PROGRESSIVE PALMERSTON NORTH.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1584, 30 October 1912, Page 9

PROGRESSIVE PALMERSTON NORTH.

WHERE THE BIG SHOW,IS HELD.

PALMERSTON'S PROGRESS & POSSIBILITIES.

A REVIEW-AND A-PROPHESY.

[Specially written-for'Trie Dominion.]

■ Foxton was a rigorous settlement, slarton a'thriving township, Wanganui a busy port, .when Palnierston North was still a desolate oasis. of ti-tree and raupo set in a magnificent wilderness of totaras and.niatais.' .To-day it is the largest inland town in New Zealand, fighting hard .for fifth city honours.' Its, up-to-dato villas still rub shoulders with gaunt and blackened tree-stumps, reminders of tho truth, that a.short generation has seen the finest land in the Dominion torn from the grip of forest, swamp, and scrub to pay. tribute to energy, resource, and pluck. ;'■■'■■.■. . -■■•■, ' PAXMERSTON'S PAST. .. . It is said that as far back asJBIG an inquisitive pakeha profaned the ancient solitudo of the totara temple of the Manawatu. Like most profane persons,-' he was of. those-who bought and sold. The instinct of a'nation of. shopkeepers was in his blood, and it told him as he emerged from the temple porch into the

courtyard, Papaioea, that here one . daj . '.; a people would buy and .'sell, be bough! and be sold. Ho lost no time in reporting . his discovery to the proper officials, who. , . after . the manner 1 of officials, proruptlj forgot all about it. And the wild foir] of Papaioea were not again molested bj ' the apparition of a white man until ISGG. This time, he was a.surveyor,'herald oi .;>■■■ new 'eras. ('His': the sections of the .Ahautaranga Block, sur- " rounding' the Papaioea, were offered for selectionand:sbld.-'Two years later 30 settlers' were.dqtted over that largo tract of landscape,'which now supports 20,000 eouls. In 1870.the commercial instinct of'thp profane person was justified by the opening of.the first store iu tho oasis, Papaioea. The original, thirty pioneers had meanwhile increased, clearings won by, axe and torch were added to Nature's oases; the infant district became 'sufficiently vigorous to articulate; tho outside world heard and heeded, -and the Ifanawatu was linked to its parent province by tho coming of "Cobb and Co." in 1870. * ■ • Still the passing from Papaioea to Palmerston was slow. The new land needed then what tho Dominion hungers for now —population. But the men. who laid deep and well this coming nation's foundations refused to be bound in their choice of material for the race by the small considerations of They chose, at least for the s jllanawatu, men who wero descended from the men from whom our own race sprung. Dr. immigration policy sent, to tho Manawat'u a band of Norsemen and Lanes with big, honest hearts, lig / muscles, and splendid energy. And it needed all the heart, muscle, and energy jat. their command to face the task of eub duing these untamed tracts of bush and plain. They fought the wilderness' side by side with the men of the island races, , and .shared the honours of-pioneer con- , quest. To-day, their identity is almost 'lost in tho new race, but their sons nnd daughters, many of them, can look down from the other side of six feet on to many lesser-favoured youths and maidens of other origins. . ■ : . With ■the' coming, of Bishop Mom-ad's men, Jfanawatu's advtuico .'was accelerated. Other influences added their potent aids, and the decade saw a rapid change. As the green pasture crept ever outward and the bush melted before its onward advance, tho'neoessity for a trading centre increased. •■ Palmerston was called into being,at the bidding of tho pioneer, and . the pioneer's sons continued long to b& Palmerston's mainstay.. It was in 1670 that the first storo appeared; in 1371 Bishop Monrad landed his immigrants; /in; 1872 settlement had sd far advanced ■as. fav demand-, the-erection ol" a school j in 1873 the business places had increased to .5i5;.1875. saw still another important advance in thp appearance of tho first newspaper;' the district's growing import- ,. arice.was further emphasised u year later ■ by the substitution of a througb-goin" railway to. Foxton ■ for the primitive . wooden tram which had played its important'part in helping on the district; 1877 saw the, town so rapidly advancing as to demand recognition, and' PalmerBton North, the borough, officially clis- ' placed Papaioea, the oasis, its population 800 persons. Development hnd been rapid, and it was not all due to the .push and pluck of the pioneer settler. About this time a vigorous Public Works policy was being - pros3cuted, and it gave the new borough a big lift forward. 'There wns, too, the , influence .of- an industry whioh is inseparably 'connected with the breaking-in of bush-covered lands.' (?awmi.lls,mnde their appearance very early in Palmerstou's history, and in the first decade they played an important part in its development. Tho bush- was'heavy and plentifully supplied with Marns nnd pines, which yielded handsome returns, and brought a thriving trade to the township. The coming of the railway from Foxton • was tho forerunner of another of the polent influences which have moulded nnd nre continuing to mould Palmerston's '.destiny. That western strip of steel was ■tlio-first spoke in a hub which now bristles with iron rails. Two yrnr.s inter, 1878, the 'iVanganui lino \vas completed. ; nml (ravel vns in.-ule pnp; to tho ricli and growing districts of the north. After Hie isolation onfnrcH by weary rides nnd 'lircsome drive.*.' those new nvemies ■ 'brought added-life to the little lorough. In i' V'

