TE AROHA AND WAIORONGOMAI.

Waikato Times, Volume XX, Issue 1657, 17 February 1883, Page 3

TE AROHA AND WAIORONGOMAI.

If there ia one thing more than another which .should hiring. satisfaction to the' mikli ' bf'tlfo WttlWof ' WtMkio aiid Piako it is the existence of a steadily de- - Sloping goldfield iv theif 'midst. ' The great drawback to a new country, or at ltaat a/pbrtioniof a ,newi countliyVjn the preliminaryiatoges of i settlement, is the want of a sufficiently large and convenient market to encourage the settlers fn the reclamation of the wilderness and the cultivation of their holdings. If there is " nbftlnVihducenfent, if no suitable mar•';"ka£ is convenient, settlers want encoul-agc-'iHent, and vfailting'enconra^e'me'Afi they* '"become 'dilatory ami 1 /apathetic;' the country upon which they have" settled does not properly advance, and with the individual*, .'constituent' patttsi'Dfc a*f boloiiy lacking in progress the'colony as a whole' cannot be expected to prosper. The traveller passing over the many miles of excellent country (not alone in a picturesque sense, for that is only a secondary consideration, but excellent in quality as regards the nature of the soil) between Hamilton and Te Aroha struggling iv the preliminary stages of settlement, and along that vast tract of good country -kivoVm «as , the Tliatnefc Valley, where the soil is said to be almost unsurpassed in the province, and into vrhich the plough of the settler has not as yet entered, cannot help wondering why those places have not been more readily settled. Certainly the land of Piako has been swampy, and up to the present to a great extent unfit for small settlors, but this' excuse cannot bo made use of m regard to the Thames Valley, for there nothing whatever is* required but jvmwls and bi idges, and these arc generally #easily obtainable so soon as there is a Aprospect of an extension of settlement. It cannot be disputed, however, that the main cause has been the \\ ant of a suitable market. This, we are glad to notice, has at last sprung into existence, and is, we are glad to say, of a veiy encouraging nature. The Aroha goldfield has passed through many vicissitudes since gold was first discovered on the Mountain of Love some few years ago. It has had many spurts, and experienced almost an equal number of relapses, but the latter have never been of such a, decisive nature as to extinguish every vestige of hope and decide for ever the fate of the field. There were men who took up their stand on the field, and who, from the nature of their former experiences, knew what goldfields were, knew that the finding of gold was a task beset with more difficulties than the spending of it, and consequently when thwarted by obstacles struggled manfully until they had surmounted everything. From^all appearances their perseverence has at last been crowned with success, and if we judge rightly — and circumstances convincingly indicate the fact — their efforts will not only have brought prosperity to themselves, but to the surrounding country, and consequently prosperity to the colony generally. Though the progress of the field has been slow, still it hns been sure ; though reverses have been experienced, still they ha\ c not been badly felt, and have not been of such a nature as to cause an abandonment of hope. New business houses have been erected, an industrious population has gathered to the place, outside capital has not been limited, and these all indicate a prevalence of unmistakable confidence. And this is not all. Is it likely that people who have spent the greater portion of their years at mining pursuits, men who have been identified with the rise and progress of such fields as Coromandel and the Thames, as well as the mines of Victoria and New youth Wales, in the face of all their experiences would settle at Te Arohn, and there invest their all, in the hope of bettering their condition, if they were not assured of success ? To such experienced eyes success must be inevitable, or else their foimer lessons would suffice to keep them clear of all uncertainties and possible ruin. As regards the business accomodation of Te Aroha, new buildings, both public and private, aie daily in course of erection. Mr Walker's (of "Long Drive" fame) hotel, which is almost complete, and which represents the expenditure of over £3000, would eclipse m.my of the firsthotels of the metropolis, both in point < of style and accomodation. The new Public Hall and reading-ioom should meet the wants of the place for many years to come, though this is very questionable considering the present rate of progress. There are many other buildings to erect, both public and piivate, as well as those in course of erection, which, irrespective of mining matters, should keep trade brisk for some consideiable time. The old pioneer punt must be a great drawback to Te Aroha ; indeed, it is the only indication of a semicivilisation about the township, and the sooner the people ar6 in a position to dispense with its services the better. Home few weeks ago woikmen were engaged with the preliminary work iv connection with the lailway and traffic bridge, and we have no doubt, as the money for the work is already in hand, a semcable structuic will span the Waihou at no very distant date, piovidiug accommodation which should matetially forward the progress of the place, and it would seem as if the liver steamer and the coach are not to continue much longer the sole means of communication between the Aiolia and the outer world, for it is not too much to expect direct railway communication between Waikato and the Thames, via Te Aroha in the early part of ISS4. It is surprising that a district such as To Aroha has not long since been converted into a town district, viudcr the act of 1881. But -we suppose the people have been otherwise engaged, and consider the county sufficiently generous, vhich it undoubtedly has been, in providing for their accommodation. Doubtless, however, in course of time, this step will be taken, whether •wisely or not we cannot say, but leave the ratepayers to decide. Certainly, the streets in the town require seeing to, they being of anything but a pleasant nature, especially to the stranger, for night travelling. In a mining sense, the mines iv the immediate vicinity of the Aroha township have not as yet distinguished themselves, but for progress and< success in « tthis' .matter iwe must move further along the hill to Waiorongomai. A description of the developments of this part of the "field" we must keep for a future 'issue.

(To be continued.) ',