THE KARAMEA SETTLEMENT.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4338, 13 February 1875, Page 2

THE KARAMEA SETTLEMENT.

The special correspondent of the Nelson Colonist writes : On Tuesday last, the 12th inst., I availed myself of the opportunity afforded by the sailing of the p.s. Charles Edward to visit the new settlement at the Karamea. The Provincial Secretary and Mr. McLean, M.P.C., were amongst the passengers. We left Nelson at half-past 2 o’clock p.m. on the day named, and arrived off the Karamea River early next morning, but had to wait till about 11 o’clock before we could cross the bar. At that hour the steamer ran in safely. GENERAL DESCRIPTION. In the Karamea River there are a number of Islands of various sizes, and on one of these the future township will stand. Its extent is about 400 acres, and it is thickly covered with timber of every description known in the South Island of New Zealand. In fact, the whole of the land in the district is well timbered with rata, totara, red and white pine, rimu, &c., and flax and supplejacks are there in abundance. The bush is very thick and exceedingly hard to travel through. The river is deep—so deep, indeed, that steamers like the Charles Edward and Murray can anchor -within a few yards of the water's edge—but, unfortunately/ snags are plentiful. The river, however, is clear from these up to the spot at which the boats drop anchor. Near the township, there is another island on which stand two old houses—by whom built I know not—and in these houses -there are at present Ibcated four families of women and children. On the Township Island, there is a clearing of about a couple of acres, one of which is sown with potatoes and turnips. The building used as a Government store is here, and a new store of corrugated iron, is in the course of erection. The overseer, Mr. Hyland, lives in the store, and serves out provisions, &c., to the men every Saturday. The settlement is on the mainland, distant about a mile and a quarter from the township, and to reach it either a boat or canoe is used. Erom the landingplace at the beginning of the settlement to the last piece of land taken up by the settlers, there is a track, two miles in length,, cut through the bush. At intervals along this track, the tents of the pioneers are to be seen, and here and there a half-finished wooden building stands. The tents will, doubtless, soon be superseded by structures of wood ; but when I went up the track, there was only one building which at all approached completion, and that was owned by a settler named Martin; Martin and Liley have more land cleared than any of their comrades, and by their perseverance and energy, they are setting a good example to the other men. The work of cutting the track and cleaving the land is hard, yet the men are not dissatisfied. THE SETTLERS ARB EMPLOYED, at the present time in enlarging and widening the track from the river through their sections. They work in parties of five, and are paid by the Government for their services. The Overseer and the Surveyor (Mr." Eawson) name the amount of remuneration the men will receive for their work, and at the end of each month they are credited with the sums they have earned. They can obtain articles of food, &0., at the store, and the price of the articles so obtained is debited to their accounts. They work eight hours per day for the Government, and any leisure time they may have is devoted to clearing their own sections. The Surveyor has constantly four men assisting him, and these men are paid ten shillings per day. The settlers are unanimously of opinion that if they persist in their determination to make the settlement a success they will do so, as the soil is remarkably good. While walking along the track we came across a saw-pit, and from it the whole party could see that the rich black soil ran three feet down before the clay was touched. The settlement is on the top of a terrace, and the land is flat, and, when cleared, will be easily travelled over. Every man’s section has ten chains of frontage to the road, and runs back twenty-five chains. Considering that the first batch of settlers arrived only eight weeks ago, the settlement is in a very forward condition. A MEETING OF THE SETTLERS was held on Thursday, when Mr. O’Conor, the Provincial Secretary, addressed them. He congratulated them on the fact that they had done so riluch work in the short time they had been there. He reminded them that the Government were willing to do all they could to assist the settlers, and by the Charles Edward there had arrived a quantity of sheep, some pigs, and two cows, as well as an ample stock of prolusions. He probably would not be able to visit Karamea again for some time, but the Government had made arrangements with Messrs. N. Edwards and Co., of Nelson, to send a steamer down every month, and the settlers could let him know their wants by this steamer. If they had any reasonable grounds for complaint they had only to let the Government know, and they would soon be righted. (Voices ; We have no complaints.) He then proceeded to tell them that the Government at first were not in a position to supply them with fresh meat, but henceforth they would do so. With regard to a packhorse, he said that it would be useless to send them such a thing until there was a better track to the settlement. However, as soon as one was required they would get it. He had instructed the sawyers to give each man three day's assistance in sawing timber gratis, in order that they might have timber to build then' houses with. There was now on hand about four mouths’ provisions. He had instructed Mr. Hyland to send a messenger to Mokihinui at the beginning of each month with their letters, and they would thus be able to communicate with him every fortnight, as the steamer would call about the middle of every month. HOW SETTLERS ARE TREATED. I spoke to several of the settlers privately, and asked them whether they had any complaints to make as to their treatment, &0., but they one and all declared that they were perfectly satisfied. They told me that those who had left, had done so because they were disappointed in their expectations. They thought they were going to lead an easy life, but when they saw the hard work they would have to do, they became alarmed and went to Nelson, DRAWBACKS. The only drawbacks of the place are the mosquitoes and sandflies which exist in millions, but these will 'disappear as the trees are cut down, and the work of clearing goes on. Another evil in the township is the want of water. The water for drinking, &c., lias at present to be brought from the mainland, a distance of fully a mile and a half, but I should say that this commodity would be found in abundance if wells were sunk on the township island. On the track to the settlement, springs are found at distances of a few yards all the way. POPULATION, ETC. There are at the present moment in the Karamea settlement, 31 men, 12 women, and 30 children. A school will be established for the children in a short time, and a settler’s wife will act as schoolmistress. HISTORY OP THE SETTLEMENT. The number of men originally sent to the Karamea was upwards of thirty, and the selection of them was left to Mr. Elliott, the Immigration Officer. When they first arrived they were set to work to plant potatoes on a piece of land on the Government reserve which was partially cleared. Whilst this was being done Mr. Hyland was engaged searching for the surveyor’s pegs and lines, but the pegs had decayed and the lines were so overgrown that they were not discernible. This is not to be wondered at, considering that the survey had been made about ten years previously. Mr. Hyland communicated with the Government and requested that a surveyor should be sent down to lay out and survey the land required for the settlers. Ho also asked that two sawyers should he engaged to instruct the men in sawing timber for their houses. Both requests were acceded to. Mr. O'Conor then vent down, and calling the men together, explained to them that the Government would employ them upon the reserve for a few days longer, until the surveyor should find the spot on which it would bo best to locate them The Provincial Secretary and the Surveyor (Mr. Eawsou), with a dozen men, then began

