EARLY RAKAIA

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 60, Issue 35, 21 November 1939, Page 3

EARLY RAKAIA

SEVERAL RAILWAY PROJECTS. WHEAT GROWN ON ESTATES. LAND LET TO “CROPPERS.” Specially written for the “Guardian” by John Brown, “Lowcliffe,” Ashburton. (Copyright.) Bahai a, from 1877 to 1883, was full of life. Optimism was rife. There Avere huge areas of virgin soil ready for the plough and Avheat was to make fortunes. All that \A r as required Avas a means of opening up the ucav country. The Christchurch to Dunedin raihvay had gone through to Ashburton by August, 1874, and settlers had eagerly bought along the route. Side lines were considered the best methods of opening up neAV country. The Ashburton —Mt. Somers line had been considered even before the Ashburton County Council came into existence in 1876, though it had only got through the preliminary stage of a request for rails. There had been no suiwey. The excellent Avheat lands up the Bakaia River called for exploitation, so also doAvn the river through Acton to Wakanui. Both Avere discussed as feasible raihvay propositions. Neil McLean, (chairman of the Acton Road Board) in. December, 1877, personally intervieAved the County Council regarding the Avish of the people of his district to enter upon a railway project to .Wakanui. But from my reading of the Minutes of the County Council (see County Council article number three) he received little encouragement. and the scheme Avas evidently dropped.

Private Railway Company. But in February, 1878, a private company * had been formed with Mr C Barker as its interim-secretary, for he applied to the County Council meeting in that month to see if it Avas the council’s intention to build a bridge across the North Ashburton near Alford Forest and, if so, whether it Avould be made sufficiently strong for both rail and road traffic. Why the raihvay stopped at Methven instead of going through to Springburn (as Avas intended) is not stated in the County Council records. At that time this railAvay opened up some Avonderfully fine cropping coxfntry. Mr William Oakley tells me he saAV the first sod of the Ila-kaia-Ashburton Forks Raihvay turned. The “Cropper” System. The oAvners of the large " estates let blocks of their land to “croppers” for a year at a time. These men rented as much land as they could manage, the rent at that time being one bushel in four, and each party paid its share of the threshing. Messrs Holmes, Lyttelton, Coster and Wason let large blocks to the croppers, but Mr Oakley noted that Acton •Station (just be•loav the llakaia toAvnship) Avas kept as a sheep station. It was managed foi the New Zealand and Australian Land Company by Neil McLean. Later W. Allen Avas appointed manager and he carried out much cultivation Avovk and grain groAving, besides, leasing out to croppers certain areas. It Avas this man Avho successfully brought Avater out of the Bakaia near-by and irrigated Acton.

These croppers would often form a camp together and assist each other. The threshing of the crops was done by mills driven by portable steam engines. Traction engines were not in use then. The farmer (or cropper) had t° bring the threshing plant on to the farm or station and shift it from stack to stack. The threshing charges in the early ’eighties were 2Jd per bushel foi wheat and 2Jd for oats. The wages of the mill men wgre from ’los to 12s 6d per thousand bushels. For the harvest work large numbers of harvesters came to the district in time for the commencement of the work and pitched their tents near the township, awaiting engagement. The wages, Mr Oakley remembers, were then from 9d to 15d per hour, (with keep), and the hours worked were from daylight to dark, averaging 12 hours a day, and he says that many of these farm workers and their descendants are now successful farmers in the Ashburton County.

A Period of Slump. But there was a time, Mr Oakley, remarked, when disaster befell many of the original settlers of the Rakaia countryside. That was in the 1883-84 season. The weather had been extremely dry, the crops were poor, prices for grain fell. Croppers would no longer lease land for cropping and many left for other parts. On July 17 and IS', 1884, what was termed “A Bankrupt Sale” was held at Rakaia. Mr Oakley described to me the collection of horses, harness and implements from abandoned farms to the township. The sale lasted the full two days. A slump was on, and it was difficult to find buyers at any price. Dray loads of implements and chattels were sold or almost given away. Draught horses that had been bought two years before at £45 each were knocked down at £lo— most disheartening sale. David Thomas, of Ashburton, was the auctioneer and, if Mr Oakley remembers rightly, with him were J. T. Ford and E. G. Stavelev. Development of Corwar. The large estates higher up and towards Methven continued to grow large quantities of wheat —the land was stronger and the rainfall greater. Corwar, the property of J. C. Wnson, was one of the best of that time, Mr Oaklev thinks. It was situated on the bank of the Bnkaia River, just above the Barr Hill township that was—once upon a time. Mr Wason had spent a

large amount of capital in bringing CorAvar under cultivation, and in erecting buildings, fencing and planting large areas in trees. His homestead was a two-storeyed mansion, wonderfully Avell-built, and the grounds were beautifully laid out. The farm out-buildings were up-to-date in every Avay, and the large number of employees Avere Avell housed and Avell looked after.

Speaking of Mr Wason, Mr Oakley describes him as true-type British gentleman. In height he was possibly 6 feet 6 inches. He Avas very popular in the County—bis charming manner with his friends and Avitli those avlioju he represented in Parliament (for he Avas an MVP.) made him so. It Avas a loss to the County Avlien he determined to sell out and to xet-uin to Britain (there to enter again into politics as representative for Shetland and Orkney Islands). Corwar Avas subclmded into farms and the homestead AA'as purchased by Peter Drummond, avlio latei- milled very large quantities of timber from the plantations. The fine old residence Avas destroyed by fire and the property changed hands. It is uoaa oAvned bv Mr C. McLaehlan.

Very few sheep Avere kept by the Rakaia first settlers, but Avhen the Belfast Freezing Works Avere opened and the farmers had their fencing done, each farm began to carry its small flock of breeding cavos. About 1885 when the price of Avheat dropped and the land Avas beginning to be cropped out. sheep began to take the .place of Avheat and the fattening of lambs really began. When the Fairfield Freezing Works Avere opened Mr John Grigg sent buyers round to the farmers and bought their lambs for export at a price that exceeded the returns from cropping. It Avas then that the Bakaia country and that lighter stretch just south of it really came into its own. (To be continued).