Charles Gray’s Rail Advocacy

In 1909 Pukerua farmer Reg Wall wrote to the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company asking for a siding to be put in which could be used to load his wool. The Company had made special arrangements for ballast trains to stop, usually on a Sunday, on the Pukerua passing loop just long enough to load wool. Pukerua farmers, known at the time as “settlers”, wanted a siding off the loop so loading could be carried out at a more convenient times. In March 1909 a deputation met with the Minister of Railways, but both the Minister and the general manager responded that there was not enough wool from Pukerua to justify the cost of a siding. The settlers wrote to their MP W.H. Field.

In August 1910 Field asked the Hon J.A. Millar, Minister of Railways, in the House if a siding could be constructed at Pukerua for the use of settlers “both Native and European” as there was no road access. Charles Gray, who had taken over from Wall as the leading advocate for a siding, had requested Field to again raise this issue. Field said that lack of a siding prevented settlers in Pukerua from obtaining timber and heavy material, and from sending out their stock, wool, and other produce, except at great cost and inconvenience. The Minister replied:

“My investigations into this matter indicate that there is no road access to the Pukerua Railway Station, nor has there, up to the present time, been any indication of business that would justify the Department in incurring the expenditure necessary to provide a siding at Pukerua. During whole of the regime of the Manawatu Company only one settler in the district sent a few bales of wool by rail from Pukerua, and his product was lifted by special arrangement at convenient times by ballast train. Similar arrangement was made by the Government during the last wool season, but on completion of the arrangement the Railway Dep., agent was advised that no wool would be forthcoming. It appears evident that the business likely to arise at Pukerua would be extremely small, and, in the circumstances, there is no pressing necessity for approving a considerable expenditure in providing facilities that are not essential to the business, more especially in view of the heavy expenditure that must be incurred during the current year in providing facilities that are urgently required to meet the demands of the traffic in various parts of the dominion.” (Horowhenua Chronicle, 18 August 1910, p3)

In September 1910 Gray and Field met Minister Millar. Gray believed that the lack of a railway siding was the only barrier to the development of Pukerua. Gray said,

“If a man wanted timber there he had to pay freight to Paekākāriki and then a special engine back to Pukerua and then had to pay a gang of men a day’s wages to unload quickly off the trucks. That meant a great deal of expense. If that happened only once in a year it would not justify a siding but it was becoming more frequent and the settlers were keen enough to suggest that they might possibly arrange to give something towards a siding.” The settlers were prepared to put £50 towards the cost of the siding. Millar replied, “You send that proposition to me, that the settlers are prepared to pay £50 towards construction and I will go into the matter and see what can be done.” (Accommodation Pukerua Bay. R10561532. Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga.)

The suggestion that the settlers make a financial contribution was originally made by Reg Wall according to a letter from Gray to Field. The offer was made in writing but, in spite of the offer being increased to £75 the Minister responded:

“I have the honor to inform you that the provision of a siding to hold about 10 wagons with an approach road on railway land would cost a considerable amount while the prospective traffic would be very light. I find also that even if these facilities were provided there is no road access to the station and a suitable road connection would require to be made by the local authority.

In the circumstances I regret that in view of the many more urgent and important works at present in hand or awaiting funds I cannot see my way to authorise any expenditure in the direction desired.” (Accommodation Pukerua Bay. R10561532. Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga.)

An internal New Zealand Railways memorandum to the Minister showed that in the previous year (1910) four special trains had been run from Paekākāriki to Pukerua. These trains carried a total of 47 bales of wool, 14,000 feet of timber and 17 tons 7 cwt. of goods. This gave New Zealand Railways revenue of £25/11/0. The Dominion announced in March 1911 that a siding was likely to be constructed and the settlers would contribute half the cost. However, the Minister was placed in a very difficult position when the Department now informed him that the cost of a loop siding of minimum length to deal with Pukerua goods traffic would cost £350. In June 1911 W.H. Field MP wrote to the Minister of Railways to say Charles Gray, acting on behalf of the settlers, was prepared to pay the annual cost of the interest on the siding. “As you fully understand, the situation is a most awkward one, you having announced your intention to me of constructing a back shunt, and I having communicated this to the settlers, Mr Gray’s suggestion seems to be a very satisfactory way out of the difficulty.” (R10561532)

Compromise was reached when a formal bond, complete with red wax seals, guaranteeing to pay the Minister of Railways the difference between actual revenue generated at Pukerua and £50 was presented to the Minister. It was signed on 6 August 1912 by Charles Gray of “Pahautanui”, sheep farmer, Joshua Henry Prosser of Porirua, horse trainer, Antony Wall, of Plimmerton, settler, John Ames of Plimmerton, settler, Horace Ames of Porirua settler and R.S. Wall of Plimmerton, settler. James Wall, settler of Porirua, had originally indicated he would sign but his name was later crossed out. The Pukerua rail siding was put in soon after the Minister received the bond but there is no record of settlers ever having

to pay any shortfall from £50. A New Zealand Railways memorandum from the District Engineer Wellington dated 2 September 1912 stated that the siding at Pukerua was now laid. Two months later the engineer requested the foreman of works at Kaiwharawhara to build a fourteen by eight foot loading bank by the siding. This would enable easier loading and unloading. By December 1912 sheep yards and gates had been provided by Railways. The Railways income from the siding at Pukerua in 1913 was £92 two shillings and four pence. (R10561532)

The next rail advocacy Gray became involved with was in 1935. At the annual meeting of the Tawa Flat Progressive and Beautifying Association in May 1935 Gray was one of eighteen selected to meet with the Minister of Finance. The Minister was to be urged to grant extra funding to expedite the early completion of the Tawa Flat railway deviation and also to fund an electric train service between Wellington and Paekākāriki. Various other requests were tacked on including holding the centennial exhibition at Tawa Flat, building Wellington airport on reclaimed Porirua Harbour land – and a recreation reserve at Tawa. The Tawa Flat deviation would be a huge saving in rail freight cost and would open up new areas to relieve the housing shortage in Wellington. It would be quicker to get to Tawa by rail from Wellington than it took to get by tram to some of Wellington’s outer suburbs. (Evening Post, 28 May 1935, p9)

By Ashley Blair