the same year the Square 'was. completely formed, ami quite a brave array of business places greeted the eye. Hotels, ' bonks, a town hallj and several churches had been added to the modest architecture, and in the centre of this city-to-be, where now stands a band rotunda,. surrounded .by verdant lawns and well-tend-od flower-beds, a busy littlo station gave life and colour, to the scene.

THE 'EIGHTIES. Tho first decade was an important bm* in l'almerston's .progress, but its successor was still more important. Tho period intervening between 1879 and 18S9 may have beer, a-trying one for tho Dominion, ,and the commercial depression which overtook the country did not by any means leave I'almerston unscathed, but it was nevertheless a period fraught with important issues. Tho 'eighties were not years of plenty for the farmer, who was Palraerston's mainstay, but tl:«j were notable for tho fact that they /brought to him the two industries v/hich are tho very life-blood of the North Is-1 .land. The refrigerator had already i : r-. rived in other parts, but i'l. had not yet given to the West Coast of this island the fillip.which was soon to transform-it into one.of the richest districts in Zealand.,., The. whole, of the \V>st Coast was grazing, and. farmers soon set. about increasing (locks and herds and pushing back the forest. - Tho Kairanga Mid Aorangi emerged from forest solitudes, and resourceful settlers transformed, these swampy areas iulo profitable grazing farms. Tho meat freezing industry provided ,tho - opportunity of getting stock to larger markets, and this development induced the opening up of much new country. Although works were established only in Hawke's Bay and Wellington, they provided markets for Manawatu stock, and prices never dream.ed of a few years • previously were obtained. Land rose in value, and a reign of progress commenced, which produced so complete v a transformation, that one might have believed some fairy wand liad been waved over the landscape. Then the ■ refrigerator transferred its magic to another field of wealth. Towards the dose of the decade, better factories commenced to make their presence felt, and soon tho landscape was dotted with new wealth-producers. Such activity and ad-, vancement was naturally reflected in the growth of Palmerston North. In ISSC tho borough had become quite t a respectable town, with a population of 2595 persons.

Thp magnificent country around Rongotea was at this timo attracting attention, and a vigorous settlement policy quickly produced changes. Nowhere in New Zealand have the influence of' the refrigerator and the system of co-opera-tion been more completely triumphant than in this wondrously rich stretch of country, ■ embracing thu finest dairying land in the Dominion. It wa," in Kongotea that the first dairy factory, of the district, a proprietary concern, *as established, ami Rongotai continues to bo the most consistently prosperous of the many prosperous districts which pay tribute to Palmerston North. \ •

