TAUMARUNUI.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 August 1915, Page 6

TAUMARUNUI.

SOME IMPRESSIONS,

(By a Taranaki Farmer.)

Having recently been ov a visit to the Taumarunui district, perhaps my impressions may be of interest to readers. Certain it is that a visit to t'lic district offers many opportunities of noting many things that, taken as a whole, are a drawback to progress. In the first place, I was assured that the land being Maori lease was not encouraging to a white man to devote energy and cash in improvement, and so on. That may be. but as far as conditions go—that is as regards living a comfortable life according to the allotted span of the human —I cajmot see why aOS years' lease is any different to a freehold. From what I noticed regarding the growing qualities of tin: sccn vegetables that would rank as 01 i - usi " class merit in what are recognised as garden spots in New Zealand —parsnips, turnips, onions, etc., that I'm sure would hardly take second place to the crops turned out. from tile country in the vicinity of Cliri.--.tchurc.h, and, though winter time, tJ>- cocksfoot and clovers save evidence of prolific growth. lam assured that the district sutlers from severe frosts. They do not, evidently, affect the growth of important crops, and I venture to predict that, once grasped, the potentialities of the district will surprise niSny. In regard to fruit culture. those who have tackled it in a small way are quite satisfied that something will eventuate -in the future. Taumarunui on a Saturday night presents a very business-like appearance, trains from the north and from the south being filled with the residents of the smaller centres, who make the river town their market place. Manumii, which is four miles from Taumarunui, recently suffered a loss by fire of an important adjunct to the dairy business—tiie box factory belonging to Messrs Ellis and Burnand having been destroyed. The new building, almost completed while I was there, is being fitted with concrete walls as protection against future accident. Mechanics were at work renovating valuable machinery that had been damaged, but which, it appears, can be made use of. One in which I was particularly interested was called the "Linderman," the use of which enables small pieces of timber (otherwise waste) to be dovetailed to the required width of a but-ter-box, the work being done in such a manner that the join is hard to detect. This one piece of mechanism is an object of interest to all who note how the tiaiDt-r supply of the Dominion is fast disappearing." Soiling machines, printing machines—in fact, machinery of all description had been in use before the fire and are to be installed again. Regarding the sawmill proper the benches are of the eye-opening order to those aepust-omed to what obtained in Taranaki a few years back, and as one who

'Mill a turn" at the game, 1 cannot hell) but wonder how it is that tin 1 slow and expensive method was held in vogue so long. Matai. totara and white pine, and (((rationally a I'imu are the timbers manipulated, and 1 fan >ale!y .state that wo in Taranaki Lave left in the liu.-n avl clearinjK thousands of trees as being; of no use which in the Manunui disti'iet would be as first-class milling stuff. So rmieli for the old method and the new!

Adjoining the box factory the veneering works are in full swing, and I under, stand they a™ the only works of the kind in Xew Zealand. White pine logs are brought to the landing from the busk six miles or so away, and are eut to certain block lengths by means of a cross-cut saw operated by steam. The block's are subjected to a period in a steam house, and when sufficiently treated are put through a machine, each revolution of which takes off a thin sheet of wood nearly approaching tissue paper in thickness. When dried these sheets are cut in spherical shapes, and wired into certain numbered bundles and used in cheeseries instead of the old-time cheese cloths. The rimu came away in extremely thin sheets about 3ft Gin long anil nearly the samp measurement in width. They were cut to certain sizes, thence transferred to a drying machine. After being dried sufficiently they are treated in another room to a process whereby three sheets are glued together, making a three-ply. v.iii: li. I was informed, is largely used in furniture mailing. and many other uses. The Pukcweka Company also have a large sawmill in Manunui, but the machinery is not of the up-to-date variety as noticed in the E. and B. concern, but the output of totara, etc., of all sizes is very large. This company also have a large mill about five or six miles away, failed the Puuga Punga, and the locomotives bring the sawn timber down as well as logs. Both companies use the same railway. The loads brought by tile companies' own locomotives are very large, one which particularly took my notice being of 10 trucks, on which in several instances were two and sometimes three huge logs in cases 40 to 50ft long. I noticed that the little loco, called the ''Xikau," and once used by the Xew Plymouth Sash and Door Co. at their Tariki mill some years ago, was in commission at the Pukemeka mill.

A matter that is causing a deal or comment amongst white people is the number of Indian coolies that have taken residence in the Taumarunui district, the number being also gradually increased periodically. It was solemnly stated that there must be considerably over 700 already, but I cannot vouch for that number. There's a large host of them, that T am sure of, and the manner in whir-h they are intermixTiTg with the native races caused representations to lie made to the Government as to the seriousness of the question, but nothing seems to have been done.

The monopoly of the river traffic. —Tt appears as if tlierc is a need of investigation wills a view of nationalising the waterway of the Wangamii. A district containing a l>ig working population, an,l a district, which ha? a future before it should not be left for exploitation at the 'hands of any company, ami the f!o----vernment that will take in hand the proper encouragement of the worker* to become permanent settlers will do a lasting good to the whole country. The drink <|iie-tion is another matter that needs a radical overlook, and from what I have ,-cen in so short a time, and from information given by trustworthy persons. T cannot help but state that the absence of retail 'public-houses in the whole of the Taumarunui district lias disastrous results. H may have been wise policy in years gone by to prohibit alcohol in the territory, but every law at times needs revision on account of economic changes, and that. T maintain, applies at the present time. What is the use of having a ''supposed restric- < tion'' when any man may bring to his house a case of whisky for home consumption, when a man can by arrangement with his friends use their names .and get five or six cases in, who is going to oheok the sale thereof at exorbitant

prices'; Occasionally we hear of a slygrogger getting nabbed, and it's because he gets a bit careless, but the amount of the traffic is disgraceful. Far better have an open sore than the ''something'' under thy surface. [ have in six hours seen 'ore men under the influence of drink u the streets of Taumarumii tlian I luiu. seen in Nov,' Plymouth ia teu days; i have seen men rush out of restaurants when a train whistle was heard and heard the query, "AVhat train is this? Is it the whisky train 1" Incontestable proof was given me that men (they call themselves such) mix methylated spirits and cold tea in a whisky bottle and replace the carefullyremoved capsule and retail to the poor devil who will have fire-water at 16s and 2iis a bottle. I have it on firsthand authority that two men died from the effects of sucJi concoctions in a mill a small distance in tile country. Though personally in favor of national prohibition, and I look upon the local phase as sheer humbug, and the example at Tauui»juiia; she\y.s the L.u. , = ju u .slaying manner. 1 have instances of a man being lined a very large amount for slygrog selling, and the same day he was lined disposing of several bottles at £1 apiece, and it was an open boast (made with a laugh) that So-and-So would clear his fine in a week! And who suffers? 1 maintain that the biggest bump to the sale of damnable concoctions that ruin a man's system, his pocket, his wile's and his children's wellbeing, would be in opening up recognised buildings for the sale of legitimate liquor in a legitimate way.

Another matter that needs close attention is the gambling under the ''twoup" system, which flourishes t« an alarming extent and which will need drastic treatment to put under. The hold this Sunday pastime has upon those who work hard during I,lie week is evidenced by the. fact that men cannot spend a few minutes on a railway platform waiting for a train but that they must toss the pennies. Notwithstanding the efforts of the police, who are beaten every time, the game goes merrily on, and a certain spot on the Wanganui's bank's is hammered as hard as concrete by. the feet of dozens of men and boys who. at. times, in a few minutes have lost the product of their week s labor. Men have in a few minutes transferred a fortnight's wages and their families practically reduced to starvation through this cursed habit