PROGRESS OF WHANGAMOMONA.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 March 1918, Page 8

PROGRESS OF WHANGAMOMONA.

OPEXIXG OF XKW SALE YARDS. The opening of the nesv aale yards in Uie Uhauguiaoiuoiia township ou Friday marked a di.;tii:ct step in the progress of the township. Some years ago sales wed to be held in yards situate about a couylo of miles from Yvhangamomona, but for the past two or three year.; sales have not been held nearer than Kolmralaisi. For some time past settle.'.s have Teen working in the direction o* cslaWUhing yard,t in the township, as it was felt that Yv'hangamomoiia, as the natural centre of a largo pastoral district, should have this convenience. The settler;., therefore, formed ft Wbangainoraoaa Farmers' Saleyards Association. with a strong committee, comprising •Messrs D. Prollitt (chairman), M. (ieever, C. Marsh, C. Grant (secretary), and 11. W. Bovis (treasurer). This committee set to work enthusiastically. An acre of land was obtained 011 Pleaslint Terrace, oil" Prospect Road, within a Quarter of a. mile of the centre of the town. The Stratford auctioneers were interviewed, and with subsidies from Messrs Newton King and the N.Z. Loan imd Mercantile Co., the settlers built the yards literally, for labor was so scarce that they actually did the work themselves, and it says a great deal for their energy that the whole 'work of erection was done in a fortnight. The yards at present comprise 3D sheep and 10 cattle pens, and there is further room {or extension. The posts are of totara, and the rails for the cattle pens of two-inch timber, the sheep pens being one-ineh. Broad footways are provided f° r the tattle pens. The yards are situated on a strip of fairly level land —level land is scarce in W'banganiomona—and are completely surrounded bv hills. There was a line yarding both of sheep nr.d cattle, all the pens being fully occupied. Sheep totalled iiOOO, and all came front the district which makes Whangamomona its centre, showing the capabilities of the district. There was a large attendance of settlers and buyers I (rom outside at the opening sale, which 1 was conducted by Mr. Newton King and the, X.Z. Loan and Mercantile Agency Co. conjointly, and it is said that this was (he first occasion on wihch those two firms have operated together in a yard sale. There was very ,little ceremonial at Hie opening. Mr. fl cover, on behalf of |he committee, hrielly remarked that the .iistrict. had had saleyards previously,hut nat really in the township. They now 11 a.I them and intended to keep then). The occasion was rather unique, inasmuch as it was probably the first time Hint settlers and auctioneers had combined to erect yards. When the auctioneers were fu'st approached they were iloubtl'nl about the matter, but 011 the imputation placing particulars before llicm they had helped much better than I lie settlers had expected. It had been rather a rush to get the yards ready, but they had succeeded. The splendid yarding and gathering of the public proved that their confidence had not been misplaced, ami he hoped that members of the association would stick to the yards. Mr. IT. L. Abraham, Stratford manager for Mr. Newton King, apologised for the aTisenee of his principal, who liarf to attend a most-important meeting cf the Xew Plymouth Harbor Board, of ivhic'a be was chairman. Botn Mr. Hewitt, manager of the Xew Zealand Loan mid .Mercantile Co., and himself were surprised to see such line yard;. He had no idea that the Settlers' -Association ivpuld erect such, yards. Referring to t'nc sheep' and stock yarded, he would say without exaggeration that they were Llit; finest lie had seen this season. When the deputation first waited on his firm For financial assistance he was not too sanguine about the success of the yards nor too enthusiastic about giving help, owing lo llicir closeness to Kohuratahi, but the deputation were armed with figures and persuaded them in. The settlers, he considered, owed a great debt of gratitude to that * committee which had persuaded them to erect such yards. In conclusion he expressed the hope that they would get busy in bidTing. Mr- W. TT. F. Young, auctioneer, on behalf of Mr. Hewitt, who was present but was suffering from a cold, bore out (be previous speaker. The settlers, (bough assisted to a slight extent by the auctioneers, had helped themselves and bore the Mjnrcst part of the burden. The stock reflected credit on the district. He had not seen better anywhere, most of the sheep being top r.otchers. Buyers from all parts were present, he said, and lie urged vendors not to stick too much to the reserve, but to put their stuff in the market and give the district a name, and so induce buyers from outside to continue to come. They would thus do well, ''and.'' he added, "we would make a bit, too." (Laughter.) The auctioneers then tossed, and '■Hick'' Cottier winning, he had the hoonr of selling the first pen in the yard, a line of 4-tooth ewes owned by Mr. Proffitt and purchased at 2-13 2d' by Mr. R. TT. Phillips. The auctioneers then sold alternately, it having been arranged that clients of either firm could buy stock submitted by the other auctioneer, the matter to be adjusted afterwards. Bidding was brisk throughout, practically everything being sold at satisfactory prices, though some lines showed a decline from a month ago. Buyers from I Tariki, Matau, Douglas, and Toko were the principal purchasers. It was nearly 5 p.m. when the sale concluded, and after tea at the Yvhangamomona Hotel a start was made for Stratford per motor car. The road is now in fair condition, though some of the unmetalled portions are rather rough, and Stratford was reached after a pleasant run of slightly over 2'/ ( hours, the ear in which the writer travelled, a Dodge driven hv Mr. If. L. Abraham, proving equally at 'home whether on the unmetalled, metalled, or asphalted portion of the road.