PROPOSED MOA COUNTY.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 January 1919, Page 3

PROPOSED MOA COUNTY.

.'I ji ; TOUR OF INSPECTION. ' " Yesterday Messrs G. H. Bullard (Commissioner of Crown Lands) and Wilson (district valuer), who have been appointed a commission to take evidence in connection with the proposed Moa Count}', were taken for a tour over the proposed district by members of the Moa Road Board. There were present: Messrs A. Corkill (chairman), D. Todd, T. S. Bowler, J. H. Lyon, J I-limter, and R. Stewart. Mr. S. G. Smith, M.P. for Taranaki, accompanied the party. A comprehensive tour of the district was made. First an inspection of the board's depot which has been established in Inglewood for the manufacture of concrete pipes and the housing of the machinery and plant was made, and thereafter the various roads were visited. A trip was made along the Lincoln Road, which with its feeders, IVortley, Richmond, and York Roads, leads direct into Inglewood This, as appeared to be the j case with the majority of the roads under the board's control that were travelled over, was in good order and is well and thickly settled, prosperous homesteads on each side. A run back; through Inglewood along the Junction Road brought the party to the western boundary of the county at the chain bridge over the Waiwakailio, about four miles from Inglewood. The Bristol Road was next visited, and about four miles along the the Government reserve on the Everett Road is reached. Here the settlers are going in for a loan of £2300 to metal about two miles of road and to erect a bridge over the Kurapete creek, to which the Government has added a subsidy of £2OO. The board is, however, asking for a larger subsidy, as the Government reserve fronts so much of the road and is not rateable The Manganui bridge, a huge concrete structure erected by the settlers out of loan money, was crossed, and after a pleasant stay at the homestead of Mr. Lyon, where morning tea was dispensed by Mrs. Lyon and appreciated, the party journeyed to the kaimate North Road, which was showing a need for repair, to the Junction Road at Kaimate. Soon the foot of the zig-zag was readied, a rather dangerous spot likely to trap the unwary being passed en route. A new bridge has been erected by the county council over the Mangaone stream, and with the laudable idea of straightening the road it has been erected alongside the old one, but the filling has not yetbeen completed, so that the bridge cannot 'be used. Its white Jails, however, stand out prominently at night, and it is rather remarkable that there has, fo fai, not been an accident, a.s to the casual observer it would appear as though the l-oad ran straight on, and there is no barrier. Instead of crossing iiie ?ig-zag to the county boundary atlarata, the trip was continued along an unmetailed stretch of the Tnriki Road, which is under the control of the Taranaki County, across the Razorback—- : named on account, of its traversing i ■ ddle. After reaching Ratapiko the i'ariki Road is metalled, end there was a fine run to Tariki through nice country, a considerable ar«a of sivamp land, which shoui' pay fur di aling, being passed. Signs ;,i progress wevo evidenced by a wncrete cheese factor., which is in course of em lion at an ideal spot near the Manganui river. A run up the Surrey Road towards the mountain and then home to Inglewood via the Mountain, Durham, and Junction Roads concluded the morning's work. After dinnet at inglewood. runs were made up the Norfolk, Durham, and Dudley Road« AH tee roads were in fine order, r. tribute lo the spirit of self-help adopted by the settlers, for they all came out .'.lid carted boulders, which were crushed by the board's plant The we'll - planted prosperous-looking homesteads and pleasant green fields passed 011 all these roads arc also a striking tribute to the progressivencss of the settlers. A concrete bridge on the Bedford Road near the Dudley Read emphasises this further. This bridge and It chains of road formation and metalling, at a cost of over £IOOO, was erected by Messrs Broadmore Bros., R. Stewart and J Hodge, who rated their properties for the purpose. The money not proving sudicieut the settler? on the Dudley Road assisted with the metalling All along the route were signs that farmers were taking advantage of the tine day, cropping being in evidence, whilst numerous fields of hay were met with, in many instances there being scenes of activity, no less than thirteen men being counted in one field gathering, carting or stacking hay. The country passed ovei is ail cio=ely settled King mostly in 30, 60 or iCO acre blocks, and is principally confined to dairying, goods roads being an essentia i for the daily livelihood or well being of the settlers. That sheep will do well on a small holding lias been the experience of one Durham Road scttlei. Miik'mr on 100 acres with the assistance of li ; < wife and family he u lew years ago (1sired to give them a spell from liai work, so he went in fot sheep. Rather to his surprise he found these did veil. IHe has now developed and is carrying about four sheep to the acre. His returns arc better than dairying and. in addition, he is doing all the work himself.

A brief visit to Ivir Todd's lirnnosioatl on Dudley Boad, when, the part;; wrre hospitably entertained, and u trip to Waiongona, the northern boundary o! the proposed county, concluded an interesting day's outing. The proposed county is a very compact one, awl lends itself to economic administration, besides having thorough community of interest, practically all its ratepayers making Inglcwood their market town. There are also natural boundaries. It varies very little from (he old iloa road district save slightly in the north and the south in order to take advantage of natural boundaries. Stratford County Council willingly i agreed to transfer some sections to the Board, as their owners being separated | from Stratford road by a ridse were using Moa roads. The proposed county has an area of 128 miles and a present valuation taken several years ago of £000,.00. A new valuation to be taken shortly should considerably increase this. It has a population of 3,200 equal to 24.91 per square mile the second most densely populated in Taranaki. If has a network of roads, there being 150 miles metalled and (iO formed but not metalled Under the jurisdiction ot the Taranaki County in the area are 31 miles Tnc-trJ.lcfl and three not. metalled. Intensive cultivation as known in New Zealand is carried on, and there are in the area two 'butter factories and twelve creameries with ai> output oi 800 tons of 'butter and three tons of clieese annually. There is also a bacon factory. There are over a dozen schools attended by approximately 900 children. The borough of lnglewood is eminently adapted as a centre, the furthest point of the county being about twelve miles distant, whilst the average that the workmen liave to travel daily being much less, thug enabling tfcs smglojfees to live in

the town, gaining educational advantages for their families and also enabling the Board to work its staff to better advantage and the stall' themselves to obtain full time 'by working during wet weather at the pipe depot.