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Volume 6.— Taranaki, Hawke's Bay, and Wellington Provincial Districts.
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The province of Taranaki originated in the settlement of New Plymouth, which was formed by the Plymouth Company of New Zealand, in conjunction with the New Zealand Company, in the year 1841; and New Plymouth, which was then founded, is still its chief town. The boundaries of the province were defined by proclamation, under the Constitution Act of New Zealand, in the year 1852. Taranaki was at that time described as the province of “New Plymouth,” but the name was afterwards changed to “Taranaki,” by act of the General Assembly of New Zealand, in the year 1858.
Taranaki consists of the western projection of the North Island, and is divided at the coast from the Auckland province to the north by the river Mokau, and from the Wellington province to the south by the river Patea. The river Mokau also forms its northern boundary line; its eastern boundary consists in part of the north-easterly bend of the Wanganui, and in part of two lines—one of which unites the river Wanganui to the river Mokau at its source, and the other to the river Patea at its mouth. In all other parts Taranaki is bounded by the ocean. The coast line of the district is not broken by any considerable indentation. Starting from the mouth of the Patea, and following the shore, which runs at first nearly in the direction of the snow-clad summit of Mount Egmont (the native name of which is Taranaki), a circuit is made towards
The Taranaki land district may be said to be the most compact and fertile in New Zealand, for, with the exception of the upper half of Mount Egmont, and of the ranges adjoining, which absorb about 36,000 acres, the whole of the area—minus what is taken up by rivers, streams, and lakes—is suitable for settlement, and certainly two-thirds of the district is good land. The gross area of the district is 2,430,000 acres, or about 300,000 acres more than the area of the original province. The principal mountain is the volcanic cone from which the district takes its name, Taranaki, otherwise called Mount Egmont. This mountain is the centre of distribution, for a radius of twenty miles, of volcanic “drift,” which covers the volcanic rocks below an altitude of 3,000 feet. Beyond the volcanic formation—that is, from about Urenui on the north, to Hawera on the south—the country is generally broken, and the formation is known as papa, a calcareous blue clay, capped in many places by shelly limestone.
Eastward of the base of Mount Egmont there are few, if any, mountains worthy of the name, although there are many ranges varying in height from 1,000 feet to 1,500 feet above sea level, and, in a few instances—such as the Matemateonga and Waiaria ranges—they run up to 2,500 feet.
The principal river is the Wanganui, which bounds the district on the east between Taumarunui
The next river in size is the Mokan, which bounds the district on the north. It is navigable for steamers drawing from seven to eight feet of water, as far as the coal mines, about twenty miles from its mouth, and for canoes as far as Totoro, twenty-six miles further up. Several outerops of coal are found on its banks, and, as limestone is also present, the river is likely to become an important waterway of the district. The scenery on both sides, although not on quite so grand a scale as that on the Wanganui, is very beautiful.
The other large rivers are the Waitara and Patea. The former has its source about midway between the coast and the Wanganui river, in an easterly direction from Pukearuhe, between New Plymouth and the Mokau. It is about one hundred miles in length, and runs out at the town of Waitara, some ten miles north-east from New Plymouth. There is a bar at the river mouth, but steamers of 300 tons can enter safely in calm weather, and, although there are numerous rapids on its course, it is navigable for canoes for about ninety miles.
The Patea river rises in Mount Egmont, and, after traversing a tortuous course of about 110 miles, runs out at the extreme southern end of the provincial district. It has a bar-harbour, with a depth of thirteen to fourteen feet at springtides. Steamers of from forty to fifty tons trade regularly to the town of Patea, which is situated a mile or so north of the mouth. The Patea is navigable for canoes for fifty miles.
Besides these rivers there are many smaller ones, and streams innumerable—in fact, no district in the world could be better watered and at the same time so secure from disastrous floods. It is estimated that between the Mokau
The largest sheet of water is Rotokare, which is situated about twelve miles from Eltham; it is about half a mile in length, with an average width of six chains. There are also a few small lakes inland from Waverley, at the southern end of the district.
The whole of Taranaki—with the exception of a fringe of open country along the east coast, from Pukearuhe to Patea, averaging three miles in width, and containing about 250,000 acres, and some valleys at the north-eastern corner of the district, about 150,00 acres in extent—was originally covered with heavy forest, but this is rapidly disappearing under the progress of settlement, and the erection of sawmills which deal with such timber. The larger timber is chiefly rata, rimu, matai, tawa, kahikatea, kohekohe, pukatea, rewarewa, and hinau, with a few totara scattered here and there. Among the smaller trees may be mentioned the kotukutuku or fuchsia, karaka, and mahoe. Between forty and fifty sawmills are at work in connection with the timber industry. Most of these sawmills work together under association rules and prices; but others work independently, each on its own account.
The volcanic soil, the boundaries of which have been already described, varies a good deal in quality. The best is believed to be on the south side of the mountain, between Stratford, Hawera, and Opunake, but not less than two or three miles from the forest reserve boundary. It is thought that the country, now being opened to the north and east of the volcanic deposit—that is, the papa and limestone formation—will, from the presence of lime, be much richer and more lasting as pasture land than that around the mountain. The carrying capacity of the land is, on an average, two and a-half to three sheep to the acre.
The climate of Taranaki is essentially mild and equable. The temperature in a recent year ranged from 32 degrees to 84 degrees. The rainfall is heavy, for the district is
In September, 1896, a new work in connection with the dairying and meat industries was started, in the shape of the Taranaki Freezing Works, situated at Moturoa, near the breakwater, and close beside the railway line. During the hot season, the factories and railway vans carrying the butter are supplied with ice from the works at a nominal cost. The district sustained a loss in the season of 1904, through these works being burned down; but, luckily, the most of the season's butter and cheese had been shipped; nor did this set-back deter the company, for plans were prepared, and everything was in readiness to build the works anew in time for the next season's output. Most of the butter from the southern end of the district, now goes to Patea.
During a recent season, the total area Taranaki had under corn crops, and cut for threshing, was 7,263 acres; corn and grass crops cut for hay, chaff, or ensilage, 15,129 acres; corn clovers for feeding down, 812,974 acres; sown grasses for seed, 511 acres; potatoes, 1,401 acres; beet, 2 acres; turnips, 9,930 acres; mangolds, 680 acres; rape, 1,888 acres; carrots, 542 acres; other crops, 80 acres; total area under crops of all kinds, including gardens, orchards, and vineyards, 853,237 acres; plantations, 1,047 acres; fallow, 471 acres. The average yield of different grain-crops in bushels per acre for the season was: Wheat 30.43, oats 24.0. barley 28.0.
The only mining going on at present is at the Mokau coal mines, which are situated on the Mokau river, about twenty-three miles from the sea, the river being navigable right up to the mines for vessels of seven feet six inches draught. The coal is the best class of pitch-brown, and is excellent for household and steam purposes. Ironsand is found in great abundance on the seashore from Mokau to Patea, a distance of 130 miles. It produces, when smelted, from fifty to sixty per cent. of iron of the finest quality. The first attempt to smelt this sand was made in 1848, and several trials have been made since, but the heavy cost of production, and the absence of capital, and modern appliances, have somewhat handicapped the industry, which, however, is now (1906) in a prosperous condition.
There are few plains properly so called in the district. Near Eltham there is a block of level land, 3,700 acres in extent, known as the Ngaire swamp, which is drained, and thrown open for settlement. With this exception, the district is generally too undulating to be described as plain country. What is called the Waimate Plains—a stretch of fertile land, about 25,000 acres in all, lying between the Waingongoro and Otakeho rivers—includes too many downs and low up-lands to deserve the title. Of the Waimate Plains, 11,500 acres have been set apart as a native reserve, and 13,500 acres have now been disposed of for settlement. There are still 429,800 acres of land in the district in native hands. About 190,000 acres in the hands of the Crown are only partially explored, but will probably be found fit for settlement. About 167,000 acres, chiefly in the Whangamomona, Ohura, and Tongaporutu districts are now (1906) prepared for settlement; and all of this country will, it is understood, be found suitable for sheep and cattle grazing, and, in the more open stretches, for dairying. In addition to this area, there is a large amount of land now open and available for selection. About 130,000 acres on papa and limestone formations, mostly heavy bush country, well watered, but still uncleared, will ultimately prove to be some of the best sheep and dairy country in the district. There is, indeed, very little of Taranaki which, when it is once cleared of bush and stocked, cannot be depended upon to add permanently to the immense natural wealth of this highly favoured region.
The first mention of Taranaki as a distinct portion of New Zealand, occurs in the journal of the Dutch navigator, Abel Tasman, who, on the 27th of December, 1642, sighted, in this latitude, on the west coast of New Zealand, a lofty, snow-clad mountain. But no
With regard to the native race who came to this part of New Zealand, tradition states that the first canoe that reached these shores
In strict accuracy, the name of Taranaki was given to the tribe and district south of the Sugar Loaves, while the country stretching northward to the White Cliffs was known as Tokomaru. The whole country had been gradually occupied by various hapus of the Ngatiawa, whose kinship did not
prevent the internecine warfare which was one of the permanent facts of aboriginal life in these islands. Between 1805 and 1810 the Pukeariki pa, on the present site of New Plymouth, was the scene of a desperate struggle between the Taranakis and Atiawas, whose home was near the White Cliffs. About the same time the southern half of the North Island owed a nominal alleigance to Te Rauparaha. But the introduction of arms and ammunition into the island by the great northern chief Hongi, on his return from a visit to England in 1820, changed the conditions of native warfare, and shifted the balance of power. Rauparaha retreated before the attack of Tamati Waka Nene, Hongi's chief lieutenant, and, establishing himself at Kapiti, he became feudal lord of the tribal lands on either side of Cook Strait. As Te Rauparaha retired, the Waikatos, under Te Whero Whero—the “Napoleon of New Zealand,” and afterwards crowned as King Potatau—began to make incursions southward; and the use of firearms, now fairly common among the natives, vastly increased the slaughter incidental to these tribal raids. From 1822 to 1837 was, says Mr. W. Colenso, “a truly fearful period in New Zealand. Blood flowed like water; and there can be no doubt that the number killed during those fifteen years, including those who perished in consequence of the wars, far exceeded 60,000 persons.” It was not, however, till 1831 that the sanguinary Te Whero Whero, “a man of majestic proportions, terrible and ruthless in warfare,” first came into conflict with the Ngatiawa. In that year, a small party of Waikatos visited Ngamotu (the Sugar Loaves) ostensibly to catch shark, but in reality to spy out the land. Early next year, Te Whero Whero led a taua (war party) of 4,000 Waikatos to attack the unsuspecting Ngatiawas near the Waitara, and these fled to Pukerangiora, a stronghold above the river banks. The pa was taken after some resistance, and Te Whero Whero killed fifty of the captives himself as a prelude to a great cannibal feast. Te Whero Whero then led his taua to attack Moturoa, the pa on the mainland near Ngamotu, which was defended by 350 Ngatiawa, led by eleven Europeans. These white men were whalers and traders, all powerful and experienced fighting men, well accustomed to carry their lives in their hands, and much dreaded for their superior skill in the use of guns. The famous “Dicky” Barrett was the soul of the defence, and he was well backed by his comrades Love, Wright, Ashdown, Bundy, and Phillips. The siege of Moturoa was carried on for several weeks, during February and March, 1832, and ended in the repulse of the Waitakos. After several fights and treacherous attacks, which Barrett and Love aided the natives to defeat with equal skill and courage, the besiegers made a last united and desperate
Before the regular settlement of the district by the New Zealand Company, the only white men known to the Maoris were whalers and casual traders, who came to the country for flax. As early as 1809, an expedition was fitted out in Sydney to procure a quantity of “New Zealand flax”—the fibre of the phormuim, a species of lily growing freely in all swampy land. The natives soon learned the value of this trade, and as no machine had then been invented that could strip the fibre as efficiently as the Maoris with their primitive appliances, the prospects of this traffic soon steadily improved. A test of rope made from New Zealand flax at Sydney in 1820—in which the colonial rope proved much superior to English-made rope—greatly enhanced the value of the flax; and in 1830 the Marine Department in England was purchasing all that could be obtained at £45 per ton. Subsequently the traffic fell off, but not before a considerable number of agents and traders had been attracted from Australia to buy and sell flax; and some of these settled down amongst the Maoris, and encountered almost incredible dangers and hardships in their efforts to secure a monopoly of the local flax supply. One Sydney firm had an agent established in so inaccessible a spot as Mokoia Island, in Lake Rotorna; and, in 1832, one Thomas Ralph, agent of Montefiore and Company, of Sydney, was stationed among the Maniapoto, near the Mokau, to buy flax from the Taranaki natives. The adventures of Ralph, as narrated in Brett's “Early History of New Zealand,” form a romantic episode in the country's early records; and the perils and sufferings which these traders endured in pursuit of gain give some idea of the importance attached, even at that stage of the colony's history, to an industry which has since become one of the country's most important resources.
But the majority of the white men who reached the shores of New Zealand before the settlement, were whalers. A great deal has been written about the character and manner of life of these hardy “sons of the sea,” and very little that is novel and original remains to be said. The chapters in the “Early History of New Zealand,” dealing with this element in colonisation, give a good idea of the wild and desperate lives that these men led; the perils which hardened them against the ever-present menace of death, the many vices by which they were stained, and the many virtues by which these were often counterbalanced. Courage and generosity, and a pathetic desire to maintain the dignity of their position as civilised men in the eyes of the savages, often did a great deal to redeem them from the effects of the strife and bloodshed and coarse dissipation, in which a large portion of their lives was passed. But, as a class, they could hardly have failed to produce upon the minds of the Maoris a very limited degree of
Among the incidents connecting the history of the whaling days with Taranaki is the story of Captain Guard, who, in 1834, was shipwrecked in the “Harriet,” near Cape Egmont. He was a whaling captain, and had been familiar with the New Zealand coast for ten years or more. His wife and two children were with him, and these, with Captain Hall and twenty-eight seamen, were saved from the wreck. But while camped near Moturoa, the party was attacked by a large body of Maoris; and Mrs Guard and her children were captured, while most of the crew were killed. Captain Guard escaped northward with eleven men, and, falling in with a friendly party of Ngatiawas, was by them allowed to go to the South Island for assistance. After many adventures, he ultimately arrived in Sydney, and prevailed upon the authorities to send a ship of war to rescue his wife and children, and the white men still in captivity, at Moturoa. In August, 1834, four months after the loss of the “Harriet,” H.M.S. “Alligator” left Port Jackson on this errand of mercy. By the time the “Alligator” reached the New Zealand coast, Mrs Guard and her children had been removed from Moturoa to Waimate, about twenty-three miles further south; and the natives, in response to the threats of Captain Lambert, agreed to surrender their captives. But they were very anxious to secure a ransom, and the consequent delay led to some desultory fighting. At last Mrs Guard and the younger child were surrendered; but Captain Lambert had to land troops and artillery to persuade the Maoris to give up the other. According to Dr. Marshall, who wrote an account of the expedition, the English sailors and soldiers fired, of their own accord, upon the natives, after the child had been given up, though their own flag of truce was flying at the time. This statement is contradicted by other authorities; but the gallant bearing of the native chiefs, and their leisurely retreat under a heavy fire, seem to have extorted the unwilling admiration of their opponents. The whole story illustrates very strongly the perils to which the few whites in the country were then opposed, and the characteristic bravery and generosity, as well as the ferocity, of the Maori.
Although the Bay of Islands and other places in the north had long previously been settled with white people, it was not until 1838–9 that much attention was directed to Taranaki. About that time, New Zealand began to attract considerable notice in Great Britain and France, as presenting one of the finest fields in the world for the formation of a colony. The press took the matter up, and pressure was placed upon the British Government to annex New Zealand, in order that France might not get possession of the islands. A number of persons also formed themselves into a company, and having secured sufficient capital to make the necessary arrangements, despatched a vessel to explore the colony, and fix upon places for settlements to which British emigrants could be sent.
The first association formed for this purpose was the New Zealand Company, which, though favourably regarded at its start by the British Government, was afterwards looked on with a jealous eye by the Colonial Office. A difficulty arose in granting its charter to the company; and a bill embodying the views of the Association, which was introduced into the House of Commons in 1839, was opposed by the Ministry, and thrown out by a large majority. The company was then dissolved, but only to again appear in a modified form. Lord Glenelg had previously advised the promoters to obtain a charter, and on his advice they acted, and formed themselves into a Joint Stock Association, which they called the New Zealand Colonisation Society. This they afterwards altered to the New Zealand Land Company, but the title of it was finally fixed as the New Zealand Company. A prospectus was issued on the 2nd of May, 1839. The capital of the company was fixed at £400,000, to be raised in 4,000 shares of £100 each; but this capital was afterwards reduced to £100,000, and the shares to £25. The Earl of Durham was appointed Governor of the Company; Mr. Joseph Somes, Deputy Governor; and the directory was composed of many gentlemen of well known fame and high social position. As the Colonial Office was strenuously opposed to the Association, which had for its object a semi-political purpose, the promoters of the Company decided to look upon New Zealand as a foreign country, and to establish settlements in the island without the permission of the British authorities. With this view the directors determined on sending out an expedition to New Zealand, under the charge of an agent, for the purpose of acquiring land from the natives. This charge was confided to Colonel William Wakefield, with instructions to select the spot he deemed most eligible as the site of a considerable colony, and to make preparation for the arrival and settlement of immigrants. A prudent secrecy was maintained by the directors as to their intentions, and before the public or Government knew aught about their purpose, the barque “Tory,” had sailed for New Zealand, with the pioneers of an exploring expedition, in charge of Colonel Wakefield.
The “Tory” was a vessel of 400 tons burden, and was laden with British manufactured goods, for the purpose of bartering with the natives. Captain Chaffers had command of the vessel, and was eminently fitted for the position, as he was one of the best navigators in the Royal Navy, and had been master of the “Beagle” surveying ship, when Captain Fitzroy was making a survey of the New Zealand coast for the Admiralty. Colonel Wakefield, who had gained distinction by serving in the British Legion, under Sir De Lacy Evans, in the Carlist war in Spain, had, as his secretary, Mr. Edward Jerningham Wakefield, his nephew, the only son of Mr. Edward Gibbon Wakefield; Dr. Ernest Dieffenbach, of Berlin, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of England, was the Company's naturalist; and its artist was Mr. Charles Heaphy, who afterwards signalised himself in the Maori wars, became a major in the New Zealand Militia, and was the only colonist to receive the Victoria Cross. He also made his own and subsequent times his debtor for portraits of some of the most distinguished historic chiefs of New Zealand, such as Heke, Waka Nene, Te Heuheu, Te Whero Whero, and others.
It was on the 12th of May, 1839, that the “Tory” sailed from England for some unknown land in the Southern Hemisphere. She sighted New Zealand on the 16th of August, 1839, made the land a little to the south of Cape Farewell, and finally anchored in Ship Cove, where the party remained making enquiries respecting the country,
After Colonel Wakefield had arranged for a settlement at Port Nicholson, he devoted much of his time in trying to negotiate with several native chiefs at Wanganui for the purchase of some land in the district, between Manawatu and Patea.
On Monday, the 18th of November, 1839, he started in the “Tory” for the north, but, the weather being stormy, the vessel had to seek for shelter off Kapiti. After a tedious voyage of nine days from Kapiti, the “Tory” arrived off Moturoa, and was anchored in nine fathoms of water at about two miles from the land, towards the north of the Sugar Loaves. There was a heavy surf rolling on to the beach, so that the party sent on shore in the boat had some difficulty in landing, and it was only when two natives swam to them, and brought the boat through the surf, that they succeeded in getting safely on shore. The boat contained Mr. Richard Barrett, the defender of Moturoa Pa against the Waikatos, and two natives, who had been brought from Port Nicholson. Colonel Wakefield, in one of his despatches, writes: “No talking on the part of the Maoris took place in the boat. Surprised at seeing their old friends, the national custom prevented any demonstration of feeling; but after coming on board the “Torv,” an affecting scene took place, in which one of the new-comers described the wretched existence which he and his companions had led since the mass of the tribe had migrated to Cook's Strait, six years ago (1833). Continual war had been carried on against them by the Waikato natives; and nothing but the refuge afforded them by the Sugar-loaf Peaks had preserved the small remnant, not amounting to more than fifty, who still held their ground, with occasional assistance from their southern neighbours. They expressed great anxiety respecting their future fate; hoped their enemies, now being converts to Christianity, would no longer persecute them, but declared their intention not
It being found impossible to collect, under a week, the chiefs whose consent was necessary to conclude the purchase of land from Manawatu to Mokau, Colonel Wakefield decided to go on to Hokianga, but left some of his party behind. Those who remained consisted of Mr. Richard Barrett, his wife and children, Dr. Dieffenbach, who had expressed a desire to ascend Mount Egmont, and examine the country in the neighbourhood, and Mr. John Dorset, the New Zealand Company's agent. It was also arranged that Mr. Barrett should assemble the chiefs on the coast line of 150 miles in a month's time, when Colonel Wakefield intended to return to make payment for the land acquired in the different districts, and to receive the written assent of the chiefs to the sale. Dr. Ernest Dieffenbach and Mr. Dorset landed to the north of Paritutu on the morning of Thursday, the 28th of November, 1839, when they turned the whaleboat over, and made preparations for passing the night under it. As soon as the party were seen from the ship to have landed safely, the “Tory” weighed anchor, and, with a favourable breeze, stood to the northward, and was soon out of sight.
The land near the beach is described by Dr. Dieffenbach to be in some parts covered with shrubs, and at other places here and there with sand. In several places behind the sandhills there were lagoons of fresh water, which abounded with wild ducks, and contained large eels, but no other kind of fish. Round these lagoons the vegetation was very rich. Dr. Dieffenbach also noticed the petroleum deposits, for he writes: “Towards Sugarloaf Point … a strong smell of sulphuretted hydrogen gas may also be observed about a mile from high water mark.” Dr. Dieffenbach's report states that, on landing, he and his companions found, near Sugarloaf Point, about twenty natives. The place seemed to be a fishing station, and those of the Taranaki tribes who had not left in consequence of the Waikato raids on the district, were living in concealed potato plantations, further south of Cape Egmont, probably at Umaroa or Opunake. On the arrival of the party from the “Tory” being made known, the natives soon assembled, and, with tears, welcomed their old friend, Mr. Richard Barrett. The natives even then were afraid of the Waikatos, for, in the evening, noticing a fire in the direction of Kawhia, they kept awake during the greater part of the night, in fear of being surprised by their enemies.
On proceeding northwards, Dr. Dieffenbach says he found three creeks—the Huatoki, the Henui, and Waiwakaiho. Everywhere on their banks were traces of former cultivation, and of native villages, but no one was living there when he passed by them; thus the finest district in New Zealand was almost uninhabited—a sad instance of the mutual hatred existing among these savage tribes even before the arrival of the Europeans.
Colonel Wakefield was prepared to admit that there were difficulties in the way of establishing a European settlement in this part of the island; but in his report, written before the purchase of the land was effected, he speaks hopefully of the prospects of his adventure. “Notwithstanding the qualities of the soil of the Taranaki district,” he writes, “which are allowed to be superior to those of any land in these islands, such is the difficulty of communicating with it by water, that I do not see any probability of settlers being placed there for some years. Looking, however, to the future, and to the interest of the company's future representatives, and hoping that by the unconquerable energies of the British inhabitants, this country will shortly assume a different aspect as regards its interior communications — sanguinely hoping even to see commenced such an undertaking as the construction of a road from
Two days after the “Tory” left England, the New Zealand Company, for the first time, formally announced its scheme for the colonisation of New Zealand. The British Government had, up to that time, received no formal notice of the Company's intention, and did not take the matter seriously until some land near Kaipara, already in the Company's hands, was put upon the market. The Home Government then decided that steps must be taken to prevent the Company from ignoring the rights of the natives, and accordingly despatched to New Zealand, Captain Hobson, as British Consul, with full authority to treat with the natives for the cession of their lands, and at the same time to announce that no further transactions in land between the natives and private individuals would be recognised. Captain Hobson sailed first to Sydney; for the British Government had already realised that a mistake had been made in recognising the independence of New Zealand, and in 1839 had extended the boundaries of New South Wales so as to cover any land that might be acquired from the Maoris. It was at Sydney, therefore, that Captain Hobson was sworn in as Lieutenant-Governor; and, sailing thence in H.M.S. “Herald,” he reached the Bay of Islands on the 29th of January, 1840. On the following day, he issued a proclamation declaring that private European titles to Maori lands would not be recognised, and in eight days afterwards, through the persuasion of settlers and missionaries, and with the aid of a few presents, he succeeded in inducing the principal chiefs of the northern district to sign the treaty of Waitangi, by which the natives admitted the sovereignty of the Queen. By the middle of August, the foresight and energy of the Lieutenant-Governor had forestalled the French Nanto-Bordelaise Company in its intended occupation of the South Island, and the British flag had been planted on Banks Peninsula. Finally, in November of the same year, the islands of New Zealand, now formally admitting the British sovereignty, were constituted a separate territory, in which Captain Hobson was appointed Governor and Commander-in-Chief.
In the meantime, while all this was happening in New Zealand, the energy of the New Zealand Company's promoters, and more especially the enthusiastic zeal of Mr. Edward Gibbon Wakefield, the real founder of the colony, was making a deep impression on public feeling in England. In several centres, movements were started to settle some portion or other of the newly recognised territories, and it is thus that the history of Taranaki first emerges from the general record of New Zealand colonisation. Indeed, it was at a public meeting held in the town of Plymouth, England, on the 25th of January, 1840, that the Plymouth Company, for colonising New Zealand from the West of England, was formed, with a capital of £150,000. The official head of the company was the Earl of Devon, and the directors and officials were all men of wealth and social standing. The Company purchased from the New
Zealand Company 10,000 acres of its newly-acquired land, and on the 13th of August despatched a surveyor, with a staff of officers and men, by the barque “London,” to select a site for the settlement, and to commence the surveys. On the 26th of August, the Company made a further purchase of 50,000 acres from the New Zealand Company, which sent out instructions to Colonel Wakefield to give Mr. Carrington (the Plymouth Company's surveyor),
The “William Bryan” sailed from Plymouth Sound on the 19th of November, 1840, with Mr. George Cutfield, a naval architect, and late of Her Majesty's Dockyard, at Devonport, in charge of the expedition. On board were Mr. Richard Chilman, of London, who, on the voyage, was appointed clerk to Mr. Cutfield; Mr. Thomas King, of London; and Mr. A. Aubrey, son of Colonel Aubrey, of the Horse Guards. Mr. Weeks was the ship's surgeon. In the steerage there were forty-two married, and twenty-two single adults, and seventy children. After a favourable voyage, the vessel entered Cloudy Bay for orders, on the 19th of March, 1841. Finding no one in the bay able to give him any information respecting the site of the new settlement, Mr. Cutfield hired a cutter, and proceeded to Wellington, for the purpose of seeing Colonel Wakefield on the subject. After a brief stay, he returned with a pilot, and with orders to proceed to Taranaki. The “William Bryan” again set sail on the 28th of March, and came to anchor off the Sugar Loaves at six o'clock on the evening of the 30th of March, 1841.
Unfortunately, the Plymouth Company had scarcely commenced operations, when it was involved in pecuniary difficulties by the failure of its bankers, Messrs Wright and Company, of London. This misfortune resulted in a deed of agreement, dated the 10th of May, 1841, by which the Plymouth Company was merged in the New Zealand Company; but the directors of the Plymouth Company continued to act in connection with the New Zealand Company, under the title of the West of England Board.
While preparations were being made to forward further bodies of emigrants to the new colony, Mr. Carrington, the Plymouth Company's surveyor, had commenced work on the site chosen for the settlement. The base line for his survey was cut from the Great Sugar Loaf towards the foot of Mount Egmont; but in carrying out his work, he had some difficulty with the natives, over the amount they had received for their land.
It was not till the 30th of September, 1841, that the 480 ton barque “Amelia Thompson” (Captain Lawson), after a long but prosperous voyage from Plymouth, brought 187 passengers to people the new settlement. Captain King, the Chief Commissioner of the Plymouth colony, was on board, and undertook the control of affairs
At the outset, the founders of New Zealand had to face many difficulties. In the first place, Governor Hobson, in his desire to protect the rights and interests of the natives, refused to include in the Taranaki block the Waitara district, which Mr. Carrington had already surveyed. However, the representations of Colonel Wakefield seem to have produced some effect, and the boundaries of the settlement were extended to the points claimed by the Company. But even when this obstacle was removed, the work of settling the immigrants in their new home proceeded but slowly, and was delayed by many hardships and obstacles. “The country,” writes Mr. Seffern, in his “Garden of New Zealand,” “was covered with vegetation, which extended down to the beach.” As to the survey, “owing to the luxuriant vegetation which covered the land, it was a very difficult task, and lines had to be cut through the high fern and scrub.” A bridge had to be built over the Huatoki river, and for this all the timber had to be carried two miles. The colonists, at this early stage of their history, possessed one timber drag, two hand carts, and six wheelbarrows. But they had no horses or bullocks, and all the traction had to be done by hand. As many of the settlers were quite unused to the hardships of such a life, it may be imagined that the first years of their colonial experience were somewhat laborious and depressing; more especially as the natives, who had begun to gather round the settlement in increasing numbers, were even thus early a source of anxiety and apprehension to them. The whalers, who still formed an important element in the coastal population of New Zealand, were often disorderly, and Captain King and Mr. Cutfield had considerable trouble in keeping order among them. Moreover, the settlers resented their enforced isolation even more than the other disadvantages of their position, and they frequently petitioned the Company and the Governor of the colony and Colonel Wakefield, to do something in the way of forming a harbour, or providing shipping facilities, that would give them a better chance of regular communication with the outside world.
Early in 1842, the little settlement was extended by the arrival of 212 immigrants in the barque “Tunandra,” (382 tons, Captain Skinner), and by that time the colonists had begun to settle down in their new homes, and look forward with some degree of certainty to the secure enjoyment of the fruits of their labours. Here, in fact, is a description of New Plymouth in September, 1842, about eighteen months after the settlers had landed from the “William Bryan”: “On the banks of the Huatoki river there were several wooden and cob houses, and a new bridge had replaced the temporary one erected shortly after the passengers had landed. A lock-up, it seems, was thought to be necessary, but the cost had not then been paid for by the Company. Two public-houses, four large wholesale and retail stores, kept respectively by Captain Davy, Mr. Dorset, Mr. Baine, and Mr. Richard Brown, and about 120 raupo and cob huts formed the centre of the town of New Plymouth. At Devonport there was quite a cluster of immigrants' houses. The Henui river had been bridged, and several houses had been erected on its banks. A cutting on the east side of the river had been made, and a road formed to the Waiwakaiho river, which was crossed by a ferry boat. For about six miles from the town, clearings had been made, and houses erected by those who had started farming. Messrs Flight and Devenish, Pierce, Paynter, Edgecumbe, the Bayly brothers, Goodall, and several others, had made a good show, for they worked early and late. Southward of the town, Captain King and Mr. Cutfield had cleared between them about seventy acres, and built a substantial house and farm buildings. Mr. Norice had built a thatched house, and had cleared about three acres of land. Mr. Chilman had partly cleared and fenced a fifty acre section; and Mr. Distin had a house and clearing close to him. Across the Waiwakaiho,” continues the writer quoted, “Captain Davy and myself are clearing and putting in crops; and, added to all these clearings, we
The first hostelry in New Plymouth was a raupo whare, built on the site of what was (in 1905) Tisch's Terminus Hotel, at the top of Queen Street, near the beach. It was designated the “Seven Stars Inn,” a favourite old Devonshire sign, and in November, 1842, on the walls of this building, a transfer of the license from “John Wilkinson to William George, the younger,” and signed “Henry King, Resident Magistrate,” was posted up. The settlement was then not very large; in fact, the community were more like a family, or perhaps it would be better to liken the relationship to passengers on board a ship, all familiar, and inclined to be sociable with each other. Mr. George afterwards built a more pretentious building on the site the Bank of New Zealand now occupies, and he transferred the license from the whare in Queen Street to his new building, for which, however, he retained the name of “The Seven Stars.”
The first anniversary of the arrival of the settlers by the “Amelia Thompson” was celebrated on Saturday, the 3rd of September, 1842, when the day was observed as a public holiday. Sports were improvised, and the day was spent in boat races, foot races, and wrestling matches. In the evening, the first ball ever held in New Plymouth took place in a small imported building which stood near the beach close to the Kawhau pa, and was used as a hospital when required. The hill on which the pa stood has since been levelled, and the land on the beach reclaimed. The day's festivities in connection with the celebration of the anniversary concluded with a display of fireworks, which astonished as well as amused the Maoris.
Although all the settlers were not perfectly satisfied with their position, most of them, finding they could not better things by growling, and making themselves miserable, set to work to make themselves as comfortable as they could, and in a short time the settlement presented a thriving look. The people, as stated, were chiefly from Devonshire and Cornwall, and though unsophisticated in their habits, they formed the nucleus of a hard-working and industrious community. Their occupation was a purely rural one; and early and late they were to be seen at work, either fencing or digging, or with their ploughs turning up the rich soil that filled their hearts with gladness; and, with a genial atmosphere to live in, and on both sides of them broad expanses extending to the seashore from the slopes of the imposing Mount Egmont, with numerous streams and rivers intersecting the land, supplying the new-comers with the purest water, they were the happiest of mortals. Bright, indeed, seemed the prospects of the settlers after the first year's sojourn in “The Garden of New Zealand,” and many at that time expressed themselves as being truly thankful that their “lines had fallen in pleasant places.” But, unhappily, these bright prospects were soon to be marred by the difficulties which had already begun to arise over the ownership of the soil, which was claimed in part by the dispossessed and exiled Ngatiawas, as well as by their powerful and ferocious conquerors, the Waikatos. Moreover, it must be admitted
The interests of the settlers were at this time in the hands of Mr. F. Carrington, the Company's chief surveyor, and Mr. Wicksteed, the resident agent, who had been sent out to take the place of Captain Liardet. Mr. Wicksteed in his younger days was connected with the London “Spectator,” under Mr. Rintoul's editorship, and when in that position he became acquainted with Mr. Edward Gibbon Wakefield, and Sir William Molesworth. The New Zealand Company, in order to get the support of the Church party in England, not only offered to devote a portion of its funds to the building of churches in the colony, but also agreed to set aside two thousand acres of land—on condition that the Church Society would purchase an equal area—towards the endowment of a bishopric in New Zealand. For the purpose of administering this land, Mr. Wicksteed, as agent for the Church Society, came to New Zealand, and arrived in Wellington by the ship “London,” on the 12th of December, 1840. An energetic man of business was much needed in the New Plymouth settlement, for the changes which had taken place in the office of agent, and Captain Liardet's accident, which had prevented him from attending to his duties, had left the Company's affairs in New Plymouth in a very unsatisfactory condition. Mr. Wicksteed was a fluent writer, and from his monthly report to the principal agent, a history of the next six years of the settlement has been preserved.
To understand precisely how the trouble with the natives arose it is necessary to refer to the conditions under which land was first taken up by the Taranaki settlers. The prospectus originally issued by the Plymouth Company stated: “The New Plymouth settlement is intended to consist of two classes of land: (a) the town land, comprising 2,200 sections of a quarter of an acre each; (b) the suburban lands, comprising at least 1,150 sections of fifty acres each. All sales in England will be confined, until further notice, to actual colonists, on the following terms: (1) With a view to distribute as generally as may be practicable the advantages to be derived from the possession of preliminary lands, no application from an individual colonist will be entertained for more than eight allotments of land, each allotment containing one section of town land, and one section of rural land. (2) Two hundred and fifty allotments are set apart as above mentioned at the price of £75 for each allotment, and applications for the same are to be made in writing to the secretary, which, if accompanied by a deposit of £10 in respect to each allotment, will entitle the applicant to receive separate land orders for each town and rural section, with such priorities and rights of selection as are hereinafter mentioned, in exchange for the residue of the purchase money. (3) The numbers signifying the priority of choice for the town sections have been selected on a fair average from the thousand numbers of choice, which have fallen to the Company in the general ballot above referred to. The purchasers will also be entitled to select the rural sections from any land in the Plymouth settlement, surveyed and declared open for choice as rural sections at the time, and according to the order of presenting the land order in the colony, subject only to the regulations of the land office for preserving fairness and regularity of choice.”
It was over the selection of the “rural lands” last mentioned in the prospectus, that the first direct quarrel with the natives arose. By June, 1842, the country districts were sufficiently well surveyed to allow of a choice of selection by the settlers; but when all was ready for the completion of the work, Captain King, the local Protector of Aborigines, protested against the selection taking place, as no lots had been reserved for the Maoris, in accordance with the original terms of purchase from them. But Mr. Wicksteed refused to receive Captain King's protest, or to permit him to select for the Maoris, because the directors of the New Zealand Company had instructed their agent to do so for fear that persons, in selecting for the natives, might interfere with the privileges the Europeans had given them of choosing sections in contiguity with those of their relatives and friends. It was also thought more advisable that the natives should have their land in a block by themselves, for trouble might arise about fencing, and so forth, if the natives and Europeans were mixed indiscriminately on the same block. The idea of getting the two races to live together as neighbours was suggested with a desire to benefit the Maoris; but such a proposition did not seem to answer, as the settlers found the natives an annoyance to have alongside them, for they permitted their pigs to trespass, their curs to worry the sheep, and their neglected
The first actual collision with the natives occurred in July, 1842, and the incident is so important that it may well be told in Mr. Wicksteed's words. Writing to Colonel Wakefield, he says: “You are aware that a considerable number of natives have lately been liberated from the Waikatos, who, some years ago, overran the Taranaki district, and carried off a large number of its inhabitants as their slaves. The manumitted natives are now returning to this district, and not having been parties in the sale of the land to the Company, now complain that they have neither potato ground, nor utu in money or recompense. In point of fact, however, the native reserves are sufficient for a population twenty fold larger than that likely under any circumstances to belong to Taranaki; and I cannot discover among the malcontents a single person who, according to the custom of the natives, has, or had, the right to sell the land. On the contrary, many of those who did sell the land distinctly warned me not to enter into any bargain or treaty with those returned. Not being encouraged by me to expect any utu, some of these natives had recourse to violence, and entered a section on the Mangaoraka, belonging to a peaceful settler named Pearce, burned his cottage, and destroyed some raupo he had for thatching. They then proceeded to the next section where the Messrs Bayly had put up their tents, and were commencing farming operations. They were very furious, brandishing their tomahawks, and attempting to tear down the tent; but the Baylys, very resolute and strong men, resisted, and a short scuffle or wrestling match ensued between one of the brothers and a native, who acted as champion for the assailants. Twice Bayly threw the Maori, but was thrown himself the third time; whereupon the natives crowded round him, and one apparently was going to cleave his skull with a tomahawk, when a bystander levelled his fowling-piece at the native, who then gave way. There were about thirty natives and six white men. A parley ensued, and they agreed to refer the case to me. Accordingly the mob of natives came to my house two days after, and there I told them my determination to put the white settlers on their land, and to call upon the police magistrate to send any native who broke the peace into prison; at the same time assuring them that any chief who had any real title to the land should receive such compensation as Mr. Spain, on his arrival, might award. They very well knew they had no such chief amongst them, and being also certain that I should protect the settlers, they promised to give the Baylys no further annoyance; and they are now very good friends with the settlers, working for them, sleeping in the same tents, and apparently quite satisfied with the excellent land reserved for them in or near that part of the country.”
But the chief opposition to the selection of native lands came from the Waitara, where Mr. Carrington had originally intended to fix the site of the chief town. Here Messrs Goodall and Brown, who were agents for absentee proprietors, had taken up large sections of land; and the natives drove them off, and declared their intention to keep the British settlers to the south of the river. Mr. Wicksteed decided that vigorous action must be taken to compel respect for his authority, and the following is his own account of the sequel: “The day after the riot I called upon Captain Cooke. a magistrate, to swear in a body of special constables, and that gentleman administered the oath in the presence, and with the sanction of Captain King, the chief police magistrate. I put twelve muskets and fifty ball cartridges into the boat, and, accompanied by Mr. Cooke, who nominally commanded the party, proceeded to Waitara, and there we swore in the surveying men, making our force twenty-eight in all. As I fully expected, this demonstration had the desired effect. A long talk with the natives ended in their entire submission, and a promise of better behaviour in the future. Mr. Cooke told the ringleader that on the next occasion of his breaking the peace, he would himself go to the pa and arrest him, and send him for trial to Port Nicholson. We crossed the river, formally took possession of the land, fired a volley by way of asserting our right to act as we had done, and then, but not before, I gave away a few blankets and some tobacco. The principal natives at the Waitara, as well as here, express their satisfaction at the proceedings. Among the settlers there
But there were men in the country who understood the natives better than Mr. Wicksteed; and Mr. F. A. Carrington's version of the episode, and the judgment that he passed upon it, place the affair in a very different light. The Chief Surveyor's account of the Waitara affair, as quoted in Seffern's “History of Taranaki” reads thus: “Some time after the drawing, for choice of the rural sections, it was discovered that an oversight had been committed in not ascertaining what the first order of choice should be for the natives. I consequently saw and told Captain King not to trouble himself about the matter, as I would find out from the natives what sections they would like to have at the Waitara and elsewhere, and make a note to that effect on the map. This I did, and on the 13th of June, 1842, seven days before the selection of rural lands took place, some of the settlers called upon me to say that they had heard I was going to reserve certain sections of land at Waitara and elsewhere for the natives. I told them I was going to do so. They objected to my so doing, and finding that I would not yield to their opinion, they saw the Company's agent on the subject, and he sided with them. Subsequently Captain King and myself talked the matter over, and we resolved to do all in our power to rescue for the aborigines the sections of land which they had requested me to choose for them, and which I promised them they should have, and upon some of which sections there were native clearings, gardens, and several whares.
“On the day of the selection, the 20th of June, 1842, I laid upon my office table a plan showing the sections of rural land offered, and on a few of them, which the natives wished to have, on the banks of the Waitara, and at the junction of the Waiongonga and Mangaoraka rivers, I had marked in pencil on the plan the word ‘native.’ On some of the settlers seeing this, a warm discussion arose, and Captain King—who was, for the time, Protector of Aborigines—and the Company's agent (Mr. Wicksteed) went outside my office and held a conversation. Captain King afterwards told me that he had either read or given a protest to the Company's agent. I remember perfectly telling the peoply in my office on that day, in the most emphatic language, and at the same time striking my hand forcibly on my office table, that if they allowed the natives to have the sections they had requested me to reserve for them, they (the settlers) could in that case obtain all the other sections in peace and quiet; but, if they excluded the aborigines from the said sections, they would never get the land. The Company's agent disregarded my words and Captain King's endeavours, and the settlers were allowed to select, not only the reserves I had made for the aborigines, but also all the desirable sections on both sides of the river Waitara. As I had predicted, difficulties arose. Messrs Goodall and Brown endeavoured to occupy a section they had chosen on the north bank of the Waitara, upon which were several acres of clearings and gardens made by the natives. Failing to get occupation, Messrs Goodall and Brown applied to the Company's agent to put them in possession, and, on the 20th of July, 1842, he, with twenty armed men, went from New Plymouth to Waitara in a boat, and, on arrival there (as I was shortly afterwards informed, for I would not go), fired a volley or two, and in the name of the Queen and the New Zealand Company, took possession of the land—the very land I had promised I would retain for the natives. From this breach of faith has arisen all our native war troubles in New Zealand.”
It is well to give prominence to this incident, because at the time it produced a deep impression, though in different ways, upon both natives and Europeans. The Wellington “Spectator,” of the 13th of August, 1842, speaks approvingly of the action of Mr. Wicksteed, and is accordingly strongly condemned by Mr. Carrington, who scathingly criticises its statements. “In the New Zealand Gazette and Wellington Spectator of the 13th of August, may be seen,” he says, “the untruthful statement and unscrupulous recommendation that induced the Chief Magistrate of Nelson to adopt the course which has led to such fearful consequences in this colony; untruthful, because it stated that the demonstration made with arms at Waitara, “had the desired effect, and ended in the entire submission of the natives,” whereas the effect was quite the reverse, and ended in bitter and determined opposition from the natives at Waitara and elsewhere, and frustrated settlement; unscrupulous, because it recommended a course which was known to be perilous, and likely to lead to contention and bloodshed. The Chief Magistrate of Nelson adopted the course suggested in the Wellington paper. Natives opposed the occupation of the land at Wairau. He, in consequence of their opposition, went with forty or fifty armed men to make a demonstration. The sequel is but too
It was in this way that a series of unforeseen events initiated, between whites and Maoris, the conflict which was destined to have such disastrous and sanguinary consequences
But for the present these terrible results were still in the distant future, and the settlers went on their way rejoicing, making the best of their opportunities, and in many cases urging their friends and relations to come out from “Home” and join them in the land of plenty, where they had found so comfortable a refuge from the hardships that the industrial classes then had to face in England. The following extract from a letter written by a settler to a friend in Cornwall shows how strongly the advantages of colonial life appealed to many of the settlers: “The land is of excellent quality, and wood of all kinds is to be obtained here. The trees are green all the year round, and there are some of the finest shrubs you ever saw in your life. Some of the ferns here would fetch £100 if you could get them home to England. The climate here is good and healthy. I am working at my trade, shoemaking, which is one of the best in the colony. They pay 17s a pair for low shoes; £1 for high shoes; 10s for women's shoes; and £2 5s for Wellington boots for men. I also do the butchering as well, and intend to keep to it. I would be glad to see you out here, or any of my old friends from home. There is no scarcity of money or meat here. I have a house and garden of my own, and I never intend to be an English slave any more; but if I come home I hope to have enough to live on without working to maintain masters. Here is the place for farmers to live. No taxes, no tithes, no rates of any sort or any arbitrary taxation of money. The bush land is the best land; the fern land is not quite so good, but when the fern is burned it makes the land better. Some of the ferns are from fifteen to twenty feet high, and the fern tree grows here; the roots of which we eat just the same as you would an apple at home; and it is very good. The natives here are very harmless and quiet, and not at all as they are spoken of elsewhere. If any labouring man of the place were here, he would do well. Wages are here 30s a week.”
But satisfactory as the prospects seemed to the more sanguine of the colonists, the outlook for the promoters of the settlement was by no means bright. The funds of the Plymouth Company were exhausted, and the New Zealand Company was neither willing nor able to advance more money for the purchase of land. In January, 1843, the “Essex” (392 tons, Captain Oakley) arrived from Plymouth, carrying 141 immigrants; and this was the last vessel the Company despatched in its effort at colonisation. All-round retrenchment now became necessary. The issue of stores and rations was stopped; and as there was now more than enough land surveyed to meet all immediate demands, the Chief Surveyor, Mr. F. A. Carrington, was informed that his services would cease in March, 1844.
Meantime the friction with the natives was on the increase. At the Waitara, refugees returned from Kapiti stopped a survey party by the simple process of sitting down in the roadway in front of it; and the Waikatos, who claimed most of the land in the district by right of conquest, occasionally used threatening language towards the settlers. The proclamation issued by the Acting-Governor, Mr. Shortland, prohibiting the settlers from exercising any form of ownership on the land claimed by the natives, served to obstruct all further sales; and at last Mr. Spain, who had been authorised to investigate the Company's claim, paid his long-promised visit to Taranaki. Mr. Spain was an English barrister, who came out in 1841, and had already helped to assign to the natives “many places comprised within the boundaries claimed by the Company.” In company with Colonel Wakefield he now came to Taranaki to arbitrate between the colonists and the Maoris; and in June, 1844, he issued his decision. He assigned to the New Zealand Company the whole of the 60,000 acre block forming the New Plymouth settlement, with the exception of the native reserves, forming one-tenth of the whole area, and small portions set aside for the Wesleyan mission and for “Dicky” Barrett, whose faithful services to the settlers were thus requited. In return for all this the natives were to receive as compensation the sum of £200, and naturally enough this failed to satisfy them. The very day that Mr. Spain gave his award a lengthy petition was drawn up by Wiremu Kingi and several other Ngatiawa chiefs, pointing out that they had been dispossessed by the Waikatos, but that the land really belonged to them, while the Waikatos alone had received payment for it. “We love the lands of our ancestors,” ran this impressive document; “we did not receive any of the goods of Colonel Wakefield; it was wrong to buy the land which belonged to other
Governor Fitzroy, who was not only inexperienced, but emotional and easily prejudiced, seems to have been completely captured by the eloquence of the natives, and to the dismay and wrath of the Europeans, he proceeded at once to disavow Mr. Spain's decision. He came down to New Plymouth, gathered the natives together, and informed them that their claims were just, and would be upheld. “He therefore declared the whole settlement forefeited,” says Mr. Wells in his “History of Taranaki,” “and induced the Maoris to accept £350 in goods, money, and animals as a full compensation and completion of payment, for a block of land at and around the town, containing about 3,500 acres. The consequences of this insane act were crushing. After all the excellent speeches at Plymouth, after all the hopes that had been excited, after thousands of pounds had been spent, and hundreds of simple-hearted people had left their homes, traversed the seas, and established themselves in the wilderness, the settlement was diminished to the dimensions of a nobleman's park. What was perhaps the most unjust part of the business was, that the £350 paid to buy back the township, and a small block of land behind it, was taken from the New Zealand Company. By this act was laid the foundation of quarrelling and bloodshed. To it is to be attributed the deaths of Rawiri and Katatore, and also the Taranaki war.
“For years the settlement pined under this almost overwhelming affliction, and the only wonder is that it was not entirely broken up. As soon as the Governor's decision was made known, the exulting Maoris commenced a series of persecutions upon all the settlers who were living outside the lines of the reduced settlement. One by one they sorrowfully came in, abandoning their newly reclaimed fields, which soon reverted to a state of nature, containing here and there a thorn or some other very hardy British plant, to prove to another generation that Britons had made an attempt to cultivate that part of the wilderness.
“If the Governor had felt that the manumitted slaves should receive payment for their share of the land, it was in his power to have ordered payment to be made to them. He, however, did not so act, but chose rather to give back the entire settlement to the natives, and then re-purchase with the funds of the Company, the township and its suburbs. To injury the Governor added insult; when the simple-minded Devonshire and Cornish peasants attempted to remonstrate with him, and plead the cause of their families, he told them they were all trespassers, and deserved transportation. Years after this transaction, when discussing the events of 1844 over the winter's evening fire, the conclusion universally come to by the settlers was, that Governor Fitzroy was insane, and the fact of his afterwards dying by his own hand seems to show that that conclusion was not far from the fact. Not only ought the decision of Mr. Commissioner Spain to have been accepted, armed as he was both with Imperial and Colonial jurisdiction in the matter, but there are strong grounds for believing that the Company's claims ought never to have been brought into his Court.”
“Governor Fitzroy's decision,” writes Mr. Seffern, “had a crushing
The not unnatural effect of the Governor's action upon the natives, was to make the Ngatiawas very self-confident and over-bearing. The Waikatos, who had released their captives when they themselves were converted to Christianity, were incensed at the arrogance of those who had so lately been slaves. But Governor Fitzroy was determined at all costs to propitiate the Maoris. He held several meetings in the Taranaki district, and at last, chiefly through the skilful negotiations of Mr. Donald McLean, he arranged to purchase from the Ngatiawa a block of land of 3,500 acres, for which the New Zealand Company, through Mr. Wicksteed, paid £50 in cash and a miscellaneous assortment of guns, blankets, hats, print, calico, and other “trade.” All the settlers in the district were to be removed to holdings within the boundaries of the “Fitzroy Block,” but at Mangaoraka and elsewhere, the colonists were on such good terms with the natives, that they were allowed to remain unmolested. Generally speaking, it may be said that at this stage of the settlement's growth the relations between Maori and European were distinctly amicable. But there was a party in existence in those days who were not slow to put the blame of all the trouble with the natives on the shoulders of the Europeans, charging them with persecuting the Maoris, and otherwise dealing unjustly by them. One of the most unbiassed persons living in the midst of both races, was the Rev. Samuel Ironside, and he, writing to the New Zealand “Spectator,” published in Wellington on the 5th of November, 1844, says: “I hesitate not to say that during a residence of more than twelve months in this settlement, so far as I have observed, the settlers have been uniformly kind and considerate towards the native population. There have been disputes and misunderstandings between the races, but they have arisen mainly out of circumstances over which the settlers have no control; and it has given me pleasure to witness the forbearance of the white people towards the natives, under the very painful and discouraging circumstances in which they have been placed, through the non-settlement of the land question.”
But the Europeans were naturally incensed at the action of the Governor in setting aside Mr. Spain's award, and Colonel Wake-field, representing the New Zealand Company, protested most vehemently against the steps that Governor Fitzroy had taken. Mr. Spain, who had emphatically declared that the Company was fairly and justly entitled to the whole 60,000 acre block taken up by them, resigned his position and left the colony. As an inevitable result of the uncertainty in which all European titles of land now stood, there was hesitation and lack of enterprise apparent among the colonists, and consequently lack of employment and some discontent among the poorer classes. But in spite of all these difficulties, the settlement continued to progress. The grain and potato crops in 1845 were exceptionally heavy; and several important industries had already been started. Messrs White and Gallingham had put up a sawmill as well as a flour mill, and Mr. Josiah Flight had cultivated English flax with considerable success. By the end of 1845, statistics show that there were 635 acres in wheat, 128 acres in barley, and over 350 acres laid down in vegetable gardens. It was estimated that the surplus for export during the coming autumn would be 267 tons of flour and 1,600 bushels of barley, as well as a considerable quantity of salt pork. But the very advantages that the settlers now enjoyed prompted the natives to resent the intrusion of the whites among them. Once more there was trouble at the Waitara; and the rumours of Heke's defiance of the British authorities at the Bay of Islands, and the threatened attack of the Ngapuhi upon Auckland, encouraged the malcontents to take up an aggressive attitude towards the Europeans.
At this juncture, Governor Fitzroy was recalled, and the appointment of Captain George Grey, Governor of South Australia, to control the affairs of New Zealand, gave general satisfaction. The new Governor did not visit New Plymouth till 1847, but in 1846 he abolished the Maori Protectorate, and appointed Mr. D. McLean Inspector of Police, with a small body of armed followers. By this time the population of the settlement was about 1,100, and the land sold and selected up to date was 14,000 acres. The minimum price of the suburban land was £2 5s per acre; and there were still left, unsold, on the Company's hands, ninety-five suburban sections and 800 town sections, the minimum price of the latter being £12 10s per acre. The following figures may serve to throw some light on the conditions of life that prevailed in the little colony: The retail price for pork was 3d per lb, mutton 6d per lb, and beef (which was very seldom in the market) 6d to 8d per lb. Taranaki beer was sold for 2s per gallon, potatoes 1s 6d per hundredweight; fowls, 1s 6d per couple. Working bullocks were worth £35; cows £14 to £20 each; and pigs
When Governor Grey paid his first visit to New Plymouth in February, 1847, he found a difficult task before him. Wi Kingi, the Ngatiawa chief who came up from Waikanae, ostensibly to aid in settling the land difficulty, was very insolent in his demeanour, and it was clear that Governor Fitzroy, in abandoning 56,000 acres to the natives, had encouraged them in the belief that their right to it would be paramount. After several meetings with the Maoris, Governor Grey instructed the Commissioner, Mr. Donald McLean, to make every effort to acquire for the Europeans those blocks which were awarded to the New Zealand Company by Mr. Spain, leaving always the original reserves for the natives, or areas equal to them in extent elsewhere.
The total amount of land to be reserved for the Europeans was to be from sixty to seventy thousand acres; a grant for which would be made over to the Company. Mr. McLean was advised to use the greatest economy in the business, and in no instance to exceed one shilling and sixpence per acre; the average price, however, was to be below that amount. No time was to be lost in completing the arrangements, and two parties were set about the work of surveying the land at once. Governor Grey left instructions that the natives who refused to assent to these arrangements, were to be made to distinctly understand that the Government would not admit that they were the true owners of the land, though they had thought proper to occupy it.
The Governor was singularly fortunate in his choice of an agent to conduct these negotiations. “Mr. Donald McLean,” says Mr. Seffern, “was just the class of man to be entrusted with such an important mission. His chief characteristic, when dealing with the Maoris, was to gain their confidence first, and having done that, make use of his influence to attain the object he had in view.” An “Old Settler,” writing in one of the newspapers, said: “If I was asked how Mr. McLean gained and held such a great influence over the natives, I should reply that it was his perfect self-reliance, a placid calmness of speech and manner, which nothing seemed to shake. A patience, almost superhuman, never allowed him to forget a promise, no matter how trivial, or to whom made; and a thorough knowledge of the race and their traditions.”
So successful were Mr. McLean's efforts, that, by the end of 1849, the natives had surrendered in all about 30,770 acres of land. This area included the Fitzroy or Home block of 3,500 acres; 4,000 acres at Tataramaika; the Omata block of 12,000 acres; the Grey block of 9,778 acres; and the Bell block of 1,500 acres. The Grey block, which surrounded the Home block, was heavily bushed, but well watered and fertile, and was bought for £390, to be paid in annual instalments. The Tataramaika block cost £150; and the Omata block cost £400; so that it could not be said that the land was acquired at an extravagant price. A difficulty arose with the Puketapu natives over the Bell block, and the Maoris who wished to sell had a hand-to-hand conflict with the Maoris who wished to retain possession of the land. Mr. Francis Dillon Bell, after whom the block was named, was the New Zealand Company's local agent, who had superceded Mr. Wicksteed. In Gisborne's “New Zealand Rulers and Statesmen” he is described as follows: “He has a mind remarkable for its perceptive faculties, and for its analytical power. His industry is inderatigable; his fondness for work grows by what it feeds on; in fact, he often makes work for his own enjoyment. Patient, painstaking, and exacting in his investigation, he delights in making clear what is dark, and in making simple what is complicated.” Mr. Bell was thus eminently fitted for the work entrusted to him, and it was largely owing to his ability that the friction with the natives was for the time reduced to a minimum.
