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Old Marlborough. or The Story of a Province.

Chapter IX. — The New Province

page 392

Chapter IX.
The New Province.

Rise from every plain and valley,
Mountain top, and cottage door.
Every man amongst you rally
From our centre to the shore.
Let's be true to one another,
Unity is power, and strength,
Hand to hand each man and brother,
We shall conquer then at length.

From the 17th of June, 1840, the day when Major Bunbury and Captain Nias first proclaimed the Queen's Sovereignty over the Middle Island, until the Provincial Councils Ordinance was passed in 1848, no very definite form of constitutional government had prevailed in Marlborough, but when the Provincial institutions were finally set up by Governor Grey, in 1853, the whole of the northern portion of the Middle Island was included in the Province of Nelson. Under the system of representation then existing the Wairau was entitled to one representative in the Provincial Council, and Mr. Joseph Ward had the honour of being its first member. In 1858, out of a council of twenty-four, it page 393was represented by Messrs James Balfour Wemyss, Charles Elliot, and John Tinline, a proportion by no means large enough to secure anything more than the most cursory attention to the ever increasing wants of the district, but as a solatium to its settlers Mr. Wemyss was given a place in the Executive of Superintendent Robinson. For five years then, the whole of the eastern territory accepted its government with more or less cheerfulness from across the range, but towards 1858, both the fear and the sense of injustice, gave rise to an agitation which culminated in Nelson losing her fairest daughter, and in the establishment of a new province. Strange to say this agitation arose not within the district most directly affected, but within the very heart of Nelson city itself, and it was conducted to a successful conclusion not so much in the interests of the resident settlers, as for the benefit of the absentees. As may be judged by the list of pioneers published in the previous chapter, the bulk of the country in the Wairau and Awatere valleys was originally taken up by a class of cultured and educated men, whose old world surroundings had thoroughly imbued with the idea that the right to occupy the land was an inherited privilege of a few, and whom the liberalising influence of colonial life had not mellowed into even partially accepting the democratic page 394doctrine of "the land for the people." Although, metaphorically speaking, these men held the two great valleys in the hollow of their hands, they were for the most part absentees, residing in Nelson, where they formed the backbone of the Stafford party, and imparted a tone of respectability to the conservatism of Sleepy Hollow. So long as Mr. Stafford occupied the position of Nelson's Superintendent there was little danger of their political serenity being disturbed by any land legislation of a radical nature, but upon that gentleman resigning to accept the premiership of the colony they received a rude awakening when the electors rejected their nominee, Dr. Monro, and elected Mr. J. P. Robinson to the highest office within their gift; the violence of the shock being greatly accentuated by the knowledge that Mr. Robinson was a democrat and that he was surrounded by democrats who made no secret of the fact that they regarded the sheepfarmers as "fair game." That Mr. Robinson intended to place fresh imposts upon the pastoralists there is little doubt, for he raised the 1858 assessment of pastoral land from 5s. 8d. to 5s. 10d. per acre, and the prospect of "another turn of the screw," resulting in a still higher assessment of their lands, filled them with such alarm, that they at once set to work to devise some scheme by which the page 395country where their chief interests lay should be removed beyond his power to tax, or interfere with.

A New Provinces Act, under which their estates would be severed from Nelson and raised to the importance of a separate province, was the plan determined upon, and their party being at that time all powerful in the Colonial Parliament they had little difficulty in engineering it through both branches of the Legislature. Nominally the Act was intended to give relief to other parts of the colony as well as to the Wairau and Awatere, but that it was specially designed to enable the landed proprietors of Nelson to place themselves beyond the reach of a radical Superintendent and his followers, is forcibly suggested, if not entirely proved by the fact that Clause I gave them a concession that was denied to residents in every other part of the colony. Sub-section 4* granted them permission to bring the boundary of their new province as near to Nelson city as they pleased, whereas no other new province could be established unless its boundary was at least thirty-five, and in some cases sixty miles distant from the old provincial capital.

* The wording of the sub-section was as follows: — 4. No Point of the boundary line of any such district shall be within sixty miles, measured in a right line, of the capital town of any province already, or hereinafter to be established; except the province of New Plymouth, nor within thirty-five miles of the town of New Plymouth. Provided always that this condition shall not apply to any boundary line dividing territory drained by rivers falling into Blind Bay from the adjacent territory to the eastward thereof.

page 396

The importance of this concession was that without it there could simply have been no separation from Nelson at that time, because the country thirty-five miles eastward of Blind Bay did not then possess the requisite population of one thousand souls—one hundred and fifty of whom were to be enfranchised electors:—which the Act stipulated as the minimum number of inhabitants necessary to constitute a province, and therefore the difficulty was overcome by pushing the boundary sufficiently close to Nelson to include people who were perhaps better satisfied to remain as they were. In this way the object of the sheep-farmers was attained, and by this means they secured the legal power to make their own assessment of land, and to administer taxation in doses to suit themselves. That there was a selfish motive underlying their actions was amply demonstrated within a few weeks of the provincial institutions being set up in Marlborough, and it is doubtful if even after they had accomplished the passing of the New Provinces Act, they would have been successful in inducing a majority of the smaller settlers to avail themselves of its provisions but for one great factor, which in itself was sufficient to justify separation, and which was astutely kept in the forefront of the agitation by the leaders of the movement.

page 397

This was the deep sense of injustice under which the resident settlers were smarting, in consequence of the continued neglect of the Nelson government to give them roads, and the callous indifference with which that body treated all their petitions for the expenditure, upon public works, of even a reasonable portion of the revenue derived from the sales of the waste lands, which, under the new constitution, had been handed over to the provinces. The Nelson Government had at once commenced a policy of extensive land sales in the Marlborough district, by which it is estimated they realised no less a sum than £157,000 before separation took place. As compared with this, they only sold £33,000 worth of land in the present Nelson Province. Under equitable conditions this sum of £157,000 would have been spent in roadingand opening up the land sold; but with the exception of about £200 spent on making an apology for a road through the Taylor Pass, every penny of it was expended for the benefit of Nelson city and its immediate neighbourhood. The Nelson authorities even added insult to injury by coolly informing the settlers that if they wanted roads they must form a Road Board and rate themselves, a course which they ultimately adopted, the Wairau Road Board, under the chairmanship of Mr. James Sinclair, levying a rate of 1d. in the £ for a page 398number of years. But this was not the whole extent of Nelson's iniquity, for not only did they rob Marlborough of her land fund and her customs duties, as will afterwards be explained, but they failed for a long time to give her residents the protection of the police or the benefits of even a primary school, nor did they think it worth their while to spend a single farthing on the advancement of the moral or social welfare of the people. Thus it may be justly said that through her connection with Nelson, Marlborough lost £247,000 of revenue, and therefore a corresponding loss in roads and bridges, to say nothing whatever of her loss in educational and commercial advancement. Under these circumstances it is small wonder that the settlers, of whom there were now a considerable number, became dissatisfied with the administration of the Nelson Provincial Council, and sought relief by the drastic process of separation.

In determining to take this step the pioneers were face to face with a serious position, for they were without roads, bridges, or ferries, and now that a large part of the lands had passed into the hands of private individuals, the provincial revenue was likely to be all too small to provide these necessary public works, without which there was little hope of attracting a population large enough to make a page 399prosperous district. Yet the fact that the smaller settlers almost to a man readily accepted this enormous responsibility, shows how clearly they were convinced that nothing was to be gained by continuing as a part of Nelson; their feelings being cogently expressed in a speech delivered by Mr. Cyrus Goulter at the Beaver courthouse on March 29th, 1859, when he said that "even if after paying the ordinary expenses of Government there was no surplus for public works, a position he could not conceive, it was at least preferable to have that money spent in their midst than to be compelled to transfer it to Nelson." Thus it came about that for the moment the opinions of the large and small settlers were in perfect accord; the one because they were afraid of injustice, and the other because they felt they had suffered it long enough, and having once determined that separation was to be their salvation, they bent all their energies to obtain it.

This line of action was first suggested by Mr. Charles Watts and Mr. Pasely, who was then occupying Hillersden, but the agitation in favour of the movement was chiefly conducted by Mr. William Adams, a colonist who arrived at Nelson in the barque "Eden" in the year 1850. He had come over to the Wairau and settled on the Redwood run in the Avondale Valley, and as he was a man page 400of considerable individuality he led the campaign for reform with great vigor and success, but the first petition he drafted was for some reason never presented, in consequence of which the province lost an additional £27,000 of land fund. The passing of the New Provinces Act in 1858, however, gave the friends of separation fresh hope, and again a public meeting was held at Mr. Godfrey's old Wairau Hotel, at which a committee was formed with Mr. Joseph Ward as chairman, for the purpose of drafting a petition on the basis of the document which shortly before had gained separation for the province of Hawke's Bay. The settlers were canvassed for their signatures by Mr. W. B. Earll, who entered into the movement with his whole heart. He had received his first political ideas from the London Chartists, and as a consequence his mind was ready to embrace any proposal to give the people greater liberty. So thoroughly was his work done, that only six of the residing settlers refused to sign the petition, and in after years Mr. Earll always spoke with justifiable pride of the part he played in securing the independence of the province. The presentation of this petition to the Governor was entrusted to Mr. Adams, who went to Auckland for that purpose, and on October 4th, 1859 the establishment of the new Province of Marlborough was gazetted to page break
Market Place,1867.

Market Place,1867.

Market Place,1876.

Market Place,1876.

page break
First Catholic Church.

First Catholic Church.

Rev. Father Seauzeau.

Rev. Father Seauzeau.

page 401take effect from the following November 1st. In the selection of a name for the province the residents were not consulted by the Government. The name was gazetted in Auckland before Mr. Adams' return, but doubtless the authorities considered that as Wellington and Nelson were on either hand, it was only consistent that they should honour another hero, and call it Marlborough. That being decided upon, it followed as a natural sequence that the capital town should be named after one of Marlborough's great achievements, and the seaport was named in honour of Sir Thomas Picton, who was Wellington's chief lieutenant at Waterloo, as Hardy had been to Nelson at Trafalgar.

In his History of New Zealand Mr. Alfred Saunders has severely censured the methods by which separation was obtained, alleging that the legal number of signatures were only secured to the petition presented by Mr. Adams by appending those of dead men and absentees, and further, that no opportunity was given to the old province to point out the deception, or to refute the allegations made in the petition. But it must be remembered that Mr. Saunders is nothing if not Nelsonian, and that as the petition was a practical protest against the administration of his friend Superintendent Robinson, it is not to be expected that he would look upon it page 402with a very kindly eye. But the objections raised by Mr. Saunders are not new, they have only been resurrected by him, for at a complimentary dinner tendered to Mr. Adams on December 20th, 1859, that gentleman answered each of these very charges, which were then current, by showing that attached to the petition were the names of 180 men who were, as he expressed it, "very much alive," and that so far from taking the Nelson Government by surprise, he had left a copy of the petition with His Honor the Superintendent while passing northward on his way to Auckland. Under these circumstances, whatever motives some of them may have been actuated by, no stigma can rest upon the Separationist fathers in respect to the methods pursued by them to attain their end, and had the Nelson Government only acted as honourably towards them as they conducted themselves towards it, it may have been that Marlborough as an independent province would never have existed. At all events there was ample evidence to justify the Colonial Executive in granting the prayer of the petition, and although her public estate was scarcely better treated after separation than before it, it was more satisfactory that the money of which the province was deprived should go into the pockets of her own settlers than to enrich those living in Nelson. The elections to constitute the page 403newly-created Provincial Council were held early in the year 1860, and resulted in the return of the following gentlemen, all but three of whom were runholders :—

William Adams Wairau Valley.
William H. D. Baillie Wairau Valley.
Cyrus Goulter Upper Wairau.
John Godfrey Upper Wairau.
William Henry Eyes Lower Wairau.
Henry Dodson Lower Wairau.
James Sinclair Blenheim.
Arthur Penrose Seymour Picton.
Charles Elliott Awatere.
Joseph Ward Clarence.

