PROGRESSIVE PALMERSTON NORTH.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 651, 30 October 1909, Page 12

PROGRESSIVE PALMERSTON NORTH.

L A' TOWN WITH A FUTURE.

f REMINISCENCES OF EARLY DAYS.

| , 'MUNICIPAL PROGRESS.

I AGRICULTURAL AND COMMERCIAL f ENTERPRISE, i

1 -*P e T.r P^ n j too . Dal .progress made by Palmer- *"* , inii ng tbfl past ten years .has been - one of the features of civic and industrial his--0 North Maud. By somo curious IMMbMlgnt e* prescience, the town was built ' t_ the r ß '? aee ftß **, it was meant to be a city, and at the present timo it- is almost gal loping towards that notable consummation. - l ll s T f ly hkel y that the M «on of this phenoininal progress is due As much to its geo£aphieal position as to the enterprise and patriotism of its citizens. .Situated in tho i midst of a tram service which extends 'on the ono hand" to 'Auckland on the other to .Wellington and Taranaki, with Hawke's Bay and Wairarapa within easy access, tne centre of towns of, more than ordinary prosperity, Palmerston North must go iorwaid. m opening-up of' the Mam Trunk railway Una has done much to bring the district into prominence, and the diversion of the Napier- ' Wellington express train service Will-be-of almost equal importance in bringing this go- > ahead town under the direct notice of nearly everybody who has to travel in the North JWMiOj and as the years roll on, tho statemont that all roads /lead through Palmerston NOrth, is likely, through repetition, to bocomo almost an aphorism. There ,is,hardly any doubt that side by side with tho'favour obtained by its geographical position', "and trie enterprise of its citi/one, the/town owes much to the iieal and emthflsiasm of thco" who have 'been connected with tho primarj industries, and a big factor m these conditions has beon tho Maha-natu Agricultural and Pastoral Association It is this organisation which, running w'th big ideas on big'lines, has brought thousands and thousands'of people twice a year, from all parts of Neiv Zealand, right into the town' and district The enterprise of tho-lfanawatu Society,'in fact,.has actu-' ally forced the growth of tho town beforo its years, anu has instituted a progressive 'spirit amongst'the citizens 7 \shich cannot be kept back, The splendid gardens in "Tho , Square" k a' striking testimony to tho truth • of this statement. The Palmerston North pcoplo felt that as averybody waa coming at

vj '.should ;■ say. ■ that,-there: were - about 100 .'people -in '-the place;: in" 1870,' and' the increase to 1125; .was ;mqstly: on account;of' the immigrants, comingV:into,-.the' country. ':'>': $'iss (!■■?&: IffiST-'sC^OL;.-:.:-;-^''';':;; 1 ■'j; I'came tb'.'Palhibriton,North'. first . with;■ the intention-of staking-over, a';-board school, now kriown-'as -theV. Campbell-Street. School.- : v This edifice stood: ori. the .'preßent.sito of'the'Erhpive Hotel.-VVi'lie'■'-.building.'comprised/ one unline'd ( room.;'with' : ;:a v ' portico,' rid chimney,', and: ai few i gtad'windows.:,. It wasrbuilt of upright board-■ing,.-shingled, steep roof, "The 'architecture, was. Isqmetbing of.tho;Gothic. order;-. There w'as. no ■teacher's'./residence.::' At'-'-.the .opening the ";toon .in--- : creawd'by. Reason of- the'Feilding'immigrants' f amiliesiwKd Ac'ame .'.continually into the 'place .■during;'a* , :cqurs9;;6f' about two years. y S&hooJ' -was-something; the Barrio as it.iiu •jioty:'.);"; Wheii'.'lv. left'; the; ''school in 11875, I suppose '.therv.i; onld be.betw'een 80 arid 100. scholars.. -There.iafe.'now : '-possibly;.;a i■ dozen-- schools in 'Palme'rstpu;.North, ;an'd:-any one of; them ■ has mqrejpupils,than.lihad thirty-four: >years ago. ■ /.| EEbgardiHg^a^ twhen.tho .first; oUlyvorie-scctibu-T/as sold,':l,'believe,;.arid'that'to ;Mr.; .''Waldegrave. f, I ■' could': not really' say \ :how: land.: was: going);in;:.thoearly 'seventies;. be-- . cause';iiibiiey::'was'■.so.iscarce, ,nml nobody could i :buy.'anytb.mg.%.--A '.quarter. ,of. an' aero [ section ], stands in. "The--;S,quare>''-;near'thp:Uniori';Batik, was offered fori !^M;''l v iOn i Marbh<Sl, : borough.was' 2505... Therei were \% . dwellings,. ..iri .anlarea of 4595 acres..; = Thenumber.of rate-; payers, was -616, .while'.'the.'' number !, 6f. rateablo: properties .'was;' 1250. i;-, The;'. estimated : :-ai'i)ual : ■value:of-. : tho.-;rateable: property,, exolusire. .of ■'Crdwri'".'';'properly;'-."'vwas^'-.;''il9;at!6 1 ;:V;10s;' - Tho' total"' -rates'■: - w'ere*::'l Is.'-'.;:-lid. ■::•'/■ on ■' tho. 'tontal-W lvalue: '■'■/■ '■' of-';. the : ■'- property. From >1887;. to 1897, '-property;' was rated' bu