Then come another gift of this decade of <tepressibn--ar.othcr iron epoko in iho hub of the island. Palmerston was os yet connected with Wellington only by the uncertain route via. Poxton. Railway connection was badly needed, but the Government and public opinion were sby of an undertaking involving eo great ah outlay and promising little to justify the expense. Tho Grey Ministry had conceived tho idea of 'buildiiig a Him from Wellington to I'oxton.to connect with tho branch already working from Palmerston, and a start was actually made with funnels a! the. Wellington end, but with the coming to power of a party tont on -necessary economies the project was shelved. In 1880 Wellington's , business inch commenced to move in the matter, and a year later a company was registered with a capital of half n million. Tho Railways Construction and Land Act gave the enterprising promoters authority to proceed with the work, but instead of linking up "to Foxton, they struck straight for tho heart of the island, and added the most important artery to the scanty 'channels already in existence. In 1882 this great work was commenced and four years later the line was opened j for traffic amid great rejoicings. There may be many who doubt tho wisdom of allowing, private enterprise to build railways, but tho Manawatu in general, and Palmerslon North in particular, owe to the energy and courage of the Wellington business men who formed the Manaw.atu railway more than can well be calculated. K So the decade of the "eighties,". the decade of depression, left its indelible stamp upon town and district.

The succeeding ten years reaped a I bountiful harvest from the seed of their ' predecessors. Ortniiily another iron spoko pierced the limb in the early days oft tho new period when tho Manawatu Gorgewas spanned by two shining strips of steel and the rich areas of the Ea;-t Coast commenced to add some of their wealth to tho (.'rowing town of the" AVest. But few other new wealth-producers came to the assistance of the nil-conquering refrigern- ' tor. AH l'almerston had to do was to follow the onward march of this new in- J

strument of civilisation. From 1890 to 1900 the butter factory multiplied itself, with astonishing rapidity. The Dairy Union fought its way stubbornly ahead till its creameries and factories were scattered over the Jlanawatu, Wairarapa, and Hawke's Bay districts; proprietary concerns were equally vigorous and enterprising, while the spirit of co-operation spread among the fanners like, firo in autumn grass. The nineties reaped a splendid harvest from the sowing of the eighties.,' and that harvest spread its largesse into the new century, which is even yet drawing ever-increasing wealth from, this seeming inexhaustible source. l'almerston North itself has been the barometer of'the countryside's progress. It has been an unfailing barometer. Some

•grown institution known over half a hemisphere. PALMERSTON'S PRESENT. What is Palmerston North to-day? For a town of 12,000 inhabitants, it has fen* equals/while it possesses conveniences which larger cities sigh for in vain. Tho oasisj Papaioea, was certainly an ideal spot, for a town of large proportions —for the. inland city of tho future. It was a series of three flats—Hokowhitu on the river bank, a broad fertile area on which occasional floods had deposited their alluvial riches; the higher flat stretching away west, now tho main business portion of the'town; and the graceful terrace sweeping from east to north, onco adorned with splendid forest,

will say that the railways have made the ■town, but. the-railways'-have made the town mainly ' at''second-hand!' They made . the country first,' -arid the country ! made the to\yn..- If all the businesses and industries-'dependent on the farmer were subtracted from the sum total of this thriving and pushing borough, there .:would .bo- a- miserable enough remainder. Palmorston's success is the-, barometer of the Mariawatu. Its 12,000 people, its rows of flourishing businesses, its fine public buildings, its up-to-dato municipal management, are all figures on the face of the instrument round which the hand steadily moves to "Fair." There is another barometer which is

an equally infallible guide to the progress both of town and district. It was (ho decade of depression which gave the district yet-another aid to continued advancement, for in ISBS the Manawatu A. and P. Association came into being. A modest little gathering attended ' the inaugural exhibition of . the district's proud collection- of 73 horses, -15 cattle, .and sundry other animals, which brought the total entries to 290. That little crowd in a stump-covered paddock was the child which has developed into the full-

and now 'graced ■ with handsome , residences, forming a charming suburb, known' to'tiie'worhfas Terrace' End. 'i'lie fathers of this favoured centro were men blest with.'a- practical iniagiuition. They, had visions of a future.'and their plans were laid for that future. While cities are appealing to the town-planner to assist them to unravel the kiiols and tangles which short-sighted pioneers/wove for them, Palmerston North possesses the, advantage of being planned on sound lines. Perhaps tho more modern architects of the cily beautif.ii would look askance at the angular and aggressive squareness of the plan, but this want is moro than atoned for in the streets' splendid breadtte, and aboyo nil