These legislators were called together for the first time at the Blenheim courthouse on May 1st, and after the formal and official business had been disposed of by Dr. Muller, the Returning Officer, Mr. Adams was chosen Speaker, and immediately afterwards, on the motion of Mr. Goulter, he was elected to the coveted position of Superintendent, Messrs. Eyes and Dodson alone dissenting from that proposition. Mr. Goulter was then elected to fill the Speaker's chair just vacated by Mr. Adams, and thus commenced his remarkable official career, during which, with the exception of a few weeks, he never ceased to hold some public office until the provinces were abolished. Mr. Adams having accepted the Superintendency, it became necessary that he should seek re-election for his constituency, and an adjournment for three weeks then took place page 404to enable this formality to be gone through. Upon the Council resuming, His Honor delivered an address, in which he briefly but forcibly stated one of the reasons why they had decided to take the serious and important step of separating from Nelson. After declaring that he would not hold office unless completely supported by the Council, but would resign and return to his farming pursuits, he went on to say, "I very reluctantly left them, but when I saw year after year our district drained of its resources for the benefit of Nelson and its neighbourhood, I joined with others to gain what we now possess—the management of our own affairs." But Mr. Adams did more than this. He also outlined the policy which he considered it their duty to follow in administering the affairs of the province, two features of which alone call for special attention at this date. The first of these was modesty in government, and the second, a reassessment of the waste lands. He accordingly announced that, for the purposes of economy and simplicity, he would not appoint an executive, stating that the enormous expense and the absurd assumptions of the Provincial Councils were two of the main arguments against that form of government. He therefore thought it better to retain the entire executive power in the hands of the Superintendent, but shortly page 405after he found the inconvenience of this arrangement, and took Messrs. Seymour and Ward into his counsels. Concerning the second feature of Mr. Adams' official deliverance, more must be said, because in announcing his land policy he showed how convenient it was to those in authority to have "the administration of their own affairs." Prior to separation the assessment of land in the Wairau and Awatere districts had stood at the following averages per acre :—Town lands, £17 10s.; Surburban, 16s.; Rural, 10s. 8d.; Pastoral, 5s. 10d.; but now Mr. Adams made a proposal, the essence of which was that the pastoral land should be reduced in price to 5s., and that rural land should be increased to anything between 10s. and 20s. per acre; that is to say, that while the sheep-farmer was to enjoy cheap land, the difference was to be made up by compelling the agricultural farmer to pay more than he would have done had the province still remained as part of Nelson. The sophistry employed to support this extraordinary position was simply remarkable, and one wonders that a man of Mr. Adams' strong common-sense and worldly experience could have committed himself to such flimsy arguments, but the fact remains while he admitted that all the pastoral land in the province was not of the same value, he rejected the idea of a proper assessment page 406because it "entailed a personal inspection of the runs, and was therefore inconvenient." Under the circumstances he "considered it fairer to all parties" to fix an upset price at the minimum figure permitted by law, and which would apply all round, irrespective of differences in quality. The inconsistency of this reasoning was exposed when Mr. Adams came to deal with the small farmer's land, for here no amount of trouble was allowed to stand in the way of a detailed valuation being made, "and therefore," he said, "the only land I shall advise an assessment to be made upon is the timber or superior agricultural land, and this may vary between 10s. and 20s. per acre." But Mr. Adams in the rôle of a sophist was completely outdone by his Council, who, in their "address in reply," entirely concurred with him in his views regarding the uniform price of pastoral land, arguing that "it would greatly retard the growth and prosperity of the province," unless as much land of that class as possible was sold at the lowest price the law allowed them to take for it. But the opposite principle applied in the case of the small farmer, and in the concluding paragraph of their address they gave expression to this generous sentiment: "Superior agricultural lands, on the other hand, should be assessed at the maximum price, and even that, in most page 407cases, we opine to be far below its real value." After such an expression of opinion from the Council Mr. Adams had no difficulty in getting his land regulations passed, for at no stage of the proceedings was a dissentient voice raised. Even the three members who were not directly concerned in pastoral pursuits were silent, thus the first result of separation was to enable the sheep-farmers to escape taxation at the hands of the Nelson democrats, and the first requitment the small settlers received for assisting these gentry to obtain "the management of their own affairs" was an extra impost of 10s. per acre on their land, accompanied by a gentle hint that they were sorry they could not make it more.

Amongst the first legislation which the Superintendent asked the Council to take into its consideration were Bills dealing with cattle branding, stock regulations, dog nuisance, education, and roads, while upon the estimates were sums of £2880 for bridges over the Tua Marina, Omaka, and Pelorus Streams, and £1828 for roads through the Taylor Pass, and to the Wairau River. Some conception may be formed of the difficulties to be met with in constructing this latter road, when we state that in the mile and a quarter between Grovetown and Spring Creek there were no less than eighteen page 408bridges required to provide an adequate passage for the flood waters.

On May 29th the Council adjourned from the courthouse to a small building on the bank of the Opawa River, which Mr. James Sinclair had built for the purposes of Provincial Chambers, and here the sittings were held for the remainder of the first session. Up to this time there had been no serious signs of division amongst the Councillors, in fact their proceedings had been marked by a unanimity which was altogether too angelic to last. But it was not long before the half concealed rivalry between the Superintendent and Mr. Eyes, together with the jealousy of the provincial towns, divided them into well defined parties, and brought about a change in the seat of Government*, as well as creating a municipal hatred which to this day has never

* The origin of the quarrel between Blenheim and Picton shows out of what small things mountains may be made. On May 23rd, 1860, Mr. Eyes asked the Superintendent if he intended to adjourn the Council next day in recognition of Her Majesty's birthday? Mr. Adams replied that, as he was anxious to push on with the business, he did not intend to adjourn. Next morning, when the hour for opening the Council arrived, the Superintendent was in an adjoining building attending an Executive meeting, and when Messrs. Sinclair, Eyes, and Dodson walked into the Chamber the only person in the room was Captain Baillie. Mr. Eyes at once called his attention to the fact that it was 11 o'clock, and in a spirit of something akin to cussedness he proposed that the Captain take the chair, and immediately afterwards moved the adjournment of the Council. There being a quorum present the carrying of this motion was perfectly in order, and just as the three conspirators were walking out, the Superintendent and his Executive walked in, and when they realised the position of affairs Mr. Adams gave Mr. Eyes a bit of his mind, and threatened, amongst other things, to remove the seat of Government away from Blenheim, notwithstanding that the petition on which separation had been granted stated that Blenheim was to be the capital town and Wairau the port of the province. Mr. Seymour's motion was the sequel to that threat.

page break
Market Street, 1860, in Flood. This View is taken from the Door of Mr. Macey's Studio, looking towards the Church of the Nativity, And is Probably the Oldest Photograph of Blenheim.

Market Street, 1860, in Flood.
This View is taken from the Door of Mr. Macey's Studio, looking towards the Church of the Nativity, And is Probably the Oldest Photograph of Blenheim.

page break
Sir David Munro, K.B.

Sir David Munro, K.B.

page 409been completely extinguished. The originator of this Picton versus Blenheim movement, which for many years was the keystone of Marlborough politics, was Mr. A. P. Seymour, who put the brand to the bush on June 7th when he moved, "That it be an instruction to His Honor the Superintendent to have buildings erected in Picton suitable for the reception of the Council and its officers." Mr. Eyes, who led the Blenheim party, at once moved as an amendment, that the step proposed was inadvisable under the circumstances in which the province was placed, but that if the Council was anxious to spend money upon buildings, the most profitable expenditure would be upon a gaol at Blenheim. This amendment was lost by 3 to 5, and after another amendment by Mr. Dodson had been similarly disposed of, the Blenheim representatives saw that their only hope was in delay, and so they astutely succeeded in getting the debate adjourned for a month. During this interval the question of removing the Provincial Buildings to Picton was actively canvassed in the constituencies by both parties; and amongst other forms of protest the Blenheimites held a monster meeting in an unfinished room in the Royal Oak Hotel, which was then in course of erection, at which they were harangued by their champions, and the fol-page 410lowing extract from Mr. Henry Dodson's speech on that memorable occasion will serve to show how bitterly his party resented this attempt to deprive their town of its political precedence. Mr. Dodson said:—"The object of the sheep farmers was to draw off the population from Blenheim to Picton so that a few scabby sheep might run on this plain, and the advance of small agriculturalists be retarded in the vicinity of their runs. They did not want a population near them, and it was well known that it was impossible for a small capitalist to buy land; he would be outbid if he attempted it." This vehement denunciation seems to suggest that Mr. Dodson was beginning to suspect that the sheepfarmers were not entirely disinterested in seeking separation from Nelson, but whether he was right in accusing them of such unworthy motives towards Blenheim is doubtful, for if there was any ulterior object behind Mr. Seymour's motion it is just as probable that the real scheme was not "to draw off the population from Blenheim," but to create an interest at Picton antagonistic to Blenheim, upon which they could rely for support in their future policy as a quid pro quo for keeping the Provincial Government at the sea-port.

The debate upon this momentous question was resumed on July 24th, when, as an page 411evidence that the electors had freely taken the matter into their consideration, Mr. Eyes presented a petition against the proposed removal of the buildings, signed by 260 persons, but he was outdone by Mr. Seymour, who brought with him eight separate documents, bearing 293 signatures, and the member for Picton was further backed up by Captain Baillie, who came down from the Wairau Valley with the names of 38 settlers favourable to the proposal. The presence of Mr. Elliott in the Council betokened that the Blenheim party were going to record every available vote against the threatened injustice to their town, and Mr. Elliott not only voted against it, but in a very sensible speech denounced the absurdity of spending a large sum of money upon buildings when there was so much need of better lines of communication between one part of the province and another. But all his eloquence and his arguments fell upon unprofitable ground, for the mind of every man was already made up as to how he should vote, and when the inevitable division was taken, it was found that Messrs. Ward, Baillie, Seymour, Adams and Godfrey favoured Picton becoming the capital of the province, while Messrs. Elliott, Sinclair and Dodson were Blenheim's disconsolate minority. For some reason Mr. Eyes declined to page 412record his vote, but the decision of the Council aroused his vehement and uncompromising hostility towards Picton, which displayed itself in many ways during the remainder of his public career; in fact, so marked was this antipathy at times, that Dr. Monro was, on one occasion, constrained to declare that the only explanation he could give for such conduct was that "the name of Picton operated on Mr. Eyes like a red rag upon a bull." To have the seat of Government brought back to Blenheim, was ever the main idea on which Mr. Eyes and his party concentrated all their thoughts and all their energies, and it seemed to them that any compact was justified, any opposition legitimate which might harass their opponents, or bring about a dissolution of the Council, so that in the chances of an election, fortune might favour them, and they would go back with a majority sufficient to turn the scales against Picton. If this fact is borne in mind it will furnish an explanation as to why there were so many dissolutions of the Marlborough Council, and why the various Superintendents held office for so short a time.