But there were some indications of trouble brewing among the Maoris. The restless and vindictive Te Rauparaha was intriguing
A further complication was introduced into the native question in 1848, by the great migration of the Ngatiawa from their refuge at Waikanae, to their old home in the north. The reasons urged for their return were that they had now sold Waikanae to the colonists, and that their love for Waitara, their native place, was unquenched by separation. Moreover, Wi Kingi had obtained leave from the Waikatos to go back to the land of his fathers. In April, therefore, 587 natives returned to the Waitara. They were conveyed in one vessel, four boats, and forty-four canoes, and a score or so travelled overland on horseback. Wi Kingi had promised faithfully to keep to the north bank of the Waitara, so as not to interfere with the Europeans. But when he reached his destination, he pretended that he was afraid of the Ngatimaniapotos, who had clearings there, and he obtained permission from an old chief to build a pa on the south side of the river. Governor Grey was, from the first, suspicious of Wi Kingi's intentions, and at the outset refused to allow the migration from Waikanae, and threatened to seize the canoes. But as the returned Ngatiawas were more civilised and industrious than the Waitara natives, and protested loudly that they would not only be the faithful allies of the Europeans, but would persuade the local natives to sell their lands to the whites, and more especially because the authorities at Wellington were anxious to get rid of Wi Kingi, and to buy the land at Waikanae—the Governor at last gave a reluctant consent. The sequel will show how justly founded were Governor Grey's apprehensions.
At this juncture attention may be turned to a feature of the settlement's growth, which marks its steady advance towards civilisation. Already, within a few years of its foundation, several religious denominations had established themselves in the little village, which was slowly growing into the prosperous town now known as New Plymouth. In 1840 the New Zealand Church Society was founded in England, and in 1841 Bishop Selwyn was appointed spiritual guardian of the colony. He reached Auckland in May, 1842, and in October of the same year he made his first visit to Taranaki, travelling overland from Wellington to New Plymouth. The New Zealand Company gave £500 towards the endowment of a church in Taranaki; and in 1844 the Bishop appointed the Rev. William Rolland, whom he had trained at Waimate, to be minister at New Plymouth. By 1846, an imposing stone church was erected at a cost of £800, and as the settlement advanced, other places of worship grew up in the adjacent villages—in 1848 at Omata, in 1854 on the Bell block, and in 1859 in the Barrett road.
The Roman Catholic Church preceded the Church of England in this colony in order of time; for Bishop Pompallier first arrived in Auckland in 1838. But for some years the Roman Catholics in Taranaki had to be content with the ministrations of the priest stationed at Wanganui, who frequently traversed on foot the whole distance between the two settlements. It was not till 1856, when the Puketapu feud had rendered it necessary to station some companies of soldiers at New Plymouth, that a Roman Catholic church was built there. However, no priest was stationed there till the outbreak of the Maori rebellion in 1860; but among the most famous names in the roll of colonial churchmen is that of Father Rolland, of New Plymouth, who, during the war, steadfastly performed the duties of his office for the wounded and the dying, on the field of battle.
The Wesleyan Missionary Society established itself at Whangaroa so far back as 1827, and later at Hokianga. When the New Plymouth settlement was founded, Mr. Creed was sent down to the district, and established himself at Ngamotu. A small church was put up by the Wesleyans, in 1842, within the boundaries of New Plymouth: and in 1848 Governor Grey erected an Industrial School at Ngamotu, managed by the Wesleyan Mission, to give Maori children industrial training and education. By 1856, the increase in the number of settlers, and the presence of the soldiers in Taranaki, necessitated the building of another chapel, and ever since then the Wesleyans have been an active and successful body in the district. It should be mentioned that the Primitive Methodists were first represented in the district in 1844, by a missionary, the Rev. Robert Ward. “The settlement,” says Mr. Wells, “owes a debt of gratitude to the plain but earnest members of the connexion. At their Sunday schools, many obtained all the book learning they ever received. When there were no newspapers and little literature of any kind in the province, the Primitive Methodists distributed books in their schools and congregations, and while other denominations devoted a very large part of their attention to the Maoris, these directed all their labours to the spiritual, and intellectual good of their fellow-countrymen, the colonists.”
The foundation of the first Baptist church in New Plymouth was not laid till 1868. But the first Congregational minister who laboured in the district came out in the “Tunandra” in 1842. In 1849 the Rev. H. Groube erected a small chapel in the town; but in 1861, the congregation, on account of the war, dwindled away, the clergymen left the colony, and the demonination, so far as New Plymouth was concerned, ceased to exist.
Very different has been the history of the New Plymouth Presbyterian church. This was first represented by the Rev. John Thom, who, in 1858, went up from Wanganui on a pastoral visit. The Presbyterians among the “military settlers” sent Home a memorial to the Colonial Committee of the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh, petitioning for a clergyman for “St. Andrew's Kirk,” Taranaki. The Rev. Robert McNicol, of Oban, was accordingly despatched to the colony, and reached New Plymouth in 1865, only to find that the church was so far non-existent. But the Presbyterian settlers rallied round their minister, and in 1866, the first Scotch church was opened by the Rev. David Bruce, of England. For some years the depression and uncertainty caused by the war reduced the congregation, and when the troops were withdrawn, many of the best supporters of the Presbyterian church left the district. However, by 1872, the church debt was finally cleared off, and since those days the church has grown and prospered till it is one of the most powerful religious bodies in the district.
This brief reference to the ecclesiastical history of New Plymouth shows that even in the earliest and gloomiest periods of its career, the young settlement did not lack due care for its moral and spiritual needs.
By 1850, the discovery of gold in Australia had created a demand for farm produce of all kinds, and Taranaki, with the other settlements in New Zealand, profited by the increase of trade. In this year, too, the New Zealand Company, finding itself unable to meet its liabilities—amounting to over a quarter of a million sterling—surrendered its charter and its lands to the Crown. Thus Taranaki came under the authority of the central Government; and it soon began to recover from the evil effects of the New Zealand Company's mismanagement, and the difficulties that had arisen with the natives. The successful settlement of Otago (1848) and Canterbury (1850) gave a new impetus to colonisation in these islands, and during 1850 the ship “Pekin,” and the barques “Berkshire,” “Kelso,” “Mariner” “Eden,” and “Phoebe Dunbar” arrived at New Plymouth, with settlers intending to make their home in Taranaki. During 1851, Governor Grey proposed to reduce the size of New Plymouth by one half, and to introduce Imperial military pensioners, with their families, into the district. These suggestions, though they met with the approval of the settlers, were never carried into effect; but the little colony still continued to progress in wealth and in all the essentials of civilisation. In 1851, through the energy of Mr. William Collins, the first paper in the district, the “Taranaki Herald,” was published. Mr. Collins, with the help of his partner, Mr. Woon, brought the type and printing press from Auckland, via Onehunga and the West Coast; and on the 4th of August the first number of the paper was given to the world. One interesting feature of the first issue is the prospectus, in which the editor explains that the object of the paper is “to collect and disseminate local information and suggestions; to be the medium of discussing questions more immediately interesting to the inhabitants of this part of New Zealand; to be the organ of their claims upon the attention of the Government here, as well as the public and the Government in England; and, on the other hand, to present a concise view of the progress of events abroad.” A reference to “the gross and wilful misrepresentation of interested parties in Auckland” points to the development of provincial jealousies at this early stage of the colony's growth; and the congratulations offered by the editor to the settlers on the fact that “men of talent and integrity aspire to the honour of representing them in the Provincial Assembly,” indicates the interest already taken by the colonists in the political questions of the day.
The necessity for forming, and acting upon, political opinions had already been forced upon the young colony. By an ordinance of the Legislative Council in 1851, New Zealand was divided into two provinces—New Ulster and New Munster, with a Lieutenant-Governor and a Provincial Assembly in each. Each Assembly was to consist of not less than nine members, of whom one-third were to be nominees, and two-thirds elected. Taranaki was divided into two electorates—the country districts, and the town of New Plymouth. The electoral qualification was a £50 freehold or a £5 house-rental, with six months' residence. There were 105 voters in New Plymouth, and 175 in the Taranaki district; and the first election was held on the 31st of August, 1852. Mr. Charles Brown was returned for New Plymonth town without opposition, a “non-resident” candidate who had aspired to nomination having failed to put in an appearance. For the country districts there were three candidates—Mr. J. F. Wicksteed, Mr. J. C. Richmond, and Mr. H. Scotland; and at the election the votes recorded were: Wicksteed 108, Richmond 30, Scotland 6. Mr. Wicksteed, “the lion of Taranaki,” was therefore elected; but the constitution of the colony was soon radically altered, and the work of election had to be done again.
Among other evidences of progress that belong to this period, may be noted the establishment of a Mechanics' Institute in New Plymouth, in 1851. This institution was, from its formation, a great success, and many interesting lectures on science, philosophy and literature were delivered in it by Mr. Charles Brown, Mr. Isaac Watt, and other prominent citizens.
Early in 1852 the Taranaki Agricultural Society was formed, and at once began to consider the necessity for memorialising the Governor for funds, to keep in regular repair the roads and bridges in the district, and to prevent the spread of disease among the sheep. In
By the end of 1852, about 90,000 acres out of the 2,500,000 acres composing the province, were in possession of the Europeans. The village capital, “snugly planted on the margin of the beach, embosomed amid gently rising hills,” contained a stone church, several chapels, mills and breweries, stores, hotels, and shops. A writer of those days has said that Taranaki “was famed throughout the colony for its troops of happy, rosycheeked children, pretty women, honey, fine mutton, and dairies of Devonshire cream.” Another writer, dealing with the aspects of the settlement about the same date, says: “The appearance of the settlement from the sea is varied and beautiful. The taste for sylvan scenery and quiet rustic beauty is gratified by the combination of stream and forest, glade and valley, whilst there is the snow-crested Apollo of mountains showing up from the sea of forest, 8000 feet into the brilliant sky.” Such was New Plymouth when the colony obtained its long-desired Constitution, and just before the outbreak of the ten years' disastrous war with the natives.
What is usually known as the Maori King movement, dates from about the year 1853. Very shortly after Sir George Grey had proclaimed the new constitution, the discontent of the Maoris, who saw their lands gradually drifting into the possession of the pakeha, reached a climax. A pamphlet was circulated among them, setting forth the folly of selling their heritage, and they were urged to follow the example of Naboth of Jezreel, “who died a martyr, because he would not part with the inheritance of his father.” This movement soon spread southward from Auckland, and the Taranaki Land League, which eventually developed the Maori King Movement, and caused the Taranaki war, was organised in 1854.
According to Mr. Seffern, “Tamati Renia, a zealous opponent of
The seed sown by the Maori Land League soon bore fruit, but before dealing with the Puketapu feud, and the ten years' struggle that followed, it may be well to pause for a moment to consider the nature of the European claims to such land as the settlers had been able to buy from the natives. Writing about 1860, Mr F. Carrington, for many years chief surveyor in the Taranaki district, points out that it was at the express and emphatic wish of the local natives, that the Europeans first settled in Taranaki. The remnant of the Ngatiawa, living in abject fear of the Waikato tribes, were only too glad to take advantage of the protection that the presence of the white men afforded them. “When first I visited this part of New Zealand,” writes Mr Carrington, “there were not more than fifty or sixty natives throughout the district. These few dejected beings were living immediately on the shore, close to the Sugar Loaf Islands, so that they might be ever ready to flee to those rocky islets from the impending danger with which they were incessantly threatened by their implacable enemies, the Waikatos; they existed upon fern-root and fish, without garden or plantation of any kind, and their clothing was in keeping with their servile wretchedness. No sooner had they learned, through an interpreter, the object of my visit, than in speeches and gesture I was importuned to bring white people to dwell amongst them; the whole district was abandoned—they invited me to take it, so that they might be protected from their dreaded enemies, the Waikatos, who, some eight years before, under Te Whero Whero, a leading chief, had barbarously tortured and slaughtered, dispersed, and carried away captive, the greater portion of these, the Ngatiawa people. So great was the slaughter, dispersion, and captivity of these people, that, after eight years had elapsed, only some fifty or sixty of them had returned to a point on the coast where, by nature, they could at all times be secure from surprise.”
Mr. Carrington goes on to show how thoroughly the position of affairs in Taranaki was misunderstood in England, and even in other parts of the colony. Bishop Selwyn, in 1855, had written a Pastoral Letter dealing with the native land question, and Mr. Carrington took special exception to the Bishop's statement that “a transaction which was supposed to give to two or three thousand Englishmen an absolute right to dispossess seven thousand armed New Zealanders, was concluded within a space of time in which no honest conveyancer would undertake to draw a marriage settlement upon an encumbered estate.”
“Anyone reading the above statement,” writes Mr. Carrington, “would suppose that there were really seven thousand armed natives offering resistance on the land which the New Zealand Company claimed as the New Plymouth settlement. The truth is, when I first came here, there were not any natives in occupation of the land, and not more than fifty or sixty in the whole country, who importuned me to bring white people to settle on the land, and who, in a most abject state, were existing on the coast close to the Sugar Loaf Islands. The New Zealand Company claimed for their settlement of New Plymouth, sixty thousand acres. The Government statistics, taken in 1856, show that there are now, after all who have returned, only one thousand seven hundred and eighty-two natives in the whole of the New Plymouth province, which embraces an area of two million one hundred and seventy-six thousand acres. To make this statement still more clear, I give the following comparative fact: The province of New Plymouth is larger in extent than the four English counties of Kent, Surrey, Middlesex, and Hereford, and the sum total of all the native population in the whole province is one thousand seven hundred and eighty-two. In other words, the native population of the province of New Plymouth, is not more than the population of one of our English villages, and the acres of land they hold, in a useless state, is more than is contained in four English counties.”
But the case for the settlers was by no means limited to a claim for the just completion of the contracts that the natives of their own free will had made with them. Within a very few years after the foundation of the settlement, the condition of the natives was such, that the acquisition of their land by the whites seemed to be the only way of saving them from extermination by disease and mutual slaughter. For this reason more than any other, Mr. Carrington, and those who held his views, advocated the relaxation of the terms of the treaty of Waitangi, so as to allow suitable settlers to make their homes on native land. This view of the case is well set forth in the following extract from Mr. Carrington's pamphlet on the Taranaki Land Question (1859): “Many, very many thousands of acres of land, on each side of the river Waitara, are held by some six hundred natives, who, though they reside only twelve miles from the town of New Plymouth, and have had the advantage of intercourse with a civilised community for nineteen years, yet are living in a debased social condition; their habitations are squalid and miserable, their clothing loathsome and frequently indecent, their food often disgusting, and their cultivations limited and insignificant; the immense tract of land they hold, though the “Garden of the Country,” and possessing an admirable
To complete the statement of the case for the colonists, the following extract from Mr. Carrington's appeal to the Governor to compel the natives to dispose of their land, will be sufficient for the present purpose: “The degraded, nay, indecent and loathsome condition in which the majority of the natives congregate and huddle in their whares and pas, alike pernicious to morality and health, the idle and useless manner in which many of them waste their lives, devising to their own detriment and fomenting discord; the secluded, isolated, and doleful way that many families of the settlers are forced to live in their forest farms, with scanty means and constant toil, prohibited the use of the fertile wasted unoccupied land, debarred society and the House of God; the inhuman treatment and angry language which I have witnessed towards poor dumb brutes, consequent from the aggravation caused by the almost impassable broken state of the forest roads, and the fearful consequences arising from these things, is the immediate cause of my submitting for your Excellency's consideration the remarks contained in this letter. It is manifest to all who are interested in the preservation and civilisation of the now remnant native race, and who are not devoid of fellow-feeling for a people
After Wi Kingi and his followers had settled at the Waitara, they gradually gained wealth and importance by selling their produce to the settlers. While in exile at Waikanae, Wi Kingi had determined, so far back as 1847, to sell no land to the whites; but he was quite prepared to make a profit out of them when he could. So well did the Waitara natives succeed in this policy, that by 1854 they possessed, in addition to considerable sums of money, 150 horses, 300 head of cattle, forty carts, thirty-five ploughs, twenty pairs of harrows, three winnowing machines, and ten wooden houses. By 1859, according to Wells' “History of Taranaki,” there were in the native districts 2061 acres under cultivation, while the Maoris in the province had 218 horses, 692 horned cattle, 110 carts, 102 ploughs, forty-five harrows, and seven threshing machines. These proofs of wealth show how it was possible for the natives to support themselves during the long and arduous struggle which they were about to enter upon with the Europeans.
The immediate cause of the conflict was a dispute over a block of land at Puketapu, purchased by Commissioner McLean in 1854. At the request of the chief Katatore, one of Wi Kingi's friends, a portion called Tainutangi was omitted. A dispute arose as to the ownership of this section, and at last Rawiri offered it to Mr. McLean, who agreed to take it if Rawiri would cut the boundary lines. This the chief essayed to do, but he and his band of twenty-five followers were assailed by Katatore, with twenty-eight armed men, and Kawiri and several of his men were killed. The dead chief was highly esteemed by the Europeans, but the Acting-Governor, Colonel Wynyard, hesitated to interfere.
A tribal feud arose, and was complicated by the shooting of a native, who eloped with the wife of Maia, one of Rawiri's friends. Wi Kingi industriously fomented the quarrel; and in August, 1855, it was deemed necessary to send a body of troops from Auckland to New Plymouth, to secure the safety of the settlers. Accordingly, 250 men and twenty-three officers of the 58th Regiment came down from Auckland, and next month 210 officers and men of the 65th Regiment came up from Wellington. But after about sixty Maoris had been killed and 100 wounded in the feud, the natives, who had carefully abstained so far from in-interfering with the whites, declared a truce. But Katatore, who had broken away from the Land League, and had offered 10,000 acres to the Government, was accordingly murdered by Maia, who was subsequently driven out of the country, and, with the help of the whites, escaped to the Chatham Islands.
So far as the Puketapu feud was concerned, this was settled by the payment to the natives of £2000 for a block of 2000 acres at Tarnrutangi, over which Rawiri was killed. But by this time the Land League had merged itself into the general body of the King movement, and Te Whero Whero was sending emissaries among the tribes, urging them to resist the whites. In March, 1859, the Governor again visited New Plymouth, and a great gathering of the natives was held to decide whether they should come to terms with the pakehas. Several chiefs spoke favourably of accepting British authority, and in reply to an appeal from Mr. McLean to dispose of their land, Te Teira, of Waitara, stated that he was anxious to sell a portion of his block. Here Wi Kingi and another chief interfered, claiming the right to veto Teira's offer, on the ground that there was a “mana” over the land.
Major Parris, the Land Purchase Commissioner for Taranaki, made a minute investigation of the title, and having decided that the land was really Teira's property, he paid him £100 on account of the purchase money. Wi Kingi and a body of natives came from Waitara to New Plymouth, to protest against the sale, and Wi Kingi, though admitting that the land was Teira's, defiantly declared that it should not be sold to the whites. In February, 1860, Major Parris, with Mr. F. Carrington and Mr. Hursthouse, set about the survey of the purchased land; and when they were obstructed by Wi Kingi's followers, notice was given to the natives that they would be arrested if they did not desist. Wi Kingi, however, refused to give way, and so the ten years' war began.
On the 22nd of February, 1860, Lieutenant-Colonel Murray published an order placing the whole district of Taranaki under martial law, and preparations were made for taking possession of the disputed land at Waitara. But Wi Kingi and his followers had already seized it, and erected upon it a strong pa, which it was now necessary to destroy. The country settlers at once began to crowd into the town for shelter; and on the 3rd of March, Colonel Gold attacked the pa in force. It was assailed with rocket and cannon fire, and was soon abandoned. But the news that hostilities had now begun, soon gathered the Land League's supporters together. The chief Manaia cast in his lot with the Kingites, and about 1000 Taranaki and Ngatiwanui natives came down to terrorise the settlers. On the 27th of March three settlers, Ford, Passmore, and Shore were shot and tomahawked, and an expedition under Colonel Murray and Lieutenant Blake was sent down to Omata, to punish the murderers, and rescue the surviving settlers. There was an obstinate fight at Waireka, and Colonel Murray, finding his force in danger, withdrew the regulars. The volunteers and militia were thus left unsupported to face the natives, but were rescued by a party of sailors, headed by Captain Cracroft. The engagement thus ended in a victory for the whites, but it showed that the Maoris could fight; and there were at least 1000 of them well armed, and ready to fall upon the settlers, who crowded into the blockhouses, and temporary shelters erected for them, and naturally suffered a great deal of anxiety and material loss.
At this juncture, Major Parris was requested to meet and confer with Rewi, the celebrated Ngatimaniapoto chieftain. On his way
The natives now infested all the the outlying districts, and settlers attempting to reach their farms, or remain on them did so at their own grievous peril. Captain Brown, the editor of the “Taranaki Herald,” and Messrs Harris, Hurford, Coad, and Crann were murdered by the natives within a few months. The British troops, however, remained inactive, waiting for the rebels to make the first move. Many of the settlers' wives and children were removed to Nelson for safety, and the whole work of colonisation in the district seemed undone.
However, on the 23rd of June, 1860, a reconnoitring party of the 40th Regiment was fired upon from the Puketahuere pa, and it was then decided to attack that stronghold. Major Nelson led the main body of the assailants; and he was to have been assisted by Colonel Gold with a large force and two 24-pounders. But Colonel Gold refused to allow his force to ford the Mangaoraka, and marched back to town, leaving Major Nelson to shift for himself. After a fierce engagement, in which the fire was said by a Crimean veteran to be hotter than at the attack on the Redan, the whites were driven back with considerable loss. The news of this repulse greatly encouraged the natives, and it was thought advisable to despatch considerable reinforcements of British troops to Taranaki.
The wives and children of the settlers were urged to leave the district; but many of them preferred to run all risks in the town, which was now practically in a state of siege. The poor success of the regular troops against the Maoris had roused strong feeling amongst the settlers, and the natives soon showed a corresponding degree of confidence and boldness. A large number of Waikatos came down to the Waitara to help Wi Kingi; and early in November General Pratt, who had recently arrived from Melbourne, determined to attack the hill Mahoetahi, where the rebels were strongly posted near the Waiongona river. The hill was carried after a fierce fight, in which the Waikatos lost heavily. But large numbers of the tribe poured down towards the Waitara, eager for revenge; and in December General Pratt led about 1000 men and a train of artillery to seize the Matarihoriho pa. Here again the rebels were beaten, and retired after suffering heavily. But the result of the fight was, as before, indecisive.
To draw off General Pratt's attention from the north the Maoris again occupied Burton's Hill and Waireka, seizing the principal roads, and confining the Europeans inside the town and its stockades. It thus became necessary to send out another expedition, and there was a sanguinary conflict at Huirangi redoubt, where over fifty
For a time, then, hostilities were suspended, and the settlement revived in hope and prosperity. The settlers were, however, much exasperated by the action of those who, like Bishop Selwyn, held that on the whole the natives had the right side of the quarrel, and the Europeans were in the wrong. A pamphlet entitled “One of England's Little Wars” was written by Archdeacon Hadfield, in which he defended Wi Kingi's claim to the Waitara lands; and Canon Stowell, of Manchester, declared that the “grasping and oppressive emigrants” had “hewed the natives up and cut them down” to serve their own ends. Such baseless and ignorant comments perhaps helped to strengthen the colonists in their determination to maintain what they believed to be their rights.
In May, 1863, the truce was broken. A party of troops had been sent to occupy Tataraimaka, which the settlers claimed as their own land, justly purchased.
Though the “Taranaki Herald” had published full particulars of ambuscades set to intercept the whites, no notice was taken of these warnings. A party of nine men of the 57th Regiment, convoying a prisoner to New Plymouth, was cut on on the road; and Dr. Hope and Lieutenant Tragett were killed, with five of the men. This incident started the war afresh, and the trouble now extended to the Wellington and Auckland districts. In June, 1863, General Cameron advanced against the Kaihara pa, which was taken chiefly through the intrepidity of Colonel Warre, and the 57th Regiment. Happily, this reverse daunted the courage of the local natives, for news now came that the Waikatos had risen in rebellion, and a large body of regulars was withdrawn from Taranaki to assist in the defence of Auckland. This move naturally encouraged the natives, and Hapurona sent a defiant challenge to the Governor and the General, offering to fight them at any time or place they might fix; and parties of volunteers were organised by Captain Webster and Captain Harry Atkinson, as Forest Rangers, to follow the natives and fight them in the bush. About the same time Wi Kingi and his followers seem to have agreed that so long as they held the Waitara lands, the question of Tataramaika might be allowed to rest; but the majority of the natives kept up hostilities to distract the energies of the Government from the Waikato rebellion.
In July, 1863, a proclamation was issued confiscating the lands of the rebels; but desultory fighting still went on. In February, 1864, Mr. Patterson, a well-known settler, was shot close to New Plymouth. In March there was a skirmish at Kaitake, in which the 57th Regiment again displayed great valour. But in April the whites suffered a severe reverse at Ahahua, where Captain Lloyd and a party of the 57th, with some of the Melbourne volunteers, fell into an ambush, and Captain Lloyd and six others were killed. Their bodies were afterwards found shockingly mutilated, for the rebels at this time threw aside all semblance of Christianity, or regard for what they had learned of civilisation. They adopted the practices of “Pai Marire” and called themselves Hauhaus, thus adding fanaticism to their natural ferocity. In the same month of April the rebels made a vigorous attack upon the redoubt at Sentry Hill, but were driven off with loss; and the defeat of the Waikatos by General Cameron still further disheartened the Taranaki tribes.
During the year 1864 the Manutahi, and Mataitawa pas were taken without much difficulty; and the great pa of Te Hoei, before which General Pratt had failed, was
The fact was that General Camereron, like many of the Imperial officers, was inclined to attach too much importance to the traditions of the service, and to methods of warfare which were sadly in need of adaptation to the peculiarities of the irregular warfare that the Maoris preferred. As a result of these difficulties, General Cameron resigned his post in August, 1865, and was succeeded by Major-General Trevor Chute. About this time the Imperial Government complained of the expense to which England was put, by supporting so large a body of troops in the field. There were in the colony at this time, ten regiments, amounting to 10,000 men, with two batteries of field artillery with engineers; and the colony, therefore, decided to do the best it could with as little Imperial assistance as possible.
For the next two or three years desultory fighting went on, but in January, 1866, General Chute attempted a decisive movement. He marched a large force through the bush from the south to New Plymouth, and thence led his troops round the coast to Patea and Wanganui, destroying all the pas and plantations in his way. The land of the rebels was confiscated; and a scheme of “military settlements;” proposed by Mr. Domett, was carried out to protect the colonists, and to offer reasonable compensation to those prepared to risk their lives in fighting the natives. The total area of land north of the Waingongoro river was 934,325 acres, and of this, 47,800 acres were laid out as military settlements. But when their three years' service was up, and the men were able to take possession of their allotments, they mostly disposed of them and left the district. There was no regular work for the men to do, and the country was still
But after General Chute's march through the bush, the resistance of the natives gradually languished and died away. By June, 1867, the last of the English regiments was withdrawn from Taranaki; and in May, 1868, the Maoris took heart, and once more attacked the settlers on the Waimate Plains. A force was speedily raised, consisting mostly of Forest Rangers, who knew the bush as well as the natives, and were familiar with all the difficulties of irregular fighting. Major von Tempsky, Colonel McDonnell, Captain Ross, and other colonial officers, led their men capably, and though they sustained occasional reverses, the native resistance was gradually beaten down. In July, 1868, the natives attacked Turuturumokai redoubt, and though they were repulsed, killed Captain Ross and nine of his men. A strong pa at Te Ngutu-o-te-manu was captured by Colonel McDonnell; but at Ruaruru the whites were driven back with heavy loss. Major von Tempsky, the brave leader of the Forest Rangers, was killed, and with him Captains Birch and Palmer, Lieutenants Hastings and Hunter, and twelve men, while about thirty officers and men were wounded. Major von Tempsky had served all through the Maori wars with conspicuous courage and success, and his loss was severely felt.
Shortly after this defeat, Colonel McDonnell resigned his command, and was succeeded by Colonel Whitmore. But Colonel Whitmore, in November, 1868, made an attack on Okutuku pa, which turned out disastrously; and the whites lost about ten killed and thirty wounded. These successes so encouraged Titokowaru that he made a raid towards Wanganui, burning farmhouses, and causing great alarm. In the same month news reached Taranaki that Te Kooti had escaped from the Chatham Islands, and the particulars of the “Poverty Bay Massacre” horrified the colonists, who feared that the whole of the North Island would break out into rebellion again. Titokowaru was obliged, however, by want of food, to retire towards the upper Waitara, in the hope of getting help from Wi Kingi.
Early in 1869, a “taua,” or war party of Ngatimaniapoto, came from the Mokau to help the Taranaki rebels; and murdered several people at White Cliffs under circumstances of peculiar atrocity. Captain Gascoigne, his wife and children, two military settlers named Milne and Richards, and the Rev. John Whiteley, the well known and devoted missionary, were the victims. The news of this tragedy sent a thrill of horror through the district, and once more the settlers hurried their wives and children to the shelter of New Plymouth. Colonel Whitmore set out in quest of Titokowaru, and nearly captured him in the Ngaire swamp.
But at this juncture the whole course of events was changed. The Stafford Ministry went out of office, and was replaced by the Fox-Vogel Ministry, of which Sir Donald McLean was Native Minister. A truce was at once offered the natives, and they, finding that the King party in the Waikato was not disposed to assist them, and being worn out by the length of the war, willingly accepted a respite. From that time onward there was peace in Taranaki, and the only native trouble that has since disturbed the district was the obstruction offered by Te Whiti and his followers to the annexation of their lands in 1880–1.
So peace was at last established; but it was many years before the whites and the Maoris came to regard each other with any degree of mutual confidence. The settlement was still almost completely isolated. “To the south of the town was an almost impenetrable bush, which was swarming with Maoris; and to the east and west there were hordes of natives who regarded the whites with sullen looks.” There was even a temporary revival of hostilities, when Colonel Whitmore took a few troops to the Mokau Heads to exact punishment for the White Cliffs murders. But the determination of the Maori king to have nothing to do with Titokowaru, showed that the resistance of the natives was broken; and the settlers at last began to enjoy the unwonted sensation of peace. “No longer,” writes Mr. Wells, in his History of Taranaki, “no longer the reveille was sounded at daybreak from Marshland Hill to arouse the garrison, and the inhabitants of the besieged town, and to give the weary night pickets license to leave their posts for their homes and their firesides: no longer the ‘alarm’ called all men off duty to arms, to face the foe; and no longer the mournful dead march wailed out its sorrowful strains over the remains of the fallen brave.”
But the colony as a whole, and the New Plymouth district in particular, suffered severely from the commercial depression which was the inevitable consequence of the war. The attempt which was made to populate the district with military settlers was not a success. At the time when Governor Bowen visited New Plymouth, towards the end of 1869, the total population of the district was about 4,350, including the whole area from the Patea to the Mokau. But the settlers made up for their small numbers by an amount of energy and enthusiasm unsurpassed in the records of New Zealand colonisation. One of the enterprises to which the settlers first directed their attention was the attempt to utilise the mineral wealth of their adopted country. “Along the shores of Taranaki exists a very considerable quantity of magnetic ironsand, which has been washed by the rivers out of the tufa which surrounds the base of Mount Egmont, and carried to the sea beach. It appears to be a sublimate of iron and titanium, produced by volcanic agency, and converted into a black magnetic oxide while in a heated state, by contact with heated steam. It produces a smelting of fifty to sixty-one per cent, of iron of the finest quality, the tensile strength of which has been discovered by experiment, to be greater by thirty-three tons five hundredweight to the square inch, than that of the best English iron. The iron, when converted into steel, has been put to the most severe tests by many eminent steel and tool makers in Great Britain, and has been admitted by them to be unsurpassed by any in the world; its closeness of grain, brilliancy of polish, keenness of edge, elasticity and strength, exciting general admiration, and leading to a unanimous
“In 1848, Mr. John Perry, carpenter, and an old settler of the province, made an attempt to smelt this sand by erecting a small furnace, on the banks of a small stream, which flows into the Huatoki river on the Carrington Road. Mr. Perry was encouraged in this work by Governor Grey, who promised him a lease of the sand, if his experiments were successful. Mr. Perry found a great difficulty in the fineness of the sand, which made its way to the bottom of the furnace before the fire could operate upon it with sufficient power to smelt it. Some small quantities of iron were, however, produced by him, and forged into small articles by Mr. Wood, the blacksmith. After this, Mr. C. Sutton made some experiments in the same direction on the town cliff, near to Mount McCormick, but was unsuccessful.
“In 1858, the Provincial Government of Taranaki granted a lease of the ironsand to Captain Morsehead, a retired officer of the East India Company's service, who went to England for the purpose of endeavouring to raise a company to work the ore. But Captain Morsehead returned unsuccessful from his mission, and in 1869 a firm from Wellington, trading under the name of Henochsburg and Co., erected a furnace on the South Road, just outside the boundaries of New Plymouth, and attempted to work the sand. Partial success attending these operations, the firm was expanded into a company bearing the title of the Pioneer Steel Company. Failing to make the steel flow freely from the surface, the company suspended operations, and deputed Mr. Chilman to the ironmasters of England, to represent to them the value of the ore, to obtain information as to the best method of reducing it, and to sell the works if possible, and raise a new company. Mr. Chilman returned, having effected the sale of the lease and interest of the company to Mr. Walduck, and with some valuable information.
“Mr. Walduck, failing to make use of the works, or to avail himself of the interest of the Pioneer Company, another company was formed chiefly by the exertions of Mr. E. M. Smith, who had discovered a method of preventing the choking of furnaces by the ironsand, by forming it with clay into compound bricks before subjecting it to the fire. This company bore the name of the New Zealand Titanic Steel and Iron Company (Limited). Its proposed capital was £50,000 in 5,000 shares of £10 each, with power to increase to £100,000. Of this capital, £20,000 was called up, and expended in works at the Henui, including a blast charcoal furnace on the best American plan, and a powerful engine and apparatus for producing a hot blast. Alter the works had been completed, and everything was in readiness for commencing operations, the company shut up the place, and refused to charge the furnace. At the earnest solicitation of the shareholders residing in Taranaki, and on their guaranteeing to protect the company from loss or damage, permission was given for experimental operations to be conducted. The first of these was an experimental reduction of ore, which was chiefly hematite, from the Parapara mine at Nelson. The next experiment was conducted under the supervision of Messrs E. M. Smith and D. Atkinson, by which ironsand alone was reduced. On Saturday, the 23rd of September, 1876, the furnace was tapped, and three tons fifteen hundredweight of metal in pigs was produced, which has since been tested in England, and reported to be iron of the best possible quality. After these experiments the furnace was blown out, and the works have since remained in a quiescent state.”
To this sketch of the history of this embryo industry—extracted from Wells' History of Taranaki—it may be added that owing chiefly to the energy of Mr. E. M. Smith, and the enthusiasm of the late Sir Alfred Cadman, Taranaki ironsand promises soon to play an important part among the mineral resources of the colony.
Of another industry from which the pioneer settlers hoped great things — petroleum-boring — it can now (May, 1906) be said that oil has been found in quantities and under conditions which justify the expectation of brilliant and farreaching commercial results.
By 1871 the town of New Plymouth had begun to assume a more settled and prosperous aspect. There were many houses vacant, through the departure of troops, and rents were very low; but there was an Institute, an Oddfellows'
Under the conciliatory influence of Sir Donald McLean, the natives gradually became more amicable toward the whites. In 1872 Wi Kingi consented to visit the Native Minister at New Plymouth, and thenceforward the Ngatiawa chief offered no active opposition to the disposal of native land.
Between 1872 and 1874 the Provincial Council took over nearly 380,000 acres from the Maoris, including the Kopua, Huiroa, Waipuhu and Moa blocks; and as a natural result settlement began to make rapid headway. By 1874 Patea—or Carlyle—was a township of some importance, containing four hotels, four churches, two banks, and a large number of stores. Hawera, which was originally set apart as a military settlement, had two hotels, a bank, and a post and telegraph office. Early in 1875 the township of Inglewood was laid out in the Moa block, and the land adjoining it was speedily sold and cleared. Later in the same year the railway line between Waitara and New Plymouth (eleven miles long), was opened for traffic. The line reached Inglewood in 1877; and in that year Stratford township was laid out. The railway reached Stratford in 1879, and by August, 1881, it had got as far as Hawera. The forty-eight miles between New Plymouth and Hawera were covered in four hours; whereas Mr. Chavannes, who drove the first coach and four by the Mountain Road from Hawera to New Plymouth, took ten hours on his adventurous journey.
The railways were, of course, a part of the Public Works policy of the Fox-Vogel Ministry; and immigration was another important feature of Vogel's scheme. In 1874 the Provincial Council took steps to ensure a supply of suitable immigrants to Taranaki; and good work in this direction was done by Mr. W. M. Burten. Another important matter coming under the head of Public Works was the formation of the New Plymouth harbour. So far back as 1866 the roadstead had been surveyed as a harbour site. In 1874, Mr. Carrington, the Superintendent, got an Act passed by the General Assembly empowering the Provincial Council to set aside one-fourth of the land revenue of the province for harbour purposes. In 1875 the Provincial Council accordingly constituted a Harbour Board, in which it invested the reserves and funds, and authorised it to raise a loan of £350,000. Mr. F. Carrington was chairman and treasurer of the Harbour Board, which set about its duties with some show of energy. But in 1876, however, the scheme was mixed up with a project for establishing a Central Prison at New Plymouth, to supply convict labour for the harbour works, and when the provinces were abolished, this scheme fell through, and Parliament then limited the loan that might be raised for the harbour works to £200,000. The first stone of the breakwater was laid in 1881, and the work went on till the money was spent. But Parliament had so modified the land laws of the district, that the endowments originally granted to meet the interest on loans were practically confiscated, and so the district has always had to bear a heavy financial burden on account of its harbour works.
One of the most important public duties, which the Provincial Government had to pertorm, was the establishment of a system of education. Unlike the companies which founded Canterbury and Otago, the New Plymouth Company made no provision for general instruction in the new settlement, and the district was too sparsely peopled, and the settlers were too poor, to admit of private teachers starting schools with any hope of success. Many of the poorer children were taught to read in the Sunday schools. During the Maori war, the children who were sent as refugees to Nelson, received instruction in Government schools, but it was not till after the refugees returned to Taranaki that the first public day school was established at New Plymouth. It was founded by the Wesleyans, and conducted by Mr. and Mrs Schofield, who were succeeded by Mr. and Mrs Collis.
However, in 1867, the Provincial Council passed the Education Commission Ordinance, and in 1868 the Council decided to establish and maintain schools in the province. But the funds at their disposal were very limited; and the system thus inaugurated was necessarily very incomplete. In 1874, the Superintendent, Mr. F. Carrington, held meetings in the various country districts to lay before the people a scheme for placing primary education on a sound basis, and supporting it by a household rate of £1 per annum. In spite of strong opposition, the scheme was adopted by the Council, and the province was divided into two districts, with separate Education Boards. The funds obtained from the education rate were supplemented by special grants and endowments reserved by the Provincial Government. By dint of great exertion schools were opened in various rural districts, and the blockhouses scattered about the country were utilised for educational purposes. At last, in 1878, public education throughout the colony was brought under the control of the Central Government, and the comparatively inadequate arrangements made by the provincial authorities were superseded. Up to the time of the abolition of the provinces, Taranaki certainly never enjoyed the same educational advantages as the more fortunate provincial districts in the South Island.
The development of Taranaki since the abolition of the provinces has been steadily progressive, but
Much is still hoped from the mineral resources of Taranaki—the ironsand piled in inexhaustible profusion along the coast, and the petroleum, which has at last (1906) begun to fulfil the expectations of its persevering seekers. But the prosperity of the district is now firmly based upon the most staple and permanent of all sources of public and private wealth—“the natural and inexhaustible powers of the soil.”
As the country has been cleared of bush to make room for agriculture and dairying, the internal means of communication have steadily advanced into the wilderness. Though Taranaki has not yet any direct railway connection with Auckland, there is hope that this will be supplied within a comparatively short period of time. Meanwhile the district is relatively better provided with roads and railways than Auckland. The chief means of communication is the railway from Wellington, which traverses the district between Patea and New Plymouth—a distance of sixty-six miles. Through trains run every day, except Sunday, between New Plymouth and Wellington, and vice versa, a distance of 251 miles. The railway from Stratford to Whangamomona, now (June, 1906) open as far as Douglas Road, eleven miles from Stratford, will eventually be extended to connect with the North Island main trunk railway at Ongarue station.
The main North Road runs from New Plymouth, passing through the towns of Waitara and Urenui; and is formed as a cartroad to Mokau, the northern boundary of the district. All the streams are bridged with the exception of the Mokau river, on which there is a good ferry. From Mokau there is a dray-road right through to Te Kuiti, on the Auckland railway system. About midway between New Plymouth and Waitara, the Mountain Road diverges, and runs almost due south, and chiefly along the railway, for a distance of forty miles, connecting with the main South Road at the town of Hawera. This is at present the principal road in the district, tapping, as it does, large numbers of district roads, and passing through the towns of Inglewood, Midhirst, Stratford, Eltham, Normanby, and Hawera.
The Ohura Road branches from the Mountain Road at Stratford. It is formed and open for traffic as
The main South Road from New Plymouth follows the trend of the coast to the south, and was at one time the coach road to Wellington. It passes through the villages of Omata, Oakura, Okato, Rahotu, Otakeho, Manutahi South and Kakaramea, and the towns of Opunake, Manaia, Hawera, and Patea.
The Junction Road runs southeast from New Plymouth, and crosses the Mountain Road and railway at Inglewood thirteen miles out; it is metalled for thirty-six miles and a-quarter, and formed as a dray road for forty-five miles and three-quarters, where it connects with the Ohura road at a distance of thirty miles from Stratford. This road crosses a number of district roads; hence its name.
The Opunake Road runs from Stratford to Opunake, twenty-six miles, skirting the southern base of Mount Egmont. It is formed and metalled for twelve miles from Stratford; the remainder is open for horse traffic only. Wheel traffic turns down to Manaia Road to Kaponga, and thence along the Eltham-Opunake Road to the latter place. The route is metalled throughout.
The Eltham Road runs from Eltham to Opunake, twenty-five miles, connecting with the Opunake Road at Punehu, seven miles from Opunake. This is formed and metalled throughout.
There are other main roads, such as the Rawhitiroa Road, leaving the Mountain Road near Eltham; and the Otaraoa, Moki and Okoe roads.
The principal town of the district, New Plymouth, has a popuation of about 5,000, and is situated on the seashore, about two miles to the north-east of the picturesque rocky inlets known as the Sugar Loaves. New Plymouth is 251 miles by rail from Wellington; and at the port, which is two miles from the town, protection for shipping is afforded by a concrete mole, or breakwater, running in a northeast direction for a distance of 2,150 feet. Steamers of 1,000 tons can be berthed in almost all weathers, and the wharf is connected with the town by both rail and road. New Plymouth has a sash and door factory, a boot factory, a butter-keg factory, and three coach factories; a brewery, a cordial factory, a flour-mill, a tannery, a fellmongery, a bone mill, and iron-foundry; and there are freezing works and a bacon factory in the suburbs. The town is supplied with both water and gas.
Hawera, the next largest town, is situated on the eastern edge of the Waimate Plains. It has a population of 2,500, and is surrounded by a first-class dairying and grazing country, capable of carrying a very large population.
The town of Patea is situated on the coast, at the extreme southern end of the district, and has a population of 700. There is a splendid grazing district inland. Patea has a dairy factory, which has two branch creameries; and a refrigerating company for dairy and other produce has also been established, and is proving a great success. The Patea Harbour Board has an up-to-date wool-dumping press and hydraulic pumps; and steamers trade regularly to Westport, Greymouth, and Lyttelton, Wellington and other ports.
Stratford, a comparatively young town, lies about midway between Patea and New Plymouth. It has already a population of over 2,100, and is growing fast. The height above sea level is 1,000 feet, and the climate is bracing, though somewhat moist. The main road to Auckland starts at Stratford, and also the through railway line, now in course of construction. Stratford has a successful bacon factory, and the neighbouring district is devoted chiefly to dairy-farming.
Waitara, a seaport town of 900 inhabitants, is situated on the Waitara river, a mile up from the sea, and about ten miles northeast from New Plymouth. The Waitara Freezing and Cool Storage Company, Limited, has storage for 25,000 carcases of mutton, and its five freezing rooms are capable of hanging 1,200 carcases; it has, also, a beef-chilling room and a mutton-chilling room. The freezing plant is a 60-ton Hercules, and is guaranteed to freeze 1,500 sheep per day. The boiling-down and tallow department is most complete and up-to-date, a large manure plant has been erected, and the works are fitted throughout with electric light. The produce is conveyed on board the New Zealand Shipping Company's ocean-going steamers, which anchor in the Waitara roadstead. The fact that the works are gazetted as Government grading and cool stores, is a great convenience for outside dairy factories.
Inglewood is on the railway line, sixteen miles south-east of New Plymouth, and has about 1000 inhabitants. Its industries include a bacon factory. Eltham, a rising borough of 1,400 inhabitants, is making very rapid progress, and it, too, has a prosperous bacon factory. Opunake is a seaport town of 600 inhabitants; and the other towns of importance are Manaia, population, 450; and Normanby, with a population of 400.
One of the most attractive features of these colonies is the picturesque scenery, which, in infinite variety, is distributed throughout the islands. In this respect Taranaki is, perhaps, less favoured than some other provincial districts. There is still a good deal of native bush; and the river scenery on the upper reaches of the Wanganui is remarkable for its wild and varied beauty. But, strictly, the Wanganui belongs to the Wellington district, and the Mokau, which is hardly inferior, in some respects, to “the New Zealand Rhine,” is as yet little known to tourists. Incomparably the most striking feature of Taranaki scenery is Mount Egmont, which is now rapidly becoming recognised as one of the natural goals for the tourists who come here in search of the picturesque.
An area of 72,565 acres, measuring six miles on every side from the summit of Mount Egmont, was originally set apart as a forest reserve.
A comfortable house, known as the Egmont Mountain-house, has been built at an elevation of 3,200 feet on the northern face of the mountain, at a distance of twenty miles from New Plymouth by the Junction and Egmont Roads. Eighteen miles can be driven over, and the remaining two ridden. This house is maintained by the Egmont National Park Board, and is open for the accommodation of visitors from about the 20th of December to the middle or end of April in each year. The keeper acts as guide also. The time usually occupied in the ascent from the house is from three to four hours for men, and four to six hours for ladies. There are two women's rooms at one end of the house, and two men's at the other, with a large common living and dining room in the centre. Visitors have now the option of being supplied with meals at a cost of one shilling and sixpence each, or they may provide and cook their own food. Horse feeds are one shilling and sixpence each; paddocking is sixpence daily, or two shillings and sixpence a week. A small charge is made to visitors of one shilling per night for the use of the house, or five shillings per week throughout the visit. In addition to the mountain-house, the Board has erected a cottage of three rooms, comprising two bedrooms (fitted with four bunks each), and one living room in between. This cottage is intended for renting by the week to family parties, only one such party occupying it at a time, and the minimum charge per week is two pounds sterling for a party of four adults; over that number and up to eight (the limit allowed), seven shillings and sixpence each per week; children over five and under twelve years, half rates. The cottage is not let to any one party for a longer period than two weeks while there are other applicants. The Board provides cooking and other utensils, firewood, and water, also mattresses and pillows. The caretaker at the mountain-house keeps a small stock of the principal lines of food usually wanted for sale to visitors. The cottage is within sixty or seventy yards of the mountain-house, and in charge of the same caretaker, but parties desirous of renting it should communicate with the Honorary Secretary to the committee for the northern division of Egmont National Park, New Plymouth, giving dates between which they require it. These applications are booked in order of priority of receipt, after a notification that offers will be received, usually in the early part of December. The cottage is opened and closed on the same dates as the mountain-house. The guide's fee for the mountain is £1 per party. The average for the season is 1,500 visitors, who remain from one or two days to as many weeks.
The view from the top is superb, and includes the volcanic cones of Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe, and Tongariro, the whole of Taranaki, and a considerable portion of the Auckland and Wellington districts; and also across Cook Strait to the mountains of Marlborough and Nelson, in the Middle Island. In fine weather, when the snow is off, the mountain can be ascended without risk. The mountain can also be ascended easily from the Stratford side, and the return journey occupies about thirteen hours, including stoppages. Tourists can ride over the first eleven miles to the Pembroke Road Mountain-house (three rooms), above the bushline; altitude, 3,720 feet; time occupied, about two hours and a-half. A new two-roomed cottage has been erected, and is now in use. Here the horses are left, and the remaining climb has to be done on loot; time required for a fair walker, three hours, although, in coming down, the distance can be done in two hours. Three or four hundred persons visit the mountain by this route during the season. Good hotel accommodation, a guide, and horses, can be obtained in Stratford. Provisions are kept on reasonable terms by the caretaker at
Another route coming into favour is from Hawera or Eltham, via Manaia or Kaponga, and Dawson's Falls. At the latter place a comfortable shelter house, capable of accommodating over forty people, has been erected, and is known as the Falls Mountain-house (altitude, 2,900 feet). This house, which is close to the Falls (sixty-five feet), is within an easy ride of Kaponga. During the season the house is in charge of a caretaker and food, horse feed and paddocking can be obtained. Sometimes 1,500 persons visit the Falls and mountain by this route, during the season.
A comfortable three-roomed cottage has been erected in connection with the Falls Mountain-house. Water is obtained from the adjoining creek by means of a ram. The ascent from the house to the summit of Mount Egmont occupies from four to six hours' climbing at a moderate pace, and, naturally, the time is in accordance with the strength and composition of a party. From the top, the tourist can, instead of returning by the same route, drop down to the mountain-house on the north, or New Plymouth side, of the mountain. The walk would not occupy over two hours of easy walking, or he could go out, via Stratford. Recently, a track has been partly made from the western side of the mountain, to enable tourists to ascend, via Rahotu. A small accommodation-house has been erected, thirty-two feet by fourteen feet; it has a general room and two sleeping-rooms, each containing twelve bunks. Tables, forms, and utensils have also been provided.
This description of the Mount Egmont trip—adapted from the New Zealand Official Year Book—may fitly close this brief sketch of the growth and development of Taranaki, from the earliest period of colonisation, to the present day.
Before the establishment of responsible government in Taranaki, and the introduction of Provincial Councils, the district was under the control of a Chief Commissioner, appointed by the directors of the original Settlement Company. The first batch of settlers arrived in the year 1841, by the ship “Amelia Thompson,” which also brought out Captain Henry King, in the interests of the Plymouth Company, as the first Commissioner for the new settlement. He was succeeded, on the 3rd of October in the same year, by Captain Liardet, who took the title of Resident Agent for the Plymouth and New Zealand Land Companies, which had amalgamated under the style of the New Zealand Company. Captain Liardet held the office till the following year, when he was succeeded by Mr John Tylson Wicksteed, who discharged the duties of the position till the year 1847. In that year Mr. Wicksteed was succeeded by Mr. Francis Dillon Bell (afterwards Sir Francis), who continued in office until the New Zealand Company surrendered its charter, in 1850. For the three succeeding years the settlement of Taranaki was virtually without a government; but then, in the year 1853, the system of government by Provincial Councils came into operation.
The Constitution Act was passed in 1853. The Act divided the colony into six provinces, each of which was to be governed by a Superintendent, and an elective Provincial Council of not less than nine members. But the Central Government now constituted—the Governor, Legislative Council, and House of Representatives—had power to supersede any laws passed by the Provincial Councils; and it is to this conflict between central and focal authority, that we may trace the rise of the difficulties that finally led to the abolition of the Provincial system. Pursuant to the Act, the first election for the Superintendency of Taranaki took place in 1853. The three candidates were Mr. W. Halse, Mr. J. T. Wicksteed, and Mr. Charles Brown. The polling resulted as follows: Brown 173, Halse 138, Wicksteed 12 votes; and Mr. Charles Brown, the son of the friend of Keats and Hunt, Landor and Byron, was the first Superintendent of Taranaki.
