..North Island.. Main Trunk Line. A NATIONAL UNDERTAKING.

Progress, Volume I, Issue 12, 1 October 1906, Page 344

..North Island.. Main Trunk Line. A NATIONAL UNDERTAKING.

PART I. Every New Zealand colonist who takes any interest in the progress of his country has also an interest in the construction of the North Island Main Trunk Railway, but few are aware of the tremendous amount of pioneering energy and endurance, engineering skill and patient constructive industry which has already been expended, and must still be continued, before our national railway is an accomplished fact. The recent statement of the Minister for Public Works that he hopes to have the trains running all the way from Auckland to Wellington in about a couple of years has brought the subject prominently before the public, for there can be no difference of opinion as to the convenience, and even necessity, of such a railway for commercial purposes, while its value as a factor in settling the interior, and thereby contributing to the general prosperity of the colony, can be scarcely overestimated. In the centre of the North Island the colony possesses splendid assets in the enormous area of magnificent timber suitable for milling and conversion into wealth ; an immense area of unused land, much of it of first-class quality ; and wonderful mountain, forest and river scenery. The latter, though not so readily convertible, is none the less valuable, for it remains the property of the people, and is for ever the glory of the country and a source of enjoyment to our population and of wonder to our km who visit us from over the seas. Few city dwellers have had the opportunity of viewing the panorama of the central mountain group — the snow- topped Ruapehu and Tonganro, with the weird-looking Ngauruhoe, and its continually steaming crater between. The means of access hitherto have been such that only few could take advantage of them, but the completion of the Mam Trunk Line will afford a ready and comfortable means of obtaining one of the grandest views of mountain and forest scenery m all the world. The splendid timber resources, which are already being tapped at each end by the Line, will contribute in no small degree to the earnings of the railway and to the revenues of the State by royalties, and if the forest on such of the land as is best fitted to bear a timber crop is only re-planted as it is cut out, this source of revenue, both as regards freight and royalty may be made more or less of a permanent character. Much of the country is suitable foi dairying or grazing after the timber has been felled, and will m time carry a fair population, which could hardly exist there without railway communication ; while the line will undoubtedly serve another most useful purpose in supplying the native landholders with an inducement either to make their lands productive themselves, or to dispose of them to Europeans. In the future, too, when New Zealand takes her destined place among the nations, we shall have a strategical railway of supreme importance, secure against hostile attentions from the sea.

History of the Undertaking. The history of the Line presents some novel features, and, in view of the interest aroused by the approaching completion of the work, the

This article was prepared by Mr. H, J. H. Blow, Under-Secr e tary of Public Works, with the assistance of Messrs. Holmes, Hursthouse and Ronayne. All were senior officers closely associated with the undertaking. The account of the incident i&th the Maoris, and of th**^ turning of the first sod is first hand from Mr* Hursfchouse. The above is eyident from papers on Ministry of Works file 19/577. *+-^. •*

present is an opportune time to touch upon some of the incidents which came in the way of the men who were identified with the project in its earlier stages. The inauguration of the " Public Works Policy " of Sir Julius Vogel, in 1870. may be taken as the starting point of railway-construction works in New Zealand. Prior to that date the Provincial Governments of Auckland, Canterbury and Otago had embarked on a railway policy of limited extent, and some of the works had actually been carried out ; but as regards the North Island Main Trunk Railway practically nothing had been done. T T nder the provisions of " The Immigration and Public Works Act, 1870," the Central Government took