After the battle of the capital had been lost and won, the session proceeded in comparative peace until its close on September 18th. Then came a period of political quiescence for a few weeks, until the general election was page 413thrown as a bone of contention amongst the settlers. Since the granting of the constitution the Wairau had been worthily represented in the General Assembly by Mr. Weld, who was already recognised in the House as a man of commanding ability and great promise. His merits had justified Colonel Wynyard in associating him, in 1854, with the colony's first premier, Mr. James Edward Fitzgerald, and at the particular date at which our history has arrived he was serving as Minister for Native Affairs in Mr. Stafford's cabinet. Considering the prestige that was attached to Mr. Weld, his honesty of purpose, and untarnished record, it may appear surprising that on November 23rd, 1860, a requisition was in course of circulation for signature, asking Mr. Eyes to become a candidate for parliament in opposition to him, but the explanation was this. Owing to the enlargement of the Colonial Legislature the province had now become entitled to two representatives, and as a large section of the Wairau people desired to be represented by a resident settler, they suggested to Mr. Weld the propriety of standing for the new district, which had been created at Picton, but as the Stafford party were anxious to capture both seats, he declined to accede to the request. The Wairau electors then determined to put Mr. Eyes in opposition to page 414him, and although the matter was at first treated somewhat lightly by Mr. Weld's friends, the result of the poll proved that the desire to be represented by a local man outweighed Mr. Weld's colonial reputation, and he was defeated by the narrow majority of four votes*.

At the same time that Mr. Weld was defeated at the Wairau, Dr. Monro was elected, unopposed, to represent Picton, but only after Mr. Adams and other prominent residents had withdrawn their opposition on the understanding that the Doctor would not accept the Speakership of the House if it were offered to him. This stipulation was made because, on the retirement of Sir Charles Clifford from the chair, it had been freely stated in the press of the colony that Dr. Monro would be the Government candidate for the vacancy and the suggestion caused considerable opposition to his candidature in Picton, for it was felt there that a district represented by the Speaker was practically disfranchised, and in view of the fact that the Railway Bill would be coming before the House, the province could not afford to lose the benefit of its most influential member's advocacy. In conducting his election campaign Dr. Monro

* The Wairau thus lost the distinction of being represented by the Premier of the colony, for Mr. Weld was shortly after elected for Cheviot, and became Premier on the 24th of November, 1864, and held office until the 16th of October, 1865. Mr. Eyes supported the Fox party in the House, and it was on his vote that the Stafford Government were turned out of office.

page 415appreciated the wisdom of meeting this objection, and consequently, when addressing the electors at Picton on the 29th of January, he took an early opportunity of referring to it, explaining that he had informed Mr. Stafford, who had approached him on the subject, that he would not put himself in nomination for the Speakership, and concluded by saying that "although the position was an honourable one, it would not suit his views, and therefore the province would not lose his vote if he were elected." On this understanding no other candidate was brought forward, but when Parliament assembled on June 3rd it was found that unforeseen circumstances had arisen which placed everyone concerned in a very embarrassing position. As a matter of fact no one so well qualified to fill the chair as Dr. Monro had been elected, and at the earnest solicitations of all parties he agreed to occupy the position which his constituents were given to understand he would not accept. This action on the part of Picton's representative has been most unreservedly condemned by some of his critics, and as the matter is one that directly concerns the province it is only due to the deceased Speaker that the whole of the facts, and not merely a part, should be clearly and explicitly stated. A careful survey of all the circumstances makes it abundantly evi-page 416dent that Dr. Monro was by no means unmindful of the promise he had given, and, short of actual resignation, he did all in his power to put himself right with his constituents, for on the day he was elected to the chair he despatched a letter to them, which was published in the Marlborough Press on June 22nd, wherein he describes the pressure brought to bear upon him from various quarters, and explains why he yielded to that pressure, and then proceeds to say:—

"Now it is clear that the understanding upon which you elected me has been departed from by my acceptance of the office of Speaker, and this I cannot but regret. I believe, in the position which I occupy, I shall be able to serve you efficiently as a representative, but should you think otherwise and be dissatisfied with the step I have taken, I think it is but due to you to place your seat once more in your hands, and accordingly, if a majority of the Picton electors should signify to me their wish that I should retire from the representation of the district, I shall, so soon as this session is over, tender my resignation."

In the same issue of the Press in which the above appeared, the Editor bitterly assailed the Doctor for what he characterised as "an unceremonious breaking of a pledge," urging that by his action the province had been deprived of any advocate in the Assembly of the measures recommended by the Provincial Government and Council, amongst which by far the most important to the community was the Railway Bill. Four days before, a public page break
F. J. Litchfield.

F. J. Litchfield.

James White.

James White.

page break
First Borough School.Front View.

First Borough School.
Front View.

First Borough School.Side View,

First Borough School.
Side View,

page 417meeting had also been called, over which Mr. T. W. Downes presided, and at which it was resolved to request Dr. Monro to resign his seat forthwith, but whether this expression of want of confidence emanated only from a small section of the community, or whether the publication of the Speaker's letter forestalled the intentions of its promoters, does not appear, but no further steps were taken, and nothing was done to force the hand of their representative until he returned from Auckland at the termination of the session. Then he himself took the initiative by asking the electors to meet him on October 18th, when he proposed to discuss with them the events of the session. Over this meeting Mr. Downes also presided, and in the course of a very lengthy address Dr. Monro went fully into the circumstances that led him to accept the Speakership. His extenuation of his conduct was that when he had given them the pledge not to go into the Speaker's chair, he was under the impression that a certain gentleman would be returned for an Auckland constituency, and that the office would be conferred upon him. Unfortunately that gentleman had not been elected, but even then, as he had previously informed Mr. Stafford that he would not be a candidate for the Speakership, he did not expect to be again approached on the subject upon his arrival in Auckland.
page 418

"However, he was so approached, not only by the Ministry, but by members of all parties and by influential persons outside the House, and the matter was placed before him in such a way that on grounds of public duty he did not think it right any longer to refuse."

He then proceeded to show that the interests of the district had not suffered by his occupancy of the chair, arguing that:

"While it was true he could not take part in the debates of the House, those who knew anything of the working of parliament were well aware that as many, if not more, questions were settled out of the House than in it, and the position of Speaker gave him access to official personages and a weight to his representations that an ordinary member did not possess."

At the close of his address, which dealt exhaustively with the stirring political topics of the time, Dr. Monro again referred to his acceptance of the Speakership, and concluded by saying:

"He trusted they were satisfied that their interests had not suffered from the fact of his having been Speaker. At the same time he still admitted what he had never denied, that in taking that step he had violated a promise given when they had elected him, and he accordingly repeated that if it appeared to be the wish of a majority of the electors he would return into their hands the trust which they had done him the honour to repose in him."

The candid and straightforward manner in which the Doctor dealt with the whole position is rather refreshing reading in these days of political fencing, and evidently it had its effect upon his audience, for at the termination of the speech Captain Baillie rose and page 419moved, "That having heard the explanation made by Dr. Monro respecting his taking the office of Speaker of the House of Representatives, this meeting feels fully satisfied with the course pursued, and now tenders to Dr. Monro sincere thanks for his valuable services." This motion was seconded by Captain Kenny, and on being put to the meeting, which was one of the largest ever held in Picton, it was declared by the chairman to be "carried unanimously."

From correspondence which was subsequently published in the Press it would appear that a section of the community were not satisfied with this mode of disposing of the matter, and a requisition was prepared for signature asking the Doctor to tender his resignation, but in the face of the complete and constitutional vindication tendered by the public meeting the agitation was a barren and abortive one, and Dr. Monro continued to represent Picton during the remainder of that Parliament. At the following general election, in 1866, he submitted himself to the choice of the Cheviot electors, by whom he was returned, and when the House assembled on June 30th, he was again elected to the Speaker's chair, a post which he honourably filled until September 13th, 1870.

While representing Picton the dignity of Knighthood was conferred upon him in re-page 420cognition of his services as Speaker, and when it was found that the circumstances of the Motueka petition precluded his occupancy of the chair for a third term, the House placed on record its appreciation of his integrity and impartiality, and presented an address to the Governor requesting that Her Majesty might be moved to confer upon Sir David some mark of Imperial approbation. After twenty-five years of active political life in the service of the colony, Sir David Monro retired to his home at Nelson to enjoy his hard earned rest, and ended his days there on February 15th, 1877, with all the laurels of an honoured and well tried public servant.

With the defeat of Mr. Weld and the arraigning of Dr. Monro, the year of 1861 was full of political interest for Marlborough, but it was also remarkable for the development of political intrigue, which was often responsible for the subordination of the public weal to private and party aims. This manifestation of local and personal bitterness evinced itself freely during the second session of the Provincial Council, which opened in the new chambers on April 17th. The address delivered by Mr. Adams dealt with many matters of importance, and satisfaction was expressed that schools had been opened at Picton and Renwick, but by far the most striking feature of the speech was the able page 421and elaborate manner in which the Superintendent argued out the advantages to be derived from the connection of Picton and Blenheim by rail, and the earnest manner in which he advocated the immediate prosecution of this work. All the members of the Council, except the Blenheim party, cordially endorsed the scheme propounded by Mr. Adams, and after the expert evidence of Mr. Dobson had been taken, Mr. Ward moved, "That the Superintendent be authorised to take the necessary steps for carrying out the undertaking." In accordance with this resolution Mr. Adams, shortly after the close of the session, proceeded to Auckland to promote the interests of the Picton Railway Bill, and in order to give that measure tangible form a select committee, consisting of Dr. Monro (Speaker), Messrs. Jollie, Eyes, Kettle, Carter, Wood, Wilson, A. J. Richmond, Saunders and Brandon, was set up in the House of Representatives on June 26th, 1861, to enquire into and report on the subject. Their report was favourable, and on August 6th Mr. A. J. Richmond, on behalf of the Speaker, moved the second reading of the Picton Railway Bill. In doing so he explained that it was a measure empowering the Superintendent, with the sanction of the Provincial Council, to construct the line, provided the work was not begun until the Government Auditor was page 422satisfied that ample provision had been made for defraying its cost. To overcome this difficulty the Provincial Council had, during its recent session, passed a Loan Bill for £60,000, and as a further indication of the public desire for the work, he referred to the petition which had been presented to the House, containing the names of 325 residents of the province, likewise to the magnificent harbour of Picton, and begged the House to think twice before they rejected the Bill, "as the settlers would consider the railway a very great boon in affording them facilities for getting their goods to and from the port." As the measure had emanated from the Picton party, Mr. Eyes, as a member for Blenheim, was duty-bound to oppose it, and his opposition took the form of an amendment that the Bill be read that day six months. In support of this view he found fault with the composition and the report of the select committee, as well as with several irregularities which he alleged had disfigured their proceedings. He then went on to urge the unjustifiable nature of the work, contending that a road sufficient for all purposes could be made for £10,000, as against an expenditure of £60,000 required for the railway, and he objected to the province being saddled with this liability, as there was neither population or trade sufficient to justify the outlay, there being only about page 4231700 persons in the province, and the export of wool was not more than 2000 bales, nor likely to exceed 2500 for many years to come. Parliament, however, was in a more progressive mood than Mr. Eyes, and by August 28th the Bill was passed through all its stages. For what followed it is difficult to say who was most responsible, but the fact remains that the Fox Government "disallowed" the Loan Bill, and reserved the Railway Bill for the Royal assent, at the same time "not recommending" that this assent be given. It may be that in pursuing this course the Ministry were performing what they, conceived to be their duty, but as Dr. Monro, who was in charge of the Bills, was their strong political opponent, and Mr. Eyes was as strongly their supporter, they were very generally credited at the time with a greater anxiety to please a political friend by killing the Bills* than to oblige an opponent by allowing them

* The Railway Bill was not assented to by Her Majesty, and in 1863, on the motion of Sir D. Monro, the sum of £487 11s. 6d was voted to reimburse the province for the expense incurred in passing it. Sir David strongly commented upon the conduct of the Government, questioning their right to advise the Imperial authorities to "disallow" the Bill. Mr. Fox, in reply, stated that the Provincial Government had not complied with the conditions laid down by the Colonial Office. In 1863 another Provincial Loan Bill was passed, and again "disallowed," and an indignation meeting was called at Picton to protest against such ungenerous treatment. In 1865 the Last Railway Bill was passed, and a loan was sanctioned by the General Government, provided a sufficient quantity of land was set aside by the province, the disposal of which would be sufficient in itself to insure the reimbursement of the loan within a given period. The only other condition imposed was a satisfactory proof that the work could be completed for the amount asked for. The line was not constructed under this arrangement, but everything having been prepared in the meantime by Mr. Dobson, C.E., it was, at the solicitation of Messrs. Seymour and Eyes, the first work put in hand under the Public Works Policy of 1876, Mr. Eyes having relinquished his opposition since the cost of construction was no longer to be a provincial charge.

