Copyright is owned by the Author of the thesis. Permission is given for a copy to be downloaded by an individual for the purpose of research and private study only. The thesis may not be reproduced elsewhere without the permission of the Author.

A study of the nature of the relationship betveen r'\.i l'Ways and 11ettle111ent. in the 1'1 anawa tu and District between 1871 a.nd 1971

A l hesis P resented in Partia l ~ulfillment of the a equirements for the ''egree of h a~ter of Arts in Geography at "assey university

BI Kenneth G. Tester 1972 iii

The source material used in thesis is of two typesJ pri ry and secondary. The primary material includes official government publications such as the Appendices to the Journel of the House of Representatives, particularly the Public works and Railway St tementa, the Nev Zealand Gazette , Statutes of the Colony of , Census Publications and the Official Yearbook. The Annual Reports of the Wellington and Ma.na.watu H. ailva.y Company, held at Alexander Turnbull Library provided much valuable information while additional material was obtained from National Archives, the Department of Lands and SurTey, New t ealand Railways and Palmerston North Public Library. I wish to thank a.11 those who assisted me in t he preparation of this t hesis, particularlys The Alexander Turnbull Library and t he Palmer•ton North Public Library for permission to reproduce photographs - Mr T. J . Lovell- Smith from National Archives - New Zealand Railways and the Department of Lands and Survey - Mrs Colleen Tester and Mrs Lynette Toms for typing the manuscript

- The Geography Depart nt, Ma ey University and in particular, . C. R. Varr who willingly gave his time and his ad ice

K. G. Tester IV

CONT~i.~ l'S

Introduction ~ Gener al X Nature of Rai lva.y 1''unc tion and Impact Lpon XXII Settlement ::ethodoloiy XXVII

Qh1pter One The l<'o xton Tramway and Foxton- 1u.nganui Ra.ilway, 1871-86 1

Coastal Settlement a.nd Communication I re - 1870 1 Inland ~ettlement and Growth of Communications ) l'he Foxton Tramway and .A." oxton-1 anganui :ia ilway 6 i'.,arly functions of the Poxton- .. a,nganui Railway 8 Influence of Foxton-\.anganu.1. Hai lwa.y on .., ettlement of hanawatu lowlands 15 .:i pecula.ti ve ~ettloment, imgby Junction 20 Th e \ !'lnson Tra.mway 22 1· o pulation Grovth and Vistribution, 1&71-86 23

Ch9:p~er T'!C? ·rbe Wellington anJ :·. anawatu ta.ilway Company 32 ... a.rly Government !' lans 32

11·orm1 tion of t he "ellinJton and 1 anawatu ·lailway Comp ,.ny 37 kailwaya Construction and Laud Ac t 1881 38 Gontract Between Government a.nd ,ellington and Hanawa tu Ra.i 1 way Company 38 ~hoioe of Route and Construction of Line 39 Land dettlement Activities of the ~ellington and Manavatu R&i lway Company 4) Initial Attempts at Land ~al••• 1884-85 44 Company Land Policya 1886-1908 45 Land Salea by the Company •6 Land Sales•• ~) P.6-91 47 Land Saleaa 1891-1901 4? Land Saleaa 1901-1908 52 The Makerua Swamp '' General lnfluence of Rollington and Mana.watu Railway Company on .:>ettlement 58 Chapter 'hre1 1886-1921 69 'l'be .N orth Island Main Trunk ~ai 1 wa;y 69 lnfl uence of Railway on .:,ettl ement of .ta.ngi t i kci 72 .•1a.rton - Marton Junction 80 Palmerston North aa a E.ail f ocus 8) ~ummary 89

,Qhapter Pour Ta.ihape 1 ltailwny Settlement 95

vhe.nter .Five The Decline of Poxton 106 Chapter .:> ix Hai lva.ys and :;; ettlement 1920-71 General 115 i.angi tikei Valley - 1'1 a.in r runk rtailway 121 Lther .. anawatu Uai lways 124 uenere.l. ueview of fl ail Influence 126 The • ilson DeTiation 128 ~ttect of Relocation of kailway ~acilities to Palmerston North 130 The Turakina Ukoia J eviation 132 Jec l ine of the Pox ton liranch Line 1 )) The ~anaon 'tramw83 135 Jummary 137 Chapter Seven Conclusion 141 dources consulted 148 Litt of Appendices 151 FIGURE§ Between Pagea Figure 1 Relative Importance of Passenger and Good• Traffic, 1881-1970 XXVII - XXVIII 2 Pa•••nger and Goods Traffic, 1881-1970 XXVII - XXVIII 3 Manavatu Diatrict Tramway•, 1871 7 and 8 VI

