COMPULSORY T'AVELLING.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1190, 1 November 1882, Page 2

COMPULSORY T'AVELLING.

(From an East Cape Correspondent.) WE were afoot by break of day, and after a brief meal, pursued our way in a northwesterly direction. We were full of expectation us to the goodness of the road. On the previous day we had met with no positive obstacle, and with only two serious difficulties. Two small culverts, which had been washed away by a mountain torrent, probably a month before, had not been repaired, and we were obliged to use our wits how to get to the other side. In one case we managed to lead our nags on the broken bridge, in the other, such a course of procedure was out of the question, as our steeds were not of the pegasus or winged breed. We had, therefore, to “head” the gully, thus causing a delay of half-hn-hour of our valuable time. It would be well if the Cook County Council kept constantly employed a surface man (one who could be trusted to do an honest day’s work) to keep the frack passable. Verb Saji. In other respects the eastern part of this route is well kept, and the gruss seed, which was lately scattered with no niggardly hand, will soon make this way pleasant to travel, both to man and beast.

Proceeding onward we soon came to a river course, along which we had to wend our way. We came here to the limits of track clearing, and henceforth had to press our way through overhanging clusters of scrub, saturated with moisture from the dew of the cold preceding night. Some of these bushes are full of attachment propensities, but which we forbore, for companionship Bake, to characterize as “ bush lawyers, and we w'ere, therefore, forced to keep perpetually wide awake as we cantered along. Henceforth to the coast at Omaramutu we travelled an improved track. The reason for which is that the Whakatane County Council are taking an entirely new and fresh route, which will be an immense improvement when finished, as it keeps off’ the flats liable to being submerged through which the present track passes. But until the new track connects with the old it cannot be utilized as a mode of traffic. At present it is a cut de sac. How long it is to deserve that French epithet, entirely deyends on the energy that is displayed in prosecuting the neccsuary works. The Whakatane Council lops are full vi thu UMowaity <4 prose-

cuting the works with vigor, but they are hampered for want of funds. They can only let out a few miles of the bush clearing and road formation at a time, and then wait till that is accomplished, and thus a road is formed to the locality where more work can be done. Now there seems no reason why the road should not be pushed on and opened up throughout, during the ensuing summer. The Government aught to find the funds required at once, and thus the work already done will be rendered available and utilized for traffic to the great benefit of the travelling public. Last March, a bold peripatetic member of the Responsible Ministry—Mr Rolleston to wit—adventured this road. Heavy rain came on and floods detained him for several days in a most uncomfortable state of affairs. He would probably have been in starvation straits, but for the foresight (as regards provisions and tent equipage) of the District Survey Chief. It was perhaps wholesome discipline (for the public) that the person of the Honorable Minister of Land should be subjected to rough treatment from the weather while afield on the “waste lands” of his own Department. Should the road really not be opened out for through traffic this summer, it is earnestly to be hoped that some other or the same august personage may again in this upland region be similarly roughly handled by the clerk of the weather.

Our present party having no stern responsible duty to answer for, were not waited upon by the weather clerk in his character the Avenger. The silver moon favored us throughout and carried us clear of dangers. This second day in the bush, however, was very fatiguing. In one place we were fairly arrested in our progress in a most profane locality. On one hand the trees were all “ blasted,” while on the other a mountain torrent had been completely “damned” up, obliterating the track, while our torn garments showed that the “ devil in the bush ” was pretty well master of the situation. In New Zealand travelling, owing to the density of the overgrowth it is at all times advisable and indeed necessary, to “ keep on the track ” where there is a track to be seeu. One is, therefore, compelled to “follow the multitude,” but nevertheless we are fain to keep on the “straight and narrow path.” Again taking advantage of the moonlight we pushed our way onwards and reached the seacoast at Omaramutu about 9 o’clock; having travelled between forty and fifty miles on each of these two days. How we were provided for that evening, and why we left early next morning to go seven miles along the beach to Opotiki to get a comfortable breakfast from our old friend Eaglish of the Royal, need not be invidiously exemplified. The “town district” of Opotiki is a very beautiful place. The fertility of the valley is, probably, unrivalled in the island, and the industry of its settlers is certainly not excelled. They go in tor production, in which they are well backed up by the great fertility of their clayey loams and the protective (retrogressive ?) tariff of the Colony. How long will the carters of Auckland tamely submit to pay the maize growers of Opotiki a tax of one shilling per bushel towards the aggrandisement and comfort of the latter? However let these settlers make hay while the sun shines and grow maize on all their acres, till the maize consumers of the Colony begin to cry out for cheap horse-feed, and until a regenerated legislature shall cast off the slough of ages, and awake to righteousness between man and man.

