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Blenheim - History
A system of canals?
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When the Pakeha came to the
Wairau, the future site of Blenheim was by a safe ford and a good
landing-place on the Opawa River, but marshy ground was so damp as to deter
settlement there. |
The battle for the capital
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The rivalry between the two
townships dominated Marlborough's era as a self-governing province, leading
to a series of shenanigans that entertained the rest of the country. Waitohi
residents were justly suspicious when those at The Beaver were ready to
proclaim Waitohi as Marlborough's port and capital as the price of gaining
provincial independence from Nelson. The Nelson Provincial Council had
virtually ignored the claims of the Wairau in planning expenditure on public
works.
No sooner was separation a fact in 1859 than Blenheim (as The Beaver had by
that Act become) turned on its rival of Picton (as Waitohi had become).
Absorbed in the struggle, the populace lost sight of the main issue, the
land question, ignoring a policy that hindered rather than encouraged
development. Within five years land revenue was exhausted, and most were
already in favour of the abolition of the provincial system in favour of
central government.
Before the battle for the capital was finally won by Blenheim, Picton had
been awarded a railway whose cost of £60,000 was obviously far beyond the
resources of a province which comprised only 163 electors. Picton, which
then had not even a road to serve it, would undoubtedly have been confirmed
as capital had the railway gone ahead. As it was, the governor vetoed the
necessary Loan Bill.
There were scenes of turmoil in the Marlborough Provincial Council in 1862
when the pro-Blenheim faction achieved power. The Superintendent, Captain
Baillie, in a last-ditch attempt to forestall them, simply suspended the
Council by declaring it prorogued. The Council, however, chose to laugh, and
elected instead a second superintendent, William Eyes. Both superintendents
attempted to exercise power - Baillie, with the provincial seal, in Picton;
Eyes, in Blenheim, without it. The banks, with traditional caution, would
advance money to neither. Provincial works ground to a halt and provincial
officers received no pay. The Governor was petitioned to resolve the
impasse, and only after the Supreme Court had decided the case by leaving it
wide open (i.e., that Baillie was lawfully entitled to prorogue the council
but had transgressed the spirit of the law in doing so) was the Council
dissolved and new elections held.
While Marlborough's comic-opera politics entertained the nation, its own
electors had a change of heart and returned the Picton party.
Three years later the opposition Blenheim party again succeeded in carrying
a motion that adjourned proceedings to Blenheim, but the Superintendent
flatly refused to move. The embittered Blenheimites, whose leader, Eyes,
swore to "make Picton a deserted village" by depriving it of Government
money and a railway, proceeded to meet in Blenheim. There, for the second
time, they elected a rival superintendent, while the governing party
continued to sit at Picton.
A scandalised Governor once more dissolved the Council in the hope that
fresh elections would restore sanity. This time the pro-Blenheim party
achieved a clear majority and, having moved the adjournment to Blenheim,
took to the bush with the provincial goods and documents, fearing an attempt
to retain them in Picton by force. The victory was a hollow one, for
Marlborough had an escalating debt whose interest alone was by 1868 beyond
its resources. Picton, Pelorus and Kaikoura all moved to separate, and
Marlborough's only consolation was found in the bankruptcy of her fellow
province of Southland.
The province limped on until, on the day abolition of the system of
provincial government became effective, the government buildings and half of
Blenheim went up in smoke - a dramatic end to an institution whose existence
had been both fractious and frivolous. The site of the provincial buildings,
now occupied by the Police Station, is marked in High St. |
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