SIXTY YEARS IN SOUTH CANTERBURY

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVII, Issue 21529, 16 December 1939, Page 37 (Supplement)

SIXTY YEARS IN SOUTH CANTERBURY

Mr John Anstey, who during his long residence in South Canterbury served the public in numerous public capacities, and came into close association with all sorts of men, retains many recollections concerning the moving scenes of which he has been a witness, and is able to picture South Canterbury as it was in the closing years of the 'seventies and contrast then with now. Mr Anstey arrived in South Canterbury in 1878, and during the intervening 60 years witnessed many changes; many ups and downs. He began his political career in the Legislative Council, and, reversing the usual procedure, he graduated to the House of Representatives, representing Waitaki for five years during the period of the Great War. He served on the Timaru Borough Council for a period and for more than 30 years occupied a seat on the Board of Directors of the Canterbury Farmers' Co-operative Association, during which period he saw it gi-ow from a comparatively small beginning to what it is to-day, with branches in various parts of South Canterbury, with a great turnover of business. This orgafiisation has played a not unimportant part in the evolution of the province, and in connection with its operations Mr Anstey came into association with the public to an unusual extent, but more especially the farming community, and he was responsible for the introduction of many innovations in connection with the business Which have proved valuable. Mr Anstey’s experiences have been on all fours with those of many others who came to the Dominioh before the wider extension of settlement which is to be seen to-day, and experienced all the vicissitudes of fortune which the pioneers passed through. From the outset he was under the necessity of paddling his own canoe; he could claim no adventitious aids smoothing the road of fortune. He arrived in New Zealand in 1878, and his first occupation was that of a shearer on

uie norsiey uowns station m North Canterbury, but after a short time, hearing that there were more opportunities in South Canterbury, he gravitated to this province Binders Introduced His first employment in South Canterbury was in the harvest field, and lie can remember the introduction of the first binders into South Canterbury—the old Wood machine which used wire instead of twine, thus reducing the value of the straw inasmuch as it co ild not be used for chaffing purposes. Later Mr Anstey accepted an engagement as a ploughman, still later reverting to blade shearing, the current price at that time being 15 - per b.undr-d Even In that far away t.me the low rates paid for shearing by the runholders resulted in dissatisfaction amohg the workers and resulted in a strike. During his early years in New Zealand the blight of a severe depression swept over the land, and there was a considerable amount of unemployment, and distress was widespread. In the early 'eighties Mr Anstey went on a johrney of investigation throughout the greater part of the North Island in search of an opportunity to begin farming on his own account. However, he was unable to find a northern Mecca offering greater opportunities than South Cahtferbui'y, With the result that he returned south, and has remained here ever since. On his return he accepted a position as driver of a threshing mill, a business with which he was familiar in his native country, and in this capacity did a considerable amount of work, his wanderings through the province in this capacity enabling him to obtain an excellent grasp of the productive capacity of the cotmtry, and consequently, when later he began farming on his own on an area of 180 acres near Pareora, he was by no means a novice regarding the productivity of the country. After a short time he found that the limited area which he held prevented him from realising his ambitions, and some time afterwards he added 400 acres of leasehold to his holding, and this enabled him largely to increase his operations, engaging in mixed farming, combining grain growing With stock grazing. These areas

he occupied for many years, greatly increasing their production, but meet- | ing with some of the difficulties I usually encountered by the “man on I | the land.” I Mr Anstey mentioned that in the | early years many farmers experienced serious trouble with their financial I operations; they were largely in the I hands of firms with no personal interest in the welfare of their clients beyond making the connection remtin- ’ erative for their employers; there was; j a lack of the personal touch. Tlie j coming into being of the Canterbury ■ Farmers’ Co-operative Association | largely overcame such difficulties, and j its operations beyond all doubt seiwecl | in a material manner to make easier I ■ the path of the farmc’-. Over a long series of years Mr Anstey ! ! was closely associated with the fat sheep trade and sold large drafts of | | sheep and lambs, which were generally I considered among the best produced i in South Canterbury. Tenure and Taxation | Mr Anst ;y always evinced close I ’ ■ interest in the complex problem of > ■ i land tenuie and taxation, and in the j . j days when Sir John McKenzie evolved 1 ■ I the new system of tenure was much in ! > j the confidence of the C vernment and | was always an ardent’ supporter of the - j new dispensation. Although he did I not always see eye to eye with the 1 , reformers on all phases of the changes, > he warmly supported all proposals ■ which meant bringing greater oppor- ■ trinities within the range of 1 respective farmers, as he has always held that | i the farmer was the most valuable of | our citizens, and that nothing should I ; be left undone that would encourage him to enlarge his activities and ini crease production. ’ Mr Anstey, referring to the wool j ■ industry, said that in the early days > the problem of classification was large- I i ly overlooked; on the smaller proper- i ties it was, of course, impossible to do | ■ this work satisfactorily because of the , small amounts dealt with. However, | ; the disadvantage of placing clips on | • the market without any effort in the ■ direction of classification required no' demonstration; it was clear that the ! small farmer was not receiving a ' “square deal.” The result was the j : introduction of the system of classification by the wool brokers in their stores. Mr Anstey said he thought without any egotism, that he' could ' claim some credit for the introduction of this forward move, which is to-day ! almost universally accepted.