Balfour is the name of a township and farming district on the Waimea Plains line of railway, ten miles distant from Lumsden, and twenty-seven miles from Gore. It is in the Oreti riding of the country of Southland, and in the electorates of Wakatipu and Wallace. The population in the year 1901 was 123 with thirty-four additional at Ardlussa Flat, and forty-seven at Black Swamp. Originally, the site was part of the Longridge station—the homestead of which is seven miles away on the hills—and the settlement dates from 1884, when Balfour was surveyed as a township. The post office and railway station combined stands at an altitude of 540 feet above the sea, and daily mails are received and despatched. A commodious hotel adjoins the station, and there are three stores, two smiths' shops, a bakery, a butchery, two carpenters' shops, and a large grain store belonging to the well-known firm of Messrs Wright, Stephenson and Co. An extensive farming district surrounds the township, the valley being fully eight miles across. The Longridge creek runs through the district, which is generally well watered. The local churches represent the Presbyterian, Anglican and Roman Catholic bodies. There is a flourishing public school, and a public hall owned by a local company. The line of railway running through Balfour was constructed under the auspices of the New Zealand Agricultural Company, which owned a large tract of land in its native tussock. The land was ultimately taken over by the Government, and the station at Balfour dates from 1899. In addition to the business premises already named, there are well-equipped livery and bait stables, where visitors can obtain vehicles to get about the surrounding country. The land in the immediate vicinity of the township is level, but the settlement creeps up the hills on both sides of the valley. In 1881, there were no houses on the site of the township, but in 1882, Mr John Macpherson, the pioneer settler of the district, erected a store, took out an hotel license a year later, and built Longridge Hotel in 1884. In addition to the Longridge sheep station, there are three other stations in the district; Glenure, six miles away; Waimea, four miles and a-half; and Ardlussa, six miles distant.

The Balfour Public School was established in 1887. The building is situated in the main street, and occupies a site of five acres, well planted with ornamental and shelter trees. It is constructed of wood and iron, and has accommodation for page 1039 eighty children. In 1904, there were eighty names on the roll, with an average attendance of seventy. The headmaster is assisted by a mistress. A residence of six rooms is provided for the headmaster.

Mr. Robert Learmonth , Headmaster of Balfour Public School, was born, in 1854, in the Orkney Islands, where he was educated and trained as a teacher. Mr Learmonth followed his profession for some years in the Orkneys. He also there worked up an acquaintance with various branches of agriculture, and in the Lothians, the stock-raising districts of Texas, United States, and in the sugar-growing districts of Queensland. In 1885 he arrived in New Zealand, and soon after was appointed to the charge of the Millers' Flat school; eighteen months later, he was transferred to the Elderslie school, near Invercargill. Mr Learmonth continued in charge there till his appointment to his present, position in 1891. He is a member of the Southland branch of the New Zealand Educational Institute, is secretary of the Balfour Cemetery Trust, and of the Presbyterian church, of which he is also choirmaster. Mr Learmonth was married, in 1890, to a daughter of Dr. James Wiseman, of Orkney, and has one son and one daughter.

Mr. R. Learmonth.

St. Alban's Anglican Church, Balfour , was opened in 1903. The building, which stands on a section of an acre and a-half, is constructed of wood and iron, and has seating accommodation for 140 worshippers. Balfour is under the pastoral charge of the vicar of Winton, whose curate, the Rev. Duncan Rankin, resides at Balfour.

Longridge Hotel (George Tulloch, proprietor), Balfour. This hotel, which is built of wood and iron, is two stories in height, and contains twenty rooms, including nine bedrooms and three sitting-rooms. The dining-room is a fine apartment, capable of accommodating fifty guests. Commodious stables, and a paddock for grazing purposes, are attached to the hotel.

Mr. George Tulloch , Proprietor of the Longridge Hotel, Balfour, was born in 1868, in Invercargill, where he was educated and brought up to the trade of a biscuit-maker. He followed this trade for nineteen years in Invercargill, Dunedin and Wellington, and during the last seven years of that time, was in the employment of the Wellington Biscuit Company. He took over the Longridge Hotel in 1904. Mr Tulloch is a member of the Excelsior Lodge of Druids, in Wellington. He was married, in 1893, to a daughter of the late Captain William Williams, of Dunedin, and has one son.

Bryce, Peter , Wheelwright and Blacksmith, Balfour. This business was established in 1884 by the proprietor. The shop is a wood and iron building, with two forges, and a complete plant, and occupies a site of an acre of land on the main road through the township. Mr Bryce was born in Galashiels, Scotland, in January, 1852. When only two years old he was brought to New Zealand by his parents by the ship “Robert Henderson,” and learned his trade under Mr David Luke, of Anderson's Bay. Mr Bryce afterwards worked on his own account at Caversham, and in 1884 came to Balfour with his father, and established his present business. He has been almost continuously a member of the Balfour school committee, and is also connected with the committee of the Caledonian Society. Mr Bryce was married, in 1888, to a daughter of Mr Richard Barnett, of Balfour.