THE THAMES: Statistical and Descriptive.

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3238, 5 July 1879, Page 1

THE THAMES: Statistical and Descriptive.

The following is the essay by Mr JrA. Philp, adjudged the best of thdsV ie'ism to the Local Committee' of the Sydney Exhibition in response to an advertisement calling for the flame, and the offer of £2 2a, as a prize :—- ". . j jvThe large and important district known under its general appellation of "The Thames,", is that fine stretch of country occupying the lower portfen or" base', ai it were* of the* Cape Colville peninsula, in the North Island of New Zealand. It includes within its confines the .belt of auriferous country, of which the Coromandel Tange is the backbone, and the level and fertile region watered ,by the Thames river—a majestic.,, stream, navigable to vessels of small tonnage to 70 mileß from its estuary. 'The eastern seaboard of the district is laved by the waters of the Pacific ocean, and on that coast there are several small harbors. The western coastline is bordered by the placid waters of the Hauwki Gulf,* a sheltered -expanse of water protected from i the ocean by a barrier of small islands'. .••■«! THB BOBdUGH. .„,„,„„ "With the exception of the small tract within the boundary of the town ; of Thames, the xhole. district is included iv the County of Thames. The name of the Borough it often confused with the names of Grahamstown and Shortland—localities within its limits. The town of' Thames is built on a narrow plain ut the base^of the Coromandel range at the southveaswrn corner of the Hauraki Gulf; and iri close proximity to the estuaries of the Thames and Piako Bivers. The site is, preeminently suited for the position of a town and from the many advantage's^ its natural position must eventually grow into a large city. The town, which is almost entirely built of wood, contains many handsome buildings, and has a population of over' 6000 inhabitants. If the population of' the' suburbs; Vhich, though under County jurisdiction,' are really portions of the town, is included, its inhabitants will number about 8,000. " ' TOPOGRAPHY. From the heights at the rear of the town a splendid view of the surrounding country is obtainable, and a very good idea of its topography may be speedily obtained by the most casual observer. At your feet lies the town which, withlts many little orchards, and tree-planted streets, has a somewhat rus in ykbe appearance. Beyond the town is fiithe «broad blue expanse of the Hauraki Gulf, the distant horizon being guarded by the verdant peaks of the Miranda hills, "and the belt of islands already referred to, which gives to the Gulf the appearance ,more of a lake than aa arm.of thosta. Gazing over the champagne: eoontry to the southward,, the serpentine courses of the twin rivers—the Thames and'JWsico —may be traced for many miles| first meandering throngh the marshy land-at their mouths and then traversing 1 the splendid tract of country which, in the not far distant future, when it comes under the sovereignly of the, plough, will be one of the gardens, of New Zealand. Forest, moorland and mountain, and river and sea are before the beholder in a grand natural panorama, all the parts of which so beautifully .harmonise that the same is seldom to be seen in any part of the Globe—a picture surely drawn by Nature in her happiest mood. THE COUNTY : QUALITY 01? LAND, BTC. The area of the County is roughly estimated at 600,000 acres.of which rather less than half is arable land. The northern portion of the County is occupied by the forest clad spurs of the Coromandel range, very little of which will ever' be furrowed by the plough, though portions will ultimately be devoted to pastoral purposes. Many hundreds of acr.es in the southern portion of the district, now covered with flax and raupo swamps, could be.won from its primeval state, «tid converted into sites for smiling homesteads by the introduction of capital. I About 30 miles south of the town,the 1 best of the land is to be found. Here, 1 under the shadow of the Te Aroha moun--1 tain, is the Te Aroba block, containing 1 60,000 acres of the finest land in the Colony. Well might Sir George Grey, standing on the Te Aroha, mountain more than a quarter of a century., ago, and looking down on the scene,, predict a great future for the district. The great fertility of the land has even induced English capitalists to treat for its purchase from the Government, but the people of the Thames, regarding it almost as their birth-righc, will not hear of any

settlement from the outside till all residents desirous of selecting farms there have their wants satisfied. This they will soon be in a position to do, as the Government are rapidly extinguishing the native title to the bulk of the land in the dis-

