Masterton Bush Settlements.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2250, 22 March 1886, Page 2

Masterton Bush Settlements.

(By Our Special Reporter;' .' In this age of land grabbing with' , tho grim phantom of Land Nationalism hovering over us, and Special Settlements being all the rage, perhaps a glance at the incubus of the past, and'hope of the ■ future, viz. the Forty Milo Bush.'will give an idea as to how far the fond fancies of the hopeful ones have, carried-them beyond the bounds of reality; and before expressing an opinion on the various settlements in embyro, a description ,of the localities and nature of the country will no doubt be the best courso to pursue. As an introduction to the journey wo havo Dreyerton , one of the oldest established and most diminutive settlements in the bush, with its school, church, store, and hotel, (not oven the usual smithy.) The nature of the country in this district, and even as far as Kopuaraugi, a distance of about five miles, is such as not to admit of small holdings being worked to sufficient advantage to warrant the con-, grepation of settlers along this route in anything but small numbers. The broken and hilly land, though good for gazing purposes, will, not, however industrious' the settlors, be utilised to any extent in v. this generation for agricultnral Truo it is admirably adapted for fruit' growing, proofs of which are now to be seen in several orchards abutting on the road. Hops, too,, aro grown to advantage here, and judging from the prolific drops in several small patches, Wore extensive cultivation should prove a successful industry. •

- KorUARASGI. This place will for a time be' the terminus of tlio railway, but, beyoud an increase for the travelling public, very little in the advancement of the Battlement can be looked forward to for years to come ; but the gradual clearing of the bush, with the prospect of tlio traffic from the southern portion of the Mangaone Block of 20,000 acres, when settled upon, and also a portion of the Alfredton trade, when the proposed roads aro constructed through, points to a somewhat prosperous future, though in this age of progress a line of railway connecting Eketahunli with Tinui via Alfredton is just as likely to eventuate as tho line of road already spoken of. The immenso quantities of limestone in the immediate vicinity will be an industry tlmt must add materially to tho prospects of the district, two kilns being now in active (ipeiationd supplying the increasing demand for thilfl commodity which has gained an enviable popularity in the market. A road branches' off westward at this point from tho main road, leading some distance in, and intended some _ day to unite with Wfest Mauriceviile. Along this route several farms have sprung up within, the past three or four vears, the well-cleared, and grassed paddocks, bespeakingexcellenfc soil, and the gentle undulating nature of ' tlio surrounding country being admirably adapted for grazing purposes. Mavkiceville,

On entering this settlement from tho.. limestone hills, tlio rough aspect of the ' country that meets the eye, gives an idea of the tenacity of the Scandinavian settlers, Families have been hero located upon blocks of land that must have seemed almost impossible to cultivate, but out of . this chaos has been produced by years of unremitting labor, hill sides covered with grass and sub-divided into paddocks, plots of land stocked with fruit and vegetables, and in almost every j instance the primitive slab whare haftt given way to the more comfortable dweK® lings of weatherboards and corrugated iron, the relics of early days being left standing as apparent monuments of their untiring energy. As we journey along the splendid limestone road the well-to-do appearance ot the settlers is observable in all the surroundings. Lower Mauriceviile being the centre of the district, has the post office, school, and church, although Upper Mauriceviile has a place of worship connected with tho Wesleyan body. The school has recently been erected to accomodate 100 children. The church dedicated to Luther, is a largo building situated beacon-liko on a risinp grouud by the road side, the hill being cut down to admit of easy access. Upper and Lower Mauriceviile are admirably served by the main road that runs through it, but the West Mauriceviile settlers hava been compelled since they were first placed on the land, twelve yoars ago;- to put up with bush tracks as a means of exit from their homes, the'state of which tracks in winter being anything but plea* sant, and through all this the'children have to wade oftentimes kneedeep in mud to get to school. • That men with their wives andii families should bo shut out from the v commercial and social world for the want ' of a road for such a length of time,-plainly shows that a great injustice has been done to thorn, Had they been able to make. I their wants known beforo to the powoJa whose duty it is to watch over their interest no doubt thoy would have been in as favored a position with respect to roadß as some of the settlements in tho bush which have not been in existence: half the number of years, but are composed of men who know how and whera to go to mako their requirements known.. But these unfortunafco men through national disadvantages have been unable to eopo with the required routine of the Roadßoard circumlocution office, and hav* ing no one to take tlieirwants inhand,havfe • struggled on uncomplainingly to make , their homes as well as they could underthe circumstances, endeavoring occasion* ally to remedy the state of thing3by doing some of tho road-work that should iave; been done by the Board that collected, their rates. To connect Matiricovilla West with the Kopuaranga branch, roadv would not be a very extensive -wopky neither would it cost much to carry a rondL* from the junction of the MauricevilfeV road on to the plains leading to" iha main road for Masterton, Aa ait application has been acceded to, and a Mauricevillo Road Board is to rba. an accomplished fact in May next, pephaps the settlers, through their own • Board, will be in a position to supply the, wants so much neglected by tho Board with whoso interest they aro at present, allied. Having thus far shown under what difficulties this settlement -haa struggled, we will briefly look to their present employment. This being the> proper season, and favorable, fires aro tho order of the day. From one end to tho other logging up forms the principal occp-t pation, the hillsides and valleys being gradually cleared of the dead timber. In some cases the anxiety to clear tho land places even the homes in danger, as an instance occurred last week in whfyh. but for tho timely assistance of! several neighbours, the destruction of a house'iu Upper Mauriceviile would , have been chronicled through the burning off being adjacent 'to it. The task of saving £ building required the utmost exertion to prevent the fiery monster, fanned .by!, a breeze, from spreading to it. ' ut Leaving this comfortable looking settled ment in the lrads of its industrious inhabitants, with every confidence for its future prosperity, we will now- proceed on our journey and take an observation of one of the future centres of special settle* ment, viz., Eketahuna. : ' (To k Continued.)