page 424to acquire the force of law. But before Mr. Adams' favourite project had been sanctioned by a friendly Parliament and killed by a hostile Government, his career as Superintendent had come to an end under circumstances which must have been exceedingly annoying to him and equally exasperating to his enemies. When he was in Auckland in 1859 presenting the petition praying for separation, he had accepted the office of Commissioner for Crown Lands, and the fact that he held this place of emolument in conjunction with the Superintendence excited the displeasure of the Fox Government, who were secretly making arrangements to confer the office upon one of their own friends, the position being a colonial appointment, although the salary was provided by the province. It is said that the new certificate of appointment was actually engrossed, but before it could be issued Mr. Adams became aware of what was going on, and promptly wrote to the Governor, explaining that as he understood the Government considered it incompatible that he should be both Superintendent and Commissioner of Crown Lands he would resign from the former position forthwith, and on July 20th the office of Superintendent of Marlborough was vacant. In this way Mr. Adams cleverly circumvented the scheme of his opponents, and kept the most desirable page 425office to himself. In deciding to take this step Mr. Adams abandoned a position for which he was eminently suited, possessing as he did a comprehensive grasp of the principles of government, and a practical mind to apply them to local circumstances. He had no fancy ideas about the administration of public affairs, but he looked upon the province simply as a huge estate which should be managed on sound business lines, and in the discharge of this duty he brought to bear considerable commercial knowledge, as well as an honesty of purpose which not even his most virulent opponent could impeach. His mistakes were due to his surroundings rather than to an inherent desire to be unfair, and if we except his administration of the Crown Lands, it will be found that the province had received a wonderful incentive under his guidance, and that there had been an immense improvement in all directions compared with the condition of affairs under the Nelson Government, and for this reason Mr. Adams' resignation was an event deeply to be regretted.
As the province had now been enjoying its independence for nearly two years, it is fitting that we should here briefly summarise the chief results of separation, with a view to showing how far the anticipations of its projectors had been justified. When Mr. Adams page 426was stating his case to the Colonial Executive, in 1859, he was sanguine enough to estimate that the annual revenue of the new province would amount to £18,125, and the expenditure he computed at £17,432. These calculations were more than borne out by actual results, for the financial year, which expired on June 30th, 1861, closed with a revenue of £25,904 4s. 1d., while the expenditure only amounted to £18,946 16s. 2d., or a genuine surplus of nearly £7000, of which £500 had been saved on the official departments alone. Thus every prospect seemed bright, and there were none who bemoaned the change, for while the revenue kept up, public works were vigorously pushed on, a sum of £16,835 being spent in improving the lines of communication throughout the district. It is only when we come to analyse the sources from whence this overflowing revenue was derived* that we see the other side of the picture, and realise to the full the disastrous and unfair nature of the land policy which was being pursued. The official returns of that day speak in unmistakable language, and show that since separation all classes of land, except the pastoral country, had risen in average value, some slightly, and some enormously. Town acres, which

* As showing how the public estate was being parted with it is worthy of note that from November 1st, 1859, to June 30th, 1861, the revenue derived from territorial sources amounted to £24,221 11s. 8d., while from the ordinary sources only £1,682 12s. 5d. was collected.

page 427were formerly assessed at £17 10s. by the Nelson Government were now valued at £97 7s.; suburban land had risen from 16s. to £2 14s. 8d.; rural sections were advanced by only 2s. 2d., but the pastoral runs dropped from 5s. 10d. to 5s. There is also a curious feature to be noted with reference to the apparent advance in the price of rural land, of which some 9,021 acres had been sold, 4,021 acres to small settlers, and 5000 on the Awatere and Kaikoura runs. Of this latter area not an acre was sold at more than 10s., the minimum price allowed by law, but to the agricultural farmers the maximum of 20s. per acre was charged on more than half the land they purchased. During Mr. Adams' Superintendency 109,500 acres of pastoral country were alienated to sheep-farmers at less than had previously been paid to the Nelson Government, and if we make even a moderate computation of the difference between the Nelson and Marlborough prices for rural and pastoral land, it is only too clear that one of the chief results of separation up to this time was that the pastoralists had benefitted to the extent of £4700, while the agriculturalists had been penalised to the tune of £1100.

On the resignation of Mr. Adams, Mr. Cyrus Goulter, who was Speaker of the Council and treasurer in the Executive, acted ex officio as Superintendent until the next page 428sitting of the Council, which took place on the 28th of the following August. After reading the proclamation calling them together, Mr. Goulter informed the members of what had happened since they last met, and announced that the first business was the election of a Superintendent. The followers of Mr. Adams were naturally anxious that one of their own party should succeed him; but when the Council assembled, owing to a sudden disorganisation in their ranks, they were not prepared to put their man in nomination, and an adjournment was therefore arranged, during which an understanding was arrived at, with the result that when the Council re-opened Mr. Adams rose to his feet, and after referring to the "soldier-like bearing" of Captain Baillie, proposed him as a fit and proper person to act as Superintendent. This was duly seconded, and in a few minutes Captain Baillie found himself elected as the second Superintendent of Marlborough. Captain Baillie was a descendant of an old Scottish family, who many generations before had settled in County Down, Ireland, and whose members had seen considerable service in the Imperial Army. His father had been at Waterloo with the 23rd Fusiliers, his grandfather at the battle of Minden, and Captain Baillie, as an ensign, had been through the Indian Mutiny with Lord Gough and Sir page 429Colin Campbell. After the battle of Chillian Wallah, at which his regiment was fearfully cut-up, Ensign Baillie returned to England and obtained his captaincy in 1854, sailing in 1857 for Nelson in the ship "Oriental." In the same year he commenced sheep-farming at Erina, and it was while living there that he entered upon his long political career* as one of the representatives of the Wairau Valley in conjunction with Mr. Adams.

The third session of the Provincial Council was opened on September 24th, but beyond appointing Mr. Adams as legal adviser to the Council, attempting to raise the Superintendent's salary by £200, and passing an Education Act, it was practically barren of results, and was brought to a sudden termination partly by the resignation of the Blenheim trio, because they could not carry a vote for improving the accommodation at Gouland's Ferry, and partly because a serious flood came down which necessitated the remaining Councillors leaving their legislative duties to attend to their temporal affairs. After a recess of a few days the Council was again Summoned for the transaction of business on October 15th, and although Messrs. Sinclair, Eyes and Dodson had previously tendered their resigna-

* Captain Baillie was called to the Legislative Council on March 8th, 1861. He has been Chairman of Committees for over 16 years, and is now the senior member of the Council,

page 430tions
, they again appeared in their places in the Council, and straightway began to get even with Mr. Adams for removing the seat of Government from Blenheim by indulging in some extraordinary cross voting, which resulted in a reduction of that gentleman's provincial emoluments by £160, and an increase in Mr. Goulter's by £40. In consequence of this ungenerous treatment Mr. Adams resigned from Captain Baillie's Executive, and in August 1862, realising that serving the public was a somewhat thankless task, he retired from the Crown Lands Office and went to Nelson to establish the legal firm of Adams and Kingdon, and thus the province lost the services of a gentleman* who was one of the most far-seeing, broad-minded and upright administrators of its public affairs. His successor as Commissioner of Crown Lands was Captain Kenny, a gentleman of very high character, and now a member of the Legislative Council. But the event for which the Superintendence of Captain Baillie was most remarkable was the opening of what is known as the Opawa Breach. Before the end of 1861 the Opawa River as we now see it did not exist, and where it is crossed by the extensive railway bridge, it was spanned by a structure about forty feet

* Long prior to his retirement from office, Mr. Adams had acquired a pastoral run on the north bank of the Wairau River, where he afterwards died in 1884. His grave, hewn out of the solid rock, on the site of an old Maori fighting pah at Langley Dale, is one of the most picturesque spots in Marlborough,

page 431long, built of white pine saplings with slabs pegged on top of them for a decking. Some idea may be formed of the size and importance of this work when we mention that it was originally built by Mr. Attwood, one of the earliest settlers in the Wairau, at a cost of £11, at a time when the wages of a mechanic were over 20s. per day. There are many theories advanced as to the origin of this unfortunate breach, and tales are told of how a shepherd cut a trench to keep his sheep back, and of another who led the water of the river into a sheep-dip. The true cause is more likely to have been the burning and removal of scrub from the flats, thus giving the water a clear course over the level land, when it rose above the ordinary bank. The rush of water soon scoured away the soft sandy surface, and once obtaining a hold upon the shingle, cut out the present river-bed with terrific rapidity. But whatever may have been the primary cause, the result was that the waters of the Wairau broke through and invaded the lower portion of the plain, which has ever since been periodically flooded. Reference was made to this misfortune in the Superintendent's speech to the Council on its opening in March, 1862, and the measures taken by the Executive to grapple with this new difficulty appeared to be the best that human ingenuity could devise. They em-page 432ployed the highest engineering talent to be obtained in the Australasian colonies, and when Mr. Fitzgibbon, the engineer selected, came from Queensland, he suggested that the most likely method by which the water could be turned back into its original course, was to place upon the river-bed a line of "crib" work composed of logs, and filled with large stones. This system of protection was carried out under the supervision of Mr. Dobson, the Provincial Engineer, according to the plan suggested by Mr. Fitzgibbon, at a cost of between £13,000 and £14,000. Before the work had been completed many days, it received its first and last great test. The river rose in flood, it mounted over the top of this pile of logs and stones, it undermined the foundations, and in a few hours the whole structure was demolished. Such was the ignominious end of one of the greatest engineering enterprises ever undertaken in the province, an end which, it is needless to say, has shaken the public faith in the skill of engineers ever since. The failure to check the inrush of water down the Opawa was a two-fold disaster. Not only did floods follow fast upon each other, but this enormous drain upon the provincial exchequer had a fatal effect upon the public works of the province, and there are settlers to-day, as there were then, to whom this ex-page break
Borough School.Destroyed by Fire, September 26, 1888.

Borough School.
Destroyed by Fire, September 26, 1888.

High Street1870.

High Street1870.

page break
George Henderson.

George Henderson.

