WHANGAMOMONA.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 November 1919, Page 3

WHANGAMOMONA.

A LAND OF PROMISK. The progress of Stratford as a town lias been greatly assisted by the opening up ol V.'hangamomona. When 'the Whangamomona settlemcn'- was 'first formed in the winter of 1805 the road between Stratlimore and Pohokurn .vas being formed by co-operative labor. PreThen the Liberal Party's new covious to that an Auckland firm had 1 taken a contract to build a road between. Toko and Stvathmore, and had failed, operative system came into vogue, and this was one of -the first roads to which it was applied. The men working on ihe road were given the first right to iake up the land beyond, under the improved farm settlement conditions, which permitted a man without capital lo take up land, the Government find- | ing the money for hushfelling, grass ! -end, and the building of the homestead, I the whole being capitalised, and the tenant paying i per cent. Though these i early settlers had to go through untold | hardships the great majority, in spite | of every adversity, fought their way to | success, and to-day some are wealthy and independent men. To reach the Wlmngamomona township in 'OS it was necessary to traverse forty miles of mud. Most of the settlers, many of them accompanied by their wives and children, made their first trip to their sections on foot, and the ! first night all slept comfortlessly under the trees. Facing these hardships wnn fortitude, clearings were quickly made, and - tents erected. During the first year there was no mail service, and no conveyance for public use was on the road, leaving provided themselves with the 'first necessity—homes—the settlers called a meeting to consider means for educating their children. As a result a school was erected on the present Marco School site, which served the whole district from Manganao Road to Tnhora. a distance of twelve miles. To ( reach the school children had to traverse i a bush track the whole of the way. j There are now five schools serving the 'same district-

The number who took up sections was 100. and the then Minister of Lands, said that if 25 per cent, proved a success, he would be highly gratified. Over GO per cent, subsequently proved successful, and had the means of access been more satisfactory it is -estimated that a. further 20 per cent, would have won their way to fortune. The Minister for Lands (the late Sir John McKcnzie). had promised that within ten years of the opening- up of the settlement, the road would bo through to Ongarue, and all by-roads formed and metalled, but in 100S, three years after, he went out of office, and this was considered the worst blow that could have befallen the Whangamomona settlers. The Roads and Land Departments had been under Sir John McKenzie's admjn-istaition, and shortly after he went out of office roads placed under the Lands and Survey Department, and the Commissioner of Crown 'lands and the Land Board, who had the responsibility for land settlement, had no voice whatever where roading expenditure was concerned. Through faulty administration, some of the roads in the Whangamomona district have been regraded and altered no less than five times. Generally speaking, the Roads Department had no sympathy with land settlement, and this caused a great deal of friction with back country settlers, a blundering administration adding greatly to their already heavy burdens, and delayed their success.

In IRJKS, a contract -was let to Mr. .Tohn Hcwgv to carry the mail to Wlinnjramomona, once a week, and for the first year the mail was carried for throe months by a coach, and for the other nine months on pack-horses. . In the winter it took a day and a half to reach Whangamomona'. The first storekeepers in the township were F. Pearson, Phillips, and MeClnggage Bros.; and they all commenced business in tents. The first butcher had no covering at all, and the meat was 1 sold at the foot of the sallows where the beasts were slaughtered. The butcher had weightier matters to attend to than the serving of customers, and having killed and dressed an animal, he left if, and settlers requiring meat cut their own joints, leaving their names and [the weights on a slip of paper for the I information of. the butcher, wnwi entertag ug hi» ledger. On the tertimony of

the butcher it must lie said to the credit of the settlers, that while an animal was sometimes strangely hacked about the aggregate of the weights on the slips left always corresponded with the weight of the bullock. At' that time, on account of the creek not being bridged, the settlers above Whangamomona had to pack their stores and household effects from Whangamomona to Tahora on foot. The first sports meeting held at Whangamomona was in connection with the opening of the school, and it was filled by a concert in the evening. The schoofteacher was Mr. S. M. Scott, awl hia daughter (now Mrs. Stoekweli), wns the star performer at the concert. The piano used in the concert was carried by men through a sea of mud from Whangamomona to Marco. This was early in 1890.