For the election of members to the Provincial Council, Taranaki was divided into three districts—Bell and Grey, Omata, and the town of New Plymouth. The land to the south of the town was then largely forest-clad, and populated only by Maoris; while Wanganui, which was but a small village, was, of course, in Wellington province. The election resulted as follows—for Omata, Messrs T. Good, R. Rundle, and G. R. Burton; for Grey and Bell, Messrs P. Elliot, G. Cutfield, R. Parris, and R. Chilman; for New Plymouth town, Messrs Isaac Newton Watt, and S. Vickers. During the same month (August) the election of members of the House of Representatives took place. The districts were the same as for the Provincial Council, but only one member was to be returned for each. Mr. F. Gledhill and Mr. W. Crompton were returned unopposed for New Plymouth and Omata respectively. The Grey and Bell seat was contested by Messrs T. King and T. Hirst, and the returns were—King, 90; Hirst 36. The first session of the Provincial Council was opened in September, 1853, and Mr. Isaac Newton Watt was chosen Speaker. Mr. Chilman was appointed Provincial Treasurer (at a salary of £40); Mr. Christopher Richmond, Clerk to the Council and Provincial Attorney, at a salary of £150, and the Superintendent's salary was fixed at £250 a year. The local Government of Taranaki was thus started on anything but extravagant lines, and the ability of the public servants of the settlement was unquestionable. But all interest in local affairs was soon submerged in the more serious questions involved in the trouble that arose with the natives, on the lands immediately adjoining the settlement.
held office as the first and third Superintendent of Taranaki. He was first elected on the 16th of July, 1853, and retired from the position on the 4th of January, 1857; was again elected on the 24th of May, 1861, and held office until the
4th of September, 1865. Pioneering, commercial enterprise, politics, journalism, war, successively or concurrently, claimed his attention. In 1855, he received his commission as captain of the Taranaki Militia, and held that office until the Maoris rose in rebellion in the year 1860. In that year the first formidable engagement took place between the colonists and the Maoris, at Waireka Hill, where Captain Brown commanded a force of fifty militia and one hundred volunteers. Many of these were youths under twenty years of age, and it was the first time the Taranaki settlers had met the Maoris—trained fighters and well armed with rifles—in organised, close deliberate combat. They acquitted
was Taranaki's second Superintendent. He was returned on the 14th of January, 1857, and held office until the 24th of May, 1861. Mr. Cutfield is further referred to in another article as a former member of the Legislative Council.
who was the fourth Superintendent of Taranaki, was elected to the position on the 4th of September, 1865, and held it until the 15th of October, 1869. He was a brother of Mr. Justice Richmond, and arrived in Taranaki about the year 1852, when he settled on bush land, in the neighbourhood of New Plymouth. Later on, he held a commission in the Taranaki militia, and was subsequently, for a time, a school teacher. Then he qualified as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court, and practised his profession in New Plymouth up to the time of his death. Mr. Richmond was a member of the Taranaki Provincial Council, before he became Superintendent.
the fifth and last Superintendent of Taranaki, was elected to the position on the 15th of October, 1869. He was re-elected on the 22nd of November, 1873, and held the office until the provinces ceased to exist, on the 1st of November, 1876. Mr. Carrington was born in England in the year 1808, and when a young man he was appointed by the Duke of Wellington to a position in the Ordnance Survey Department. His ability in survey work and topographical delineation
attracted the attention of the engineers of the day, and on the passing of the Reform Bill, in 1832, he was selected by the Parliamentary Commissioners to describe the boundaries of the boroughs from Bristol to Manchester; and for that service he received the thanks of the Commissioners. He was specially selected by the Plymouth Company as its chief surveyor to go to New Zealand, and choose a site for the new settlement. On his arrival at Wellington, Colonel Wakefield gave him every assistance, and after securing the services of “Dickey Barrett” (a well known whaler) as guide, Mr. F. Carrington and his family, with his brother, Mr. Octavius Carrington, as chief assistant, and the survey party, went to Taranaki in February, 1841. The country was then covered with fern and undergrowth, which made it difficult to select the site of the township; and after visiting Waitara to judge of its capabilities as a port, Mr. Carrington finally fixed on the present position of New Plymouth as a site for the proposed town. It was only with great trouble that the lines were cut through the dense vegetation, and the area laid out and surveyed. Mr. Carrington returned to England in 1843, when he found that the directors of the New Zealand Company (which had absorbed the Plymouth Company) were thinking of ceasing their functions for a time; and he retired from their service, after receiving a very complimentary testimonial from them. Mr. Carrington was next engaged in the formation of railways in England. He surveyed lines, and made models of engineering works where particular difficulties existed, and some of his models were sent to Buckingham Palace at the request of the Prince Consort, who personally thanked Mr. Carrington. During the time he was in England, between 1844–51, Mr. Carrington gave much time and attention to New Zealand affairs, particularly to Taranaki ironsand, a sample of which he took Home and had analysed by Messrs Dymond, of Holborn; but although the principal men of the day were impressed with the high quality and value of the samples, Mr. Carrington was unable to bring the matter to a successful result. He, however, sent to the great Exhibition of 1851, a bar of iron obtained from the sand, and the attention of the Quartermaster-General of the Ordnance Department was called to it. After visiting California several times in connection with mines, water-races and railways, Mr. Carrington returned to New Zealand, with the object of utilising the ironsand, and to prosecute other schemes affecting the district. The North Island was then in an unsettled state, owing to the native assuming a hostile attitude towards the Europeans; and war broke out in 1860, and lasted about ten years. About 1862, Mr. Carrington was appointed Government engineer and surveyor for Taranaki, and carried out, in connection with the military authorities, a large amount of road construction in the district. On peace being restored, he gave his attention to local affairs, was nominated as Superintendent of Taranaki, and returned by the electors, and continued to hold office until the abolition of the provinces in 1876. He also had a seat in the House of Representatives for several years, but owing to the great strain on his health he retired from politics in 1880. Mr. Carrington was always active in agitating for the formation of the protective harbour works, and it was chiefly through his exertions that a fourth of the land revenue
was called to the Legislative Council on the 16th of October, 1899. He is referred to in another paragraph as a former member of the House of Representatives.
was called to the Legislative Council in March, 1903. He was born at Bendigo, Victoria, Australia, in 1855, and arrived, with his parents, in Dunedin, when he was seven years of age. For many years he was engaged in the stationery and printing business, and became connected with journalism, as an occasional contributor to the late Thomas Bracken's “Saturday Advertiser,” and other newspapers. Later on, he joined the staff of the “Waitangi Tribune,” at Waimate. In 1878, he returned to Dunedin, and founded a weekly journal known as “The Penny Post.” A year later, he established the “Taieri Advocate,” which he conducted for twenty years. During this period, Mr. Carncross entered political life, and contested six elections. In the first two he was defeated, but he was successful in each case afterwards, and sat in Parliament for twelve years as the representative of Taieri, and for a portion of that time he acted as Government whip. Mr. Carncross was for fifteen years captain of the East Taieri Rifles, and is now on the unattached list. Having sold out his interest in the “Taieri Advocate,” he removed to Taranaki, settled at Eltham, and became proprietor of the “Eltham Argus,” in October, 1901. In 1883, he married a daughter of the late Mr. R. Johnston, of Dunedin, and has two sons and two daughters.
was called to the Legislative Council by the Stafford Ministry on the 24th of February, 1868, when he was a resident of Taranaki, with which he is still (1906) politically connected, and where he continued to reside until recent years. Mr. Scotland has latterly resided at Pahi, Kaipara, in the provincial district of Auckland.
was a member of the Legislative Council in the years 1853–4, and again in 1856–7. Mr. Cutfield was a naval architect in England, and prior to his departure for the colony, on the 19th of November, 1840, was employed in connection with Her Majesty's dockyard, in Devonport. Mr. Cutfield came out in charge of the expedition on board the “William Bryan,” which and. chored off the Sugar Loaves, on the 30th of March, 1841. He was a pioneer settler, who did invaluable work in the early days. Latterly, he farmed Brooklands estate, adjacent to the beautiful Recreation Reserve at New Plymouth, and resided there until his death.
had a seat in the Legislative Council during the last eighteen months of his life, and was its Speaker from the 23rd of January, 1891, till the 28th of June, 1892—the date of his death. Sir Harry was a prominent figure in Taranaki in the early days, and did notable work in connection with the troop of Bush Rangers, of which he was captain. His biography and portrait appear at pages 62–63 of the Wellington volume of this Cyclopedia, and he is also further noticed on page 100 of the same volume.
was called to the Legislative Council on the 15th of October, 1892, but resigned in 1902 to stand for election to the House of Representatives. He is referred to in another paragraph as member of Parliament for Egmont.
has been a Member of the House of Representatives for Taranaki for some years, having been returned at the general elections held on the 10th of December, 1902, and on the 4th of December, 1905. Mr. Smith is known as a consistent follower of the Liberal Government. He has taken a deep interest in the progress of Taranaki, and has been prominent in the advocacy of the development of local industries. This has been notably the case in connection with the Taranaki iron-sand, in the interest of which Mr. Smith paid a special visit to England some years ago.
was elected member for Egmont in the House of Representatives at the general election of 1902, and was reelected at the general election of 1905. He was called by the Ballance Ministry to the Legislative Council for seven years as from the 15th of October, 1892, and was recalled on the 16th of October, 1899. Mr. Jennings resigned his seat in the Council, in order to stand for the representation of Egmont at the general election of 1902. A biographical sketch of Mr. Jennings appears at page 90 of the Auckland volume of this Cyclopedia.
was a Member of the House of Representatives for New Plymouth in 1854–5, and was member for Omata electorate in 1865. He was a native of Halifax, England, and entered into business in Taranaki as a merchant and auctioneer. In the early days of New Plymouth he served as a member of the Taranaki Provincial Council, and had a seat on the New Plymouth Town Board. Mr. Gledhill died some years ago.
sat as member for Grey and Bell in the House of Representatives in 1854–5, and again in 1860. He was a native of London, and after coming to New Zealand by the ship “William Bryan,” in March, 1841, he applied himself to farming. Subsequently, Mr. King became the first manager of the Bank of New Zealand in New Plymouth, and held the position for a number of years. He became chairman of the New Plymouth Harbour Board, and was prominently interested in most of the financial companies that were engaged in business in the province. Mr. King, who died about the year 1891, was the father of Mr. Newton King, Mr. Henry King, and Dr. Truby King, and Mrs F. W. Marchant, of Timaru.
represented the Omata electorate in the House of Representatives, in the years 1854–5. He arrived in New Zealand in 1851, and commenced farming in the Omata district, where he also carried on work as a school teacher. Mr. Crompton took a keen interest in the welfare of his district, with a special reference to the young. He ultimately became inspector of schools for the Taranaki district, occupied the position for some years during the eighties, and died in the early nineties.
sat as a Member of the House of Representatives for New Plymouth from the year 1856 to 1861. He became better known as Mr. Justice Richmond, and is fully referred to on page 67 of the Wellington volume of the Cyclopedia of New Zealand, as a Minister who held office from June, 1856, until July, 1861, and on page 469, as a Judge of the Supreme Court.
represented the constituency of Grey and Bell in the year 1856. He was born in Halifax, England, and having, in 1841, arrived in the colony, he became a merchant. He was a man of great enterprise, and started a good many businesses in Taranaki. Mr. Lewthwaite is well remembered as the inventor of a railway ticket-stamping machine, and he also invented and patented a floating breakwater.
was returned to the House of Representatives as member for Omata in 1856. He was a settler, who took up land in that district, but he left Taranaki on the outbreak of the Maori war.
who served for a number of years in the House of Representatives, was one of the pioneer settlers who arrived in the “Amelia Thompson,” in 1841. He was the son of Charles Armitage Brown, a retired Russia merchant, who was an intimate personal friend of the great poet John Keats: see the poet's letters, and also his life by Lord Houghton. Mr. Brown was always a keen politician, and took his seat in the House as member for Grey and Bell, in 1858. In 1864, he was returned for New Plymouth, and in the year 1868–9,
sat as a member of the House of Representatives for Omata from the year 1860 to 1864, and for the Grey and Bell constituency, from 1866 to 1870. He is referred to on page 69 of the Wellington volume of the Cyclopedia of New Zealand, as having been a member of the Weld Ministry in 1865, and of the Stafford Ministry from 1865 to 1869; and a good likeness, and another biographical sketch of his life, appear on page 29 of the Nelson volume.
was for many years a member of the House of Representatives for Taranaki constituencies. From 1861 to 1865 he represented the Grey and Bell electorate; in 1867–8, New Plymouth; and from 1873 to 1891, he represented Egmont. Sir Harry is further referred to as a former member of the Legislative Council; and biographical notices of much greater length appear at pages 62, 63, and 100 of the Wellington volume of this Cyclopedia.
represented the Grey and Bell constituency in the House of Representatives in 1861. He was the only son of Captain Henry King, the first Commissioner of Taranaki, and came to the colony as a lad. He became a farmer on a large scale, and on the outbreak of the Maori war, he entered active service, and held a commission in the volunteers. He lost his life in 1861, under very tragic circumstances. He had been to New Plymouth, and on his return to his estate, about a mile and a-half out of the town, was shot by the Maoris. It is stated that the tragedy was witnessed from Marsland Hill, New Plymouth; Captain King was seen riding, with the Maoris in pursuit, and the eye-witnesses also saw him falling dead on his own property. The distance and the circumstances were such that those who saw what was happening could do nothing to avert the tragedy.
sat for New Plymouth in the House of Representatives in the year 1862. He was afterwards appointed Resident Magistrate at the Bluff, whence he was transferred to Dunedin, in 1868, as Sheriff of the Supreme Court, Resident Magistrate, and Coroner. Mr. Watt retired on a pension in the year 1880, and died in Dunedin some years ago.
was closely identified with Taranaki in the early days, and served as a member of the House of Representatives for New Plymouth in 1863. He arrived in New Plymouth in 1844, as the Rev. H. H. Turton, in charge of the Wesleyan mission, and continued in that connection till his retirement from the church in 1860. Mr. Turton was a man of marked ability, and was a great authority on Maori matters. His services were requisitioned by the Government to write on the early days of the colony. Mr. Turton afterwards went into business as a house and general commission agent. His sons have been well known in the colony, in various public positions.
sat as representative of New Plymouth in the House of Representatives in 1865. He was a prominent politician, and is referred to on page 57 of the Wellington volume of the Cyclopedia of New Zealand, as a past Premier of the colony; on page 254, as a former member of the Legislative Council; and on page 1496, as a member of the Executive Council of the colony before the establishment of responsible government. A further sketch of Mr. Sewell's life appears also at page 92 of the Canterbury volume of this work.
was a member of the House of Representatives for New Plymouth in the year 1866. He is referred to as a former member of the Government, on page 69 of the first volume of the Cyclopedia of New Zealand, and as an ex-Speaker of the Legislative Council, on page 99 of the same volume. At page 36 of the Otago volume there is an excellent portrait of Sir John Richardson, who is there referred to as the third Superintendent of the Province of Otago; and he is also further referred to at page 78 and page 85 of the same volume—in the first instance as a member of the Legislative Council, and in the second as a member of the House of Representatives.
sat in the House of Representatives for the Omata constituency in the years 1866–7. He was one of the early settlers in New Plymouth, but removed, in 1867, to Nelson, where he practised his profession as a member of the firm of Fell and Atkinson, barristers and solicitors. Mr. Atkinson is further referred to at page 81 of the Nelson volume of this work.
J.P., was Member of the House of Representatives for the Town of New Plymouth from 1869 to 1881, and for New Plymouth from 1882 to 1884. He is a farmer at Bell Block, and is referred to in another paragraph as a member of the Legislative Council.
sat for Omata in the House of Representatives in the year 1870. He was also member for Grey and Bell from 1871 to 1879 inclusive, and then retired from Parliamentary life. Mr. Carrington is further referred to as the last Superintendent of the province of Taranaki.
sat for Egmont in the House of Representatives in 1871–72. He was a prominent politician, and held office as Colonial Secretary in Sir William Fox's third Ministry, from July, 1869, till September, 1872; and he was, also, for a few months, a member of Sir George Grey's Government in 1879. Mr. Gisborne is further referred to at page 71 of the Wellington volume of this work, and also at page 402 of the Nelson volume. He inherited property in England, where he died a few years ago. He wrote several works concerning the public men and public affairs of New Zealand.
V.D., was born near Belfast, Ireland, on the 11th of August, 1824, and was educated at the Belfast Grammar School.
who represented New Plymouth in the House of Representatives for six years, is a son of the late Dr. Samuel, D.D., LL.D., and was born at St. Heliers, Jersey. In the year 1855 he arrived with his parents in New Zealand. He was educated at Nelson College, where he gained several scholarships, and entered the Crown Lands Department, from which he was subsequently promoted to the Deeds Registry Office, Auckland, in 1869. Wishing for a change from the ordinary routine of office life, Mr. Samuel left the Government service, and tried his fortune on the Thames and Coromandel goldfields, where he was very successful. He then determined to adopt the legal profession, and in 1873 was articled to the late Mr. Sefton Moorhouse. On his admission as a barrister and solicitor in 1878, Mr. Moorhouse and himself were about to enter into practice in Christ-church, when the arrangement fell through, owing to the illness and death of Mr. Moorhouse. Mr. Samuel then decided to practise on his own account in New Plymouth, where he has made a distinguished career for himself. In 1884, he defeated, by a large majority, Mr. Kelly, who had represented New Plymouth for seventeen years. At the general election of 1887 he was again returned, and, on the expiration of that Parliament, in 1890, was offered a seat in the Legislative Council, but determined to devote his whole future attention to the practice of his profession, and retired from politics. Prior to 1903, he was solicitor to the Borough Council, High School, School Commissioners, and numerous local bodies, but he then retired from general practice, and has since confined himself to acting as a barrister (excepting in the case of a very few old clients). Mr. Samuel has proved himself an able pleader, and is engaged in almost every local case of any importance. As solicitor to the New Plymouth Harbour Board, he discovered and elaborated claims for which he was successful in recovering, in an action against the Sinking Fund Commissioners, upwards of £20,000, thus enabling the Board to build the present wharf, without which the breakwater would have been of very little use.
who represented the electorate of Taranaki, in the years 1887–90, was born in London, England, in 1849. He was brought up to a commercial life, and came to New Zealand in 1872. After spending several years in the Patea district, he settled at Cardiff, near Stratford, where he has been farming since 1881, and is one of the oldest settlers in the district. Mr. Marchant has served on the Patea West Road Board, and the New Plymouth Harbour Board, and is now (1906) chairman of the Stratford County Council. In 1878, he married a daughter of Mr. William Foreman, of Alton, Taranaki, and has six sons.
J.P., represented the Egmont constituency from 1891 to 1896, and Hawera in 1897–1902. He was born in the year 1847, in County Fermanagh, Ireland, where he was educated, and arrived in Australia in 1863. Shortly afterwards Mr. McGuire came to New Zealand and served throughout the Waikato campaign. Subsequently, he went to the West Coast diggings. During the Taranaki campaign, he joined a cavalry company at Wanganui, and served in the engagements against Titikowarn, but was soon afterwards transferred to the commissariat department. Mr. McGuire was mentioned in despatches, and received a commission as lieutenant. On leaving the service he commenced business as a general storekeeper, in Patea, where he continued for several years. Mr. McGuire then removed to Hawera, and in the year 1882 went to Auckland, where he remained for three years, and subsequently returned to Taranaki. In 1887, he contested a seat against the late Sir Harry Atkinson, but was defeated. He was presented by his supporters with a silver salver, and other articles of silver plate. In 1891, he was returned for Egmont, and was afterwards reelected three times. Subsequently, when the Eltham district was cut out of the Hawera electorate, the electors of Eltham presented Mr. McGuire with an illuminated address, in recognition of his services as member. He has been a Justice of the Peace for many years. Mr. McGuire was a member for South Taranaki in the Taranaki Provincial Council until the abolition of
was a member of the House of Representatives from 1891 to 1896, and represented Waitotara during the first three years, and Patea during the last three years of the period. He practised as a barrister and solicitor, first at Wanganui, and latterly in Wellington. At the close of the war in the Transvaal, Mr. Hutchison left New Zealand to settle in South Africa; but he afterwards returned to the colony, and is now (1906) practising his profession in Auckland.
J.P., represented Taranaki in the House of Representatives from December, 1896, to the same month in 1899. He was born in 1842, in Lincolnshire, England, and arrived in New Plymouth in March, 1859. Mr. Brown settled in the country, and during the Maori disturbances he served in the volunteers for about four years, and received the New Zealand war medal He was interested in the timber trade in the neighbourhood of New Plymouth for about ten years, and was one of the pioneers of Inglewood, where he established his mill in 1877. For many years Mr. Brown was chairman of the Inglewood Town Board, and for about eight years was a member of the Taranaki County Council. In 1867, he married a daughter of the late Mr. John Brooking, of New Plymouth, and has one son and one daughter.
is the chief town of the province of Taranaki. It lies on the coast, with the lofty snow-clad volcanic peak of Mount Egmont rising in the background. In the early days the settlement was the scene of great difficulties with the natives, and of many years of warfare between the two races. On the 3rd of January, 1856, the brig “Ocean” landed troops from Auckland. At that time there were no barracks, and the military camped on the site of the town. The arrival was in consequence of the inter-tribal warfare among the natives themselves. At the beginning of the following year disturbances between the rival natives ceased, but in the month of December, of the same year, there were further hostilities. On the 6th of March, 1859, H.M.S. “Iris” arrived off the coast with his Excellency the Governor on board, the native chief Wi Kingi with his Maoris having refused to allow the whites to occupy and take possession of the land they had acquired. Martial law was proclaimed on the 23rd of February, 1860, and at that time the settlers were compelled to flock into New Plymouth for safety. During the troublesome times that followed, St. Mary's Anglican churchyard was used by the military as a stockade, and the church itself as a picket house. The Maoris had been burning and destroying the property of the settlers, in all directions around New Plymouth, and in July, 1860, they were within three miles of the town itself. In fact, they threatened to lay siege to the town, and murders were reported every day. Women and children were accommodated in the old barracks at Marsland Hill, and an attack was hourly expected. The camp at Waireka was besieged; at Tataraimaka, Omata, and other places, within a few miles of the town, every home was destroyed, and the cattle of the settlers driven away; and New Plymouth, to all intents and purposes, was in a state of seige. This period of Taranaki's history is fully dealt with in the general introduction to this volume; and now, in spite of and partly in consequence of all that has happened, the province is covered with homesteads and thriving townships, and New Plymouth is the centre of a beautiful, fertile, and well cultivated district.
New Plymouth is connected with Wellington by 251 miles of railway, via the Manawatu line, and by 297 miles, via the Wairarapa railway, to Te Aro station. The line is also continued to the port of Waitara on the north, and to the breakwater on the south. Steamers trade every day between the breakwater and the Manakau, One-hunga. With the construction of the breakwater the danger and inconveniences of the open roadstead have been removed, and steamers now lie at the wharf, and discharge cargo and land passengers in safety and comfort. Trains and busses run from the breakwater to the town.
To tourists and visitors, Mount Egmont is, of course, the chief attraction, and is reached by a good buggy road to within six miles of the summit: but the excursionist has the choice of two or three other routes along each of which there are views of noble scenery. The National Park of nearly 80,000 acres is under the control of four Forest Boards; that for the northern division has its headquarters in New Plymouth; that for the southern, at Hawera; for the eastern, Stratford; and for the western, Rahotu.
Great expectations are indulged in by the New Plymouth people in connection with the inexhaustible supplies of ironsand on the coastline of Taranaki; and also in respect to the mineral oil in the neighbourhood. Indeed, the Moturoa Petroleum Company, which had been operating for some time, was successful, in 1906, in tapping an unusually strong flow of oil. The prospects were such that shares, which were valued at £5, advanced to £60, in a short time. This lead to the floating of a company, with a capital sufficient to work the oil field, and erect a refinery to put the oil on the market
New Plymouth is built on low undulating hills extending from the sea shore to the slope of Marsland Hill. Over these hills many cuttings have been necessary for roading purposes. The natural drainage is by the Huatoki stream, which flows through the borough into the sea. The town's general market day is Saturday, and the weekly half-holiday is held on Thursday. The local industries include a timber and woodware factory, an iron foundry, coachbuilding, and boot factories, meat packing and freezing works. All the various trades and businesses in the colony are represented, and there is also a considerable number of large wholesale houses. The five banks doing business in the colony are represented by branches. The principal retail street is Devon Street, which runs through the town, and is crossed by such streets as Liardet, Currie, and Brougham; in the latter of which there are many offices and warehouses, as well as a number of retail establishments. The suburbs include Fitzroy, Westown and Beaconsfield. St. Mary's historic church contains flags and hatchments representing the Imperial Regiments that served in Taranaki; and in the churchyard fronting Vivian Street, a handsome Maltese granite cross, on a stone foundation, bears an inscription to the memory of Taranaki troopers, who fell in the South African war of 1899–1902. The population of the borough of New Plymouth, at the census of 1901, was 4405, and at the census of 1906, 5147.
The real port of New Plymouth is at Moturoa, about two miles from the town, close to the well known Sugar Loaves, which form a landmark to approaching vessels. A concrete mole or breakwater runs out in a north-easterly direction for a distance of 2,150 feet, and provides shelter for shipping. Wharf accommodation is provided for coastal steamers under the lee of the breakwater, and steamers of 1000 tons can be berthed in almost any state of the weather. The Government railway is extended from New Plymouth right on to the breakwater, and passengers can communicate direct with steamers. The exports include, butter, cheese, bacon and hams, as well as leather, hides, wool, and fungus. Moturoa is in constant communication with New Plymouth by road and railway. Trains run specially to suit the convenience of travellers, departing or arriving at the breakwater, and there is also frequent communication on good roads by coaches. Moturoa is the scene of the oil boring operations, and there are extensive freezing works owned by a Taranaki company. Several farms, homesteads, a local hotel, and workshops in connection with the breakwater, together with a number of residences, complete the features of the settlement.
The municipality of New Plymouth was constituted in 1876. The borough has an area of 850 acres, and contains about 800 rateable properties, the annual value of which was £53,800 in 1906. On this a general rate of 1s 9d in the pound is levied, with a special rate of 10d, and a water rate of 6d in the pound. There are about twenty-nine miles of streets—most of which are formed—within the borough boundaries. The total loans of the whole borough of New Plymouth amounted, in the year 1906, to £104,000, and had been obtained for ordinary works, water supply, electric lighting, drainage, public baths, and abattoirs. Exclusive of loans, the total revenue of the borough for the year that ended on the 31st of March, 1906, was £11,000. The town is divided into three wards—East, West, and Central—and each is represented by three members.
The source of supply for the borough is at the Waiwakaiho river, about three miles and a-half outside the town. The water is secured at the intake, and is brought in by gravitation, through steel pipes, for a distance of one mile to the reservoir; in its course, it passes through a tunnel of three-quarters of a mile. The capacity of the reservoir is equal to one million gallons. The water is filtered before it enters the reservoir, and is led into the town, and laid on to all parts of the borough, by means of steel pipes. The water supply also serves adjacent suburbs, and is used for household supply, drainage, and power purposes. It gives a daily pressure of 133 pounds to the square inch, and increases during the night to 150 pounds pressure. The entire cost of the waterworks has been £25,400.
The source of the water supply is sufficient also to provide the borough with an electric installation. The pipes conveying the supply from the Waiwakaiho river are carried over the brow of the hill to the power-house. This gives a fall of about 170 feet, and drives 2 turbines of about seventy horse-power each. These are coupled direct to two forty-five kilo-watts, 2000volt, single phase generators. From the power-house there are about four miles of overhead lines, which convey the electrical energy to the distributing station, at the corner of Lemon Street and Liardet Street. Thence the lines are led on the three-wire system, to supply the street lamps and private lighting of the borough; most of the street lights are of the incandescent variety; 110 are glow lights, and ten are arc lights. The cost of the whole installation exceeded £13,000.
The septic tank system is in use in New Plymouth. Before its adoption, the borough depended on the natural drainage of the Huatoki stream, which runs through the town. Since the drainage system was completed, the whole, with the exception of the surface water, runs through a tank, which is 150 feet long, by 20 feet wide, and 11 feet deep. The total cost of the installation was £10,000.
At the western end of the town, on the sea beach, there are salt water swimming baths. The basin measures 100 feet by forty feet, and has a tapering depth of from five feet six inches to eleven feet six inches; it is automatically emptied and filled by the action of the tides. The basin is constructed of concrete, and is in the open; it is surrounded, however, by covered dressing boxes on all sides, and there are two rooms in front, and also two hot water baths, and some shower baths. The cost of these baths was £3,300.
There are three stations; the central one in Powderham Street, and a branch station at the east and west of the town respectively. The Volunteer Fire Brigade is maintained by an annual subsidy of £100 from the borough, and by private subscriptions.
The Town Hall stands on a quarter of an acre in King Street; it is a two-storey wooden building, and was originally erected in the early days, as the Provincial Council Chamber. The ground floor contains the offices of the Town Clerk, and of the Borough Engineer; also the free Public Library and Reading Room, which are under the control of the Council. The next floor is taken up with the Council Chamber, a small Museum, and the offices of the Electrical Engineer and the Borough Inspector.
The abattoirs are at Fitzroy, two miles from New Plymouth, and the site contains seventy-six acres of land. The building, which is constructed chiefly of concrete, was completed in May, 1904, and ranks amongst the most up-to-date of its kind in the colony. Including the purchase of the land, it cost £7000.
Of the parks and recreation grounds of New Plymouth, the Botanical Gardens are most notable, and are specially described in another article. The Western Park, however, is directly under the control of the Council; it consists of eighteen acres, all fenced, and has been so improved as to be in every way fitted for football, cricket, cycling, and other athletic sports. The site was obtained by the borough in 1903, by an exchange of land with the School Commissioners. The Western Park consists of a natural amphitheatre, from the slopes of which thousands of spectators can witness the sports on the pretty grounds below. The borough also has forty-one acres of land, which are under lease to the local Jockey Club, for a racecourse.
Under a Provincial Ordinance of the 28th of October, 1861, twenty-four acres of land were set apart for the purposes of a cemetery, which is now under the control of the Borough Council. There is a small mortuary chapel, and the grounds are prettily laid out in walks and flower borders. On the hill adjoining, and overlooking the flatter portion of the cemetery, there is a monument to the memory of the Rev. John Whiteley, who was murdered at White Cliffs by the Maoris in 1869; and also one commemorating the Gascoigne family, and other victims who lost their lives at Pukearuhe.
A third monument was erected by the 57th Regiment to the memory of comrades killed in the New Zealand campaign.
East Ward—Messrs W. N. Ewing, L. M. Monteath, and F. E. Wilson; West Ward, Messrs G. W. Browne, J.
M.I.C.E., is Borough Engineer; Mr. A. H. Kendall, Inspector; Mr. H. Black, Electrical Engineer; Mr. F. J. Reakes, Inspector of Meat and Manager of the Abattoirs; and Mr. F. T. Bellringer is Town Clerk, Treasurer, and Borough Solicitor.
was elected Mayor of New Plymouth in April, 1906. He had previously been Mayor continuously for five years and a half, from 1897, until May, 1903; and he has also held office for many years as a councillor. Mr. Dockrill was born in County Wexford, Ireland, and arrived in New Zealand by the ship “Ballarat,” in the year 1866, landing in Auckland. For fourteen years he was on the West Coast and Thames goldfields, where he followed mining with varied success until 1880, when he removed to New Plymouth, and took charge of Messrs Garrett Bros.' business, which he subsequently bought and still carries on. He has always been ready to assist in any public movement for the advancement and welfare of Taranaki. Mr. Dockrill has represented the borough for several years on the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, and he has been a member, and also chairman, of the school committee, and a member of the Board of Governors of the New Plymouth High School. In the year 1882, Mr. Dockrill married a daughter of Mr. W. H. Bosworth, and has two sons.
was born in Fiji, South Sea Islands, in 1853, but arrived in Auckland at an early age, and was educated at Wesley College. The family settled in New Plymouth in 1872, and the subject of this sketch was brought up as a photographer with Mr. Hartley Webster. After some time he became manager of Messrs Williamson and Company's business, and commenced on his own account, in Brougham Street, in the year 1875. Mr. Collis was elected to the Borough Council, in 1889, for West Ward, but he has latterly represented Central Ward. He is a representative of the Council on the Board which controls the Recreation Grounds, and is the New Plymouth member of the Egmont National Park Board. Mr. Collis is chairman of the North Egmont Committee, in connection with the Park, and is secretary and treasurer of the local Scenery Preservation Society, the parent society of its kind in New Zealand. He has also been for several years chairman of the New Plymouth school committee. As a Forester, Mr. Collis is a trusted of Court Waireka, Ancient Order of Foresters; and he acts as trustee and secretary of three trusts in connection with the Wesleyan Methodist Church in New Plymouth. He was married, in 1877, to a daughter of the late Mr. W. R. King, of New Plymouth, and has two sons and four daughters. Mr. Collis is further referred to in connection with his business as a photographer.
has been a member of the New Plymouth Borough Council since the year 1896. He was born on the 11th of June, 1844, in London, England, and was educated partly in Melbourne, Australia, and partly in New Zealand. He came to New Zealand in February, 1855, and settled in Taranaki, where he learned the trade of a carpenter and builder, and was afterwards manager for Mr. George until the beginning of the year 1888, when he acquired the business on his own account. During the Maori troubles of 1861–62 Mr. Brooking served with the No. 1 Militia, and with bush parties, and was a member of the Taranaki Rifle Volunteers until the Parihaka scare in 1881. He served as colour-sergeant for many years, and rose to the rank of sub-lieutenant. Mr. Brooking is a director of the New Plymouth Sash and Door Factory, the New Plymouth Investment and Loan Society, and is chairman of the St. Mary's Anglican Church Trust Board; as a Freemason, he is a member of Lodge. De Burgh Adams, 446, Irish Constitution, in connection with which he has passed all the chairs. Mr. Brooking married a daughter of the late Mr. F. L. Brooking, of New Plymouth, in 1879. He is further referred to as a builder and undertaker in Brougham and Powderham Strnets, New Plymouth.
who has been a member of the New Plymouth Borough Council since the year 1900, was born at Sandhurst, Bendigo, Victoria, in 1860. In 1868, he came to New Zealand with his parents, who settled in Dunedin, where he was educated, and learned the watchmaking and jewellery business. Mr. Stohr afterwards removed to New Plymouth, and in 1883 established himself in business in Devon Street. Ten years later he sold out, and went to Melbourne, Victoria, where he remained for fifteen months. He then returned to New Zealand, settled in New Plymouth, and for a number of years carried on business as a tobacconist; but retired from business in the year 1903. He is a member of the New Plymouth Jockey Club, cricket club, and football club. Mr. Stohr married a daughter of Mr. Edward Okey, of New Plymouth, in 1886, and has four sons and one daughter.
has been a member of the New Plymouth Borough Council since the year 1902. He was born in Hastings, Sussex, England, in 1851, and was carried, as an infant, to the great Exhibition of London. Mr. Browne was educated at St. Martins-in-the-Fields, London, and was for eleven years of his early life in France. In 1868, he came to New Zealand, and landed in Wellington, where he served as a volunteer under Colonel Reader, rose to the rank of sergeant, and had charge of a magazine at the Lower Hutt under Captain Braithwaite. Four years later he was employed by the Messrs Brogden, and, as bridge foreman erected various bridges between New Plymouth and Waitara. He also erected the Waitara wharf. Mr. Browne subsequently established himself in business as a builder and contractor, and has erected many buildings between Auckland and Wellington, including the New Plymouth Convent, Mr. Ward's drapery shop, the Fitzroy Bacon Factory, Abbott's Building, Devon Street, and the New Plymouth Jockey Club's Grand Stand. Mr. Browne was for eighteen years a member of the local Horticultural Society, and has been associated with many movements in the district. In the Queen's Jubilee year (1887) he took an active part in promoting the erection of a drinking fountain in the Recreation Grounds, and was a member of the original committee that laid out the athletic part of the same grounds, an undertaking involving the reclamation of a swamp. In 1905–6 he was chairman of the Western Park committee, which successfully laid out the park. Mr. Browne served as chairman of the Carrington Road branch of the Farmers' Union, and is (1906) a member of the Provincial Executive. He married a daughter of the late Mr. James Butterworth, of New Plymouth, in 1892, and has one son and three daughters.
has been a member of the New Plymouth Borough Council since the year 1904. He was born in Dunedin in the year 1868, was educated at the Dunedin Boys' High School, and afterwards studied law under Mr. Justice Edwards, in Wellington. He was then for some time in the office of Messrs Chapman and Tripp. In March, 1893, he removed to Taranaki, was for eighteen months at Stratford, and for five years acted as managing clerk to Mr. T. S. Weston, in New Plymouth. Mr. Wilson was admitted to the bar by Mr. Justice Williams in July, 1899. In January, 1903, he became a partner in the firm of Roy and Wilson. As a Freemason, Mr. Wilson is a member and Past Master of Lodge Ngamotu, 48, New Zealand Constitution. He was at one time a football player, and was secretary of the New Plymouth Lawn Tennis Club. In October, 1905, he married a daughter of the late Mr. J. Bell Thomson.
was elected to the New Plymouth Borough Council for East Ward in 1905. He was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and was educated and brought up to commercial life in his native city. In 1882 he arrived in Auckland, and twenty years later removed to New Plymouth. He holds the position of accountant to the firm of Smart Brothers. In 1893 Mr. Ewing married a daughter of the late Mr. Thomas Smart, and has two sons and one daughter.
who has represented Central Ward in the New Plymouth Borough Council since 1905, was born in Invercargill in the year 1865, and was educated at Wellington College. He is a son of Mr. James Hutchen, of the well known firm of Messrs Stuart and Co., Wellington. He served articles with Mr. Edwards, now (1906) Mr. Justice Edwards, and was admitted to the bar in 1886. Shortly afterwards he began the practice of his profession at Pahiatua, whence, at the end of two years, he returned to Wellington. In 1894, he removed to New Plymouth, and has since then practised his profession in that town. Mr. Hutchen was married, in 1901, to a daughter of Mr. O. E. Hoby, of Waitara West, farmer, and has one son and one daughter.
who has represented East Ward in the New Plymouth Borough Council since 1905, was born in 1868 in India. He was educated in England, brought up to mercantile life, and came out to Wellington in 1889. For ten years he engaged in farming in the Okaiawa district. After a trip to the old country, in 1900, he commenced business as a grain and produce merchant in New Plymouth. In 1892, Mr. Monteath married a daughter of the late Mr. H. C. Raikes, of Nelson, and has three daughters and one son.
Town Clerk and Treasurer of the Borough of New Plymouth, has been in office since July, 1901, and he was also appointed Borough Solicitor in the year 1906. He was born in the borough in March, 1877, studied for the law, and was admitted a solicitor in March, 1900. He practised for a year as a member of the firm of Richmond and Bellringer, before his appointment as Town Clerk. Mr. Bellringer has taken an active interest in outdoor sports. He occupied the position of chairman of the Taranaki Rugby Union for three years, and is also president of the Taranaki Reforces Association. As a volunteer, he is at present a lieutenant of the Taranaki Rilles. Mr. Bellringer was married, in 1901, to a daughter of Mr. J. Abbot, of New Plymouth, and has one daughter.
Assoc. M.I.C.E., London, was appointed Engineer to the Borough of New Plymouth in March, 1901. He was born at Portsmouth, England, was educated at St. Aubyn's Grammar School, Jersey, and subsequently by private tutors. He passed the preliminary scientific examination at Lincoln's Inn, London, and entered St. George's Hospital, as a medical student. After remaining in the institution for a period of three years, and finding the studies uncongenial, he left it to follow his natural inclination—engineering, and served his articles under his uncle, Mr. Valentine Hale, as a civil engineer. Mr. Gibbon then went to Australia, travelling, and gained experience in Queensland and New South Wales. He subsequently came to New Zealand, was engaged as assistant county engineer at Waimate, Canterbury, and afterwards was engineer to the borough of Waimate, in the same county. On resigning this, he travelled over nearly the whole of New Zealand, practising his profession in many centres, and finally returned to Brisbane, where he was for many years assistant city engineer, and gained extensive experience in all sorts of municipal work. He resigned this position to take up his present office.
Sanitary Engineer for the Borough of New Plymouth, was born in December, 1867, at Rawdon, near Leeds, England, where he was educated. His father was a builder and contractor, near Leeds, Yorkshire. Mr. Kendall assisted his father till the year 1895, when he was appointed assistant district surveyor for Rawdon. Eighteen months later, he became assistant overseer and rate collector at Heysham, Laneashire, and for several years subsequently had experience on large water and drainage works. For some time afterwards, Mr. Kendall was contracting on his own account in Lancashire, and came to New Zealand by the s.s. “Whakatane” in 1901. He then joined the Public Health Department in Wellington, and for the first year travelled in the Wellington and Taranaki districts. He was afterwards stationed at Wanganui, and later at New Plymouth. In December, 1904, Mr. Kendall was appointed to his present position under the New Plymouth Borough Council. Dr. Valintine, of the Health Department, in his report for 1905, commented on Mr. Kendall's capabilities, and expressed regret at his resignation. He is an associate of the Royal Sanitary Institute of Great Britain, and holds a testimonial from the Borough Council of Stratford in respect to his services as Health Inspector. Mr. Kendall married a daughter of the late Mr. John Kendall, of Rawdon, in 1897, and has two sons.
was appointed Foreman of the New Plymouth Borough Council's stone crushing and street rolling plant in the year 1903. He was born in Manchester, England, in 1866, and came with his parents to New Zealand in 1869. Mr. Ardern was educated at Inglewood, and for some time afterwards served time as a mechanical enengineer, with an uncle, Mr. W. T. West, in the erection of dairy factories in the Taranaki district. Later, he was employed in sawmilling, and subsequently took charge of the Stratford County Council's stone crushing plant, for seven years, before receiving his present appointment. Mr. Ardern holds a first-class competency certificate as a driver of locomotive and traction engines, and has a dairy farm of 100 acres in the Inglewood district. He is married, and has six children.
was established in 1883. The principal station is in Powderham Street, and there are branch stations in Devon Street—east and west. The brigade has thirty members, and there are five auxiliary members resident on the central station. Officers for 1906: Mr. Fred Bellringer, superintendent; Mr. A. Boon, sub-superintendent; Mr. T. R. Ford, secretary. Mr. Bellringer has been superintendent since the year 1896, and is at the present time (1906) President of the United Fire Brigades' Association of New Zealand.
The first Mayor of New Plymouth was Mr. A. Standish, who held office for two years, and was succeeded by Mr. A. C. Fookes, who was Mayor for one year. Then followed Mr. J. Davidson, for two years, and he, in turn, was succeeded by Mr. W. Bayly, who held office from 1881 to 1884, and again from 1886 to 1888. During the two intervening years, Mr. J. Paul was Mayor. Mr. J. B. Roy became Mayor in 1888, held office for one year, and, four years later, was again elected, and remained Mayor till 1897. The interval of four years between Mr. Roy's terms was filled by Mr. J. Bellringer. Mr. E. Dockrill succeeded Mr. Roy, and held office till the end of April, 1903. Mr. R. Cock held office for the three years ending April, 1906, when Mr. Dockrill was again elected. Of the nine gentlemen who have occupied the Mayor's chair, three are dead; namely, Messrs J. Davidson, J. Bellringer and W. Bayly. Before the incorporation of the borough, New Plymouth was managed by a Town Board.
who was the first Mayor of New Plymouth, is a native of Yorkshire, England, and arrived in New Zealand with his parents when very young. He studied law with Messrs Merriman and Jackson, barristers and solicitors, in Auckland, and was subsequently admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court. Mr. Standish served as one of the early volunteers under Major Lloyd. Shortly after the breaking out of the war, he received a commission in the New Zealand Militia, and continued in active service until the conclusion of the Maori troubles in the Taranaki district. He then retired with the rank of captain, and received the New Zealand medal. In 1861, Mr. Standish commenced to practise as a barrister and solicitor in New Plymouth. He was appointed Crown Solicitor in 1863, and was one of the first to receive that appointment. As a member of the old Provincial Council, and as a member of the Provincial Government. Mr. Standish, with his colleagues, the Hon. Thomas Kelly and the late Sir Harry Atkinson, was instrumental in passing many measures for the benefit of the district. He was one of the first members of the New Plymouth Harbour Board, and did not retire until its prosperity seemed assured. Mr. Standish has been a member of the Taranaki Education Board and Land Board for over twenty years, and during his mayoralty obtained from the Government a grant of two thousand acres of land at Stratford as an endowment for the Borough Council. He has been an ardent sportsman, and has successfully ridden his own horses at many races. Mr. Standish resides at “Witiora,” in the suburbs, and is deservedly held in high esteem by the community, a proof of which is that he has never been beaten at any election. He married a daughter of the late Rev. Henry Handley Brown, of “Welbourne,” Taranaki, and sister of Mr. Henry Brown, sometime a member of the House of Representatives, and now (1906) in business as a sawmiller at Inglewood.
who was the second Mayor of New Plymouth, and held office from the 18th of December, 1878, till the 17th of December, 1879, was born in Kent,
England, in the year 1839, educated in Oxfordshire, and, after leaving school, was for seven years with a banking firm in London. Mr. Fookes came to New Zealand in 1861, by the ship “Black Eagle,” and shortly after joined the Wellington Defence Force as a trooper, on the breaking out of the Taranaki war. Having been promoted and transferred to the Taranaki Military Settlers, he served with the rank
the third Mayor of New Plymouth, was returned on the 17th of December, 1879, when he succeeded Mr. A. C. Fookes. He held office until the 21st of December, 1881. Mr. Davidson was connected with a legal office, and died at Waipuku.
who was the fourth Mayor of New Plymouth, took office on the 21st of December, in the year 1881, and held it until the 17th of December, 1884. On the 15th of December, 1886, he again became Mayor, and held office till the 19th of December, 1888. During his term the waterworks, in which he took great interest, were completed. Mr. Bayly devoted so much attention to the finances of the borough that their readjustment led to a considerable saving. As a colonist, he did much in other ways to advance the welfare of the district. He was born in Devonshire, England, and came to New Plymouth with his parents by the ship “Amelia Thompson,” in 1841, and took part in the pioneer work of the settlement. On the breaking out of the native disturbances, Mr. Bayly joined the Taranaki militia, served throughout the war under Major Brown, was present at all the chief engagements, was wounded at the battle of Waireka, and carried the unextracted bullet until his death. For his services he received the New Zealand war medal. On the conclusion of the war, Mr. Bayly bought a farm at Stony River, and after a trip to England, in 1870, established himself as a farmer and grazier. During the troublesome time of Te Whiti's ploughing mania, between 1879 and 1881, Mr. Bayly was captain of the Okato Rifle Volunteers on the Irontier. His farm at Stony River contained about 710 acres; and he also had 1900 acres at Warea, 570 acres at Rahotu, and 306 acres at Waiwakaiho. Mr. Bayly was well known in the district, and was held in great esteem by his fellow citizens. He was a member of the old Provincial Council, and of the Taranaki County Council for several years, and was also a member of the Harbour Board for many years. He was also, president and vice-president of the Taranaki Jockey Club, and took a great interest in all athletic matters. Mr. Bayly was a shareholder in the Moturoa Freezing Works, to the success of which he largely contributed. He died on the 6th of July, 1902, leaving a widow, four daughters, and one son.
who was Mayor of New Plymouth from the 17th of December, 1884, till the 15th of December, 1886, was born in Scotland, received his education in his native town, and came to New Zealand by the ship “Jura,” in 1862. After a short stay in Dunedin, he removed to New Plymouth, and started his well known and successful brewery in 1864. During the native disturbances, Mr. Paul saw active service in the local forces. He is a prominent settler in the district, and has done much for New Plymouth. Mr. Paul has been connected with the Taranaki Club since its inception, and filled the position of honorary secretary for twenty-seven years. He is a Freemason, and has held office on several occasions. Mr. Paul is married, and has four sons and one daughter.
was Mayor of New Plymouth from the 19th of December, 1888, to the 18th of December, 1889. He was again elected, and held office from the 26th of December, 1893, till the 25th of November, 1897. He had previously served as a councillor of the borough for three years. Mr. Roy was born at Trentham, near Wellington, and was educated at the Otago High School, and also at Nelson College. He was trained for the legal profession in Nelson, where he was admitted a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court, in December, 1876. In the year 1879, he commenced the practise of his profession in New Plymouth, and since that time has been legal adviser to a considerable number of local bodies. Mr. Roy has been closely associated with the institutions of Taranaki, and has taken a deep interest in education. Since the year 1889 he has been a member of the Board of Governors of the New Plymouth High School, and occupied the chair for five years. Mr. Roy is senior partner in the firm of Roy and Wilson.
J.P., was elected Mayor of New Plymouth on the 23rd of April, 1903, and held office continuously until after the election in April, 1906, when he was not a candidate. Mr. Cock was born in 1851 in New Plymouth, and, like most Taranaki boys, received his early education at Crompton's private school. At the age of twelve, he joined Dr. Humphries, who owned a chemist's shop at first, but subsequently, in conjunction with his son, established, and successfully carried on for years a wine and spirit store. For fifteen years Mr. Cock served Messrs Humphries, and then started on his own account, by leasing a small shop in Brougham Street, where he created a successful business. Mr. Cock filled the position of chairman of the Harbour Board, and became a member of the Sinking Fund Commissioners, with
J.P., was first elected a member of the Borough Council of New Plymouth in 1879, and was Mayor from 1889 till 1893. During the term of his Mayoralty, the jubilee of the province occurred, and Mr. Bellringer took a very active part in making the celebration a thorough success. A great many improvements were effected in the borough during his term of office. On his retirement from civic life, he was presented with an illuminated address in recognition of his services, and a group of the portraits of his fellow councillors. Mr. Bellringer was born in 1837 at Wrantage near Taunton, Somersetshire, England, where he was educated, and served his time with a leading firm of plumbers and painters, in whose employment he remained seven years. In 1857 he arrived in Auckland in the ship “Spirit of Trade,” and shortly afterwards settled in New Plymouth. He served through the Taranaki war with the 65th Regiment, and afterwards joined the Taranaki Bush Rangers, with whom he saw some active service. On the conclusion of the war he received the Imperial medal in recognition of his services. About 1865, he successfully established himself in Devon Street as a painter and decorator. Mr. Bellringer was a thoroughly representative colonist, and always took a very prominent part in public movements for the welfare of the district. He was for several years chairman of the New Plymouth school committee, chairman of the Fitzroy school committee, and chairman of the Te Henui Road Board, and of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board. Mr. Bellringer was an active Freemason, and a Past Master in the Order; and was connected with the Oddfellows for over forty years. He was a corresponding secretary of the district for over twenty-two years, a member of Excelsior Lodge for over thirty-three years, and permanent secretary for seventeen years. Mr. Bellringer was married and left a family of seven sons and four
who was a member of the New Plymouth Borough Council for several years, was born in the Isle of Man in 1811, and went with his parents, in 1852, in the barque “Tancred,” to Australia, where he spent the early part of his life on the goldfields. For some time Mr. Gottier was trading in a small vessel in and about Victoria. In 1863 he was attracted to New Zealand by the Dunstan goldfields in Otago, and was the first to apply for a patent for improvements in certain mining machinery. During the same year, he removed to Taranaki, served throughout the war with the military settlers, and received eighty acres of land for his services. On the corps disbanding, he decided to settle in Taranaki, and for several years conducted the canteens south and north of the town. He then commenced hotel-keeping, and conducted the Taranaki Hotel until 1872, when he took over the Masonic Hotel, and ten years later entered into possession of the Criterion Hotel, which he carried on successfully for fifteen years. He leased the “Criterion” in 1897, and afterwards lived in retirement at “Mona,” on the Carrington Road. Mr. Cottier always took a lively interest in all matters beneficial to the province of Taranaki. He was for many years a director of the New Plymouth Investment Society, and was one of the promoters of the gas company. Mr. Cottier was married, and had eight children, who became known in musical circles as talented performers. He died suddenly, at New Plymouth, on the 13th of December, 1905.
who represented the West Ward in the New Plymouth Borough Council for over six years, was born in Auckland in 1858, received his education there, and commenced his business life with L. D. Nathan and Co, with whom he remained twelve years, first as clerk in the warehouse, and afterwards as traveller throughout the province of Auckland. It is now (1906) nearly twenty years since Mr. Goldwater began business as a wine and spirit merchant and general importer in New Plymouth, and he has since built up a very satisfactory connection. He has always willingly given his co-operation in promoting the welfare of the district. Mr. Goldwater is married, and has one daughter.
was born in London, on the 9th of October, 1828, where he learned the builders' trade. He arrived in New
Plymouth in 1854, by the barque “Cashmere,” and started in business as a contractor in Devon Street. When the native troubles broke out. Mr. Scott joined the Taranaki militia, commanded by Captain William King,
J.P., was elected to the New Plymouth Borough Council as member for West Ward in 1892, and was chairman of the Library and Fire Prevention Committees. Mr. Ward was born in Dorset, England, in 1824, and arrived in New Plymouth with his parents by the ship “Ismandra,” in February, 1812. In 1851, he established the well known cooperage now carried on by his son. On the breaking out of the native war, Mr. Ward joined the Forest Rangers, and took a very active part in the campaign, was present at the engagement at Waireka at Mahoetahi, and received the New Zealand medal in recognition of his services. At the close of the trouble, Mr. Ward again started his cooperage, with machinery mostly of his own construction, and he yearly manufactured about 15,000 butter kegs; but owing to ill-health he found it necessary to retire from active business, leaving his son in charge of the factory. Mr. Ward has been an Oddfellow for nearly fifty years, is one of the oldest members of the Order, has held various offices, and is Past Provincial Deputy Grand Master. He is also a Freemason. He was one of the members of the New Plymouth Harbour Board appointed by the Government, and received his commission as a Justice of the Peace in 1892. Mr. Ward could relate many interesting stories of the early days, and exciting experiences during the native disturbances. He married a daughter of the late Mr. P. Moon, a well known settler, and has four sons and six daughters. Three of his sons are in business in New Plymouth, and four of his daughters are married.
consists of nine members, three of whom are nominated by the Government, and the remainder are elected by ratepayers throughout the entire district, which is divided into six wards as follows: New Plymouth borough, Clifton, Stratford, Hawera, Egmont and Taranaki counties, each of which returns one of the members, who are elected once in two years; the Government nominees are appointed by the Governor-in-Council every three years. Members in 1906: Messrs J. Ward, R. Price, and R. W. Hornby (Government nominees), J. B. Connett (New Plymouth borough). N. King (Taranaki county), J. Hine (Clifton county), G. McLean (Hawera county), J. Thomson (Stratford county), E. Maxwell (Egmont county). Mr. J. B. Connett is chairman of the Board, Mr. C. Rennell, secretary; Captain C. E. Hood, harbourmaster, and Mr. J. McMahon, assistant harbourmaster. The original breakwater at Moturoa, New Plymouth, was 1950 feet long; but since 1905 it has been lengthened a further distance of 200 feet. The railway line extends to the end of the wharf, and thence the mail train starts daily in the morning, and returns to connect with steamers leaving for Auckland in the evening. The cargo to and from the steamers is worked directly from and to the trucks. Butter and cheese are among the principal exports. In the year 1894, only 2191 tons of butter and cheese were shipped; but ten years later the total shipment amounted to 6953 tons. The income of the Board for the year ending the 31st of December, 1905, was £10,803. The depth of the water at the wharf varies from thirteen feet, at low water, to twenty-five at high water during spring tides. Steamers of 1000 tons can berth at the wharf. The charges are: Wharfage, 2s per ton; pilotage, 3d per ton, for sailing vessels, and half those rates for steamships; the port charges are: 4d per ton half-yearly. The breakwater, which cost an enormous sum of money, was designed by the well known engineer, Sir John Coode. The loans of the New Plymouth Harbour Board amount to £200,000, against which there is an accumulated sinking fund, which amounts to £54,332, and the revenue on trust accounts for the year ended 31st of December, 1905, was £14,365. The number of vessels that entered the harbour in the year 1894 was 372, with a tonnage of 91,040; ten years later, 476 vessels en-and their tonnage amounted to 228,743. The imports and exports for 1894 amounted to 24,902 tons, and for 1904, 62,940 tons. The sinking fund of the Harbour Board is managed commissioners; namely, Messrs H.
Secretary of the New Plymouth Harbour Board, is a native of Surrey, England. He received his education and commercial training in London. In the year 1852, after about three years of seafaring life, he settled in Victoria, and remained there for twelve years, during which he met with varied success on the goldfields. Mr. Rennell arrived in New Plymouth with his family in the year 1866, when he entered into business as a land and commission agent, and soon established a good connection. On the abolition of the provinces, he was appointed Government District Auditor (having previously acted as Provincial Auditor), but resigned the position in 1882 to take that of secretary to the Harbour Board, a position which he still retains. The New Plymouth Investment and Loan Society, which is a flourishing institution, in a great measure owes its origin to Mr. Rennell, who is still secretary and treasurer, and has occupied these positions since the formation of the society—about thirty years ago. Mr. Rennell was also the promoter of the New Plymouth Gas Company, which he was successful in forming, twenty-eight years ago. He has also been agent for the Public Trustee, and agent for three different fire and two life insurance offices. Mr. Rennell has, at different times, been for six years a member of the Borough Council for the West Ward, and was appointed a Justice of the Peace for New Zealand in 1886. He is a widower, and has a family of nine children, two of whom are Australians, and the others New Zealanders.
has been Harbourmaster of the Port of New Plymouth since the year 1897. Captain Hood was formerly in charge of the well known intercolonial liner, “Anglian.” He married a daughter of Mr. Frederick Moore, of Hobart, in 1884. This lady died in 1903, leaving two sons, and in 1904 Captain Hood married a daughter of the late Mr. Joseph Craig, of Auckland. He is more fully referred to on page 776 of the Wellington volume of this Cyclopedia.
has jurisdiction over the electoral district of Taranaki, which extends from Ngariki road, below Rahotu, to within about two miles of the mouth of the Waiongono river on the north and a considerable distance inland. Members of the committee for the year 1906: Messrs T. Hutchison, Stipendiary Magistrate (chairman), D. Berry, W. Ambury, J. S. McKellar, W. L. Newman, and T. Brasch. Mr. W. A. D. Banks is clerk to the committee. There are nine hotel licenses, two accommodation licenses, three wholesale licenses, and a packet license in the district.
has jurisdiction over the electoral district of Egmont. Members for the year 1906: Messrs T. Hutchison, Stipendiary Magistrate (chairman), W. L. Grey, D. H. McDonald, R. H. Piggott, C. H. Scott, and A. M. Thomson. Mr. W. A. D. Banks is clerk. There are eight hotel licenses and one packet licence in the district.
came into being in 1877, at the commencement of the operation of the Counties Act. The county is divided into three ridings—Moa, Waitara, and Omata; of which the first and last return three members each, and the Waitara riding two members. The total area under the jurisdiction of the Council measures 583 square miles; and the capital value of rateable property in the county is £1,653,018, on which a general rate of three farthings in the pound is levied, besides a Hospital and Charitable Aid rate of one-eighth of a penny in the pound. The county endowments consist of 1323 acres of agricultural and grazing land, which brings in an income of about £100 per annum. On the 31st of March, 1906, the revenue for the previous year was shown to have been £8,651, and the expenditure £7,626. The county's loans amounted to £5071 for bridges, and £2754 for roads. These loans have been obtained under the Loans to Local Bodies Act. The offices of the county are situated in Queen Street, New Plymouth. Members for 1906: Messrs G. V. Tate (chairman). J. Brown, R. Stevens, F. Julian, Mark Hopson, C. Andrews, J. R. Hill, and G. A. Adlam. Mr. Robert Ellis, A.M.Z.A.A., is clerk and treasurer, and Mr. J. Skinner, C.E. engineer.
Chairman of the Taranaki County Council, was born in 1850 at sea, near the Cape of Good Hope, on the ship “Phoebe Dunbar.” He was brought up from boyhood to agriculture on his father's farm, and now occupies 400 acres of beach land near Waitara. Besides store cattle, sheep, and horses, Mr. Tate grows grain extensively, and milks a large number of cows every day. He has always been an enthusiastic breeder of horses, and some very fine specimens of draught stock, bred on his estate, have graced the show ring, and secured several prizes. He was the first in the Taranaki district to make use of the double-furrow plough. As a settler he has always taken his share of local responsibilities, and is chairman of the Waitara West Road Board, president of the Taranaki Farmers' Club, and one of the oldest members of the Taranaki Agricultural Society. In fact, Mr. Tate is ever ready to take an effective part in any enterprise designed to promote the welfare of the district.
Clerk of the Taranaki County Council, since October, 1905, is a native of Ross, Westland, where he was born in 1872. Prior to his appointment, he was for several years. Town Clerk of the borough of Inglewood. Mr. Ellis is (by examination) an Associate of the New Zealand Accountants' and Auditors' Association, and gained his certificate and membership at the examination of 1904.
who was a member of the Taranaki County Council for a number of years, is a son of the late Captain Charles Horrocks, of H.M. 15th Regiment of Foot, and great grandson of John Horrocks, M.P. for Preston, and founder of the firm of Horrocks, Miller and Co., cotton spinners. He was born at Ostend, Belgium, in 1851, and was educated there, at Bath, and in Germany, being originally intended for the Navy. He, however, went to the River Plate, where he was for some time on a cattle ranch. The next few years, up to 1875, were passed by him in different parts of America, Germany, and England, and in that year he came to New Zealand by way of Australia, in which he spent some time. For a period of eight years he found employment with Messrs Stevens and Gorton, the well known stock auctioneers, at Bulls, Rangitikei. After leaving that firm, he entered into possession of Penwortham Farm, a property of 600 acres on the Junction Road, near New Plymouth. He married a daughter of Mr. W. R. E. Brown, of Wellington, sometime Registrar-General of New Zealand.
was constituted in February, 1901, under the Egmont National Park Act of 1900, and consists of ten members, two of whom are Government nominees, and the remainder representatives of local governing bodies. The Commissioner of Crown Lands is chairman. Members for 1906: Messrs F. Simpson (chairman), S. Percy Smith and R. Dingle (Government nominees): W. A. Collis (New Plymouth borough), J. R. Hill (Taranaki County Council), N. King (Stratford borough), F. J. Wrigley (Hawera borough), F. W. Wilkie (Hawera County Council), A. J. Hastie (Stratford County Council), and A. H. Moore (Opunake Town Board). Mr. G. W. Palmer is secretary. The Park has an area of 78,922 acres, and in order to facilitate effective control and management, it is divided into four sections, each of which is under the control of local sub-committees, each consisting of about four members, who report periodically to the Board, and see to the proper conduct of the mountain houses, as well as other matters of detail.
are under the care of a Board of Trustees; namely, Messrs F. P. Corkill (chairman), C. W. Govett, R. C. Hughes, S. Percy Smith, W. L. Newman, H. Ford, and three members appointed by the Borough Council. Mr. E. H. Tribe acts as secretary. The lovely gardens under the control of the trustees are commonly called the Recreation Grounds. There are forty-five acres of land under the management of the Board, and when taken over, about the year 1880, the whole area was rough, rural land. From the first the work of laying out and beautifying the grounds has been steadily carried out, without a Government subsidy, and the expenditure has amounted to from two to three thousand pounds in all. The New Plymouth Borough Council has for years subsidised the work up to £50 per annum, and this has now been increased to £100 a year. The land consisted originally of hills and gullies, with a splendid supply of water, and so it naturally lent itself to the intended purpose. Lakes covering an area of seven acres and a-half have been artistically laid out, and the waters of these reflect, with an idealising beauty, the tree forns, ornamental shrubs, and other vegetation on the adjoining hillsides. One of the principal objects of the Board has been the collection of New Zealand shrubs and flora, a very large number of which have been planted, and many remarkably fine specimens are growing in the grounds. A band rotunda and an areadian bridge, together with pretty refreshment rooms, have been erected by the Board. There are swans and other water fowls on the various lakes. A very fine sports ground has been made, and the tiers of seats on the surrounding amphitheatre of hills will accommodate about ten thousand visitors. On this spot the principal football matches have hitherto been held, and band contests have also taken place on the grounds. It is the intention of a specially appointed committee to spend a sum of about £1300 on further improvements in that portion of the grounds known as the sports ground. The grounds are much used by picnickers, and those who have visited almost every part of the colony declare that there is nothing in New Zealand to surpass the Taranaki Botanical Gardens. Two men are constantly employed in planting, clearing, and caring for the property. In one part of the grounds there is a fish hatchery, under the care of the local Acclimatisation Society.
has been Secretary to the Trustees of the Taranaki Botanical Gardens since 1804.
Taranaki has troops of mounted rifle and infantry volunteers, which are included in the Wellington battalions. Its mounted corps form part of No. 1. Battalion, Wellington (West Coast) Mounted Rifle Volunteers, which has its (head-quarters in Wanganui, and dates from the 1st of May, 1901. The Taranaki companies are known as the C Company—Hawera Mounted Rifle Volunteers; D Company—Stratford Mounted Rifle Volunteers; E Company — Opunake Mounted Rifle Volunteers; and F Company—Egmont Mounted Rifle Volunteers. The infantry division forms the 4th Battalion Wellington (Taranaki) Rifle Volunteers. The headquarters of this battalion are at New Plymouth, and eight companies form the battalion. The Tarata, New Plymouth, Rahotu, Kaponga, Tariki, and Urenui Defence Clubs are all within the Taranaki district.
has its head quarters at New Plymouth, and dates from the 1st of May, 1901. The battalion consists of eight companies; namely, A Company—Taranaki Rifle Volunteers (New Plymouth); B Company—Taranaki Guards Rifle Volunteers (New Plymouth); C Company—Patea Rifle Volunteers; D Company—Inglewood Rifle Volunteers; E Company—Eltham Rifle Volunteers; F Company—Hawera Rifle Volunteers; G Company—Waitara Rifle Volunteers; and H Company—Stratford Rifle Volunteers. Staff officers Lieutenant-Colonel E. N. L. Okey, V.D.; Major William George Malone; Adjutant Captain Claude H. Weston; Pay and Quartermaster-Captain George Cock, V.D. Medical officers: Surgeon-Major H. A. McCleland; Surgeon-Captain G. Home; Honorary Chaplain, the Rev. F. G. Evans.