J. Mack Hutcheson.

J. Mack Hutcheson.

page 433penditure
would be welcome in the construction of roads and bridges.
Towards 1862 it was evident that an appreciable increase in the provincial population was taking place, the electors on the rolls numbering 516 as against 164 in 1859, and in view of this increase Mr. Seymour, on the last day of the fourth session, moved for leave to introduce a Bill to enlarge the number of representatives in the Council, but the measure was not pressed beyond its second reading, its further consideration being deferred "to give time for a careful analysis of the roll, and to enable members to apportion the extra number of representatives according to the electors in each district." The sequel to this was that property and not people received representation in the Council, for the Blenheim party saw in this re-distribution of seats an excellent opportunity to increase their strength in order that they might be able to turn the tables against Picton, and so they set assiduously to work to secure greater, even if unfair, representation for the southern districts. As the Bill was introduced by Captain Baillie, it proposed to give the Wairau Valley, Awatere and Clarence one representative to every twenty-four electors, and in the other constituencies one to every forty-one. But liberal as this treatment seemed to be, it did not satisfy Mr. Eyes, who declared page 434during the debate that "he did not think the number of electors only should be regarded; property should also be represented." With this as their cue Messrs. Sinclair, McRae and Ward each in turn demanded an additional member for the pastoral districts, and, aided by Mr. Dodson, in committee, they gave the Awatere, Wairau Valley and Clarence the absurd proportion of one representative to every twelve electors, Blenheim and the Lower Wairau one to every thirty-six, and the districts nearer Picton one to every forty-five. In thus conferring such unequal representation upon the pastoral constituencies, we do not believe for a moment that Messrs. Sinclair and Dodson did so because they acquiesced in the policy of the sheep-farmers to secure cheap land for themselves, for their natural inclinations and political interests were all the other way, but their connection with the incident was simply one of those curious coalitions which were constantly being formed in the hope of filling the Council with men who would desire to see the seat of Government removed back to Blenheim, and who would vote according to their desires. Nor were they long before they had an opportunity of testing the efficacy of their scheme, for Mr. John Godfrey was so annoyed at the desertion of the Picton party by Mr. Ward that he there and then decided to adopt a page 435course which he hoped might result in a judgment upon the member for Clarence. Mr. Eyes was approached by Mr. Godfrey, another of these curious compacts, with the suggestion that if he and his party would support a motion to add the cost of surveying Crown Land to the upset price paid by the purchaser, instead of being paid out of the provincial funds, he, on his part, would assist them to bring about a dissolution of the Council, and so precipitate a general election in which he charitably hoped Mr. Ward might be defeated. Having got the representation question settled to his liking, an election was the only thing Mr. Eyes required to make him supremely happy; he therefore agreed to Mr. Godfrey's terms, Mr. Dodson moving the motion relative to the survey fees, which was carried*, and next day the estimates were upset and a resolution adopted requesting the Governor to dissolve the Council at the same time that he gave his assent to the Council Enlargement Bill. As this was practically a vote of "no confidence," the Superintendent and his Executive tendered their resignations, but the Governor refused to accept Captain Baillie's resignation on the grounds that the public convenience required his retention of office until his successor was elected; and so the Councillors went to the

* The result of this change was to add about £1200 per annum to the provincial revenue.

page 436country to once more fight out the all-important question of Blenheim versus Picton.

The constitution of the Council was now enlarged to seventeen members, and its personnel was considerably changed by the introduction of nine new politicians, most of whom seemed to favour a change in the seat of government, but they were not yet to reap the full fruits of their victory, for although all the members had been declared "duly elected" Captain Baillie had the best of reasons for supposing that the election of Messrs. Sinclair and Williams for the Upper Wairau was somewhat irregular, and he decided not to give his opponents a chance of carrying their point until a Judge of the Supreme Court had an opportunity of saying whether these elections were valid or not. But apart from the issue of where the provincial capital should be, there was another cause operating to bring Captain Baillie's Superintendency to an end. Having lost his old Executive through Mr. Ward's coalition with the Blenheim party, and Mr. Coulter not being re-elected, he appointed Messrs. John Godfrey and Keene in their stead. The result was a great blow to the sheep-farmers, for Mr. Godfrey at once attacked the "convenient system" of assessing all pastoral land at a uniform value, and before the next land sale was held a proper assessment was page 437made by Messrs. Baillie, Kenny and Godfrey, which resulted in a handsome increase to the revenue and a corresponding benefit to the public. But this policy naturally gave offence in certain quarters, because if it was allowed to continue, the days of cheap land were numbered, and when the new Council met on September 20th, 1862, it was clear that any hostile motion would be carried against the Superintendent. But Mr. John Godfrey, who was now a co-representative of Picton with Mr. Seymour, had carefully studied the Constitution Act, and there he found that the Superintendent had power to prorogue the Council at his own pleasure. This point he placed before his chief as a means by which he could hold the enemy at bay until the validity of the Upper Wairau elections could be tested. Accordingly, when the formal business of opening the Council had been disposed of, Captain Baillie astonished his friends and confounded his enemies by reading from a document that in pursuance of the powers vested in him by Clause 16 of the Constitution Act, he declared the Council prorogued. This step was as a "bolt from the blue" to those members who had come with appetites keen for a change of administration, and for a time they allowed their feelings to get the better of their judgment. Hotly resenting the action of the Superintendent page 438they proceeded with great ceremony to elect Mr. Gouland, Speaker, and Mr. Eyes, Superintendent, but when they returned next day they found the door of the Council Chamber locked and a notice on the door: "No admittance except on business," and as the constable in charge was a staunch Pictonite, they could not persuade him that their business was either pressing or legitimate, and so they adjourned to the bar of James' Tasmanian Hotel, where they harangued a crowd upon their own provincial virtues and their opponents' political vices; but although shut out from the place and symbols of office, Mr. Eyes asserted himself by publishing a Gazette and issuing his instructions to the provincial servants; but after a month's ineffectual effort to convince them that he was master, he called his party together at the Blenheim courthouse, and there on October 23rd he announced that owing to his peculiar and anomolous position he had been unable to bring any measures before them for their consideration, and under the circumstances he thought it better to prorogue the Council and seek their remedy in the Supreme Court. Thus their infant Council expired almost as quickly as it had been born, but for months the machinery of the law was kept busily in motion. Documents were passing between the contending lawyers in Picton and Wel-page 439lington, and, in the absence of other means, they were often sent from Te Awaiti across the Strait in a whale boat. At length, after six months' delay, during which time the provincial officers received no salary, and all public works were stopped. Judge Johnston delivered his judgment in favour of Captain Baillie, but as the Blenheim party threatened to appeal against His Honor's decisions, it was felt that the intolerable state of affairs which had prevailed for so long could not continue, and to terminate the deadlock the Governor once more dismissed the Council, and sent its members back to their constituents. The result of the election which followed in 1863, was a reverse to the Blenheim party, they being in a minority of five, but it was not deemed expedient that Captain Baillie should continue as Superintendent, so he quietly passed into the serenity of the Speaker's chair and left the Council to wrangle over the choice of his successor. During his term of office 51,410 acres of pastoral land were sold at an average of 5s. 2¼d. per acre, which, compared with the Nelson price of 5s. 10d., means that the province lost £1660, a result for which Captain Baillie was not so much responsible as the party with whom he worked during the greater part of his administration; for he made an honest effort to bring about more equitable conditions so soon as he page 440secured advisers whose ideas were mutual with his own, and to him belongs the credit of first establishing a proper assessment of land irrespective of the class of settler who was to occupy it. His fitness for the office of Superintendent, and the public esteem in which he was held have been admirably epitomised by a writer in the Marlborough Press, and we cannot do better in closing this reference to Captain Baillie, than by quoting the correspondent who says of him: "His honourable and gentlemanly conduct on all occasions, with his soldier-like firmness in standing to a point of duty, recommended him as one to whom we could well trust the office of greatest responsibility amongst us."

The staff of provincial officers at this time was not very large. At the inception of the province Mr. Alfred Dobson had been Provincial Engineer and Chief Surveyor, but this arrangement was found inconvenient, and in 1861 he was given his choice of offices, when he decided to retain that of Provincial Engineer. The vacancy thus created was filled by Mr. H. G. Clarke, the late Chief Surveyor and Commissioner of Crown Lands, assisted by Mr. Pickering. The clerk in the Land Office was Mr. John Allen, the present Stipendiary Magistrate, who, on the retirement of Mr. Adams from the Commissioner-ship of Lands, was appointed Collector of page 441Customs at Picton, and his position was filled by the promotion of Mr. J. J. White, who virtually held the same office until his retirement in 1891. The clerk to his Honor the Superintendent was Mr. Jeffray, and, afterwards, Mr. Leonard Stowe, now Clerk of Parliaments and Clerk to the Legislative Council, acted in this capacity.

In casting about for a new Superintendent, the Council looked for one who was known to be sound on the question of retaining Picton as the provincial capital, and ultimately their choice fell upon Mr. Thomas Carter, a comparatively new politician, who had been returned to represent the Wairau Valley, where a few years before he had taken up the Hillersden run. Mr. Carter took office on March 25th, 1863, with Captain Baillie, Mr. Goulter and Mr. H. Godfrey as his Executive, Mr. Goulter being once more appointed to his old portfolio as Provincial Treasurer. When Mr. Carter came into power, the farming industry was in a very backward state, mainly from two causes. The provincial revenue had risen to £40,000, and a great deal of this money was spent upon public works. The prices obtained by contractors were high, and naturally men preferred to work upon the roads, where the pay was large and sure, than to follow an avocation so uncertain in its results as farming. Amongst page 442other items, there was a sum of £4000 spent in completing the work at the Opawa Breach. Against this expenditure the Superintendent forcibly protested, believing that the work would never stand, but he was outvoted by the Council, who considered that the scheme would not get a fair trial unless it was completed according to Mr. Fitzgibbon's plans. To put a check upon what he regarded as a reckless waste of money, and to restrain the clamour for public expenditure upon this breach, Mr. Carter passed what was called the Opawa Breach Bill, whereby all moneys spent in future upon this work were to be charged upon the land benefitted, and the owners had to pay a special tax by way of interest thereon. This was virtually the principle of the more recent Betterment Bill, and it effectually put a stop to the expenditure by which a few men would have rapidly amassed large sums of money. Another circumstance which militated against the active prosecution of the farming industry, and which also contributed towards the high prices paid for contract work, was the breaking out of the Wakamarina diggings in April, 1864. From odd pieces of gold which had been found in some of the creeks as early as 1860, it was suspected that there might be a considerable gold-bearing area of country north of the Wairau River, and with the knowledge page 443before them of what had been done in Otago by the discovery of gold, the Provincial Council offered a bonus of £500 to anyone who could discover a payable field. A few parties had been out prospecting, but as yet with no appreciable result. But one morning as the Superintendent was riding through the Pelorus Valley on his way to Nelson, he met Messrs. Wilson and Rutland preparing a "Long Tom," by which the gold in those days was saved. They informed him that they had tried the bed of the Wakamarina River with satisfactory results, and they believed that with more improved appliances they could make excellent wages. About half a mile further on Mr. Carter met Mr. Cleyne and party felling trees and widening the road. They said nothing to him about looking for gold, and this fact had an important bearing upon the claims they afterwards made for the bonus offered by the Council. On his return from Nelson the Superintendent was informed that an exceedingly rich held had been discovered, and already signs of a "rush" on a considerable scale were making themselves apparent. There were, of course, no tracks to the scene of operations, but a good road was soon made, and everything was done by the Council to develop the field; Mr. Carter, who had the advantage of some practical experience page 444on the Californian diggings, attending to many of the details on the field in person. Lieut. Kinnersly, a retired naval officer, was appointed Warden, and Inspector Morton, of the Otago police, supervised the observance of law and order. The news of the discovery soon spread, and attracted diggers from all parts of New Zealand, and even from Australia, until the population had reached the number of three thousand souls. The field proved to be one of the richest ever discovered in the colony, and at the same time it was essentially a "poor man's" diggings, as most of the gold was picked up out of the crevices in the rocks. No absolutely complete statement can be given of the amount of gold won from the bed of this river, as many of the successful miners left the field, taking their treasure with them; but this much is certain, that in the month of June, 1864, the "City of Hobart," the "Otago" and the "Albion" left the harbour of Picton with 3393 oz. on board. In the following month the "Auckland" took away 2256 oz., and in the next September the "Claud Hamilton" shipped 961 oz., the total export of gold from the field in the first year being 24,838 oz., and in the following year an additional 8000 oz. were sent away, the total value of which has been computed at over £130,000.