Between Pagea r'igure 4 .Hanawatu ?~i lw o.ys, 1886 8 and 9 5 Traffic Through Each Station, 1885-86 14 a nd 15 6 ~a.il ~erTices Per Day 1886 18 and 19 7 qu nnyth orpe and ?1ugby J unct ion 2.2 and 23 8 'w ellington - !1.anawatu t a ilwo.y 39 a.nd 40 9 ellington and Manavatu Railway Company 4 4 and 45 nailway and Land 1884 and 1898 10 Manawatu .Rail vay1 1921 72 and 73 11 orthern nangitikei 1971 vawmills 77 and 7 8 12 Marton 1971 8 2 and 8 3 13 Development of li&il Network 87 and 88 14 Traf fic Thr ough Lach J t a t ion , 1920- 21 89 and 90 15 11 a il ::> ervi ces J> er 1ay 1921 89 and 90 16 \ orthern ia.ngitikei 1900, Communi cat ions95 aud 96 17 Traffic Through £a.eh ~t at i on, 1969-70 121 and 122 18 e ai 1 ~ervi ces Per ua.y 1971 121 and 122 19 l a.l merston l-4 orth 1 s 1l1;d lways and l ndustri al t.onea 130 a.nd 131 20 ~, anawatu 11ai lvays, 1971 136 and 137 21 )ia.g r a.m t o s how Changing ... a.ture of the 1L ela.tionship .., etveen n a.i lway s and ...> ettlemen t 146 and 147

l'LA'fES ~ Plate 1 Early ua.na.watu Tr amline 13 2 L'ongburn Station 40 3 Lon,burn Junction 40 • Drirlng in the Last ~pike -42 5 Sh.a.nnon Railway Station 48 6 Plimruer Terrace, Shannon 48 7 Plimmerton, early 190o•a 54 8 Train Derailed in Makerua Swamp 55 9 Cutting on Main Trunk, 1880' • 71 VII W.t

Figure 10 Makohine Viaduct, 1903 71 11 Via.duct 73 12 73 1 ) Mangaweka 1898 81 14 Mangaweka 81 15 ~I angaonoho Flat Station, 1971 16 Palmerston North Railway Station, 1877 85 17 Palmerston North Railway Station in Square 85 18 Palmeraton North Railway Station, 1910 86 19 Palmerston North Railway Station, 1971 86 20 Roadmakers Camp, Tai hape 97 21 , 1910 97 22 Railway Houses in Road Taihape, 1971 101 23 Railway Farm Settlement Taihape, 1971 101 24 Single Men's Huts, Railway Compound Taihape, 1971 10 2 25 Single Men's Huts, Railway Compound Taihape, 1971 102 26 Foxton 'Wharves, 1910 107 27 Milson Railway Deviation, Palmerston ~orth 1927 129 28 Milson Railway Deviation, Palmerston North, 1971 129

TABL b§ Table I Railway Traffic In and Out of Manawatu ~tati ona XXV II Revenue from Poxton - Wanganui RailwayJ 1877-78 to 1885-86 9 III Traffic on the Foxton - Vanganui Railways 1875-76 to 1885-86 10 and. 11 IV Total of Paasenger and Gooda Traffic tor IndiTidual Stationa1 1880-81 to 1885-86 16 V Population of Manawatu and District, 1871-86 25 VI Tow.ship Sold By Company 46 VIII

Table VII Land Sales of Wellington and Ma.nawatu Railway Compa.ny, 1887-1908 50 VIII Population of Wellington and Manavatu Railway Company ' s Settlements, 1886-1911 56 IX Wellington and Manavatu Railway, Volume of Traffic, 1890-91 to 1905-06 60 X Total Tolume of R•ilway Traffic Through Ma.ngaonobo and Hunterville, 1891-1902 (inclusive) 75 XI Population of Rangitikei Valley RAi lvay Towns, 1886-1921 76 XII Goods Traffic In and Out, 1910-11 and 1920-21 78 and 79 XIII Railway Traffic Through Marton and Marton Junction, 1890-91 to 1920-21 84 XIV Railway Traffic In and Out of Palmerston North, 1880-81 to 1920-21 88 XV Population of Manawatu and Surrounding Area, 1886-1921 91 XVI Average Number ot Workers Employed on the South End of the Main Trunk 98 XVII Importance of Taihape as a Railway Centre, 1905-06 to 1969-70 100 XVIII Goods Received at Foxton Wha rf, 1875-76 and 1876-77 108 XIX Railway Traffic Inwards and Outwards at Foxton, 1880-81 to 1885-86 108

XX Population of Poxton (1874-1966 C8 naus Dates, 109 XXI Railway Traffic Inward a.nd Outward at Foxton, 1890-91 to 1959-60 110 XXII Shipping Tonnage Entered F~rt of Foxton, 1880-81 to 1938-39 112 XllII Railway Traffic, 1920-21 and 1969-70 11 XXIV Volume of Livestock Carried on Local Bailv ye, 1920-21 to 1969-70 119 llV LiTestock Tonna*ee and LiTestock aa Percentage of Total Good• Tonnage 120 XXVI Rangitikei Valley Tovna - Railway Houses and Railway Employee• 123 IX hu Table XXVII Ma.nawatu Railway• - Railway Bou••• and Railway Employ••• 125 XXVIII Traffic on ~anaon Tramyay, 1899-1915 136 XXI X Return of Re ceipt• and Payment• of Sanson Tramway , 1895-1916 136