V.D., Officer commanding the 4th Battalion Wellington (Taranaki) Rifle Volunteers, was appointed to the position on the 8th of September, 1904.
was formed in the year 1898. It is a full brass band, and has competed in various band contests, and taken third place at the Wanganui contest. Officers for 1906: Messrs T. B. McConnel (bandmaster), J. Richards (deputy-bandmaster), and Corporal N. Allen (secretary and treasurer).
was appointed Bandmaster of the Taranaki Band in November, 1904. He was born in the year 1868, in Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Scotland, where he was educated, came to New Zealand in 1880, and landed at Port Chalmers. He learned the trade of a painter and paperhanger, and was for some time employed by the Union Company. Mr. McConnel became a member of the Port Chalmers Band, of which his father was bandmaster; and in 1892, on his removal to Napier, Hawke's Bay, became bandmaster of the Napier Garrison Band, and held the position for about three years. He returned to Port Chalmers about 1898, and became bandmaster of the local band. In the year 1901, he went to Hawera, to take charge of the Municipal Band, and continued there until his removal to New Plymouth, in 1904. Mr. McConnel married a daughter of the late Mr. Jack Hare, of Dunedin, in 1889, and has one son and one daughter. He is further referred to as a painter and paperhanger.
As the chief town of Taranaki, New Plymouth has a number of Government departments, which are domiciled in a block surrounded by four streets; namely, Devon Street, Powderham Street, Robe Street, and Silver Street. The largest building of the group is usually known as the Government Buildings. Its frontage is to Devon Street, but it also faces Silver Street and Robe Street. A substantial and imposing addition in brick and stone has lately been made to the block. The Post and Telegraph offices, Customs, Public Trust Office and Deeds Registry Office are on the ground floor; and the Department of Lands and Survey, and the meeting room of the Taranaki Land Board and Egmont National Park Board, as well as the offices of the Roads Department for Taranaki, are on the upper floor. The premises of the Supreme Court, District Court, and Magistrate's Court are at the corner of Powderham Street and Robe Street, and the Police Station is in Silver Street. The gaol is situated on Marsland Hill, at the back of the town, and the administration of bankrupt estates is conducted at the office of the local Deputy Official Assignee. The Agricultural Department's branches for its stock, dairy, and veterinary sections, are domiciled in the Union Company's buildings, in St. Aubyn Street. The Labour Department has recently established a branch for Taranaki, with its offices in Rowe's Building, Currie Street, and there also the local Registrar of Births, Deaths, and Marriages has his office. The Department of Health, and the Public Works Department, have their central offices for Taranaki at Stratford.
occupies the ground floor of the eastern end of the Government Buildings, at the corner of Devon and Robe Streets. The departments include Savings Bank, Money Order, Government Insurance, and other branches. The Telephone Exchange at New Plymouth has 320 subscribers, and there are sub-exchanges at Inglewood and Waitara, in addition to sixty-four bureaux. The chief postmaster, Mr. T. D. Holdsworth, is supported by a large staff of assistants.
has been represented at New Plymouth since the forties. The office is in the Government Buildings, on the ground floor, and is entered from Silver Street. There are three bonds in the town of New Plymouth; namely, at the New Plymouth Express Company's buildings, and those of Messrs Burgess Fraser and Co., and of Mr. A. Goldwater. Besides the staff at New Plymouth, there is a coast waiter at Waitara. The principal exports are butter, cheese and meat. For some years the exports have been steadily increasing in value, and there was a substantial increase in imports in the year 1905.
has been Collector of Customs at New Plymouth since the year 1903. He was born in the town in 1863, and also educated in his native place. In 1874, he joined the Customs in Wellington, where he served for a number of years before he was promoted to his present position. Mr. Hempton married a daughter of Mr. A. McCrorie, in 1899, and has one daughter.
is domiciled on the first floor of the Government Buildings, in Devon Street, New Plymouth. The district under control extends from the Mokau river in the north, to the mouth of the Putea river in the south. From the sea coast it runs inland to a point on the Wanganui river, a little north of Pipiriki, and at the northern end of the district, inland to the Ongaruhe river. The land district is divided into thirty-seven survey districts, each with its own distinctive name—generally in Maori. Mr. F. Simpson is Commissioner of Crown Lands and Chief Surveyor; Mr. W. H. Skinner, Chief Draughtsman; Mr. H. M. Bannister, Chief Clerk; Mr. C. Cook, Land Transfer Draughtsman; and Mr. F. A. Cullin, Receiver of Land Revenue. There are also three district surveyors—Messrs H. M. Skeet, G. H. Bullard, and W. T. Morpeth, besides six assistant surveyors and six clerks. The members of the Land Board for the district are Messrs F. Simpson (chairman). Hislop, Rattenbury, Connett and McCluggage.
Commissioner of Crown Lands and Chief Surveyor for Taranaki, was born in the year 1846, in Lancaster, England. In 1853, he arrived in Auckland with his parents, and was educated at Wesley College, and at the Church of England Grammar School. During the Waikato war, Mr. Simpson held a commission in the 2nd Waikato Regiment, and saw service. He afterwards entered the service of the Auckland Provincial Government, and was subsequently transferred to that of the General Government. In 1875, he joined the Survey Department at Gisborne, and ultimately became a district surveyor. After serving in that capacity till 1892, he was appointed chief draug htsman at Napier, whence he was transferred to New Plymouth, where he was promoted, in June, 1904, to his present position.
formerly Chief Surveyor and Commissioner of Crown Lands for the Taranaki district, was born in Scotland and edurated
Government Valuer for the districts of Taranaki, Hawke's Bay, and part of Wellington, and for the boroughs of New Plymouth, Hawera, Patea, Stratford, and Waitara, was born in Corfu, in 1854, and is a son of the late Mr. James Hill, Hospital Sergeant of the 58th Regiment, who came to New Plymouth in 1861, died in 1897, aged seventy five, and was buried with military honours. Mr. Hill came with his parents to New Plymouth, was educated there, and afterwards engaged in farming. He filled many responsible positions, acting as clerk to several of the local bodies in the Egmont district. About 1895, he retired from farming, and entered into business as a commission agent. This business he conducted for three years, and had a large and influential connection; but in 1897 he accepted his present Government appointments. Mr. Hill has always taken a prominent part in all local matters; he was for seven years a member of the Taranaki Education Board, and for a considerable period property-tax assessor. He takes a keen interest in the iron sand industry, is secretary to Mr. E. M. Smith's Iron Sand Mission, and also one of the lessees of the foreshore from Tapuae to Waiwakaiho. Mr. Hill became secretary to the Moturoa Lodge of Druids when the Order opened in New Plymouth, and has filled the chair in the Egmont Lodge of Oddfellows.
at New Plymouth is situated in the Government Buildings. The local Stipendiary Magistrate acts as District Land Registrar, and the staff consists of the Assistant Land Registrar and three clerks.
Assistant Land Registrar and Deputy Registrar of Deeds, was born in 1844, in Kent, England. He was brought to New Zealand in the year 1850, by his father, the Rev. George Bayley, served in the Maori war, and entered the Government service at New Plymouth in the year 1870.
are domiciled in the Government Buildings, fronting Silver Street, New Plymouth. The Public Trustee has been locally represented since the commencement of the business of the department, and the West Coast Reserves Agency dates from 1883. This department deals with all Native Reserves, and West Coast Settlement Reserves throughout Taranaki, the lands themselves being vested in fee simple in the Public Trustee. They originally formed a portion of the confiscated territory, and now return a rental of about £26,000 per annum. There are about 1000 leases. The rentals are due half-yearly, and are divided twice a year among about 2500 native beneficiaries, to whom payment is made in the various settlements nearest to the native pas. The lands affected extend from White Cliffs in the north, to Waitotara, in the south. There is a sub-agency at Hawera.
J.P., has been agent for the Public Trustee and West Coast Reserves Agent at New Plymouth since the year 1895. He is further referred to on page 1466 of the Wellington volume of this. Cyclopedia.
is situated in the Union Company's buildings, St. Aubyn Street, New Plymouth. The local Inspector of Stock reports to the principal office of the district, which is at Wanganui.
has been Stock Inspector for North Taranaki since 1899. He was born in County Westmeath, Ireland, in 1857. In 1876 he arrived in Lyttelton by the ship “Norfolk,” and had experience of station life in various positions before he joined the Stock Department as agent, at Gore, in 1897. A year later, he was transferred to Kurow, and thence, at the end of another year, to New Plymouth.
for Taranaki has its office in the Union Steam Ship Company's building, St. Aubyn Street, New Plymouth. The branch was established in the year 1903.
M.R.C.V.S. (London), Veterinarian for Taranaki district, was born at Perth, Scotland, where he was educated, and studied at the Royal Veterinary College of Edinburgh. He afterwards became inspector for the Kincardinshire County Council, and local inspector for the Imperial Government, and was for over five years veterinary surgeon to the Public Health Department of Edinburgh. Captain Young came to New Zealand in 1900, and went to South Africa as veterinary lieutenant of the 4th New Zealand Contingent and veterinary captain of the 8th Contingent, and served with flying columns in active service. He returned to New Zealand, but retained his rank as captain, and entered the Agricultural Department in Wellington. He left the service, but subsequently rejoined and was appointed to his present position in New Plymouth.
for North Taranaki dates from the year 1898, and has its offices in the Union Company's building in St. Aubyn Street, New Plymouth. The staff consists of the grader-in-charge and his assistant, a clerk, and a lady instructress. The district under control extends from Hawera, northwards through Taranaki.
Grader-in-charge of the Dairy Division in New Plymouth, was appointed in 1901. He was born in Taieri, Otago, in 1877, and had considerable experience in the management of dairy factories in the south, before joining the department.
at New Plymouth was established in the year 1901, and is situated in Rowe's buildings, in Brougham Street.
was appointed District Registrar of Births, Deaths, and Marriages, Registrar of Medical Practitioners, and Vaccination Inspector, in the year 1901. He is the second son of Mr. E. M. Smith, M.H.R., and was born in Wellington, in 1871. Mr. Smith was educated at private and public schools in New Plymouth, and by tutors. Afterwards he learned the butchering business, and was for about five years manager of a local shop before he received his present appointment. He was a member of the New Plymouth Fire Brigade for eight years, was one of the founders of the Star Football Club; and is also a member and secretary of the New Plymouth Psychological Society. He married a daughter of Mr. Harry Rowson, of Stratford, in 1904, and has one son.
was constituted in 1898. Originally, New Plymouth was the head of the district, but in 1898 Wanganui became the principal office. The sub-district includes Mokau, Waitara, Inglewood and Rahotu. The staff includes a sergeant-in-charge, five constables, and a detective, and the police office is in Silver Street, New Plymouth.
Sergeant-in-charge at New Plymouth, was born in Devonshire, England, in 1850. He came out to Canterbury in 1866, and joined the police under the Provincial Government, at Christ-church in 1872. He was promoted to a sergeantship in 1898.
at New Plymouth, was established in the old Provincial days. It stands on a site of eleven acres, on Marsland Hill, behind the town. The buildings are of concrete, the surrounding walls of stone, and were erected many years ago. There is accommodation for fifty male and ten female prisoners, and the average number in custody is twenty-five—mostly males; and these are generally employed in connection with local public works.
Gaoler in charge at New Plymouth, was appointed in 1896. He was born in County Leitrim, Ireland, in 1845, and entered the Imperial service, in which he served nine years in the United Kingdom. Before his appointment at New Plymouth, Mr. O'Brien had charge at Lyttelton for eight years, and at Hokitika for a similar period.
is located in the office of Messrs Medley and Rundle, in Devon Street, New Plymouth. Mr. J. S. S. Medley has held the position of Deputy Official Assignee since the year 1902.
Deputy Official Assignee in Bankruptcy for North Taranaki, was born in Winchester, England, in 1868. He arrived in Wellington 1889, and was for some years farming in the Wanganui district before settling in New Plymouth in 1900.
is under the Public Works Department, and was opened on the 1st of April, 1901. The office is at the Governmemt Buildings, Devon Street, New Plymouth. Work in the construction and maintenance of roads in all parts of the Taranaki land district is supervised from the office. About 310 men are regularly employed, under the care of three inspectors and five overseers.
District Road Engineer, is the officer in charge of the roads department in Taranaki.
was constituted a separate branch in the year 1905. The office is situated on the first floor of Rowe's building, in Brougham Street; and the district under the control of the local inspector extends from the north of Taranaki to Patea, in the south.
Inspector of Factories for Taranaki, was appointed in June, 1905. He was born in Lytham, Lancashire, England, and was educated in his native county, and brought up to the trade of a joiner and builder. In December, 1869, he arrived in Auckland by the barque “Santiago,” and soon settled at Featherston, in the Wairarapa, where he followed the trade of a builder, and erected many buildings throughout the district. In May, 1905, Mr. Donald was appointed to the Labour Department at the head office in Wellington, where he continued till taking up his residence at New Plymouth, in charge of the Taranaki district. Mr. Donald was a member of the Featherston Town Board for about twenty-five years, and was its chairman on several occasions, and up till April, 1905. He was also for many years a member of the Licensing Bench at Featherston and held office till June, 1905. Mr. Donald was, for several years, also captain of volunteers in that district. In 1873, he married a daughter of Mr. David Cadenhead, of Featherston, builder, and has one son and four daughters.
was built in 1902. It is of wood, with an iron roof, and contains a public office, a parcel room, a ticket lobby, a waiting room, a ladies' waiting room, and apartments for the stationmaster, foremen and porters, and a lamp room. There is a very long asphalt platform, and the building is provided with a clock, which faces the town. There is a large goods shed with railway sidings and an extensive engine shed; and the station yard fronts Morley Street. The traffic on the breakwater at Moturoa is worked from the New Plymouth station. The staff in the traffic department numbers about forty. On an average, five trains arrive and depart daily.
who has been station master at New Plymouth since 1903, was previously for some years at Marton. He is further referred to on page 1312 of the Wellington volume of this Cyclopedia.
Fortunately, it is not needful to expend very large sums of money in connection with charitable aid in Taranaki, and there is plenty of work for willing workers. Provision, however, is very fully made for the care of those who are sick, or suffering from accidents, and also for those who, having passed the prime of life, need special care in their old age, and have no relatives or friends who are able to perform these duties for them. There is a very fine and well equipped hospital, which occupies a magnificent site, overlooking the town, and near to it is an excellent Old Peoples' Home. They are under the control of the Taranaki Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, which raises funds by levies on counties and boroughs, and thus the public is taxed for these necessary institutions. The funds raised by this means are supplemented by private subscriptions, and the whole amount is subsidised by the General Government. Apart from the two institutions named, the Board undertakes the administration of charitable aid.
was established about the year 1880. Members for 1906: Mr. G. Tisch (chairman), and Messrs R. Cock, C. Andrews, J. Burgess, J. Brown, C. O'sullivan, and D. H. McDonald. Mr. C. M. Lepper is the Secretary and Treasurer. The Board controls the administration of the New Plymouth Hospital and Old People's Home, and administers Charitable Aid for the district. Dr. Leathain is Medical Superintendent of the Hospital, and Dr. Walker of the Old People's Home. The revenue of the Board is derived from contributions levied on the local bodies, and from Government subsidies and public subscriptions. The Board's offices are in Brougham Street, New Plymouth.
Secretary and Treasurer of the Taranaki Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, is a son of the late Major Maxwell Lepper, after whom the township of Lepperton is named. He was born in Wellington in 1861, educated at Adams' school, New Plymouth, and afterwards gained a thorough knowledge of farming as a cadet on Captain Armstrong's farm, “Tekorangi.” He took charge of Woodlands, his present property, in 1881, and devotes his attention chiefly to dairying. Mr. Lepper has always been prominent in local politics, and has been connected with the Waitara West Road Board, the New Plymouth Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, and the Lepperton school committee for many years. He takes great interest in sporting affairs, is a member of most of the local clubs, and is also a Freemason. Mr. Lepper married a daughter of Captain Armstrong.
occupies a spacious site of ten acres of land, with a frontage to Dawson, Vivian and Fulford Streets. The main building, which is constructed of wood and iron, was erected about the year 1887. It is one storey in height, and a central corridor rums through almost its entire length. A very fine verandah stretches along the tront, and affords a magnificent view of the town of New Plymouth, and the sea beyond. The ends of the verandah are glassed in, for the greater comfort of convalescents. At each end of the building there are two convenient wards; those for men contain seventeen and ten beds respectively, and those for women ten each. A small ward for pneumonia cases contains two beds. There is a very fine dining room for male patients; a commodious kitchen; nurses' dining room, matron's room, and servants' quarters. The surgery, dispensary, and operating room are up-to-date in all respects. There are two cottages for the nurses; one of these, which contains eight rooms, was erected in 1905. There are two wards in the isolated quarters, and an annexe for consumptives was erected in 1905. This has two shelters, each containing four beds, for men and women respectively. In the centre it has an administration department, containing a dining roon, nurses' room, sitting and bathrooms, linen presses and kitchen, A convenient laundry, containing three apartments for washing, drying and ironing, is attached to the hospital. There is a fine tennis court for the use of the nurses and officers; and all the vegetables needed are grown in the hospital gardens. The town water is laid on to the hospital, which is lighted by electricity. The grounds are remarkable for their natural beauty, and for the way in which they are kept; and have, besides the ordinary flower borders and ornamental shrubs, refreshing fountains and artistic lakes. The staff consists of a matron, thirteen nurses, a warder, two housemaids, a cook, laundress, assistant and gardener; and the nurses are employed on the eight hours system.
Superintendent of the New Plymouth District Hospital, is further referred to as a medical practitioner in New Plymouth.
was appointed Matron of the New Plymouth Hospital in 1899. She is a native of Belfast, Ireland, and was educated in Auckland, where she arrived in the year 1883. Miss Browne served as a probationer at the Gisborne Hospital, where, after three years, she became head nurse, and served in that position for a similar period. In 1898 Miss Browne came to New Plymouth as senior nurse of the hospital, and was appointed Matron in the following year.
was appointed Honorary Librarian of the Taranaki Hospital in the year 1893, and was instrumental in the establishment of the library in that institution in the early days. He was born in 1849, in the south of England, where he was educated, and served his time as a bookbinder. In 1869 he left England for New Zealand, in the ship “Ocean Maid,” and landed at Wellington in 1870. Mr. Chinn then went to New Plymouth, and joined the Armed Constabulary Force, with which he served for three years in Taranaki. For a number of years subsequently he was publisher of the “Nelson Evening Mail,” but owing to failure of health returned to New Plymouth, and settled at Inglewood, where he has since carried on business as a painter and paperhanger. In the year 1904, he married a
is situated on a portion of the Hospital grounds, consisting of about three acres, and was rebuilt in the year 1900. The building is of wood and iron, with a large verandah on three sides, from which fine views are obtained. There are three main corridors, from which the various apartments open. Of the two sick wards, one contains four beds, the other one bed. There are two dining rooms, convenient sitting rooms, a large kitchen, scullery, store room, laundry, and baths, and lavatories. The building is lighted by gas, and supplied with town water, which is also laid on at fire hose at intervals of twenty yards in the corridors. There is accommodation for thirty-eight men and twenty-four women. Each inmate has a separate room comfortably furnished. The building is surrounded with well kept walks, lawns and flower borders, and there are large vegetable gardens, all of which are kept in order by the inmates, under the supervision of the officer in charge.
was appointed Master, and Mrs Farrar Matron, of the New Plymouth Old People's Home in the year 1902. Mr. and Mrs Farrar have both had a very wide experience of institution work, extending over a large number of years, in hospitals and mental hospitals.
Taranaki possesses the usual facilities for carrying on the system of free, secular, and compulsory education, which has been in vogue in New Zealand since the year 1877. New Plymouth contains the office of the Taranaki Education Board, which has jurisdiction over the northern and central portion of the provincial district, including the counties of Taranaki, Egmont and Clifton. The Board employs not only a large staff of teachers, but also a qualified inspector, with an assistant, and a truant officer, as well as an architect, and a secretary and treasurer. In New Plymouth itself there is a large and well equipped Central School, under the care of a headmaster, twelve teachers and pupil teachers, and with from 500 to 600 children in attendance. The school known as the Westown School is devoted to the infants, numbering 150, and is in charge of a mistress, who has three assistants. The New Plymouth High School (for boys and girls) is conducted in a fine building, which occupies
was constituted in the year 1889. Members: Messrs N. K. MacDiarmid (chairman), J. B. Roy, J. E. Wilson, M. Fraser, K. Dockrill, D. Berry, and S. Percy Smith. Mr. W. Bewley is secretary and treasurer. The Board of Governors controls the local High School, which has endowments of its own, and is situated on Avenue Road, at the east end of New Plymouth. The High School has separate apartments for boys and girls, and the staff consists of Mr. E. Pridham, M.A. (Rector), Miss Grant, M.A. (Assistant Mistress of the girls' department), Mr. H. H. Ward (Assistant Master), Miss Drew, M.A., Mr. T. Bain, and Miss Jones (Sewing Mistress). The Board gives free tuition in accordance with the Government regulations, and one free pupil for every £50 of net income from endowments, as well as free pupils in accordance with the Secondary Education Act, for which the Government pays subscriptions. The endowments of the Board bring in an income of from £700 to £800 per annum. They consist of some thousands of acres of agricultural land in the Taranaki district, including fifteen acres on which the school and the Rector's residence stand. The number of pupils in attendance varies from ninety to one hundred.
has for some years been chairman of the Board of Governors of the New Plymouth High School. He is further referred to as manager of the Bank of New South Wales.
Secretary and Treasurer of the Board of Governors of the New Plymouth High School, is further referred to in another article as senior partner of the firm of Bewley and Griffiths, land agents and auctioneers.
has been in existence since about the year 1883, and occupies a commanding site overlooking the town. The building is ornate, and affords excellent accommodation for the pupils in at tendance; and the grounds, which cover several acres, are well kept. The building contains four large class rooms, in addition to a room for the Principal, and there is an excellent gymnasium attached to the institution.
M.A., Principal of the New Plymouth High School, is assisted by a well qualified staff, which includes a headmistress, in charge of the girls' department, first and second male teachers and female assistants.
for the provincial district of Taranaki, was constituted in 1887. It acts as custodian for the education reserves in the whole of the provincial district. Generally the reserves consist of one-twentieth of all Crown lands in Taranaki, and as these are surveyed and laid off, they become vested in the Commissioners, as, according to law, 5 per cent. of the land thus surveyed is apportioned to the support of educational institutions. The reserves vested in the Commissioners amount in the aggregate to many thousands of acres, which return a revenue of about £3,500 per annum. The bulk of the land is let very cheaply on long leases, but as these expire, considerably increased revenues will be obtained for the Education Boards in the district. Proportional payments are made out of the funds at the disposal of the Commissioners to the Taranaki and Wanganui Education Boards, and to the Board of Governors of the New Plymouth High School. The Commissioners number five, three of whom are appointed by the Government, and two are representatives of the Taranaki Education Board. Members for 1906: Messrs J. Wade (chairman), H. Faull (representing the Taranaki Education Board), F. Simpson (Commissioner of Crown Lands), W. T. Jennings, M.H.R., and C. E. Major, M.H.R (Government appointees). Mr. F. P. Corkill acts as secretary to the Commissioners.
dates from the 1st of June, 1874, when it was known as the New Plymouth Education Board. At that time the late Mr. Benjamin Wells was chairman, and among the members were Major Atkinson, Archdeacon Govett and Messrs Hursthouse, Richmond, and Standish. Some years later the name of the Board was changed to the Taranaki Education Board. The district under its jurisdiction includes the counties of Taranaki, Egmont, Clifton, and Stratford. It extends from the Mokau river, on this north, to Ngaire, on the south, and the furthest inland school is situated fifty-two miles to the east of the borough of Stratford. At the beginning of 1905 there were seventy-seven schools under the control of the Board, and the children on the rolls numbered 4968, with an average attendance of 4190, under the care of 136 teachers. Members of the Board in 1906: Mr. J. Wade, chairman, Messrs G. Adlam, H. Faull, J. Mackay, M.A., D. H. McDonald, G. H. Maunder, A. Morton, W. Monkhouse, and Mrs J. R. Dougherty. Officers: Mr. W. E. Spencer, M.A., B.Sc., Chief Inspector; Mr. W. A. Ballantyne, B.A., Assistant Inspector; Mr. A. Hooker, Truant Officer; Mr. J. Sanderson, Architect; and Mr. P. S. Whitcombe, Secretary and Treasurer. The Board's offices are in Devon
who is a member of the Taranaki Education Board, was born in London, England, in November, 1844, and was educated at private schools. In 1858, he gained a certificate under the Committee for Education of the University of Oxford, and subsequently a first class certificate under the College of Preceptors. He afterwards learned flour milling in England and in Canada, whither he had emigrated in 1860. Two years later, he returned to England, but in another year went back to Canada, where he remained for two years at his trade. Mr. Maunder finally came to New Zealand in the ship “England,” and landed in Auckland, on the 9th of February, 1867. He found employment as a miller for some time, and also subsequently in Hawke's Bay for about two years. Then he returned to Auckland and settled at Mauku, where he had some experience of farming, and in 1874 he became teacher of the Mauku school. In the year 1882 he removed to Taranaki, and opened the Okaiawa school in 1883, and was, later, in charge of the Matapu school until 1892. Mr. Maunder was for some years farming in Hawera, and in 1902 he built his residence, “Waiake,” on the Carrington road, New Plymouth, where he has since resided. Mr. Maunder has been a member of the Mauku school committee, and the Mauku Road Board, and was a member of the Hawera County Council for the Okaiawa riding for three years. He has been a member of the New Plymouth school committee, the Taranaki Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, and honorary secretary of the New Plymouth No License League. Mr. Maunder married a daughter of the late Mr. William Taunt, of Ayrshire, Scotland, in the year 1885.
Truant Inspector of the Taranaki Education Board, was born in the year 1868, in New Plymouth, where he was educated. He afterwards learned the printing trade, which he followed for fourteen years. Mr. Hooker subsequently joined the Police Force, and served for several years in the Auckland district. He then went to Australia, and for two years he was employed in Mort's Dock, in Sydney. He returned to New Zealand, and in 1900 was appointed to his present position. Mr. Hooker is a member of Lodge Egmont, Independent Order of Oddfellows, Manchester Unity. For some years he was secretary of the New Plymouth Horticultural Society, by the managers of which he was presented with a watch in 1904; and he was sergeant of the Taranaki Rifles, and won the district medal for the Taranaki-Wanganui district. Mr. Hooker has a fine collection of coins. He is married, and has three children.
in New Plymouth is conducted in a handsome wooden building, which stands on a prominent site in the town. There are seven class rooms, a headmaster's room, a teachers' room, and a fine gymnasium, and the building is surrounded by spacious playgrounds. Two cadet corps, over 100 strong, are carried on in connection with the school. The headmaster is supported by a staff of two male and five female teachers, and five pupil teachers, and there are 580 names on the roll.
is situated on the South Road, and is a fine large wooden building with five class rooms, and two halls. The grounds are about half an acre in extent, and there are also shelter sheds. There are three hundred names on the school roll. The staff consists of a head teacher, a first assistant, two female assistants, and three pupil teachers. There is a cadet corps, with a membership of forty-eight, and with Mr. E. Barry, first assistant master, in command.
Head Teacher of the West End School, New Plymouth, was born at Renwicktown, in Marlborough. She became a pupil teacher in Blenheim, served for four years, and was afterwards appointed assistant teacher in the same school for three years. Mrs Dowling was subsequently for five years mistress of the Charleston Girls' School. Later on, she became assistant teacher in the Central School, New Plymouth, and took charge of the West End School in 1900. Mrs Dowling is a widow, and has two daughters and one son.
Devon Street West, New Plymouth. This school was acquired by Miss E. O. Stanford in the year 1897. It is a girls' school, situated near the seaside, with facilities for both boarding and day scholars. Teaching is given up to the requirements of the matriculation examinations, in which the school has been very successful. A special feature is the teaching of the theory and the practice of music.
Principal and Proprietress of the Chetwode Private School for Girls, took it over in the year 1897. She is assisted by three teachers.
at New Plymouth was founded in the year 1884. It is a fine three-storied building of wood and iron, erected on a site of one acre and a-quarter, bounded by Devon Street, Dawson Street and Powderham
The history of the churches in Taranaki is of considerable interest. The Wesleyan denomination was the first to be represented, and the Rev. Charles Creed was the first missionary of that body to take up his residence in the district. He occupied a mission station near Moturoa on the seashore, and the site is now known as the Whiteley township. Mr. Creed officiated, as the minister of the settlement, to Maoris and Europeans alike, until the coming of the first vicar, the Rev. William Bolland. The Rev. H. H. Turton afterwards succeeded Mr. Creed, and after the establishment of the Anglican church the ministers worked together in the greatest unanimity and harmony. A little raupo chapel, erected for divine worship at the corner of Brougham and Powderham Streets, was the first place of worship built for the use of the white people in Taranaki. On the 31st of May, 1842, the first Bishop of New Zealand, George Augustus Selwyn, accompanied by Mrs Selwyn, landed in Auckland, and on the 28th of October, the Bishop paid his first visit to New Plymouth, to which he walked from Wellington, a distance of 270 miles. On the following Sunday—the 30th of October, 1842—the Bishop officiated in a little wooden building which had been prepared for the purpose, and on Monday, the 31st, sites were selected for churches in New Plymouth. The little wooden building referred to stood facing a lane connecting Brougham and Currie Streets. It had been erected originally by the Plymouth Company as a depot and hospital for the young settlement. It was afterwards removed to the junction of Devon and Brougham Streets, where it stood for many years. The site chosen by the Bishop for the future church is now occupied by the church of St. Mary's—the mother church of Taranaki—and the wisdom of the choice has never been doubted. The first vicar of New Plymouth, the Rev. William Bolland, arrived in the settlement on the 3rd of December, 1843, and was invested by Bishop Selwyn, who walked overland from Auckland, a distance of 550 miles, for the purpose. Services were held in the little raupo building already mentioned, and from that date New Plymouth has never been without a Christian ministry. The raupo building was afterwards blown down by a furious gale, and for some time services were held in the courthouse till the opening of St. Mary's church. At Henui (now part of Fitzroy), a small church was built by Bishop Selwyn, and was opened in March, 1845. This is said to have been the first Anglican church built in Taranaki, and a portion of it still stands as the nave and chancel of the present church at Fitzroy. The first stone of St. Mary's was laid by Captain Henry King, R.N., Chief Magistrate of New Plymouth, on the 25th of March, 1845, and the church was opened on the 29th of December in the following year. At that time the total population
The first Wesleyan church in New Plymouth dates from the 13th of March 1856, when the first stone was laid in Liardet Street. The officiating ministers at the ceremony were the Rev. H. H. Turton, the Rev. S. Ironsides, and the Rev. J. Long. The Whiteley Memorial Church of the Methodist Church of Australasia (formerly Wesleyan Methodist) now (1306) occupies a prominent position in the township. In 1858 a minister of the Presbyterian Church—the Rev. J. Thom—was located in New Plymouth. The congregation erected a church in 1866; but it was subsequently destroyed by fire, and was replaced in 1884 by St. Andrew's church, in Devon Street. The Primitive Methodist body had been represented for many years in New Plymouth, prior to the 1st of January, 1862, when the foundation stone of their first church was laid in Queen Street. The building in which the congregation now worships is the only church in New Plymouth that has a spire. The first stone of the Baptist church was laid in Gill Street, on the 11th of March, 1868. The Roman Catholic Church, which has been represented in Taranaki since the early days of the Maori troubles, built a commodious church known as St. Joseph's, about the year 1895, and has also a large convent building on the same block of land. The Salvation Army has a convenient barracks in Brougham Street.
includes the town and some of the surrounding districts, and is bounded by the parishes of Inglewood, Waitara, and Okato. St. Mary's church, which stands on a slope of Marsland Hill, overlooking the town, is of special historic interest, as having been intimately connected with the time of the Maori war. The foundation stone of the building was laid on the 25th of March, 1845, and the church was opened for divine worship on the 29th of December, 1846. The Rev. William Bolland was the first vicar of New Plymouth, and he was succeeded by the Rev. Henry Govett, afterwards Archdeacon Govett, who long used his influence for good in Taranaki. There are churches in connection with the parish of New Plymouth at Fitzroy, Bell Block, Moturoa, Omata, and Barrett Road, and services are held at other places, in halls and schoolrooms. The vicar of the parish is assisted by two curates.
Th.L. Aust. Coll. Theol., Vicar of St. Mary's and Rural Dean of New Plymouth, is a native of Chester, England, and was born in 1857. He was educated at St. John's College, Auckland, and was ordained deacon in 1881, and priest two years later. In 1896 he settled at New Plymouth as coadjutor to Archdeacon Govett, and was appointed vicar in 1898.
in Devon Street, New Plymouth, is a handsome little building, with accommodation for over 200 persons. There are two class rooms adjoining the church, and also two schoolrooms, one of which has room for sixty, and the other for 100, pupils; and a handsome two-storey manse also occupies a site in Devon Street. The district of which St. Andrew's is the centre, includes practically the whole of the county of Taranaki; and the minister in charge is assisted by a home missionary, who resides at Inglewood.
who is in charge of St. Andrew's Presbyterian church at New Plymouth, was born in Londonderry, Ireland, in the year 1850. In 1891 Mr. Osborne took charge of the church at Whangarei, and was subsequently stationed at Hastings. He entered on his duties in New Plymouth in the year 1894.
has its headquarters in New Plymouth, and covers the country lying between the Mokau river on the north, and the parishes of Stratford and Okato to the south. The principal church is known as St. Joseph's, and occupies a commanding position in the town of New Plymouth. It is of wood and iron, has seats for 600 persons, and has an organ with a choir gallery. The presbytery adjoins the church, and so does the convent known as the Monastery of the Presentation. The block of land occupied by the various buildings has frontages to three streets. Dean McKenna is parish priest, and is assisted by the Rev. Father MacManus, as curate.
Rector of St. Joseph's, New Plymouth, is a native of the North of Ireland, received his early education at St. Macarten's Seminary, Monaghan, and afterwards studied theology at All Hallow's College, Drumcondra, Dublin. On his ordination in June, 1886, Father McKenna came to New Zealand, was appointed to Hawera, and in 1899 took charge of his present parish. Dean McKenna's
Curate of St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church, was born in County Leitrim, Ireland, in the year 1876. He was educated at St. Mary's Seminary, Moyne, County Longford, and at St. Patrick's College, at Thurles, in County Tipperary. He was ordained in June, 1903, and arrived in New Plymouth in November of that year, as assistant priest to Dean McKenna.
formerly known as the Wesleyan Methodist Church, has been represented in New Plymouth from the earliest days of settlement. The principal church of the district, named the Whiteley Memorial Church, was erected in the year 1898. It stands on the corner of Liardet Street and Courtenay Street occupies an elevated position, and is a distinctive object in the landscape. The building is of wood and iron, and has seat accommodation for six hundred persons. In the very early days services were held in a raupo church, built in Brougham Street, but in 1843 the congregation took possession of a new stone church in Courtenay Street; afterwards the present site was secured, and the church which was built became known as Whiteley Hall. Services are held in the surrounding districts, especially at King and Upland, Lower Egmont, Carrington, Frankley Road, Bell, Okato, and other settlements.
Superintendent Minister at New Plymouth, was elected President at the conference of 1906, and appointed to the New Plymouth circuit. Mr. Brooke is referred to at greater length on page 186 of the Otago volume of this Cyclopedia.
was founded in the year 1844. The principal church of the circuit is situated in Queen Street, and was opened free of debt in September, 1904. It stands on a section of a quarter of an acre, and is a fine building of wood and iron, on concrete foundations. It has also a handsome spire, and a flight of steps lead up to the entrance doors. The interior of the church is beautifully finished. There is an organ loft, and seats are provided for 400 persons. The New Plymouth circuit also owns two acres of land in Devon Street, where the parsonage and other residences stand. A wooden church was erected in 1905 at Kent road, and has accommodation for 100 persons. The church at Bell Block was put up in the year 1850, and will seat 100 persons, and
who has had charge of the New Plymouth circuit of the Primitive Methodist Church since the year 1899, was born in 1852 in Ayrshire, Scotland, where he received part of his education. He came with his parents to New Zealand in 1864, attended school in Dunedin, and lived with Mr. Stead in Invercargill. Mr. Nixon subsequently became a probationer in the Primitive Methodist church at Wellington, for three years, and he was then stationed at the Thames for two years. He was afterwards successively at Franklyn Road, Auckland, for two years, Ashburton four years, Dunedin three years, Wellington two years, New Plymouth five years, Auckland one year, the Bluff three years, and Waimate, Canterbury, one year, before entering on his present term in the New Plymouth circuit. Mr. Nixon married a daughter of the late Mr. Henry Hirst, of Mount Roskill, Auckland, in the year 1881, and has one son and four daughters.
stands in Gill Street, and is a wooden building with accommodation for 200 persons. It was erected in the early days of the settlement, by the Congregationalists and Baptists. In recent years a residence for the minister has been acquired in Gilbert Street. Services in connection with this denomination are held in one out station, and a church site has also been secured at Waitara.
Minister of the Baptist Church at New Plymouth, was born in Birmingham, England, and in 1878 he became minister of the Baptist Church at Bideford, in Devonshire. After arriving in New Zealand, Mr. Woolley was for sixteen years stationed at the Thames, and removed to New Plymouth in the year 1902.
has been represented in New Plymouth since the year 1883. The barracks, at the corner of Brougham Street and Powderham Street, were erected in 1898. They are of wood and iron; the hall will seat 300 persons, and there are three ante-rooms. Services are held regularly, and there is a Sunday school with sixty children in charge of six teachers. There are fifty soldiers in the corps, and the brass band has ten playing members.
who has been in charge at New Plymouth, since 1905, was born in Victoria, Australia, and has been an officer in the Army since the year 1886.
was established in September, 1892, in Devon Street. In the year 1899, a fine new building of wood and iron was erected in Egmont Street. It contains seven rooms in addition to the stewards' quarters, including a reading room, a members' club room, a visitors' room, a fine well-lighted billiard room, with three excellent tables, and writing, card, and chess rooms, besides a bar, lavatory, etc. The Club has 180 members. Officers for the year 1906: Mr. O. Samuel (president), Dr. Leatham and Mr. N. King (vice-presidents), Dr. Wylie, Messrs L. M. Monteath, J. W. Wilson, W. J. Penn, and J. S. McKellar (committee), and Mr. W. L. Newman (honorary secretary). Mr. J. F. Lepine is steward in charge.
who has been Steward of the Taranaki Club since its inception, was born in the year 1858, in Auckland, where he was educated. He afterwards learned tailoring, which he followed until 1886, when he was employed in connection with the Park Hotel, afterwards the Waitemata Hotel, in Auckland. Mr. Lepine subsequently settled in New Plymouth, and was appointed to his present position. He married a daughter of the late Mr. James Pask, of Feilding, in the year 1893, and has one daughter and three sons.
was constituted in the year 1883, with headquarters at New Plymouth. District officers for 1905: Brothers A. J. Tunbridge, District Chief Ranger; F. C. Bennett, District Sub-Chief Ranger; G. Braund, District Beadle; H. R. Cattley, District Treasurer, and C. Tunbridge, District Secretary. The District Court meets half-yearly,
District Secretary of the Ancient Order of Foresters for Taranaki, was born in June, 1845, at Plymouth, England. In the year 1860, he enlisted at Madras, India, in the 42nd Light Infantry. Three years later he came to New Zealand with his regiment, and was stationed at Otahuhu and the Queen's Redoubt, and afterwards at Tauranga; and he fought at the Gate Pa, and at New Plymouth. In 1866, the regiment returned to Portsmouth, England, and was stationed at Aldershot, afterwards at Jersey, and later on at Dublin, Fermoy, Kinsale, and Cork, where Mr. Tunbridge obtained his discharge, in 1873. Shortly afterwards he came again to New Zealand, and settled in New Plymouth. Soon after his arrival, he joined the Ancient Order of Foresters, on the 29th of December, 1873, and, four years later, became secretary of his Lodge. Mr. Tunbridge was employed for many years in the hardware, and wine and spirit trades, and later on was employed by Mr. John Abbot, tinsmith. He retired from business life in 1901. He was a sergeant of the Taranaki Bush Rangers in 1874. Mr. Tunbridge married a daughter of the late Mr. John Hutchings, of Jersey, in the year 1868, and has, surviving, five sons and five daughters.
Ancient Order of Foresters, is the largest court in connection with the Taranaki district. In the year 1904, there was a membership of 374, and the accumulated funds amounted to £5725. Officers for 1905: Messrs W. Sadler, Chief Ranger; C. Boulter, Sub-Chief Ranger; A. Goldwater, treasurer; and C. Tunbridge, secretary. The Taranaki Hall, in Gill Street, where periodical meetings are held, has accommodation for about 400 persons, and was built jointly by Courts Taranaki and Waireka, in the year 1883.
Ancient Order of Foresters, Number 4356, dates from the year 1852. Officers for 1906: Messrs A. McKeown, Chief Ranger; J. Way, Senior Chief Ranger: H. R. Cattley, treasurer; and E. E. Tribe, secretary. The Court has a hall in Gill Street, a wood and iron building with seats for 250 persons. It was erected in 1893, at a cost of £750. The Court has 107 members, and its accumulated funds amount to £5,100.
has a membership of eighty-six, and substantial benefits are granted in the event of sickness or death. The accumulated funds amount to about £2000, which is invested in freehold property. Officers for the year 1906: Messrs N. Golding (president), J. Kenyon (treasurer), C. T. Mills (secretary), and an annually elected board of eight members. Meetings are held on the fourth Saturday of each month, in King Street.
President of the New Plymouth Friendly Society, was born in Ireland, on the 12th of December, 1817. He joined the 65th Regiment in Plymouth in 1841; six years later was sent to Hohart as a guard over convicts, and was promoted to the rank of sergeant. He came to New Zealand in October, 1847, as supercargo, and was the only soldier on board. After landing his stores, he remained in Wellington until the year 1851, when he was ordered to England. Three years later, he again came to New Zealand as a member of the 65th Regiment, and landed in Auckland. After ten months' service, Mr. Golding was sent to Taranaki to rejoin the 65th Regiment, with which he served until the 7th of February, 1863. On taking his discharge, he received a presentation from his comrades. Mr. Golding took part in the fight at Waireka, and in several engagements at Waitara. He subsequently joined the militia as sergeant, and served for twenty years under the Colonial Government. Mr. Golding received the good conduct medal, and also the New Zealand war medal. For a period he acted as bailiff at the Magistrate's Court, and was for fifteen years first warder of H.M. Gaol at New Plymouth. Mr. Golding has been a member of the New Plymouth Friendly Society since its inception; he is also a Past District Chief Ranger of the Order of Foresters, and is now (1906) the only survivor of the original members of the Order in New Plymouth. Mr. Golding has been twice married, on the first occasion before he left England. Mrs Golding died in January, 1875, leaving three daughters. Mr. Golding re-married in December, 1876, and has one son, who is further referred to as an organist, in New Plymouth.
was established in the year 1888. Officers for 1906: Messrs R. Cock (patron), G. H. Morgan (president), E. Griffith, J. Hurle, and J. Paton (vice-presideats), E. P. Webster (secretary and treasurer), and a committee of seven. Shows are held annually in the Drill
was founded in the early seventies, and its principal race, the Taranaki Cup, in the year 1876. Officers for the year 1905–06: Mr. J. Paul (president, Captain Mace, N.Z.C., (vice-president, Mr. J. F. Stohr (timekeeper), A. A. Budge (judge), J. Chadwick (handicapper), Colonel Ellis (honorary treasurer), and M. Fleetwood (secretary); also a strong committee, and a number of stewards. The racecourse, which is about a mile from the centre of the borough, and adjoins the well known Recreation Grounds, contains twenty-live acres of freehold, and thirty-five acres of racecourse and recreation reserve. The improvements consist of a large grand stand, which has seat room for 700 persons, and was erected in 1903 at a cost of £1700. In front and on each side of the grandstand there is an asphalt platform, which gives additional seat accommodation. The ground includes four grass tracks for training purposes, and also a ploughed track in addition to the racecourse. The latter is nearly a mile round, with a six chain curve, and the training tracks are within. The club has about one hundred members, and two race meetings are held every year. The Christmas meeting is devoted specially to hack racing, and takes place on Boxing Day, and the day following; the amount of added money at this gathering is over £1,100. The club's principal meeting is in autumn, and is usually held on the 29th and 30th of March. The added money at this meeting amounts to nearly £1700. The principal event, the Taranaki Cup, is a handicap race of 300 sovereigns.
has acted as Secretary of the Taranaki Jockey Club since 1899. He was born in Wiltshire, England, has been a colonist since 1862, and has long been prominently connected with racing in Taranaki.
(Metropolitan)) was established on the 24th of June, 1872. Officers for the year 1906: Messrs H. Brown (patron), N. King (president), H. J. H. Okey, W. Ambury, and H. King, (vice-presidents), Captain Young (honorary veterinary surgeon), and E. P. Webster (secretary). There is also a general committee of twenty-five members, who are annually elected in the month of January. The shows are held on the Taranaki Jockey Club racecourse, about the end of November or the beginning of December in each year. The racecourse is well laid out, and admirably adapted for the purpose. The total entries in the year 1904 numbered 670. The value of prize money paid over was about £300, and there was a total attendance of 4000 persons. In 1905, the society increased the time allotted to the show, to two days, and the prize money was also materially increased. Stock of all kinds are exhibited, including horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, and dogs. The dairy produce department is a feature of the show, and the dairy cow competition is one of the most important in the colony. The cows are judged on the Canadian method. The animals are milked twice successively, and the amount of butter fat is accurately tested, so as to form an important factor in the judging.
Secretary of the Taranaki Agricultural Society, was born in the year 1874, in New Plymouth, where he was educated. He subsequently joined the staff of the National Bank of New Zealand in New Plymouth, and afterwards served as sub-accountant at the Christ-church branch of the bank. He served also at Wanganui and Stratford, but retired from the service to become a member of the firm of Bauchope and Webster.
was founded in the year 1872. The district under its jurisdiction extends from Mokau in the north to the head waters of the Wanganui river in the east, and the Taungatara river in the south. Hawera and Stratford have similar societies. The Taranaki Society has eight rearing ponds in the New Plymouth Recreation Grounds. The fry are obtained from the hatcheries at Masterton and Hawera, and after being reared in the Recreation Grounds, the fish are liberated in the rivers. About 23,000 fish were handled in the season of 1905. Some years ago Taranaki was a great place for shooting, and there are still pheasants and quail available for sportsmen, though they are not so numerous as in former years. The revenue of the Society is derived from shooting and fishing licenses and subscriptions. Officers: Messrs W. L. Newman (president), J. Paul, G. Mannering, J. E. Wilson, J. Gibson, junior, H. Newland, and W. Bewley.
Secretary and Treasurer of the Taranaki Acclimatisation Society, is referred to in another article as an insurance and general agent.
was established in the year 1884. Shows are held twice annually in the Drill Hall; the spring show in November, and the autumn show in March. There is a membership of 200. Officers for the year 1906: Mr. J. C. George (president), Mr. E. Gilmour (secretary and treasurer), and a committee of twenty. The spring show is a creditable exhibition, and is well supported by the general public, and nurserymen who reside long distances from New Plymouth also send exhibits.
Secretary and Treasurer of the New Plymouth Horticultural Society, was born in the year 1878 at Raglan. He was educated at Waitara and New Plymouth, and served for twelve years as accountant in the office of Mr. Corkill, before entering business on his own account, as a member of the firm of Gilmour and Pattie, land and estate agents. Mr. Gilmour was a member of the Taranaki Rifles for five years, and is secretary of the Taranaki Trotting Club.
was established in 1891 to preserve native scenery, and places of historic interest. It has already been successful in promoting the preservation of large areas of historic and scenic land, and the sites of native pas and military redoubts immediately associated with the troubled
President of the Taranaki Scenery Preservation Society, is a civil servant, who has long been connected with the Lands Department. He joined the service in Taranaki in 1872.
That the people of Taranaki are very musical is shown, not only by the earnestness and vigour of organists and choirmasters, and the excellent singing of many of the choirs, but also by the numerous bands, and the number of teachers of music in the various settlements. New Plymouth has two well equipped bands; namely, the New Plymouth Military Band, which dates from the year 1885, and the Taranaki Garrison Band, which was established in 1898. The proprietor of one of the musical instrument shops in the town carries on the manufacture of musical instruments as a local industry.
A. Mus. L.C.M., Music Teacher, Brougham Street, New Plymouth. Mr. Fletcher teaches singing, organ and piano and theory, and he is organist of St. Mary's Anglican church. He was born in Sydney, Australia, in the year 1869, and brought up to the musical profession. He afterwards taught for some years in Sydney, and was organist of St. James' church, Croydon, conductor of the Croydon Choral Society, and was assistant organist of the Young Men's Christian Association. He then went to Albury, where he remained for five years, and was organist of St. Matthews' Anglican church. Mr. Fletcher subsequently came to New Zealand, and was appointed organist of St. Mary's in May, 1901. He is the local representative for the examinations of Trinity College, London, Mr. Fletcher is married, and has one child.
Teacher of Music, Vivian Street, New Plymouth. Mr. E. A. Golding is the only son of Mr. Nicholas Golding, an old colonist, who is further referred to as president of the New Plymouth Friendly Society. He was born in the year 1879, in New Plymouth, where he was educated. Mr. Golding became assistant organist at St. Mary's Anglican church when sixteen years of age, and was promoted to the position of organist at the age of twenty. He was appointed organist and choirmaster at the Primitive Methodist church at New Plymouth in October, 1904, and still (1906) holds the position.
Teacher of Music, Devon Street, New Plymouth. Mr. White is a native of Lincolnshire, England, and brother to Mr. Sydney Wales White, a well known portrait painter in London, whose work has received very favourable notice. Several of his relations being in New Plymouth, Mr. White came out to New Zealand in 1893, and bought the old established business of Mr. Shaw, photographer. He now (1906) devotes his time to the teaching of music. Mr. White is organist of the Wesleyan church, conductor of the Orpheus Musical Society, and he wielded the baton at the production of the “Messiah,” in 1897.
was incorporated in April, 1904. Directors (1906): Messrs W. Bewley (chairman), J. Paul, J. Avery, J. S. S. Medley, F. Messenger, C. T. Mills, and W. C. Nixon. Secretary, Mr. M. J. Jones. The building, which is in a central position in New Plymouth, was erected by a local company, and subsequently acquired by the late Mr. F. A. Carrington, from whose executors it was bought by Mr. M. J. Jones in the year 1901. Mr. Jones expended about £1400 in enlarging and improving the premises, and disposed of the property to the New Plymouth Theatre Company on its formation, retaining, however, a third interest. The theatre is well appointed, lighted by electricity, and has good accommodation for the performers and the public. The company's capital is £10,000, in shares of £1 each.
Secretary of the New Plymouth Theatre Company, was born in Cavan, Ireland, in the year 1865, and came as a child to New Zealand. He was educated in Auckland; afterwards learned carpentry, and worked at his trade for about thirteen years in Sydney, Melbourne, and Tasmania. In 1893, Mr. Jones settled in New Plymouth, and was for four years in business as a cabinetmaker. For about six years afterwards he practised as an architect and commission agent, and then became a partner in the firm of Richards and Jones. Mr. Jones is further referred to as a member of that firm.
is the leading evening newspaper published in Taranaki. It dates from the 4th of August, 1852, when it first appeared as a weekly paper, owned by Messrs G. W. Woon and W. Collins. It was issued as a weekly till the 28th of April, 1869, when it became a bi-weekly; and was thus published until the 14th of May, 1877, when it was issued as a daily, at the price of one penny. When the Taranaki Herald was first brought out there were only seven other newspapers published in New Zealand, and of these two survive; namely, the “Lyttelton Times” and the “Otago Witness.” In the period of more than half a century, during which the journal has been in existence, it has never failed to appear on its due date; although on occasions, in the old days, its supplies of paper frequently came in just in the nick of time. There was an incident during the war, when, after the first edition had been issued, Colonel Gold sent a file of soldiers to the office, and confiscated the copies printed, in consequence of his disapproval of a paragraph therein contained; the obnoxious paragraph was thereupon removed, and the printing of the paper continued. In December, 1867, Mr. Henry Weston bought the Herald, which has ever since remained his property. In February, 1868, Mr. W. H. H. Seffern came from Auckland to edit and manage the paper, and continued to edit it till November, 1895, when Mr. W. J. Penn became editor. A weekly edition, known as the “Budget,” made its first appearance in 1877, and has so grown in circulation and influence, that it is now the most widely circulated paper in the Taranaki provincial district. Both the “Herald” and the “Budget” have been closely associated with the growth of Taranaki, and there can be little doubt that they have largely assited in the development of the district. The population of the province when the “Herald” first appeared was barely 2000 souls, and a demy Albion
was founded as a weekly newspaper in New Plymouth, in the year 1857. Its first editor was the late Mr. Charles Brown, who was succeeded by the late Mr. Benjamin Wells, and later on the editorial chair was filled by the late Mr. J. Whiteley King, a grandson of the Rev. John Whiteley. In 1883, it was issued as a daily paper with the title of the Daily News, and under the proprietorship of Mr. John McKenzie; the first editor of the daily paper was Mr. L. L. Norris, and Mr. W. A. King had charge of the machinery. Messrs Norris and King afterwards joined in partnership, and bought the property. They were succeeded in the proprietary by Messrs srs W. E. Simpson and W. J. Guerin, who conducted the paper for about three years. Mr. Simpson then sold his interest to his partner, who continued sole proprietor for two years. Ultimately the property was transferred to a public company, known as the Taranaki News Company, Limited, with the late Mr. J. Bellringer as chairman of directors. In 1896, Mr. W. J. Guerin was appointed editor, and occupied the chair for two years, when he gave place to Mr. A. Hooper, who edited it for one year. Mr. Hooper was succeeded by Mr. E. G. Allsworth. In 1903, the paper was bought by Mr. John Henry Clayton, who had previously been proprietor of the Stratford “Post. Mr. Clayton conducted the journal till 1905, when he sold out, and bought the”Tauranga Times.” In 1905 the “Daily News” became the property of Mr. Thomas Currie List, who had been about three years proprietor and editor of the “Waimate Witness,” and before then part proprietor of the “Petone Chronicle.” The original name of the paper, when it was first issued as a weekly, was the “Taranaki News,” and a weekly is still issued under the same name every Saturday morning. The weekly paper contains thirty-two pages, of four columns each, and the “Daily News,” published every morning, is a large four-page sheet.
is situated at the corner of Robe Street and Powderham Street, New Plymouth. The building is of wood and iron, and contains complete accommodation for the various sittings of the Supreme Court, District Court, and Magistrate's Court, as well as for the Supreme Court library. Three sittings of the Supreme Court are held in the year, the District Court sits quarterly, and there are weekly sittings of the Magistrate's Court in civil and criminal jurisdiction. The Stipendiary Magistrate, Mr. Thomas Hutchinson, also acts as Registrar of the Supreme Court. Mr. W. A. D. Banks, clerk of the Magistrate's Court, is Sheriff and Deputy-Registrar; Mr. J. S. Pipe is bailiff, and there are two other officers acting under the Clerk of the Court.
Stipendiary Magistrate, also acts as District Land Registrar, Examiner of Titles, and Registrar of Deeds at New Plymouth, Registrar of the Supreme Court, Deputy Commissioner of Stamps, and Deputy Registrar of Joint Stock Companies. A biographical sketch of Mr. Hutchison appears at page 955 of the Wellington volume of this Cyclopedia.
was appointed Sheriff, Deputy-Registrar of the Supreme Court, Clerk of the Magistrate's Court and Returning Officer, in the year 1903. He is the eldest son of Mr. W. D. Banks, who was for many years Town Clerk of Hokitika, and was born in Invercargill and educated on the West Coast. Mr. Banks entered the Magistrate's Court in Hokitika, and served three years under Dr. Giles, Stipendiary Magistrate. He was then transferred successively to various parts of the colony, and was subsequently appointed Relieving Officer for the whole colony under the Justice Department for four years. Mr. Banks then became second clerk in the Magistrate's Court at Auckland, and eighteen months later was transferred to Christchurch. Later on, Mr. Banks was transferred to Hokitika as Clerk of the Court, and Receiver of Gold Revenue, and after fifteen months' service was appointed to New Plymouth. He married a daughter of Mr. H. G. Clark, merchant, Christchurch, in the year 1899, and has two sons.
was appointed Bailiff of the Stipendiary Magistrate's Court at New Plymouth in the year 1891. He was born at Walton, Suffolk, England, in 1849, and educated at the Albert Memorial College, Framlingham, Suffolk. Mr. Pipe
. Officers for the year 1906: Mr. O. Samuel (president), Mr. T. C. Fookes (vice-president), Mr. J. H. Quilliam (treasurer); Messrs W. Kerr (Crown Prosecutor), D. Hutchen, J. E. Wilson and F. E. Wilson (members of the executive), and Mr. W. A. D. Banks (librarian and secretary). There are forty-two practising solicitors connected with the Taranaki district Law Society, and ten of these are also barristers. The library and offices of the Society are situated in the Supreme Court building in New Plymouth, and the library contains 3,000 volumes.
Barrister and Solicitor, Devon Street, New Plymouth. Mr. Fitzherbert was formerly for some years a member of the firm of Napier and Fitzherbert, in Auckland, and afterwards of Napier, Fitzherbert, and Smith, of Wellington. He has practised on his own account in New Plymouth since the year 1902. Mr. Fitzherbert's biography is given on page 280 of the Auckland volume of this Cyclopedia.