Owing to the influx of diggers, and those page 445dependent upon them, the population of the province doubled itself in 1864, reaching the total of 5519 souls, while the agricultural and pastoral industries had so far improved that there were now 8189 acres in crop, of which the Wairau alone supplied 5846. There were also in the province 2735 horses, 7483 head of cattle, and the sheep despasturing upon the runs numbered 456,374. The Wakamarina field was soon deserted by the majority of the miners, who migrated to the West Coast, but ever since a few persons have been "fossicking" about, and company after company have expended their capital in trying to bottom the "Gorge," one of the most remarkable claims in New Zealand. It is estimated that fully £30,000 have been spent in these attempts to test the value of this claim, about which there has been so much speculation, but the profitless nature of the undertakings may be judged from the fact that the company which did succeed in bottoming it secured 34 oz. at an expenditure of £9000. Both Wilson and party and Cleyne and party claimed the Council's bonus for the discovery of the field, but from what Mr. Carter saw and knew of the two parties on the morning that he went to Nelson, he concluded that Cleyne and his mates, having become aware of Wilson's luck, had slipped over the hill and started work in the river bed higher up. Under these circum-page 446stances the bonus was granted to Wilson and Rutland, but some concessions were extended to Cleyne.*

After the subsidence of the gold rush, the questions of the "unemployed" and provincial finance began to give the Superintendent and his Executive serious concern. Relief was found for the former by the formation of a road over the Avondale Saddle, and considerable improvements were made in the line of communication between Blenheim and Spring Creek on what was then called the "Sand Hills" Road, in front of Mr. Louis Dodson's present house. The question of finance, however, was more complicated, for the sources of revenue were extremely limited and to some extent precarious. They consisted mainly of the proceeds derived from land sales, which of course was a fluctuating amount, publicans' and auctioneers' licenses which returned about £600 per year, and a proportion up to three-eights of the total Customs duties collected at their own ports. At this latter point there was a considerable leakage in the Marlborough revenue, for which the province has never received proper consideration. During the time this arrangement was in existence, there was no direct

* On the 25th of May, 1888, the Warden reported to the Minister for Mines that payable gold had been found in Cullen's Creek by Jackson and party, the discovery resulting in the rush to Mahakipawa. Shortly afterwards gold was found in the Waikakaho Creek on the Wairau side of the range, but except in Hart's Claim no gold of any consequence was found.

page 447shipping to Picton, and consequently nearly all the dutiable articles used by Marlborough people were landed and paid duty either at Nelson or Wellington. Thus these centres, being the first ports of call, received nearly the whole of Marlborough's rightful Customs revenue, roughly estimated at £90,000. Later on, this system was abolished by Mr. Stafford, who, on having the anomaly pointed out to him, agreed to pay Marlborough's share of Customs duties on a population basis. The subject of revenue, however, was one of increasing anxiety to the provincial authorities, and Mr. Carter saw that before long something must be done, or a crisis must be faced. Yet another question had also to be considered, into which that of finance was firmly dovetailed, and that was the insecure tenure enjoyed by the occupants of the pastoral country. A freehold was their only safe title, and if a sheep-farmer could not afford to buy the whole of his run, he was in constant dread that someone with more capital than himself would come in and buy the land over his head. In self-defence the pastoralists adopted the injurious but natural policy of buying their runs, and most of them ruined themselves in the attempt, while others "gridironed" the frontage in such a way as to protect the remainder of their country. How to give the sheep-farmers a page 448class of tenure in which they could feel confidence, without compelling them to sink their all in the purchase, and at the same time to secure to the province an assured revenue, was the dual problem that Mr. Carter felt it his duty to solve. This he attempted to do by drafting a new set of land regulations, giving the occupier the right to lease for a long term of years. For the purposes of greater secrecy, these regulations were printed in Nelson, but by some means their purport had been ferreted out by Mr. John Godfrey, who delighted in dethroning one king and setting up another. By the time the printed copies had reached the hands of the Executive he had succeeded in raising such a storm of indignation against this policy of leasing on the terms proposed by Mr. Carter, that the Government deemed it prudent not to ask the Council to seriously consider it. The project was thus allowed to lapse, and Mr. Carter, finding his political troubles increasing and his private business growing more pressing, resigned the Superintendency on July 30th, 1864. But although Mr. Carter no longer led the Council, he did not relinquish all political responsibility, continuing to represent his district, and was seldom off the Executive until the abolition of Provincial Government. He was a man who in public affairs was slow of thought and deliberate of action, but he page break
Henry Dodson.

Henry Dodson.

Joseph Ward.

Joseph Ward.

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First Provincial Buildings.

First Provincial Buildings.

Provincial Buildings,1876.

Provincial Buildings,1876.

page 449was most thorough in his attention to the work of administration, and displayed that carefulness, shrewdness, and insistence on detail that, no doubt, went to assure his success as Superintendent, as well as to make him the largest landholder and the wealthiest man in the province at the time of his death.

The choice of the Council for the new Superintendent fell upon Mr. Arthur Penrose Seymour, who had come to the province as a young man. He had first settled on the Wakefield Downs in the Awatere, and then took up the Tyntesfield run. He had also been a member of all the previous Councils. His troubles as Superintendent began almost as soon as he took office, for he had taken into his Executive some men who, either personally or politically, were distasteful to a great many of the Council. The feeling of irritation caused thereby made itself manifest in many ways, and it required all the tact and skill of Mr. Seymour to hold his own.

In addition to this, there was a new trouble from an old source. The Opawa River, which had been flooding the district since the outbreak of the "breach," threatened to leave its bed and commit fresh havoc at a place now known as "Leary's Breach." The Council saw that if this occurred it would result in great disaster to the town of Blen-page 450heim and the agricultural district surrounding it, and they at once set to work to check its course. Their first scheme, carried out under the supervision of Mr. Sullivan, was to build up wooden crates, composed of birch saplings securely bolted together and filled with coarse gravel. These were set at different points of the river bed, and the remainder of the distance was covered by a wattle fence three feet high, backed up on both sides by big boulders. But this shared no better fate than the "crib" work recommended by Mr. Fitzgibbon at the Opawa Breach. They were either washed away in the flood or smothered over with the shingle, the net result being that about £1500 was spent, and the depredations of the water were still unchecked. The most disastrous flood ever experienced in the valley took place during the month of February, 1868. At the time many people supposed that this phenomenal deluge was due to the bursting of waterspouts far back in the ranges, but the clearing away from the hillsides of the vegetation, which previously held the water in check, together with the unusual severity of the rain storm, are sufficient to account for the inundation without supposing any such exceptional combination of the elements. For twenty hours the rain descended in increasing torrents from the South East, and then, as page 451sometimes happens, the wind suddenly changed to the North West, and for another day the leaden clouds poured out their contents upon the saturated plain. By Sunday morning the rivers were full, and by evening the valley was flooded. From hill to hill there stretched an unbroken sheet of water, which swept on towards the sea, carrying upon its bosom the dead and drowning sheep, the ripened corn sheaves, and even the goods and chattels of the water-logged farmers. These were afterwards strewn upon the beach as far as Robin Hood Bay, together with huge trunks of black birch trees, which had been torn up by the roots and hurled into the surging flood. Prior to this no black birch wood had ever been found amongst the furniture of the beach by the early settlers who went to the shore of Cloudy Bay to collect their fuel; but the vast quantities of it deposited many miles from the localities where it grew, is a startling evidence of the devastation wrought by the 1868 flood.

After the failure of the crib and crate work to curb the rivers, the next experiment was an idea of Mr. Seymour's, namely, to fill iron tanks with stones and build them up after the fashion of a breakwater. To carry out this conception the "Lyttelton" was chartered to bring a cargo of tanks from Wellington, the local supply not being sufficient; but after another page 452considerable expenditure of labour and money, this system of protection proved to be as valueless as its predecessors. These tanks were placed near the mainland, and to illustrate the havoc the Opawa River was creating at this point, we may mention that a few years after, when the stream had been turned by Mr. Redwood's dam, they were discovered a quarter of a mile out in the river-bed. Finding that all these efforts had failed, some of the settlers approached the Council and offered to build an embankment to protect their properties on condition that they were subsidised either in land or money. The result of these negotiations was the erection of the "Seymour Embankment," settlers receiving £500 worth of land on the Tyntesfield run, which they afterwards sold to Mr. Seymour. This embankment was the last protective work undertaken by the Provincial Council. On March 25th, 1874, the Spring Creek Rivers Board was formed, and in the following May the Lower Wairau Rivers Board received its constitution. Then Mr. William Douslin came upon the scene with his "log dam." Mr. Douslin was a gentleman of great energy, of an inventive turn of mind, and possessed an implicit faith in the merit of his own inventions. He had conceived the idea that a log chained between two piles firmly driven into the bed of the page 453river would successfully turn the water in any direction desired, and it is needless to say that he lost no time in bringing the invention under the notice of the newly-formed Rivers Board. One of these dams had been tried at the Hutt River, and Mr. Douslin had received an encouraging letter from Sir James Hector on the subject, and this, together with Mr. Douslin's own sanguine opinions, induced the Rivers Board to try the experiment, and they put in dams at Rock Ferry and Leary's Breach, spending altogether £1200 on this class of work. The result was as disappointing as all previous efforts to control this natural force. Huge holes were gouged out of the river bed, but the water still pursued the even tenor of its way. For many years river matters went on in this unsatisfactory manner, and the problem was as far from being solved as ever, when Mr. Charles Redwood propounded a scheme of pile and wire dams. Then the battle of the dams was waged with Trojanic force. Mr. Redwood, in true Redwoodian style, denounced the log dam as an unmitigated farce, and Mr. Douslin replied in terms equally scathing, but so desperate had the situation become that the Board was ready to try any new proposal, in the hope that something beneficial might be the outcome. Mr. Redwood obtained permission to spend £300 upon page 454his pile and wire dam at Leary's Breach. At this time the disposition of the water was such that the Opawa River had to carry more than its full share, but the first flood after the erection of this dam effectually changed the situation. So complete was the success that where an irresistible current had carried all before it, a bank containing thousands of tons of shingle had blocked the channel, and from that day the problem of diverting the water was solved. What the wire dams have done can be witnessed by anyone who chooses to visit the site of Leary's Breach. The land they have reclaimed, the old channels they have stopped, are still to be seen, and although it cannot be claimed for them that they have abolished floods, they have at least put an effectual check upon the disastrous inroads of the river. Other smaller dams were tried at various places along the river bank with equal success, and when the Rivers Board was confident that it had at last command of something that would effectually serve its purpose, it again turned its attention to the original Opawa Breach. It commenced constructing a dam in the river-bed, which, if completed, would have effectually closed the breach, and diverted the water into its original course—the Wairau River. The settlers in the Spring Creek district saw this, and, as Mr. Isaac Gifford quaintly put it to the Board, "If we page 455don't stop thae, thae'll have every sup o' water down on top o' we." This fear galvanised the Spring Creek River Board into active opposition to the proposed dam, and on July 17th, 1879, they moved the Supreme Court to issue an injunction preventing its erection. This injunction was granted in the following September, mainly on the evidence of the Chairman of the Lower Wairau Rivers Board, who indiscreetly but candidly admitted that it was the intention of his Board to put all the water back into the Wairau River. Finding themselves baffled at this point, the Board next sought to give the district relief by cutting what is now known as Forster's Channel in the year 1881, but this scheme has not been the success that was anticipated, owing more to faulty construction than anything else. Later phases of the rivers problem is a scheme to cut a relief channel at Rose's Overflow at an estimated cost of £15,000, and an agitation for the amalgamation of the two existing River Boards, this latter question being the subject of a very careful investigation by a Parliamentary Committee during the session of 1895, the report being in favour of the proposed amalgamation.

