CHRISTCHURCH 100 YEARS AGO Streets And Their Traffic

Press, Volume C, Issue 29554, 1 July 1961, Page 8

CHRISTCHURCH 100 YEARS AGO Streets And Their Traffic

[Specialty written for “The Press’ by R. C. LAMB] POLICE constables on beat in Christchurch during the early 186 O’s frequently came upon cows wandering untended in the city streets. It was their duty to report what they found, in this way, to police headquarters—a duty that could prove irksome at times. The forbearance of the police force was taxed beyond reasonable limits when one of its members, on going the rounds in March, 1863, found a herd of 18 cows at large, grazing in one of the side streets. A summons was issued against the owner of the cows, as the police wanted to make this a test case to determine whether owners of cattle might with impunity put cattle out to graze in the public thoroughfares.

The Magistrate before whom the man appeared, namely John Hall—later Sir John Hall —said that he sympathised with the police in the action they had taken, and that if. this sort of nuisance were to become more troublesome, something would have to be done to put a stop to it. At the same time he dismissed the case—much' to the satisfaction of the man on trial, who forthwith gave vent to his relief in a letter to “The Press." in which he boldly declared that for some time, in common with his neighbours, he had been in the habit of permitting his cows to graze in “toe wide outside, unfrequented streets” Where there was often “much good English grass.” This poses the question: where did the grass end, and the gravel walks begin, in the town of Christchurch a century ago? By October, 1862, five miles of streets had been formed and gravelled. The gravel and sand of which they were formed needed only a good wind to blow upon them in order to fill the air with clouds of dust—so much so that people walking out and about on windy days found the dust menace insufferable. “The Press," in drawing attention to this nuisance in a leading article that occupied the best part of a page, went so far as to ask: "Why should not the surface of the streets out of the main thoroughfares be sprinkled with clover seed?” At least they might have been sprinkled with water; but the Municipal Council, as it had not yet begun to levy rates, lacked the funds with which to undertake such a task. This being so. the inhabitants and shopkeepers

of Cashel street banded together in October, 1863, and by agreeing to contribute three shillings a week from each household, were able to have their street watered three times daily during the summer months. The scheme worked splendidly -while it lasted. “No matter how hot, how dirty, how oppressive elsewhere, no sooner do you turn into Cashel street." commented "The Press," “than you are in a totally different climate.” Unfortunately. towards the end of January, 1864. the water carts ceased to work because some of the householders would not pay the required charge; and

so the dust demon was at large once again. About this time, the Municipal Council had its attention drawn to a street nuisance of another kind, when it received from Dr. J. S. Turnbull a letter complaining that there was a large heap of manure in Chester street. The Municipal Council, as it was bound to do, thereupon instructed its Inspector of Nuisances to have the offensive heap removed forthwith. If the doctor's petition received prompt attention, less successful was that signed by Bishop Harper and residents of Cambridge terrace, a month earlier, asking for a proper roadway to be constructed in that part of Cambridge terrace which lay between Armagh street and Salisbury street—a particularly bad stretch, judging from the petition, which described it as almost impassable for carriages in summer, and for pedestrians in winter. In this case the Municipal Council advised the petitioners that it had not sufficient funds to enable it to carry out the necessary road work. The Municipal Council had been in existence for less than two years. Shortly after its first meeting in March, 1862. it had received from the Provincial Counci’ a grant of £3OO0 —a grant which was the precursor of more to follow. And yet, so many were the calls upon the civic chest, that two years after its inception, the council could not even boast a horse and cart of its own. Little wonder was it, then, that the work of forming the streets, at anything from £4 to £6 a

chain, made slow headway. The work was further retarded by an arrangement made with the Provincial Council, in May, 1862, whereby that body, in order to obtain a sufficient supply of gravel for government works within the city, was permitted by the Municipal Council to dig this needed metal from the streets of Christchurch—on condition, admittedly, that the pits thus excavated were to be filled up again within a specified time. Mention has been made of the trouble to which toe police were put at this time in dealing with stray cattle. To this, one of their many worries, was added that of attending to runaway horses, as the following resolution of the Municipal Council, dated November 23, 1863. attests: "That the attention of the Commissioner of Police be called to toe fact that the custom of leaving horses in carts outside places of business, and particularly outside the various hotels in the city, has of late increased to an extent which has become highly dangerous to the inhabitants of the city, occasioning almost daily instances of runaway horses; and that he be respectfully requested to direct his men to use their utmost vigilance in detecting and prosecuting all offenders against the several clauses of tile Police Act bearing on the subject.” How busy—lt may ba asked—were toe streets, in these early years? Two contemporary traffic counts shed some interesting light on this question. Ths first count was of one day's (i.e. eight hours'! traffic over the Papanul bridge, or—as we know it today—the bridge which crosses the Avon in Victoria street. The traffic, as reported there in January. 1862, was as follows: Bullock drays jo No. of bullocks drawing same .... 58 Horse Drays 36 No. of horses drawing same .... 66 Horse carts 36 No. of horses drawing same .. 51 Saddle horses 199 Cows, bullocks .. 20 Sheep 204 Donkey and cart .. 1 Foot passengers .. 1000 In August, 1863, a count was made for five consecutive days of traffic on the Ferry road, plying between toe Heathcote and Christchurch. In those five days there passed along the road no fewer than 658 dray loads of merchandise. In addition to this. 588 passenger vehicles (spring carts and the like), were tallied; while the number of horsemen that rode by was 906. Lastly, there were recorded in this tally 448 sheep and five cattle. In these two traffic counts, then, we begin to detect toe pulse beat of the town's throbbing life.