TRIUMPH FOR PIONEERS OF TRANSPORT THROUGH THE BUSH

' HEN these fear-* W / . Isss, capable . pioAtt\ v v I ners set out to VI taste' -m-' s ive the . then friJr&HL Amm quate. system of jßrnM/gF^^P* tran spo rtation, HH||l^[S>' tackled the 9H|^^ fa most difficult pro- »* ■■■'' «?Ti--ii* been the lot of any transport pioneers to ever undertake. Nowhere else! in the world did such a trackless wilderness exist: The. unformed roads, litfle better -than cattle tracks, ran through 'virgin bush, and wormed their way up the steep hillsides of mountain ranges, crossing innumerable mountain creeks and unbridged rivers. ; Running a coach m < those days was work that -tested to the full both- man and. beast. It was work that demanded ';'" great physical endurance, rare judgment of horseflesh, the, ability to think quickly and act , quickly, and initiative such as few possess. ■ To-day, with our rail and road facilities, we have no conception of what ■this^piori^l^g^^Bifiod. was like. It is beyond ; our comprehension, and' we regard' it almost as .something foreign. : Thus ft is that we do not realize tfie debt which .we owe to the hardy pioneers who ' blazed the trails which now carry -our pleasure cars north, east, south and -. -west.: : , ■ ".:' ' ' • ■ : .- "-,.•• ■To their enterprise and thoroughnesjs, iriuch of New Zealand's present prosperity is due. '■■■■-■;'■■' '-•"= At Fif teeny ' -. . .' And such pioneers, were .Thomas^anri Harry Newm,an, founders of the Nelson firm of, /Newman Bros., X«td. The story;; of that firm is typical of. the stories of v the many men who, - over half a century' ago, linked together the scattered parts . of the newly-born Colony., .■■•■• • 1 It is a story, of New Zealand* of New Zealand grit and of New Zealand ability; and it is a, story of the romance attached to New Zealand industry.

3 "'._■■ : — ■ .1 When Thomas Newman left school, he was a lad of 15, but m those days a boy of that age was already a man, and so it was that young Tom went to work for his father.His' brqtherjGeorge, m the absence of "Harry, was tackling the arduous job of carting timber from Wakefield to Nelson by wagon, and to Tom was allotted the task of grooming the horses employed m this work; Thus it was that Fate threw his way the chance of making- good. George left for new fields, and the ifather of the boys was faced with the problem- of securing a new wagon driver. He went to Tom, and asked him if he could do the di-ivirig. "I don't know, dad.-k' young Tom said, "but 111-t ry.". •,■ .< . . ' " ' ■- He tried and succeeded, and when some years later his brother. Harry 1 returned home the pair formed a partnership : and turned to wagoning 'for their livelihood. It was from this small beginning that the modern., firm sprung. The two New- ' mans gradually extended their operations. No longer did they run a service along a short route. They launch- \ ed out. going further afield, pioneering new services. Their first service was to Murchison, and this trip was undertaken with a three-horse dray. Then, -when they were, financed by Charles Watts, of Nelson, they introduced coaches, and the first mail contract came their way. The venture proved successful, and they were able to maintain and develop it -without outside capital. Indeed, they, .did not even have to draw upon the money , which Watts had placed at their disposal. . The first . mail ' contract was from Foxhill to Longford, and Tom Newman mad© the first trip. ; It was alto- ; getber a memorable, one. Ten miles from his destination Tom got held up. There was not the I

o , \ „./'. . . — '— — —\ slightest chance of his getting through, but m his philosophy there was no such thing as "defeat. He believed ■that the mall must go through, .and 'he determined to get it -through. That spirit was the spirit of the flrni, and it has been the spirit which has guided it to success. Tom, put the mail bag over his shoulders arid walked the full ten miles.. He got the mail through. "You r— fool," was the only, thanks .he got on arrival. "That' ba^ should have' been m the coach,, not: o.n : your back!" In such way is pluck rewarded. From .Longford the mail oontract was extended to Lyell, • and later still, to Westport. The next stage was to Reef ton, and then* the route between ; • Nelson and Blenheim was pioneered. They were hard days of solid toil for the two brothers, who for many years 'were /forced ta^db^the^arjLvinff themselves; " Axe, pick, and shovel had to be carried ; on t h c; lumb cr- • m g coaches, ; and, many times .'', fallen trees had to ; be' cut and moved from the :■ rough road, or heavy slips had to be cleared. Road maintenance men were unknown m those days ■ and this work all fell , on, the coach drivers. Bridges did not exist, and the,successful fording- of a flooded river was a task that required judgment and rare ability m. the handling of horses. Iklany times ' the water ■ would gurgle into the coach - and the inside passengers would v be wondering, whether they were not due for a'ducking m the river's chill waters. With all these , obstacles to be .overcome, travelling was slow and tedious. Many miles were uphill or along precipitous cliffs, and to have travelled

at a faster pace .than a.. {walk would have resulted m a capsize. '■ "' A trip that to-day takes but two days there and back and which can be done m one day if necessary then. took six days at the very least, and m the rolling, jolting, swaying coach of old, the passenger had one of the most uncomfortable rides imaginable. In the' face of all the perils and hazards of the trail, however, Newman Bros, prospered. The two-horse coach which had pioneered the first route from, Foxhill 'to Longford became but a memory. Larger and better coaches, drawn by four and five horses were purchased. ' And To-Day ; . ■Then came the motor> bringing 1 m it 3 wake ay; still greater revolution m the firm's -history. . The slow; lumbering coaches disappeared and were replaced by swift, comfortable cars; the roar of the engine took the place of the rattle and clink of harness. More reliable arid speedier services became possible, and to-day Newman Bros, j have a network of motor services •■( connecting Blenheim, Nelson, Westport, Reef ton and other minor centres^-' .. :.' ' . ■ ■ ;■ " ■.-■•■••.. ',-- '-.'.-, The " firm which commenced operations :,years ago with one employee to-diay. has 30 drivers,. 5 mechanics, and<.7 xjerks, besides- 3 ' branch managers upon, its pay-rolli ' 'The 15 l coaches, 150 ', horses, the", buggies, landaus, .arid expresses which .; twenty years ago maintained the mail services have gone, and- are but memories of the romantic past/ their places taken by 60 modern and^ powerful motors.. , ' , 1 even now the pioneering era has not completely passed. The services run through the Buller Gorge to Westport and Reef ton are •still pioneering; for here the railway has ,not yet penetrated arid the road still leaves much to be desired. : . Annually hundreds ;. ttt tourists and holiday-makers are taken through the wonderful Buller, with its amazing scenic -wonders, and only through the p.luck and grit of the two Newmans tias this been made possible. It. represents a triumph for Ne\r Zealand. ; . !