KING COUNTRY.

Waikato Argus, Volume IV, Issue 237, 20 January 1898, Page 2

KING COUNTRY.

Brjsii Fires.— The owners of fallen bush have this year burnt early, not caring to risk be'ng caught as they were last season early in January by continuous wet weather. The cleavings left over from last year have burnt splendidly. Messrs Irvine and King, whose clearing exceeded 1000 ac es, half last season's and half this, have had a good burn all over, but the old falling is decidedly the best, much to their surprise, as in Taranaki, where they belong, it the first season is missed it will not burn the second, unless the Dew growth is cut down the second year. They are now busy sowing the grass seed. Mr A. McNicol has had a grand burn of his two-year-old falling. Mr J. VV. Ellis has burnt some thousand acres of bvish and five hundred acres of sciub and fern, mostly on his Puketiti propeity ; his was principally old falliiur, and burnt well. He has already some 500 acres sown with grass seed, mixed with about soz. of swede seed to the acre ; he is also trying a few pounds of thousand-headed and drum-head cabbages on his bush land. Mr Ellis has this past season made a start on. his Ohura property at Mangaroa, and fortunate'y has started with a good burn of some 250 acres. The special farm settlers at Te Rau-a-moa have also had good burns this year. There have been some very large clearings fallen in tho Awakino district this season, but they have not burnt yet; in fact, I believe at least one lot of men are still failing. Roads. The Kihikihi - Otorohanga Road i? nearly out of hand, unfortunately there was not enough money voted to make it all the way and some two or three miles have had to be left as *diey were. The Awakino-Te Kuiti Road is now making fair headway, as it is now in much lighter country, on Mr A. McNicol's block between the Awukino and Mangao'aki Rivers. All the bush on this road is now (lowd, so the way is clear for the erection of the new telegraph line to the Sou!h, but in spite of all the promises it seems as if the summer will be allowed to pass away without auything being done. A few old rails are being unloaded at Otorohanga for the length between there and Te Kuiti. There have been some very heavy slips on this road, and it will always be an expensive road to maintain." Ohura-Stratford : About 40 men are employed on this enrt of that road and the timber for the Toitoi and Ohura River bridges is being sawn, and the delivering on site, no small matter, will be started this week. This road seems to get longer each year. There is no doubt the length was grossly under-es imated for the purposes of the Auckland Railway League. Native Land Court.—Judge Gudgeon re-opened his court after the holidays on the 11th inst., but, so far, has not been able to do much business. Since he first opened his court he has awarded the Crown some 60,000 or 70,000 acres, but the Native Land Purchase Department have not applied so far to have many of their interests in block? defined. The Crown lu-ue now over 600,000 acres of land in this district, the burning question is when are they going to settle it ? In the Public Works Statement we were told " early next (this) year." We must hope that if the attempt is made that some of the good country will be put on the market, and not as in the past, the poorest blocks to enable Ministers to say, " There does not appear to be any demand for land in that district," and fo keep the district c'osed to suit their land purchase operation. Paemako Special Siittlement.— The great want of this settlement is a school. There are some 20 children of school acre, and the settlers have agitated for months for a school, hut without any reBult, beyond promises of visits of inspectors, etc., that never come off. These settlers seem to be unfairly treated in the distribution of work. A good few of them are now idle, and for months through the winter they were kept without work, while the ordinary co operative labourers on the same road were keft in full work. Thi3 kind of treatment is hardly likely to make special settlements a success. The men are not allowed to their sections and look for work elsewhere, and as some of them have large families and are realy desirous of making homes for themselves, they don't know what to do to keep thiugs going. They have written to the Minister of Lands, but have not yet been favoured with an answer. - The Late Chief Wahanui.—Wahanui has at last been laid to rest in a very solid and secure mauso'eum, built close to where he died at Whataroa, of solid blocks of limestone set in concrete, the roof being of the same construction. This is quite a new departure amongst the. Maoris iu this district. The work has been in the hands of Mr A. Fergusson, of the Te Kuiti lime works, and he has made a good and satisfactory job of it. It appears the erection of a strong atone building had long been thought of by the deceased chief as a place iuto which all the bones of his relatives could be gathered. It is understood that the deceased chieftain has left a will leaving all hia property to an adopted son and his wife, ignoring his brother and close relatives. —(Own Correspondent).