(Clement William Govett, and James Henry Quilliam), Barristers and Solicitors, Devon Street, New Plymouth. Telephone, 47. This practice was founded by Mr. Govett in the year 1879, and the present firm dates from 1900, when Mr. Quilliam joined Mr. Govett in partnership.
of the legal firm of Govett and Quilliam, is a son of the late Archdeacon Govett. He was born at New Plymouth, and received his early education in Auckland, but went to England, and after being articled to a solicitor for two years, entered the Middle Temple and was called to the bar in 1874. After his return to New Zealand, he received the appointment of assistant law officer to the Crown, a position which he resigned to follow
Barrister and Solicitor, Brougham Street, New Plymouth. Mr. Hughes has been in practice for many years in New Plymouth, and has from time to time acted as solicitor for a number of public institutions.
Barrister and Solicitor, Brougham Street, New Plymouth. Mr. Hutchen has been connected with the legal profession in New Plymouth since 1904, and has practised on his own account since 1902. He is further referred to as a member of the New Plymouth Borough Council.
(William George Malone, James McVeagh, and William David Anderson), Barristers and Solicitors, National Bank Chambers, corner of Devon Street and Brougham Street, New Plymouth. This firm dates from the year 1903, and has branch offices in several towns in Taranaki.
(Arthur Standish, Arthur Russell Standish, and William Kerr), Barristers and Solicitors, Devon Street, New Plymouth. Mr. Arthur Standish is further referred to as a former Mayor of the borough of New Plymouth.
(Thomas Shailer Weston, Notary Public, and Claude Horace Weston, LL.B., N.Z.), Barristers and Solicitors, Brougham Street, New Plymouth. Mr. T. S. Weston, senior partner of the firm of Weston and Weston, is further referred to on pages 247 and 1109 of the Canterbury volume of the Cyclopedia of New Zealand.
Barrister and Solicitor, Devon Street, New Plymouth. Mr. Wright, who commenced practice in the year 1900, is a native of London, and graduated at Oxford in 1881. He was called to the bar in Queensland, Australia.
M.R.C.S. (Eng.), L.R.C.P., M.B. (London). Physician and Surgeon, Devon Street, New Plymouth. Dr. Fookes studied for his profession in England, and gained his diplomas in the year 1899.
M.R.C.S. (Eng.), L.R.C.P. (Edin.), and L.S.A. (Lon.), Physician and Surgeon, Courtenay Street, New Plymouth. Dr. Leatham became a member of the Royal College of Surgeons in the year 1879. He is further referred to as Superintendent of the New Plymouth Hospital.
M.R.C.S. (Eng.), and L.R.C.P. (Lond.), Physician and Surgeon, New Plymouth. Dr. McCleland was born in Enniscorthy, County Wexford, Ireland, and obtained his diplomas in London, where he attended St. Mary's Hospital, and afterwards practised as locum tenens for several years in different parts of England. In 1896, he arrived in New Zealand, and landed at Wellington, whence he removed to New Plymouth.
M.A., 1891; M.B. and C.M., with first class honours, 1895; M.D., with commendation, 1904, University of Glasgow, now in practice in New Plymouth. In addition to other appointments, Dr. Walker is assistant surgeon for the Taranaki Hospital and Charitable Aid Board.
M.D. (Ireland), Physician and Surgeon, Dawson Street. New Plymouth. Dr. Whitton took his degree at the Royal University of Ireland. He was for nineteen years Superintendent of the Reefton Hospital, and was also in private practice at Reefton before removing to New Plymouth.
M.B., C.B., F.R.C.S., Physician and Surgeon, St. Aubyn Street, New Plymouth.
Surgeon Dentist, formerly of Devon Street, New Plymouth, but now (1906) of Tripe and Forte, Dentists, 93, Willis Street, Wellington.
Surgeon-Dentist, Devon and Brougham Streets, New Plymouth. Telephone—Surgery, 25; private residence, Frankley Road, 107. Bankers, Bank of New South Wales. Mr. Gray was born in Auckland, and studied under Mr. A. W. Chatfield of that city. In the year 1888, he passed the prescribed examinaations at the University of Otago, and was then assistant to Mr. H. C. Wilson, of Napier, for a year. He then removed to New Plymouth, where he took over the old established practice of Mr. Skeet, and has conducted it with much success. Mr. Gray has been Worshipful Master of the Ngamotu Lodge of Freemasons; he is an enthusiastic member of the Bowling Club, and was skip of the Champion Pairs at the Auckland Tournament, besides being the winner of several local prizes.
(Frederick William Reston, manager), Devon Street, New Plymouth. Head office, Auckland. This branch was opened in the year 1899, and is situated on the ground floor of a two-storied wood and iron building. The apartments consist of a surgery, with up-to-date appliances, and of a waiting room and workrooms.
was appointed Manager of the London Dental Institute in New Plymouth in the year 1900. He was born at Lincoln Road, Christchurch, in 1876, and was educated at Christchurch and in Auckland, where he also studied for his profession. He qualified in Dunedin, and was registered in 1900. Mr. Reston takes an interest in local sports and pastimes.
Surgeon Dentist, Corner of Devon Street and Egmont Street, New Plymouth. This practice was established in April, 1903, and is conducted in rooms on the first floor of the Theatre block of buildings. The surgery is replete with all the most modern appliances, and there are waiting rooms and a work room, suitably fitted up.
was born in Wanganui in the year 1881, was educated at Wanganui College, and subsequently studied under Mr. H. G. Forlong. Having duly qualified he obtained registration in October, 1902, and shortly afterwards settled in New Plymouth. He is a member of the New Plymouth Tennis Club. In May, 1905, Mr. Williams married a daughter of Mr. R. Cock, formerly Mayor of New Plymouth.
New Plymouth, is situated at the corner of Devon Street and Currie Street. The branch was established in Brougham Street, in 1877, and the premises now occupied were erected in 1883. The building is a two-storied one of wood and iron, and contains a banking chamber, a manager's room, and a manager's residence. The staff consists of the manager and his six assistants. There are also branches at Inglewood, Stratford, and Eltham.
Manager of the Bank of New South Wales, was born in New South Wales, and joined the bank's service in the year 1871, at Sydney. After serving in several of the bank's branches in that colony, he was sent to New Zealand, and appointed to the Napier branch, which he managed for three years. Mr. MacDiarmid then received his present appointment at New Plymouth, where he has worked up a good business. He takes a keen interest in local matters, to which he devotes a considerable
in New Plymouth was opened in the year 18. About four years later the building, which had been occupied as a branch of the Bank of New Zealand, at the corner of Devon Street and Robe Street, was bought by the bank, and has since served as the domicile of the branch. It is of wood and iron, of two stories, erected on stone foundations, and contains a manager's room, strong room and residence.
who has been Manager of the Bank of Australasin, at New Plymouth, since August, 1905, was born in Nelson, and is a son of the late Rev. C. H. Halcombe. He was educated at the Dunedin High School, entered the service of the bank at Feilding, and has held various positions in the branches at Hawera. Manaia, Marton, and Wellington. In 1887, Mr. Halcombe was transferred to New South Wales, was accountant in the Newton branch, Sydney, for three years, and was then promoted to be manager at Roma, Queensland, where he remained five years. He returned to New Zealand in 1895, and was shortly afterwards appointed manager at Manaia, whence he was promoted to his present position at New Plymouth.
in New Plymouth, is situated in Brougham Street in temporary premises. The branch was established in the year 1902, and the staff consists of a manager and nine officers.
Manager of the Union Bank at New Plymouth, joined the staff in Rangiora in the year 1878. He was subsequently transferred to Christ-church, and was manager of the Union Bank at Hastings, Hawke's Bay, for five years before receiving his present appointment.
has been represented in New Plymouth since the year 1860. The branch is domiciled in a wood and iron building, which stands on the corner of Brougham Street and Devon Street. It contains a banking chamber, a manager's room, a strong room, with double entrance, and a residence. The staff consists of a manager and nine officers.
was appointed Manager of the Bank of New Zealand at New Plymouth in the year 1905. He is further referred to on page 1232 in the Wellington volume of this Cyclopedia.
has been represented in New Plymouth since about the foundation of the institution. The building at the corner of Brougham Street and Devon Street was erected in the eighties. It consists of two stories in wood and iron, contains a banking chamber, manager's room, and two bedrooms for the accommodation of officers of the bank, and premises let for office purposes. The staff consists of the manager and five officers. The nearest branch of the bank to New Plymouth is at Stratford.
has been Manager of the National Bank at New Plymouth since August, 1905. He is further referred to on pages 167 and 526 of the
formerly Manager of the National Bank at New Plymouth, was born at Motueka. Nelson, and is a son of the late Mr. Henry G. Clark, sometime Commissioner of Crown Lands for the province of Marlborough. Mr. Clark was educated at the Marlborough Grammar School, Blenheim, and joined the National Bank in that town in 1873. He afterwards filed the position of accountant and other responsible posts at Oamaru, Balclutha, Napier, Dunedin, Auckland, and other branches before being appointed manager at New Plymouth in 1891. During his residence at New Plymouth Mr. Clark was president of one of the local football clubs, and of the Liedertafel, and of other local institutions.
was established about the year 1850. Officers: His Excellency the Governor, President; Mr. H. Weston, Vice-President; Messrs A. Shuttleworth, W. L. Newman, J. Ward and R. Cock, Trustees; and Mr. P. C. Morton, Manager. The bank is situated in Brougham Street, and is managed on lines similar to those of the Auckland Savings Bank. The object is to provide safe custody for small savings, and interest is allowed on sums not exceeding £100. Of late years the business of the bank has greatly increased; in the year 1888, its total liabilities were £5,766, which had increased in the year 1904, to £19,243. This large sum was represented by securities to the value of £16,220, and cash amounting to £2750. The balance-sheet showed a credit of £1741 over all liabilities.
Insurance Agent and Valuer, District Agent for the United Fire and Marine Insurance Company, and Secretary of the Taranaki Acclimatisation Society, Brougham Street, New Plymouth. Mr. McAllum was born at Newcastle-on-Tyne, England, in 1852, and received his education in his native town. After leaving school he went to sea in vessels owned by his relatives. He made seven trips round the world, and was for some years in a tea clipper, trading to China and Japan. In 1879, he came to New Zealand, and, giving up a seafaring life, went to the West Coast goldfields; but shortly afterwards he removed to New Plymouth, and took up land in the Omata district. For three years he was wharfinger and deputy-harbourmaster, but established himself in his present business in 1888. Mr. McAllum takes a great interest in athletics, and is connected with the local football, cricket, and rowing clubs. He is also a member of the Taranaki Education Board. Mr. McAllum is married, and has six children.
has had a branch in Brougham Street, New Plymouth, since the year 1897, and the present building, which is of wood and iron, was erected in the year 1898. Part of the premises are let to Messrs Weston and Weston, solicitors.
Manager of the Taranaki branch of the New Zealand Insurance Company, was appointed on the 1st of May, 1900. He joined the company in 1887, in Auckland.
formerly Manager of the New Plymouth branch of the New Zealand Insurance Company, was, before he was appointed to New Plymouth, for twelve years in the company's Wellington office, where he gained a wide experience of under writing.
opened its branch in New Plymouth in March, 1905. The district governed from this office is bounded on the north by the Kawhia, on the south by the county of Patea, and stretches eastward as far as the Wanganui river. Formerly, it was a portion of the Wanganui district. The office in Brougham Street contains public and private rooms, and there are three agents regularly canvausing in Taranaki.
was appointed District Secretary of the New Plymouth branch of the Australian Mutual Provident Society in 1905. He was born in Birmingham, England, in the year 1870, and is the only son of Mr. C. H. Benbow, for many years manager for the South British Insurance Company in Wellington. Mr. Benbow came to New Zealand with his father in June, 1875, and was educated at Wellington College. After serving seven months in the National Fire Office, in Wellington, he joined the staff of the Australian Mutual Provident Society on the 7th of November, 1887. As a cricketer, Mr. Benbow played in senior matches from 1886 to 1902 in Wellington, and was a member of the teams playing against one of the Australian teams which visited England, Melbourne and New South Wales, and has played also in local representative matches. In March, 1902, Mr. Benbow married a daughter of the late Mr. George Baynes Birch, of Wellington, and has one daughter.
The visitor to Taranaki is impressed in passing through the towns with the fact that professions, trades, and manufacturies of various kinds, are strongly in evidence. Medical men, dentists, architects and engineers have surgeries and offices in the majority of the townships. Wholesale merchants are, for the most part, domiciled in New Plymouth. Of the retail firms, large numbers are direct importers from the markets of the world, and very fine displays of all kinds of merchandise are noticable in the handsome shop windows. Hardly an article that may be desired, but can be purchased at a reasonable price, in any of the centres, especially at New Plymouth, Hawera and Stratford. Many of the stores and shops are very extensive, with remarkably fine show windows, and roomy, well-lighted show-rooms. The numerous dairy factories and creameries denote that the country is essentially a dairy farming and grazing district. A large part of the produce of the dairy factories of Taranaki is sent to the freezing works at Moturoa and Patea, where it is properly graded by Government experts, prior to shipment at the northern and southern ports. Butter and cheese exported from north and south Taranaki have shown a large and steady increase during the last few years. Bacon-curing is carried on on a very considerable scale, and factories are in operation at Fitzroy, Eltham and Stratford. Of sawmills and sash and door factories some indication is found in every settlement. There are very extensive woodware businesses in New Plymouth and Hawera, and lesser ones at other centres. At Waitara and Patea considerable meat factories are in operation. The manufacture of bricks and earthenware drain pipes is carried on at extensive works at Hawera and Patea. The progress of the application of electricity is very marked in the Taranaki district, and at New Plymouth, Inglewood, Stratford, Hawera, and Patea advantage has been taken of the forces of nature in this connection. In the two ports the work is in the hands of the local municipalities, but the three inland towns have allowed local companies to undertake and carry out the installations. The Hawera County Electric Light Company has a splendid power house on the Okaiawa river, near Normanby, and from that centre Hawera, Manaia, Normanby and Okaiawa are lighted. Several dairy factories, also, are now worked by electric motors. Industries such as coachbuilding, bootmaking, and iron-founding, engineering and the manufacture of furniture are also carried on in many towns in the provincial district.
issued its sixteenth annual report in the year 1905. The offices of the Chamber are situated in the Union Company's Building in St. Aubyn Street. The Council and officers are elected in the first week in
was appoint-Secretary and Treasurer of the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce in the year 1901.
(Permanent) was founded in the year 1865. Officers for the year 1906: Messrs R. Cock (chairman), A. Shuttleworth, W. L. Newman, A. Goldwater, N. King, J. Paul, J. C. George (directors); H. Bailey and E. H. Tribe (auditors); Wilson and Grey (solicitors); and H. M. Bauchope (secretary).
of New Plymouth, which is worked on the Star-Bowkett principle, was established in the year 1901. Directors for 1906: Messrs S. W. Shaw (chairman), J. Paton, F. P. Corkill, W. N. Ewing, E. Dockrill, J. W. Wilson, and D. Berry. Mr. H. Stocker is secretary. Two groups of 600 shares, each of the nominal value of £150, have been created, and the Society has been successful in promoting the building of homes for the people.
Secretary of the Equitable Building Society, was born in Christchurch, in 1871. He is the eldest son of Archdeacon Stocker, of Invercargill, and was educated in that town, and also elsewhere in New Zealand. Mr. Stocker was on the staff of the Bank of Australasia in New Plymouth, and also served in Invercargill, Gore, and Ashburton. He retired from the position of accountant in the bank to join the firm of Webster and McKellar, in 1902. In 1901. Mr. Stocker married a daugnter of the late Mr. F. L. Webster, of New Plymouth.
(Permanent), Egmont Street. New Plymouth. This institution was founded in the year 1902. Directors for 1906: Messrs L. W. Alexander (president), F. Messenger, W. Webster, O. W. Sole, J. Ward, E. Griffith, W. Ambury and G. W. Browne. The capital of Society fluctuates according to payments received, but the annual business is considerable in volume.
Secretary of the Provident and Investment Society, is more fully referred to as a member of the New Plymouth Borough Council, and as a grain and produce broker.
(Henry May Bauchope and Edward Percy Webster), Accountants, Auditors, and Financial Agents, Brougham Street, New Plymouth. This business was founded by the late R. G: Bauchope about the year 1875. In 1900 Mr. H. M. Bauchope took over the business, and was joined by Mr. Webster on the 1st of August, 1904. The firm acts as district agents for the South British Insurance Company, and holds numerous secretaryships.
(Walter Bewley and Eustatius Griffiths, Auctioneers, Sharebrokers and Produce Merchants, Devon Street, New Plymouth. This firm dates from June, 1901, though up till then the business had been conducted, from 1894, by the senior partner. The firm acts on behalf of the Standard Insurance Company, National Mutual Life Association, Baldwin and Rayward (patent agents), and represents the Alpha Separator, in Taranaki. Regular land and produce sales are held, and dairy produce is extensively exported by the firm.
besides being senior partner in the firm of Bewley and Griffiths, is secretary to the New Plymouth High School Board. He was born in Cheshire, England, in 1855, and was educated at Greenwood College, Hampshire, and the Victoria University, Manchester, and afterwards gained commercial knowledge on the Liverpool Exchange. Mr. Bewley came to New Zealand in the ship “Himalaya,” and after a four round the North Island on horseback, he decided to settle in Taranaki, and bought five hundred acres of land between Inglewood and Stratford. Mr. Bewley resided there for sixteen years, and improved his property in a very complete manner. He then retired from farming, and after a time commenced a land agency business in New Plymouth, which eventually developed into the large auctioneering and agency business now carried on by the firm of Bewley and Griffiths. Mr. Bewley for many years took an active part in local affairs, and was chairman of the County Council, president of the Agricultural and Horticultural Societies, chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, and a member of the New Plymouth Harbour Board and High School Board of Governors. During the Parihaka disturbances he commanded a company of volunteers. In conjunction with the late Mr. Thomas Bayly, he imported the first separators into Taranaki for their private use. Mr. Bewley was at one time a prominent local cricketer, and now devotes his spare hours to shooting, fishing, and golf. His indoor hobby is woodcarving, of which he has done a great deal. In the year 1882 he married a granddaughter of Sir James Brind, G.C.B., and has two sons and one daughter.
of the firm of Bewley and Griffiths, was born in Auckland in the year 1871. He was for ten years, before he joined Mr. Bewley, an officer of the Loan and Mercantile Agency Company.
(Everard Gilmour and Leslie Pattie), Land, Estate and General Commission Agents, Brougham Street, New Plymouth. This firm acts as agents for the Australian Widows' Fund (life), and for the New Zealand Trade Protection Society, of Christchurch, and also for the New Plymouth Protection Association, established in the year 1905.
of the firm of Gilmour and Pattie, is further referred to as secretary and treasurer of the New Plymouth Horticultural Society, and of the Taranaki Trotting Club.
of the firm of Gilmour and Pattie, was born at Riwaka, Nelson, in the year 1864. He was educated partly at Riwaka and partly at Motueka, and was brought up to farming, which he followed for several years on his own account before settling in New Plymouth. In 1903 he became a member of the firm of Carthew, Pattie and Co., and in March, 1905, joined Mr. Gilmour in partnership. Mr. Pattie was a member of the Nelson Cricket Club, and has played against Australia, and in interprovincial matches. He married a daughter of the late Mr. Alex ander Dalgety, of Kaitangata, in 1897, and has two sons and one daughter.
Auctioneer, Merchant; Office and Auction Rooms, Devon Street, New Plymouth. Telephone 20. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. Stockyards at Broadway, Stratford, Rahotu, Waiwakaiho, Stoney Ryer, Toko, Awakino, Whangamomona, and Kaponga. Agent for the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, Phoenix Fire Insurance Society, New York Life, Messrs Booth and MacDonald's Agricultural Implements, Alexandra Cream Separators, Northern Roller Flour Mills. Cooper's Sheep Dip, McCormick Reapers and Binders, etc., etc. Mr. King is a native of New Plymouth, where his father, the late Mr. Thomas King (one of Taranaki's early and most prominent settlers), was for a number of years manager of the Bank of New Zealand. On leaving school, Mr. N. King was employed in the office of Messrs Webster Brothers until 1879, and gained much experience of the butter industry. In 1879 Mr. King entered into his present business, and his well known character and commercial ability soon drew a large and increasing connection, which has extended to all parts of New Zealand. He is one of the originators of the butter industry in Taranaki, and in conjunction with Messrs R. Cock and J. C. George initiated the extensive Crown Dairy Company, of which they are sole owners. Although Mr. King is indefatigable in looking after his large business concerns, which, necessitate his presence in various parts of the district, he still finds some time for public affairs. He is chairman of the Sash and Door Company, a director of the Crown Dairy Company, and a steward of the Taranaki Jockey Club. In both his private and public capacity, Mr. King is held in high esteem by his numerous friends and by the general public. His private residence, “Brooklands,” is situated a short distance from the town. Mr. King is married, and has three sons and two daughters.
was appointed Manager of the Shipping and Produce Departments of Mr. Newton King's business in the year 1893. He was born on the 1st of November, 1861, in New Plymouth, and educated at Nelson College. Mr. Watson was subsequently employed by Messrs Webster Brothers in New Plymouth and Waitara for seven years and six months, and joined Mr. King's staff in 1885. He has been a steward of the Taranaki Jockey Club since 1903, and a member of the committee since 1890. Mr. Watson owned racehorses for about twenty years. At the time of the Parihaka disturbance, he served with the Taranaki Mounted Rifles. Mr. Watson has held an auctioneer's license since 1901.
Sharebroker, Accountant, Valuer, and General Commission Agent, New Plymouth. Mr. Mills represents the Standard Fire and Marine Insurance and Northern Assurance Companies. He is auditor for several companies, and is a director of the New Plymouth Investment and Loan Society. Mr. Mills was born in 1864 in New Plymouth, where he was educated, and was brought up on a farm. After spending some time at storckeeping in the country, and in other country pursuits, he was articled in 1882 to the late Mr. Edwin Welcome, accountant, of New Plymouth, but owing to the death of that gentleman in 1881, Mr. Mills accepted service with Mr. J. C. Davies, sharebroker and land agent. In 1888 he took up a section in the back blocks, but after a year's experience at bush farming with only fair results, he returned to town, and established his present business in 1890. He received the appointment of county clerk in 1891, but has since retired from the position. He has been successful as an accountant in several complicated cases. Mr. Mills is a member and secretary of St. Mary's choir. He takes an interest in local sport, and was a member of the Taranaki Mounted Rifles and Rifle Volunteers, from which he retired as a sergeant in 1888. At the general Parliamentary election of 1905 he unsuccessfully stood for the representation of Taranaki.
Labour and Commission Agent, Currie Street, New Plymouth. Mr. Mynott was born in the year 1841, in the parish of Saffron, Waldon, Essex, England. After attending school he learned the trade of a baker, and subsequently enlisted in the Royal Horse Artillery, from which he transferred shortly afterwards to the 43rd Light Infantry, at Chatham. In 1858 Mr. Mynott went out with a draft of his regiment to India, and landed at Calcutta. He went to Dum Dum, and afterwards to Barrack pore, where he remained with his regiment in cantonment for a year, and became a bugler. After completing its term of service in India, the regiment was ordered home, but, owing to the outbreak of war in New Zealand, was sent to Auckland, where Mr. Mynott arrived about the end of 1862. He served at Otahuhu, Drury, and the Queen's Redoubt, where his company kept an advance position. Subsequently, he was present at the
Commission and Shipping Agent, Currie Street, New Plymouth. Mr. Newman was born in Taranaki, and, on leaving school, entered the office of Messrs Brown and Co., shipping agents, with whom he gained his commercial training. In 1875 he was appointed purser on the Union Company's s.s. “Maori,” and afterwards served in the same capacity in the s.s. “Wakatipu.” He was appointed the company's manager at New Plymouth in 1878, but resigned the position and commenced his present business in 1897. Mr. Newman is president of the Acclimatisation Society, a member of the Recreation Grounds Board, and is one of the directors of the New Plymouth Savings Bank. His father, the late Mr. J. L. Newman, was one of Taranaki's pioneer settlers.
(Sydney Knight Richards and Michael Jamos Jones), Land and Commission Agents, Theatre Buildings, Devon Street, New Plymouth. This firm was established in the year 1904. Messrs Richards and Jones are agents for the Ocean Accident, Northern Fire, and Canton Marine Insurance Companies. Mr. Jones is referred to in another article as secretary to the New Plymouth Theatre Company.
J.P., Licensed Land Broker, Insurance and General Commission Agent, opposite Post Office. Devon Street, New Plymouth. This business was established by Messrs A. C. Fookes and Company in the year 1881, and acquired by Mr. Russell in 1902. He is agent for the State Fire Office, conducts a general land broking and agency business, and is also a public valuator. Mr. Russell was born on the 26th of December, 1873, at Sheepshead, near Longborough, Leicestershire, England, and was educated at Ipswich Grammar School. He is a son of Colonel Hickman Rose Russell, of Ipswich, England, late of the 57th Regiment, who served in New Zealand during the Maori war. Mr. Russell came to New Zealand in 1890, and was farming for twelve years in various parts of Taranaki. He was appointed a Justice of the Peace in 1901.
(Edward William Garner), Accountants and Financial Agents, Brougham Street, New Plymouth. Messrs Shaw and Co. act as agents for absentees, and are district agents for the Sun Fire Office, and local agents for the City Life Assurance Company, and Messrs Thomas Cook and Son. They are secretaries for the Mongorei and Oakura Co-operative Dairy Factory Companies.
of the firm of W. J. Shaw and Company, after some years of commercial life in Wanganui, removed to New Plymouth as chief clerk to the late Mr. W. J. Shaw, and on the death of that gentleman, on the 27th of November, 1904, he took over the business. Mr. Garner is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, and secretary of the vestry of St. Mary's Anglican church. In 1903 he married a daughter of Mr. Jedwin L. Crespin, of Devon, England. Mr. Garner is further referred to at page 1369 of the Wellington volume of this Cyclopedia.
Customs, Shipping, and Express Forwarding Agent; Office, Store, and Sample Rooms, Currie Street, and the Pantechnicon, King Street, New Plymouth. Mr. Todd is agent for the New Zealand Carrying Company, Winstone. Limited, Auckland; J. M. Heywood and Co., Christchurch; Colonial Carrying Company, Wellington; and Crust and Crust, Dunedin. Mr. Todd landed in Wellington in 1893, and came straight on to New Plymouth, where he commenced business as a coal merchant in King and Queen Streets. He was formerly a member of the New Plymouth school committee; and was for a number of years a vestryman and warden of St. Mary's Anglican church. Mr. Todd is a member of Lodge Moturoa, United Ancient Order of Druids, No. 19.
Accountant, New Plymouth. Mr. Wells is a son of the late Mr. Benjamin Wells, one of Taranaki's early pioneers, and was born at Mangorei, Taranaki, in February, 1856. He was educated in New Plymouth, and at the Auckland College and Grammar School, and the University of Otago. Mr. Wells joined the Post and Telegraph Department in Wellington in September, 1874. He was afterwards stationed at Waitaki, Canterbury, for two years, and was subsequently telegraphist at Balclutha for one year. He retired from the public service in February, 1878, joined the staff of the National Bank in New Plymouth, and two years later was transferred as teller to Oamaru, where he remained four years. For a few months Mr. Wells was relieving officer, and after six months at the Dunedin branch, was again stationed at Oamaru. Later on, he served as accountant in the branch at Invercargill for one year. He then returned to New Plymouth in 1884, and became accountant to the late Mr. W. Bayly. In November, 1880, Mr. Wells married a daughter of Mr. George Patterson, C.E., sometime of Newcastle-on-Tyne, who was killed at Frankley Road by the Maoris in February, 1864. Mr. Wells has two brothers, the eldest of whom is postmaster at Whitiangi (Mercury Bay), and the youngest is in the Valuation Department, Wellington.
Shipping Agent, New Plymouth, and Agent for the Northern Steamship Company. Mr. Webster is a son of the late Mr. James Webster, who was the first chief postmaster of New Plymouth. That gentleman was distinguished for his courage and great endurance in conveying mails from New Plymouth to Auckland in company with the Rev. Mr. Whiteley (afterwards murdered at White Cliffs by the rebels), at a time when only a native track existed, and the road was beset with dangers in fording rivers, etc. On completing his education, Mr. W. D. Webster started business with his brother, Mr. F. L. Webster, as commission agents and general merchants under the style of Webster Brothers, a partnership which existed for over twenty-five years. In conjunction with Mr. W. K. Hulke, they built the present Egmont Flour Mills in 1870, and ten years later erected the Tawhiti Flour Mills at Hawera. On the outbreak of the native troubles, Mr. Webster served in No. 1 Company, Taranaki Rifle Volunteers, under his brother, Captain F. L. Webster, and received the New Zealand medal in recognition of his service. In the year 1888 he dissolved partnership with his brother, and started his present business. Mr. Webster has always shown an active desire to assist in all matters tending to promote
(James Scott McKellar and Harry Stocker), General Commission and Shipping Agents, Currie Street, New Plymouth. The firm are the agents for the New Zealand Shipping Company, Limited, the Commercial Union Assurance Company, Limited, and the Taranaki Producers' Freezing Works, Limited.
is a native of Battersea, England, and received his education at a private school in his native place. In 1852 he left England with his mothers and brothers, and landed in New Plymouth from the ship “St. Michael,” after a voyage of 166 days. The family took up land in the Omata district, and on the breaking out of the war he served with the volunteers and militia, and, in the latter force, he attained the rank of captain. He was present at the Waireka engagement and at the capture of Kaitaki, and was awarded the New Zealand war medal. In 1868 Mr. McKellar commenced business in New Plymouth, and shortly afterwards joined the late Mr. F. L. Webster. He is a Freemason and a Past Master; takes great interest in all athletic affairs; is a member of the Bowling Club; and has for many years been a churchwarden of St. Mary's. Mr. McKellar is married, and has two daughters and one son.
Junior Member of the firm of Webster and McKellar, is further referred to in another article as secretary of the Equitable Building Society.
Architect, Phoenix Chambers, Lambton Quay, Wellington. Mr. Maisey was born in the year 1860 in Birmingham, England, where he was educated, and afterwards studied for his profession. He subsequently practised in Birmingham on his own account. Mr. Maisey came to New Zealand in 1884, and landed in Auckland, where he remained for three years. He then went to Australia, and was in Sydney for nine years. Mr. Maisey finally returned to New Zealand, and in the year 1897 settled in New Plymouth, where he designed many town and country residences, including the New Plymouth Exhibition building of 1904. He afterwards removed to Wellington, where he is now (1906) practising his profession. Mr. Maisey married a daughter of Mr. Joseph Ambury in 1882, and has five sons and four daughters.
Architect, Brougham Street, New Plymouth. Private residence, Cameron Street. Mr. Messenger is a son of Colonel Messenger, and was born in the year 1865. He was educated in New Plymouth, and served articles with Mr. H. J. T. Edmonds, architect, with whom he remained four years; after that he went to Melbourne, and was with Messrs Oakden and Kemp, the well known architects, for ten years. In 1893 he returned to New Plymouth, and shortly afterwards commenced practice. Mr. Messenger has designed many of the residences in New Plymouth and the surrounding districts. He is an enthusiastic rifle shot and volunteer, and is a lieutenant in the Taranaki Guards. In Australia he was a member of the Melbourne Rifle Club, and took part in all the chief meetings, and some years ago made the second highest score in the international match at Adelaide. During his residence in Melbourne, Mr. Messenger was in the militia for four years, and in the Field Artillery for two years.
Licensed Surveyor, Devon Street, New Plymouth. Private residence at Te Henui. Mr. Sole is a son of Mr. Thomas Sole, a pioneer colonist, and was born in New Plymouth. In 1875 he entered the service of the Provincial Government as a cadet in the Survey Department, and passed the necessary examinations at the end of his cadetship, four years later. Mr. Sole joined Mr. Skinner in 1881, and carried on business with him as a surveyor for nine years, during which he was entrusted with the survey of various railway routes in Taranaki. In 1890 the firm dissolved partnership, and Mr. Sole began farming, but some years later he re-entered the business of his profession. Mr. Sole takes great interest in temperance matters, and has held several offices in the Taranaki Band of Hope. He has been a member of the licensing committee, and as a member of the Rechabites has been through all the chairs. Mr. Sole is married, and has five children.
Photographer, Devon Street, New Plymouth. Mr. Collis began business in Brougham Street, in 1875, but in 1882 he built his studio in Devon Street. The building is of wood and iron, and two stories in height; it has a studio, waiting and dressing rooms on the upper floor; and the offices and work
Baker and Confectioner, Red House Block, Devon Street, New Plymouth. This business was established in the year 1890, by the present proprietor, and is conducted in a handsome two-storied building which was erected in 1901. It stands on a section measuring 48 feet by 135 feet, and contains a convenient shop and a residence. There is a large and modern bakehouse, and two carts are employed in delivering. Mr. Lealand was born in Shropshire, England, in the year 1864. He came to New Zealand when five years of age, landed in Auckland, and was educated partly in Auckland, and partly at the Thames. Mr. Lealand learned his trade at Coromandel and in Auckland, and after gaining experience in various parts, settled in New Plymouth. He was for four years a member of the New Plymouth Borough Council, is a Master Mason of Lodge De Burgh Adams, and is a Past Grand of Lodge Excelsior, Independent Order of Oddfellows. In 1890 Mr. Lealand married a daughter of Mr. W. P. Snell, of Waitara, but she died in 1892, leaving two sons. Mr. Lealand contracted a second marriage, in 1896, with a daughter of the late Mr. Walter Bishop, one of the pioneers of New Plymouth, who landed in 1840: and three sons have been born of this union.
Baker and Confectioner, Devon Street, New Plymouth. This business was established in the year 1893. The building stands on a quarter of an acre of freehold land, with a frontage of thirty-three feet, and includes a commodious shop and residence, with a new modern oven, and other outbuildings. Delivery is made by cart. Mr. Lealand was born in the year 1873 at Nelson, and was educated at Coromandel, where he was brought up to the bakery business by the late Mr. John Bridson, with whom he lived from the age of five years. After working at his trade for two years in Onehunga, Mr. Lealand removed to New Plymouth, and was about three years and six months at Pungarehu, before starting on his own account. He is a member of Court Waireka, Ancient Order of Foresters, New Plymouth. Mr. Lealand married a daughter of Mr. William Hale, of New Plymouth, in December, 1894, and has two sons and two daughters.
Baker, corner of St. Aubyn Street and Dawson Street. New Plymouth. This business is conducted in suitable premises, three persons are employed, and delivery is made by cart throughout the district. Mr. Stagpoole was born in Kilkenny. Ireland, in the year 1850, went to India in 1858, and was educated in the army, in which he took service as a bugler. He came to Taranaki with the 57th Regiment, and went through the second Maori war, in which his uncle, Mr. Dudley Stagpoole, gained the New Zealand Cross at Omata. Mr. Stagpoole was also a member of the Taranaki Rangers for fifteen months. He subsequently learned his trade as a baker in New Plymouth, and went, in the year 1870, to the West Coast of the South Island, where he remained for two years. Later, he opened a business for himself in Christchurch, and afterwards joined Chiarini's circus as a gymnast, wrestler, etc. Mr. Stagpoole returned to Taranaki in 1875, and opened a store at Inglewood. Two years afterwards he removed to Wellington, where he was in business for some years. He was then successively in Kimberley, Melbourne, Sydney, Wimmera, Queenstown (Tasmania), and Gympie, in Queensland, as a foreman baker, or in business on his own account. For some time he conducted through Australia a troupe of comedians, most of the performers being members of his own family. He finally returned to New Zealand, and settled at New Plymouth. Mr. Stagpoole has always taken a great interest in athletics, and has conducted gymnasiums in various parts of Australia and New Zealand. As a pedestrian, he has won numerous trophies and prizes, and was the holder of three championships; namely, middleweight wrestling (Australia), heavy weight wrestling (Queensland) and welter weight boxing (Victoria). Mr. Stagpoole is a widower, and has five children, all of whom are on the stage.
Baker and Pastrycook, Devon Street, New Plymouth. This business was established in the year 1905. The shop is centrally situated, and has a good show window. It also contains well lighted tea rooms on the first floor. Mr. Thomson's business is chiefly a cash counter trade. He is further referred to on page 838 of the Otago volume of this Cyclopedia.
Confectioner and Caterer, Devon Street, New Plymouth. This business was established by Mr. West in the year 1887. The premises consist of a shop with a double front and a verandah, a large and modern bakehouse and stables, on a freehold section with sixty-three links frontage, by a full depth. Delivery is made by cart in New Plymouth and the surrounding suburbs. A special feature of the business is catering for banquets, etc. Mr. West catered for the banquet given to the Indian troops, who had been present in Sydney at the opening of the first Parliament of the Australian Commonwealth, and visited New Zealand on their way back to India in the year 1901. He has also catered for the dinners of the New Plymouth
Wine and Spirit Merchant and General Importer, Currie Street, New Plymouth. Telephone 13. Bankers, Bank of New South Wales. Private residence, Vivian Street. Mr. Goldwater established his well known business in the year 1886. He does a large trade throughout Taranaki, and promptly attends to the orders of his customers. Mr. Goldwater is further referred to as a former member of the New Plymouth Borough Council.
(William Humphries), Wine and Spirit Merchants, Brougham Street, New Plymouth. This business was established in the fifties, by the late Dr. E. L. Humphries, who, in 1863, took his son, Mr. William Humphries, into partnership. When Dr. Humphries died, in 1869. Mr. Edward Humphries joined his brother in partnership, and the business of wine, spirit, and general merchants was conducted by the firm till 1888. The business was then taken over by Mr. Carrington, for a short period, and in 1892 was acquired by Messrs Humphries and Faulkner. In 1899 Mr. S. L. Humphries bought his partner's interest, and was joined, later on, by Mr. William Humphries, under the style of S. L. Humphries and Co. The firm's building stands on part of a quarter-acre section; it is of wood and iron, and has a large floorage space.
of the firm of S. L. Humphries and Co., was born in London, England, in the year 1843, and came to New Zealand with his parents in the ship “Sir Edward Paget,” which arrived in New Plymouth in 1851. He was for many years a member of the New Plymouth Borough Council, was a member of the New Plymouth Harbour Board, and he served through the Maori war as a volunteer. Mr. Humphries married a daughter of the late Mr. William Black, of New Plymouth, and has, surviving, three daughters and six sons.
Builder, Contractor, and Timber Merchant, Liardet Street, New Plymouth. Private residence, Fitzroy. This business was established by Mr. Bond in the year 1897. The office, store, workshop, and timber yards stand on a section of three-eighths of an acre in Liardet Street. Mr. Bond has put up many buildings in Taranaki, including the Patea Freezing Works, the New Zealand Express Company's building (the first brick structure in New Plymouth), the Imperial Hotel, with a large party brick wall, Messrs J. B. MacEwan and Company's building; and the Technical School, a large building in brick. A special feature of the business is the construction of brick work, including freezing and cooling chambers, drains, culverts and concrete work. About ten persons are employed, on the average. Mr. Bond was born in 1873 in Hull, England. He came to New Zealand at an early age, with his parents, who settled at Sentry Hill in 1876. He was educated at Lepperton, and learned his trade at Waitara, and New Plymouth, and worked as a journeyman until starting business on his own account. He is a Master Mason of Lodge Sir Donald McLean, English Constitition, Waireka. Mr. Bond married a daughter of Mr. James MacKinder, of Inglewood, in the year 1897.
Builder and Undertaker, Corner of Brougham and Powderham Streets, New Plymouth. This business was acquired by Mr. Brooking in the year 1888, and is conducted in a wooden building, which contains an office, and a workshop. There are also timber sheds, and a monumental mason's yards in connection with the establishment. Mr. Brooking is further referred to as a member of the New Plymouth Borough Council.
Builder and Contractor, Gill Street, New Plymouth. This business was established about the year 1853 by Mr. George Cliff, and taken over by his son, Mr. Arthur Cliff, in 1901. The premises are situated in Gill Street, where all the joinery work required in the business is done. There is also a wood and coal yard in connection with the establishment. Mr. Cliff was born in Timaru, in the year 1878, was educated at the New Plymouth High School, and was afterwards apprenticed to the building trade. Later, he was for two years on a farm, but subsequently returned to his trade, and in the year 1901 took over his father's business. In addition to other places, Mr. Cliff has erected the Old People's Home, the Native Hostelry and Jones' Stables, in brick. In 1905, he was president of the Builders' Association. He is a member of Court Waireka, Ancient Order of Foresters; as a Freemason, he is a member of Lodge De Burgh Adams, Irish Constitution, and is a steward of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, New Plymouth. Mr. Cliff is married.
(Robert Coleman and Fred Archer Coleman), General Builders and Contractors,
the Senior Partner in the firm of Robert Coleman and Son, was born in the year 1848, at Chippenham, Wilts, England, where he was educated and apprenticed to his trade. Later on, he became foreman for Poole and McGilliver, a large building firm in London. In 1884, Mr. Coleman arrived in Queensland, Australia, where he worked for two years as foreman for a large building firm. He then went to Melbourne, and carried on business on his own account for eight years. Subsequently, he came to New Zealand, settled in New Plymouth, and established himself in business. For over thirty years Mr. Coleman has been connected with the Ancient Order of Foresters, and went through all the chairs in England and in Victoria. He is a member of the Builders' Association, of which he has been president. Mr. Coleman is married, and has three sons and three daughters.
Junior Partner in the firm of Robert Coleman and Son, was born in London, England, in the year 1880. He was educated in Melbourne, and brought up to his trade with his father, who took him into partnership in 1903. Mr. Coleman has been a member of the Garrison Band for some years, and is a member of Court Waireka, Ancient Order of Foresters. He is married, and has one son.
(George Wilfrid Hartnell and John Donaldson Smith). Builders and Contractors, Hobson Street, New Plymouth. This firm carries on a large business, chiefly in wood work and the building of residences. All plans are drawn up by the firm. Several well known residences in the vicinity of New Plymouth have been built by Messrs Hartnell and Smith.
Senior Partner in the firm of Hartnell and Smith, was born in Albertland, Auckland, in the year 1870, and brought up to the building trade. For some time he worked with his father, a builder in Auckland, and then worked as a journeyman in New Plymouth. In 1899 Mr. Hartnell went to Stratford, and started in business on his own account. He settled in New Plymouth in the year 1900, and was for some time in partnership with a brother under the title of Hartnell Brothers. Later, this partnership was dissolved, and in July, 1905, the firm became Hartnell and Smith. Mr. Hartnell is married, and has one son and one daughter.
Junior Partner in the firm of Hartnell and Smith, is a competent tradesman, and entered the firm in July, 1905.
(Jeffrey Russell, senior, and Jeffrey George Monland Russell), Monumental Sculptors, Builders and Contractors, St. Aubyn Street, New Plymouth; branch yard at Hawera. Private residence, Hine Street. This firm was established in the year 1892, and a branch was opened at Hawera in 1905. The premises in St. Aubyn Street consist of an eighth of an acre of freehold, with sheds, and an office. All kinds of monumental work are undertaken, and also buildings in either brick, concrete, or wood. The firm has erected many buildings in the district, including the Auckland Clothing Company's building in Devon Street. About twenty persons are usually employed by the firm.
Senior Partner of the firm of Russell and Son, was born in Dorsetshire, England, in the year 1838. He was brought up to the trade of a mason, and came to New Zealand in 1876. Mr. Russell married a daughter of the late Mr. James Monland, of Fording Bridge, Hampshire, England, in 1860. This lady died in 1894, leaving three daughters and one son, and there are now (1906) thirty grandchildren.
was born at Swindon, Dorsetshire, England, in the year 1871, and came with his father to New Zealand in 1876. He landed at New Plymouth, and was brought up to his father's trade. Mr. Russell subsequently removed to Greymouth, and, while on the West Coast, had some experience in hydraulic sluicing. During his residence in Greymouth, in conjunction with his father, he erected the Roman Catholic church in that town. Mr. Russell married a daughter of Mr. Joe Ward, J.P., of New Plymouth, in August, 1893, and has three sons and two daughters.
Monumental Sculptor, Powderham Street, New Plymouth. This business was established about the year 1894,
by Mr. Bell, and was afterwards conducted by Mr. W. F. Brooking, from whom it was bought by Mr. Short in 1904. It is carried on in centrally situated premises, with every appliance for turning out work quickly and cheaply. Mr. Short is an importer of granite. Italian marble, Melbourne blue stone, and Oamaru and Mount Somers stones, and can produce finished monuments equal to any made in the colony. He was born in the year 1869, in London, England, and came to New Zealand with his parents in 1873. Mr. Short was educated in Auckland. He then went to Australia,
Piano and Organ Builder, Central Piano Works, Powderham Street, New Plymouth, This business was established in the year 1905, and is conducted in a two-storied wood and iron building, which contains three rooms and a large workshop. Mr. Davidson was born in the year 1869, in London, England, where he was educated, and was afterwards apprenticed to Messrs Froom and Company, Commercial Road, where he served for five years, and passed through every branch. For three years subsequently he was employed by Messrs Bonchis, in Burdett Road, and, later, was with Blankenstein, of Finsbury Pavement, and other leading houses. For three years Mr. Davidson was valuer at Johnson and Diamond's quarterly sale of musical instruments. He then went to Australia in 1889, spent one year in Sydney, and came to New Zealand. Mr. Davidson started in business at Timaru, where he continued three years, and for some time subsequently travelled for different leading New Zealand music firms. In the year 1902 he joined Messrs J. Collier and Company in New Plymouth as traveller and salesman, and in September, 1905, he started on his own account. Mr. Davidson was at one time bandmaster of the Hokitika Rifle Band, and of the Collingwood Town Band.
(Henry Honnor and James Bruce), Coachbuilders and Wheelwrights, Liardet Street, New Plymouth. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. The business of this firm was established by Messrs Honnor and Clark in 1881, and Mr. Bruce joined the firm in 1892. Mr. Clark died in February, 1900, but his widow still retains his interest in the business. The premises comprise show rooms, which are well stocked with all descriptions of vehicles, and the workshops include a smithy and coach-building factory. A hydraulic engine drives the mechanical plant, which consists of sawing, drilling and other machines. From fourteen to eighteen men are employed in turning out all descriptions of vehicles, from light gigs and buggies to heavy drays and waggons. The firm makes a specialty of solid rubber tyres on light wheels.
Senior Partner, was born at New Plymouth, where he was educated and learned his trade. He has been an Oddfellow for a number of years.
Junior Partner, is a native of Scotland, and arrived in Auckland with his parents when eleven years old; and in that town he afterwards learned his trade with his brother. In 1879, he removed to New Plymouth, where he worked at the big forge at the harbour works for fourteen years, and became a partner in the present business in 1892. Mr. Bruce superintends the smithy branch of the firm's work.
sometime a partner in the firm of Honnor and Clark, was a native of Bury St. Edmunds, England, and came to Nelson in 1874, by the barque “Hannibal,” and from Nelson he went immediately to New Plymouth. After being engaged in occupations connected with his trade, he joined Mr. Honnor in 1881. Mr. Clark died during the month of February in the year 1900.
(William Jenkinson), Coachbuilders, Gover Street, New Plymouth. Telephone, 121. Bankers, Bank of New South Wales. This firm's extensive business is carried on in commodious premises, where all sorts of vehicles are manufactured and kept in stock, including landaus, buggies, waggonettes, gigs, etc. Fully fourteen persons are employed, and every requisite of the trade—in the shape of seasoned material and importations from England, America and Australia—is kept in stock. The firm obtained a first prize silver medal given
is a native of Yorkshire, England, where he learned his trade. In the year 1864 he came to Auckland by the ship “Ernestine,” accompanied by his family. Shortly after his arrival, Mr. Jenkinson was engaged by the Provincial Government to prospect for coal in the Bay of Islands; but not being satisfied with the outlook in New Zealand he went to Sydney, where he shortly afterwards obtained an appointment in the copper smelting works at Newcastle, where he remained about six years. In 1874 Mr. Jenkinson and his family returned to New Zealand, and settled at Christchurch, where he worked at a coachbuilding factory, and where his son William learned the trade. After being over five years in Christchurch, Mr. Jenkinson moved to Auckland, in 1880, and worked there for thirteen years. At the termination of that period (1892), he moved to New Plymouth, and established himself there with his five sons. He has now (1906) retired from business, and the firm is conducted by his son, Mr. William Jenkinson.
Cordial Manufacturer, corner of Eliot Street and Lemon Street. New Plymouth. This business, which is conducted in freehold premises, is devoted principally to the making of horehound beer, ginger beer and vinegar. The horehound beer is a specialty, and its sale extends as far distant as Marton. Three persons are employed, and goods are delivered throughout the New Plymouth district. Mr. Steffensen was born in Christiania, Norway, in the year 1877, and went to Queensland, Australia, when only three years of age. At the age of thirteen years he started work in a cordial factory in Bundaberg. In 1902 Mr. Steffensen came to New Zealand, and started in business on his own account. As a member of the Ancient Order of Foresters, he was connected with Court Merry Men, in Queensland, whence he affiliated to Court Waireka, in New Plymouth, and he has gone through the chairs in both courts. Mr. Steffensen's father was a master mariner.
Painter and Paperhanger, Octavius Terrace, corner of Eliot Street, New Plymouth. This business was established by Mr. McConnel in the year 1904. All classes of work are undertaken in any part of the district. Mr. McConnel is further referred to as bandmaster of the Taranaki Garrison Band.
(Walter Ambury and Arthur Ambury), Drapers and General Importers, Devon Street and Brougham Street, New Plymouth. Established 1890. Telephone 86. Bankers, National Bank of New Zealand. Branch at Manaia. This business was first opened at the corner of Devon and Brougham Streets by Messrs Ambury Brothers, but they were compelled to enlarge their premises by adding the adjoining shops, and now (1906) they have one of the finest places in New Plymouth. The main frontage in Devon Street extends for about 130 feet, and is sheltered with a handsome verandah. There are three entrances from Devon Street, and the first floor on the right leads to the ready-made department, where a large assortment of the latest styles of men's clothing, etc., is shown. Through a wide archway opening from this department, the central shop is entered, and there dresses, silk, hosiery, and Manchester goods are in good display. The millinery and mantle showrooms, measuring in all seventy feet by forty feet, are on the second floor, and are ways prettily decorated with the latest styles for the current season. The firm imports direct from the leading British markets, and its buyers, in choosing goods, carefully study the taste and requirements of colonists.
Senior Partner in the firm of Ambury Brothers, was born in Gloucestershire, England, gained his first business experience in Cheltenham, and was for three years at Messrs Baker Brothers', one of the largest drapery establishments in Bristol. In the year 1880 he went to London, where he had two years' wholesale experience. Mr. Ambury came to New Zealand in 1882, and took an engagement with Mr. Rattray, of Auckland, and one year and six months later joined the well known firm of Smith and Caughey, in whose employment he remained seven years, and took charge of the business in the absence of the firm's members, as well as buying for several departments. In 1890 he severed his connection with the firm, and started his present business in New Plymouth, where he takes a prominent part in local matters. Mr. Ambury is a member of the school committee, the Taranaki Education Board, the Agricultural and Horticultural Societies, and the Chamber of Commerce. He is also a Rechabite.
Junior Partner in the firm of Ambury Brothers, is also a native of Gloucestershire, and was for twenty years with Mr John Lance, wholesale and retail draper at Cheltenham, and for fifteen years of that time he held the responsible position of buyer to the firm. Before coming to New Zealand he was Home buyer for his brother and present partner. Mr. Ambury arrived in New Zealand in the year 1893, and shortly afterwards joined his brother in New Plymouth. The firm conducts one of the largest drapery and clothing businesses in the province of Taranaki.
Merchant Tailor, Devon Street. New Plymouth. This business was established in the year 1899 by the late Mr. Abner King. It is conducted in a two-storied wood and iron building, which contains a shop, fitting and cutting rooms, and a workshop. Eight persons are employed. Mr. Griffiths was born at the Thames, in the year 1877. He was educated in Auckland, where he learned his trade with Mr. R. H. Swales, with whom he remained for eight years, and he rose to the position of cutter. Subsequently, he gained further experience in the best Auckland shops. Mr. Griffiths then removed to New Plymouth, and bought the business of the late Mr. Abner King. He takes a keen interest in outdoor games, was a member of the Ponsonby Football Club, and is secretary of the Taranaki Referees' Association. Mr. Griffiths married a daughter of Mr. J. Pegler, of Onehunga, in the year 1901, and has two daughters.
Fashionable Tailor, Devon Street, New Plymouth. Mr. Marks' fine business premises are situated in the centre of New Plymouth. The shop is large and commodious, and has workrooms fitted with every convenience, and the wide windows display an assortment of the latest English and European goods, together with a varied stock of colonial tweeds. Expert workers are constantly employed in the tailoring department. Mr. Marks was born in Germany, where he studied the cutting art from one of the best men in the country, and afterwards worked in Manchester as foreman under a leading firm. Some time later he went to Australia, where he gained considerable business experience, and was in that country twelve years. He started his present successful establishment in New Plymouth in 1896. Mr. Marks was married in 1897.
. Cabinetmakers, Wickerwork and Wire Mattress Manufacturers, Devon Street East, New Plymouth. The premises of the firm comprise a fine two-storey building, the ground floor of which is occupied by shop and show rooms, and the upper portion with a large stock of manufactured furniture, comprising suites, bedding and house furnishings of all sorts. Mr. George Braund was born in Auckland, and served his apprenticeship with Mr. James Halliday. After completing his indentures, he started business for himself in Auckland, where he remained two years; then he came to New Plymouth under engagement with Mr. E. T. Petty, with whom he remained six years as foreman. He entered into his present business in the beginning of 1897, and was afterwards joined in partnership by Mr. Tunbridge.
(Sidney Clark), House Furnishers, Cabinetmakers and Importers, Cash Furniture Warehouse, Deyon Street, New Plymouth. This business was established in the year 1885 by Mr. George Brown, and acquired by the present proprietor in 1903. The premises consist of wood and iron buildings, which stand on a freehold section which has forty feet frontage by a large depth. They contain a shop and show room, workshops and a store. There are separate rooms for the polishing, upholstering, cabinetmaking and undertaking departments, in which eight persons are employed. Messrs Clark and Co. are direct importers of bedsteads, crockery, tapestry, carpets, etc. At the New Plymouth Exhibition of 1904 the firm took the first and a special prize for a locally manufactured duchess pair, and a special diploma for the best piece of cabinet work.
is the third son of the Rev. Joseph Clark, of the Auckland Tabernacle, and was born in London, England, in the year 1877. He was educated in Nottingham, and learned his trade under Messrs Foster, Cooper and Foster, of Arkwright Street, Nottingham. In 1898 he came to New Zealand, landed in Auckland, and for two years conducted a business in Svmonds Street on his own account. Mr. Clark takes an interest in football, and was the founder of the Association game in New Plymouth. He was captain of the team that went to Auckland and Wellington, and made a draw with both. Mr. Clark married a daughter of Mr. Peter Edward Cheal. of Auckland, in 1905.
Cabinetmaker and Upholsterer, Devon Street East, New Plymouth. Bankers, National Bank of New Zealand. Mr. Heldt's business was established by him in 1893, and occupies a large two-storey building, in which there is a display of beautiful cabinet work and high class furniture in great variety, including drawing room, dining room, and bedroom suites. A large stock of seasoned timbers, including mottled kauri and other ornamental woods, is kept on the premises, and five men are constantly employed in the workshop. Mr. Heldt is a native of Auckland, where he learned his trade with his father, a well known cabinetmaker, and started business for himself about twenty-eight years ago in his native town. He afterwards came to New Plymouth, and established his present flourishing business.
(William Lints, proprietor), Devon Street East, New Plymouth. This business was established in the year 1906, and is conducted in a convenient shop. The saloon behind has two chairs, and is lighted with electric light, and fitted up with all the latest improvements. The latest antiseptic methods are adopted by Mr. Lints.
Proprietor of the Antiseptic Hairdressing Saloon, was born in the year 1880, in Aberdeen, Scotland. When he was two
Hairdresser and Tobacconist, Devon Street, New Plymouth. The business conducted by Mr. Bullot has been established for many years, and was acquired by him on the 15th of June, 1904. The establishment includes a shop, and a hairdressing saloon with two chairs.
was born in December, 1882, in New Plymouth, where he was educated, and learned his trade under Mr. R. Terrill, whose business he afterwards bought. Mr. Bullot is a member of Court Waireka, Ancient Order of Foresters, and has been a member of the Tukapa Football Club.
Hairdresser and Tobacconist, Devon Street, New Plymouth. Established in 1897. This business is conducted in a wood and iron building, which includes a shop with a verandah and a well appointed saloon, containing three chairs. Mr. Edwards was born in Sussex, England, and came to New Zealand at an early age. He was educated partly in Hawke's Bay, and partly in Rangitikei. He subsequently learned his trade at Feilding, Marton, and Bulls, and worked as a journeyman until he commenced business on his own account. Mr. Edwards takes a keen interest in sport, and is a member of the Tukapa and Star Football Clubs. He married a daughter of the late Mr. R. Martin, of New Plymouth, in the year 1896, and has two sons and one daughter.
(William H. Schlierike, manager), Hairdresser and Tobacconist, Egmont Hairdressing Saloon, Egmont Street, New Plymouth. The premises occupied by this business consist of part of a brick building, known as Freeman's Buildings, and contain a shop, a hairdressing saloon, with two chairs, and chess, draught and billiard rooms. Features of the business are ladies' hair work and ladies' hairdressing, and of the requisites of these branches the proprietor has the best assortment and display in the town.
Manager of the Egmont Hairdressing Saloon in New Plymouth, was born in the year 1883 in Wellington. He was educated partly in Wellington, and partly in Palmerston North, and gained experience in his trade under the employment of Mr. Freeman during seven years and a-half. For three years subsequently he was manager of the refreshment car on the New Plymouth-Wellington section of New Zealand railways. He took charge of Mr. Freeman's business in New Plymouth on the 24th of June, 1905. As an athlete he was well known in Palmerston, where he was for two seasons vice-captain of the Youths' Institute Cricket Club, for two seasons captain of the Institute Junior Football Club, and captain of the Union Football Club for one year. Owing to ill-health he was obliged, under medical advice, to give up all violent exercise.
(Ernest Alfred Robottom and Sydney Herbert Robottom), Hairdressers and Tobacconists, Devon Street, New Plymouth. This business was founded by Mr. Stohr in the year 1893, and was taken over by the present proprietors on the 17th of April, 1903. The premises include a shop, and a hairdressing saloon with two chairs.
is a son of the late Mr. Alfred Thomas Robottom, of Ashburton, and was born in Christchurch in November, 1876. He was educated at the Normal School, and brought up to mercantile life. For about ten years he was in the office of the Ashburton Building Society, and resigned in order to join his brother in the present firm. Mr. Robottom is a member of the New Plymouth Boxing Association, the New Plymouth Junior Cricket Club, and the Tukapa Football Club. He is also an amateur photographer.
is a son of the late Mr. Thomas Robottom, and was born in Christchurch in the year 1874. He attended various schools and learned his trade under his father in Ashburton. Some years after Mr. Robottom went to Timaru for a time, and, later on, to Christchurch. In 1900 he removed to New Plymouth, and gained further experience of his trade before entering into partnership in business with his brother.