in the rich endowment of reserves, set apart for the recreation of the people,, Think of it! There are GOO acres of land reserved for the use of the people within the borough boundary! Already part of this legacy cA a wise past has been turned to proXtable use. An energetic Beautifying Society sprang into existence a decade ago and in a few' short- years wrought wonders. The Borough Council realised the importance of such aids in attracting population, and has worked on tho principle that all moneys secured

from reserves should lie spent on reserves, with the result that some thousands of pounds are annually devoted to keeping the town attractive. Pnlmcrstonians arc irrepressible gardener;, and their private residences, ablazo wifh flowers and verdnnt lawns, assist the impression of beauty conveyed by- tho public gardens. The short-sighted visitor has often smiled at tho waste of valuable building space in the Square, but, tho Square is Palmerston's "lung," and the small coterfo who onco agitated for its conversion to more material uses has long since vanished. Victoria Esplanade, tho city's pride, is ono of the finest parks in jS'ew Zealand. A long strip of Native bush on the river bank has been carefully cultivated by experts, jiud at its entrance gardens and

lawns, avenues of splendid trees, groves, of our finest pungas make..up, an aroa of delight. It has a tuture before it, for the Reserves Committee- of tho Borough. Council has laid off on its western flank , a spacious drive which, in a few years' time will bo opened to vehicular trallic, arid its mile of gardens ■ and groves will add another source of attraction. . Areas in other parts of the town are being prepared for future use, so that as tho borough merges with.tho city the different localities will each have their breathing spaces. Not only does Palmerston North hold a prominent place as a garden city but of late years it has been wisely provided for in many other directions. There

at present lacking in municipal ownership will soon be amply atoned for. The borough possesses a handsome Opera House, a water supply that will shortly be capable of retaining 20,000,000. gallons for the- people's use; seven mill's of cyclo tracks (another form of municipal enterprise), and a complete- and comprehensive sewerage system topped off with a large septic tank , . Truly an up-to-date municipality. EDUCATION. Educationally there has been a remarkable advance in recent years. In 190 i the first secondary school made its appearance in tiro form of a District High School. Energetic and public-spirited citizens soon converted the institution

are sixty miles of streets in. the borough—a nico handful for 12,000 people to keep in order—and yet with a few minor exceptions every footpath is asphalted and concrete kerbed, and every water''channel is permanently laid down. Although ■ the town' dees not own its lighting plant it claims to be one of tho best-lighted boroughs in New Zealand. Within two years the gasworks will pass into the hands of the borough, and by that time.also, electric trains will bo plying in (ho streets, so that what is

iulo a High School proper, a roomy building • beiifg. out of a direct. Departmental grant'■ dn ono of the many , reserves in tho borough. Its growth has prove;! I'almerston's value as an educational centre, for to-day it, takes a fore-, most place in the institutions 1 of its kind in the Dominion. A'boarding school has been attached for boy?, nnd shortly a separato girls' school-will bo erected. Palnierston has yet to discover the real motives which induced ono Powelka to destroy tho original building. There is just a suspicion that he'might have been gifted with a subtle prophetic sense, and with a desire , to help on the work of education lie caused a momentary panic. The handsome brick structure which has

replaced tho wooden building is certainly far better fitted to bo Hie home of a big secondary school. There is another notable building—the Technical School, which h<l.l done useful pioneer work in suiting itself to tho needs of the district rather than in following a traditional syllabus. It. was tho Pnlnierston School which commenced wool-classing instruction, which offered first a good agricultural course and which has given a decided lead 'to the Dominion by the creation of a veterinary class for farm-

= ■ THEANNUAL CARNIVAL ==.

ors' sons. Such work is coming steadily to its own, and should form tho nucleus of a course that might prepare farmers' eons for entrance into the agricultural college, which in tho near future, nil Palmerstonians devoutly hopo to 6co erected on tho borders of their town. Another tributo to the value of the contvality offered is tho decision of tho governors of St. Patrick's College to remove their important institution to Palmerston North. Tho. site has been chosen with, a view to encouraging nioro comprehensively the agricultural spirit in tho rising generation. And when Palnierston has in' full working order tho new Seventh Day Adventist agricultural farm, high unci tochniostl Bchools,. with special courses in scientific and practical

