WHEN RUNS WERE CHEAP

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVII, Issue 21529, 16 December 1939, Page 40 (Supplement)

WHEN RUNS WERE CHEAP

ROMANCE OF SETTLEMENT

I Runs, extensive areas of pastoral I i country, secured on lease by enter- I prising sheep and cattle men, constituted an integral part of the early set- | tiemen t plans in all parts of New Zealand. The occupation of great . areas for pastoral purposes, however, was but a temporary measure. With I a multiplicity of Provincial Councils, I each with its own ideas of how best to i handle the various problems which i came up for decision, a natural result | , was a certain amount of confusion in j . the minds of those who sought from a , I distance to ascertain the precise posi- ; ! tion. Although the first Canterbury j Pilgrims reached Lyttelton in Decern- i i ber, 1850, the immigrants found more j I than sufficient to occupy their time and i ! attention in subduing the winderness in

their immediate proximity, and consequently it was some time before any explorations were undertaken in connection with the great area lying south of the Rangitata. It is claimed i that the early settlers of Canterbury had no ambition to possess vast areas; their desires lay in the direction of possessing reasonably sized steadings and to follow largely in the footsteps of their forbears, and give their undivided attention to comparatively small areas. Few of them were familiar with great distances or vast tracts of land. Further, the original regulations of the Canterbury Association stipulated that land under special lease was a privilege to be enjoyed only by purchasers of cash sections of 50 acres at £3 per acre. The first who desired to become squatters in New Zealand were Australians, but these in the first place were barred, and it was necessary that the regulations should be amended before squatting could become established, but when the impediments were ultimately swept away, or at least modified and made more workable, the “industry” flourished exceedingly, and it was not iong before the greater part of Canterbury was parcelled out into great “runs," and squatting became a popular occupation. Mr Godley, who was always a practical man, again and again urged on his colleagues the desirableness of directing the attention of intending colonists to pastoral pursuits, and in the end his views were largely endorsed by the Land Purchasers’ Association, a self-appointed body from the ranks of the colonists, which strongly recommended the encouragement of the emigration of pastoralists from Australia, to gain which end they suggested that the previous rent of 20/per 100 acres should be reduced to 10/in agricultural districts. Such licences were for 14 years and subject to the general right of purchase reserved over all unsold land in the settlement, and the lessee had the usual rights of preemption, that is, the holder of the licence should first have the option of purchasing the land applied for. The rentals charged on pastoral licences under the Canterbury regulations were as follow:—For a run of 1000 acres, 20/per 100 acres and Id per acre for the remainder; for runs above 1000 acres and under 5000 acres, 2d per acre for the first 1000 acres, Id per acre for the second and third year; id for the third and fourth; 3d for the fifth and every subsequent year. Runs over 5000 acres were under the necessity of carrying one head of large stock or six sheep to every 120 acres during the first three years, twice that amount during the next three years and three times that amount during the remainder of the term, which expired in 1870.

Applications Allowed | The land lying south of the Ashbur- ■ ton River, and the whole of South i Canterbury was under the control of the General Government. The follow- ! ing South Canterbury applications I under the new dispensation were re- ■ ceived and allowed by the Commissioner of Lands for Canterbury, Colonel I Campbell: i 1. Messrs Rhodes Brothers <3 runs), 75,000 acres between the Opihi and Pareora rivers, from the sea inland; the description of the : area concluded with the words: “No monopoly of wood or water on any account allowed.’’ 2. Major A. Hornbrook: 25,000 acres in the fork of the Hare and Opihi rivers. 3. David Innes, 25.000 acres, on the south side of the Pareora River, from the sea inland. 4. W. H. Harris. 25,000 acres, on the side of the Waihau, from the sea inland. 5. Francis Jollie. 25,000 acres, between the Rangitata and Cocks Rivers, bordering on the mountains. 6. Alphonso Clifford. 25,000 acres, on the north side of the Waitangi, from the sea inland. 7. R. J. S. Harman. 25.000 acres, between the Rangitata and Cocks Rivers, adjoining Jollies block, and extending eastwards. 8. Francis and Muter, 25,000 acres. j in the fork of the Hare and Cocks rivers. 9. Win. Paterson, 25,000 acres between the branches of the RangiI tata and amongst the hills. 10. Charles Reed, 25,000 acres, adjoining the west boundary of Rhides’s run. I 11 C. R. Blakiston. 25,000 acres, on the south bank of the Rangitata, from the sea inland. 12. W. Macdonald, 20,000 acres on the south bank of the Rangitata, west of and adjoining Blakiston’s run. 13 G. W. H. Lee, 20.000 acres, between the Rangitata and Cocks Rivers, east of and adjoining Har- ! man’s run. I 14. S. H. Pyke, for J. P. Taylor. ’>o 000 acres on the north bank of the Waitangi, west of and adjoining Clifford’s run. 15. S. H. Pyke, for J. Stephens. 16 000 acres, on the north bank of I ■ the Waitangi, west of and adjoining Stephens’ run. 16 W. H. Vapley, 25,000 acres, on the north bank of the Waitangi, west of and adjoining Pyke’s run. I 17 W H. Vapley, for James FulI ton, 25,000 acres, north of and adjoining the run selected by Pyke. Taylor and Stephens. 18 W. H. Vapley. for F. E. French. 25,000 acres in position similar to the last named. 19. James King, 25,000 acres, being the southern part of the block selected by Rhodes Brothers. 20. Captain Richard Westenra, I 25,000 acres between the Hare and Opihi Rivers, west of and adjoining Hornbrook's run. 21 M J. Burke, 25,000 acres, in the forks of the branches of the Opihi River. 22 S. W. B. Minchin, for Ed. C. I Minchin. 25,000 acres, west of the block selected by Rhodes Brothers I and south of the Ngawai River.