trict. The land is particularly adapted to the production of cereals, and all experiments in the cultivation of grain have been attended with most, satisfactory results. The word "experiments" is nsid advisedly, agricultural settlement being yet in its infancy, as might be gained from the fact that at the ; commencement of the present year there were rbnly 806 acres under crop, while 1700 acres were laid down in grass. At the same time— the beginning of 1879—there were but ,9674 acres of freehold in the County and, 13,362 acres of leasehold. Settlement in the district, ai in many others in the: North Island has been much retarded by the native difficulty, now happily in connection with the" Thames, fast becoming; a thing of the past. The jOld conservative Mabries are giving place to a class which through.contact with Europeans have gbt over the r narrow-minded views of their immediate predecessors. , The natives ' wte:. beginning to see: the advantage; of road* and other public works, and land: ' required for such purposes is more 1 easily', acquired from them than from .iEurbpeana. . It may be mentioned that the soit and climate seem peculiarly adapted to the production of fruit, as all kinds flourish well, especially peaches and apples', which are to be found in almost : every garden. Last season the vines and apple .trees performed the somewhat Unusual feat of producing two crops ©f fruits.";: ;■ ■ . V; •■'....: \'? ;! {

"' -:"■" • '■■ r '■ '-pHxtAxk.''':' -:,■' '' ; , , .The climate of this,part of the colony „ is most salubrious; somewhat resembling' that of t prance without the disadvantages •,i;of[i extremes of. heat and ricold. The heat of summer is tempered by cool !se|a breezes from both coasts, which impart a healthy humidity to the atmb'sphere. For many years pastj the Borough Thames according"to the statistical records •:«. of the [Registrar General of the Colony, ■ ■ has had the lowest death rate amongst the i:;principal colonial iowhs. The'monthly death rate averagesa'bout l"06 per^ IdOO of the pqpulatibn., ■ [The mean temperature. averages about 67degs. in; the ; shade, and. the' heat,' seldom the hottest days of summer exceeds 85degs. Fahr. !

" ' "■■'■' THE GOLD MINIJNJ INDFSTEY. j The staple industry of the district is ifji quarts inining. The principal seats q'f this industry are : The Thames goldfield proper —in the immediate vicinity of the town —and, the Ohinemuri, goldfield, of which the small villages of Paeroa and" ,-i 'Tare' the. .principal -centres. The population of the district—including .both County' and Borbugh-<-according" tp last census, is 10,373, and a very large proportion of the population are* engaged in mining, or are directly dependent on it for their means of subsistence.' The miner's wage is from 7s 6d to 8s per diem, and though higher rates; of remuneration range in some of the Southern goldfields, from the proportionate' cheapness of provisions, on the Thames; it is considered good pay. Though' the time is apparently past for colossal fortunes' to •be speedily made at / goldmining, t the'industry evinces sufficient vitality^p; warrant the belief tha,t for years to come the produce of the mines will maintain a large working population, i During the decade prior to 1879 the field produced gold of an aggregate value of £4,254,660.; The present gpljd yield ranges from 7Ppto J'l2obozs per week. By statistics the reefs are proved to be the richest ever discovered, the average yield/of gold per ton being' considerably higher than that of the vaunted lodes of California and Victoria. The greatest depth/at Which payable gold has ,been, discovered is 500 feet, the great cost of pumping proving a serious drawback todeeplevel prospecting. A peculiarity of the Thames reefs is their patchy character. ■* When- a*mirier is on geld he is never .sure at what moment it

may ran put. The principal mines, are the MoanHtairi, Alburnia, and v Kuranui' Hillj which between them find employment for •250 men. A great deal of ground is worked on the tribute system, which has has been found to 1 act very successfully.

