THROUGH THE BACKWOODS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 115, 6 May 1908, Page 4

THROUGH THE BACKWOODS

TIIE .MKMltlil! l'uli ECJIONT.

CALLING l,ro\ iijs; CONSTITUENTS.

\ uja-iUtuL'iiu ot ;i ciiv seal entail- no great inconvenience, sacrifice, or of time upon the citv M.t\ An ui' to-date motor-car. a bicyile. or peraji" a pair u, oays, will lake the member the round;) of hi* coiistiiuen; k in an ordinary afternoon. Sueh a tour. howeit»r, he generally considers unneces-

sary, substituting lor it the pleasure or honor of his presence at the majority "f church meetings and present*:!'ion ot prize., at tin: schools. Nor is * a particularly strenuous undertaking ■r the representative of the peonlc in he majority of the electorates i'» appear before lik con-tiiueuU during the recess. A -ports meeting, banquet, -choul concert, opening of a bridge. 01 the christening of triplets. all iU iy of these «iu be made an excuse for having a chat with the people who exercise the tote?, or tor talking Parliamentary platitude* to an a-semblage of the ** free and independent" electors. Not so, however, with the real " Iwckblock*"' lueinWr. *lo do his round of calk occupies not an afternoon, a day. a week or even a mouth. Th,. travelling can not be done amid tlie comforts of a tir.sk elass -uioker on the railway. \h*v automobile or eyde. or even in an ordinary conveyance Mich a* a baggy or a gig. To call upon th 0 rieUl«T*"'in >uch an electorate as that of Egmont means that the gentleman who earn> IoUO a year as its representative must be away from his home for six or eight weeks at a time, making hw way upon hor>e back over tracks that scarce deserve tbe name of road-, going for miles with out seeing a hou-e, and arriving by night at some hospitable settler's homestead or one ot the many accommodation hoiLseu, thoroughly tired, travelstained, and weary, Such a man fully earni hU Parliamentary honorarium. Indeed, if the city member can honestly be said to earn his C3OO a year, the remuneration for the more dillicult travelling, greater self-sacriliee and physical exertion of the backblocks M.P. is deserving of much greater recompense. At present we are concerned with the recent journeying* of Mr. \V. T. Jennings, iLP. for Kgmout. through the Taranaki backblocks. whither he ha-» again wended his way to >tudy the conditions and hear at first hand the needof his constituents. He returned on Friday to hW home, and had at onc« to wade into a great pile of correspond encc, to which replies had to lie sent before anything el-e could receive at tentiob. Having emerged from this, he had a moment to -pare for the übiquitous interviewer, for whom he >ketche< his wanderings in the Taranaki hinterland. Mr. Jennings left here at the end ol March for Auckland, and after spendinf a day or two at Kotorua. traveile< through N'ailii. Paeroa, and To Arolia right on to Te Kuiti, where he spew four dav»». TK KI'ITI

' is a town whti-h ha- extraordinary I progre--> in the past four y<*nr-. Busi- ! ne*s premises are being rushed up at a ! great rate. ami there U wonderful activity in tin* tmilding trade. Stock* raiding in the di-trict is a great indu>try. and at 'ie Kuiti -aleyards larg? numbers of eat tip from many miles. round aw submitted to tlio hammer. A sale was in prngre-> there during Mr. Jennings' visit, and uo fewer than 2000 head were sold, price* l>eing generally in favour of the sellers. The potentialities of the district as stock-raising

country are evidently appreciated by tli ( > bu>ine-s men. for although there are already two auctioneering lirms operating in the district—the New Zealand j and Mercantile Agency Co. and i the Mer,«r-. McXieol—another large tirm of Messrs. Dalgetv & Co., nre purchasing premises and opening business in the town. Sale day i- a busy day at Te Kuiti. and for day* U»fore it accommodation i- exceedingly difficult to obtain, from thirty to forty