agriculture, St. Patrick's College,' paying ,special heed to the man .on Hie land, antl icrowu'iug! tthein'' all, the- new. Agricultural College, it will fairly be able to claim for itself tlio proud distinction of being tho most , important education.'centre^ for farmers in (ho Dominion.. .;• As has already been contended, Palmerstoii North lives, moves, and has its being in tlio refrigerator. -There are few, if any, industries independent of this mighty wealth-getter. Last year 265 factories wero registered—an increase of eight for the period—and the number of hands employed therein was 1438,, tho wages paid amounting to just over .t105,120. But it must be remembered that these aro factories within the amplo meaning of tho Factories Act, and differing very .widely from the commonlyaccepted meaning of tho terms. Tho truth at present' is that PAlmeVston North has no industries to speak of, Only this month a boot 'factory, which might one day havo been ' employing many hands, and might havo secured a connection quite independent of tho districts immediately surrounding, had to close'down-for lack of. hands, and is likely to remain' closed' for a considerable period. Furniture, basketwaro (made from willows grown by tho borough on tho river-bank), confectionery, flour, timber, and such other commodities as are used in largo 'quantities in tho district arq all manufactured locally, and employ their increasing quota of hands. Fruitgrowing has been successfully attempted, and when new markets are opened this district may becomo an important exporter of apples.

It might be added here that still another tribute has been paid to the town's position by the military authorities, who havo made it;the headquarters of tho Wellington districts, and tho future is likely to Fee important developments in this direction. PAIMEKSTON'S PKOSPECTS. While it is .comparatively easy to relate the past and .state the present, decided difficulties are met in attempting to forecast tho future of suph a town as l'almerston North, for tho simple reason that any further advance to bo as consistently rapid as that of tho past must spring largely from new sources. Settlement has almost readied "its normal level in the districts which pay tribute. So long as there are wide areas of rich laud undeveloped in other provinces, as Auckland and northern Hawkc's Bay, settlement will drift in such directions. Indeed, for the past five years that is just what has been happening. Tho story of early . Jlaiiawalii lias been repeated on the Main j Trunk line—at the cxpenso of Manawatu. The figures of tho last census revealed the rather startling fact that in some of the comities of tho AVest Coast of this island there had been less than a natural increase, in'population, and in sonio there had been an actual decrease. Till these rich unpopulated areas are peopled and cultivated (here will he no rapid increase as in the past, and I'almerston to fulfil the. destiny which enthusiastic prophets have foretold for it must find new sources of wealth. The leading men of the town, desirous of Advancement, havo discussed this problem in till its phases. The cry has been raised that the town needs local industries, and the need is great. But it 'is easier to stato the need (linn to supply it. Controversialists on this much-discussed subject, too, often overlook tho fact that, other things being equal, industries having. Dominion-wide customer?, naturally prefer (lie sen-board, where nie.-nis of transit ;irc cheaper. When imluslrics B o inland it is because some other Jμ* natural advantage counterncls I ho disadvantage of heavy railway freight,--. What advantages iloes I'uimerstoii po.-H«> abovo lho.«e of pnssililn rivals? At present she has none of Mif(icicnt importance to.overcome her geographical disabilities., ll bud once been thought that tho gorge might provide cheap electricity to drive the mills nf tho future. Thero aro streams in tho Tararuos which might yet bo harnessed,