charge of railway construction. Surveys of the various routes proposed were made, and the construction of certain lines determined upon ; but very little m the way of actual construction was accomplished until the arrival of Mr. James Brogden, of the firm of John Brogden and Sons, a firm responsible for much of the railway works in the early days of the colony. On the ioth August, 1872, a contract was entered into with Messrs. Brogden for the Auckland to Mercer railway, and with this section the Main Trunk Line may be said to have had its beginnings. It is interesting to note that at this time a scheme of combined railway and steamer service with the lower Waikato was seriously considered. The idea was to use ,the railway from Auckland to Mercer, then to take steamer to Ngaruawahia, and again take to the railway at this point. The advocates of through railway communication prevailed, however, and the Line was gradually carried forward until it reached the frontier line of the King Country at Te Awamutu, 100 miles from Auckland. Regular traffic to this point was begun in July, 1880. By this time the idea of constructing a through line to connect Auckland and Wellington by rail had assumed definite shape. In the Public Works Statement of 1881 the following passage occurred :—": — " Unsurveyed intervals of 120 miles on the west, and 160 miles on the east, separate the extremity of the Waikato line at Te Awamutu from Waitara (Taranaki) and Napier respectively. The Government will lose no opportunity which may present itself of obtaining such information with regard to the intervening country, as will enable the best mode of completing this main arterial line to be determined '" This contains no reference to a possible central route. Evidently, therefore, the idea at that time was to construct either an East or West Coast line. In 1882 the North Island Main Trunk Railway Loan Act was passed, which authorised the raising of £1,000,000 for the construction of the North Island Main Trunk Railway, but this Act also is silent as to the route to be adopted. The unsatisfactory relations existing between the Europeans and the natives, and the determination of the natives to maintain the King Country as a preserve for their own race, were, however, obstacles to the further progress of the Line southwards. Construction work, even in. the Waikato,

was at one time not considered any too safe, and a portion of the Line southwards of Mercer was carried out under quite unusual conditions. The Government considered it desirable to increase the defence force in the Waikato, and it was decided to effect the twofold object of having an additional armed force available in the district, and at the same time pushing on the construction of the railway. Thus, the Engineer Volunteer Militia, about 200 strong, was enrolled. These men marched under arms to the works, piled their muskets and took up their more prosaic picks and shovels, and then returned under arms to camp, where a sufficient amount of military drill and discipline was exercised to assure their being available for defence purposes 111 case of necessity. Their work was of course directed by the Railway Engineers, but they were under the command of military officers. The system worked very well, and the work done by the men was quite satisfactory.

The Native Difficulty. In the history of the Mam Trunk Railway mention is always made of the native difficulty, and it may not be out of place to digress here and trace the origin of this difficulty and study its features and results so far as they affected the progress of the railway. The active hostilities of 1865 may be said to have come to an end with the battle at Orakau, a native village a few miles from Te Awamutu. Here Rewi, the famous Ngatimamapoto fighting chief, with 250 brave but poorly armed warriors of his tribe, without water and with very little food, and surrounded by 600 British soldiers, well armed, resisted all attempts to take the pah by assault, and when called upon to surrender, after three days hard fighting, jumped on the parapet and defied his enemies, uttering words which have since become famous, to the effect that the fighting would go on " for ever, and ever, and ever." One result of the war was the agreement between the two races upon a frontier line, beyond which the European and his law were not to go, but where the Maoris were to retain their own rule and customs. This line extended from the Puniu river, near Te Awamutu, on the north to Pukearuhe, in Taranaki, and ran down near Ruapehu on the east to some place not very well defined, in the upper Rangitikei, which was the southern boundary. On one point the Maori was firm • he would sell no more land to the European, and only by special permission of the chiefs were a few favoured white men allowed to travel through his preserve. This attitude of passive resistance was maintained without advantage or injury to either party, until Te Whiti, the prophet, by his sensational preaching and claims to divine powers, attracted a large following to Panhaka. Te Whiti had seen

some civilisation in his youth ; he had acted as chainman on a survey under Mr. Hursthouse, the present Chief Engineer of Roads ; he had been educated by a missionary, and was a keen student of the scriptures. The story of his alleged superhuman powers attracted the tribes from all parts of the island, till over 2,000 natives were assembled at Panhaka. They were promised that the lands confiscated after the war would be restored through the influence of the prophet, but little harm was done till a crisis was brought about by the action of some of the natives, who, under Te Whiti's orders, boldly began to plough the lands occupied by some of the settlers, evidently with the object of asserting their right to the land. This arbitrary

action forced the hand of the Government ; a force of armed constabulary and volunteers was dispatched to Taranaki, roads and redoubts built, and offending Maoris arrested, and some lodged in prison ; but, as this mild form of martyrdom was rather welcomed by them, and prisoners were becoming too numerous, they were restored in numbers to their homes. The Government force finally took possession of Panhaka without bloodshed, and the prospective rebellion was nipped in the bud. The effect of these" incidents on the native mind was to bring forcibly home to them the hopelessness of pursuing further the policy of resistance and obstruction to the progress of settlement in the King Country, and their long-maintained objection to the construction of the railway through this stretch of country was overcome by the Native Minister, Mr. John

Bryce ; and his successor in office, the Hon. Mr Ballance, was able to negotiate an arrangement whereby a strip of land one chain wide along the whole route, where it traversed Maori land, with additional widths at stations and elsewhere where required, was presented to the Government free of cost.