I Ono fame or another *mto their town, it beI hoved them to show their appreciation of the t" pationage by putting their nearest areas to ft. publicity m Sunday clothes for all tltne The f Sunday olothos of Palmeistbn" North's Square 5 are its beautiful out gardens and "paths, its f r-etatuts, its fish ponds, rotunda, and even its i two mighty cannon. When Mr Foster Traser I stated 'the other day (hat ho saw, too many r raceconres and not enough farnT'einenmont 1 schools, he could not have known of the welli appointed agricultural and pastoral grounds I and buildings within the town, also tho fact I << that'there was in the Mannwatu district a [ farmers' organisation which wasi working out enviable destiny in farm, stdek, and techInical school experiments, If the growth of Pnlmerston North Jhas, been phenbmonil duringl the last ten years, when it practically became the largest city in New Zealand out- , side of (the four conties, its growth m the [ ne\t ten years is likely to become even more phenomenal. The introduction 'of a tram sor- | vice will no doubt bring a further burst of 1' prosperity to thft place, and largely increase it 3 population within a very shoit period. In looking at tho town now, with its fine buildings and wcll-kerlt streets, a population of sorro i ; 12,000, and a capital rateable value of .about % J82,000,000, it is interesting to noto soma of tho l f phases' of its early history. |

.. the:-capital'':value, ■-and • the ".total ; faW; v leav-; irig>:wator :,'out ,'of .the /question,'owns ; Bjd; ■ in. tithe; pound. v'Frorn''-1898: to\ ; .the'■ . ,j>reV 'seriti.tima'thoCratirig.'has'h'een.on the uuira'pro.ved 'value,,'the; ; :rates-; totalling 3}d. in tho pound, excluding-water. v This/; is. higher:than it;Svas- , ten.':years. ; ago ! ' , but-:in'thß 'last decade 'Palmers^ori.-North.'i'likp'.other';'go-ahead New ' Zealand tbotoUghS,'. haVigorie, -in.'largely ; for necessary ; :.works, Hike ..sewage,''; i?ater .supply, and the upkeep::of thei streets....... ff: .w^Kl^THE.- SQUiili.^;■>■%•: ; '\ ;:' .;.-It. is;. a ..curious' thing' with'.reference to the :expense;of • running the':town'that,-/year's ago, the "people complained that "everything: was spent".! n v 'The;»qhare,'v" /.whereas'' almost:-,'no-. Lining -was' spent- on that. : ;arca.'..'.NoWada'ys the people rightly-!- are/quiteViii. accord with the project vAWhicn Lis-L'transfprniing; 'such', a valuable '..health . asset; .into r'aVgarden. of .'floral beauty,-' ''The Square,'!, which occupies, about ;ißV. : 'aores,.' : .'WM,Tor'igfnaUy' ''■ waste;;, .low-lying ground,.'(A'duck' wasunce .shot on,it- in : very wet .weather.'.The''-whole, placebos far. north as Terrace: End, .was: known: as -"The; Flat." ; The Square :was. laid; off -by,'Government'surveyor

F,: and ,T. Mowlera, P. C. Freeth, Hurley, R. Esses,.Cohen, W.; Park,: J. A.' Nash, Manson, and .others. It,is computed that up, to the timo when 'the Square- was.finally opened on Wednesday last,-the;-Borough Council had spent £1175: on-the work, and the citizens 'about ■£500,-; a. total bf--jei67S. r " -Council and citizens hrro'eyery, reason to be:proud of their work.

; :v: : THE'-FIEST : LOCOMOTIVE.' ,' . .I:haveuo- great .recollection, as to-when the railway was first, opened to Palmerston North, but' I: remember'.when. the-first locomotive came, through..This engine was of a primitive type, .running on, a wooden tramway to Fox-