| 23. W. Hornbrook. 25,000 acres, between the Hare and Opihi Rivers, west of and adjoining Westenra’s run. 24. D. Muter and Co., 25.000 acres, i between the Hare and Cocks rivers, west of and adjoining Francis and Muter's run. 25. W. N. Llewellyn, 25.000 acres, west of runs selected by Reed and Minchin. 26. Alfred Cox. 25,000 acres, west of runs selected by Hornbrook, i Westenra, and Muter and Co. 27. Captain George Clapcott, 60th Regiment, 25.000 acres on the south bank of the Pareora, west of and adjoining D. Innes's run. Land Laws Change i Following this allocation of runs, I there were several changes in the administrations of the Colony’s land laws, and numerous changes of boundaries, but largely the original boundaries j were adhered to, with the necessary I rectifications consequent upon the changes in proprietorship, and the more i exact setting out of the subdivisions, for it must be remembered that the ' work of fencing those vast areas, even I ring fencing was a labour involving ' great work and expense and could be ; accomplished only as opportunity of- | fcred. In 1855 particulars of further j prospective runs were gazetted, but , largely the descriptions were so vague j and indefinite that it was difficult in- ; deed to arrive at anything that could I be described as a reliable assessment. I The description included two areas that j were not occupied so far; 2000 acres J applied for by Mr W. Du Moulin I “westward of Mount Peel, bounded on ; the north by the Rangitata River, on the west by Mount Peel, on the south 1 by the Orari and on the west by the I Rangitata”—certainly a wildly imaginl ative description; and 75,000 acres applied for by Mr J. H. C. Sidebottom, , near the source of the Waitangi “on I the west of the Snowy Mountains." The Gazette on July 27. 1855 also conI tained descriptions of runs granted to Mr W. Herbert Mayer, Mr Edwin Hare i Dashwin, and Mr James Knight Bruce lin the Hakataramea Valley, besides j another two of 25,000 acres to Mr I George Hodgkinson, "bounded on the ' north and east by the Snowy Ranges, ■ on the south by the Waitangi River, i and on the west by the Hakataramea i River"; and 54,000 acres applied for by I Mr G. Elwin, “about 25 miles from Timaru, bounded on the north by the Otaio, on the east by the run of Mrs Collier, on the north by the river Hook.” By a strange mistake, Mr Hodgkinson’s lease could not be com- : pleted as the area had previously been ’ applied for by Mr J. K. Bruce. | The selection of the plains land havj ing been accomplished, eyes were now ■ turned to the higher levels, where it was recognised there lay a large area I admirably adapted for pastoral purI poses, and at this stage the opening up

of the country, so widely known as the Mackenzie Country, taking its name from the notorious sheep lifter, who was responsible for making history in this part of the province began. The Mackenzie Country The story of the settlement of the Mackenzie Country is one of great endeavour, indomitable courage, often under conditions which were far from encouraging, for the hardships of the back-country, with its devastating snow-storms, made that area very different from the greater part of Canterbury. The story of the settlement of the Mackenzie Country, and indeed of all the hill country in South Canterbury, is an epic of a high order, and bears comparison with that of any other country, where for years the hardy pioneers were thrown on their own resources, and would have been submerged had they not been constituted mentally, morally and physically far above the average. The task they took in hand with gladness was not one that would be coveted by the weak and the timid; it was a task demanding hardihood and all the other qualities which in the aggregate are the assets of a race above the average. There are many names among the early settlers of South Canterbury which are still honoured in this part of the country. In most cases the pioneers have passed on, their work accomplished. But their names cannot fade; they have left fame that will not perish. In many cases the original holdings, or at least portions of them, still remain in the possession of descendants; their old-time homesteads remain as beacons on the landscape.

Among the names of early settlers whose traditions live in South Canterbury are those of the Aclands and the Tripps. Mr J. B. A. Acland, who later played a not unimportant part in the local administration of South Canterbury and in the public life of the country, acquired a run of 57,500 acres, known as the Four Peaks Range, lying in the great loop of the Orari River and above that previously acquired by Mr Alfred Cox. At the same time Run 5? 1 , containing a similar area was selected by Mr Charles George Tripp, this area being on the north side of the Rangitata River, taking in the Harper Range, but of course outside South Canterbury. In the Mackenzie Country, Run 45. 10,000 acres, was granted to Messrs Watson and Gladstone in 1856, the run lying at the south-east end of Lake Pukaki, and was the first occupied in that part of South Canterbury, and was ultimately stocked with 50 or 60 head of cattle brought overland from Pigeon Bay, the journey occupying a month. By June, 1858, Glentanncr was occupied; in 1863 Lilybank; and Mount Cook in 1864. The last named selection was by Messrs George Mcßae and Andrew Burnett, the latter ultimately buying out his partner, and becoming sole holder of 5000 acres, since increased to 25.000 acres, and now in the possession of his son. Mr T I) Burnett, M.P. Naturally the stocking of the runs presented a problem difficult to solve. It was necessary to transfer sheep and cattle considerable distances. The only means by which this could be done was overland; there were no roads; the rivers, many of them treacherous ones, were unbridged; and besides even at considerable distances supplies of stock were limited. Another formidable task was that of fencing; and for many years ring-fencing was the extent to which many leaseholders could venture in this respect