Exploration Surveys. The way was now clear for the establishment of through railway communication between the two provinces, and the project was taken up with much enthusiasm- Exploration surveys to ascertain the best available route were put in hand in three different directions. A line to connect with the existing railway system of Taranaki appeared to be the most favoured. Very little was known by the authorities of the nature of the country in the interior of Taranaki, so that exploration had to be made of the whole of the area from Stratford northwards to Te Kuiti. Dense forest was met with in every direction, and the topographical features were mainly sharp ndges and narrow gullies, so the work of exploration was long and tedious. Mr. C. W. Hursthouse was in charge of one party on the Taranaki side, another part of the country was examined by Messrs. R. W. Holmes and Morgan Carkeek, all of whom are still in active service under the Government. Investigation of what was called the Central Route was made by a party under the direction of Mr. John Rochfort, about the same time ; and, so that no possibilities might be overlooked, a line was also explored by Mr. G. P. Williams, now of Christchurch, which took a more easterly direction from Te Awamutu and connected with the southern railway system at Hastings, in Hawkes Bay. Mr. Williams was allowed to go through his survey in peace, his only complaint being that in examining the Maori country he found that the work occupied twice as much time as it should, owing to the dilatory habits of his native assistants, and the difficulty of moving about anywhere without constant long talks with them. Mr. Holmes' progress was interrupted by natives once ; Mr Rochfort's party was stopped at Kanoi, and he was told that if he persevered he would be shot. Some dispute about a sale of land, in which one of his chammen played a part, was the cause of the trouble which was settled by a long korero and the discharge of the offending assistant, the tribe afterwards helping Mr. Rochfort to cut his survey line through their lands.

Assault on Mr. Hursthouse. Mr. Hursthouse had a far more disagreeable experience in the northern portion of the country, and for a time it was feared that the incident m which he played a leading, though unwilling, part might result in fresh hostilities between the

races. In March 1883, by direction of the Government, be set out from Alexandra (now known as Pirongia) with Mr. W. Newsham, as assistant, to explore the country from Te Awamutu south and westward towards Waitara in Taranaki. They were unable to obtain a guide, so were com pelled to attempt the undertaking alone. They got as far as Otoiohanga by the evening of the first day, where they were told by the resident natives that they would not be allowed to go further, and must return. This they refused to do, telling the Macris that their orders were to go on to Mokau, on the way to New Plymouth, and that they intended to do so. Mr. Hursthouse had been provided by the Hon. Mr. Byrce, Native Minister, with a letter addressed to the chiefs whom he was likely to meet in the course of his exploration, asking them to assist him in the undertaking. This letter he presented to the natives, who held a meeting that night and decided that, notwithstanding the request of the Native Minister, they would not allow the party to proceed further. Next morning after breakfast the party started on their way southwards, but were arrested, brought back to where the Maoris were assembled, and told that, whatever their personal feelings in the matter might be, they could not allow the

exploration to go on. Mr. Hursthouse told them he could not listen to this, and that unless he was taken back by force he would continue his journey ; whereupon the Maoris told off two of their number, Aporo and Rawhin, as an escort to convey the two men back to Alexandra. This w Aporo was the man who had, some time prior to the Maori war, headed the party who broke up the printing press in use at Te Awamutu by Sir John Gorst. On arrival of the party at Alexandra Mr. Bryce was communicated with and informed of what had taken place. He went to Alexandra and arranged with Wahanui and Rewi Maniapoto, the principal chiefs of that part of the country, that the exploration party would start again on the following Wednesday ; meanwhile, messengers were to be sent in advance of the party to tell those on the road that they were to be allowed to pass unmolested. The party, with Wetere te Rmgarmga as guide, made a second start from Alexandia on Tuesday, one day before the time arranged They breakfasted at Te Kopua with the chief Wahanui, who, in reply to an enquiry if the date ol departure made any difference, said • " All days are Wednesdays while you are with Wetere." On arrival at Otorohanga the party were informed by Aporo, their recent escort, that, although the road as far as that point was open to them, they would encounter opposition further south. At a place called Te Uera on the afternoon of the same day, Te Mahuki a native of doubtful reputation, and some thirty others, who were waiting on the side of the track, called out to the travellers to stop and go back. This invitation was declined by Wetere, upon which Mahuki called upon his followers to arrest the two white men A scuffle ensued, during which the surveyors were pulled off their horses amidst great clamour and excitement. They were then taken a short distance and told by Mahuki to return. Wetere te Rmgarmga replied that they would not do so. Thereupon the Europeans' coats and haversacks with their contents were taken from them, and, at Mahuki's command the prisoners were taken to Te Kumi, about a mile distant, where they were placed in a cooking-house, their hands tied behind their backs, and their ankles secured by chains. Wetere, the guide, seeing that further resistance was useless, left for Alexandra, the nearest telegraph station, and managed to get a message through to Mr. Bryce, then in Auckland, who took immediate action for the release of the prisoners. With Messrs. Hursthouse and Newsham, a Maori named Te Haire, one of Wetere's followers, was imprisoned, but was not tied up, and it was through his good offices that the two Europeans were able to obtain some food and drink. They remained m the uncomfortable position described