toft. "She bush road was then (1868) so bad that the Government.decided, to build a .tramway. i?ox- : iton .'was L loolied.,upon.as;the ..capital- of the Alahaivatu, .'Settler* tried to.iise the river as a I means,orapproaching.l'almerston. North, ; but i the distance- Was-.too ,i'ar;. Thei first "rnn 'of the | engine, to Palmerstbn North was a groat occasion..:, AH, the residents turned out, thd' locorm? j? Wfts '"decKed/'ijritK- evergreens ■ aiid flags, J.nb tram comprised; orioVpasseiig'cr-eai'' and ..a truck, in ''addition to" the.'engine. There wero' , a: large number ,of. passengers/ but' the locomotive made sp; many stoppages through, a'leaky boiler that•:it. ; was,decided.that ho time was to (be gained by this :ue\v. method'bf.ttavellingi | The-.'engine was 'therefore ; scrapped, and .tho horses, which had been on the.job-beiore, : , All the, Scandinavian emigrants were brdught.iiitb'l'almorston North on.•,the; ; .Fdxtpn-PAlmers'tdn. tm'm.'of. which, by the way, the Foxtoh-Sanson tram-is a sort, of offshoot, Thti servico: iri 1873, when the Foxton-Palnierston; railway lino 'was opened.:.".-.. ■-■'"■■<■ v>v."--■ ■■:H;--t.?rS,- : : '.-'',' '■■ '■■■':-";;: ;coaChing- ; 't^ y\. : '>Prior;to 'the dpeuiiie^pfCUtliQ.-. WellingtonManawatu line, .'in the.aato 'eighties, Palmerston travellers Jo,-Wellingt6n..;:by : road ' were forced to journey. to Fbxton the night before'in order to catch the-coach,' the whole trip absorbing; twentyrfour hours. People .nowadays complain' that;the three and a half hours train journey might be■ done:in7shorter time. > No doubt, in tho course of the :ncxt' fifty, years, when the trip'will be accomplished by aviation attheratelof a mile.a'minute, somebody will grumble at the loss of -time,': •'.■.'. ', •.'.'. r •'■•:' . i ENTERTAININGIN THE EARLY DATS, iin ; the bid days took placed in the .schoolhouse, Penny readings, 'oho shilling admission; were frequent modes of social diversion. •'.They were, got .up,-'by. the settlers of the town, 1 he programme comprised readings and vocal selections. Artists .to. fill, the bill turned up,in a:most unexpected manner, surprising in many, instances themselves 'more than others. One.or two of these vocalists are with us now, but,-like Othello, their occupation is how gone!

ploted whto I came hero in 1872, and I afterwards went through to Hastings on horseback.- There was no. bridge then at either end of the Gorge, but the road-was all right. There was no town at Woodville, or at Dannevirke, The latter-place was all standing bush. Norse"wood was. in existence, with a good road all tho way. The ' journey to Waipukurau occupied <inc day,- then another day to Hastings, where ■ wo;took the train to Napier. Coming back, I navo a lively recollection of getting lost on the plains, south of Waipawa, and nearly eaten bv' mosquitoes." I succeeded in coming through from Napier to Foxton in 1 two days.- The jour-ney-from Foxton to Palmerston North by the tram occupied another nine hours." '/, : ■';..' PIONEEB MAIL CAEEIBRS.

Before even the days of the royal mail coach I from : lvoxton to 'Wellington,'. there .was o, ; pedestrian.mail service between Wellington and; ; Wanganui. One of the letter carriers was the .late Major Kemp, whoranthe trip as) a boy.' I Later, ;in 1814, he. was succeeded by a Mr; j Scott,. >vho.walked the whole distunce alone' the beach. Mr. Burling, the- centenarian, at ipiesentresidingnear Waikanne, also conducted a portion of the .service in the sixties. The first Pulinerston settlers had to do a lot themselves in the way of carrying their own mails to .Wellington/.' They returned usually by steamer toFoxton. An idea of the population of Pal- ; merston North in'those days.may be gained by the. fact' that a Mr. L'. G. West states that •when he made His-first trip carrying the mails, there were only thirteen people in the place. Later, when the district grew more populous, a postal service was established to and from Foxtoii,: the:: first mailman being Mr. H. M'Ewen. . Cobb and .Co. came in the seventies. ; v- -r WHITE WOMAN, : „/ : ' Mrs. Cole,'wife :of Jhe licensee: of the then Palmer3toh : , 'Hotel;' was the iirst-white'woman' to: reside .in'.ihe.town; Mrs: Linton, was'the second, and. her eldest .daughter was the, first white, child.born in' the. place.' Mr: Linton built the:first dwelling-house in the town, near Terrace' End.. The l'almerston North Road must.have'been something like.some parts of the King.-'Country now, as Mr. and Mrs. Lin-' •ton, who .travelled the thoroughfare,- labelled it" Ah : abode of love-and misery." The first; butcher's* shop :in- the town - was-erected by Messrs. .Hanson and, Stewart....' It .was. a inovel foi'ro of edifice made out of Manuka scrub, and

''Mr. L. G. West, architect, Palmerston North, Whose Resign of the' Bank of New Zealand appears m this issue, has been, practising his profession l , in the Manawatu for many years, during,which timo he,has turned.out a largo number of buildings. Amongst those which he has designed are the. residences: of. Mr. 6. S. P s Strang,' Hokowhitu, at; present occupied by his' Excellency the Governor; .Mr.-; J. P. Jnnes, Fitzherbert.Street East; a bungalow for Mr. Freeman ,L, Jackson;' Fitzherbert; Mr.. West'.'has also designed a number of.grandstands on showgrounds and . racecourses, principal of these being, the Manawatu A. and