From Opotiki to Whakatane is a pleasant beast ride of twenty miles. Here a barbarous carnival was in progress. The Native Land Court being in full session, the foundations of society were shaken, and the population, increased ten or twenty-fold was en fete. My object being to reach Auckland, I took shipping in the little steamer Staffa, which conveyed its freight of men and goods to Tauranga in eight hours. Here is the only ship harbor worthy of the name, to be found on the coast between Auckland and Wellington. A pleasant and progressive borough is provided with two wharves, approachable by the larger class of coasting steamers. A detention of twenty-four hours here took place, awaiting the advertised time of the Glenelg for Auckland. At that time, however, the Glenelg was not to be found, she having departed in the opposite direction to ship cattle at Ohiwa for the Auckland market. The local agent of the Northern Steam Company, therefore, shipped us human cattle in the little Staffa to be transhipped on the open ocean, or else to go back to Ohiwa, where we would, if we reached that port alive, get on board the Glenelg to take us to Auckland. There was a very large company of us. most of us being bound on the “compulsory travel,” which “Victoria,” &c., &c., had enjoined on us at our peril not to fail to undertake. The Staffa is authorized by the Marine Department to carry fifteen passengers at sea ; nevertheless, we numbered fifty, and we had a night voyage to perform on the broad waters of the Bay of Plenty. We had on board, exlegislators, men of reverence and of worship, many commercial men, and several high Government officials.

Fortunately, however, we had no responsible Minister on board to draw down the wrath of Heaven for this daring infringement of the navigation laws. We had, therefore, fine calm weather. It is true that the little Staffa is licensed to carry fifty-nine passengers, on what is, by an warrantable abuse of the English language, designated by the “marines’ (or Marine Department) “ extended river limits.” Now this is an expression that “no fellah cun understand.” Unless that chphuism signifies an estuary, then it means something unknown to geography, or indeed to the earth’s surface, and known only and fit only to be told to the “ marines ” —that is the Colonial Marine Department. And. oh, school boy ! of what river is the Bay of Plenty an extension. Many rivers indeed flow into its sea line, which is of perhaps 150 miles in length, but no one of them would be willing to accord to the other that the Bay its the “ extension or estuary of anyone particular stream. Probably the rivers Whakatane, Matata, Maketu are the only ones in any sense navigable, and their particular estuaries do not extend beyond their several bars, in no case proceeding into teat part of the Pacific Ocean known as the Bay of Plenty. To depict the discomforts of this night voyage would require a graphic pen. In the little cabin (provided with 6 beds) were a dozen or more of human beings lying in uneasy postures of unreast. On the deck were squatted as many more, overcome by sleep. A horse and some porcine voyagers occupied the fourth part of the deck space, whach was further blocked up by our luggage, while above twenty more of us kept in as perpendicular a position as possible from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m., when we were transhipged into the Glenelg within Ohiwa harbor. During the night that vessel had embarked some fifty head of fat bovine cattle, which, being the property of men of political influence, and of bank directors, took—in the eyes of a money-loving steam company—precedence of us poor human cattle, most of whom were compelled by law’ to go to Auckland, and risk our lives to the greed and commercial flunkeyism of this steam boat company. To make matters Worse, the Staffa sailed without her master, who went as pilot in the Glenelg, and with only one of her two small bouts, the other having also been taken away bv the larger Vessel. We reached Auckland wharf on the night of Saturday the 30th Sept., at halfpast eleven, having t.--k■*»» 28 hours from T <nr whereas the direct pausage takes only ah m. half that time. Au mcuUug of

the passengers was held on board as we neared Auckland, but no united action w’as determined upon. There are, however, some «50 highly respectable witnesses capable of testifying to the truth of the above allegations, as to what may happen to a man who is by the highest sanctions compellek to travel whether by sea or land.