THE ADVANCEMENT OF A DISTRICT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9621, 14 October 1909, Page 5

THE ADVANCEMENT OF A DISTRICT.

"STRONVAR." (Frora<a Correspondent) Surely but slowly some districts have in the past been described as the ultima thul,e of civilisation, the estwhSle, home of wild cattle, piga and rabbite, cnme into line and to the fore, not all together by the nurture cf a paternal Government, but rather by the grit and progressive proclivities of the settlers who 'braved the hardships attendant on making homes in the back blocks. cA case in. point is "Stronvar," a rname, if my memory serves me ►aright, given to the locality "by Mr James Mcßae, who laboured 'hard there for many years, and may be said to have been one of the pioneers who initiated the era of progress. Knowing this country years ago, wher« it was what might be described as in its primeval condition, it most decidedly was not a land flowing with milk and honey, but wns decried as a spot on this sphere as almost utterly worthless. But mark the change! The land was there, and ill farmed and ill treated it had been in the past. But a gentleman from the South Island purchased a farm in the vicinity, and then began the work of transformation. The eairth was tilled, the plounh turned'it over, sunlight, air and "frost began the fertilisation, „ anrt~ the owner bringing discretion to bear, produced crops of rape and turnips, after which nitrogen producing clovers were cultivated, and . if the land did not "blossom like *he rose" it now produces wool, mutton and lamb. The gentleman mentioned reaped his reward and sold out at a satisfactory figure to a well-known settler, Mr J. McKillop, who is carrying on : the good work. The object lesjon is having its effect, for other settlers in .the vicinity are following suit, and on this point more may be said on a future occasion. It is pleasing to record that ona of the latest phases of advancement is the linking up of t.he district ■with Masterton and civilisation by a private telephone line —the denizens I of which progressive town can now communicate with the following settlers :~-Messrs H. H. Wardell and A. H. Tinkham, Stronvar; Tuxford Bros Glenlean; J. C. McKillop, Puketiri; A. Armstrong, of Mungaru; B. Westmoreland, Femyhurst; W. H. Booth, Longridge: C. McKillop, Woodlands; Percy Bros., Te Ore Ore. One of the next steps ot advancement should be the formation of a i dray road to connect Stronvar with the East Coast, Homewood main line, a distance of about four miles, now covered by a bridle track passing through Pernglen. This connection link completed, the through distance from Masterton to Homewood would be lessened by some 14 to 36 miles. The road to Stronvar has been much improved of late by the expenditure of a portion of the East Coast loan on metalling between the Brancepeth boundary and the Fernyhurst homestead. Pastures are looking ar.d the pastoral prospects are encouraging.