for nearly thirty-six hours, when they were rescued and liberated by a party of the Maniapoto tribe headed by Kahu, brother of the chief Wahanui, and Huirangi, eldest daughter of Wetere te Rmgarmga. Te Kooti, of evil reputation, was at the time on his way from Te Kuiti to rescue the men, and took charge of them immediately afterwards and escorted them to Te Kuiti, where they received every possible kindness. Messages reporting the circumstances were despatched to Mr. Bryce and the public mind was somewhat relieved. Mahuki was something of a religious fanatic, and at a large meeting at Te Kuiti, announced his intention of making a raid on Alexandra the following week. He claimed to have received from Jehovah power to render the pakehas incapable of offering resistance, and although some of the chiefs endeavoured to dissuade him, with twenty odd followers he made an abortive attempt on the promised day ; but, with most of his men was arrested by a party of armed constabulary, who had been in waiting. He, with several of his followers, was tried at Auckland for the assault on the surveyors and sentenced to a short term of imprisonment. He fell into the clutches of the law for several offences later, and spent a considerable time m gaol. Messrs. Hursthouse and Newsham resumed their exploration a week later and completed their work without interruption The Native Minister himself, with a party which included two ladies also went through the same country from Alexandra to New Plymouth shortly afterwards without molestation.

Selection of the Route. In 1884 the preliminary surveys were brought to a conclusion, and a Parliamentary Committee, consisting of seven members, all representing South Island constituencies, carefully enquired into the relative merits of the rival routes The report of the Committee states that they had held nineteen meetings, and had examined thirtyfour witnesses, and had arrived at the following resolution : " That in the opinion of this Committee the best route for the North Island Mam Trunk Railway is that from Marton, via Munmotu to Te Awamutn." This resolution was approved by six out of the seven members of the Committee, and was afterwards endorsed by the House of Representatives, and the construction of the railway, by the route referred to, was a little later formally sanctioned by both Houses of Parliament 111 the Railways Authorisation Act of the same year. In October of that year detailed surveys were commenced at Te Awamutu by Messrs. R. W. Holmes, Jas. Blackett and C. W. Hursthouse, and later on carried by Mr Holmes as far as Mokau. At the Marton end similar survey work was being done under the direction oi Mr. D. Ross, who carried it as far as the present Taihape station. From this point Mr. Holmes again took charge, and completed the survey, with a little assistance from Mr. j. D. Louch, to its junction with his previous work at the north end.

Construction Work. By this time the natives had been won over to a more friendly attitude towards the projected railway, and the practical work of construction was taken in hand at both ends The turning of the first sod at the northern starting point on 15th Apul, 1885, was made the occasion of a picturesque ceremony on the bank of the Pumu river, which had long formed the frontier line between the Waikato and the King Country. The then Premier of the colony, Sir Robert Stout, was present, together with a representative party of officials, settlers and citizens from Auckland, while the Maoris were represented by the famous chiefs Wahanui and Rewi Mamapoto about fifty natives of rank, and some hundred of others. In all, about 1500 people were present, and a brass band enlivened the proceedings at intervals. The spot selected for the ceremony was on the Maori side of the river, only about four miles distant from the battlefield of Orakau, where Rewi had twenty years before distinguished himself at the head of his tribe This day Rewi, wearing a black velvet coat and a tall hat, stood before the gathering as a friend of the Europeans — his old hatred of the race exchanged for a feeling of brotherly companionship At the request of the natives Wahanui dug the first three sods, which were wheeled some distance by the Premier and deposited on the ground ; later on most of the earth so dealt with was carried away by the spectators as mementos of the occasion. There were, of course, many speeches Sir Robert Stout addressed some words of good advice to the Maoris exhorting them to cultivate their lands, educate

