A Visit to Whangarei and Puhipuhi.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 480, 14 June 1890, Page 5

A Visit to Whangarei and Puhipuhi.

The settlers in the northern districts of Auckland have long been regarded, whether justly or not, as being somewhat indolent and unenterprising communities. Knowing a good deal about the North and the difficulties those who settled there have had to contend with, I am not inclined to agree entirely with this populat opinion. There lias been good pioneering work done in tho North which many of those who so glibly sneer at its inhabitants as a “sleepy lot ” would be utterly incapable of accomplishing. However that may be, the discovery of silver deposits in the Puhipuhi Forest has roused up the Whangarei people to unwonted exertions in the direction of taking steps to make the manifold resources of their part of tho country known to the public of Auckland, with a view of enlisting the support of the press and of the Auckland members to a scheme for extending the railway line from Kamo, through Hikurangi, to a point near the border of the Puhipuhi. AN INVITATION.

The Puhipuhi Railway League accordingly recently invited certain of the Auckland members and representatives of the Auckland daily press to visit the district in order to become personally acquainted with its agricultural, mineral and other resources. Your representative in pursuance of this invitation left Auckland per s.s. Wellington on the 30th ulb., arriving at Whangarei Railway Wharf early next morning. Not a single Auckland member pub in an appearance in response to the invitation, but the two press representatives were met and cordially welcomed by the joint secretaries of the League : Messrs Buckhurst and G. Clark Walker, Mr W. E. Barton, manager of the local branch of the Bank of New Zealand, and several other influential members of tho League. ALAS! THEY COULD NOT COME. The chief reason assigned for the non-ac-ceptance of the invitation by the Auckland members was the near approach of the session, bub it seems a pity that none of them could show sufficient interest in the development of a district which in natural resources is one of the richest in the North, by making a special effort to visit V hangarei as requested on this occasion. Their neglect to do so gives colour to the accusation often brought against our city and suburban representatives that they care little about acquainting themselves with public requirements outside the boundaries of their immediate constituencies. ORANGES AND LEMONS. Soon after arrival we were comfortably installed at the Settlers’ Hotel, where M and Mrs Pierce, as "host and hostess,, were kindness itself during the whole period of our stay. Frequent and heavy southwesterly squalls of wind and rain made it inadvisable to start for Puhipuhi that day, which was spent in discussing the subject of the railway extension, and in being driven in the afternoon by Host Pierce to view Mr Dobie’s famed orange orchard. Mr Dobie received us most courteously, and we feasted our eyes upon the sight "of hundreds of lemon, citron, and orange trees bending down with a weight of green and golden fruit. The season’s crop of oranges is now ripening fast, and some idea of the extent of the plantation may be gathered when we say that Mr Dobie expects to market between now and October next no less than ten tons of fruit, the weight of oranges sold by him last season being seven tons. Almost the whole of his crop is disposed of in Wellington and other Southern markets, where there are no shipments of Island oranges, as in Auckland, to compete with the New Zealand fruit. To give our readers a proof of the profits to be gained by the systematic culture of citrus fruits, we may mention, as we were informed by Mr Dobie, that he realised no less than £2O from tho sale of the product of twelve trees of the Mammoth lemon last year. The first planted of his orange trees are about eight years old, and the dark green of their luxuriant foliage, as well as their fruit-laden branches, bear ample testimony to the unremitting care and attention bestowed upon the plantation. Between the trees the ground is kept stirred and perfectly free from weeds, and the result is vigorous, healthy, and prolific trees. Mr Dobie’s chief trouble is the “collar-rot,” which is a disease affecting the bark of orange or lemon trees close to and immediately below the surface of the soil. If neglected, this disease causes the decay of a ring of bark round the base of the tree, which, of course, is thus killed. Mr Dobie, however, finds that by an application of sulphur and lime he can cure nearly every case of “ collar-rot,” and consequently does not dread the disease as much as formerly. A PIONEER SETTLER. From here we drove to the residence of Mr J. I. Wilson, where we saw some finelygrown olive trees loaded with green and ripening fruit. Mr Wilson is a fine specimen of the New Zealand country gentleman, who, in his present comfortable circumstances and charming homestead, reaps the reward of the hard work and rough experiences that fall to the lot of an early settler in a new colony.

LOCAL INDUSTRY.

We also inspected the handsome new premises, almost completed, ol the Colonial Bank, which have been erected on a corner allotment opposite the Bank of New Zealand. This building is interesting from the fact that, excepting the nails, the whole of the materials and workmanship are of local production. ' The walls of the front office are of varnished kauri, in alternate panels set diagonally of dark and light waved timber, the effect being quite novel and pleasing. The counter is four feet wide and formed of one solid piece of kauri cut to form a curve, and flanked at each end by an upright panel of polished totara beautifully marked, being cut out of a large knot. The foundations are of concrete made of Ljjfcie3tone Island cement, which was accepted by the architect as being equal to the Portland article required by the specifications. (To be Continued. )