' but.such small schemes as these threaten 3 now to bo overshadowed by tho larger ' hydro-electric enterprise of the Govern--1 ment which, when the great falls of tho 1 interior aro harnessed, will Ijc able to > drive oil tho wheels in tho island at . lesser . cost than local] electricity, which ■ would reduce Palmorstcfu (o the levels s of its neighbours. From finch a source, • then, there seems no immediate prospect - of rapid industrial ■ development. 1 There is ono other consideration "which 5 weighs: heavily in the determination of ' industrial centres. That is the presence " of raw: material. It may bo possible that ' all other disadvantages will to out- ' weighed by tho fact that tho products 1 from which manufactures aro made ar« ' oil tho spot, and if it, can bo found that Ptilmcrston and its district possesses any raw materials in tho treatment of,which largo bodies of men aro employed, then it may bo snid that in euch potential wealth lies her futnro greatness. For this reason ono branch of activity, very much in evidence just now, has been hitherto left without mention. In tho very early days of tho district the possibilities of (lax were discussed, and even before the sawmill began to add wealth to tho settlements* flax-mills had sprung up and flourished. Foxton felt tho effoct of this activity, and oven as far inland as Bulls, in the heart of the Rangitikei, tho industry spreads its benciicient . influences. Tho scutchers screamed and tho "flaxies" unburdened themselves of hard-earned cash. Primitive methods of ■extracting the fibre, uncertain, markets, mid other kindred irenknesses, brought' disaster to, early millowners, but the new century has seen a remarkable revival. What tho refrigerator did T for.this district during the last generation the scutcher'may do for it in the 'next. Already the industry is tho most important in the northern part of tho Wellington province, always, of course, excluding dairying. To-day over GOO men arc employed in tho.mills, and with record prices and Rood prospects for a considerable time to come, there is no reason to doubt that n big forward niovo will bo made. It must; bo remembered that tho industry has advanced rapidly in its ' methods*'of treating fibre. To-day tho finished article can be produced at a price which would have been thought impossible in a previous generation. Machinery, though still a long way from perfection, has rovolutioniied conditions of- employment in certain par(a v . of tho * mill, Tho washing ma-' chine,, for instance,' can do tho work of Ihreo or four men. and dn it better. Invention has been stimulated by tho Government's offer of a .£12,000 bonne for improvements in machinery, and it may confidently be anticipated tiiatbeforo ong further inventions will bo simplify tho process of treatment that the fibre, will be produced at a cost low enough to defy ull competition from outsido rivals. ■ FLAX POSSIBILITIES. . But in tho mere production of fibre the developments of the future must not alouo bo found if Kilmorston. North is to. reap its full harvest from so promising a field. Thero aro indications that tho •fibre itself will bo treated on tho spot and converted into finished articles for export. If Palmerston business men aro fully alive to their town's advancement they will see to it that exhaustive inquiries aro made into tho treatment and uses of phormium,. and that experiments are made in tlio manufacture of articles ,iu tlicir own town. Already a binder twino factory, as at work in tho district. It ia stated that somo of tho v by-products can be converted into excellent linoleums and carpets. Thero havo been suggestions that under proper trenttnont tho fibro con bo converted into fabrics of rare quality. Why should it not bo possible for such -industries as these to bo'started in tha very homo of tho fibre? If Palmorstou North cannot work out its salvation along these lines, it may bo left behind by towns with other advantages it does not possess.. But if its business men realiso to tho full the possibilities in fibro and make an honest endeavour to produce from the fibro, not articles inferior to thoso already; mentioned, but articles of tho best quality! possible, thero should bo a big- fiitnro for the town, and it should havono difficulty in running into fifth placo dn. tho race for city honours. It is in tho making of the best articles that Now Zealand's futnro (is a manufacturing country lies. Becanso our woollen mills luivo turned out "good goods" they havo prospered, and if tho New Zealand fibro is convorted on tho spot into high-grado articles, thero will bo abundant markets for all that can bo produced. i

TEE CONCLUSION OP THE MATTER, It may be, therefore, that Palmcrstou's futuro is bound up in fibre, and the looms that weave, phonniuin into fabrics may, also weavo (ho pattern of Palmerston'a destiny. It may 1,0 tbat tlio tcchuical schools of tho futuro will turn out craftsmen who will bring science and art to (he aid of tho looms just as tlio agricultural schools, of to-day arc assisting , tho young farmer to bring pcienco and common seuso lo tho aid of (ho plough. It mnjr. bo (hat instead of tlieir hundreds, t)m mills of (he Maimwatu will employ tlwir thousnnds. These things are hidden behind the veil of tho future. Tlio scepiio will laugh at such visions. But ho will never laugh to loudly as his grandfather laughed when somo practical dreamer fuggested that ono day wo would frcozo'wit.h a furnseo, make our butter harder than bricks, ship it across the Equator in m\ ice-box, and thaw it in London. The «•• frigiTator wa.s the magic ' we ml which changed tlio oiiFis l'npaioea to the busy borough, Palmcrstoii. Tho icroMliins seutclier may I.d the wand Ihot will fruiisfnrm Palmerston the agricultural centra into l'aimcr.-ton tho inland city of I lit' North hlnnd.

FRO! SWAMP TO CITY.