Mobile Unit. Settlement of Middlemarch

Rights Information
Year
1948
Reference
5857
Media type
Audio
Ask about this item

Ask to use material, get more information or tell us about an item

Rights Information
Year
1948
Reference
5857
Media type
Audio
Series
Mobile Unit - NZ oral history, 1946-1948
Categories
Interviews (Sound recordings)
Oral histories
Sound recordings
Duration
00:49:31
Credits
RNZ Collection
Mason, William D. (b.1856), Interviewee
New Zealand Broadcasting Service. Mobile Recording Unit, Broadcaster

William D. Mason, aged 93, of Middlemarch describes his life since his arrival in Lyttelton in 1874. He speaks about early Christchurch and Cathedral Square; farming and agriculture in Canterbury, Otago and Southland; land settlement; transport by road and rail; Richard Seddon’s public works scheme and elections.

The interview begins with Mr Mason saying he has lived in Middlemarch, Otago, since 1886. He first arrived in New Zealand (in Lyttelton) in 1874, when he was eighteen. He worked as an apprentice on Sir John Hall’s [Premier of New Zealand 1879 – 1882] Canterbury station [Terrace Downs?] for nearly two years. After this he did contract cropping work, paid at four shillings an acre. He would break up the land, cross plough it, put the crop in, and later assist with the harvesting. He also did other farm work such as shearing.

He then recalls early Christchurch. When he arrived in 1874, there were already large blue gum trees in Cathedral Square that he couldn’t get his arms around. At the time, the ChristChurch Cathedral was under construction – he says it was about the height of a mantelpiece, and he could put his hand on top of its wall.

When he arrived at Middlemarch it was mostly tussock, with only a few settlers. It was good land, but the produce from it had to be carted to Outram, 36 miles away via clay tracks. He says that transport was with drays and wagons pulled by Clydesdale horses. He mentions that there was very little dairying in the area at the time.

He then speaks about Richard Seddon, whom he says was the “best Prime Minister was ever in this country”. Seddon had a railroad line put through the area, and there was a little station at Matarae. There was a rise in unemployment around 1890, and Seddon started up a co-operative business [for the construction of roads and other large projects - Seddon was Minister for Public Works at the time]. He gives details about the cooperative - including wages, and how the teams of workers were formed. He says the railroad made a big difference to the farmers of the area.

Mr Mason appealed to John McKenzie to get a dairy factory set up in the area. At the time, Mason was an active member of the Labour Party. The factory started in around 1888 or 1889, and processed milk as a skimming factory. He gives details of shares, prices, and the use of separators to separate the cream and the skim milk. He also recalls the prices of lambs and ewes. Then he speaks about growing wheat, and the wages paid to thrashers and stokers. He compares the cost of producing wheat then to the cost at the time of the interview [1948].

There is then discussion about politics. He stood for election three times – once in Middlemarch, once in Bruce, and once in Port Chalmers. He says back then the elections were more bitter, and employees were expected to vote according to their employer’s direction. At one point, he had to leave the district and go shearing in Canterbury because he didn’t vote the way his employer wanted him to.

He then talks about rabbits being a problem for farming in the area. Two expert rabbiters were Frank (Pounasky?) and Shriffer, who could clear large areas of rabbits very well.

Middlemarch was settled after the Otago gold rush, but Mr Mason says he doesn’t recall any ‘gold rush people’ in the area. He mentions a boom on quartz mining though, which produced well for three or four years then died out. Middlemarch was a pastoral settlement until the land was cut up for farming. He gives detail of how the land was divided and settled.

The first school had been there for a couple of years before he arrived. The Schoolmaster was Mr Purvis, who was old and eccentric. Mr Purvis was succeeded by a man named Walburton. Mr Mason was chairman of the school committee for many years, though he didn’t go to church or believe in christening.

He then speaks about roads, and his journey from Switzers [Waikaia?] in Southland to Middlemarch. He came by the only road there was. It took him ten and a half days to reach Middlemarch, compared with five hours by car in 1948. He speaks about the condition of the roads and tracks, and the cost to transport goods. It cost five pounds to bring a load of coal (a tonne) to Outram. Tracks were often cut as they went.

He talks about government-settled land, and the prices paid for it. Some land was on perpetual lease. When the Seddon government came in, the runs were cut up into lots of a size intended to allow a man to keep his family in comfort. It was intended that no man would be allowed to own more than one run, but Mr Mason says the rule was evaded, and some ended up with two or three runs.

The interview concludes with Mr Mason commenting on the transport of timber. It was carted in, as there was little timber to be had in the Middlemarch area. He speaks about the high cost of transporting it, and says that the introduction of the railway made things better.