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Voices from Auckland, New Zealand.

"Pioneer."

"Pioneer."

To the Editor of the New Zealander.

I was sorry to see in so generally practical a letter as "Pioneer's," some very palpable fallacies, and I am sure he will not be offended at my correcting them; at least as far as my judgment goes—our objects both being the same, namely, to give as far as we are able our own experience for the benefit of our newly-arriving friends.

I shall take "Pioneer's" case of a man with £60 and 40 acres of land, and my first advice would be, place £20 of your little capital safe, and scarely reckon that you have it; at all events decide not to touch it for the first twelve months, as it will then be doubly or trebly valuable to you. Thus I should say, instead of expending £17 for a house, spend £1 for windows, and nothing more: with two days' labour you can put up a house of stakes, ti-tree, and nikau, which will be very comfortable, and serve you very well for the first few years. I speak knowingly, as myself and another put up such a habitation in two days, in which three of us lived very comfortably for three months in the bush. Do not spend an unnecessary shilling at first. "Pioneer's" advice to bestow all your energy on two or three acres the first year is very good, and also the expenditure of a few pounds on guano, bone-dust, or other manure, for your first crops; but the purchase of two page 79heifers, before you have any food for them, or anything to entice them to their home, is decidedly bad:—the chances are that they would wander in the bush, and after a short time not be seen again—you cannot afford to fence them in, having no feed for them, and they would thus ramble far away for food, and have no tie to home. Young cattle, like young people, must have something pleasant at home to render it agreeable to them. The two heifers may do very well after the first year, and perhaps part of the saving fund of £20 could not be better expended.—Then again, the two sows are much the same.—If £15 is to cover the cost of rations for the man for twelve months, there is but a sorry look-out for piggy,"—they must stray for food,—and be assured it will require something more than bush food to bring young pigs up to 100 lbs. weight each, in twelve months. It might be wise soon to get a couple of young pigs two or three months old, that would take tilled food, and become attached to the place. I should say, therefore, something like the following scale would be more in order. I should wipe out the £5 for removal, for a newly-arrived immigrant with £60 capital is not likely to have a large dray, or boat-load of furniture, goods, &c.—
One year's Rations£20
Windows for Hut1
Grass and Clover seed2
Two small Pigs1
Fowls, axes, spades, &c.2
Cooking utensils, &c.2
Guano2
and I should leave £10 to be expended during the year as circumstances may require, and remember that after the first year, your farm is not likely of itself, or without expending much labour, to produce you a living. It is no use you deceiving yourself, or allowing anybody else to deceive you. The land will not give you a living for two or three years, and the selling anything off the farm during the first year is a thorough fallacy. If you have not therefore any capital to live upon at first, you must labour for others part of your time, as nearly all have done before you. And although my account may appear somewhat discouraging, think, is it no encouragement, alter two or three years' labour, to find that you have your own little Farm and 40 acres which will actually give you a living, and an independent one too, without harassment and vexation; whereas at Home, in all probability, you never would have possessed a single acre of land of your own, if you lived 100 years, and laboured as hard as a nigger.
page 80

I do not like exaggerated or over statements as to what may be expected, for they only disappoint. But still worse are the base and wicked discouragements dinned into the ears of newcomers, so well described in Mr. Firth's sound and sensible letter. And I perfectly agree with that gentleman, that those croakers deserve to be drummed out of the country, If the country is so bad, why do they stay in it? Is it as Victims and Martyrs? The country could do better without them, and would cheer their departure to more congenial shores. I believe there is an organized set of these vipers, who seem to be the only venemous reptiles in our colony.

Yours, &c.,
Old Practical.