"-hake-downs" being fashioned at eacli of the two accommodation houses. Even at ordinary times it is as- well for the i, traveller to bespeak his bed. One ot the boarding-house* has regularly eighty t people at the mid-day meal. This extraordinary progress of Te Kuiti. which \ Mr. Jennings knew as a Maori kaing* only four or live year- ago. i- cited by r him ;»•« an instance «>f the marvellous development of the King Couutrv. The • district i- h"ing opened up in all direet ti-'O. by a lot of tir*-t-c!ass practical r -etTW-. on holding-. In fact, ii - !»■ "l.tiTiir- iir- the idea-ing nile. the cveption b-ing ihu the Maoris in some f j ra-r* 'e.'-e 'hen land- in huge blocks. - li.»f»»rring aHie township. Mr. i. Jenning- -aid there are at preseut in einiN' uf eon-traction a new railway station and good- -li» «1 and by the . Public Work- Department a building for the r»nad* Department, a new court-hou-e. and tdock inspectors residence: whilst a new po-t oflice is contemplated. Thus, in a very •uliort time, there will Iv greatly increased facilities for the townspeople, fanner-, their stock, and the travelling piiMi<- nliWe. TAIMAItAXU. The -ante remarks apply to Tauniar:-:-nui. where the alteration in four years or -o fr<mi a Maori villag,. to a flourishing township is very striking. Buildings are in progress in all directions, whilst the Railway Department is now providing a new station and better facilities for handling *tock. timber, ant otln>r poods. 1 here ha- Wen a marvellous development of the timber trad" around thi- district, there being full-' a dozen sawmills within a radius of ten miles of Taumaranni. Only three miles distant is j which ha* sprung up in the laH two i or three years, and is now a centre of the timber industry. Manunui is three j mile? from Taumnranui on the railway I line. Wellington people have two saw-' mills working, and there is a large one belonging to Kllis & linrnand. So great ii the timl>cr traffic that special trainmust be run at night and on Sundays to enable the Department to cope with it. OFF THE RAILWAY. Mr. Jennings spent three weeks in travelling through the outlying district, pacing through Hatanui '(South Kawhia). Mairou. aim up the Mangaotaki to Mahoenui; thenc e through Aria and Kaeaea on to Maugapapa. addressing -♦veral meeting- en route. From Mangafiapa lie passed on through Matieiv to Mangaroa. Ihi r town-liip preseutcd all the appearance* of a prosperous bush town, aud the fact of its having a metalled road right through the district on buth -idiv- of the bridge made it quit" a pleasure to remain there a few days.-, dear of the mud. Mangaroa, in his opinion, will ahvay- !*.- a good town. loe •••ttlerr around there appear to be a good lot. mo-t of them hailing from Painter-ton North. Mangaweka, Woodville. and further »outh.

i XKoßTcvvn-; T.m\ Tatu .Mr. .leiming, described as the extreme out lying .-ettle nt of tin- Tatu district, and a place that is most un fortunately circumstanced. Tin; tplcplione is not yet Uicrc. The -tlio'jl n .»]<>;> Wliare, in-iillii-icntly li-rhti: I and :>adly ventilated. S-j lu<l ,hv ilie 'l'iiditi.iju «-\i-tin» that -ni-ml .-i.il<lr-n liavv had tu leave -■■liiiul lining t" -tr.iin.-d ,m.l falling inlu |,,i,| . ii.altli. Mr. .leiiniii;.-- -aw a doctur'- | ivrlili ,r. -latin- thai tlk- ,-tnime.l ey. t .il:-i kid 11 rlt nt -iihii' eliihiivn v ■!" tiir>-< lly ai tri'-n:.tlil«* in the far-! thai 111 •• y |l.hi lncn in a altogether nn-iiilahk- lor the |inr|«,-e. Till- po-ili"H was I .iWniir. mi doubt. bv the rearrangement "! Imhtii !ari.'- f**«n 1 li«* Anr|J;'iid aM,{ luranaki (!"ard- iijinn (!..< h'TllhltinH C.l" t lie W>\\ U.lhoiMo c-r.ijttl. Hie telejdl'.lle WOtlM ll.ivi' U'.'H 1 tn*n||M 11 Jm" lata ini 1 t im«* under oidinary j - n-M«»!iry w ; i~ j>l;irn! <im i : li.. in..;(.<• • .Mi'{ iii-' >\ «»i L I ''lit ll'f 'l' « <• i 1114' -rtt ler«. to ili'vi-

l!" I In- v[,t !':u "111 "d : ln> I >«■)».111 in*'!! r irmti ; !k 11-»I;• - j iirnntrh. In \l;i|>.i]>;t. !i • tin 11-' XV -''in h >1 t<»r I lII' TiU.l- I •vilvi I'hmml n| l.y 11m- hildirWork. I>']';irtniciit. It a fir-U-!;i-~ ! uiMinj:. l»m <■ i it i- On -mail t.. in**** 1 and it um-t !.<■ »*nlarg**d. jft'iHTiilly «»n rdii'atinn nt.iticc-. \fr. .li-iuiirij:- itat»>d tiiat in.M ..t I ii,. . rtM-tcti in f>arlr dm-| in.- i!it> ]m-1 lu<» * *r liin-f .wm, lim--111»m<1 v Ihvii Mtit»rovii l«y tli»* (

tiom. I THE LAND UUNCEU. " In regard to the demand for laud, it is extraordinary. I had an instance brought under my notice." said the member for Eguiout. *' where a ii-ycaiV lease of a township ejection at Te Kuiti, purchased three or four years ago for £lO or £l2, was sold lor as much as tion. Taumaranui reports similar transactions. Farming hunk are equally nought after, and bush farms, occupied for only three or tour \ears, are selling at £ll 10s per acre. There are l.i.p. sections, too.

