DISTRICT NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 April 1921, Page 7

DISTRICT NEWS.

DURHAM ROAD. (From Our Own Correspondent.) The heavy downpour experienced on Saturday night must have been something out of the ordinary, judging by the quantity of water about the paddocks next morning, while the evidence give.n by highwater marks in creeks and rivers shows that the rise was rather phenomenal. For this time of the year the temperature is very mild, while" the pastures still show a good strong growth. A fair quantity of milk is still going in at the local creamery, sufficient to keep it running every day. An attempt is being made by settlers on Upper Norfolk Road, to get the Maketawa Dairy Co. to instal a creamery there at a. central place, and I understand that a sufficient number of cows has been guaranteed to make the proposition worth considering. There is no doubt, however, that no matter how important the establishment of a creamery woulg be to the advancement o-f the district and towards increased production, the restrictions placed upon dairy companies by the banking authorities will have a great bearing on this matter. As this district is separated from the Durham district by just about a mile (in which there are two rivers) it seems a great pity that the road connecting, and at present unopened, should have to remain as it is because of the lack of foresight of our Road Board representatives in the past, and, for the matter of that, at present. The connecting of the two districts by means of opening this road (Bedford Road) would give access to a creamery already estab, lished, and also bring a school closer to the Norfolk children. The tremendous supply of stone practically on the spot, and the fact that a large chainage of the road has been under plough, thus lessening cost of formation, are factors bearing upon cheap construction, while the matter of better postal facilities should not be overlooked. The country which this work would benefit has hitherto been neglected and for that reason been under a kind of “taboo,” but as returned soldiers are at present" owning and working the land, and I might say creating vast improvements, something should be done either one way or another to assist them. That the land can be made productive and remunerative cannot be denied, but a long drag to a factory is a detriment to economical working—combined of course with a mud road—and T have no doubt more will be heard of this road, and its disadvantage as time goes on. The attendance at the Durham Schoo], for the quarter ending March, was 99.2, a matter gratifying to the teacher, and reflecting the greatest credit upon parents and pupils alike. The school committee 'has, I notice, been paying attention to the appearance of the surroundings, by - trimming hedges, etc., while the eleagnus •hedge planted last year is also making rapid strides.