NOTES ON THE SUBURBAN AND RURAL DISTRICTS OF THE OTAGO SETTLEMENT. (Concluded from No. 419)

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume v, Issue 422, 18 August 1849, Page 4

NOTES ON THE SUBURBAN AND RURAL DISTRICTS OF THE OTAGO SETTLEMENT. (Concluded from No. 419)

Viewing the Otago block as a whole, it appears to be well suited for a settl-rnent. It has a safe'and convenient harbour. It has extensive tracts of fertile soil suited for immediate tillage, and will have much more when the,plainsare drained ; while the uplands and undulating downs will afford abundant pasture for sheep and cattle. _ It is in fact, in its capabilities as a grazing country that its attractions will chiefly consist, and on which the wealth and prosperity of the settlers will mainly depend ; not that the soil and climate are unsuited for agriculture, on the contrary, they are eminently suited for it, perhaps those of no other country are more so. But .we here approach a question, some general allusions to which in an early numbei of the Otago News, gave rise to a good deal of misapprehension and angry feeling. — Can agricultural pursuits be carried on with success m this part of New Zealand ? This is a wide question, and must be put in a more specific shape befbre it can be properly answered. There must be a discrimination of circumstances. For instance, an industrious, hard-working settler cultivates a few acres by bis own labour and with the assistance of his family, if he has any. He has a few pigs and other live stock, which he keeps on the produce of his little farm, uutsends to market, — Can such

a man carry on agricultural pursuits, in his way, with success ? I most emphatically say, Yes. Again : a settler who has invested his 5 or 600, or his 1,000 pounds of capital in oattle or sheep, wishes to get a few acres under crop for the purpose of supplying the consumption- of his establishment. — Can he do so with success ? Again I say, Yes. The soil is good, the climate is favourable, and he ought to raise his corn and his potatoes cheaper than he can buy them. Once more, an individual, established near a town, cultivates a few acres more than he wants for his own consumption, for the purpose of sending the produce to the market next door.-t-Can he do so with success ? I should say again, Yes, provided there are not too many producers in proportion to the number of consumers in the said neighbouring town. But whether it would pay to carry on .agricultural pursuits on a large aud general scale, for the purpose of sending ,the produce to distant j markets ; that is, whether it would pay our i capitalists to turn agricultural farmers and keep under tillage large tracts of land, is a modification of the general question, which it t is not possible at present to answer positively or satisfactorily. A variety of circumstances, independent of soil and climate, must be taken into consideration ; for instance, — the state of the roads, the expense of land carriage, the rates of freight anrl risks of navigation in the carriage by sea, the price of labour, the outlay for drainage, the extent of demand for produce, the existence of markets, and so on. Till the experiment is tairly tried it would not be right to dogmatize on the subject one way or the other. We can only doubt, recommend great caution, and live in hope that some enterprising individuals will disregard any such recommendation, and setting energetically, I and yet prudently to work, will serve by the result of their undertakings as an example or a warning. Some may dispute the necessity of incurring any expense for draining land. If agriculture is to be carried on in the rural districts, on a general scale, it will soon be seen whether draining will be necessary or not, especially in the Taeiri and Tokomairiro plains. If it can be shown that it will not pay to drain land for tillage, the question of agricultural success in the modified shape heie alluded to, is at once set at rest. But, however problematical may be the question as to the likelihood of success attending the schemes and operations of the speculating agriculturist on a large scale, we may aver with confidence, that the industrious settler who takes the spade and the hoe in his own hands, and who, as I said before, cultivates a few acres by his own labour, and with the aid of his family, if he have any, need not fear the not meeting with an ample return for bis toil and exertions. He can choose his land without difficulty. There is plenty of good land for his purpose in the suburban districts. He has no disproportionate heavy outlay to incur on account of hired labour, I and he avoids a number of expenses to which the non-labouring settler is "subject. A moderate degree of industry and care will draw from the grateful soil all that he requires of the necessaries and comforts of life : the surplus produce meeting with what will be to him a sufficiently remuneiating sale in the neighbouring town. Besides all this, he can have his little estate free from the incumbraYice of rent and tithes and taxes, which weigh so heavily on the farmer at borne. He is independent of priest or landlord, and all his labour is for himself and family alone. In truth, this is, or might be, in the most emphatic sense, the poor man's country. If every settler in the suburban districts were to cultivate an acre or two more than what he requires for his own consumption, sufficient corq might soon be raised to render Dunedin independent of foreign supplies. This is a consummation greatly to be desired. A limited production such as the suburban settlers could easily supply would not exceed the demands of the market, and would pay the producer ; but with agriculture on a large scale, the market would soon be glutted and the'demand annihilated. t From all the foregoing observations we may conclude, that with a certain limited amount of production, and under certain circumstances, agricultuie will pay, but, beyond these, it had better be let alone. *- I have said more on this subject than will perhaps be thought necessary, but I wished to endeavour to clear up some of the misapprehension which aiose from the too general nature of the remarks made by the editor of the Otago News in the number formerly referre.d to. One most serious impediment to the speedy progress of some of the rural districts, in an agricultural point of view, is the great scarcity of wood for fuel as well as for building. A man will not settle, for instance, in the midst of the Tokomairiro plain, however good the land may be, if he is to starve from cold for want of fuel, or if be cannot get fencing stuff to protect his crops. He will wait till roads are