The- gold :saving appliances are/, most complete. About 200 head of stampers ''are employed.in the reduction of quartz, while there are several tailings machines "for treating the residuum. i: |

:.;;;? .OXHEB MINEBAIi BBSOtTBCES.; '; ■ .» Besideß gold, the district is rich in 0 other'mineral resources, -which, hpjwe^er, will take time and capital to developo. „, Seams of. coal of a superior : quality have: 'been discovered in various parts of the; county, and a lead mine is in operation aishoft distance from town. Several of the clays of the district have been pro-;

nounced by, Dr. ; Hector, . Geologist to the New Zealand Government, to, be suitable for jhe 'manufacture of pottery, and very fair, specimens of the potter's art have been • manufactured from - them. Sandstone and other stone suitable-for building exist in many parts of the district. 1 liOOAI INDTJSTBIES.

■■■\ Like most gold mining districts the attention of the people is so much engrossed in the search for the^ precious metal, that little else is thoujeht of; but notwithstanding that, several local manufacturers have made themselves a name by the excellcnco of their productions. The ironworka of Messrs A. and Gr. Price (B.mplpy about .60 hands; v the chief manufactures of the firm being sawmill, mining, and steamboat machinery: They

contemplate shortly - inaugurating the iron shipbuilding industry in connection with their other business. Messrs Mennie and Dey'a steam biscuit and confectionary factory is one of the largest in the North Island. In their establishment is a patent American reel oren worked by Bteflm power I—the1—the only one in JSe.w' Zealand. The local brewers, are Ehrenfried Bros., and ; Brown, Campbell and Co., and some idea of the extent of their business may be gained from thei fact that the former firm brews ; bet ween 30,000, and 40,000 gallons of beer weekly,. Thames beer has a large sale throughout the Colony. The Thames also possesses a wine and cider manufactory, and the proprietor, Mr Gough, has a large number of casks of Thames .made wine on hand." - ' . THE TIMBER INDtJSTBT. ' Thp timber industry of the district, is .a large arid'important one, the timber; pb.' tamed from the forest clad hills and ralleys of the northern portion of the County; making the Thames one of the chief emporiums of that industry in the colony. There are six large sawmills in the district capable of cutting 405,000 feet of ;timber weekly. 'The wood chiefly cut is kauri and white pine, there being a large export and local trade for

both woods, and when there is a good do tnand for the timber, as many es 500 men find employment in connection with the industry. Mottled kauri, that beautiful wood so much prized by cabinet makers, is not uncommon. The kauri trees are veritable, giants of the forest; several which are now growing on the Thames measure 45 feet in circumference. Kahikatea, or white pine, grows in abundance near the mouth of the Thames Eiver, the forest worked in connection with, Messrs Bagnall Bros, mill, covering many square duds ofrcouhtry. '

KAUEI atJM. ! Not the least important product bf the forest land of the-district is kauri gum, ft fossilized resin resembling ambejr. It is largely used in the manufacture of varnisla, etc., and at present commands the price of £60 per ton delivered in the bush. The gum-digger, with a long spear, prods about the ground in thd vicinity of a kauri tree, and when he strikes gum, a hole is dug and the prize extracted. An experienced digger frequently makes from £6 to £8 per week.

; ; MINEBAL WATEB.

The mineral water from the springs at Puriri must not be omitted from the list of natural products of the district. This water has been proved by analysis to resemble the celebrated European waters of Fachingen and Viohy. .It has only recently' been brought into the market, but is most favorably received. The proprietors' have erected an aerating apparatus at the Springs, and the water is both bottled in its effervescent and natural state.

CONCLUSION. 'Concerning the ada'ptibility of the dis*;' trict as a field for settlement there cannot be. tWP opinions,. when a. glance^ is iakeri aVits'position, and the extent and wealth' of its natural} reiofirces: The rapid acquirement of the land from the Native owners by the ' Government, and the Thames?" and ftVaikato Eailway trow" in of. construction,, will greatly facilitate settlement, and in the course of la few ibortyeHrs what ii now for the most part a wilderness will be covered with farms—the 1 homes of a happy and prosperous people. The settlement of the back country will of course bring prosperity to the town, and then will the prophecy of Captain Cook, made 100 years )ago;:beifulfi!led.':-! ■=•;-'^ }■••'■•! - ----:: ** ■{'« I