TOWNSHIP OF BULLS

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 147, 23 June 1915, Page 12

TOWNSHIP OF BULLS

BETTER DAYS BEGIN

SUBDIVISION BRINGS SETTLEMENT

Though not situated in the Manawatu district, the little township of Bulls, because of its proximity to the main route ,of travel between Wanganui and Wellington in the early pre-railway days, is in many ways identified with the interests of the lower district. And Bulls, in common with the Manawatu centres, is just now showing a very healthy advance. A good deal has been written at various times about its early days, which generally speaking were days of peace and of uneventful progress. In tho vicinity were Maori settlements; including the large Parawenui pa, which still is an important Native centre; and the Rangitikei River, which skirts the township, was an important water highway for many Maoris bringing wheat and fruit down from the higher reaches. It was at Parawenui that in 1866 Dr. Featherston met a large gathering of Wanganui, Rangitikei, and Manawatu Natives to complete the purchase of the Manawatu block. The occasion was historic. A number of important settlers accompanied Dr. Featherston, among them Sir Charles" Dilke, who described the scene in his " Greater Britain." To quote very briefly : * " Our track to the pa lay through a swamp of New Zealand flax. To the left was a village of low whares, fenced round with a double row of lofty posts carved with the nude images of ' gods and men. . . A thousand Maoris dotted the green landscape with patches of brilliant tartans and scarlet cloths, women lounged about, whiling away the time with dance and song. . . They greeted us pleasantly, with many an open cheerful smile. . ." The sale of the land was eventually arranged, and the now valuable Manawatu Block was purchased in those -days by the Crown, at this spot, for £25,000. THE EARLY DAYS. There is, littlo of interest in tho history of the township of Bulls since then. The place itself was called after Mr. James Bull, who established there a store j with a hotel attached in 1859. The Bulls Town Board was constituted in 1873. Much of the land round about was acquired in extremely largo holdings, and used chiefly for sheep-grazing runs, and much of it is. thus held today. One of the earliest business men of Bulls was Mr. F. J. Mansell, the present owner of the Bulls Motor and Garage Works, and one of the most progressive spirit* of the place, and his history ia virtually the history of the township. Mr. Mansell landed in Wellington, a young immigrant from England, in 1874, and with his brother immediately set out for Feildittg, which was the destination he had left the Homeland to reach. There were only tracks through to Feilding then and he found the easiest way from Palmerston was across Whiskers' run. Feilding possessed only one littlo cottage, occupied by Mr. Maismore, and Mr. Mansell and his brother slept that night in the open-air. They were at once engaged to build huts for the immigrants who were arriving to, found the Feilding settlement. After a brief while in Feilding they moved on to Bulls and erected the Criterion Hotel foT Mr. Dalziell. Coaches ran through the township between Wellington and Wanganui, crossing the Rangitikei River over, tho old bridge, which afterwards was washed away by a flood* After a time Mr. Mansell started storekeeping in a small way, and gradually increased Iris • trade, renewed Iris premises, and acquired others, until he became the chief storekeeper and pro-perty-owner in the place. And that is the history of Bulls, a slow, unostentatious, steady advance. Mr. Mansell latterly relinquished his business, and having by now acquired a considerable block of town property he has erected two very fine buildings and established his garage. His "push" has considerably assisted the development of the place. He served a number of years as a member of the Town Board, and acted in , several other - capacities for the townsliip and its various activities. LATTER PROSPEROUS DAYS. Bulls has progressed more within the last four or five years than in any other period, and there are bright prospects ahead. Strange to say, one reason for this is that the conditions that brought the little town into existence — the fact that it was a convenient place on a long highway — are repeating themselves today, when so much travelling is being done in motor-cars. The seclusion of Bulls from railway traffic has been one of its drawbacks in the past. Nowadays it is remarkable what a number of motor vehicles pass through from as far distant places as New Plymouth, Wellington, and Napier. The country in the vicinity, which is all splendid land except in the sandy coastal regions, is also being to 'some extent subdivided and settled. The Brandon Hall estate, consisting of 9000 odd acres, was taken in hand by a syndicate and cut up and sold, and now fifty families are settled upon it and thriving. The Keillor estate is another large area of country that has been' similarly treated and supports thirty families ; and still another, , the Rhodes estate of about

