fwe.'^eel^it^pxily;-. ', requires bringing itiiuider; the notice m* ' the, * responsible officer to haye*it very soon attended "to. t f"~not,~ the "residents- must - bestir themselves until thpy obtaip what,ia_ so very necessary for ihehf convenience.