made, and canals are dug, and coal is brought out of the bowels of the earth. While he thu3 waits, the Tokomairiro remains a swamp, or a pasture field for a few sheep-owning capitalists. Viewing the Otago block in reference tothe greater facilities it presents for the grazier than to the speculating agriculturist, it may be doubted whether the plan of cutting up the rural districts into small fifty acre allotments is the most judicious one that could be adopted. It is not, however, the intention here to discuss the merits or demerits of any part of the " scheme." Experience will decide. I shall not therefore enter into this topic. Before closing, I may allude to the great salubriousness of all the different districts of the block. I believe, in whatever other respects the opinions of settlers may differ, on this point they are unanimous. In fact, the healthiness of the country has something miraculous in it, considering the swamps, the decaying vegetable matter all around us, the humidity of the climate, the imperfect shelter most of us have enjoyed, and the frequent exposure to the vicissitudes of the weather so many of us have experienced. Should this paper ever meet the eyes of persons at home contemplating the step of self-expatriation, I would caution them not to be led away by any representations whatever to look on this settlement as an El Dorado, or an earthly paradise. If the soil is productive, the enjoyment of this productiveness must be preceded by labour and industry, and by the practice of temperance and self-denial; if the climate is healthy, the weather is changeable and often disagreeable ; if the face of the country is fairer than that of many other countries, it is not quite a garden of Eden, or is it to be at all compared with our own native land, which is perhaps, the fairest of all the lands on earth. But while they refrain from entertaining any over sanguine views, or expectations, they may bear in mind, that steady industrious, and careful habits will ensure prosperity and independence ; that a comfortable home and a blazing hearth will enable them to laugh at the changeableness of the weather, and that the hand of taste and industry will create the beauty that cultivated countries can alone display. Let noMhe in-, tending emigrant's expectations be too high, and he will not experience disappointment in coming to a distant land. A few last words I may add on the subject ' of the, present means of communication with the interior. I would, with all due defereuce, earnestly draw the attention of the Resident Agent to the necessity of doing something for the rural districts as well as for Dunedin. The settlement consists of a country as well as a town, and its prosperity depends upon the former. If there is any money in the Company's treasury available for expenditure on roads, bridges, and other public works, is it fair that it should ail be employed for the ; benefit of the inhabitants or a portion of the inhabitants of Dunedin, and that the settlers in the rural districts should be utterly excluded from any participation in the benefits of such expenditure ? A very moderate outlay > would suffice to make a passable road from Dunedin to the Clutha, running through all the country districts, and opening each of them up. A few wooden bridges ovp.r the creeks and small rivers ; a few raised embankments across the swampy water runs ; a few spots cleared of the high flax and fern with which they are overgrown, would go a great way towards effecting so important an object. Make the country and th<> town will make itself. No country, no town. The rural set- , tiers claim, and justly claim, a share of the , Resident Agent's attention, and they likewise claim that a due proportion of the funds available for public works should be laid- out in making the country accessible. After people have paid a high sum for their land, and have come so many, thousand miles to take possession cf what they have so dearly purchased, it is but right that every facility should be afforded to .enable them to establish themselves in any part of the settlement that may most suit their views and tastes. They should be, moreover, enabled to do so without any indirect attempts to compel their locating, thetnsftlves in accordance with the, peculiar views, uotions, or interests of particular individuals. I may say again, make the country accessible — enable people to go and settle and flourish in the country, instead of desponding and idling in the town.: — never fear for your town as long as your country'prospers : — never hope for it as long as the country is a desert.