25,000 acres, which has been subdivided among about thirty other settlers. The laud averages in value to-day, in the vicinity of Bulls, from £30 to £35 per acre. _ Years ago much of the land was standing bush, especially heavy > and dense. A QHANCE LOST. Where Messrs. Rowe Bros.' property now is, on 1 tho southern -side of the Rangitikei River, the land, thickly timbered, went begging at £1 an acre. The Douglas Syndicate that owned it, according to an old Bulls settler, Mr. Thomas Flower, were not' seeking to turn over their money, but to promote settlement. " I had the money in those days," said Mr. Flower, "and they came to me, but I turned the offer of a thousand acres down, because I wanted to make money quickly, and I thought flourmilling the better way ! Today that land is worth £40 an acre. Rongotea land was offered upon the same terms; it was part of the Campbell Syndicate. Ohakea, the Bull estate, was acquired thirteen years ago by the Government, and we all wondered what things would come to when Mr. Bull went away; but We have now thirteen settlers upon that land! It has^ll assisted in our prosperity. We are in the centre of all the big estates that have been cut up." Mr. Flower was the

first miller in the district. The two original flour-grinding stones which constituted his mill in the early days are still to be seen, carefully ' preserved, in. the floor 'of his mill, which nowadays is quite up-to-date. LOCAL FEATURES. Tho present Town Board comprises Messrs. W. B. Clark (chairman), J. E. Walker, 11. A. Goodall, W. Holmes, G. Nicholson, ll . ' Edwards, and W. Kearney. The School Committee consists of Messrs. J. Walker (chairman), W, Holmes, W. Hoskings, Edwards, Kearney, and Young. The Rangitikei Racing Club, of which Mr. J. A., Bailey is president and Mr. H. A. Goodall secretary, is quite an institution of tho place, and has been for many yearß. Since 1910 the racecourse, which is handy to the township, has been bronght up-to-date in every respect by the expenditure upon it of £6485. Two large training establishments are maintained by Messrs. W. Holmes and James Coyle. The Manawatu County's tramway running from Foxton, which now has its northern terminus at Pukanui, near the Rangitikei River, a little more than a mile from Bulls, has been of great assistance to tho district. It provides cheap freights on many goods. But the district holds that if the Government would permit the linking up of the line with the Main Trunk railway at Greatford or Marton the district would reap an enormous advantage, because no cartage at all would be necessary over the roads. This is a matter which is touched ,upon more comprehensively elsewhere in this issue. A PROGRESSIVE PROPOSAL. An ambitious scheme is at present being carried out, in the lighting of Bulls by electric light. A contract to instal the necessary plant and maintain the system has been let to Mr. Mansell. with exclusive rights extending over 42 years. Mr. Mansell has erected a large power-shed on his property ttt the back of the Town Hall, and is now installing a 70-horse power producer plant, with a 60-horse power engine. It is hoped to have the system completed within eight or nine months and the lights switched on. Some may think the scheme ambitious, but Mr. Mansell has full confidence in the future expansionof Bulls, and is prepared to accept what risk there is to provide tin's convenience for the township. He contracts to maintain 75 lamps in the township, and is novr having erected the necessary poles

and wires. Private houses will be supplied^ and the Town Hall, which at present is lit with acetylene gas, will bo a const-ant customer, as picture shows are regularly run there. The Town Hall, which cost £1400 to erect, is a large and convenient wooden building. Bulls has always been fond of its theatre; some years back it supported a famous amateur operatic cociety. The Town Hall is municipallyowned and managed. A VALUABLE INSTITUTION. Another fine institution is the Publio Library, winch is also municipally rua. It is used by people over an area of many miles. The township has a large, commodious 'post office ana a clock* and in most other respects is right i up to date. In place of the coach service between Greatford and Bulls motor-cays now ply, meeting every train and covering the four miles in ten minutes. Recently tho large residence of Sir James Wilson, which stood on the outskirts of the township, was destroyed by fire. t Tho building is now being replaced with a .very fine two-storied dwelling, containing thirty-three rooms, winch, when completed, will be one of tho features o| the place.