(Daniel O'Brien, proprietor), Devon Street, New Plymouth. The Criterion Hotel is a fine three-storied building with wide balconies; it is situated in the centre of the town, and is complete and up-to-date in every respect. It contains forty-one bedrooms, several sitting rooms, a large drawing room, a splendid commercial room, and a billiard room. The tariff is moderate; the table and accommodation good, and the liquors of the best brands. The proprietor makes the comfort and convenience of guests and travellers his first consideration.
the Proprietor of the Criterion Hotel, was born in Melbourne, Australia, in the year 1847, and was brought up on a farm in Victoria. He took up horse racing, and in 1867 came to New Zealand. For a time he was part proprietor of the Empire Hotel in Oamaru, and from 1883 to 1888 he conducted an hotel and racing stables at Riccarton, Canterbury. He has at various times been owner of such well known horses as Carbine, Trenton, Tasman (who won the first New Zealand Cup), Loyalty, and many others, and is still an owner of racehorses, and takes a keen interest in sport. Mr. O'Brien is married.
(Henry John Julian, proprietor), Brougham Street, New Plymouth. This hotel is built of wood and iron. It contains twenty-five rooms, of which seventeen are bedrooms, and seven are sitting rooms; and the dining room will seat twenty-eight guests.
Proprietor of the Taranaki Hotel, has been in charge of the establishment since the beginning of the year 1904. He was previously, for a short time, landlord of the Midhurst Hotel, and for some years before that had the Railway Hotel at Inglewood. Mr. Julian is referred to in another article as a former member of the Inglewood Town Board.
formerly proprietor of the Taranaki Hotel, New Plymouth, is a native of Ireland, and arrived in Auckland in the year 1870. After a short time in that city he went to Canterbury, where he was engaged in farming and contracting for about two years, and used seventy horses, and fourteen double-furrow ploughs. In 1882 he removed to Parihaka, where he received from the Government the transport contract for the conveyance of the troops, and removal of the Maori prisoners during the Te Whiti disturbances, and employed in the work about forty teams. Mr. Campbell next removed to Greymouth, where he acquired the well known Club Hotel, which he conducted for four years. After this he was successively in occupation of the Mail Coach Hotel, at Hawera, and of hotels at Woodville and Stratford; and in 1898 he acquired possession of the Taranaki Hotel in New Plymouth. Mr. Campbell, who is a very keen sportsman and an active supporter of racing, afterwards removed to Kaponga.
occupies one of the best sites in New Plymouth in St. Aubyn Street, overlooking the sea. It is a modern two-storey building, surrounded on the front and sea side by a broad balcony, which provides a pleasant promenade. The house contains about twenty-five bedrooms, with smoking, commercial, drawing and ladies' sitting rooms, all furnished comfortably and with good taste. The hotel stands on about two acres of nicely laid out grounds. A short distance from the hotel, and surrounded by shrubberies, there are two detached cottages; one of which contains nine rooms, and the other two rooms. In each case the rooms are well furnished, and at either cottage married couples or private families can enjoy the privacy of a home. The “Terminus” has also a fine tennis court, which affords visitors an opportunity for healthy recreation. The situation of the house is considered the most healthy in New Plymouth, and persons who take up their quarters at the “Terminus,” find that the mild climate, combined with the bracing sea air, soon restores their health.
who formerly conducted the Terminus Hotel, was born in Yorkshire, England, and came to Auckland in the year 1862 by the ship “African.” After being for some time engaged in pastoral work, Mr. Raynes, in 1878, built the first hotel in Wairoa South, and conducted it, together with a general store, for some time, but finally sold the whole
business to Mr. George Martin. He afterwards bought the National Hotel, Cambridge, Waikato, and commanded the whole of the tourist traffic to the Lakes; so much so, that he had to enlarge the house to double its original size. Later on, he sold
Plumber and Tinsmith, Devon Street, New Plymouth. This business was established in the year 1873, by Mr. John Abbott, senior, who conducted it until 1901, when it was taken over by his son, the present proprietor. The premises consist of a wood and iron building, including a shop, an office, and a workshop, which is fitted up with a complete plant, for the manufacture of all kinds of tinware and other goods. Seven persons are employed. Mr. Abbott was born in the year 1870, in Bury St. Edmonds, Suffolk, England. He accompanied his father, in 1873, to New Plymouth, where he was educated, and subsequently brought up to his father's business. Mr. Abbott was one of the founders of the Star Football Club, and was for years an active member; he is an honorary member of the Taranaki Rifles, and was for about ten years a member of the Taranaki Guards and Rifles. He is also Past Chief Ranger of Court Waireka, Ancient Order of Foresters, New Plymouth. In 1899 he went for a trip to the Old Country, and visited his birthplace. Mr. Abbott married a daughter of the late Mr. John Treeby, of New Plymouth, in 1902, and has one son and one daughter.
(William Henry Griffiths and Fred C. Griffiths), Plumbers and Tinsmiths, Devon Street, New Plymouth. Established in 1870. Telephone, 135. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. The workshop contains a very complete plant, including curving, screwing, down-pipe, ridging, and drilling machines. A specialty is made of the manufacture of tanks and baths, and one of the baths exhibited by the firm at the New Plymouth Exhibition was awarded first prize.
Senior Partner, is a native of Auckland, and learned his trade with Mr. Swales of that city. On the expiration
Engineers, Millwrights, Blacksmiths, Iron and Brass Founders, Taranaki Iron Foundry, New Plymouth. This foundry was originally established in 1866. Mr. F. W. Okey was for years the sole owner, in succession to Mr. Vivian, but he has latterly been joined in partnership by Mr. Rollo, Much of the plant supplied to the country dairy factories has been manufactured by the firm, which has also completed orders for turbines for industries in the north of Auckland. The manufacture of water wheels is a special feature of the foundry, where upwards of twelve persons are employed. Mr. Okey was born in Taranaki, and is a son of Mr. Edward Okey, senior partner of the firm of Okey, Son and Arnold, ironmongers, of New Plymouth. He was educated in Taranaki, and served his indentures with Mr. Vivian, who formerly owned the business. On the completion of his term, he went to Auckland, and served with Messrs Fraser and Tinney, ironfounders and engineers, with whom he remained a year and gained much experience. He returned to New Plymouth, and, on the retirement of Mr. Vivian, took over the business, in which he has since been joined by Mr. Rollo. Mr. Okey takes an interest in Friendly Societies, and is a member of the Rechabites, and has held office on several occasions. He is married, and has children.
Blacksmith and Farrier, Currie Street, New Plymouth. Established in 1887. Mr. Roberts is a native of New Plymouth, where he first learned his trade, and afterwards removed to Auckland, where for about four years he was engaged in the Auckland Tram Company's shoeing forge. He left Auckland in 1887, and started business in New Plymouth in Devon Street, whence he removed to his present more commodious premises. Mr. Roberts is a Freemason, and also a member of the Order of Foresters.
Electricians, Plumbers, Dairy and Sanitary Engineers, Gasfitters and Tinsmiths, Manufacturers of the Acetylene Gas Generators for the province of Taranaki, Brougham Street, New Plymouth, and at Broadway, Stratford. Bankers, National Bank of New Zealand. This business was established in 1892 at Stratford by Mr. George Smart, and every description of plumbing and dairy work is manufactured and fitted up in any part of the province. The workshop now contains a complete plant for the manufacture of every branch of the trade, including spouting and down pipe machinery. The firm fitted up buildings for the electric light when it was installed in Stratford. Twelve persons are employed in the business.
was born in Auckland in 1862, and learned his trade with Messrs Branston and Foster, of that city. In 1884, he started business on his own account in Auckland, where he remained about three years, but in order to gain a more complete knowledge he gave up his business, and for about four years worked in the principal cities of New Zealand and Australia. In 1891 he returned to Auckland, and remained there a short time previous to starting business at Stratford in 1892; later on, owing to the increasing trade, he opened the firm's present premises in New Plymouth. Some years ago Mr. Smart took his two brothers into partnership, and since then Mr. Allan Smart has had charge of the Stratford branch, and Mr. Herbert Smart of the shop in New Plymouth. Mr. Smart supervises the whole business. He is a Freemason, and has held all the offices in his lodge.
Shoeing and General Smith, Gill Street, New Plymouth. Mr. Tunbridge conducts the business of a general
Cycle Engineer and Agent, Brougham Street, New Plymouth This business was established in the year 1901 by Mr. M. A. Campbell, who was joined in partnership by Mr. A. George in 1902. Mr. George acquired his partner's interest in 1904, and has since carried on the business on his own account. It is conducted in part of a two-storied wood and iron building, which contains a shop, a show room and a workshop. Mr. George imports Birmingham Small Arms parts, and builds good machines under the name of Sunbeam; he also carries a stock of first grade National and Rothwell cycles and a second grade Rover. The workshop is fitted up with modern appliances, and a skilled mechanic is employed. Mr. George was born in the year 1870 in New Plymouth, was educated at local schools, was afterwards for some time employed at the New Plymouth Sash and Door Factory, and was for seven years farming on his own account at Omata. He subsequently gained experience at his trade in the Taranaki district. Mr. George gained many prizes in connection with running, amongst others a gold medal in 1894, which was points-prize for a quarter-mile race, a half-mile race, and a one-mile race at one meeting. He commenced cycling in 1898, and within two months of learning to ride won an open handicap race in New Plymouth; his total number of wins for the first four months was thirteen. Among many others subsequently, Mr. George won a ten-guinea cup locally, a twenty-points prize, and others at Wanganui and elsewhere. In 1899, he took a wheelrace against the champion, and won £15, gaining the same day a gold medal points-prize, and two others. In the year 1896 Mr. George married a daughter of Captain J. Davidson, a former Mayor of New Plymouth, and has two sons and two daughters.
Ironmongers and Hardware Merchants, Devon Street, New Plymouth. This business was established in the year 1903, and is conducted in a double-fronted two-storied brick building, which contains a large shop with office and show rooms. At the back of the building the bulk of the heavy goods are stored. All lines, including general furnishing and builders' ironmongery, are imported by the firm.
was born in the year 1869, in Suffolk, England, where he was educated, and was apprenticed to the ironmongery trade at Ipswich. After some years' experience in other towns of Suffolk and Sussex, he came to New Zealand, and landed in New Plymouth in 1896. For several years Mr. Murton had local experience in his trade before taking up his present business. As a Freemason, he is a member of Lodge de Burgh Adams. He married a daughter of the late Mr. Joseph Sole, of North Leech, Gloucestershire, England, in 1891.
(Edward Okey, E. Nelson L. Okey, and Alfred H. Arnold), Ironmongers, Oil and Colourmen, Central Hardware Depot, New Plymouth. Telephone 69; P.O. Box 25. Bankers, Bank of New South Wales. The premises of this firm consist of a two-storied building in Devon Street, running through to Currie Lane, with cellarage throughout, the floor space being about 7600 feet. The main floor is devoted to the firm's extensive furnishing and general hardware business; the upper floor is used for warehousing goods, and the cellars for oils, plants, colours, glass, etc. The firm has additional storage on the opposite side of Currie Lane. Being direct importers, Messrs Okey, Son and Arnold are in a position to supply their clients at advantageous prices. Mr. Arnold is managing director and also general manager of the firm.
Cycle Engineers and Importers, Taranaki branch, Devon Street, New Plymouth. Head Office, Wellington. This branch was opened in the year 1903, when the company acquired the business of Mr. L. M. Taunton, which was the first to be established in New Plymouth. The business is conducted in a wood and iron building, which includes a shop, an office, and a well equipped workshop. Three persons are employed.
was appointed Manager of the New Plymouth branch of Messrs Reynolds and Company, Limited, in 1901. He was born in the year 1881, in New Plymouth, where he was educated, Mr. Tribe has had considerable experience in engineering in connection with agricultural implements, in repairing cycles and motors. He is a member of the New Plymouth cricket and hockey clubs.
Motor and Cycle Agents, Taranaki Branch, Devon Street, New Plymouth. Head Office, Auckland. This branch was established in the year 1902, and is conducted in part
Manager of the Taranaki branch of Messrs Skeates and Bockeart, Limited, was born in the year 1883 in Auckland, where he was educated. In 1898, soon after leaving school, he joined the Skeates Cycle Company, and has passed through all the grades of the business. Mr. Gunson has been a rider for many years.
(Frederick Nichols, proprietor), Gill Street, New Plymouth. This laundry was established in the year 1900, on freehold premises, and is complete and up-to-date in every respect. The plant includes a Tangye boiler and engine, washing machines, a centrifugal drying machine, ironing machines, and polishing machines. Seven persons are employed, and a large business is done throughout Taranaki.
Proprietor of the Royal Steam Laundry, was born in New Plymouth, in the year 1863. For several years he was employed in various kinds of work, including carpentry, and work at the gas works. Mr. Nichols was for nine years a member of the Taranaki Rifles, and rose to the rank of sergeant, and is a member of the Taranaki Guards. He has won several trophies in shooting matches. Mr. Nichols is married, and has one son.
(W. G. Linthorn and H. C. Evans, proprietors), Boot and Shoemakers and Importers, Devon Street, New Plymouth. This business was established in the year 1902, and was taken over by the present proprietors in 1905. The premises consist of a wood and iron building, which contains a double-fronted shop, a fitting room and workshop, with a plant including a solesewer, rollers and general machinery.
of the A.B.C. Boot Depot, was born in the year 1871, in Bristol, England, where he was educated, and learned his trade under his father, who was a boot manufacturer. He came to New Zealand in 1905.
of the A.B.C. Boot Depot, was born in the year 1870, in Christchurch, where he was educated, and learned his trade. He was employed by the late Mr. W. Harris, and afterwards by Mr. A. H. Pannell. After a good many years' experience, he went to Taranaki, and took up farming. Some years afterwards he sold out, and went into the boot trade in Inglewood, for three years. After spending a winter in Christchurch he returned to Taranaki, and commenced business in Devon Street in 1902. Two years and six months later he was joined by Mr. W. G. Linthorn, and bought the A.B.C. Boot Depot, which had previously been conducted by Mr J. R. Chatterton. Mr. Evans has been connected with the volunteer movement for some time, was a member of the Christchurch College Cadets, and is sergeant in the Taranaki Guards.
(Hal Goodacre, proprietor and manager), Courtenay Street, New Plymouth. Telephone, 113; P.O. Box 73. Bankers, Bank of New South Wales. Telegraphic Address, “Egmont Boot.” This business was established in the year 1887, and is carried on in Courtenay Street in a fine large two-storied building, which is a prominent landmark of the town The original firm consisted of Mr. Goodacre and Mr. Carthew, but Mr. Goodacre bought his partner's interest, and has now for many years been sole proprietor. At first only six persons were employed, but now more than fifty men and women are engaged in connection with the business. After the Taranaki Exhibition (of whose committee Mr. Goodacre was chairman), the manufactures of the firm gained great popularity, and the “Egmont Tignts”—a strong watertight boot—took a leading place in colonial trade. Besides the heavier class of goods, dancing pumps, and ladies' and gentlemen's boots and shoes of stylish patterns are made, and find an extensive sale. The latest machinery is used, and the large stocks include three special ladies' brands (“Heart,” “Queen,” and “Victoria”), besides cycling, canvas, and other shoes of every description. The warehouse is on the ground floor, where large assortments of the best manufactured goods from the English, German, and American markets are in stock; and the manager's room, accountant's office, and sample room are in touch with the warehouse. The clinking room is reached by a wide staircase, and is a fine large apartment under the control of Mr. Fred Goodacre, who has seven assistants. It is stored with about forty-five different kinds of black leather, in addition to tan and coloured leathers. Near the clinking room is the machine room, where a number of girls are employed at a double row of machines, fancy stitching and plain sewing. In the benching and making-up room about twenty operatives are engaged in hammering and pegging, and a fine Blake sewing machine is used to stitch the outer sole to the inside of the boot. The ceiling of the factory is lighted through the medium of what is called the “southern light,” which consists of large windows set at such an angle that the direct rays of the sun never enter the room, and thus a
Sole Proprietor of the Egmont Boot and Shoe Company, was born in Derbyshire, England, educated at Leicester, where he thoroughly learned his trade, and was one of the six men chosen to proceed to Germany to start a factory on English principles. In 1874 he came to New Zealand by the ship “Assaye,” and landed in Auckland, where he remained two years, gaining colonial experience. He then established a business at Wanganui, where he remained some years, and was afterwards at Patea and Hawera for three years before he entered upon his present successful undertaking. Although a very busy man, Mr. Goodacre devotes a considerable share of his time to local matters, and has been for a long period a member of the New Plymouth school committee, president of the Horticultural Society; and he was first president of the Prohibition League, of which he is an active member. Mr. Goodacre is married, and has three sons and one daughter.
Tanner, New Plymouth. Mr. Jones was born in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England. His brother, Mr. Benjamin Jones, was head leather dresser for Messrs Hallister, in Staffordshire, for over forty years. Mr. Jones came to New Zealand in 1872 from America, where he had been in the service of Mr. F. D. D. Cossett, leather manufacturer, of Chicago. He landed at Auckland, and entered the employment of Messrs Geddes Brothers, where he remained for seven years, when he took over the Frankley Road Tannery in New Plymouth, in conjunction with Messrs Christmas and J. C. George. A year later the partnership was dissolved, and Mr. Jones has since been in business on his own account. He is married, and has two sons and one daughter.
Saddler and Harness Maker, Devon Street, New Plymouth. Established in 1887. Bankers, Bank of New South Wales. Mr. Ramson's fine premises are situated in the centre of the town, and have a frontage of thirty feet by a depth of sixty-five feet. There is a large assortment of saddlery, harness and other goods of English and colonial manufacture. The business is one of the largest in the district, and the owner and his assistants are often unable to keep pace with the orders received. Mr. Ramson is a native of Manchester, England, and came to New Zealand with his parents in 1880 by the ship “Lutterworth,” which landed them at Auckland. He afterwards removed to New Plymouth, and started the present business in conjunction with Mr. Perry, whose interest he afterwards bought.
dates from the year 1901; the works were established originally at Moturoa, in 1895, when the company was known as the Taranaki Freezing Company, Limited. The present company consists really of a cooperation of dairy factory owners. The original works were burnt down in May, 1904, but the present establishment was immediately erected, and commenced work in September, 1904. The buildings are of brick, wood, and iron, and stand on a site of about five acres and a-half, and have ample cool storage accommodation for butter and cheese awaiting shipment. During the year which ended in June, 1905, 168,627 boxes of butter, and 5,253 cases of cheese were received. In the same period 146,964 boxes of butter, and 4,297 cases of cheese were shipped to London; besides 1310 boxes of butter to South Africa, and 11,989 boxes of butter, and 846 cases of cheese to Australian and local markets. Directors: Messrs J. B. Connett (chairman), J. Brown, B. Dive, J. W. Foreman, A. Morton, H. Spratt, and R. Dingle, Mr. J. S. McKellar is secretary, and Mr. D. K. Morrison, manager and chief engineer at the works.
Merchant, Devon Street, New Plymouth. Telephone, 125. Bankers, Union Bank of Australia. Private residence, “Te Ruru,” Devon Street. Mr. George, who is the originator and senior partner of the Crown Dairy Factory Company of Taranaki, is one of the best known men of the district and an energetic and capable colonist. He was born in the year 1845 at Roxton, Bedfordshire, England, and his father was proprietor of a very complete coach and carriage factory. He was educated at a public school in Cambridge, and left the Old Land with his parents in 1857 to settle in New Plymouth. At the age of sixteen he served with the Taranaki Rifle Volunteers, and subsequently with the Mounted Rifles under Captain Davidson, and the Forest Rangers under Captain Atkinson, afterwards Sir Harry Atkinson. In 1869, Mr. George established himself in New Plymouth as a builder and cabinetmaker, having learned the former trade under Mr. Watson, a well known builder in Taranaki. During the eighteen years in which he was in business he accumulated a very respectable competence, and sold his business in 1887. As an outlet for his capital, and with the object of promoting the Taranaki butter industry, he built a butter factory at Tikorangi, and shortly afterwards, some of the co-operative dairy factories in the Waimate Plains being in the market, he, in conjunction with Mr. Newton King, the well known auctioneer, bought them. During the succeeding ten years the Crown Dairy Factory Company developed into considerable proportions. Until 1895 Mr. George personally managed the business, but as he was overworked, and needed a rest, he took a trip to England. Mr. George now (1906) devotes himself to his properties, his home, “Te Ruru,” being one of the prettiest places in New Plymouth. As a member of the Harbour Board, he represented the ratepayers for two years, was president of the New Plymouth Bowling Club in 1896, secretary and treasurer for many years, and more recently president of the New Plymouth Mutual Improvement Society; and for over thirty years he has been treasurer of the Loyal Excelsior Lodge, Independent Order of Oddfellows, Manchester Unity. He is a director of the Sash and Door Company, the Taranaki Building Society, and the Stratford Bacon Company, and has twice been chairman of the New Plymouth Chamber of Commerce. Mr. George is always to the front in developing any industry that is calculated to advance the town or district. He has been for many years a Freemason, and became a Past Master about twenty years ago. Mr. George has been twice married; his first wife was a daughter of the late Josias Hoskin, one of the earliest settlers in Taranaki, and six daughters and two sons were born of the marriage. In 1889 he married again, and his second wife has borne him one son and two daughters.
(James Ballantyne MacEwan), Dairy Produce Merchants and Exporters, Dairy Specialists, Dairy Machinists and Supply Importers, and Dairy Refrigerating Engineers. Head office at Wellington, and branches at Auckland, Dunedin, and New Plymouth. This well known firm was established in the year 1897, in Dunedin. In the following year it became necessary to remove the head office to Wellington, and the staff at Dunedin took charge of the South Island business. In
Founder of the firm of MacEwan and Co., was born in Canada, where he gained his early experience in connection with the dairy industry. He came to New Zealand in the year 1894, under engagement to the New Zealand Department of Agriculture, as Dairy Commissioner; but retired from the office in one year and eight months later, and founded his present business.
General Merchants, Taranaki Branch, Devon Street, New Plymouth; Head Office, Auckland. This branch was established in the year 1902, and is situated in a two-storied wood and iron building. There are two cart-loading stages, and departments for groceries, wines, fancy goods, and tea. The firm's bond is at the New Zealand Express Company's building, St. Aubyn Street. In connection with the establishment, there is a store for kerosene and oilman's stores in Gill Street. Eight persons are employed, including three travellers, who visit the settlements between Urenui and Hawera, and round Mount Egmont.
Manager of the Taranaki Branch of Messrs L. D. Nathan and Company, Limited, was born in the North of Auckland, and
was educated in New Zealand. He afterwards served for ten years under the Auckland Board of Education, and was stationed, successively, at Waikato Bay of Islands, Thames, Waitekauri, Karangahake, and was headmaster of Bayfield school, Ponsonby, Auckland. He subsequently bought a seat on the Auckland Stock Exchange for
Merchants and Warehousemen: Taranaki branch, Currie Street. New Plymouth. The Taranaki branch of Sargood, Son. and Ewen was opened in the year 1890, and the business is conducted in a two-storied wood and iron building. Two travellers are employed.
was appointed Manager of the Taranaki branch of Messrs Sargood, Son, and Ewen in the year 1896. He was born in 1876 in Manchester, England, where he was educated. Mr. Ramson came to New Zealand in 1880, and landed in Auckland. He then entered the employment of Messrs Owen and Graham, with whom he gained his early experience of the soft goods trade. Mr. Ramson continued in the same employment until Messrs Sargood, Son, and Ewen bought the business. He has been a resident in the New Plymouth district since the year 1885, and is a member of the local Chamber of Commerce.
Dairy Produce Merchant and Exporter, New Plymouth. Branch office, 61 Shortland Street, Auckland. Agent for Messrs John lsaac and Sons, importers of New Zealand produce, Cardiff. Wales, England. The branch office in Auckland was opened in 1004, and had previously been carried on as an agency of Messrs Pearson and Rutter, Limited, for nearly five years. Mr. Welch was born in 1875, in London, England, and educated at the Borough Road College, and was brought up to a mercantile life in London, where he had many years' experience. He came to New Zealand in 1900, settled in New Plymouth, and joined the staff of Pearson and Rutter, Limited. The business was subsequently amalgamated with that of Mr. F. N. R. Meadows, of Wellington, and Mr. Welch then began business on his own account. He afterwards bought out the Auckland Butter Company, which was then established as a branch. About eighteen persons are employed at the head office and branch office. Mr. Welch married a daughter of Mr. Benjamin Weale, of Cornwall, England, and New Plymouth, in April, 1903, and has two sons.
has its head office in Devon Street, New Plymouth. Since the early fifties efforts have been made to utilise the mineral oils of Taranaki. Two companies were formed in London in the early days. The first was known as the People's Company, and subsequently a company was formed by the late Sir Julius Vogel. Money was expended in connection with the establishment of a plant, and the company put down a bore to the depth of 900 feet. In October, 1904, the South Australian Company acquired the plant, and continued operations till January, 1905, when the Moturoa Petroleum Company bought the concern. Work has been vigorously continued, and the bore was at a depth of 2100 feet when the Moturoa Company took possession. The depth is now (May, 1906) about 2400 feet. At that date the plant at Moturoa consisted of a fifteen horse-power engine, which made forty-five strokes per minute. The oil and water pumped up flowed into a tank, the capacity of which was 4,400 gallons. The petroleum rose to the top of the water, and was then skimmed off as required. A very large sum of money in the aggregate has been spent in connection with this industry, and in April, 1906, clean oil, totally free from water, began to flow from the bore in an uninterrupted stream.
who has been manager of the Company since its formation, has had large experience in Canada, and other parts of the world in connection with oil works.
(John Buttimore, proprietor), Devon Street, New Plymouth. This business was established in the year 1902 by Messrs Carter and Green, and was acquired by Messrs Goodacre and Buttimore in 1904. All vegetables sold at the shop in Devon Street are grown at the company's gardens, which are five acres in extent, and are situated near the cemetery. All kinds of choice flowers and shrubs are supplied from the Morshead Nurseries, for which the company is agent. Seeds are imported direct from French and other well known growers, including Atlee, Burpee and Co.'s “seeds that grow,” from Philadelphia, United States of America.
formerly Senior Partner of the City Fruit and Flower Company, was born at Melbourne, Derbyshire, England, in the
year 1855. He was educated in Leicestershire, and was brought up to the boot trade. He subsequently came to New Zealand, and landed in Auckland from the ship “Assaye” in 1875. Mr. Goodacre was for fifteen years in business as a boot-upper manufacturer. He afterwards removed to New Plymouth, and was manager of the Egmont Boot Factory for thirteen years, when he retired owing to failing health. Mr. Goodacre has always taken an interest in horticultural matters, and in poultry rearing.
Westown, New Plymouth, Mr. Duncan's nursery consists of eight acres of freehold land, situated about two miles from Westown, with a long frontage to the main road. Shelter is obtained from hedges of macrocapa, pinus insignis, etc. Fruit and shelter trees, roses, climbers and flowering shrubs are grown. A specialty is made of saltwind resisting shrubs, such as escallonias and other hedge plants; timber trees, conifers, and shrubs are also grown. A special feature is a small portion of the grounds devoted to the testing of fruits in their relation to soil and climate. Mr. Duncan exhibits, and has taken prizes for roses and bulbs. Daffodils are a special hobby, there being over 150 varieties in the nursery.
Proprietor of Duncan's Nursery, was born in Christchurch, Canterbury, in the year 1869. After he was educated he entered an office in Ashburton, but retired in order to take up nursery and garden work. In 1891 he went to Melbourne to gain experience, and entered the service of a large florist firm, Mr. Duncan subsequently returned to New Zealand, and was employed by H. C. Gibbons and Co, of Wellington, for five years, having charge of the firm's glass houses at the Hutt. He then went to Hawke's Bay, and was for twelve months in the large fruit nursery of Mr. Goddard before establishing his present business. Mr. Duncan acts as judge at various flower shows in the Taranaki district, and was at one time captain of the Hutt Valley Swimming Club. He is married, and has one son.
Nursery Gardener, New Plymouth. Mr. Horne is a colonist of sixteen years' standing, and was born near Woburn, on the Duke of Bedford's estate, Bedfordshire, England. He is one of a family of twelve, being the eldest of nine boys, and was educated in the village of Solsoe. He was afterwards employed in the gardens of the Right Honourable Earl Cowper, and while there he gained much experience. After a course in the large London nurseries, Mr. Horne was for two years gardener to the Prince of Wales (now King Edward VII.) at Sandringham. He was then employed by Mr. Tait (of Tait Gallery fame) London, but finding that hot-house work did not agree with him, he decided to come to New Zealand. He landed in Wellington in December, 1890, and subsequently settled in Taranaki, where he took up a section of bush land at Tarata Inglewood. He remained there for twelve years, during which he transformed the wilderness into rich dairy land and beautiful gardens. Mr. Horne took a trip Home, and paid a visit to his birthplace, in the year 1900. He returned to New Zealand, and a year later sold his property at Tarata, and has since bought and sold several beautiful suburban properties in the neighbourhood of New Plymouth. He finally acquired fourteen acres of land at Westown, where he carried on business as a nurseryman and market gardener. Mr. Horne was one of the promoters of the Tarata Dairy Factory Company, and was for five years a director, and he was a promoter and is a director of the Inglewood Bacon Curing Company. He is also a member of a local governing board. Mr. Horne believes in co-operation, and has always advocated industrial co-operation for working men or farmers. While in England he wrote a treatise on co-operative agriculture, which was published in London, and has had a wide circulation.
. The main nursery, of ten acres, is situated on the South Road, and there is a branch nursery of two acres in Lemon Street. The business was established in the year 1880 by the late Mr. Joseph William Morshead, and is now conducted by the
sometime Proprietor of the Morshead Nurseries, was born in Pelyat, Cornwall, England, in the year 1817, and was for five years gardener on the estate of Major T. T. S. Carlyon. He came to New Zealand in 1871, and settled in Canterbury. In 1872 he went as gardener-in-charge to the Glenmark estate, and in April, 1870, removed to Taranaki. About two years later he started the South Road Nurseries, which he developed to a considerable extent. During his residence in New Plymouth Mr. Morshead took a great interest in the work of the Methodist church, and was about fourteen years superintendent of the South Road Sunday school. He was also for several years a member of the Rechabite Lodge in New Plymouth. At his death he left a widow and five children.
Grocer and Provision Merchant, Devon Street. New Plymouth. Telephone 110. Bankers, National Bank of New Zealand. Mr. Carter established his business in 1897 in a two-storey building, admirably adapted for the grocery trade. He has an extensive connection throughout Taranaki, and is well known as a large importer of Maconochie Brothers' specialties. Not the least important of Mr. Carter's enterprises has been the introduction of “Sinnawattee Tea,” of which he is the sole importer, and the name “Sinnawattee” has become a household word in Taranaki. The tea is selected, and packed specially for him by experienced experts on the spot, and thus comes direct from the planter to the consumer without re-handling. Its aroma and fine qualities are consequently retained unimpaired either by lapse of time or length of voyage. Mr. Carter has added to the attractions of his emporium a large supply of vegetables and flower seeds, imported from the well known firm of Watlee, Burpee and Co., of Philadelphia. These seeds have a reputation for fertility second to none. Six assistants are employed in the business. Mr. Carter is a native of Lincolnshire, England, received his education at the Trinity School, Louth, and was brought up to the grocery trade with one of the leading firms in Ludborough. He came to New Zealand in 1884, in the ship “Hermione,” and shortly afterwards proceeded to New Plymouth, and was for many years a partner in Messrs White and Co.'s business. Mr. Carter has been a member of the Licensing Committee and school committee, and he also takes an active interest in church matters.
Grain and Produce Broker, Egmont Street, New Plymouth. This business was founded in Devon Street, and was afterwards removed to its present position in Egmont Street in 1902. Mr. Monteath acts as agent for the Victoria Insurance Company, and is secretary to the Provident and Investment Building Society. For some years previously to settling in New Plymouth, Mr. Monteath was a farmer at Tariki road. He is further referred to as a member of the New Plymouth Borough Council, and as secretary of the Provident and Investment Building Society.
(J. Little and Co., proprietors). Sentry Hill, near New Plymouth. Bankers, Bank of New South Wales. This is the only complete roller mill in the Taranaki province. The building is of wood and iron, four stories in height, and is well adapted for the trade. The main driving shaft and wheat-mixing bins are on the ground floor; and on the next floor are four sets of Simon's roller mills and other machinery. The dressing machinery and the purifier are situated on the third floor, and the shafting and other portions of the plant on the upper floor. The whole of the machinery is driven by a Victor turbine wheel, but a Tangye oil engine is also available if required. The firm puts through a lot of grain in the course of the year, and has an excellent connection throughout Taranaki.
the Senior Partner of the firm, is a native of Teesdale, Durham, England, and was for many years in Neweastle-on-Tyne, in one of the largest commercial firms in that city. He came to New Zealand in 1880 in the ship “Western Monarch,” settled in Taranaki, and bought the Sentry Hill Roller Flour Mills, with which he has been connected for many years. Mr. Little is a Justice of the Peace, a Past Master of Ngamotu Lodge of Freemasons, and is connected with many other societies in Taranaki.
General Grocers and Provision Merchants, Devon Street, New Plymouth. Bankers, Bank of New South Wales. Private residence, Courtenay Street. This business was established by Mr. Thomas Veale in the year 1877, in premises situated in the main street, to which it has a frontage of about thirty feet. A large and complete stock of goods of the best quality and at reasonable prices is always kept, and the firm has deservedly a large connection throughout the province. Mr. Thomas Veale has retired from the business, which is now carried on as that of Messrs Veale and Chatterton.
General Storekeeper, Devon Street, New Plymouth. Mr. Whitaker took over the business in 1892, after it had been in existence for eight years. He imports general goods to suit the public, but his specialty is the well known Gangaoya Tea, which is much sought for its fine flavour and purity. This tea is specially imported by Mr. Whitaker, from the hillside plantations in Ceylon, and he has had considerable success in introducing it to public notice. Mr. Whitaker was born at Dewsbury, in Yorkshire, and about twenty-three years ago came to New Zealand. For a period of nine years he managed drapery and general stores for Messrs Murch and Jones, and then opened business on his own account. His premises occupy a very good position, and have a splendid frontage to Devon Street and Liardet Street. For six years Mr. Whitaker has acted as secretary to the Rechabite Tent, and is much interested generally in the affairs of Friendly Societies.
has its headquarters in Brougham Street, and its works at the corner of Molesworth Street and Gill Street. Directors: Messrs A. Shuttleworth (chairman), W. L. Newman, A. M. Thomson, E. Dockrill, and T. Furlong. Mr. C. Rennell acts as secretary. The capital of the company in £20,000 in 2000 shares paid up to £5, and a second issue of 2000 shares paid up to £4. The company has paid dividends from its inception. An area of three-quarters of an acre is occupied by the works, and the plant consists of two holders, capable of containing 46,000 cubic feet of gas. There are twenty-one retorts, besides purifiers. Fifteen miles of mains are laid throughout New Plymouth and suburbs, and there are 1000 consumers. The average price of gas is 7s per 1000 feet.
Manufacturer of Tents, Tarpaulins, Horse Covers, and Oilskins, Devon Street, New Plymouth. This business was established in the year 1898. The premises include a shop, an office, and two large workrooms, and a large flat for drying. Five persons are employed. Mr. Hasell was born in Croydon, Surrey, England, in the year 1872. He came with his parents to
(M. Jones, proprietor), Devon Street and King Street, New Plymouth. Telephone, 29. These fine stables are situated in the centre of the town and opposite the Criterion Hotel. They contain twenty-six stalls, and twelve loose boxes; and landaus, single and double-seated buggies, etc., are supplied at a moment's notice. Picnic parties can be supplied with four-horse brakes, and the proprietor keeps a large specially imported hearse for funerals. Trains and steamers are met on arrival, and there is a night service to connect with the departure of the steamers from the breakwater. Special arrangements have been made with Messrs Cook and Son for the conveyance of tourists to Mount Egmont; and good horses and careful drivers can be depended on in connection with the stables.
who is a native of County Monaghan, Ireland, arrived in New Plymouth in 1879, and followed farming for five years. He then bought the mail coach service between New Plymouth and Opunake, which he successfully carried on for eight years. In 1893 he disposed of his coaching business, and took possession of the Criterion Livery and Bait Stables.
Livery and Bait Stables Proprietor, New Plymouth. Baiting accommodation is provided for a large number of horses. Mr. Jury keeps reliable horses for hire, with a good plant of buggies and other vehicles. He was born in Taranaki, and was educated in New Plymouth. At fourteen years of age he went to Australia, and gained many years' experience among horses in Sydney and Melbourne. In 1893 he returned to New Zealand, and for some time conducted stables at Waitara before removing to New Plymouth. Mr. Jury is interested in sport, and was a member of the Waitara Racing Club.
White Hart Livery and Bait Stables. Queen
Tattersall's Livery and Bait Stables, Egmont Street. New Plymouth, Established in 1890, Telephone 62, Mr. West's stables are within a minute's walk of the railway station, and occupy about half an acre of ground. Accommodation is provided for about eighty horses, and eleven new loose boxes have been added to meet the requirements of an increasing connection. In the main building, which contains a floor space of about 4500 square feet, there is a large stock of buggies, landaus, hansoms, brakes, etc. The office and ladies' waiting room are situated in front of the building. Regular conveyances meet the train on arrival, and several more are constantly employed in connection with the stables. On market days business is always exceptionally brisk, and sometimes as many as one hundred horses are baited. Mr. West is a native of Lincolnshire, England, and came to New Zealand in the year 1875. On his arrival in Taranaki, he was for some time engaged in bushfelling, and after farming for twelve years, entered into business. The general public may rely on receiving every attention at Tattersall's stables, and all orders and telegrams are promptly attended to.
Watchmaker and Jeweller, Devon Street, New Plymouth. Bankers, Bank of New South Wales. Private residence, Courtenay Street. The fine premises in which Mr. Cooke conducts his business possess handsome plate glass windows, with gold and silver watches, chains, bracelets, broaches, rings, etc., in all their glittering attractiveness. Goods of the latest designs are constantly imported to Mr. Cooke's order from the British and European markets. The workroom is fitted with the latest machinery for the manufacture of various articles of the trade, and it contains also a complete electro-plating battery. Mr. Cooke was born in Dunedin, and educated at the Normal School in that city. He afterwards served his apprenticeship with Mr. Albert Bergen, the well known jeweller and watchmaker, removed with him to Auckland, and remained in his employment for about two years. He was next in the service of Mr. Hawden, of Auckland, for two years. Then he decided to start on his own account, and bought his present business from Mr. Bartlett in 1895. Mr. Cooke is very musical, and a good performer on the violin. He was for nine years a prominent member of the Auckland Orchestral Society. He is also an artist, and many of his oil paintings exhibit considerable merit. Mr. Cooke is a Freemason.
Watchmaker, Jeweller, and Optician, Devon Street, New Plymouth. Bankers, Bank
of New South Wales. Mr. Parker established his excellent business in the year 1880, in a two-storied building of wood and iron. The premises have a street frontage of about sixteen feet, and the shop is one of the most attractive in New Plymouth. An extensive well assorted stock of watches, jewellery, and other articles, mainly imported direct from the manufacturers, is always maintained. The interior of the shop is artistically fitted up, and the display of electro-plated goods adds greatly to the attractiveness of the establishment. The optical branch is personally superintended by Mr. Parker. Every kind of repairing work is undertaken, and the workshops, which are fitted up with all the latest mechanical appliances, are situated at the rear of the premises. Mr. Parker was born at Burnley, Lancashire, England, and after receiving his education, learned his trade with one of the leading jewellers of Halifax, Yorkshire, in which town he eventually started on his own account. Hearing there were good opportunities for business in New Plymouth, Mr. Parker decided to come to New Zealand, and arrived in New Plymouth in 1880. He established himself in business shortly after his arrival,
(Henry Brown and Charles Ahier), Sash and Door Manufacturers, Sawmillers and Timber Merchants; Yards at New Plymouth, Stratford, and Waitara, and mills at Inglewood, East Road and Surrey Road. Telephone 10. Bankers, Bank of New South Wales. The yards at New Plymouth are conveniently situated and arranged, and occupy a space of three-quarters of an acre, where every description of seasoned timber is kept in stock, including flooring, lining, rusticated boards, mouldings, doors, sashes, and turners' and builders' ironmongery. Special attention is given to the manufacture of butter and fruit boxes. The business extends to nearly all the towns in the Taranaki province; about 130 men are constantly employed, and the pay sheet averages about £800 per month.
is a native of Jersey, in the Channel Islands. When a lad he came to New Zealand by the ship “Green Jacket,” served through the Waikato wars, and then determined to try his luck on the Thames goldfields. After very successful operations, on the Upper and Lower Thames, he bought a share in the old-established business of Henry Brown and Co., in 1893. Mr. Ahier was for a number of years secretary to several Friendly Societies. He is an ardent Prohibitionist; and although his time is chiefly taken up in looking after his large business, he devotes much attention to local affairs.
(E. A. Ede, manager), Devon Street, New Plymouth. Mills at Koru. The company has cutting rights over 3,500 acres of bush at Koru. The mill, situated within eight miles of New Plymouth, is of wood and iron, and is driven by a twenty-horse power steam engine. There is also a twin saw, measuring twenty-six feet six inches (the only one of the kind in Taranaki), and planing and logging machinery. The output is about 7000 feet per day.
Manager of the Koru Sawmilling Company, was born in 1859 in Surrey, England, where he was educated. After about five years' experience in a bank he came to New Zealand, and landed in Dunedin in 1883. Mr. Ede gained a general experience in the colony till 1896, when he became manager of Mr. Greenaway's mill at Dannevirke. He afterwards removed to New Plymouth, and established the Koru mill in 1904. Mr. Ede married a daughter of Mr. J. C. Burrell, of Dannevirke, in 1886, and has two sons and two daughters.
. Directors for the year 1906: Messrs N. King, (chairman), R. Cock, J. Paul, J. B. Connett, W. F. Brooking, J. C. George, and A. Goldwater. Mr E. Snowball is manager, and Mr. J. McArthur, secretary. The factory and office of the New Plymouth Sash and Door and Timber Company are situated in Gill Street, New Plymouth, and stand on part of a freehold section of three acres. The plant is driven by a twenty-five horsepower steam engine, and consists of the most modern machinery. Sashes, doors, and all kinds of joinery work are turned out. The sawmills of the company are at Toko, Egmont road and Tariki road; and from 150 to 200 persons find regular employment in connection with the mills and factory. The produce is distributed in the North Island, between Auckland and Wellington.
General Manager of the New Plymouth Sash and Door Company, Limited, was born in Durham, England, in the year 1856. He was educated at the Knaresbro' Grammar School, and was brought up as an engineer, at the works of Messrs R. Stephenson and Co., at Newcastle-on-Tyne. After serving five years at the works he went to sea for two years, as an engineer. In 1880 Mr. Snowball landed in Wellington, and afterwards removed to New Plymouth. He joined the Sash and Door Company in 1884, as manager.
was appointed Secretary of the New Plymouth Sash and Door Company in August, 1904. He is a brother of Dr. McArthur, Stipendiary Magistrate, of Wellington, and was born in 1869 at Emerald Hill, near South Melbourne, where he was educated and brought up to a mercantile life. During the land boom Mr. McArthur was clerk to the Hon. G. D. Carter, Treasurer in the Paterson Government. He subsequently became accountant for a wine and spirit firm, for ten years, before settling in New Plymouth. Mr. McArthur married a daughter of Mr. A. Sugden, of Fitzroy, Melbourne, in the year 1892, and has one son and two daughters.
(Alexander Shuttleworth), Timber Merchants, Ironmongers, Coal Merchants and Importers, Albion Yards, Devon Street and King Street, New Plymouth. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. Private residence, Devon Street East. Messrs Shuttleworth Brothers established their well-known business in 1863, the retail part of which is carried on in a large two storied building. At the back are situated the oat-crushing, chaff-cutting, and bone mills, known as the Albion Mills, the machinery of which is driven by one of Messrs Warner and Son's powerful Annular windmills. The firm's coal and timber sheds cover about an acre of ground. Large supplies of red
was born in Essex, England. He arrived in New Zealand in the year 1856, by the ship “Bank of England,” and landed at Auckland, whence he went on to New Plymouth by the brig “Ocean.” For seven years he and his brothers were variously employed, and eventually they established the successful business of which Mr. Shuttleworth is now sole proprietor. Mr. Shuttleworth is a director, and was for some time chairman of the New Plymouth Gas Company, and of the Taranaki Land, Building, and Investment Society. He is a trustee of the New Plymouth Savings Bank, and takes an active interest in local matters generally.
Farmer, Eliot ROAD, Westown, New Plymouth. Mr. Glegg was born in Stonehaven, about twenty miles from Aberdeen, Scotland, in the year 1840. He was educated partly at Stonehaven, and partly in Aberdeen, where he also learned the business of an ironmonger. Mr. Glegg came to New Zealand in 1869, and landed at Port Chalmers by the ship “Christian McCausland.” He found employment for two years in Dunedin, and then removed to Wanganui, where he was employed by Mr. John Duthie for some years. In 1877 he settled at Midhurst, and opened up business as a storekeeper. At that time there were no roads, and his store was the first building in the settlement. Mr. Glegg continued at Midhurst until 1885, when he took up farming at Westown. He has been chairman of the Manganui Road Board, and of the Committee of the Midhurst Public Hall and Cemetery Trust, a member of the Westown school committee, and the Frankley school committee; and has also been chairman of the Eliot Road Board for many years.
Farmer, Moturoa Farm, New Plymouth. Mr. Honeyfield's pleasant property contains 100 acres, and the homestead commands a splendid view of the surrounding country. The farm produce is principally supplied to shipping, Mr. Honeyfield having held contracts for this for the past twenty years. He was born in New Plymouth in 1856, and educated privately, was thirteen years with his uncle, a well known settler, and finally started on his own account. Mr. Honeyfield has shown what perseverance and energy properly directed can do, and may be justly regarded as a type of the successful colonist. He has taken considerable interest in public matters, and is a member of most of the local societies.
Farmer and Stock Dealer, New Plymouth. Mr. Okey is the second son of Mr. Edward Okey, of the firm of Okey, Son and Arnold, Limited, and was born at Frankley Road, in the year 1857. He was educated in New Plymouth, and brought up to farming, and worked under his father until 1878, when he struck out on his own account. Mr. Okey's farm consists of about 2000 acres, situated on Frankley Road, and is devoted to sheep farming, dairy farming, and stock raising. Mr. Okey is also a large dealer in stock. He contested, unsuccessfully, the Taranaki seat in 1902 and 1905, in the interests of the Opposition, and was strongly supported by the farming community. During these campaigns he was an advocate for the opening up of back country roads, and supported the No License cause. Mr. Okey was chairman of the Taranaki County Council for nine years, and has acted as chairman of the Frankley Road Board since 1885. He was one of the originators of the Moturoa Freezing Works, and held office as a director of the first company. Mr. Okey married a daughter of the late Mr. Morey, of New Plymouth, in July, 1883, and has, surviving, five sons.
Settler “Heidelberg,” South Road, New Plymouth. Mr. Tisch, who was born in Christchurch in 1852, is a son of the late Mr. Philip Tisch, an old colonist, and for some years followed farming. In 1878 he removed to Taranaki, where, in conjunction with his brother, he obtained the first license, and opened the first hotel at Stratford. Three years later, he opened the first hotel at Eltham, named it the Sawmillers' Arms, and remained there about twelve months. In 1882 he took over Beach House, New Plymouth, now the Terminus Hotel, and carried it on successfully for fourteen years. Mr. Tisch
had amongst its pioneers and earlier colonists men whose names are distinguished, or deserve to be distinguished, in the history of New Zealand. Indeed, on account of the long continued trouble with the Maoris, colonisation was a more strenuous business there than it was in any other part of the country, and many men whose names are now practically forgotton, attempted or achieved things entitling them to honour and grateful remembrance at the hands of their countrymen. Perhaps, however, no man filled a larger amount of space in the early history of the province than Mr. Frederick Alonzo Carrington. He came out to New Zealand in 1840, as surveyor to the New Zealand Company, and returned to England in 1844. Until 1851 he followed his profession as surveyor and civil engineer in England; and between 1851 and 1856 he made several journeys for professional purposes to the Continent. He left England for New Zealand once more in 1857, intending to settle with his family in Taranaki, and hoping to bring the famous Taranaki ironsand into commercial importance. When the native rebellion broke out he was appointed engineer-in-chief, for the purpose of road-making through the district. He played an active part in the long conflict with the natives; and was from 1869 to 1876 Superintendent of the province. For many years after the abolition of the provinces he was member for the district of Grey and Bell in the House of Representatives; and throughout his long career in the colonies, he displayed marked energy and enthusiasm in everything that he undertook, and enjoyed a high reputation for personal integrity and public spirit.
There was, however, another Taranaki pioneer who won a still more distinguished place in colonial if not in provincial history. Sir Harry Atkinson, perhaps better known as Major Atkinson, was a Taranaki settler who did good service in the local forces during the Waitara war. In 1863 he entered the House of Representatives, and became Minister of Defence in the Weld Ministry in November, 1864. He successively represented Grey and Bell, New Plymouth and Egmont in Parliament, and between 1876 and 1891 he was head of no fewer than five ministries. Sir Harry Atkinson's character has been often discussed by friends and foes; and, in spite of many differences of opinion, all agree that he possessed remarkable abilities, and many eminent public virtues. He was extremely self-reliant; and with this faith in himself went great moral courage. He had had no financial training, but his industry and ability enabled him to become a very successful Colonial Treasurer. He was never exactly popular, for he was rather abrupt and dogmatic in his manner of speech; and Gisborne has said in his “New Zealand Rulers and Statesmen” that he subordinated policy and measures to tenure of place. But no one ever doubted his honesty, or the public spirit which actuated his political life. In 1891 he was appointed
Closely allied with Sir Harry Atkinson in the work of pioneering and politics, was the Richmond family. Mr. W. H. Richmond was one of Taranaki's Superintendents; Mr. J. C. Richmond was one of the province's members of Parliament for nearly the whole of the period, 1860–70; and Mr. Christopher Richmond, better known as Judge Richmond, was member for New Plymouth from 1856 to 1861, and it is said that during that period he did more than any other colonist to bring pressure to bear upon the Government to adopt a coercive policy towards the natives; thus, in the opinion of his opponents, directly expediting the unfortunate native wars. Indeed, of the Atkinson-Richmond family it has been truly written, that, for more than a generation, what they said and wrote and what they did, helped much to form an important part of New Zealand history. and it has further been said with justice that “whatever difference of opinion exists—and a great difference does exist—as to the merits of their public policy, no one suspects their political integrity, or doubts the zeal, industry and talents, which they devoted to a cause which they, and many others at the time, honestly believed to be the best on the whole for the interests of both races in New Zealand.”
Perhaps, however, the man who was, in a wide human sense, the most interesting of Taranaki's early colonists, was one who lived but a short time in New Zealand, and had little opportunity to influence the course of its progress. Mr. Charles Armitage Brown, the father of the first Superintendent of the province, was born so far back as 1786; and when the New Plymouth settlement was formed he determined to cast in his lot with the colonists. His son reached New Plymouth in the “Amelia Thompson” in 1841, and he himself followed later in the year, in the “Oriental.” He died after only seven months' residence in the colony, and was buried on Marsland Hill. But the chief interest of his history lies in his association with great literary celebrities earlier in life. He had lived a great part of his time in Italy, and had been the intimate friend of Byron, Leigh Hunt and Walter Savage Landor, and was one of the most
who is the third son of the late Mr. Thomas Bayly, was born in the year 1840, on the borders of Cornwall and Devon, England, and was brought to New Zealand as an infant, in the ship “Amelia Thompson,” which arrived off New Plymouth in 1841. He was brought up to country pursuits, and ultimately engaged for some years in farming in North Taranaki. Thence he removed to the Hawera district, where he farmed for eighteen years, and was subsequently for about twelve years at the Mahia Peninsula, about forty miles out of Gisborne, Poverty Bay. Mr. Bayly has twice visited England; first in 1879, when he journeyed by way of San Francisco and New York, to Liverpool; and then, in 1902, when he travelled by Cape Horn and Monte Video, and returned by the Cape of Good Hope and Hobart. Although he still retained his interests in the Gisborne district, Mr. Bayly settled in New Plymouth, on returning from his last trip to England. Mr. Bayly represented the district of Grey and Bell for four years in the Taranaki Provincial Council. While at Hawera he was chairman of the County Council for five years, and has generally taken an interest in connection with the work of local bodies. He is a member of the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce, and is known amongst flockowners as a breeder of Lincoln sheep. In the early days, during the time of the Maori troubles, Mr. Bayly served five years in Major Atkinson's Bush Rangers. Subsequently he served as captain of the cavalry corps, and about the years 1879–80 he was captain of the Hawera Infantry, and had 110 men under his charge. He retired from the volunteers at the time of the settlement of the Parihaka trouble. In 1870, Mr. Bayly married a daughter of the late Mr. James Dingle, of New Plymouth.
was born and educated in Scotland, and entered business life at an early age. In the year 1856 he went to London, where he remained seven years, and arrived in New Zealand in 1875 by the ship “Halcione.” Mr. Bauchope at once removed to Taranaki, where he soon took a prominent position as an expert accountant, and gradually acquired many important appointments. He was secretary and treasurer of the Taranaki Land Building and Investment Society, Taranaki Jockey Club, Chamber of Commerce, North Egmont Reserve Board and Taranaki Club, and Deputy Official Assignee in Bankruptey. He was also chairman of the Taranaki Education Board, and for many years had been a member of the Education Reserves Board and High School Board of Governors. Mr. Bauchope took a very active interest in political, social and educational matters, and became a member of the Education Board as early as 1878. He was Commissioner of the Bush Fire Fund, and also interested himself in the petroleum boring operations. He died some years ago.
was born in Derbyshire, England. He arrived in New Zealand at the age of nineteen, and landed at Wellington, where he worked at the erection of the present Government Buildings in that city. Some time afterwards he went to the Australian goldfields, but, being dissatisfied with his luck there, returned to New Zealand, and was engaged in the building trade in Christchurch for several years. Thence he went to Timaru, where he successfully carried on flourmilling. Mr. Cliff became very popular there, and was Mayor of Timaru for five years. In 1883 he established the Excelsior Timber Yards and Joinery Works in Devon and Gill Streets, New Plymouth, and carried out some large contracts, such as the courthouse, the Central School, and Avery's fine block of buildings in the centre of the town. Mr. Cliff, who is married and has eight children, has now (1906) retired from business.
who is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, was born in the year 1830, in China, where he went to school. He has associated with English people since his early years, when he was a household servant in Singapore for ten years. In 1855, he went to Melbourne, Australia, and was engaged in storekeeping and goldmining for eleven years. Mr. Chong then came to New
was born in Dublin, Ireland, in the year 1840, and landed at Auckland, New Zealand, with his parents in 1851. He afterwards started farming at Epsom, and remained there for about ten years, when he determined to try his luck on the Otago goldfields, where he worked for about three years with considerable success. Then he joined the rush to the West Coast, and subsequently commenced business as a contractor. On obtaining certain concessions in land he erected a tramway from Brighton to St. Kilda, and another from Westport to Orawaiti; both for passengers and goods. In 1868 he revisited England, but returned in 1869 to the West Coast, where he remained until 1873, when he left for New Plymouth. He again went to England on a lecturing tour in 1884, and nine or ten times afterwards. In this way he was successful in inducing fully a thousand persons to settle in New Zealand, and of that large number the majority have proved themselves to be very suitable settlers.
sometime a Barrster and Solicitor in New Plymouth, and Registrar of Deeds, was born in the year 1846, in Adelaide, South Australia, and was a son of Mr. John Douglas, of Thurso, Caithness, Scotland. He came to New Plymouth at the age of eight years, and attended school until he was fifteen. He then went to an uncle at Wick, Caithness-shire, Scotland, where he studied law, and on his return to New Plymouth, shortly before he came of age, continued his studies under Mr. William Halse. Two years later he was admitted to the bar. From 1869 until 1872 Mr. Douglas practised his profession in New Plymouth. He was then appointed Registrar of Deeds, but in the year 1879 he retired on account of illness. Mr. Douglas took a great interest in cricket, and was chosen as representative to play against the English team in January, 1876. He also played in a number of representative matches. Mr. Douglas married a daughter of the late Mr. Thomas Vale, of New Plymouth, in 1873. He died in September, 1889, leaving a widow, who still survives him, and one daughter.
who was one of Taranaki's pioneer settlers, was born in September, 1800, at Tiverton, England. He was apprenticed to a wine manufacturer, and afterwards started in business on his own account. He came to New Zealand in the barque “Timandra,” which arrived off New Plymouth in February, 1842. In conjunction with his brother-in-law, Mr. Flight took up land at Manauoraka, but was driven off by the natives, and ultimately, owing to Governor Fitzroy's award, had to abandon his holding, which was surrendered to the Maoris with other lands bought for the Plymouth Company. On several occasions Mr. Flight and his family were in imminent danger of their lives at the
was an old colonist, who in the days of the Provincial Government, frequently performed the duties of Acting Superintendent, and was Speaker of the Provincial Council for many years. He was born in the year 1816, in Cornwall, England, where he was educated, and subsequently became a member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. Dr. Humphries practised in London at the time of the cholera epidemic of 1848, but, in 1849, owing to failing health, he came to New Zealand as surgeon on the ship “Mary.” He returned Home by another vessel, and brought out his family by the ship “Sir Edward Paget,” which landed them at New Plymouth in February, 1851. Dr. Humphries settled on land near New Plymouth, where the family resided for some time, but owing to the threats of the Maoris, who danced a war dance in front of Dr. Humphries' house, he and his family were compelled to seek shelter in the township. The house in which the family lived was afterwards occupied by Commodore Seymour and the officers of H.M.S. “Niger.” During the Maori war Dr. Humphries was an army surgeon. He afterwards became a general merchant in New Plymouth, and conducted business on his own account until the year 1863, when he was joined by his son, Mr. William Humphries. Dr. Humphries married a daughter of the late Mr. William Dixon, an officer of the 44th Regiment, in 1840. He died in the year 1869, leaving four sons and five daughters.
one of the pioneer colonists of New Plymouth, was a son of Mr. George Newman, solicitor, Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland, and was born in 1815. He was in business as a merchant and shipowner in his native town, until 1848, when, owing to the bad years following the famine, 1845–7, he decided to emigrate to New Zealand. Having touched at Nelson, Wellington, and Auckland, he finally settled in Taranaki in 1849, and was engaged with the late Mr. Richard Brown in trading ventures for some time. Finally he took up land in the Omata district, and in common with other settlers bore the brunt of the native disturbances. His familiar figure was well known in the old electioneering days of open voting. In the year 1850 he married a daughter of Mr. Honeyfield. Mr. Newman died in 1886, leaving one daughter and four sons.