For the moment we have digressed from the course of political events, mainly for the purpose of keeping the leading facts concern-page 456ing the conservation of the rivers as compact as possible. We will now return to Mr. Seymour, whom we left trying to restrain his Executive, and to placate his dissatisfied supporters in the Council. In neither of these departments of diplomacy did he appear to have the required success, and at last his old friend and ally, Mr. Joseph Ward, gave him to understand that if his Cabinet did not mend their ways, he and his immediate friends would go over to the Opposition, and the seat of Government would be lost to Picton. With this division in the camp, the Blenheim party seized their opportunity. They again coalesced with the free-lances of the other side, and on the second day of the session Mr. Henry Godfrey moved the following resolution: "That the Council do now adjourn until Thursday, 29th inst., at 3 o'clock p.m., and hold its next and subsequent meetings at the courthouse, Blenheim, and that His Honor the Superintendent be requested to make the necessary arrangements for carrying out this resolution." Upon this motion there arose a debate of heroic proportions. To the Picton representatives the result was almost a matter of life or death, for should the day go against them, Picton would be shorn of her glory, and what was more important, she would lose the opulence derived from a liberal expenditure page 457of Government money. On the other hand victory to the Blenheim party meant the realisation of a hope deferred for years, but never lost sight of. It meant an increase of dignity to their district, and it would also give them the supreme satisfaction of dishing their rival town at last. With these considerations to animate them, both parties lent their whole heart to the task. For days the battle raged with unabated vigour, but at last it resolved itself into a stolid "stonewall" by the Picton party, who now began to talk in selfdefence, hoping against hope that in the delay they might convert some of the weakest of their opponents. Conspicuous amongst the sturdy champions of Picton was Mr. Arthur Beauchamp, who brought to the assistance of his party a verbosity worthy of the occasion. Hour after hour he held the fort, with a dogged devotion that would have done honour to Sir Thomas Picton himself; and when he had been speaking for the best part of a day, he struck terror into the hearts of those weary ones anxiously waiting for a division, by explaining that "with these few preliminary remarks he would now proceed to speak to the subject under discussion." But physical endurance has its limits, and after sustaining a single-handed combat for ten hours and forty minutes, Mr. Beauchamp had to succumb. The fatal division could not page 458now be long averted, but before it took place, as a last expiring effort, Mr. John Godfrey handed in the following protest against his brother's motion:—

"To W. D. H. Baillie, Esq., "Speaker of the Provincial Council of Marlborough: I give you notice that I protest against your putting to the vote of this Council that part of the motion adjourning the sitting of the Council to the courthouse at Blenheim, the same being contrary to the 15th clause of the Constitution Act. (Signed) John Godfrey."

The Speaker respectfully declined to take any notice of this protest, and at last the momentous question was put from the chair, the division taken, and the Council decided by a majority of three to restore the seat of Government to Blenheim. The resolution thus passed was duly forwarded to the Superintendent, who immediately replied that the course pursued by the Council was contrary to the Constitution Act, and to the proclamation issued by him, fixing that session of the Council at Picton; he would, therefore, decline to make any arrangements as requested, and expect that the Council would remain where it was for the remainder of the term. This action of the Superintendent caused grave dissatisfaction, and several motions censuring his conduct and calling upon him to resign were tabled, and these were only defeated by his friends leaving the room and depriving the Council of a quorum. But page 459the great battle of Blenheim v. Picton was virtually over, for a few years later a treaty was entered into between the party leaders, embracing some important considerations, one of which was that there should be no further attempt to remove the seat of Government. The Council continued to hold its sittings in Picton until the dissolution in July, when Mr. Seymour's first Superintendency came to an end.

About this time Mr. Seymour had the honour of a call to the Legislative Council, where he remained an honoured and respected member, until he resigned to contest the Wairau seat in the Lower House in 1872.

The population of the province had been gradually increasing, and spreading in the direction of Wairau and Kaikoura, so that with every alteration of the electoral boundaries these districts obtained additional power in the Chamber; consequently, when the new Council met in Picton on October 23rd, 1865, there was an assured majority to carry into effect the resolution of the previous Council. After the Returning Officer had performed the formal business of reading out the names of elected members, on the motion of Mr. Sinclair, Mr. Cyrus Goulter was again elected Speaker, and he was also treasurer in the Executive. The bitter feeling prevailing between the two opposing parties had not page 460been entirely dissolved by the victory of the Blenheim section, and the last episode in the struggle was the handing in, by Mr. Beauchamp, of a protest against the Council proceeding to elect a Superintendent. Nevertheless, Mr. W. H. Eyes was proposed by Mr. H. Godfrey, and duly elected on the voices, the Picton representatives showing their contempt for the proceedings by leaving the chamber in a body. Within the next three weeks, the seat of Government was transferred from Picton, and that little town suffered a relapse from which she has never recovered. The provincial officers were quartered in temporary offices in Blenheim until more permanent provision could be made for them in the new buildings which were afterwards destroyed by fire.

Mr. Eyes opened the first important session of his Council in the courthouse, at Blenheim, on November 14th, 1865. In his "speech from the throne," he dealt most ably and exhaustively with the financial position of the province. In moderate but decisive language he rebuked the extravagance of his predecessors in office, pointing out that, although the revenue had barely come up to the authorised expenditure, a sum of £11,945 had been spent in excess of the appropriations. This would necessitate an increase of the bank overdraft to £6500, and page 461also a vigorous policy of retrenchment. The cost of the provincial service was by this means to be reduced by £2000 per year, and all public works were to cease. The Superintendent also informed the Council that, with a view to economy, he had amalgamated the office of Provincial Secretary with that of Commissioner of Crown Lands. Captain Kenny, who had held the latter office since 1862, had found it inconvenient to remove to Blenheim, and he accordingly tendered his resignation to His Excellency the Governor. His successor to this important office was Mr. James Balfour Wemyss, who had represented Marlborough in the Nelson Provincial Council previous to separation. Mr. J. R. Gard, who had been acting as Chief Postmaster at Picton, also resigned, and his appointment was conferred by the General Government upon Mr. John Bagge.

As Mr. Eyes was a man of great executive capacity, he began his administration by endeavouring to restore the provincial exchequer to a healthy condition by giving settlers power to rate themselves for the formation and maintenance of the roads in their own locality, and so reduce the strain upon the general revenue. But notwithstanding the fact that the Superintendent had assured the Council that there were absolutely no funds available for public works, we find members page 462giving notice to move that various sums be spent on a road through the Kaituna Valley, on a bridge at Picton, and on the wharf at Blenheim. In vain did the Superintendent point out that if this course was to be pursued it must lead to further complications, and the only way he could succeed in repulsing these attacks upon the treasury was to move the adjournment of the debate whenever a member brought his pet grievance before the Council, but even in these tactics he was not always successful. Nominally for the purpose of keeping in touch with the views of the representatives, but really for the purpose of exercising his personal influence in the Chamber, Mr. Eyes did not follow the precedent set by previous Superintendents in withdrawing from the deliberations of the Council, but he decided to conduct the debates upon his measures in person. Being a fluent and easy speaker, trained by a long experience in the General Assembly, his services in this respect were invaluable to his party. He was also a man of great force of character—a man whose will would be dominant wherever he was. Beginning his life in the province in 1846 as manager of Richmond Brook Station he worked on, always asserting himself, until he virtually became its king. As Superintendent his energies were mainly directed to finan-page 463cialreform, and this he sought to bring about in two directions. It has already been shown that the chief source of revenue was the proceeds derived from the land sales, but the amount to be realised was exceedingly precarious. Mr. Eyes was convinced of the desirableness of having the revenue certain and assured. He therefore resuscitated the scheme of land settlement originally conceived by Mr. Carter, under which the waste lands of the province were to be leased for a long term of years. He accordingly submitted to his Councillors a set of new land regulations, which he induced them to pass. These he afterwards had embodied in an Act of the General Assembly, thus originating the Marlborough Waste Lands Act, 1867. The effect of this measure was to give the province an assured territorial revenue of from £2000 to £4000 per annum, and after that the financial machinery ran with comparative smoothness. Mr. Eyes had also constantly impressed upon Mr. Stafford the unfairness of paying Marlborough her share of the customs revenue proportionately, instead of on a population basis, and this change was at last brought about, thus further assuring the provincial finance. Amidst a variety of difficulties, Mr. Eyes held his party together for four years, chiefly by his overpowering will and his un-page 464ceasing energy, but towards the end of his term his troubles began to thicken. The policy of establishing Road Boards to take over the main thoroughfares was viewed with disfavour by a section of the community, who preferred to lean upon the public chest rather than rely upon their own resources. In addition to this, there was a more powerful influence at work in the public love for change. Every Government will in time accumulate sufficient enemies to wreck it, and it could scarcely be supposed that a leader so strong in his personality as Mr. Eyes would fail to make enemies. On May 4th the Council began its last session prior to its expiry by effluxion of time. This sitting was chiefly remarkable for the fact that the Superintendent, in his opening address, foreshadowed the abolition of Provincial Governments, and the Council, on his motion, slightly amended by Mr. E. T. Conolly, actually passed a resolution recommending the General Government to abolish the system in Marlborough. Following upon this, a general election ensued, and possibly the bold suggestion made by Mr. Eyes had not been favourably received by the public*. This, together with that mysterious want of confidence which often grows up in the elec-

* The all-absorbing topic of conversation in Blenheim about this period was politics, and the favourite spot for holding these discussions was what is now "Girling's Corner." At that time it was not built upon, but was surrounded by a stout post and rail fence, on which the debaters used to sit and "argufy," and in consequence it became known as "Politic Corner."

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First Ferry Hotel.

Second Grovetown Hotel.

Second Grovetown Hotel.

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Arthur Beauchamp.