their children and refrain from the use of strong drink. Wahanui replied on behalf of the native race m a peaceful and dignified speech, approving the restrictions on the sale of liquor in the natives' country, and with characteristic Maori eloquence urged that the clear water of the Puniu should be the boundary across which liquor should not be carried. The natives requested that a section of the Line should be reserved for construction by them and their wish was acceded to — about ■ ix miles of construction being carried out entirely by Maoris on a system of piecework. Later on many of their race were employed by contractors m the construction of further lengths of the Line, and the work done by them was to the entire satisfaction of the authorities. Construction work at the north end under contract progressed steadily for the next three years, fifteen miles being contracted for in 1885, nearly twenty miles more in 1886, besides the long Poro-o-tarao tunnel, a tender for the construction of which was accepted m 1885. At about this period the revenue of the country fell off considerably, and the financial outlook became less satisfactory. One of the earliest consequences of the resulting depression was the diminution in expenditure on public works, and the idea of carrying the Line to completion in a few years, which invested the work with some enthusiasm at the beginning, seems to have been abandoned. It became evident, also, that the early estimates of cost would be considerably exceeded, and it is perhaps not surprising, in the face of such discouraging circumstances, that no further work was undertaken for some time, although of course the contracts already let were being steadily pushed on to completion. In 1889, therefore, we find the line completed to the Mokau valley, 34 miles south of Te Awamutu, and work at the northern end in progress only at the Poro-o-tarao tunnel, an isolated spot 10 miles lower down. Meanwhile construction works at the southern end of the Line were also 111 progress. Eighteen miles of comparatively easy work carried out by contract took the Line as far as Rangatira, and a contract had also been entered into for the Mangaonoho section, comprising nearly four miles of heavier work, when, for the reasons already mentioned, progress came practical to a stop. Changes of Government brought new ideas and policy ; the co-operative system was evolved, and work resumed at both ends on this principle, under which it has been since carried out. The section at the north end between Mokau and the Poro-o-tarao tunnel was taken in hand and completed and opened for traffic in 1896. Steady progress southwards continued, and in 1903 the Ongarue section, terminating at Taumarunui, within a mile of the Wanganui river, was also opened. A handsome road and railway

bridge of steel, 465 feet long, erected by Messrs. Scott Bros., of Chnstchurch, carries the line across the Wanganui river. This bridge was completed in 1903, and the earthworks had already been constructed for about five miles beyond to Pinaka, where the line enters the celebrated Waimanno forest, and no time was lost in laying the rails after the bridge was available. In 1905 the railhead had been advanced to Owhango, another ten miles, a lot of heavy country having been negotiated in the interval, and at present the rails are laid to Oio, 194 miles from Auckland, with a prospect of shortly reaching Raurimu, five miles further on. At the southern end renewed activity was also displayed. The construction of the Makohme and Pawhakaroa sections was commenced in 1891-2, and during the following year the section to Mangaonoho was opened for traffic. Early in 1896 tenders were invited for the Makohme viaduct, but as no satisfactory offers were leceived, the work was undertaken by the Public Works Department's own workmen, and the Mangaweka viaduct was subsequently undertaken in the same way. Formation works were also put m hand beyond these viaducts, so that 111 1902, shortly after the completion of the former structure, the railway was opened for traffic to Mangaweka, and the further section to Taihape was similarly opened in September, 1904. The rails now extend to Turangarere, and are expected to reach Waiouru during the coming summer.

(To he continued). [Editor's Note. — This article is to close m next issue, when the opportunity will be taken to present our readers with many interesting and hitherto unpublished matters bearing on the Main Trunk Line. The work of our Special Commissioner will be accompanied by diagrams and maps showing grades and deviations, illustrations of the types of locomotives to be constructed for the Line, and proposals with regard to time-tables, fares, etc , etc.]