No Place like Taranaki.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7871, 13 July 1905, Page 2

No Place like Taranaki.

AN AWATLXA RESIDENT'S CONVICTION. Mr Norris. of Awatuna. lias returned, says the Kapongn Mirfl. after a trip of n month's duration, during which lv has traversed a large portion of the interior of this Island. He went from N'ew I'l.vniouM.' to Onehunga. and thi/i through to Kotonut. without visiting Auckland. I-Yom H«torua he travelled ovcrlurtl to the East Coast, and on his return journeyed hy couch to Opotiki, Tnurnngn, and various pant's r,f tile Bay 01 I'len<. v district. The land through which he passed was poor, an cxcptioH being found near Opotiki. Tn-

metalled roads made, decent speed impossible. As far as the eye could reach the land was covered with manuka send) and fern. Not 11 blade of grass could be seen. "It wouldn't cany a bullock to a thousand acres" asserted tho visitor from these- parts. Joining the railway again -Mr Norris went night through the Wjiikato country. Tho best farming land he isaw was ilil tho neighbourhood oTTo ;Awamutu, where he mi Mr F. McI'oicm, formerly resident on the Stuart Road. The main trunk, lino passes. h|C thinks, through some uretcht<ily poor country that js not wprlh taking up. Ongaruo is in tlio middle of country of only fair n,,uuntity.

Knrtli-.H- south, however, the Ohura Valley was a marked contrast, som,. splendid ln«l being opened tip. Mr Norris rebuked the assertion that this Taranaki country, cbverod in places with dead timber, had a dreary aspect. "Wait till you go north, where there's lonly manuka seruh, and no stock to liven Up the landscape, then y.ou can talk about dreary." Ho said be had not seen such grass dining his travels as im could see along the Elthuni Road.

'And, how do, you think the Tarana. ki 1.i0.l compare-; with the l>est you have seen in you;r trip north ? " askI'd an interested Malil representative. ''(live me Taranaki, aj-Hd I'm satislied. They can't come near it." was (he reply. "Although they didn't say s-> I'm sure a lot of Taranaki people who sold out a mil went, north would [ike to lie back agaifv." Mr Norris is a practical farmer ol wide experience, and his views as to the value of fanning hind h-re. are interesting as they are reliable.