OLD-TIME RANGIORA.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 11011, 8 July 1901, Page 3

OLD-TIME RANGIORA.

SOME EXPERIENCES OF. EARL"E SETTLERS. At the end! of a gathering of.Kangiora people, held; last week for the ptu"|>ose» of bidding good-bye and presenting & token of esteem and ragiwct to Mr A. B. Blaoketfc, wben <tiie sin-gets ha<l exhausted* ■fib.'eir nrasici' Mr H. Boyd proposed th» telling of olcf-tinua stories. Hβ suggested one regarding the (railway in w&ich 'the Eangiora people in 1870, ab a meeting at Mandeville by packing the meetiing, carried a resfrlu-'. tion for the Rangiora-Osfwd 1 iincvas the Eyreton line.

Mr Henry Blacketfc, who foadr 'been TOtey years coiMßccted with, public affairs, said it was intended in 1870' to' branch the main" line off from Southbroofc via Wtrodsomdi to LeithfieWi, and! Mr W. H. Pejrcsival, liimself, and. others made a remonstean.ce, wMci' brought the line into its present posiiii«ti> They likewise succeeded in getting tfta branch line to Oxford by packing a. meet* ing which was called to advocate only -fche Eyreton line. Going back to ibis arrival in the colony, after, stating 'ha intended: be. ing a settler at Taranaki and $ater visited the Pelorus district, and dtesaribing tlia primitive hardships of settlors, he said lie reached Ramgiora., in 1858. Hβ hadi wit-! nessed the ro-pidl growth of the town, and its proclamation, as a boiougl*. Connected , ■with the Road Board and Drainage Board and County Council, jks Juadi joined many appeals for publio -works, and could look back witih pnid© ait the drainiage of almost 12,000 acres from a perfect swamp. He had, seen most of the ajoads formed in the disi teict, but regretted the County Council could never be influenced, to accept the in*j poxtan<fr /undertakings of the main rivet bridges, nor the large question of eompre* ibensdve dfradraage, or a. complete water raca eyistem for Ashley ComntyJ Thie borough; of which the 'had the honour to be first Mayor, he was proud! to say, wouldl compare -wriih any of its size dm its streets, sidepaths, and channelling.. Reverting to the time -when. !he iirst knew tire site, of the "town as an expanse of tussock, flax, bush, and swamp, ihe remarked! that the change in forty-three years would never be realised by new-comers. " Mr E. R. (Jood l , "who aawivedl with Ms father, the late Mr Edward Good, in 1646, described the ordinary sbvro dairs' journey from Choustplitirch, which was, ihowcvefr, in ■this caso niiide into one day by an early start and a late arrival. The "method o£ conveyance was a duay, diuwu by one bullock. The swamp at Papanui greatly re* tarded 1 thoir progress, the femes of the'vV"ai« makariri emfaiiled further detention, the unformed" and a -m'do detour from; K«iapoi, via Woodeiut, past an accommo, ation house near Mr F. 3Susch J s farm x broughtl -the Good family, all too' weary, to its destination. They intended that farmid* should be their ocaupa.tio-n, bub a hail. storm in Jaraiany on a partiljy-cufc crop of fine barley so for ruined the crap as tot cause Mr E. Groo'd to Kay, "If that was farming it was a nonpayrng oocupation^' , and he purchased) some stores from, the lurta 'tfk Geo. C. Black, merchant at Kaiapoi , , and began the business wMch baa beea sucoesafuUy oontuiued. The speaker gave an account of the igencml ou-Llook and thflf appearance of Rangfora in 1856, referring in eulogistic terms to hiss schofjlinnaitQr, the late Mr Chos. Merton, and his sallo'ol on the Drain road, in which COiurch. of England services -vrtsre first conducted by Mt G. Thompson, lay reader. He gave a succinct accouiiti of the first sports in 3lr 0. O. Torlesse's padidock, and the first ericketf match, in w.hdoh Mr J. B. Wilson., tfoef father of cricket in. Rangiocra, w*us interesfcedl'' The destruction by iixe, saw, and fire "of *he bush of 2000 acres bobween tJiia andl the sister town, the lawsuits - over water courses, and the improvements effected! by local governing boardts were touched on by Mr Good in. im interesting adduess, andi like Mi- Blackett lie claimed , that the .town stood up to the rank of other like boroughs in thus colony.

Mr J. Sdinsom (Mayor) stated the San-< som family came from the'old fend ja the Ashburton, reaching Lytbeltbn in 1858. Being ■told' that Kaiapoi was then, a promising place, they ihied thither, laut in /course of time, feeing convinced, there was more scope in Jftainigiora, the family and effects brought on by a 'bullock team of ten, under the whip of 'Black Charlie, with a small ■waggon in tow behind the dray eontainitig the youngsters. Neariog Mr G. J. Leech's land, the rougih road Ixscame a source of danger to the -waggon, and some time after the children .were taken, out l,b capsized, Mr Sansom'a fatelier intended to go into farming, but one diay a called to buy bread. Mrs Sansi.;';i, settlor, WSjitsfl taken the tetch out of ti.be' cahip ovxaj; afwl sctd tUe man a quarter of it. Ifltis, t-lta speaker b&Kevedi, wais~ the first loaf of btoeod, ever sold in the district, and decided hiia father to start-am; oren and. ore, and the bakery and store had) gone oik, witii at ofaanige of locality, ever since. Connected with early trade, be remarked a singularly, fine pratcipfo of honour and houeety. Men would call on tibeir way up country foi) ■bread and stores without money, and promise if 'they were given "tick" they wouldi pay whien they got some wages. Often goods in the old books were put down to "tfee matf with the M.ue dart," or some such rtaforence, bat it was always the case, sooner <>s later, tiho* the person would turn up and (pay. ■Hβ likewise hexi the benefit of Ma Chas. MertonV tutorship, with Mr R. Moore as one of (his class mates, and Mβ Good, and many other men. who had mads their way in tsie colony. His father win ono of the first owners of a horse, which cost about £84, amd 'his brother and liimself were of the fire* to open coaching traffic to Chirisfcc'h«rah'. But now all was changed, aiwl perhaps, on fie whole, improved, and foe tnrsted diuring his mayoralty they might obtain a high pressure water supply, and, he hoped a start onadie with electric light* ing- •. At this-stage Syne" was sung, and the meeting ■termin«n» v r