M.D. (Edin.), L.R.C.S.I., L.M.C.S.I., and sometime physician and surgeon at New Plymouth, was also senior Brigade Surgeon in the New Plymouth Militia,
Medical Superintendent of the New Plymouth Hospital, Surgeon to the Gaol and Native Department, and Immigration Commissioner and Health
was born at Chard, Somerset, and came of an old West of England Roundhead family, who had their property confiscated by James the Second. He arrived in New Plymouth in 1812, by the barque “Blenheim,” and was accompanied by his wife and family. On the Constitution Act coming into force, he was elected to the Provincial Council of Taranaki. In 1857 he entered the Government service as Land Purchase Commissioner, and in 1859 was appointed assistant Native Secretary, a position he held till 1865, when he was made Civil Commissioner for the district. During the whole of the war Major Parris gave invaluable assistance to the military authorities and to the Government of New Zealand. On several occasions he narrowly escaped being murdered by natives. Major Parris was attached to the Imperial troops throughout the whole of the trouble with the Taranaki Maoris, and had command of native levies, with the rank of Major in the New Zealand militia. His name was often mentioned in the despatches. Sir H. J. Warre, in a letter to him thanked him for the great services which he had rendered as interpreter, and for the valuable information he had given, and for his skilful dealings with the natives. It was in consequence of the information and the assistance given by Major Parris that the Imperial troops were able to drive the Maoris from White Cliffs to Stony river. It may be said, too, that the peace which ensued was largely owing to his diplomatic management of the natives; and in the disturbances of 1868–9, Major Parris' influence with the Opunake natives restrained them from joining the rebels of the southern portion of the district. He was made a Justice of the Peace in 1868 by Sir George Grey. In 1876 he retired, and the Government acknowledged his great services to the colony. He was afterwards requested to assist Sir William Fox and Sir Francis Dillon Bell on the West Coast Native Commission, and on the final report being sent to the Governor, Sir William Fox referred in most eulogistic terms to Major Parris' services. Major Parris died at New Plymouth, on the 19th of September, 1904; aged eighty-eight years.
who was well known for many years in New Plymouth, was the eldest son of the late Mr. John Shaw, one of the early colonists. He was born at the Kawau Pa, New Plymouth, in 1860, received tuition at private schools, and completed his education at Wellington College in 1876. In 1878 he became clerk in the office of Mr. R. G. Bauchope,
accountant and general agent, with whom he remained until October, 1881, when he commenced business for himself
as a land and commission agent, and was shortly afterwards appointed agent of the London and Lancashire Fire and the Batavia Marine Insurance Companies. In December, 1883, he
sometime Journalist and Justice of the Peace, New Plymouth, was born in 1829, and came out to Australia in 1851. Having visited more of the colonies, he finally settled down in Auckland. From 1863 till the end of 1865, he was one of the proprietors of the New Zealander, the first morning paper published at one penny in New Zealand. In connection with another partner in Auckland, he bought out the Penny Journal in 1866, and the Auckland Budget in 1867. In January, 1868, he accepted the editorship and management of the Taranaki Herald, and remained in that position nearly twenty-eight years. Mr. Seffern was the Auckland correspondent of the Empire (Sydney) for several years, and the Taranaki correspondent of the Otago Daily Times from 1868 to 1875. In 1888 he wrote a work named “The Early Settlement of New Zealand,” which appeared simultaneously in the European Mail (London), Colonies and India (London), the Auckland Evening Star and the Family Friend in New Zealand. “The Battle of Waireka,” written by Mr. Seffern, appeared in the New Zealand Volunteer Gazette in the year 1890. On Taranaki celebrating its jubilee, Mr. Seffern wrote a history of the province, and the sale was so large that the book went out of print. Considering that the Taranaki Herald's fortieth anniversary was an event worth recording, Mr. Seffern wrote “The History of a colonial newspaper—its Start, its Vicissitudes during a ten years' war, and its progress up to 1892.” The work received notices from a number of London and colonial papers. The Marquis of Salisbury wrote an autograph letter to the author, thanking him for the receipt of a copy of the work, and adding: “I have a lively recollection of my arrival in New Plymouth in the little vessel you mention.” Mr. Seffern, in 1895, published “The Chronicles of the Garden of New Zealand, known as Taranaki,” in which he describes the revolting scenes that took place during the old Maori tribal wars, and gives full details of the privations the early settlers had to undergo. After being connected with newspapers in New Zealand for over forty years, Mr. Seffern retired from active journalism in 1895, and on leaving the Taranaki Herald was presented by the staff with an address and other parting gifts. Another address was also presented to him by the pressmen engaged on papers within the Taranaki district. Mr. Seffern continued to contribute articles on the early history of New Zealand to various journals, and in his later years he also wrote a history of “The Maori Rebellion during the Sixties.” He died some time ago.
formerly Surveyor to the Borough Council of New Plymouth, is a son of the late Mr. Thomas Kingwell Skinner, one of the pioneer settlers who landed in Taranaki in 1841. He was born in New Plymouth, educated there and in Auckland, and served his apprenticeship with Mr. Octavius Carrington. Mr. Skinner is a member of the New Zealand Institute of Surveyors, and commenced practice some years prior to his appointment as borough surveyor, a position he held for about nineteen years. He takes considerable interest in the advancement of the town and district, is a member of the Recreation Board and Scenery Preservation Society, and has been for a long time a trustee and member of the Order of Oddfellows.
who was one of Taranaki's early pioneers, was born in Yorkshire, England, was brought up to agriculture, and became foreman on a large farm. He came to New Plymouth in the ship “Phoebe Dunbar,” in 1850, and soon became engaged in farming at Waitara. At the time of the native disturbance Mr. Tate joined the commissariat and transport department, for which he was employed in buying working bullocks, and he was present at several engagements with the rebels. To his popularity with the settlers and natives was due the fact that, although the natives burnt all the settlers' houses, Mr Tate's property was left untouched. His farm of 400 acres consisted of some of the finest land in the district. Having had an extensive experience in farming, and as a breeder of Lincoln and other sheep, his advice was much sought after by his fellow-
one of Taranaki's oldest settlers, was born on the 21st of January, 1814, in the parish of Cotton, Devonshire, England. He was brought up as a carpenter and builder, and in the year 1854 came to New Zealand, and landed with his family at New Plymouth. During the native disturbances he carried his gun night and day, chiefly within the town of New Plymouth. For many years subsequently he was engaged in the building trade, afterwards went into business as a storekeeper, and retired in the year 1878, when the business was taken over by his sons. Mr. Veale was a member of the Taranaki Provincial Council, and of the New Plymouth Town Board. In the year 1840 Mr. Veale married a daughter of the late Mr. Philip Cola, of Devonshire, England. Mrs Veale died in February, 1878, and there are three sons and three daughters surviving. Mr. Veale has about thirty-four grandchildren, and twenty great-grandchildren.
is a native of Devonshire, England, and came to New Zealand with his parents in the year 1854 by the ship “Hamilla Mitcell.” He served all through the Taranaki war with the volunteers, and was present at the fight at Waireka, for which he holds the New Zealand medal. Mr. Veale was attracted to the Thames goldfields in 1868, when gold was discovered, and he afterwards established himself in business there as a wholesale grain and produce merchant, and at the same time took an active part in local matters. He was a member of the Thames Borough Council for seven years, and was one of the first members of the licensing committee, besides being actively connected with other local bodies. He erected the first bakery at Te Aroha, where he distributed his first batch of bread to the miners gratis; and the first Te Aroha newspaper was printed on his premises. Mr. Veale returned to New Plymouth, and joined his brother in business in 1889, and on his brother's retirement he took his son, Mr. A. Veale, into partnership, under the style of Veale and Son. He has since retired from business.
was born in London, England, and arrived in New Zealand with his parents by the ship “Amelia Thompson,” in 1841. His father, the late Mr. James Webster, was appointed Collector of Customs at New Plymouth. After receiving his education, Mr. Webster joined a mercantile firm as clerk in 1856, and some time afterwards commenced business with his brother as commission and shipping agents. On the breaking out of the Taranaki war in 1860, Mr. Webster joined the volunteers, and served through the campaign, gaining the rank of captain in 1861, and the New Zealand medal. He established the Egmont Flour Mill about forty years ago, and on dissolving partnership with his brother, became associated with his brother-in-law, Mr. J. S. McKellar, in the business still carried on by Mr. McKellar and Mr. H. Stocker. Mr. Webster was a member of the Egmont Reserve Board, and a Past Master in the Masonic Order; he also took a great interest in church work, and was a churchwarden of St. Mary's. He was married, and had eight children. Mr. Webster died on the 15th of April, 1904.
was one of the pioneer colonists of Taranaki, and for many years was connected with its educational and other public institutions. He was born in the year 1824, at Woolwich, England, and was a nephew of the late Mr. James Wells, of the London Stock Exchange. He came to New Zealand in 1849 in the barque “Cornwall,” and landed in New Plymouth. Mr. Wells took up land in Taranaki, but he and his family were driven into the town at the time of the Maori rising, and his wife and children were among the refugees who were sent to Nelson. After serving as a militiaman for some time, he rejoined his family, who returned with him when a truce had been declared. For a short time Mr. Wells acted as schoolmaster in Nelson, but had again to take up arms. In 1864 he visited England, but returned two years later. In the year 1874 he became editor of the Taranaki News, and held the position until his death. Mr. Wells was chairman of the Taranaki Education Board, and held office as a School Commissioner and member of the Harbour Board. He was a lay preacher in the Presbyterian church, but also frequently conducted services in the back blocks for other denominations. He married a daughter of the late Mr. Henry Hawkins, of Good Easter, near Chelmsford, England; and at his death, in 1881, left three sons and two daughters. Mr. Wells wrote a History of Taranaki, which is of the greatest value to students of the country's colonisation.
was the eldest son of the late Captain D. T. Whitcombe, K.S.G., and a grandson of the late Sir Samuel Whitcombe, K.C.B. He was born on the 7th of September, 1836, at Rochester, Kent, England, and was educated at Plymouth, and at St. Brieuc, Brittany, France. At seventeen years of age Mr. Whitcombe entered the
audit department in Somerset House, London, where he continued for eight years. In 1861 he joined the force of General Garibaldi in Italy, and rose to the rank of sergeant. Owing to ill-health, however, he returned to his father in France. In 1864 Mr. Whitcombe came to New Zealand, and was for many years secretary to the Taranaki Provincial Council, Commissioner
well known in the history of New Zealand as a devoted Wesleyan missionary, was murdered at White Cliffs by the Maoris, on the 13th of February, 1869. He was born in the year 1806, at Kneesal, Nottingham, England, where he was educated. After some experience in country life he was accepted as a probationer in the Wesleyan church before he was twenty-one years of age. Soon after his ordination he left England for New Zealand on the 5th of November, 1832, and landed at the Bay of Islands in the following year. It had been intended that he should settle at Hokianga, but as the vessel could not land at that place he had to travel overland from the Bay of Islands. He continued at Hokianga until 1839. From that year to 1855, Mr. Whiteley was stationed at Kawhia, and while there he gained great knowledge of the natives, and as it was considered that his presence would be useful in Taranaki, for this reason he removed to that district. Many of the natives in Taranaki, at that time, who had been slaves at Kawhia, had obtained their liberty. Fighting had broken out between the Taranaki tribes; and Mr. Whiteley, who had occupied the mission station from 1856, used his influence to prevent conflicts between the Maoris, and continued to do so until the natives entered into strife with the Government. On the occasion of his death, Mr. Whiteley had gone out to the redoubt at White Cliffs, with the intention of visiting military settlers, and holding a service with them. When he had nearly reached the redoubt—which had fallen into the hands of the Maoris before his arrival—the natives in possession called out to him to go back. He did not do so, however, as he wished to see whether he could render any assistance in connection with the settlers. A volley was then fired, and Mr. Whiteley was killed. He had had five daughters, the eldest of whom had died several years before the date of his murder, and the youngest died a few years after the tragedy. Mrs S. H. Rawson, one of the three who still (1906) survive, resides at Marsland, New Plymouth.
is on the New Plymouth-Opunake road, and the mail coach passes through it. The surrounding country is undulating, and is devoted to dairy farming. Omata is situated four miles to the south — west of New Plymouth, and almost due north of Mount Egmont. It forms part of the Paritutu survey district of the Taranaki land district, and is in the Omata riding of the county of Taranaki. The village has a post office, and churches of the Primitive Methodist and Anglican bodies are supplied by visiting clergymen and lav preachers from New Plymouth. Omata was one of the settlements, which, at the time of the Maori war, were devastated by the natives, and from which the settlers were driven to New Plymouth for shelter.
Farmer Omata. Mr. Rawlings was born in the year 1832, in London, England, where his father was an architect and builder. He was educated at East Islington Commercial School, and articled to the profession of an architect. However, close confinement was distasteful to him, and he ran away to sea in a South Sea whaler. In 1854 he came to New Zealand, as a steward of the ship “Lady Ebrington,” and left her to start farming in Nelson, where he also carried on business as a timber merchant. Sixteen years later he sold out, and went to Wanganui, where for six years he was proprietor of the St. John's Hotel, and afterwards engaged in sheepfarming at Woodlands, Wanganui, for about ten years. He then removed to New Plymouth, and soon after began farming at Omata. In 1856, Mr. Rawlings married a daughter of Mr. Robert Boddington, of Nelson, and their only daughter was married to the late Mr. Lewis Cameron Noble, who was an officer in the Union Steamship Company, and who saved the life of the late Governor Sir William Jervois, at Onehunga. Mr. Noble was presented with a splendid binocular as a memento of the incident, and it is in Mrs Noble's possession at Omata. Mr. Noble lost his life when on a trip to Australia in a timber vessel, which foundered with all hands. Like her mother, Mrs Noble has an only daughter, and the three generations live at the homestead in Omata. Several years ago Mr. Rawlings took a trip to the Old Country, but after an absence of nearly forty years found everything so changed that he was glad to get back to New Zealand.
is a suburb of New Plymouth, and is about two miles from the General Post Office. It contains a public school, four churches, some places of business and a post office with a telephone bureau. The New Plymouth borough abbatoirs are located at Fitzroy, and so also is the factory of the local co-operative dairy company. Fitzroy is a residential suburb, and a number of the business people of New Plymouth reside there. There is regular and frequent communication by omnibus with New Plymouth. Fitzroy is in the Paritutu survey district of the Taranaki land district, and in the Waitara riding of the county of Taranaki.
was established in March, 1905. The nominal capital is £5000, of which about one-half is subscribed. Directors for the year 1906: Messrs R. Price (chairman), A. Monro, F. Salway, C. Warren, T. Rowe, C. Colson, C. Andrew, P. Wilcox, and J. Whitaker. Mr. R. Pepperell is secretary, and Mr. H. Whittington, factory manager. The office and factory of the company are situated at Fitzroy. The factory was originally established in 1896 by Mr. Alfred Drake, who subsequently sold out to the company in 1905. It stands on a site of two acres, and is of wood, iron, and brick, with concrete floors. The plant is capable of dealing with 7000 bacon pigs per annum. These are bought in the open market, and the produce is sold in the colony or exported.
Manager of the Taranaki Co-operative Bacon Company's Factory at Fitzroy, was born in Durham, England, in the year 1868, and came to New Zealand with his parents in 1878. He was educated in New Plymouth, and started work in the machine room of the Taranaki Herald. He subsequently took up gardening, which he followed for about four years, and, later, was employed at a tannery for eight years. He then returned to gardening, and worked for some time with Mr. Mason at Taita, in the Hutt district. Mr. Whittington returned to Taranaki, and, in 1900, became manager of Mr. Drake's bacon factory. The factory was afterwards taken over by the Taranaki Co-operative Bacon Company, Limited, and Mr. Whittington was retained as manager. He is married.
Secretary of the Taranaki Co-operative Bacon Company, was born in the year 1869 at Bell Block, where he was educated and brought up to country pursuits. He settled down to farming on the property on which he was born at Bell Block, and took over the farm at his father's death in 1890. Mr. Pepperell is secretary of the Bell Block, Hurworth, and Hillsborough Co-operative Dairy Companies. He married a daughter of Mr. T. Clare, of Waitara, in 1891, and has two daughters and one son.
was established in the year 1895. Directors for 1906: Messrs F. Salway (chairman), J. B. Connett, S. Rundle, T. French, and J. L. Connett. Mr. R. Pepperell is secretary. The plant ranks among the best in the district, and there are thirty-five suppliers.
was established in the year 1897. The factory is situated on the Carrington road, about seven miles from New Plymouth. Directors for 1906: Messrs J. B. Riley (chairman), W. Seamark, R. Gilbert, J. B. Pepperell and F. Shodroski. Mr. R. Pepperell is secretary. The butter from this factory won the gold medal at the New Plymouth Exhibition. There are fifteen suppliers.
formerly proprietor of the Taranaki Bacon Factory, was born in London, England in 1847. After being educated at Margate, he was apprenticed to the ironmongery trade with Messrs Barron and Wilson, of that town. He was subsequently in business as an ironmonger in London on his own account for about fifteen years. Mr. Drake did well in business, but in 1887 he came out to New Zealand in the “Ruapehu,” and selected Taranaki as his future home. He identified himself with local affairs, but, tiring of a life of inactivity, he entered business by establishing the Taranaki Bacon Factory, which he conducted with great success, and ultimately sold to its present owners.
Carrier, Fitzroy. Mr. Chivers was born in Chippenham, Wiltshire, England, in October, 1850, and was educated at Derby Hill. He landed in Wellington from the ship “Waikato” in the year 1874, and settled in New Plymouth. Mr. Chivers was in the service of the New Plymouth Borough Council for over twenty-one years, having charge of the horses. He subsequently settled at Fitzroy, and has since conducted business as a carrier. As an Odd-fellow he has twice passed the chairs in Lodge Egmont. Mr. Chivers married a daughter of the late Mr. Abraham Percy, of Dorsetshire, England, in 1871. Mrs Chivers died in 1904, leaving an adopted son.
Farmer, Fitzroy. Mr. Colson is the holder of two farms, situated on the Smart road, one of fifty-seven acres, and the other of 140 acres, on which he conducts dairying and cropping. Mr. Colson has exhibited cattle and horses with fair success at the New Plymouth Agricultural and Pastoral Show, and on one occasion he took Mr. Newton King's prize for the best dairy cow. Mr. Colson is the son of an old settler, and was born in the year 1860, in New Plymouth, where he was educated. He was brought up to butchering, and for sixteen years was in the employment of the late Mr. W. Bayly, of New Plymouth. Mr. Colson subsequently took up farming. He is land valuer for the Loan and Mortgage Company of New Plymouth: is a member of the Ancient Order of Foresters; and is a member, and was for three years a steward, of the New Plymouth Agricultural and Pastoral Association. Mr. Colson was a member of the New Plymouth Cavalry, and went to Parihaka. He is a director of the Taranaki Co-operative Bacon Company, Limited, and a member of the Fitzroy school committee; has been a member of the Henui Road Board, and was for about four years clerk of the course for the New Plymouth Jockey Club. Mr. Colson is married, and has two sons and two daughters.
is seven miles from New Plymouth and nine from Inglewood, and is a dairy-farming district. The local dairy factory is in the centre of the settlement, and the business of the post office is conducted at the house of the manager. Hillsborough is in the Paritutu survey district of the Taranaki land district, and forms part of the Moa riding of the county of Taranaki.
was established in the year 1897. The factory is situated on the Egmont road, seven miles from New Plymouth. Directors for 1906: Messrs C. Greenway (chairman), H. C. Sampson, N. W. Hill, C. Smellie, and W. Cheffings. Mr. R. Pepperell is secretary. The plant is driven by water power; it is up-to-date in every respect, and includes a refrigerator. The machinery and plant include a two-horse-power boiler, a half-ton Linde freezer, an Alpha de Laval separator and pasteuriser, an H. Brown and Company's churn and butter worker, and a Humble and Son's cream vat. There is also a manager's residence. The average output is over sixty tons. The company gained the silver cup and gold medal at the New Plymouth Exhibition for export butter, against all comers, and the Twenty-five Guinea Cup at the Taranaki Agricultural Show in 1905.
Manager of the Hillsborough Co-operative Dairy Factory is also the local postmaster and mail contractor. He was born at Stenhouse Muir, near Falkirk, Scotland, in the year 1877, and came to New Zealand with his parents in 1879, landing at Dunedin. He was educated at Kaitangata, and brought up on his father's farm. At sixteen years of age he entered the Inch Clutha Dairy Factory, where he served for two years. He then removed to Taranaki, and was for two years first assistant at the Cardiff Dairy Factory, and for two years at the Ngaire Dairy Factory. For three years subsequently Mr. Rutherford was manager of the Hurleyville Dairy Factory, and in 1903 received his present appointment. Mr. Rutherford has taken seven first and five second prizes for butter at the shows at Hawera, New Plymouth and Wanganui, and at the New Plymouth Exhibition. He has been a member and bugler of the Kaitangata Rifles, and was a member of the Hurleyville school committee. Mr. Rutherford married a daughter of Mr. A. Ruff, of Ngaire, and has two sons.
Farmer, Egmont Road. Mr. Greenway's farm consists of 172 acres of freehold land, on which there is a comfortable homestead and all necsary buildings. It was taken up in the year 1875, when covered with bush; but is now highly improved, and devoted to dairy farming. Mr. Greenway was born in South Australia in the year 1842. He afterwards came to New Zealand, and settled in Taranaki in 1855. Later, Mr. Greenway took up land, and on the outbreak of the Maori war, in 1860, he joined the Land Transport Corps, and went through the first campaign. He then became a member of the Taranaki Rangers. Mr. Greenway has been a member of the Bell Licensing Committee, and the Egmont school committee, a director and chairman of the Hillsborough Dairy Company, and for several years has been a member of the Board of Management of the New Plymouth Friendly Society. He
Farmer, “Hillsbrough Farm,” Hillsborough. Mr. Smellie's farm is situated near the Hillsborough Dairy Factory, it consists of 120 acres of land which as for the most part level, and is devoted chiefly to dairy farming. The homestead has a good residence and farm buildings. Mr. Smellie was born in the year 1866, in Linlithgowshire, Scotland, where he was educated and brought up on a farm. In 1885 he came to New Zealand, and settled in the Manaia district, where he was engaged in farming. At the time of the Auckland mining boom Mr. Smellie went to Coromandel, where he was employed in mining survey work. Subsequently for eight years he conducted a grocery store at Manaia. Mr. Smellie finally settled at Hillsborough, and acquired his present farm in 1901. He has been a member of the Manaia Town Board and of the Manaia school committee, and is a director of the Hillsborough Dairy Factory Company. Mr. Smellie is married, and has five children.
is an historic settlement, and lies four miles and a-half north-east of New Plymouth. Several events of unusual interest in connection with the Maori war occurred in the locality, but the settlers now peacefully pursue the occupation of dairy farming. Bell Block has an Anglican church, a Primitive Methodist church, a local dairy factory, blacksmiths' and wheelwrights' shops, and two general stores, one of which has a post office and a telephone bureau. The settlement is in the Paritutu survey district of the Taranaki land district, and forms part of the Waitara riding of the county of Taranaki.
General Storekeeper, Corner Store, Bell Block. For some years Mr. Pote conducted the Tariki store and post office. He was born in the year 1854, and was for some time employed in his father's store in New Plymouth. He subsequently learned the baking trade, and afterwards worked as a journeyman in various parts of the province, until he entered business at Tariki, whence he removed to his present commodious store at Bell Block. Mr. Pote has taken an active interest in Masonic matters, and has held office as Worshipful Master. He is married, and has two daughters.
. Dairy Farmer, “Penrose Farm,” Bell Block, Mr. Connett was born in the year 1869, at New Plymouth, and was educated at the New Plymouth High School. He was brought up to farming, and subsequently leased from his father, Mr. J. B. Connett, a farm of 340 acres, on which he conducts extensive dairying operations. The property is well adapted for grazing cattle, and Mr. Connett has about eighty milch cows and thirty head of young stock. The milk is supplied each morning to the Penrose Factory, owned by Mr. J. B. Connett. Mr. Connett takes considerable interest in the district generally, and is connected with the Masonic and other bodies. He married Miss Robertson, of New Plymouth.
“Riverside Farm,” Bell Block. Mr. Hoskin's property, “Riverside,” consists of about 400 acres of freehold land, devoted to dairying and sheepbreeding. The flock numbers about 500 crossbreds, besides the stud flock from imported rams. Mr. Hoskin was born in Devonshire, England, in the year 1838, and came to New Zealand with his parents in the ship “Amelia Thompson,” which arrived at New Plymouth in 1811. He was brought up to farming, and on the outbreak of the Maori war, joined the militia. Mr. Hoskin was present at Mahoetahi, Huirangi, and other engagements, and subsequently received the New Zealand war medal. At the conclusion of the war he settled in Bell Block, and acquired his present farm, which he has brought under good cultivation. His breed of Lincoln sheep have won many awards at different shows. Mr. Hoskin was part owner of the horse “St. Patrich,” which won the Taranaki Anniversary Cup in 1866, a handsome trophy. He takes considerable interest in local matters, and in the promotion of the dairy industry.
“Newton Farm,” Henwood Road, Bell Block. Mr. Putt is an old settler with a long and varied experience of colonial life. He was born in South Devon, England, in the year 1825, and landed in New Plymouth when about fifteen years of age, from the ship “William Bryan.” His first experience of farming was at Moturoa, where, with his brother, he took up a 100-acre section, and was doing well when the native rebellion broke out, Mr. Putt joined the militia, and saw much active service. On the conclusion of hostilities he received compensation from the Government for his losses, and settled on his present farm, which contains about 300 acres, and is well watered, fenced, and grassed. A large and valuable herd of cattle, including a good strain of shorthorns, is depastured on the property. Mr. Putt's eldest son has bred some well known horses, among them “Fauntleroy,” which made a name on the Auckland turf. Mr. Putt has been a member of various local bodies. He married Miss Howell, who was born on the ship “London,” at sea, and has three sons and eight daughters.
is about eight miles to the north-east of New Plymouth, and is the site of the dairy factory owned by the Tarurutangi Co-operative Dairy Company. There is a public school in the settlement, but residents have to travel to Bell Block to transact any business in connection with the post office. Tarurutangi is a part of the Paritutu survey district of the Taranaki land district, and is in the Waitara riding of the county of Taranaki.
Farmer, “Riverton,” Tarurutangi. “Riverton” is a farm of 111 acres of freehold land, on which dairying is the chief industry. Mr. Longstaff was born in Bell Block, in the year 1877, and was educated at the Upland road school, Tarurutangi. After working on his father's farm for some years he joined the Permanent Artillery for twelve months. He then returned to farming, and in 1903 took over his father's farm. Mr. Longstaff is a director of the Tarurutangi Cooperative Dairy Factory Company, Limited. He is married, and has one daughter.
“Willow Farm,” Tarurutangi. Mr. Rowe's farm consists of 200 acres of freehold land, which he devotes chiefly to dairying. Mr. Rowe was born in Essex, England, in the year 1857, and came to New Zealand with his parents in 1860 by the ship “Joseph Fletcher.” He was educated in New Plymouth, and was brought up to farming. Later, he started business on his own account as a building contractor, and erected several prominent buildings in New Plymouth. About 1886 he settled in Tarurutangi, and acquired his present farm. Mr. Rowe is a member of the Egmont Road Board, of which he has been chairman for five years. He has been chairman of directors of the Tarurutangi Dairy Factory Company since 1898, is a director of the Taranaki Bacon Factory Company, Limited; and, as a Freemason, is a member of Lodge Waitara, New Zealand
is a small settlement with a large dairy factory, and is situated at the intersection of Mangorei road and Junction road. The district is devoted to dairy farming; it forms part of the Paritutu survey district of the Tarauaki land district, and is in the Moa riding of the county of Taranaki.
Farmer, Mangorei. Mr. Carrick's property consists of 375 acres of freehold land, on which he depastures sheep and cattle. He was born in Northumberland, England, in January, 1834, and was educated in Cumberland. Mr. Carrick subsequently gained experience in mercantile life in a wine and spirit merchant's office, and came to New Zealand in the year 1853 by the ship “Joseph Fletcher.” He settled in the North Island, and bought 100 acres of land at Mangorei, to which he afterwards added 275 acres. Mr. Carrick was a member of the Mangorei Road Board, and was for many years chairman of the school committee. During the native troubles he served with the Bush Rangers, and became entitled to the New Zealand war medal. He married in the year 1855. Mrs Carrick died in 1904, leaving four sons and four daughters, and five grandchildren.
is a dairy-farming district ten miles from New Plymouth by rail, and eleven by road. Its railway station is two miles from Sentry Hill, and seen miles from Inglewood, and stands at an elevation of 249 feet above sea level. The settlement forms part of the Paritutu survey district of the Taranaki land district, and is in the Waitara riding of the county of Taranaki. The first settlers in the district were military men, who took up their holdings at the time of the Maori war; indeed, the place gets its name from Major Lepperton. Daily mails are received and despatched at the post office, at the local store, which also contains a telephone bureau. Besides its store, Lepperton has a butchery, a co-operative factory, and a public school.
. Carpenter, Lepperton. Mr. Hall was born in the year 1840 at Winterton, Lincolnshire, England, where he was educated, and learned carpentry. He afterwards came to New Zealand in the ship “Matoaka,” with Ball's Party, which consisted of upwards of eighty souls from Prigg, Lincolnshire. Mr. Hall arrived in Wellington on the 11th of September, 1859, and left on the 15th for Auckland, where he landed on the 25th of the same month. He worked at his trade for seven years, and removed to New Plymouth in December, 1866. Mr. Hall bought into the No. 2 Military Settlers Company, which then had nine months to serve, and was stationed at Lepperton. He worked at his trade, and also carried on bush farming up till 1899, when he and his wife went for a nine months' trip to the Old Country. Mr. Hall married a daughter of the late Mr. Reardon, of Liverpool. England, in the year 1863, and has eight daughters and one son. Mr. Hall has followed carpentry since the year 1854, and one man has now (1906) been in his employment for twenty years, and
Settler, Lepperton. Mr. McTaggart acquired his present property in the year 1894, and has since effected considerable improvements. The Bell Block racecourse is situated on the farm. Mr. McTaggart is a native of Surrey, England, and was educated at Clifton College. For some years he studied for the medical profession, but owing to ill health was unable to continue his studies. He came to New Zealand in 1890, with his mother, and after a trip Home again, returned to New Zealand, and settled on his present property.
is a small seaport town about eleven miles to the north of New Plymouth, and three miles from Sentry Hill, where the Waitara branch railway joins the main line. The township is a little to the east of north from Taranaki's great landmark, Mount Egmont, and the local railway station stands at an altitude of fourteen feet above sea level. Waitara is historically remarkable for being the site of W1 Kingi's pa, and the spot where the purchase of 600 acres of land made from Teira led to the protracted and costly war in Taranaki. The district is wonderfully rich in grazing land, and cattle are exported in large numbers, both live and frozen. The port of Waitara is at the mouth of the Waitara river; there is regular steam communication with various New Zealand ports, and the harbour is under the control of a Board. The settlement is in the Waitara survey district of the Taranaki land district, and in the Waitara riding of the county of Taranaki. The principal local industry consists in freezing works, which are very extensive, and give employment to a large number of men; and there are brick works and a fellmongery. The noteworthy buildings include the Bank of New Zealand, three hotels, two churches, a public school, the post office, etc. Waitara was constituted a borough in 1904, and clergymen of the Anglican and Methodist bodies have their homes in the town. There is a police station, with a resident constable, who also acts as Clerk of the Court, of which monthly sittings are held by the Stipendiary Magistrate stationed at New Plymouth. The town will (July, 1906) ere long be lighted by electricity, produced by a suction gas plant and engine; and the promoters of the scheme claimed that they would thus produce the light cheaper than by water power. The scheme was undertaken by private enterprise, and the cost of installation was estimated to be about £2500.
dates from September, 1904, previous to which the local body was the Raleigh Town Board. The borough comprises an area of 2080 acres, the rateable value of which is £130,287.
was elected to the Waitara Borough Council in April, 1905. He was born in the year 1856, at Queenscliff, Victoria, Australia, where he was educated and brought up to farming. His father, Captain Dugdale, of the ship “Duke of Bedford,” surveyed Sandridge, Melbourne, in the year 1852, and took his ship in and worked her there, against the
pilot's orders. It was he who thus opened Port Melbourne, which has long received all the largest vessels that trade to Australasia. In 1874 Mr. Dugdale came to New Zealand, and was for some time engaged in farming at Otueoro. Mr. Dugdale then went to sea. and made four trips to England. Later, he again settled in New Zealand, and started in business as a shipwright, boat builder, and carpenter in Waitara. After a period spent in marine surveys with Mr. Perham, he acquired a small coasting craft, the “Nora Bradshaw,” trading to Mokau, Awakino and Tongaporutu. This vessel he owned and commanded up to the year 1903. Mr. Dugdale holds the medal and certificate of the Royal Humane Society of Australasia for saving the life of a man at the mouth of the Mokau river. He is a member of the Waitara Harbour Board, and of the Library and Recreation Ground Committee; was for some time a member
was one of the first members of the Waitara Borough Council. He was born in the year 1866, in Vienna, where he was educated and brought up to the butchering trade. In 1885 he came to New Zealand, and settled at Lepperton, where he took up farming. In 1890 he went to Melbourne, Australia, where he remained until 1893. He then returned to New Zealand, and started in business on his own account on the West Quay, Waitara. Mr. Klenner has been a member of the Waitara school committee since 1899, is a member of Court Raleigh, Ancient Order of Foresters, and has twice gone through the chairs. He was for three years a member of the Regatta Committee, is a member of the committees of the Clifton Football Club, the Caledonian Society, the Waitara Band and the Waitara Rowing Club, and is a sergeant of the Waitara Rifle Volunteers. Mr. Klenner is married, and has five children. He is further referred to as a butcher in Waitara.
was one of the first members of the Waitara Borough Council. He was born in the year 1870, in New Plymouth, where he was educated, and was for four years employed at coopering. At eighteen years of age he entered the Waitara Freezing Works, and in 1902 was appointed fourth engineer. He has been a member and captain of the Waitara Rowing Club for several years, and has always taken a keen interest in football. Mr. Tatton is a widower, and has two sons.
Town Clerk of the Borough of Waitara, was born in Christchurch. After various experiences in newspaper work and commission agency, he became clerk of the Raleigh Town Board in 1898, and on the constitution of the borough, was appointed to his present position. Mr. Buchanan also acts as Registrar of Electors and Returning Officer for the Egmont electorate.
who was a member of the Raleigh Town Board for many years, is a son of the late Mr. Peter Elliot, one of the early Taranaki settlers. He was born in Taranaki, and served through the Maori war with the volunteers, and was several times under fire. At the conclusion of hostilities, he was for some time on his father's farm, and afterwards purchased 250 acres of land at Waitara, where he commenced farming on his own account. In 1875 he entered into partnership with Mr. James Bayley, and successfully carried on business as a cattle grazier and dealer. The firm's run at Awakino consists of 9000 acres, and is stocked with about 5000 sheep and 700 head of cattle. They also have a property of 270 acres at Mokau, and a farm at Waitara containing 128 acres; all well stocked. Mr. Elliot was one of the first settlers in Waitara, and is active in public matters. He has been a member of the Waitara Harbour Board, and of the Clifton County Council. He has represented the district on the Taranaki Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, and for several years was on the local school committee. He is a member of the Order of Oddfellows. Mr. Elliot is married, and has children.
who was a member of the Raleigh Town Board, is a son of the late Mr. B. C. Lawrence. He was born in London, England, in the year 1851, and came to New Zealand with his parents in 1853, in the ship “Joseph Fletcher.” He was educated in New Plymouth, and learned the trade of a baker. Subsequently, in conjunction with his brother, he took over his father's business. Mr. Lawrence has been a member of the Waitara school committee, and a trustee of the Wesleyan church.
is an old constituted body, but has no rating power. A fair amount of trade is done, chiefly by small coastal steamers, some of which are locally owned. Large ocean liners, however, anchor off the mouth of the Waitara river, and are loaded with produce from the Waitara Freezing Works, by tenders. The office and sheds of the board are situated on West Quay, Waitara. Of the seven members of the Board, three are nominated by the Government, two are elected by the Waitara Borough Council, and the Mayor of Waitara and chairman of the Clifton County Council are both, ex-officio, members. Members, in 1906: Messrs H. H. Stubbs (chairman) W. T. Jennings, M.H.R., H. Chappell (Government nominees): J. Lindsay and E. A. Dugdale (Waitara borough representatives); J. W. Foreman (chairman Clifton County Council); T. S. Drynan (Mayor of Waitara).
J.P., was appointed Chairman of the Waitara Harbour Board in the year 1905, and re-elected in 1906. He was born in the year 1874, at Redhill, Surrey, England, where he was educated, and brought up to commercial life; and in 1892 he came to New Zealand and settled in Taranaki. Mr. Stubbs became interested in the Mokau coal mines, and about 1898 acquired the Mangapapa mines. In 1899 he was elected a member of the Waitara Harbour Board, as Government nominee. He is also a member of the Egmont Licensing Committee. He was made a Justice of the Peace in 1899. Mr. Stubbs is married, and is further referred to as a coal merchant and coal mine owner.
J.P. Secretary of the Harbour Board, Harbourmaster, Pilot, Wharfinger and Custom House Officer at Waitara, was born in Glasgow, Scotland. He was educated in his native town and in Lancashire; then went to sea and traded to the Crimea during the Crimean war. In the year 1857 he went to India and joined the Honourable East India Company's Navy, in which he volunteered for shore service; and for a considerable time he served in various parts of Bengal during the Mutiny; he was also for some time at the Andaman Islands. At the expiration of his term of service Mr. Cameron went to Australia, and came to New Zealand in 1861. During the Tarauaki war he was engaged in harbour service under the old Provincial Government, for which he landed stores, etc., at New Plymouth, and up and down the coast. In 1871 he received the appointment of harbour master and pilot, and was Customs officer at Waitara for many years until the railway was opened. He also held the position of postmaster. Mr. Cameron is held in high esteem throughout the community.
J.P., who was a member of the Waitara Harbour Board for several years, was first nominated by the Government in the year 1893. He was born in Lancashire, England, where he was educated, and was afterwards apprenticed to Dr. Scowcroft, surgeon, of Bolton, with whom he remained four years. Mr. Ogle
has an area of 1518 square miles. In the year 1906 the capital value of all rateable property in the district was £794,235, and the county revenue amounted to £4,429. Meetings of the Council are held at the council chambers in Waitara, on the first Friday in each month. Members in 1906: Messrs J. W. Foreman (chairman), F. McKenzie, W. A. Wright, C. O'sullivan, H. T. Joll, C. Gaustad and T. E. Bishell. Mr. H. E. Vaughan is County Clerk, and Mr. C. H. Dowsett, County Engineer.
Chairman of the Clifton County Council, was born in New Plymouth, in 1846. His parents were among the pioneers of the province, and he was brought up to farm life. During the Maori war, he joined No. 2 Company of the Taranaki Volunteers and saw a good deal of active service, including the fights at Manutahi and Kaitake. On the conclusion of the war, Mr. Foreman received a Government grant of land at Tikorangi, on which he settled. His farm at Tikorangi consists of about 300 acres of fertile soil; it yields good crops, and he depastures a large number of cows, the milk of which he sends to the local dairy factory. Mr. Foreman has a bush property of about 700 acres further up the country, which is worked by his sons. In public life he has taken a fairly active part for many years, and has been connected with the Waitara East and Tikorangi Road Boards and school committee. He has been chairman of directors of the Tikorangi Cooperative Dairy Factory Company, a flourishing local institution. In 1906 he was re-elected chairman of the North Island Branch of the National Dairy Association. He is married, and has eleven children.
formerly Chairman of the Clifton County Council, was born at Gibraltar, in the year 1866, and is the son of a noncommissioned officer of the 15th Regiment. He was educated in England and India, and came to New Zealand in 1877, by the Peninsula and Oriental line. He subsequently acquired a farm at Urenui. Mr. Pigott has been chairman of the Clifton Domain Board, a member of the Waitara Harbour Board, and a trustee of several other institutions.
formerly Clerk and Treasurer to the Clifton County Council, was born in London, England, in the year 1855, and is a son of Mr. John Noakes Furze, a Whitechapel brewer. He was educated at Broadstaff, Brighton, and Hursly Point, and was engaged in commercial life in London for several years. At eighteen years of age he came to New Zealand in the ship “Lactura,” and for eight years was a shipping clerk at Lyttelton. He was next a schoolmaster at Urenui for about two years, and in 1894 was appointed clerk and treasurer of the Clifton County Council. He has a comfortable farm situated in the Tikorangi district, and does a good deal in stock-dealing and commission agency business. As county clerk Mr. Furze was energetic and courteous, and took an active interest in all matters conducive to the welfare of the district.
stands at the corner of Queen and Whitaker Streets, and contains a public
Postmaster at Waitara, also acts as Registrar of Births, Deaths, and Marriages. He was born at Omata in 1855, has served about thirty-three years, and was appointed to Waitara in November, 1903.
is an old building, and contains an office and two cells. There is also a residence for the constable. Sittings of the Court are held monthly by the Stipendiary Magistrate from New Plymouth, and by the local Justices of the Peace at other times.
Constable in Charge of the Waitara Police Station and Clerk of Court, Bailiff, Inspector of Factories, etc., was born in the year 1867, in London, England, where he was educated, and came to New Zealand with the household of Lord Glasgow in 1891. About 1892 he joined the Permanent Artillery, and in 1894 was drafted to the Police Force, and received his training in Wellington. For six years Mr. Price served in Blenheim as mounted constable and was afterwards for three years constable in charge of Havelock. In February, 1905, he was appointed to Waitara, after being nine months in charge at Moawhango. As a Freemason, he was Junior Warden in Lodge No. 106, Unanimity, Blenheim. Mr. Price is married, and has three children.
Veterinary Surgeon, Waitara. Mr. Taylor was born at Ecclestow, near St. Helen's, Lancashire, England, in the year 1866, and was educated at the Shrewsbury College. He subsequently studied veterinary surgery, went to South Africa, and from 1891 to 1893 practised in Johannesburg. Mr. Taylor then came to New Zealand, and in 1896 settled in the Marlborough district, where he took up a small grazing run in the Pelorus Sound. He remained there for about eight years, practising his profession most of the time, and in 1904 removed to Waitara. Mr. Taylor is married.
Contains Three Class Rooms, and Is Well Equipped In Every Respect. The Play-Ground Has An Asphalt Cricket Pitch, and Is Surrounded By A Ring Of Sheltering Trees. A Seven-Roomed Residence For The Teacher Adjoins The School. There Are 220 Names On The Roll, and The Average Attendance Is 187. The Headmaster, Mr. Samuel Wylie, Is Supported By Two Assistants, and Two Pupil Teachers. He Holds A D certificate.
extends from New Plymouth to Inglewood, and stretches from Waitara, its centre, to a point four miles north of the settlement of Urenui. St. John Baptist church in Waitara has accommodation for 225 persons, and services are held four times every Sunday. There is a parish hall, and the vicar occupies a ten-roomed residence about three-quarters of a mile from the church. There are churches at Lepperton, Tikorangi, and Urenui. The vicar is assisted by seven lay readers in various parts of the district.
has been Vicar of Waitara since 1902. He is a native of London, England. Mr. Dent, landed in Wellington in 1891, and was vicar of Paparoa for some time before his appointment to Waitara.
embraces Inglewood, Midhurst, Uruti, and other settlements between these places and Waitara. Waitara church will accommodate 200 persons, and other churches are located in various parts of the circuit. The local church stands on four acres of land, and there is a parsonage with seven rooms.
Minister in charge of the Waitara circuit, was born in Cornwall, England, in 1845. After studying for the ministry, he came to New Zealand in 1870, and had circuits in various parts of the colony, before he was stationed at Waitara.
; Mr. H. Spurdle, Secretary and Librarian.
Secretary and Librarian of the Waitara Institute and Library, was born in Waitara, and is the son of Mr. O. C. Spurdle, a well known settler. He was educated in Waitara, and afterwards entered the Post and Telegraph service, but finding too much indoor work unsuitable, he decided to learn the wheelwrights' trade and was with his father and brothers for some years. Mr. Spurdle then managed Mr. J. R. Clarke's wheelwright works for some time, and subsequently entered the employment of Mr. G. Pearce. In all sporting and athletic matters Mr. Spurdle takes a lively interest, and renders valuable assistance in promoting the success of local pastimes. He is secretary of the Waitara Jockey Club, the Clifton Rowing Club, the Waitara Football and Athletic Club, and the Taranaki Annual Regatta Club.
was established many years ago. The instruments and properties are vested in the Borough Council, and concerts are given periodically. Officers for the year 1906: Mr. H. Spurdle, secretary; Mr. George William Hughes, bandmaster; and Mr. C. Sampson, sergeant.
was appointed Bandmaster of the Waitara Municipal Brass Band in the year 1904. He was born in 1877, in New Plymouth, where he was educated and learned his trade. He then went to Stratford, where he remained for seven years with one firm, and afterwards removed to Hawera, where he was foreman for J. P. Keen and Company for three years and a-half. In March, 1904, he returned to Waitara and started business on his own account. Mr. Hughes' father was for many years bandmaster at Stratford, and on his resignation was succeeded by his son. Subsequently, for three years, Mr. Hughes was deputy bandmaster at Hawera. He holds various medals and trophies gained in connection with music. Mr. Hughes is choirmaster of the Waitara Anglican church, and is a member of Court Stratford. Ancient Order of Foresters, in connection with which he has been through all the chairs. He is married, and has two children. Mr. Hughes is further referred to as a baker in Whitaker Street, Waitara.
was established in the year 1898 by
Senior Partner in the firm of Messrs Nosworthy Brothers, is editor and business manager of the Waitara Evening Mail and Clifton County Chronicle. Mr. Nosworthy was born in the year 1869, in Blenheim, where he was educated, and was in a bank for five years. He was then for three years on the staff of the Marlborough Daily Times, and afterwards entered the service of Mr. J. H. Clayton, a well known journalist, first in the commercial department, later as a reporter, and finally as sub-editor. In 1895 Mr. Nosworthy became editor of the Thames Advertiser, and held the position for two years, and, in conjunction with his brother, he took over the Waitara Evening Mail in 1898. Mr. Nosworthy is a member of various athletic clubs, and takes a general interest in the progress of the district. He is married.
Junior Partner in the firm of Messrs Nosworthy Brothers, is in charge of the composing room and mechanical department. He was born in the year 1875, in Blenheim, where he was educated, and served an apprenticeship of five years to printing on the Marlborough Daily Times. On leaving that paper in 1895, he went to the Thames district, where he was on the staff of the Thames Star. After a short period spent in Wanganui, he joined his brother in taking over the Waitara Evening Mail. Mr. Nosworthy is married.
B.A., L.L.B., Barrister and Solicitor, Waitara. Mr. Townsend was educated at Timaru Main School and Timaru High School, and after spending some years in the service of the Railway Department he became a student at Canterbury College. Subsequently, he joined the staff of Mr. J. B. Roy, and then that of Messrs Govett and Quilliam, both firms of solicitors practising in New Plymouth. Having spent five years in acquiring a practical knowledge of his profession, he was admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court of New Zealand by Chief Justice Sir Robert Stout, in the early part of the year 1906; and immediately afterwards he entered on the practice of his profession, at Waitara.
has been represented at Waitara since the 12th of September, 1876, when the branch was opened for business. The premises are situated in Queen Street, and consist of a one-storied wood and iron building, which was erected in 1877, and has since been enlarged. It contains a banking chamber, a manager's room, and a residence. The staff consists of a manager and two officers. The branch is the most northerly in Taranaki.
has been Manager of the Bank of New Zealand at Waitara since the opening of the branch in 1876. He is the sixth son of the late Dr. Matthews, and was born in Auckland on the 3rd of August, 1851. Mr Matthews was educated in Auckland and Invercargill, and joined the bank in Auckland on the 1st of February, 1869. He was transferred to Wellington in 1872, and in the following year to New Plymouth as teller; a position which he held until he was appointed to Waitara. Mr. Matthews married a daughter of Mr. Marshall, of New Plymouth, in the year 1878, and has six sons and three daughters.
General, Land, House and Commission Agent, McLean Street, Waitara. Private residence, Queen Street. Agent for the Temperance and General Life Insurance Association. Mr. Wilson was born in the year 1844, at Berwick-on-Tweed. Scotland, where he was educated. He afterwards entered the ironmongery business of his father and grandfather—a very old established business—and remained in it for eight years. In 1871 he came to New Zealand, and entered the service of a wholesale general merchant in Wanganui. Later, in conjunction with Mr. Burns, he started on his own account as an auctioneer and general produce merchant. Five years later the partnership was dissolved, and Mr. Wilson carried it on alone for about four years. He then removed to Taranaki, in order to manage the Waitara branch of the Taranaki Farmers' Co-operative Association, and established his present business in the year 1900. Mr Wilson was for some years a member of the Waitara school committee, and for a time secretary of the Anglican church. He is married, and has nine children.
Licensed Interpreter, Waitara. Mr Walker was born in Lincolnshire. England, in the year 1843. He was eduacted a the Blue Coat School, Spalding, and was brought up to the trade of a bootmaker. In the year 1860, he came to New Zealand, and three years later returned to England. He came back to the colony in 1865, and during the Maori war served with the colonial forces throughout the Taranaki campaign under Colonel Me Donnell. Mr. Walker was geverals wounded at Te Ngutu-o-te-Man, but subsequently rejoined his corps, and served till its disbandment. Mr. Walker then carried on farming at the Hutt Valley, and, later on, was farming and horsebreaking at Waikanae. He was afterwards in business as a bootmaker for some years. Mr. Walker learned the Maori language, in the early days, and first acted as an interpreter in the year 1869. In 1899 he gave up his trade, and settled in Taranaki as a Licensed Native Interpreter. Mr. Walker is a widower, and has three sons and ten daughters.
Baker and Confectioner, Whitaker Street, Waitara. This business was established in the year 1994. Orders are promptly attended to, and goods are delivered throughout the district. Mr. Hughes is further referred to as bandmaster of the Waitara Municipal Brass Band.
Coachbuilder, Waitara. Mr. Pearce was born in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England, where he was educated. He afterwards learned the coachbuilding trade at Cardiff, Wales, where he remained six
Tailor, MeLean Street, Waitara, and Jackson Street, Petone. This business was established in January, 1904, by Mr. Lonergan. It is one of the largest in Taranaki, and ten persons are employed in the Waitara establishment. Mr. Lonergan was born in the year 1863, in Auckland, where he was educated and learned his trade. He then went to Australia, and worked successively with Schofield and Coultas, in Melbourne, and Holle, Limited, Sydney, and was manager of the woollen department and cutter to Overell and Sons, of Brisbane. For some time subsequently Mr. Lonergan was manager and cutter for J. A. Clark, of Too-woomba, and, later, was manager and cutter for the L.X.L. Company, Bingara, New South Wales. He accompanied the First New Zealand Contingent to South Africa as master tailor. On his return to Australia he was employed by Mr. Hayward, the well known ladies' tailor in Sydney. He then came to New Zealand, and settled in Waitara in 1904. Mr. Lonergan is a steward of the Waihi Jockey Club, and vice-president of the Caledonian Society, and of the Waitara Rowing Club, etc. He has competed with success at pedestrian events. Mr. Lonergan is married, and has one daughter.
Tailor and General Outfitter, McLean Street, Waitara. This business was established in the year 1893, by Mr. W. F, Newbery, who carries on a considerable trade in his commodious premises. There is a boot, shoe, and saddlery department, which is under the management of a son-in-law of the proprietor. Six persons are employed. Mr. Newbery was born in the year 1843, at Thorncombe, Dorsetshire, England, where he was educated and learned the tailoring trade. Subsequently, he was in business on his own account for six years in Richmond, London. He came to New Zealand in 1874, and conducted a large business in Timaru for five years. Mr. Newbery then went to Auckland, where he was for many years manager for other firms. Later on, he was for a time manager for Blyth and Co., Napier, and in 1893 settled at Waitara, where he established his present business. Mr. Newbery was for about six years chairman of the Waitara school committee, was vicar's warden and churchwarden in St. John's Anglican church, and had charge of the church at a time when there was no resident clergyman. He was also chairman of directors of the Waitara Road Dairy Company, Limited, and is a member of the Waitara Harbour Board, and of the Harbour Board Works Committee. He was elected Mayor of Waitara in April, 1905, and held office for a year. Mr. Newbery takes a keen interest in all matters connected with the progress of the district. He joined the Caledonian Masonic Lodge in Timaru in 1879, and, later on, Lodge St. George, Dargaville. Mr. Newbery is married, and has two daughters, both of whom are married.
Coal Merchant, and Colliery Proprietor, Waitara. Mr. Stubbs carries an a successful business as a coal merchant, and handles a large quantity of coal from his own mines, as well as acting as a general agent for coal. He acquired the Mangapapa coal mines, situated on the Mokau river, some years ago. These mines are an increasingly valuable property, and contain an almost inexhaustible supply of coal. Mr. Stubbs is further referred to as chairman of the Waitara Harbour Board.
Cabinetmaker and Piano Agent, West Quay, Waitara. This business was established by Mr. Dugdale, in October, 1905, and is conducted in a commodious shop on West Quay. There is also a large workshop, in which all general
(John Andrew Smyth, proprietor), McLean Street, Waitara. This hotel has been established for many years, and was acquired by the present proprietor in the year 1901. It is a two-storied building, and contains twenty-six rooms, including three sitting rooms, and a billiars room. The best brands of liquors are kept, and there is a good table and accommodation.
Proprietor of the Masonic Hotel, was born in New York, United States of America, in the year 1869. He was educated in Ireland, and after some general experience came to New Zealand in 1888. For ten years he was in various Government offices, including the Audit Department. He subsequently took up hotelkeeping, and in 1901 took over the Masonic Hotel. Mr. Smyth is vice-president and chairman of the committee of the Caledonian Society, president of the Waitara Football Club, a steward of the Waitara Racing Club, and, as a Freemason, is a member of Lodge Ngamotu, New Zealand Constitution, No. 48, and also Companion of the Royal Arch. Mr. Smyth is married.
Butcher, McLean Street, Waitara. Private residence, Grey Street. This business has been established for some years, and is conducted in commodious premises. Three persons are employed, and delivery is made throughout the district. Mr. Klenner also holds a farm of 100 acres. He is further referred to as a member of the Waitara Borough Council.
are now owned and worked by Messrs Thomas Borthwick and Sons (Australasia), Limited, whose head office for New Zealand is at Christchurch. The works were opened in the early eighties, as a branch of the Auckland Freezing Company. Subsequently they went through several hands and various vicissitudes until acquired by the present firm. They are situated on the banks of the Waitara river, and are connected with the railway system by sidings. The extensive buildings, which cover an area of about two acres, are two stories in height, and fittings and equipments are up-to-date in every respect. The motive power and electric lighting is supplied by a 41 R.W. direct-coupled generating set, and a sixty-ton Hercules freezing machine steam driver. The firm recognises the importance of fully utilising all byproducts, and tallow, manure, small goods, etc., all receive their due share of attention. A new feature of the works is the production of oleo, of a fine edible quality, which is sent Home for consumption, after going through a final process of manufacture there. There is a fellmongery, as well as a cooperage, on the premises. A very large number of animals are put through the works in a year; about one hundred persons are employed, and the industry is a most important factor in the life of Waitara; indeed, of Taranaki.
formerly Manager and Buyer at the Waitara Freezing Works, was born in Auckland, educated there, and afterwards brought up to farming on his father's farm at Panmure. For many years he was with Messrs Banks and Fisher, of the Auckland Freezing Company, and was appointed manager and buyer at the Waitara branch, when it was opened in the year 1883. Mr. Finnerty held the joint positions for many years.
formerly Chief Engineer to the Waitara Freezing Works, is a native of Glasgow, Scotland, and received his education at the High School of his native city. On leaving school he was apprenticed for five years to the St. Rollox Foundry Company at Town Head, Glasgow, and afterwards had considerable experience with the Palmer Shipbuilding Company, and Messrs Blair and Co., of Stockton-on-Tees. Mr. Stoddart then went to sea, and was engineer on boats trading between London and the Mediterranean for some years. He came to New Zealand as chief engineer of the Union Company's s.s. “Southern Cross,” in 1874, and for eight years was engaged on various coastal boats in the North Island. In the year 1882 he became chief engineer to the Auckland Freezing Works, and took up the same position at Waitara in 1890. Mr. Stoddart is married, and has sons and daughters.
General Merchant, Queen Street, Waitara. Private residence, East Waitara. Agent for the Royal Insurance Company, Yates' Seeds, Welshbach Light Company, L. D. Nathan's Teas, Gregg and Co., Dunedin, etc. This business is conducted in freehold premises by Mr. S. G. Fraser. Full stocks of groceries, ironmongery, crockery, etc., are carried. Mr. Fraser also deals in grain and wool. Delivery is made throughout the district. Mr. Fraser was born in Greymouth in the year 1868, and was educated in Hokitika. In 1882 he went to Taranaki, and started in a general store as a boy. He subsequently started in business on his own account, and was for about eleven years in partnership with Mr. Beckbessinger. On the dissolution of the partnership he took over his present business. Mr. Fraser is a member of Court Raleigh, Ancient Order of Foresters, and was secretary for fourteen years. For some years he was secretary of the Waitara Rowing Club, and of the Waitara Tennis Club, and was for about six years a member of the Waitara Town Board. Mr. Fraser is married, and has one son and one daughter.
General Storekeeper, Waitara. Mr. Beckbessinger, who was for some years secretary to the Raleigh Town Board, was born in the year 1871 at Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, England, where he was educated. In 1891 he came to New Zealand and established himself in business with Mr. Fraser at general storekeeping in Waitara. He was subsequently secretary to the Raleigh Town Board, which was superseded by the Waitara Borough Council, in the year 1904.
