THE MOTU DISTRICT.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2708, 12 January 1910, Page 2

THE MOTU DISTRICT.

IT’S PROGRESS AND POSSIBILITIES. “I have never seen the country round our way looking so. well,” said a Rakauroa settler to a “Times” representative yesterday, when questioned as to the progress of the Motu, and surrounding district. “The wool clip lias been exceptionally good, heavier than for many years, and the sheep have been coming off the shears in splendid condition.” In the course of further conversation it was ascertained that the percentage of lambs this season had been nothing out of the ordinary, but that the quality of the lambs had shown a marked improvement. This is accounted for by the fact that the ewes had an abundance of good feed all through the winter, hut now the grass has got away and has lest ini substance, making it rather difficult for settlers to fatten their stock. \ With, the exception of a few short spells the roads have been vex - y bad up to the present. A tremendous amount of carting has been done by the Public Works Department, and as a result, there have been times when the roads have been absolutely impassable. At one particularly bad spot, on one day two buggies ail'd three waggons got stuck hard and last and the loads on the latter had to be removed before they could be got out. The Department* however, lias done, more than its share in keeping the roads as far as possible, in good repair, and gangs of laborers have been employed on it repeatedly. Before the retrenchment of men, the settlers were well satisfied at the progress of the railway extension works, but after the number of men had been reduced work slackened off considerably, and latterly, owing to the holidays, has been practically at a standstill.’ Work has been resumed during the last few days, however, and it is understood to be the intention of the engineer to shift a number of gangs on to Rakauroa, and already the earth works are. completed to within a few miles of that place. In all probability a siding will be provided at Otoko, and the line opened up to this side of the viaduct before long. The Otoko viaduct will bo a structure of great magnitude, and in addition there are two more smaller ones that will have to be constructed, half-a-mile and two miles further on. It is thus thought that at the present rate of progress, three and a-half to lour years must elapse before the line readies Matawai, which is a distance of 47 miles from Gisborne. The route is only surveyed as far as this point, and the general impression amongst the settlers appears to be that the line will not run right into the Motu township, but rather pass a few miles on one side of it. For over threequarters of a mile on this side of Rakauroa thd route of the line is laid along the road, which is extremely boggy at this point. This will be a heavy undertaking, and necessitate the construction of a new road.

The possibilities of the district when the line runs right through are great, and great tracts of land will be available for settlement. Even now, with the line open as far as Willow Crossing, the benefits are being keenly realised by the settlers, who are thus enabled to get their goods through for less than half the cost previously. Under the old system they had to have their goods carted from Te Karaka by the old back Ngatapa road, but now a road has been formed te* the Rakauroa and Matawai settlers for about eight miles, leading down through the Waihuka station to Waikohu. The road is a fairly good one, and, as a consequence, the cartage is reduced to 30s, and the railway freight is 10s per ton. Last summer for the few months that carting wa s possible, £4 per ton was the price charged, and if anything happened to be forgotten in that time a trip to Te Karaka with pack-horse had to he undertaken. The present road to Motu from Waikohu is a bad one, and when the new road is pushed on past Matawai, it is expected that it will attract all the traffic, as it is a better road, and cuts off a considerable distance. A good sum of money, thought by the settlers to be quite sufficient, has been placed on the estimates for the further construction of the road.

“It is a crying shame to see the amount of timber that has been destroyed by burns,’ ” was the reply in answer to a query as to the resources of the district. “Millions and millions of'feet of first-class timber have been burned, hut there is a tremendous amount left yet.” The pressman was further informed that there are several splendid timber reserves in the district. Three mills have been installed, but until tlie railway is further advanced there is little likelihood of much timber being sent out, as the great expense- of carting adds 5s to 6s per hundred feet on to the price. Once railway communication is available, however, there will be a constant supply of building and fencing timber. The Public Works Department is at present using a lot of red birch for fencing posts and house blocks, with satisfactory results, and it is claimed for this timber, although not yet acknowledged by the Department, that it is eminently suited for railway sleepers. The mills are at present supplying local requirements. Tram lines are being laid down through the bush to connect with the railway, and at the Tahora Timber mill, on Mr. W. Graham’s section at Rakauroa, a most up-to-date planing and moulding machine has been installed. Another herald of approaching settlement is the existence of a butter factory at Rakauroa, witli a steam plant. The factory supplies the stores, and also a number of the settlers, with butter of excellent quality.

In the matter of communication, the settlers have up to the present been none too well on. There is a bi-weekly mail service, but the settlers are of the opinion that a daily service ought to be provided, especially in view of the fact that there is a daily service run by the Public Works Department to Otoko. Latterly the mail route has been changed, with the result that the settlers are getting their mails a little earlier, but they are still far from being satisfied. Great congestion has also been experienced in regard to the telephone service, especially in vifew of the number of lines centring at Te Karaka, but with the advent of the second wire from the latter place to town, improvement in this respect is looked for in the near future.

Having failed in their efEorts to have a qualified nurse established in the district, the Matawai settlers arc now moving in the direction of procuring a resident doctor, to live at Matawai. It is understood that the Motu folk want the doctor to be located there, but in that case, considering the nature of the roads, the Matawai and Rakauroa folk consider that they could get to town quicker than the doctor could to them from Motu. The districts to be served by the doctor is proposed to include Motu, Matawai, Whakarau, Rakauroa, and possibly Taliora. There are nine delegates at present canvassing the district to endeavor to have a sum of £l5O guaranteed for two years, in which case a further £l5O oer year will be given by the Government. This £3OO is proposed to be in the nature of a retaining fee for the medical officer, and the subscribers will have the advantage of reduced mileage fees. In addition, an employer of labor by paying £5 5s per year may have all his men brought under the scheme. If the doctor’s , residence be fixed at Matawai, he will have consulting rooms at both Rakauroa and Motu, and visit them regularly. Patients coming to these rooms will only be charged the ordinary lees, without mileage. At present the settlers are in communication with a Dr. Dawson, of Rarotonga, but ontliing in the way of a definite settlement has yet been arrived at.

Amidst the strenuous everyday life of the settlers, the social side is not lost sight of, and dances, concerts, social gatherings, and sports of various kinds take place at regular intervals. Some of the recent sports gatherings held in the district have been most successful, and the settlers are fondly looking forward to the day when they will bo able, by the medium of cheap railway fares, to attract townspeople to spend a clay amidst the sylvan surroundings and see the prowess of their country neighbors, about whom, they really know so little. “The railway” is the keynote to the whole situation, and the more rapidly it is pushed on, so nearer will come the time of the thorough opening up and settlement of a district which, while advancing rapidly at present, lias undeniably immense future possibilities.