to search for the old lines, which after a great deal of trouble, they found. The Provincial Secretary then fixed upon a magnificent piece of land on the terrace, on the south side of the river, as a site for the settlement. The land was laid off in twenty-fivo-acre blocks. The Provincial Secretary then selected-five of the most industrious men and gave them their ground at once, and invited the others to visit the place and choose their sections. They did so; lots being drawn for choice. Before Mr. O’Conor left the Karamea fourteen or fifteen sections had been taken up, and the settlers were busily engaged removing their boxes, &c., to their land, each one declaiming that that should be bis own home and that of his family. At this time it was clear that about one-half of those who had been selected by the Immigration Officer were unfit for the place. For instance, many of them thought they were 'entitled to the services of a cook for each mess of five persons; and others were of opinion that the Government should give them land that did not require clearing. These showed that they did not understand their position nor the advantages which they were offered. At this time the settlers were supplied with everything they required from the store. The food • was of the best description, and although the meat was salt, yet there was abundance of fish and fowl to be obtained with very little trouble. The Provincial Secretary taught them how to catch eels and where to shoot birds. Observing that some of the men did not like the work that was in store for them, the Provincial Secretary told them that any of them who were dissatisfied could, on applying at the store, get three days’ prolusions, with which they could go to Westport, where they would obtain employment at ten shillings per day ; and further, that he would give instructions to the Provincial Engineer at Westport to see that they did get work when they arrived there. Some of them went to Westport, where they wereoffered work at ten shillings per day, but they refused it, and they also declined offers of ten shillings and twelve shillings a day on the Buller-road. One of these men came on to Nelson, expressing his determination to do everything he possibly could to prevent the wives of the settlers from joining their husbands. Subsequently several others have gone away, and it is to be hoped that all who are not satisfied will do likewise, for they only discourage those who remain, and there are many better men anxious to take their places. Land has been given to the settlers at a very low rental—viz., two shillings per acre per annum —and if they pay this sum for fourteen years it will be their own. The land is of a very y superior description, and the prospects of the settlers are most encouraging. They have the assistance of two competent sawyers, and a carpenter has been sent down to assist them to build their houses. THB FUTURE. It is a well-known fact that gold exists in the Karamea in payable quantities, and as two experienced diggers have recently gone prospecting, we. shall doubtless bear soon that they have made some fresh discoveries in this direction. With its gold and its timber, a successful future is in store for the Karamea. The Shetlanders are particularly hopeful, and although all know that they have some hard work to do, yet they know also that they cannot succeed without hard work. CONVEYANCE. As the Government have arranged with Messrs. N. Edwards and Co. to send a steamer to the Karamea once a month, there will be no difficulty in going and coming. The run is made in about sixteen hours. There is plenty of room for a large number of settlers, and after seeing the place, and judging for myself, I am decidedly of opinion that there will yet be a large town on what is now uninhabited land.