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Hon. Captain Kenny, M.L C

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mind, but why no one can tell, caused the political balance to turn against him, and when the new Council met on December 22nd, Mr. Eyes and his party were in a minority. But, prompted by his combative nature, Mr. Eyes would fight so long as there was a possible chance of success, and he did not despair even now. That experienced politician and astute critic, Mr. Joseph Ward, proposed that he should again be elected Superintendent, but evidently this was not much to the taste of the Council, and it required a good deal of skilful engineering to save the proposal from defeat. On the second day of the session, Mr. Eyes, finding that he could make no progress in the good graces of the Councillors, but yet reluctant to give up the reins of power, followed the drastic precedent set by Captain Baillie in 1862, and prorogued the Council in defiance of the Council's wish. In this high-handed way did he set aside public opinion and avert for a time the inevitable defeat; but his self-constituted authority could not be of long duration. He was without supplies, and without the power to obtain them, for the system established under the Provincial Audit Act, prevented the Superintendent paying any money without the certificate of the Provincial Auditor, but this could only be given for the payment of moneys sanctioned page 466by the Appropriation Act, and as Mr. Eyes had failed to get such an Act passed, no certificate authorising expenditure could be given. In this condition the Superintendent remained for some months, like a king without a crown. He was afraid to call the Council together, because he knew that would only end in defeat, and in his dilemma he turned to the Governor and asked for a dissolution of the Council. This was granted to him on the condition that if the election went against him, he would resign and not again prorogue the Council. The writs were issued and the election was desperately contested. Every elector was canvassed, and neither side left a stone unturned; but the fiat had gone forth, and the verdict was against Mr. Eyes. On the meeting of the new Council on March 24th, 1870, he saw that his own election was an impossibility, but still he was determined that the Opposition should not carry their man in if he could prevent it. His opponents fell back upon their old leader, Mr. Seymour, who was proposed by Mr. Conolly, but, as might easily be imagined, Mr. Seymour did not, at this time, meet with the approval of Mr. Eyes, and he suggested Mr. Goulter to his friends. He knew that a section of the Council, led by Mr. Carter, were favourable to Mr. Goulter, and when heads were counted, he found that, with the page 467assistance of another vote, they could elect him. This calculation was based upon the assumption that three of Mr. Seymour's supporters must refrain from voting on account of an informality in their elections, but the Council refused to adjourn to allow the invalidity to be tested, and in the discussion that ensued the Superintendent and Mr. Ward had a sharp passage at arms, during which the former threatened that if the latter's "taunts and upbraidings" did not cease, he would again prorogue the Council, in spite of his pledge to the Governor not to do so. Being unable to force or cajole the Council into line, Mr. Eyes and his party systematically devoted their attention to obstructing the progress of business by talking about everything under the sun except the question at issue and by moving innumerable motions that the Council should adjourn for all sorts of indefinite times. In this way they succeeded in prolonging the struggle for four days. Once the friends of Mr. Seymour managed to bring the question to a vote, but as the majority was only one, and not a majority of the Council, it could not take effect. But on the fourth day Mr. Carter announced that Mr. Goulter desired to withdraw his nomination, and that under the circumstances he himself would vote for Mr. Seymour. In addition to this Mr. Walter page 468Gibson arrived from Kaikoura, and then Mr. Seymour's election was assured. As an expiring effort a prominent supporter of Mr. Eyes moved that the Council adjourn for a month, but the motion was lost by 5 to 7. This was a clear indication of what was about to follow, and when the division was taken on the question that Mr. Seymour be Superintendent the voting was: Ayes, 11; Noes, 4. But evidently Mr. Eyes was not disposed to permit his defeat to interfere with his prospects of holding office, and if his own party was not strong enough to elect him he saw no reason why he should not make a convenience of his enemies and get a place from them. Up to this time Mr. Seymour and he had been political opponents of the purest character; there was no compromise of any sort about either of them, and their parties in the country were clearly and well defined. Every elector had to declare himself either one way or the other, and patronage and public favours oscillated backwards and forwards with each successive Ministry. Under these circumstances, one would scarcely expect to find a rapprochement of the contenting leaders within so short a period of their last great contest. Eighteen months, however, had scarcely passed away, when an event occurred which gave them an opportunity of effecting what looked like a little page 469arrangement highly pleasant and profitable to both. The uncle of Mr. J. B. Wemyss, who had been Provincial Secretary and Commissioner of Crown Lands for six years, died, leaving his estates in Scotland to his nephew, who was required to go Home to take possession of them. This necessitated his resignation from the offices he held, and then Mr. Eyes saw his chance. He had represented the district in Parliament ever since he defeated Mr. Weld, and was therefore in touch with all the political heads of the colony, so that with the aid of Mr. Stafford he had little difficulty in persuading Mr. Gisborne to confer the Commissionership of Crown Lands upon him, the understanding being that Mr. J. C. Richmond would receive Mr. Eyes' influence in his candidature for the Wairau. That gentleman, however, declined to be nominated, and Mr. Seymour, who had been a member of the Legislative Council since July, 1865, was prevailed upon to resign that more or less honorary position and contest the seat in the Lower House, rendered vacant by the resignation of Mr. Eyes, who apparently agreed to let bygones be bygones in consideration for his appointment as Provincial Secretary in Mr. Seymour's Executive, for the fact remains that the Superintendent appointed him to that position without any adequate explanation as to how it came page 470about that the man who for years had been his most vigorous political opponent had suddenly become such a trusted friend as to be considered worthy of the most important office* in his Executive. In his contest for the Wairau, Mr. Seymour was opposed by Mr. Joseph Ward, who made no secret of the fact that he believed a compact had been entered into between his opponent and Mr. Eyes, but the electors did not regard the matter as a very grave breach of political morals, and elected Mr. Seymour by a majority of 39 votes. By way of comparison with present-day elections, it may be interesting to quote, in full, the result of this poll.
Seymour. Ward.
Blenheim 145 88
Ren-wick 9 24
Wairau Valley 1 8
Flaxbourne 6 2
Totals 161 122
Mr. Seymour remained in the House until May 1875, when he resigned to pay a visit to England, and the election to provide a member to fill the vacant seat was admittedly the hardest fought contest that has ever taken place in the Wairau, which is saying a good deal. Into this fight Mr. Joseph Ward again entered with the spirit of an old war-horse, and Mr. Sefton Moorehouse, an ex-Superin-

* Mr. Eyes at various times held no less than twelve public offices, ranging in importance from a Member of the House of Representatives to Sheriff.

The votes at these booths at recent elections have aggregated over 2000.

page 471tendent
of Canterbury and then Mayor of Wellington, came over as the representative of the Seymour party. Only by reading the local papers of that date can one get an idea of the height to which party feeling ran, and doubtless much was said and done that has since been heartily regretted. Mr. Ward was elected by a majority of 25 votes, mainly from local considerations, and he sat in the Parliament that decided to abolish the Provinces, and voted against that measure. Captain Kenny, who at this time was member for Picton, voted for the abolition of the Provinces.

During Mr. Seymour's absence the duties of Superintendent were carried out by his deputy, Mr. James Hodson, with dignity and dispatch, and upon him devolved the duty of conducting the public function at the opening of the Picton-Blenheim railway. It will be remembered that as early as 1861 this proposal had been first formulated by Mr. Adams, but it was not until November 17th, 1875, that it became an accomplished fact; having been one of the first works undertaken by Messrs. Brogden and Co. under their contract with the New Zealand Government. The opening ceremony was simple and appropriate, and was commenced at Blenheim by Miss Goulter, daughter of the Provincial Secretary, and Miss page 472Gwynneth, daughter of Brogden's representative, christening the two engines "Waitohi" and "Blenheim" respectively. A crowded train then left for Picton, where an archway had been erected, across which a silken cord was stretched, and when the engine passed through and broke the cord, the Deputy-Superintendent declared the line open for traffic. In the afternoon a luncheon was given, and a brilliant ball was held in the evening, at which the elite of the province celebrated the important event.

On his return from England, Mr. Seymour was again elected Superintendent, but this time on a popular franchise, and not by a vote of the Council. This election he contested with Captain Baillie. He also had to contest his Parliamentary seat with Mr. George Henderson, a self-made man, who by genuine ability had forced himself into a prominent position in the public life of the province, but who, unfortunately, had not the knack of attracting the people to him. Had the franchise been as widely extended as it is now, the probability is that Mr. Henderson would have been successful, but the electors were few, and belonged for the most part to the landed proprietors, of whom Mr. Seymour was a typical representative. As it was, his victory was a narrow one of 22 votes, the figures being Seymour 201, Henderson 179.

page 473

Mr. Seymour had always been a quiet and unobtrusive member of the House, but his gentlemanly demeanour won for him the respect of members generally, and when the present Speaker was elevated to the chair, Mr. Seymour was, on the motion of Mr. Fox, seconded by Sir George Grey, appointed to succeed him as Chairman of Committees, and this important parliamentary post he held until 1881, when he was defeated by Mr. Henry Dodson, the erstwhile lieutenant of Mr. Henderson. Prior to his resignation from Parliament in 1875, Mr. Seymour had voted to abolish the provinces in the North Island, because he believed that they were no longer able to carry on their administrative duties without considerable assistance from the General Government. On his return he found the whole of the provinces had been abolished, and the present system of centralisation decided upon. As Superintendent, he accordingly set himself to put everything in order for the day when his office would pass away, but never dreaming that it would have such a sensational termination. November 1st, 1876, was the date fixed for the abolition of the provincial institutions, and on the early morning of that day a mysterious fire occurred in the provincial offices, which spread with fearful rapidity, and demolished the whole of the business portion of the town, page 474and thus Marlborough's system of provincial government expired amidst fire and smoke, exactly seventeen years after its institution.

The abolition of the provinces, however, did not abolish the intensity of party feeling. Everything was still conducted on party lines, and there was little chance of rosy billets, or even casual employment, unless the applicant happened to be of the approved colour. But a great external influence was at work to terminate all this political narrowness and bigotry. Sir George Grey had appeared as the tribune of the people, advocating the extension of the franchise, and when this liberal reform was accomplished, it became impossible for any party to tyrannise over the electors as had previously been done. There was then a much more independent spirit, and a much freer hand enjoyed when Mr. Dodson entered the field against Mr. Seymour in 1881. Mr. Dodson was one of Marlborough's veteran politicians, and he had been a most consistent advocate of liberal principles in days when it was not popular to be anything but conservative. These advanced views he had imbibed when amongst the diggers of Ballarat, and although he was not a polished speaker he had a rude eloquence that often carried conviction where more flowery language might have failed. It is true that in later years he page 475seemed to hold rather elastic views upon some important public questions, but his extensive experience, gained in many a provincial contest, made him one of the most skilful election engineers the Wairau has ever produced, and this may account for his being able to subsequently accomplish several radical changes from his oft advocated policy with comparatively little injury to his reputation or popularity. But whatever estimate we may have of Mr. Dodson as a parliamentarian there can be no doubt that his election was an invaluable boon to the Wairau, as it broke the bad old spell, and cleared the way for a period of greater toleration, in which men are able to look upon each other's opinions with perfect good feeling, and if their differences are irreconcilable, "agree to differ." The Picton seat this year was contested by Messrs. E. T. Conolly (now Judge Conolly) and Mr. W. H. Eyes, the former Superintendent. Mr. Conolly was then a well known and highly esteemed lawyer who had seen service as a Provincial Councillor, but he was rather a difficult candidate to run, as he scorned to use the devices of the huckstering politician, and when the poll closed his majority was only 41.

In March, 1884, Mr. Dodson was opposed by the old campaigner, Mr. Joseph Ward, and was elected by the substantial majority page 476of 237 votes. This was Mr. Ward's last political contest, and with it closed a long life in the public interest. His connection with the district as explorer, surveyor, and runholder dated from 1845, and from that time until within a few months of his death, he identified himself with all the Wairau's public movements. He was a witty speaker, a keen critic, and an uncompromising adherent to principles he believed to be right, and when he died in September, 1892, he went to his rest honoured and respected by all who knew him.

At the following election Mr. Dodson was again successful, against Messrs. George Henderson and S. J. Macalister, owing to the Liberal votes being split by his opponents. Mr. Conolly* continued to represent Picton until 1887, when he retired from political life, and was succeeded by Mr. A. P. Seymour. In 1884 Mr. J. D. Lance entered Parliament in succession to Mr. McIlwraith, as the representative for Cheviot, which then included the town of Kaikoura.

1890 was the year of the labour troubles, and the rebound of the great maritime strike was felt even in quiet Marlborough, where, in common with the Labour Unions in other

* Mr. Conolly was appointed Minister for Justice in the Whitaker Ministry, on October 11th, 1882. He was confirmed in this position and appointed Attorney-General in the Atkinson Ministry on September 25th, 1883, holding both positions until August 16th, 1884. He was appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court on August 15th, 1889.

page 477parts of the colony, the workers determined to be represented by one in sympathy with their claims. Accordingly the author of this book was nominated against Messrs. S. J. Macalister and A. P. Seymour, who, on the retirement of Mr. Dodson, again decided to woo the electors of the Wairau. The contest was an exceedingly good-natured one, and the result something of a surprise to the old Conservative party in the province, Mr. Buick being returned by a majority of 77 votes, a victory mainly due to the organising abilities of Mr. Charles Ferguson, Chairman of his Committee, and the indefatigable exertions of his supporters. At the time of his election Mr. Buick was the youngest member of the House and the youngest man who up to that date had been elected to the New Zealand Parliament. In this year the Hon. C. H. Mills first appeared in Parliament as member for the newly-created district of Waimea Sounds.

The writer having now reduced the history of the province to a period when he himself became an active participator in public events, he deems it becoming that some other pen, more free from personal interest, should continue the narrative. But while hesitating to analyse comparatively recent events, it is with pleasure that he takes a retrospective view of the past forty years, which demon-page 478strate the fact that Marlborough has a political record of which she has no reason to be ashamed, for as she was served at home by many able men, she has also sent to the counsels of the colony others who have obtained, because they deserved, the respect and confidence of their fellow-members, for amongst her parliamentary representatives there can at least be counted a Speaker, two Deputy Speakers, three Ministers and an Attorney-General; while the gentlemen who fill the responsible offices of Clerks to both Houses were former residents of the province.

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