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Poverty Bay Standard, Volume IX, Issue 982, 28 September 1881, Page 2

Much has been said and written of late, and so great an interest has been taken in the “ great expectations ” coming from the Waiamata Blocky East, West, North and South, in this district, that We have collated some information respecting them, and their actual quality, which, we trust will be of service to our readers.

The gross area purchased by Government, in the 4 blocks, is *24,000 acres, which may be classified as follow -2000 of good agricultural land ; 8000 acres of first class pastoral land ; 4000 acres of second class (bush) pastoral land, and 10,000 forest clad mountains. There is no appreciable extent of flat land in any one spot—the largest piece being in Waimata West, of about 300 acres, and even this is intermixed with low undulating hills. The agmcul€ural land is disconnected, and situated principally on the banks of the Waimata river, and its tributaries. All the pastoral land is of good soil, of a similar description to the best sheep grazing hills to be found South of Napier. The "best land is of a broken, hilly, character, covered with rich vegetation, fern and light scrub ; the inferior, is also good of its kind, but more mountainious, and abounds with scrub and forest. We mention these facts so as to dispel the idea that the country is adapted, to any large, extent, for agricultural industries ; but that for grazing, it ii a country that should command a good quotation in the market. But, notwithstanding, we believe it is the intention of the Waste Lands Board to try the experjmept of cutting up the most likely portions, and to form a village settlement, of small sections. The larger ‘sectipns will contain from 320 acres to-1000 acres, each, and to include, pro rata, a proportion of* flat land. „

Considering the adjacency of these blocks to the town, an ( d their prefect inaccessibility it is hot surprising that the Government, acting on the opinion of its officers, have placed £4OOO on the estimates towards the cost of forming a road to them. As far as the exploration road surveys go, the best line is held to be one from the continuation of the branch roads about the Makauri, erdssing the watershed between . the Waimata and Taruheru rivers., at the back of Mr. C. Gray’s homestead. This line presents no difficulties- whatever, the •only pinch beiag.a long siding .bn an easy gradient, from the flats on to a low saddle at the watershed range. The- survey of the blocks is being proceeded with, and will be completed about the same time as the road works, say about, April or May next. Since writing the foregoing we have been enabled to glean a few particulars relative to the Waihau, and Whakaongaonga Blocks, lying between Gisborne and / Wairoa. It appears that the surveyors are nowon the land under instructions to cut the land up, and lay out a village settlement comprising as follow :—25 one acre sections ; 25, five acre sections, and 15 ten acre The best of the land, which—either as pastoral or agricultural, is of very limited extent —outside the settlement will be divided into sections varying from 25 to 320 acres in extent, and the remaining portions from 500 to 5000 acres. The two blocks contain an area of 27,000 acres ; but there is little hope that the great bulk of the land will attract anyone but the sheepfarmer, for some time to come. Still, there is every probability that the road the Government have voted funds for forming, will open up a considerable amount of traffic between Poverty Bay, Wairoa, and Napier, and so bring whatever advantagesit possesses into public notice. The surveys are expected to be finished by next autumn when the land will be submitted for sale, or competition,—it not yet being decided under what mode of payment it will be offered. • &•

We had hoped to be able to explain to our readers, this morning, why no division took place, in the Legislative Council, when that body rejected the Gisborne Harbor Bill, but we are not in a position to do so. Of course Mr. Randall Johnson is not amenable to public opinion, therefore, the electors cannot claim from him the motives that led him to quietly acquiesce in the throwing out of the measure, without having a standing record of its friends and opponents. We are sure Mr. Johnson’s motives itould be sufficiently good, to be satisfactory to himself; and we will do him the justice to say that he is convinced of the correctness of his action, and that it is capable of explanation. But that, unfortunately, will not satisfy public enquiry, and we must wait for Mr. McDonald’s meeting to-morrow night, to see if he cart throw any light on the subject, as it is most likely he watched, pretty closely, the progress of the Bill, and the tactics of partie* in the Upper House.