A TRIP TO OTOROHANGA. [BY OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.] (Concluded.)

Waikato Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2232, 28 October 1886, Page 2

A TRIP TO OTOROHANGA. [BY OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.] (Concluded.)

Whkx flooded, or partially so, the Mangapu forms a water highway between Otwrohanga and Kuiti, and up this river Mr J. J. OBrien lias boated all the material for the tunnel works. One of the boats howe\ci, had to return a day or two before I was there, owing to the low state of the water. Mr Coates put men on to form a road for the conveyance of his supplies, so that he intends to b^ independent of the river. MiOBrien would, I think, have found it to his advantage had he adopted this plan in the first instance, for, as far as I hear.it will be utterly impo.ss.ible to work the boats during tho dry season. t As I have already stated, timber will form a very considerable source of revenue to the Railway Department on this line. Some friends with whom I had a conversation on this subject joined issue with me there. Their opinion was that as kahikatea and limu weie the only timber in that bush people would not make 11*0 of them for building purposes, owing to their tendency to r.ipid decay, and that persona intending to build would prefer paying the higher price for kauri, on account of its lasting qualities. Now, I do not agiee with th.it line of argument, for two reasons. First, from the excessive cost of kauri ; and secondly, because all, or almost all, the houses in the district are built of knhikatea, and those that have been '.tamlinz for twenty years and over are still in a good ?t\te of preservation, <>nd likely to last for many ye.u\t > come . As a matter of course the plates should bo of k.iuri or soma other lading timber; with this pieciution, and painting at roaulat peiindf, kahik.itea ami rimu will htill hold their o-wi a> building timber. Some enterprising peop'e will recognise this, and as soon as the title to the bush has been ascertained, will treat with the natives for the right to erect sawmills. This however, will be a matter attended with some trouble, from the exaggerated value the Maoris place upon anything they possess and which Euiopcans evince a desire to buy. Sooner or later it will fall into the hands of someone who will utilise it, and thus furnish employment for a certain number of men, but in dealing with those who may want the bunh, it is to be hoped the natives will not want a monopoly to any single individual. As a rule they are fully alive to their own interests. I know they are quite aware of the natural advantages of the Otorohanpa flat from its position on tho railway, proximity to the bush, and the fact that it is the natural centre of a laige pastoial and agricultural distuct. For many yeais they expressed the strongest objection to the line being cariied through their cuntry, but when their opposition was broken down they suddenly became aware that by having a railway their land would bd gieatly enhanced in v due, and at a meeting some of them were gravely discussing whether they should charge for the. station grounds by the chain or by the foot ; indeed, I heard one old fellow say that he thought a pound a foot would be a fair price to ask ! During their long residence in tents while the cosrt wj sitting, in spite of wet, mud, d.bcomfort and utter absence of sanitation, there was little or no sickness, and not a -single death among them, a ciicmnstance without precedent at any of their large meetings, at any rate close to European settlements. This is due, in the opinion of many, an opinion with which I entirely < gree, to the utter absence of intoxicating liquors. Excessive chinking makes great inroads on their constitutions, and prepares the way for consumption, a disease to which they are very susceptible, and one frequently hears the hollow, hacking cough which shows that the dread disease has set its fatal finger on the unfortunates. Whether it is characteristic of the disease, or the natural fatalism of the Maori, which Mike the "kismet" of the Turk, is more than I can say, but the poor victims are quite cheerful and indifferent to the fact that they are suffering from a Qomplaint which will speedily land them in the grave. When the first train came to the settlement many natives who had never seen one flocked round to gaze at the unusual sight, some of the old women waved their shawls and shouted their cry of welcome, " haeremai, haeremai, haeremai," but when they saw it approaching them, puffing and shrieking forth its discordant whistle they scattered right and left in terror, but when it came to a standst'll their courage returned, and thoy ventured on a close inspection, saying "It is only a small thing" &c. It is an endless source of pleasure to the rising generation, who enjoy riding up and down the line in the ballast tiucks, fWid take a great interest in anything that pertains to the line. I said to a friend, on seeing the crowds of natives rwund the train, that they must surely be impressed with a sense of theji' own littleness in comparison with the enterprising pakeua who aould construct lailways anxl run cmiuges without the aid of hordes. He svid it wa^ move likely they clmrkled to themselves i>*»Pi* the fact that the "entei'pi\B)n* pakeha ' had materially mci eased their weaifch by ruti'iiug tha line through their lacid and thereby enhancing its value,. I am inclined to think he took the umvc C>>nett sisw of tho case. At 5 p.m. the tuain steamed into tho station ground to pick up the plate-layers, and hiving taken them and the visitors on board ran down to Te Awaumtn in about a hour. Tue hip was a pleasant one, and anyone to whom I applied for any inform ition wa-> most willing to give it, and a hoi so was placed aii my disp'Silt-i nde round an I scan tin v.niou-i pouiti of iulvjiv*sr. 7 hope to rjpeafc 1110 viuit someday, wheuT may take a more extended nde in the diicoti'»!i of Kuili, and \i-it the limestone cave-*, uhicli, if my mcmoiy is nut at fault, are soinewheie in the lHgubonihooil.

The draught entire Te Kooti will stand this season at the owner's (Mr J, McNaul) farm, Paterangi.