Silly Stuff - Jonathon Richman

For the next wee while Julian will be taking the class. So I thought I'd signal the break with something silly.... I like Jonathon Richman & the Modern Lovers. They made silly goofy songs that were quite catchy... Here's dancing in a Lesbian Bar... Just be glad it isn't the 8 minute version of Icecream Man!!!!

Taming the Land

(New 2009) The early exploiters of resources like timber have been described by Belich as "Tasmen" a way of explaining the importance of Australia in our early industrial development. Like other forms of expoitation it was based mainly on the coastline with a high level of interaction with local Maori.. Hokianga provided a safe Harbour with an abundance of readily available timber and cooperative Maori (Ngapuhi). It should be remembered that the captin of the Boyd was lured into a trap by the promise of timber... In terms of significance - by 1840 a third of the 2000 Europeans in New Zealand were actively involved in the timber trade.

Later the cutting of timber became an important part of opening up the interior as more Maori land became available. It was both an important part of the local economy - most of the early settlements were constructed form Kauri, and also an important export commodity.

Early timber trade centres in the north. Its based mainly around the north and especially the Hokianga. Many ships called in around New Zealand to pick up timber in ad hoc arrangements but a real 'trade' developed in the Far North. It was aimed at extracting wood for ships spars and later developed into cut wood for the Sydney buidling trade.Kauri was the main timber felled later as building trade in Australia and Auckland - the shift to Auckland resulted in an explosion in building for the new Capital. The Bush frontier would last well into the next century.The trade created a new type of New Zealander, the Bushman. Living on the edge of the bush (and sometimes well inside it) they were almost devoid of female company resulting in the idea of'mateship' which was also developing in Australia.

Groups of men living for long periods in close proximity and in occupations which were extremely dangerous meant that real and long lasting friendships were created.Good manners and behaviour was expected and any who failed to follow the (often unwritten) rules would not last long in the camp. The worst that could be said of a man was that he did not pull his weight on the job or that he was a thief or a cheat (gambling and alcohol was strictly banned in most camps). Any of these failings could mean that no-one would employ a man and he would have to leave the district and hope his reputation did not follow him to his new job.Miles Fairburn has used some examples to justify his idea of transience and lack of community. Subsequent research has seriously challenged this with many examples of 'mates' or familial groups working together for many years - sometimes for decades. The sense of community extended to welfare, injured workers were ferried out by mates who would carry thier friend out on their shoulders or backs. If a death occurred leaving a family, the ir effects (clothes, tools etc) would be auctioned with their mates often paying well over the odds for the second-hand gear.Timber saw the development of new technology, Pit Saws gave way to Steam and Bullocks were sometimes replaced by Bush trams (converted Traction Engines!!!) The Timberjack was invented to assist the movemnet of the giant logs, as was the the Kauri Dam to move logs through hilly terrain, especially where the Cordoroy Roads and Bullocks could not.

The Timber industry opened up new areas, assisting in the spread of farming and established many small towns in new area, especially the 70 Mile bush between Wellington and the Hawkes Bay, the Central North Island and in the Taranaki. The Sawmill that followed the workers attracted other small businesses . If the timber lasted long enough a small town could develop, sometimes it might be able to withstand the loss of the trade and continue to flourish as farming replaced the trees. ( Dannevirke or Featherston). If the timber ran out too quickly the town might not survive the loss. (Anyone remember Mauriceville?)

Vogel is not just bread!

Vogel is an important figure in our history and yet the bread is better known than he is. He arrived as a Gold miner, was editor of the ODT and became a local politician in Otago, championing the idea of secession when southerners became irate at the idea that their taxes were paying for the northern war. When he moved to central Government he would champion the rights of the Government over the Provinces, eventually having them abolished when they got in his way. His scheme which he proposed as Treasurer in 1869 was simple.

Borrow some money, use some of it to pay for Migrants to come to New Zealand and the rest to build the infrastructure needed to support the larger population as well as opening up more of the country to settlement. The migrants would expand the economy and generate more income, paying for both the interest and the loans themselves. Initially the scheme was received well.

Last year Freya asked why would the conservatively minded 'Continuous Ministry' support such a change? The answer was that public opinion drove them and many were businessmen who saw a quick quid in it for themselves as well. (Given the recent events the 2009 MP is remarkably like the 1870's version). Once the public began to clamour, the MP's willingly went along. However see below...

Almost universally it was seen as a way of boosting the colony and making many people rich. Vogel wanted to borrow 10m pounds but ended up lending 20m, a liability that would weigh heavily on the Government for many years. The road and rail networks were built and a lot of land opened up to settlers.Areas like the Wairarapa (70 Mile Bush) were opened up, and the population was doubled. new towns like Dannevirke appeared and prospered. The economy expanded but the Depression pushed down commodity prices so that the economy stagnated with real incomes reducing despite wages increasing. (ie Inflation was higher that wages).

The population now included a more diverse ethnicities, including the more well known Scandanavians, but also Italians and French settlers arrived.The scheme was poorly run, money was squandered, road and rail networks were not always built where they were needed - often favouring well placed politicians and their favourites. Few of the 100,000+ people were suited to the type of work expected of them, and many preferred to stay closer to towns or cities, ignoring the opportunities in the rural areas.

This created a new (but old) phenomenon, slums. An evil many settlers thought they had left behind in Europe. Older colonists viewed them as 'scum' who were a liability and a hinderance to progress, they were angry when the expected benefits - improved wages, higher land values did not always eventuate. This was not helped as the (Long) depression hit in the latter part of the decade. Politicians who had supported Vogel abandoned him and he eventually left for London.

There he wrote a fairly prophetic book called (I think) 2000AD about a New Zealand where the heads of Government were female...(Helen must have felt vindicated!