The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1916. TAIHAPE AND THE CENSUS.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 219, 10 November 1916, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1916. TAIHAPE AND THE CENSUS.

(With which is incorporated The Taihape Post and Waimarino News).

The complete census returns are not yet to hand, but ample has already been made public to indicate that the rush of progress Taihape has become noted for is still continuing. The population of the borough in 1911 was 1577; in 1914 it was estimated by the Government statistician at 1874; the returns of the census just taken disclose that it is very close on the 2000, and undoubtedly would have been but fori the loss of men who have joined the reinforcements. The exact figures are 1927, making Taihape by far the largest and most prosperous town in the large and rich counties of Rangitikei and Waimarino. The real advancement of Taihape can be best shown, perhaps, by comparing it with the old town of Marton, which came into existence as a borough in the year 1879, and when it is realised that Taihape was not constituted a borough till 1906 its wonderful progress will clearly indicate the value of the immense territory of which it is now the capital town and the centre. The 1911 census returns first definitely disclosed that Taihape was leaving Marton hopelessly behind in the race of progress and population, and now the 1916 returns show that the ratio of advancement has been well maintained, the lead over Marton in 1910 being nearly double that of 1911. The figures are conclusive that the position of Taihape in the county and territory is better calculated to ser.ve, and become the storehouse, depot and outlet of the hundreds of miles of rich hinterland than Marton is, and this is further emphasised in the fact that the wool alone going from Taihape and the small stations in the district last year reached the value of nearly half a million of money. Then a thriving little centre is springing up around the re-cently-erected freezing wonks, erected last year at Winiata, about a mile from Taihape, and although we have not the figures before us of what passed through the works in the first season, the astounding profits made by the company of bona fide farmers of the district, who. erected and own them, together with the fact that the works are now

being doubled in their capacity, for which the fanmer owners readily found the requisite money, is ample evidence that the value of the meat sent from Taihapc was quite in proportion to the output of wool, aud this year with increased capacity the income for meat will be hugely augmented. It is not too much to say that the income of this territory last year was getting well on to three-quarters of a million sterling. So far as the drift of population from the southerai centres of Rangitikei county to Taihape is concerned, it conclusively indicates that this is the natural outlet. In 1911 the population of Marton was 1435; now it is 1050; but Hunterville has gone back very considerably, as in 1911 its residents numbcned 60S, whereas they now number only 555. A similar retrograde move has been made by Mangaweka, whose ' population in 1911 was 494, but the census of 191(5 has reduced it to 390. Whereas Taihape and small centres to the north, with Winiata to the south show corresponding increases. It is surprising and regrettable to see old town districts like Huntenville and Mangaweka on the down grade, but it seems, from the lamentations of several newspapers, that this fall-off in such centres is somewhat general. The Feilding Star comments upon the decrease of population and increase of empty houses in counties and town districts. In the Oroua county there are 92 empty houses, and a like number in the Kiwitea county, and the newspaper says these empty houses point in no unmistakable way to the aggregation of farms that is going on in both these counties. On farming lands may be seen numerous substantial buildings, residencies suitable for families,, now uninhabited, for the simple reason that the land-gnabber has bought up the farms and left no need for the men with families. These empty tenements remain as monuments to the avarice of the aggregator and the stupidity and blindness of oun politicians. Everybody suffers by this but the grabber—country schools are depleted, the business of towns vanishes, and the land ceases to produce as much as it would if morie closely settled. Our contemporary gives some glaring cases of aggregation, one of which may be cited. The Star says: "In the Oroua county one farmen —young, unmarried, apparently healthy and strong —is man-" aging five farms. It is not for us to say this man should be at the front,' but we certainly think he should be compelled by law to disgonge some of his farms to others who can dwell upon and work them. "This is onlyione case cited by our contemporary, but it will clearly bring home to the least thoughtful what must be the ultimate consequence of; the vogue for aggregation that has been set up by our politicians. It is regrettable to find the population rapidly becoming less in such old-estab-lished towns on the Main Trunk line as Hunterville and Mangaweka There must, of course, be some reason for it. What is it? If it is owing to the greed of the aggregaton and the foolishness of the administration, then the people should make this the first and most pressing matter for readjustment. Taihape continues to maintain the rate of progress that set'in some years ago, and with immensely,increasing production, together with the enterprise of its people in meeting the need's of the territory, such as the erection of their own freezing works,, the outlook for the future i s indeed of the very-brightest.