THE FAK-MEK'S JUNK. Mr. Jennings noticed that the blackberry was already making its appearance in the district. He had endeavoured to impress upon the settlers the necessity for crushing it out. the alternative being that the blackberry would eventually crush them out. hi some parts, too, lie noticed a considerable number of rabbits. Notwithstanding that the farmers were laying poison, "bunny" was on the iucrca-e. espe-i----ally oil the larger areas ol unoccupied lawk. "The only remedy, in my opinion. is closer settlement." added M.\ Jenuings.

KOADS AND IllillKiKS. He had been disappointed l<» noiic 1 hut tile Te Kuiti-Mahoeiiiii ami Un-.i-ruhe-Mangaroa main road- where uumetalled—were in a wnr-e siale Ihait he had seel) them for lour or Jive years. Thi- liad been occasioned by the tact-' that trnHie had doubled with the rapid growth of settlement, and that all th' desires and ell'ort H of the road engineers j to on had l>een by the diMiculty—or the impossibility—of getting sullicient lal>our. Settlers were pleased at the announcement of the Premier that an additional €2»it),o(H) would be provided for roading this year. Bridges had been delayed, also, by ihe fact that the timlier mills had been unable to fill the orders. *ueh was the demand for timber. A case in point was the bridge over the Mangapapa. near Matiere. lint, speaking generally, a vast amount of good work had been dune in the past few year# in regard to roading, notwithstanding great dinicultie> 111

grading through bush and broken country. A very substantial bridge ha l Ih'cu erected over the Mohan leading into Aria, and it would be ollicially opened about the middle of this month. It was a lirst-cla-s structure, which was bound to be of the greate-t l onvenieni to the settlers of Aria and Jotoro. -There is no doubt whatever that the future of the northern district of Taranaki and the nouth of Auckland is assured." said Mr. •Jennings. '"Uetter loading means reduced cost of living, and a great improvement, in the condition of the settlers. At present they are paying, in some ease*. Co per ton lor the cartage of their provisions/' A "MIXED" SCHOOL.

Reverting to educational matters. Mr. •Jennings said that at 'J'aiiniaranui on. Thursday last ho was deputationiscd by altout forty ladies, who complained bitterly that there was n<> Board school there. The present school was a mixel school, for Maori and pakeha, and they stated that the standard.- taught weiv not equal to those in the Hoard's school-. A number of children had )>een sent to Auckland to be educated. Apart irom

thiti there were other rea>on- which rendered it desirable that the request of the womenfolk of Taumaranni for a Board school should be acceded to. He advised them to ]x?tition the Hon. Minister of Education aud the Auckland Education Hoard.

A visit wa- paid to Matapuna and Kakahi. where the IJovernnumt luis n sawmill of its own —"the best thing

they ever did in that country," remarked

Mr, Jennings. '\Now thev get tiiuiier a»> and when they want it, and they get the best, at that. Alter touching at Uaurimu. where the famous "spiral"' is located; he visited Erua. and travelled over the new section of the Main Trunk which opened last Friday, lie noticed great progress since his previous vi*it in January last, and lie was assured by sonic of the workmen that the Makatoto viaduct would be finished in four or five weeks. As showing the progress made on the viaduct, ltc mentioned that some of thccoaih passengers walk-

Ed over three-quarters of its length. The actual distance Iwlween the railheads wa-s now ten miles, although by coach

route fifteen miles had to be traversed. Messrs Jjoitch and Furkert, the resident

engineers, were doing all in I heir power to push forward the completion of the Main Trunk line, so that it could he

opened at the <mul of the year. Then was no doubt- in Mr. Jenning-' mind that thir would he accomplished. Horopito.

which wa> covered with torot a couple of years ago. is now all cleared, and the Government sertion- are to be ottered for selection very -oon. TJii-town-hip. he was sure. h:is a good future. Time did not jiennil of visiting ohakune and Ilaetihi. which are inelnded in the new Taumaranni electoral", for which Mr. Jennings will be a candidate at next general election. A BUSH POET.

"Whilst out there I struck a bus!) poet." said Mr. Jennings. "He had evidently pipped deeply from the Pirean spring, and his mns 0 had become very popular in the newly-settled districts. I'll give you a couple of sample verse*: Ten 30 miles from Nowhere, Jsy a road that's ou the map, Where the bush is wild and thick-

Vou will strike a new-cloared gap. There will be a puiiga whare, And a bearded fellow, who Drops his axe and growls "Good morning," As he turns aud -stares at you. Jjook at him, and „top and ponder— He's a mingy cockatoo.

Who has fell the mighty forests, Ploughed the or n :<n«l burnt the flax, Cleared away the stumps and rubbish, Formed the roads and cut the tracks, Made your boasted butter merchants, P.uilded up your meat exports, Wrought the trad u that raised your eitiee, With their shipping ami your pork'! Look around you, pause and ponder. Think it over; it is trueHe's the maker of your country, Is the mingy cockatoo!

Mr Jennings substitutes the ••mighty 1 cockatoo for the "mingy" cockatoo, and instead of "growling 'good morning,' * ; -ay- that the dweller in the backwoods usually smiles his welcome, and i* hospitable to a degree.