Storekeeper and General Merchant, Waitara. This business was established originally in the year 1879, and was for many years carried on in partnership by the present owner and his brother, Mr. Harry Joll, who is now (1906) farming in the district. The firm imported the first goods shipped direct from London to Waitara. Mr. Herbert Joll is agent for the Commercial Insurance
General Storekeeper, McLean Street and Warre Street, Waitara. Mr. Williamson carries a general stock of stores, groceries, fruit, etc., and has his own delivery carts. He has been contractor with the Waitara Freezing Works for the loading of vessels since about the year 1890. Mr. Williamson owns the yacht “Queen of Beauty,” and the small steamer “Kotahi,” trading on the coast. He was born in the Shetland Isles in 1860, and went to sea at an early age. In 1875 he came to New Zealand, and for a short time settled at Inglewood. He went to sea again in the New Zealand coastal trade, and has commanded various steam and sailing vessels, chiefly in the Taranaki coastal trade. For some years Mr. Williamson rowed in the Waitara champion crew. He is married.
(Johnston Brothers; Charles Herbert Johnston and Arthur William Johnston), Waitara. These works were established in the year 1903 by Messrs Johnston Brothers, and are situated about three-quarters of a mile from the township. The firm owns eighteen acres and a quarter, on which there is a good supply of clay for ordinary bricks. There is an up-to-date plant, which includes an eight horse-power engine, and a wire-cutting machine. The kila has a capacity of 35,000 bricks, and is on the Hoffman principle. Carting is done by the firm's own teams or traction engines.
Senior Partner in the firm of Johnston Brothers, carries on a large business as proprietor of threshing machines, chaff-cutters, traction engines, and a straw-pressing plant. The plant includes two traction engines, two threshers, two chaff-cutters, and a straw-presser. Mr. Johnston works over a wide district in north Taranaki, and gives employment to a considerable number of men. He was born in Rangiora, Canterbury, in the year 1868, and at an early age went to Taranaki, and was educated at Bell Block. He afterwards returned to Canterbury, where he was engaged in farm work, and gained a knowledge of traction engines and threshing machinery. In 1897 Mr. Johnston bought a plant, and has since added to it. In 1903, in conjunction with his brother, he started the Waitara brick works. He was a member of the Waitara Town Board, and one of the first members of the Borough Council; is a member of the Waitara Rifle Volunteers, the Waitara Lodge of Oddfellows, and the Clifton Rowing Club. Mr. Johnston is married, and has one daughter.
Junior Partner in the firm of Johnston Brothers, was born in the year 1878, at Bell Block, where he was educated and brought up to farm work. In partnership with his brother he started the Waitara brick works in 1903. Mr Johnston holds a first class competency certificate as a driver of traction engines. He went to South Africa as a member of the Fifth New Zealand Contingent, and saw a good deal of service.
General Carrier, Waitara. This business was established in the year 1904 by Mr. Ayton. Two vehicles and three
Coach Proprietor, New Plymouth and Waitara. Mr. Coulter runs a line of coaches between Waitara and New Plymouth, connecting with the Mokau and Urenui coaches. His private residence and stables are situated on freehold property in Waitara. Mr. Coulter was born in London, England, in the year 1862. He afterwards came to New Zealand, and landed in New Plymouth in 1873. He was for some time employed in the Taranaki Ironsand Works, and was then engaged in farming in the Urenui district. Mr. Coulter was subsequently eleven years coachdriving for Mr. C. N. Rowe, of Urenui, and in 1901 became the proprietor of the present line of couches. Mr. Coulter has been a member of the Lepperton Rifle Volunteers, and the Hawera Rifle Volunteers. He is married, and has fourteen children.
Farmer, Waitara. Mr. Bayly was born in Taranaki, and is a son of the late Mr. William Bayly, one of the old colonists who came to Taranaki in the year 1811. He served as a volunteer during the Maori war, and afterwards leased a farm at Waitara. He then joined Mr. T. Elliot in partnership in 1875, as a runholder and breeder of fat stock for shipment. Mr. Bayly has been a member of the Clifton County Council, and was a member of the Waitara Town Board and various road boards for several years. He is married, and has two daughters and one son.
was an old settler who served in the volunteers against the Maoris in the sixties. He took a trip to Australia when Ballarat, Bendigo, and Fryer's Creek were household words, met with fair luck, returned and settled in Taranaki, and reared a family of thirteen. His second son has the largest private butter factory in New Zealand, at Okaiawa; and represented his province in the football field against the Englishmen, when Taranaki defeated them. Another of his sons. Mr. Harry Joll, is a farmer in the Waitara district, and Mr. Herbert Joll is a storekeeper and general merchant in the town of Waitara. Mr. Samuel Joll died on the 13th of September, in the year 1899.
lies fifteen miles to the eastward of New Plymouth, and fourteen miles to the southeast of Waitara. Its name is also the name of a riding in the county of Clifton. Tikorangi is in the Waitara survey district of the Taranaki land district, and was first occupied in the year 1865 by military settlers. Regular services are held every Sunday at the local Anglican church. There is a public school in the township, a public hall, and a good library of one thousand volumes. Tikorangi has a post and telegraph office, and a telephone bureau. At the time of the native troubles, there were several Maori pas in the neighbourhood of the village.
is conducted in an old building, which is said to have been erected during the time of the Maori disturbances. The land, on which there also stands a teacher's six-roomed residence, is about an acre in extent. The average attendance is twenty-five. Mr. Isaac Moody West is headmaster.
Farmer, Tikorangi. Mr. Crump was born in Devonshire, England, and was brought up to farming by his father. He came to New Zealand in the ship “Rakaia,” in 1879, landing in Wellington, and shortly afterwards acquired his present property, which contains about 400 acres. Mr. Crump devotes his attention chiefly to dairying; he milks as many as eighty cows daily, and sends the milk to the local factory. He has also a fine property of 600 acres in the Otaraoa block, Waitara.
Farmer, Tikorangi. Mr. Foreman is referred to in another article as chairman of the Clifton County Council.
is twenty miles to the north-east of New Plymouth, and ten miles to the east of Waitara, The surrounding district is devoted to dairying and grazing, and there is a dairy factory at Onaero, about a mile and a-half nearer Waitara. Urenui has a post and telegraph office, a large town hall, two stores, a butcher's shop, two blacksmiths' shops, a hotel, public school, public library, and cattle saleyards. It has also a domain, which is administered by a board, and there is a Rifle Club. Urenui was originally a very important Maori settlement, and there are several native pas in the district. During the war a large number of troops were stationed in the place, and a redoubt was erected by Captain Good. Urenui is also the name of a riding in the county of Clifton. The Urenui river empties itself into the sea near the settlement.
has been erected at Urenui, There is a bi-weekly mail service, and there is communication by telephone with New Plymouth.
(Stuart McGuinness, proprietor), Urenui. The Urenui Hotel was established in the early seventies. The present building is a fine two-storied one, and contains twenty-five rooms. The accommodation is good, the tariff is moderate, and the best brands of liquors are kept. There are large livery and bait stables in connection with the establishment, and horses and vehicles can be hired.
Proprietor of the Urenui Hotel, was born in New Plymouth, in the year 1865, and is a son of an early Taranaki settler, who was one of the few saved from a vessel which was destroyed by fire on a voyage to New Zealand, and who afterwards became a lieutenant in the Bush Rangers during the Maori war. Mr. McGuinness was brought up on a farm in the Oakura district, resided in New Plymouth for many years, and was connected with racing, owning, amongst other horses, the well known “Waiuku.” He subsequently bought the Breakwater Hotel, and conducted it for nine months, and in 1903 took over the Urenui Hotel. Mr. McGuinness is a member of all the sporting and athletic bodies of the district, and a member of Lodge Egmont, Manchester Unity, Independent Order of Oddfellows, New Plymouth. He is married, and has one son.
General Blacksmith, Horseshoer and Wheelwright, Main North Road, Urenui. This business was established in
Storekeeper, Urenui. Mr. Rowe's business was established in the year 1877, and a considerable trade is done with the settlers in the district. A branch of the store has been established at Ureti (twelve miles up the Mimi Valley) and is managed by Mr. Frank Aroa, who is also postmaster. Mr. Rowe is a son of the late Mr. Henry Nathaniel Rowe, one of Taranaki's early colonists, and was born in Surrey, England, of an old and well connected family. He came to New Zealand with his parents in the ship “Joseph Fletcher,” in the forties, and landed in Auckland, but removed to Taranaki shortly afterwards, and assisted his father on his farm at Bell Block. On the breaking out of the native disturbances, Mr. Rowe saw service with the Taranaki militia and cavalry volunteers, and was some time attached to the transport corps. At the conclusion of the war, he settled at Urenui. He is assisted in his business by Mr. George Bertrand, an old comrade who served through the war with him. Mr. Rowe takes an interest in local affairs, and is much respected. He is married, and has four sons and one daughter.
Settler, “Onaero Farm,” Urenui. Mr. Black's property consists of 425 acres, on which he depastures 120 head of cattle and about 400 crossbred sheep, while about fifty acres are in crop. Mr. Black was born in the western district of Victoria, Australia, in the year 1867. He was educated at the Collegiate School, in Edinburgh, Scotland, and completed his course at the University, where he paid special attention to the study of agriculture in its various branches, including veterinary surgery at New College. After some time spent in travel, Mr. Black decided to make his home in New Zealand, and in 1896 acquired his present property.
Farmer, “Fern Grove,” Urenui. Mr. Halcombe's farm of 720 acres is situated within a short distance of Urenui, and is devoted chiefly to the grazing of sheep and cattle. Mr. Halcombe also owns a grazing run of 1100 acres, which carries both cattle and sheep. Mr. Halcombe was born near Marton in the year 1869, and is a son of the late Mr. Arthur William Follett Halcombe, a well known Wellington colonist, who was for a time manager of the Feilding Settlement and Provincial Secretary of the Wellington province. He was educated at Wanganui College, subsequently managed “Fern Grove” for his father for many years, and succeeded him in 1890. Mr. Halcombe takes a keen interest in local matters, is a member of the Domain Board, chairman of the Urenui school committee, and of the Cemetery Trust, and is vice-president of the sports club at Urenui and Uruti. He is also a steward of the New Plymouth Agricultural and Pastoral Association, and has successfully exhibited cattle and horses at various shows. He married a daughter of Mr. McCosh Clark, and has one child.
Farmer, Urenui. Mr. Jenkins was born at Conroy, County Donegal, Ireland in the year 1857, was educated at the Royal School, Raphoe, and was brought up to mercantile life with his father, the late Mr. Andrew Jenkins. In 1875 he came to New Zealand by the ship “Hourah,” and landed in Wellington he went overland from Wellington to Napier, where he gained considerable experience on the late Mr. Henry Russell's station at Waipukurau.
was, in the year 1874, a dense mass of virgin bush. Most of the surrounding land was originally sold on deferred payment, in sections of from fifty to eighty acres. A strong batch of Lincolnshire settlers were among the first to arrive on the scene; among them such men as Messrs J. King, F. Clough, R. and W. Urry, T. Bishell, and W. H. Franklyn. The settlers were of a very suitable type, and first found employment in cutting the bush on the main roads, and preparing the township. They were accorded the right to the first selection of agricultural land. Soon afterwards there was a considerable influx of settlers from Europe, and these included natives of Poland, Russia, Germany, Denmark, and other countries. It is stated that it was no uncommon thing to hear seven or eight different languages spoken on the verandah of the first hotel, in the early days. The felling of the bush and the building of rough slab huts of two rooms each, for the accommodation of the immigrants, constituted the principal employment of the first settlers. In 1877, Inglewood consisted of two hotels and several stores; the site of the town had been surveyed, and roads had been laid out but not metalled. At that time there were 700 or 800 people in the locality, the greater number of whom were living in whares, and a large number could not get on to their land until clearings had been made in the bush. Two mills were then working in the neighbourhood; the railway had been opened from New Plymouth to Sentry Hill, and was extended about the end of 1877 to Inglewood.
Inglewood to-day is governed by a Borough Council, which was constituted on the 8th of April, 1903, prior to which the governing body, for some years, had been the Inglewood Town Board. There is a large co-operative dairy factory, the machinery of which is driven by an electric motor, supplied by the local Electric Light and Power Company. About a mile out of the township, towards Egmont Village, there is a large and successful bacon-curing factory. The Moa Farmers' Co-operative Company carries on a large store in the borough, and besides this establishment, all branches of the retail trade are fully represented by well-equipped places of business. The Bank of New Zealand and Bank of New South Wales have local branches. Inglewood has its own railway station, a large modern brick Post and Telegraph Office and a police station. The professions are represented by a resident medical man and two solicitors. The railway line passes right through the centre of the borough. Saturday is the regular market day, when the town is made busy by the presence of country settlers. There are two sawmills at work. Accommodation for travellers is provided by two hotels, and an excellent coffee palace. There is a large public school in Inglewood, which is the headquarters of the Moa Road Board. The town also has a newspaper, the Inglewood Record, which is referred to in another article. There are Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist, Roman Catholic and Primitive Methodist churches in the town. The railway station stands at an altitude of 657 feet above sea level on the main trunk line, New Plymouth to Wellington, and is seventeen miles from the former, and 230 miles from the latter, via Manawatu. The town has about twenty-four acres of reserves, and the recreation grounds are planted with shrubs and shelter trees, and supplied with seats. Trimble Park, which is intersected by Rata Street, is utilised for the benefit of the residents. The borough is surrounded by the Moa riding of the county of Taranaki. Its population at the census of 1901 was 719, which had increased to 1152 at the census of 1906; a substantial increase. Inglewood, which is in the Egmont survey district of the Taranaki land district, is intersected at Mountain road by the Junction road, by which it is fourteen miles from New Plymouth, via Egmont Village. The borough lies to the south-east of the provincial capital, and to the north-east of Mount Egmont. The Waiongono stream runs to the north and west of Inglewood, and the Manganui river and its tributaries are to the south and east. Inglewood is the centre of a very large and prosperous dairy country, and factories and creameries are seen in all directions.
dates from the 8th of April, 1903, when the first Mayor and councillors were elected. It has jurisdiction over an area of 703 acres of land, part of block 4 in the Egmont survey district. The borough is intersected by the Government railway—New Plymouth to Wellington line—and extends for about a mile on the west side, and about a quarter of a mile on the east side, where it terminates at the cemetery.
The total capital value of all rateable property within the borough is £125,214, on which a general rate of 1½d in the £ is levied. The borough took over a debt of £600, from the old Town Board, and in consequence a general rate of one-twelfth of a penny in the pound is levied to cover interest. The borough includes the whole of the district governed by the late Town Board, and certain areas taken out of the Moa road district, which surrounds the borough. A loan of £200 was taken over from the Moa Road Board, and a rate of one-sixteenth of a penny in the pound is levied for interest charges. Since the incorporation, £101 has been raised for repairing the Waiongono road, and £154 for improving the Windsor road; these loans necessitate special rates of one-eighth and one-twelfth of a penny respectively, to cover interest and sinking fund. Some time ago the Council authorised a loan of £14,000 to be raised by debentures in the colony, at five per cent interest; namely, for a water supply, estimated to cost £9000; for drainage and sewerage, £3000; and £2000 for general street improvements. The total revenue of the borough for the year ending March, 1905, was £1,558; which included license fees from publicans, auctioneers, carriers and boarding houses, amounting to £145. The borough has a reserve which is leased for a period of twenty-one years, and this, together
was first elected Mayor of Inglewood, in April, 1905. He was born in Richmond, Virginia, America, in the year 1856, but was educated in the North of England, and for some years was connected with the management of estates. In 1888 he came to New Zealand, and joined Mr. Alfred Perry, after having had some farming experience and considerable insight into colonial life. The firm of Perry and Percival afterwards became that of Percival and Messenger. Before becoming Mayor of Inglewood, Mr. Percival had gained considerable experience in local government as clerk of the Moa Road Board.
Town Clerk and Treasurer of the Borough of Inglewood, was appointed to the position on the 21st of September, 1905. He is a native of St. Helier's, Jersey, was born in 1872, and was educated in his native island. In 1893 he landed in Wellington, where he continued for about eighteen months. After being two years on the Auckland goldfields, he settled in Taranaki, and was for several years employed by Messrs H. Brown and Company, timber merchants and sawmillers. For some time he was foreman at their Eltham yards and butter box factory, and continued in that township until that branch of the business was disposed of when he removed to Inglewood, where he was employed by the same firm for two years. Mr. Ogier was then farming for two years at Huirangi, on his own account. Then he returned to Inglewood, and became proprietor of the Inglewood Fruit Company, which he still conducts. Mr. Ogier was married in June, 1903, to a daughter of the late Mr. John Shore, of Mokau, and has one daughter.
is a native of Tavistock, Devonshire, England, where he was educated. He was an engineering pupil on the Cornwall Railway, under Mr. T. H. Gibbons, M.I.C.E., and Assistant Engineer on the Plymouth-Devonport and South Western Junction Railway, under Sir J. W. Szlumper, M.I.C.E. In the year 1888 he came to New Zealand, and was employed as contractor's engineer on the Reefton section of the Midland railway, by J. R. Rees and Co., until the completion of the work. Subsequently, he was employed in Tasmania on railway location and construction, harbour and municipal works. Mr. Spencer was afterwards for four years in charge of a division of the Assam-Bengal railway, which he constructed. In 1896 he returned to New Zealand, and was engaged in a great variety of engineering works on the West Coast of the South Island, and in Wellington and Taranaki. He is at present (1906) engaged in designing and carrying out water supply, drainage, and other works for the Inglewood Borough Council. Mr. Spencer is an Associate Member of the Institute of Civil Engineers, a member of the Incorporated Association of Municipal and County Engineers, and a Licensed Municipal Surveyor, of Victoria.
J.P., was the first Mayor of the Borough of Inglewood, and was elected in April, 1903. He was re-elected in the following year, and held office till April, 1905. Mr. Nicholls was born in the year 1843, in Cambridge, England, where he was educated, and brought up to mercantile life, of which he subsequently gained further experience in London. He then went to America, and was for about ten years in Lowville, State of New York. Afterwards he came to New Zealand, landed in Auckland in the year 1878, and settled on the east coast, where
formerly Chairman of the Inglewood Town Board, and a member from its inception, until his health failed, was the promoter of the scheme to raise £600 under the Loan to Local Bodies Act, for the formation of streets and footpaths. The whole of the work has been carried out, and great credit is due to Mr. Peach for his energetic action in this and other matters for the welfare of the town. Mr. Peach was born in Northamptonshire, England, where he was educated, and was brought up to the boot trade. In the year 1860 he joined the Army, and came to New Zealand with the 57th Regiment in 1861, landing in Taranaki. Mr. Peach served through the Taranaki war, and holds the Imperial medal. His regiment then returned to England, and shortly afterwards went to Ceylon, Mr. Peach being then colour-sergeant. In 1875 he obtained his discharge, came again to New Zealand, and commenced business as a boot and shoe dealer in Inglewood. He has been closely connected with public matters for nearly thirty years, and has done much for the advancement of the town. Mr. Peach was chairman of the Inglewood Cemetery Board for many years, and chairman of the Inglewood Domain Board. As a member of the Ancient Order of Foresters, he has been secretary for over twenty-five years, and was one of the first district officers. He is a member of the Wesleyan church, and Superintendent of the Sunday school.
was established about the year 1876, and extends from Egmont Village on the west, to Tarata on the east, and adjoins the Waitara road district on the north. The total capital value of all rateable property is £463,611, on which there is a general rate of two-thirds of a penny in the pound, and the total loans amount to £28,000 under the Loans to Local Bodies Act. Members of the Board in 1906: Mr. H. Trimble (chairman), Messrs J. W. Henwood, W. Jordan, W. E. Miles, G. Marsh, G. Turner, A. Chard, T. Chainey and A. Corkill. Mr. A. E. Atkinson is clerk and treasurer.
was appointed Clerk and Treasurer of the Moa Road Board in November, 1892. He was born in 1850, in Norfolk, England, where he was brought up to farming, and came to New Zealand in 1882. Mr. Atkinson was for five years farming in the Timaru district, in Canterbury. In 1887 he settled at Inglewood; and took up a farm of 200 acres of freehold land. In 1887 he married a daughter of the late Mr. E. A. Gould, of Pleasant Point, Canterbury, and has three sons and one daughter.
is a substantial two-storey brick building, which was completed in February, 1902. It stands at the corner of Rata Street and Mountain road, and contains a public office, a mail room, the postmaster's room, a private box lobby, with forty-two boxes, a telegraph lobby, and a residence for the postmaster. There is a telephone exchange in Inglewood, with twenty-three subscribers. Mails are delivered twice a day in the borough. The postmaster has five assistants.
was established in the year 1880. It is situated on a section of half an acre at the corner of Mountain road and Brook Street. The building is of wood and iron, and contains a four-roomed residence, an office and two cells. The district extends from Lepperton, six miles to the north, to Tariki, six miles to the south, and from Albert road, six miles to the west, and to Matau, thirty miles inland.
was appointed Constable-in-charge at Inglewood in January, 1904. He was born in the year 1872, in New Plymouth, where he was educated, and joined the police force in Auckland in 1897. Mr. Duddy was subsequently transferred to Wanganui, where he was stationed for two years and ten months. He was afterwards in sole charge at Raetihi for nearly three years, before his present appointment. In 1903 he married a daughter of Mr. David Neil, of Christchurch, and has one son and one daughter.
was erected about the year 1886. The building is of wood and iron, and contains a ticket lobby, a general railway office and a ladies' waiting room, etc. There is a large goods shed, and also a covered asphalted platform. About eight trains pass through the station daily. The chief exports include butter, cheese, timber, cattle, and sheep. The staff consists of a stationmaster and three assistants.
was appointed Stationmaster at Inglewood in the year 1902. He was born in 1860 in Wellington, where he was educated, and entered the Government service at the Napier railway station, where he served for about nine years. He was subsequently at Te Aute, Halcombe, and at other places in the North Island before receiving his present appointment. Mr. Ingpen married a daughter of the late Mr. Spencer Sutton, of Te Aute, and has four sons and three daughters.
which fronts Rata Street, has a site of two acres. The buildings, which are of wood and iron, were originally erected in the year 1885, but the first school in the district had been opened eleven years earlier. The school buildings have been four times enlarged, and contain four class rooms and three porches. There are 290 children on the roll of the school, and the average attendance is 251. The headmaster has three assistant teachers and three pupil teachers.
B.A., was headmaster of the Inglewood school from the year 1885, until the 31st of March, 1906, when he retired on a pension. He was succeeded in the headmastership by Mr. Burnside, who had been second master of the Central School, New Plymouth.
extends from the Waipuku river on the south, to Waiongono on the north,
M.A., was appointed Vicar of Inglewood in the year 1903. He was born at Swaffham, Norfolk, England, in 1868, and was educated at Holt Grammar School, Norfolk, and at St. John's College, Cambridge, where he graduated in 1896. Mr. Reeve was ordained to St. Matthew's church, New Kent Road, London, S.E., in the same year, and for four years was assistant curate at the parish church of Croydon. He subsequently came to New Zealand, and was appointed to the parochial district of Inglewood.
extends from Inglewood to five miles beyond Tariki, and also to Waitui. The principal church is known as Knox church, and stands in Cutfield Street, Inglewood. It is of wood and iron, and was built in 1902, and accommodates 200 persons. There is a Sunday school, with sixty children, in charge of seven teachers. A smaller church at Tarata has seats for eighty adults, and services are held at Tariki and Waitui, in other buildings.
Home Missionary in charge at Inglewood, was born in Christchurch, in 1871, and has been stationed at Inglewood since 1902.
forms part of the Waitara circuit of the Methodist Church of Australasia. The building is of wood and iron, has seats for 200 persons, and stands on a quarter-acre section in Rata Street. An old building, now used as a schoolroom, formerly served as a church. Services are held at Waipuku and Midhurst, where there are small churches, and at public schools at Salisbury, Stanley and Lincoln roads; in the Presbyterian church at Tarata, and in the public hall at Kaimata.
is Minister-in-charge, and was appointed in April, 1906.
was established in the year 1896. An annual show is held on the second Thursday in March, each year, at Inglewood. The society is supported by subscriptions and donations, for special prizes, and the revenue from admission to the show, which is steadily increasing in popularity. It is under the management of a local committee, and Mr. W. B. Messenger acts as treasurer and secretary.
who was appointed Secretary and Treasurer of the Inglewood Horticultural and Poultry Society in 1905, is a member of the firm of Messrs Percival and Messenger, estate and commission agents.
was established some years ago. Officers for the year 1906: Messrs W. T. Jennings, M.H.R. (patron), B. H. Nicholls (president), G. W. Bennett (secretary and treasurer). Mr. H. W. Cottier is bandmaster.
Bandmaster of the Inglewood Brass Band, was born in the year 1868, in New Plymouth, where he was educated, and brought up to the soft goods trade, in connection with different firms. He afterwards gained experience in Wellington and other places in the colony, and in Sydney, New South Wales, and was for six years in business on his own account in New Plymouth. He has long been interested in musical matters, and was a member of the Invercargill Garrison Band, as leading cornet, a member of King's Band, at Wellington, and of the Wanganui Garrison Band. For a number of years Mr. Cottier was bandmaster of the New Plymouth Band.
was established in the year 1892, and was issued every Wednesday; the Weekly Record, by the same proprietary, was published each Saturday, the Record being an advance sheet of the weekly paper. In October, 1901, the journal was acquired by Messrs T. E. Hamerton and C. E. H. Hamerton, and in December of the same year the Record became a tri-weekly paper, published on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings. It is a four-page sheet, of eight columns each, about one-third of which is reading matter. The journal was first domiciled on Mountain road, but in 1899 it was removed to the premises now (1906) occupied in Moa Street. The building is of one storey, in wood and iron, and contains a public office, an editorial room, and composing and machine rooms. The establishment is up-to-date in every respect, and the proprietors subscribe to the Press Association.
Senior Partner of the firm of Hamerton and Son, is the fifth son of the late Mr. Holden Hamerton. He was born at “The Hollins,” near Burnley, in Laneashire, England, in the year 1841, and was educated at Burnley Grammar School. In the year 1854 he came to New Zealand with his parents in the ship “Cashmere,” and on arrival in New Plymouth was engaged on his father's farm. Mr. Hamerton went through the Taranaki war, rising from a bugler boy to the rank of lieutenant in the cavalry volunteers. Subsequently, he was captain of the Patea rifles, and held the rank until the corps was disbanded, and obtained the New Zealand war medal. He began business on his own account as a commission agent in New Plymouth in 1867, but when, in 1869, the White Cliffs massacre occurred, he again took service as a mounted volunteer. In 1873 he started in business as an accountant and auctioneer, and continued until 1881, when he removed to Patea as accountant and drafting clerk to his brother, Mr. G. Hamerton, the well known solicitor. Three years later, he took over the Patea Mail, afterwards styled the Patea County Press, and in 1901 became part proprietor of the Inglewood Record. Mr. Hamerton was a member of the last Town Board of New Plymouth, and as such became a member of the first Borough Council at its formation. In Patea he was a member of the school committee, of which he was either chairman or secretary for over twelve consecutive years. In 1865 he married Miss Parris, of New Plymouth, and has four sons and five daughters. Mr. Hamerton's second son, Mr. R. W. H. Hamerton, is town clerk of Patea,
Barristers and Solicitors. Head Office, New Plymouth; Inglewood branch, Mountain road, Inglewood. Mr. M. J. Crombie, manager.
Manager of the Inglewood branch of Messrs Malone, McVeagh and Anderson, barristers and solicitors, is the fourth son of the late Mr. C. M. Crombie, formerly Land and Income Tax Commissioner for New Zealand. He was born in the year 1876, in Wellington, educated at St. Patrick's College, and at Victoria College. Having passed his final law examination in 1902 he was admitted to the bar in New Plymouth in June, 1904, and joined the firm of Messrs Malone, McVeagh and Anderson. Mr. Crombie takes a keen interest in outdoor games, and was for some years on the Management Committees of the Wellington Rugby Union and Wellington Cricket Association. He was also an active member of the Wellington Cricket Club and United Hockey Club, and has represented both Wellington and Taranaki on the cricket field. He now captains the Inglewood Cricket Club. Among other offices, Mr. Crombie held the position of honorary secretary to the St. Patrick's College Old Boys' Association until he left Wellington to settle at Inglewood.
Barrister and Solicitor, Mountain road, Inglewood. This practice was established in the year 1901. Mr. Thomson is agent for the New Zealand Insurance Company, and solicitor to the Moa Road Board, the Inglewood Borough Council, and the Inglewood Electric Light and Power Company, Limited. He was born in the year 1873, in Auckland, and is the second son of the late Inspector J. B. Thomson. After being at the Wellesley Street School in Auckland, he attended Wellington College, and studied law at the office of Messrs Brown, Skerrett and Dean, Wellington. Mr. Thomson was for three years and a-half in the office of the Supreme Court, Christchurch, and subsequently for nearly four years in the Magistrate's Court. Auckland. He was admitted to the bar on the 26th of January, 1901, by Judge Conolly, and was the first solicitor in New Zealand to take the oath after the proclamation of King Edward the Seventh, on the previous day. Mr. Thomson was the first resident solicitor to commence practice in Inglewood. He was a member of Christ's College Rifles, Christchurch, is first lieutenant of the Inglewood Rifles, and is secretary of the Inglewood Tennis Club. Mr. Thomson married a daughter of the late Mr. J. Dargaville, of Auckland.
Inglewood; Mr. J. H. Rowe, branch manager.
Manager of the Bank of New South Wales, Inglewood, was born in Gloucestershire, England, and educated at a private school. He came to New Zealand in the year 1883. and joined the Bank of New South Wales at Christchurch. Shortly afterwards he was removed to the Timaru branch, where he remained two and a-half years as teller and accountant. From Timaru he was transferred to Wellington, thence to Masterton, and in 1890 to the Blenheim branch. Four years later, Mr. Rowe was at various branches in the position of relieving officer, and about the end of 1894 was appointed to take charge of the Inglewood agency, which was raised to a branch in 1898. Mr. Rowe has been an enthusiastic athlete, and a member of various football, cricket, boating, and lawn tennis clubs in different parts of the colony. He is also musical, and has been a member of several operatic societies.
in Inglewood is situated on the Mountain road, and was erected in 1899. The building is of wood and iron, one storey in height, and contains a banking chamber, the manager's room, and a private residence. Prior to 1895, Inglewood was periodically visited from New Plymouth, but in that year the branch was opened in temporary premises.
has been Manager of the Inglewood branch of the Bank of New Zealand since the year 1905. He is a son of the late Inspector J. B. Thomson, and was born in Invercargill. Mr. Thomson joined the Bank in Auckland, and had been stationed in various parts of the colony before being appointed to Inglewood.
(William Edward Percival, and Walter Bazire Messenger), Accountants and Land and Commission Agents, Moa Street, Inglewood. This firm conducts a general agency business, and Mr. Percival acts as secretary to the Moa Farmers', Tarata, Lepperton, and Waitui Co-operative Diary Factory Companies, Limited, and to the Maketawa Dairy Factory Company, Limited. He also prepares plans and specifications for the building and equipment of dairy factories. Mr. Percival has prepared many such, and has also supervised the erection of several factories in various parts of the colony.
Senior Partner of the firm of Percival and Messenger, is further referred to as Mayor of Inglewood.
is a son of Colonel Messenger, formerly of Wellington, but now a resident of New Plymouth. A portrait and biography of Colonel Messenger, as Captain Messenger, appear in Gudgeon's Defenders of New Zealand; pages 86–92.
formerly Manager of the Maketawa Dairy Factory, was born in Invercargill in 1868, and after completing his education was for seven years on his father's farm. He gained his experience in butter and cheese making at the Matanra Dairy Factory, and was for some time with the Edendale Butter and Cheese Factory. Mr. Townshend then went to Australia, and was for two years engaged in the dairy industry in Victoria, Gippsland, and in the Kerang district. He returned to New Zealand in 1893, and was first assistant in one of Messrs Reynolds and Co.'s factories in Taranaki until 1895, when he was appointed manager of the Maketawa dairy factory.
Painter and Decorator, Rata Street, Inglewood. This business was established by Mr. Chinn in the year 1893. Contracts are undertaken throughout the district. Mr. Chinn is further referred to as Honorary Librarian of the New Plymouth Hospital.
Draper, Clothier, Mercer, Millinery and Boot Importer, Manchester House, Moa Street, Inglewood. Headquarters, Stratford. This business was established in the year 1902 by Mr. Curtis. It was afterwards conducted by Mr. Smith, and in 1904, was acquired by the present proprietor. The building is of wood and iron, with brick walls, and stands on a freehold section of a quarter of an acre. There are two large double-fronted shops, which contain clothing and general drapery departments and a millinery department.
was appointed Manager of Mr. R. H. Robinson's Inglewood business in the year 1904. He is the second son of Mr. R. H. Robinson, and was born in the year 1880 in Napier, where he was educated and brought up to the drapery business by his father. Mr. Robinson is vice-president of the Inglewood Tradesmen's Association, and of the Hockey Club. In the year 1901 he joined the Stratford Rifles, but retired in 1904, after having attained the rank of sergeant. He is the possessor of a long service medal in connection with fire brigades. In 1905 he married the daughter of Mr. E. C. Shepherd, of Hamilton, Waikato.
(George Waddington Drake and Henry Skelton Drake), Cabinetmakers, Upholsterers, and Undertakers, Rata Street, Inglewood. This business was established in 1904 by Mr. G. W. Drake, who was joined in partnership by his brother six months later. The premises include a shop, a workshop, and storeroom. The manufacture of all kinds of household furniture is undertaken.
of the firm of G. W. and H. Drake, was born in the year 1878, in Taranaki. He was educated at Inglewood and New Plymouth, and learned his trade under Mr. Thomas Drake. He subsequently gained further experience in Wellington. Mr. Drake was a member of the Inglewood Rifles for about three years, and rose to the rank of colour-sergeant.
of the firm of G. W. and H. Drake, was born in Taranaki in December, 1883. He was educated in Hawera, and learned his trade at Mr. A. H. Arthur's furniture factory in Hawera. Subsequently he gained further experience as a journeyman before becoming a member of the present firm. Mr. Drake was for three years a member of the Hawera Infantry Volunteers.
(F. C. Bennett, proprietor), corner of Rata and Moa Streets, Inglewood. This is a two-storey wood and iron building. Shops on the ground floor are leased to tenants, and the rest of the building is well equipped as an up-to-date hostelry. The building is lighted throughout by electricity, and is well conducted by its proprietor.
Proprietor of the Inglewood Coffee Palace, was born in London, in 1869. He came with his parents to New Plymouth in 1875, and learned the trade of a coachbuilder, under Mr. G. Kennedy, in Inglewood. After gaining further experience at Wanganui, he bought an old established business in Inglewood, in the year 1891. This he conducted for a number of years before taking over the Coffee Palace. Mr. Bennett is associated with such local institutions as the Inglewood racing and athletic clubs, and the Hawera Mounted Rifles.
Boot and Shoe Importer and Manufacturer, Mountain road, Inglewood. Established in 1895. Private residence, Inglewood. This business is conducted in a wood and iron building, which contains a shop with a verandah, a fitting room, and a workshop. Mr. Frewin was born in the year 1870, in Nelson, and was educated in New Plymouth, where he learned his trade, and found employment until settling and establishing his business in Inglewood. Mr. Frewin was for five years a member of the Inglewood Volunteer Corps, and rose to the rank of colour-sergeant. He is also a member of the Inglewood Lodge of Druids. In the year 1902 he married a daughter of Mr. Christopher Bond, of Inglewood, and has one son and one daughter.
Butcher, and Grain and Produce Merchant, corner of Rata Street and Richmond. Street, Inglewood. This business was established in the year 1891 by Mr. Gamlin. It is conducted in a two-storied wood and iron building, which is erected on leasehold land, and contains a large shop, an office, and a small goods room. The produce department is situated in a separate building, and contains an oil engine, and up-to-date machinery. At the back there is a stable with four stalls, a shed, and a store room. Three carts are employed in connection with the business, and delivery is made throughout the district. The slaughter house is erected on part of seventy-seven acres on the Mountain road, and the land is used for grazing and cropping. Mr. Gamlin has also a freehold farm of 100 acres at Urenui, and 100 acres of leasehold land, and also leases fifty acres of land on the Junction road, Inglewood. Eight persons are employed in connection with the business.
Butcher, corner of Mountain road and Kelly Street, Inglewood. This business was one of the first to be established in Inglewood, and was acquired by Mr. Gernhoeffer in the year 1900. The premises include a shop, an office, and a small goods room, and the house and stables are erected on a freehold section of a quarter of an acre. The slaughter house is situated on part of a block of seventy-one acres, and is one of the best equipped in the colony. Mr. Gernhoeffer was born in the year 1864, in Germany, where he was educated, and came to New Zealand in 1876. He learned his trade at Inglewood, Wanganui, New Plymouth, and Auckland, and at seventeen years of age was employed in the establishment of which he subsequently became proprietor. Mr. Gernhoeffer first started business on his own account in 1892, in Inglewood. Two years later he removed to New Plymouth, and was employed by Mr. W. Bayly. He subsequently managed a store for Mr. Frankley at Tarata, and then took up farming. Six years afterwards he sold out, settled in Inglewood, and acquired the business in which he had worked as a lad. In 1888 Mr. Gernhoeffer married a daughter of Mr. George Burroughs, of Dudley road, and had, surviving, one son and three daughters at the time of his death, which occurred, suddenly, on the 21st of May, 1906, after this article had been prepared for the press.
was established in the year 1900. Directors for the year 1906: Messrs A. Morton (chairman), J. Hall, W. Harkness, J. Horne, A. Chard, W. Houston, D. Todd, J. Davidson, and R. Kenny. Mr. J. Allan is manager, and Mr. G. F. Dewhirst, secretary. The Inglewood Bacon Curing Factory is situated on the Junction road, about one mile distant from Inglewood, on a site containing five acres of land, on the bank of the Waiongona stream. Water is brought in by a race, and about twenty horse-power is developed. The buildings are of wood, iron, and brick, and contain a slaughter house, a hanging shed, a cutting-up room, lard, salt, curing, chilling, small goods and grain rooms, and three store rooms, a packing room and an office. There is a smoking house, and a refrigerating chamber, which is worked by one of Humble and Son's D Ammonia machines. The receiving shed, to which styes are attached, is separate from the main factory. There are receiving stations for pigs at Smart road, Midhurst, and at Waitara. The company has about 300 shareholders, the majority of whom supply pigs. The company also purchases in the open market. In the year 1905 over 3500 pigs were killed, and the brand for hams and bacon is “Star.”
was appointed Manager of the Inglewood Bacon Factory in March, 1900. He was born in
was appointed Secretary of the Inglewood Co-operative Bacon Factory Company in the year 1903. He was born in Yorkshire, England, in 1858, was educated in the county of Durham, and brought up to the grocery trade. Mr. Dewhirst afterwards came to New Zealand, landed at New Plymouth in 1894, and was farming at Egmont Village before receiving his present appointment. In 1890 he married a daughter of the late Mr. T. Cromhic, of Fifeshire, Scotland, and has two sons and one daughter.
Butcher, Rata Street, Inglewood. This business was established in the year 1896. It is conducted in a commodious shop, with double windows, and a small goods room behind. There are also stables in connection with the establishment.
(Thomas Drake), General Importers, Inglewood. Agents for the South British Insurance Company, Wiesner's Pianos, and Rudge-Whitworth, Royal Enfield, and other makes of bicycles. This flourishing business was established by Mr. Thomas Drake, senior, more than twenty-five years ago, in New Plymouth, when it was started and known as the Old Curiosity Shop. Twelve months later, it was transferred to Inglewood. The premises consist of a handsome building, which has a frontage of sixty-two feet facing the railway station. There are ironmongery, crockery, cabinetmaking, stationery, upholstering, fancy goods, and other departments. Furniture is manufactured on the premises. Mr. Drake was born in Kent, England, in the year 1861, and came to New Zealand at fourteen years of age with his parents, who settled in Nelson for some time before removing to Taranaki. Mr. Drake was a member of the Inglewood Town Board, and has been the energetic treasurer of the local Court of Foresters for many years. He takes considerable interest in cycling, and acts as consul for the Cycling Tourist Club. He married Miss Nixon, of Hexham, Northumberland, England, and has two sons and two daughters.
was established in the year 1891. Directors for the year 1906: Messrs A. Morton (chairman), D. H. McDonald, D. Todd, J. Davidson, and W. Houston; Mr. B. H. Nicholls, secretary and manager. The premises are centrally situated, and include drapery, millinery, grocery, ironmongery, saddlery, earthenware, and baking departments, with competent men in charge. Two large ovens are kept fully employed. The turnover is steadily increasing, and in 1905 amounted to £35,000. About forty persons are employed.
J.P., was appointed Secretary and Manager of the Moa Farmers' Union, Limited, in the year 1893. He is further referred to as the first Mayor of the borough of Inglewood.
was appointed Manager of the Drapery and Clothing Departments of the Moa Farmers' Union, Limited, in the year 1902. He is further referred to as bandmaster of the Inglewood Brass Band.
was appointed Manager of the Grocery Department of the Moa Farmers' Union in the year 1896, and has been employed by the Union since its inception. He is a son of Mr. Mark Hopson, a former manager, was born in the year 1875, in Dorset, England, where he was educated; and he came to New Zealand in 1888. Mr. Hopson has been a member of the Inglewood football, cricket, and athletic clubs, has taken part in competitions and been successful as a prize winner. He is a member of the Inglewood Rifles, and of the local Rifle Club. Mr. Hopson is also a fancier and exhibitor of pure bred poultry, and secured thirty-six prizes in the year 1905.
(William Ogier, proprietor), Rata Street, Inglewood. This company imports fruit from various parts of the colony, Australia, and the Islands, and maintains a varied supply, which is disposed of wholesale and retail. Mr. Ogier is further referred to as Town Clerk of the borough of Inglewood.
Bookseller and Fancy Goods Dealer, Rata Street, opposite the Post Office, Inglewood. This business was established in the year 1899, by Mr. Robert Ellis, and
General Storekeeper, Rata Street, Inglewood. Agent for the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, North Queensland Fire, and Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States of America. This business was established in the year 1892, and was acquired by Mr. Leech in 1903. It is conducted in a two-storied building of wood and iron, which stands on a freehold section of half an acre. Full stocks of millinery, grocery, hardware and crockery are carried, and there is also a dressmaking department. There is considerable storage room at the back of the building. Two delivery carts are constantly in use, five horses being employed. Mr. Leech was born in the year 1866, in New Plymouth, where he was educated, and brought up to country life. He afterwards went to Nelson, and was for about two years in the Wakefield district. He then returned to Taranaki, and acquired a farm on Bristol road, which he worked for ten years. Later on, he sold out, and bought his present business. Mr. Leech, in conjunction with two brothers, has 3000 acres of land at Awakino, about seventy miles from Inglewood, and they use it for cattle raising. He has been a member of the Moa Road Board, and was president of the Taranaki Farmers' Union. During his period of office he organised about twenty branches of the Union, and represented Taranaki at the first North Island conference held at Palmerston North in 1901, and the following year represented his district at the colonial conference in Welllington. At the general election of 1902, Mr. Leech stood for the Egmont seat in the House of Representatives, and was defeated by only fifteen votes; and he was again unsuccessful at the election of 1905. In 1891 he married a daughter of the late Mr. W. H. Wood, of New Plymouth, but she died in 1895, leaving one daughter. Mr. Leech married a daughter of Mr. J. Tuck, of Inglewood, in the year 1902.
General Storekeeper, corner of Rata Street and Brown Street, Inglewood. This business was established in the year 1904. The premises consist of a corner shop, with a store room and office, and stabling behind. There is also a handsome ten-roomed residence. Mr. Nicholls was born in 1860, in Auckland, where he was educated, and brought up to farming by his father. During the Maori war, in the Auckland district, the family had to take refuge in a stone church at Tamaki. Mr. Nicholls then worked at sawmilling for ten years, and was employed successively by Dr. Logan Campbell, and the Kauri Timber Company, at Te Kopuru. He removed to Inglewood in 1892, and was employed by Mr. H. Brown for ten years. During his spare time Mr. Nicholls learned bookbinding. He afterwards started business on his own account as a printer and bookbinder, and acquired a complete plant, which he sold in January, 1906. Mr. Nicholls was for seven years a member of the Inglewood Town Board, was for two years a member of the Inglewood Borough Council, and has been a member of the Inglewood school committee. In 1888 he married a daughter of the late Mr. William Potter, of Epsom, Auckland, and has three sons.
was incorporated in January, 1904. Directors for the year 1906: Messrs H. Brown (chairman). W. E. Richardson (managing director), W. Marshall, E. Nops, and Mr. E. R. A. Haworth (secretary). There is an up-to-date plant, including “New America” turbines by the Dayton Globe Company, and two dynamos (45 by 75 k.w.), by the International Electric Engineering Company, and power is derived from the Ngatori
Managing Director and Electrical Engineer of the Inglewood Electric Light and Power Company, Limited, has been associated with the company since its inception. He was born in Port Chalmers and educated in the Taieri district. Mr. Richardson was brought up as a flour miller, and afterwards took up electrical work, first as an amateur, and subsequently as a professional. The first public electric lighting work that Mr. Richardson undertook, was the installation of electric light at Outram. Later, he was connected with the promotion of the Waipori power supply for Dunedin. In 1898 Mr. Richardson married a daughter of Mr. James Meston, of Dunedin, and has one son.
a Director and Secretary of the Inglewood Electric Light and Power Company, was born in January, 1862 at Rangiora, Canterbury, where he was educated, and is the son of an Imperial officer who came to the colonies in the early fifties. After leaving school Mr. Haworth joined the staff of the Bank of New Zealand, and was stationed successively at Rangiora, Hokitika, Ross, Christchurch, and Ashburton during a period of ten years. Mr. Haworth then went to Australia, but returned to New Zealand, and settled in Taranaki. Later, he was for some years engaged in sheep and cattle farming in the Inglewood district, but disposed of his property, and settled in Inglewood. Mr. Haworth has been a member of the Clifton County Council, and of the Taranaki Hospital and Charitable Aid Board. In 1888 he married a daughter of the late Mr. Robert Wood, of Timaru, and has four sons and one daughter.
Carrier and Forwarding Agent. Standish Street, Inglewood. This business was established in the year 1884. The premises occupied stand on part of an acre of land, and include a private residence and stables. Two drays are employed in connection with the business. Mr. Giles is agent for the New Zealand Express Company. He was born in 1857, in Kent, England, where he was educated, and gained his early experience in the management of horses. In the year 1875 he came to New Zealand, by the ship “Avatanche,” and settled at Omata, where he was employed at farm work by Mr. Curtis for two years. He subsequently worked in a blacksmith's shop and, later on, became a barman at the Red House Hotel, New Plymouth, and afterwards at other hotels in Taranaki. Mr. Giles was then proprietor of the Railway Hotel, Inglewood, for about five years before establishing his present business. In the year 1879 he married a daughter of the late Mr. William Hopkinson, of Inglewood, and has two sons and two daughters.
(E. L. Julian, proprietor), Mountain road, Inglewood. These stables were established in the year 1902 by Mr. E. L. Julian. They are built of wood and iron, and are situated at the back of the Inglewood Hotel. They contain eighteen stalls, nine loose boxes, and there is standing room for vehicles. Five gigs, two double buggies, and about nine horses are employed in connection with the business.
Proprietor of the Inglewood Stables, was born in the year 1876, in New Plymouth, where he was educated, and brought up to hotel life. He was for three years a member of the Hawera Mounted Rifles. In 1890 Mr. Julian married a daughter of the late Mr. Wellington Carrington, of New Plymouth, and has three daughters and one son.
(Richmond Johnson, proprietor), Rata Street, Inglewood. These stables, which are carried on in connection with the Railway Hotel, consist of wood and iron buildings, and contain fifty-two stalls and three loose boxes. There is also standing room for a large number of vehicles. About ten conveyances and ten horses are employed in the business.
Proprietor of the Railway Hotel Livery Stables, was born in the year 1875, and was educated at Waitara. He had thirteen years' experience in training horses, and was for some time driving his own coaches, before he acquired his present business in the year 1901. In 1897 Mr. Johnson married a daughter of Mr. E. J. Julian, proprietor of the Taranaki Hotel, New Plymouth, and has two daughters and one son.
J.P., Farmer, “Bushlea,” Inglewood. Mr. Curtis' property consists of 550 acres of freehold land near Inglewood. The homestead is sheltered on all sides from prevailing winds by some fine bush. Mr. Curtis also owns another farm of 450 acres. He was born in the year 1852, at Omata, and was educated in New Plymouth. At the time of the native disturbances he went with his father's family to Nelson, with the Taranaki refugees; but returned eighteen months later, and worked with his father at Omata. On
Settler, Junction road, Inglewood. Mr. Lile was born in Scotland in the year 1818, and came to New Plymouth with his father in 1862. At the time of the native troubles in 1863, he was ememployed by the contractors for supplying meat to the troops. He also joined the Taranaki Militia in 1869, and saw much active service. In 1872, he entered the Armed Constabulary, and remained in the force until 1877, when he started business in Waitara as a baker and confectioner, and remained there for over ten years. He then removed to Kaikoura until 1889, when he settled in Inglewood, and established a prosperous business. Mr. Lile now lives on a farm at Junction road, near Inglewood. He has been a member of the Order of Foresters for over thirty years. He is married, and has five daughters and two sons.
was born in the year 1846, in Lincolnshire, England, where he was educated, and brought up to farming. He came to New Zealand in 1875, by the ship “Halcione,” which landed at Taranaki; and for three years he worked hard at bush contracts. When the Tariki settlement was formed, he was one of the earliest to take up land, and selected a holding of 119 acres, which he named “Woodthorpe Grange.” This property he brought to an excellent state of cultivation, and carried on dairying and general farming. Mr. Cowley has always taken considerable interest in local affairs, and has been a member of the Tariki school committee. He is married, and has two sons and one daughter. Mr. Cowley now (1906) resides in Inglewood.
took part in the local government of Inglewood, as a member of the Town Board, to which he was elected in 1897. He is a son of Mr. Richard Julian, who came to Taranaki as one of the pioneers, in the year 1840, and was born in New Plymouth in 1846. When twenty years of age he went to Nelson and the West Coast, where he was for some time engaged in mining. On returning to Taranaki he joined the transport corps, served through the war, and received the New Zealand medal for his services. In the year 1868 he was at Patea as a member of the Nelson volunteers, who were in service in connection with the Maori troubles. Afterwards Mr. Julian was for over twenty years engaged in the business of a livery-stable-keeper in New Plymouth. Later on, he took over the Taranaki Hotel, which he kept until the year 1890, when he entered into possession of the Railway Hotel, at Inglewood, and carried it on successfully for a number of years. Mr. Julian has been an Oddfellow for over thirty years, and has passed through all the chairs. He is married, and has eight sons and four daughters. In the year 1906 Mr. Julian became proprietor of the Taranaki Hotel in New Plymouth.
of “Oakleigh,” Kaimata road, Inglewood, a well known colonist, is a native of Gillingham, Dorsetshire, England, where he was born in the year 1841, and brought up to farm life. He came to New Zealand in the barque “Ashmore,” 512 tons, in 1856, and landed at Auckland. Thence Mr. Morgan proceeded to New Plymouth, and thence again to Wanganui, where he remained till 1860. In company with his brother, John, he visited the Otago diggings, but was not very successful. After a year's experience on the fields he returned to Wanganui, and was engaged at various occupations till the war broke out, when he joined the Wanganui Cavalry, and was present at the engagement at Wereroa pa and many other skirmishes. He received the New Zealand war medal and a grant of land for his services as volunteer. His farm in Patea, which he bought from military settlers, was a good one, and he lived on it till 1866, when he removed to Rahotu, and farmed land in that district for the next seven years. He then acquired his present property, which contains 350 acres of good pasture land, on which he conducts dairying operations. The homestead is surrounded by a beautifully laid out garden and orchard. Mr. Morgan was for several years on the Patea County Council, was chairman of the Patea West Road Beard for a number of years, and has been a member of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board. He married Miss Wright, of Brunswick, Wanganui, and has three sons and four daughters. His second son, William, was one of the contingent sent to represent the colony at Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in London, on the 22nd of June, 1897.
is the centre of a farming district, and lies ten miles to the south-east of New Plymouth, and four miles to the west of Inglewood, on the Junction had. It is in the Moa riding of the Taranaka county, and in the Egmont survey district of the Taranaki land district, and lies a little to the east of north from Mount Egmont. It has a public school, a creamery, a Primitive Methodist church and a local hall.
“Punga,” Egmont Road District; postal address, Egmont Village. Mr. Earp's farm consists of 222 acres of freehold land, and is devoted to the production of beef and to dairy farming. He also holds a farm of eighty acres on the Waitara river, and has a separator and butter working plant. Mr. Earp was born in Worcestershire, England, in the year 1841, and was brought up as a blacksmith. He subsequently went to British Kaffraria, South Africa, where he remained for five years. In 1886 he came to New Zealand, landed in Taranaki, and settled in Okato. Mr. Earp took up land as a military settler, and did block-house duty during the Maori war. In 1872 he took up part of his present holding, which was then in its native state; and he and Mr. Bosworth were the first settlers in the district. Later, Mr. Earp took charge of a party of immigrants for the Government, and instructed them in bush work, etc. In this way he supervised the clearing of the site of Inglewood, and hence is often spoken
nestles in a pretty little valley, five miles east of Inglewood, on the Junction road, at the intersection of a cross road. It is the centre of a rich dairy-farming district. The settlement has a public school, and the local creamery is one of the largest in the colony; 4,200 gallons of milk were daily put through the separators during the season of 1905–6. The business of the post office and telephone bureau is conducted at the residence of the creamery manager. Beyond Kaimata, Junction road continues for about five miles, and passes over a most picturesque zigzag to the settlement of Tarata, between which and Inglewood there is daily communication by coach. Originally, the site of the village of Kaimata and of the surrounding settlement was covered by dense bush, most of which had been cleared away by the year 1893. It is undulating well watered country, and is in the hands of industrious and prosperous settlers. The Manganui river flows through the settlement, which is in the Huiroa survey district of the Taranaki land district, and is a part of the Moa riding of the county of Taranaki. Kaimata lies north-east of Mount Egmont.
was opened in July, 1890. It is a wood and iron building, and contains two class rooms, and two porches. Accommodation is provided for sixty pupils. There are fifty-seven names on the roll, and the average attendance is fifty. The headmaster is assisted by a mistress. There is a convenient residence adjoining the school.
was appointed headmaster of the Kaimata Public School in March, 1902. He was born in 1872, at Cust, Canterbury, was educated at Summerhill, near Cust, and served as a pupil teacher at Barry's Bay. After one year at the Normal School, Christchurch, he was appointed sole teacher at Eiffelton, near Long Beach, Canterbury, in July, 1893. Four years later, Mr. Livingstone was transferred to Wakanui, where he continued until he received his present appointment. In 1900 he married a daughter of Mr. Thomas Hayman, of Studholme, Canterbury, and has one son and one daughter.
Farmer, “Zig-Zag,” Kaimata. Mr. Brittan's property consists of over 236 acres, on which he conducts dairying. He was born in Hertfordshire, England, where he was educated, and for some years he was connected with mercantile life in London. Mr. Brittan came to New Zealand in 1896, and settled in Taranaki. In 1900 he took a trip to the Old Country, and on his return settled at Kaimata. Mr. Brittan married a daughter of Mr. J. Crozier, of New Plymouth, in the year 1905, and has one son.
Farmer, Kaimata. Mr. Burwell's farm consists of 207 acres of freehold land, on which he conducts dairy farming. Mr. Burwell was born at sea, on the American ship “Autocrat,” between San Francisco and Callao, in October, 1865, and is the son of a sea captain. He was educated at the Waterloo High School, near Liverpool, England, and at St. John's College, Grimsargh, near Preston, Lancashire, and was afterwards for about three years in the wholesale trade in America. In 1886, he came to New Zealand, settled in the Kaimata district, and took up eighty-eight acres of land, which, with the exception of ten acres, was covered with bush. He subsequently increased this area to 207 acres. Mr. Burwell is a member of the Kaimata school committee. In 1897, he married a daughter of Mr. John Minchin, of Inglewood, and has two sons and two daughters.
Farmer, Dairy Brook Farm, Kaimata. Dairy Brook Farm consists of 320 acres of freehold land. It is undulating country, all ploughable, with the exception of about twenty acres. The land will maintain on an average twenty-five cows to each 100 acres, in addition to horses and young stock. Mr. Capper was born in the year 1853, in Astbury, Cheshire, England, where he was educated and brought up to farming. He came to New Zealand in 1875, and settled in Taranaki. Mr. Capper was then for fourteen years in business as a road contractor near Stratford. He removed to the Inglewood district, farmed 215 acres at Tariki road, and afterwards took up 156 acres in Inglewood. This property he sold in October, 1904, and subsequently acquired Dairy Brook Farm. Mr Capper was for about eight years a member of the Manganui Road Board, and was also chairman for part of the time; he was a member of the Stratford Town Board, and was for three years a member of the Stratford Licensing Committee. In December, 1877, he married a daughter of the late Mr. John Hill, of Stratford, and has five sons and eight daughters.
Farmer, “Thorncliffe,” Kaimata. Mr. Haverbier was born in the year 1844, in Holstein, Germany, where he was educated, and brought up to farming. He afterwards learned the trade of a silk-and-wool weaver, and gained experience in various large factories in Germany. He became an expert in connection with his trade, and was employed for seven years in Saxony as a teacher of weaving in Government Industrial Schools. Mr. Haverbier subsequently came to New Zealand, arrived in New Plymouth in 1874, and settled in the Inglewood district, before there were any roads. He after-wars helped to fell the bush which covered the site of the borough of Inglewood. On his arrival in New Zealand he could not speak a word of English. About 1887 Mr. Haverbier removed to Kaimata, where he look up a farm of 201 acres of freehold land. He has been a member of the Moa Road Board, and of the Kaimata school committee; for five years he was a director of the Moa Farmers' Union, and was a director of the Moa Dairy Company for about ten years, during which he was chairman for two years. In 1869 he married a daughter of the late Herr Brentigam, of Saxony, and has four daughters, and two sons, and five grandchildren.
Farmer, Kaimata. Mr. Jenkins leases 203 acres of education endowment land, and milks as many as forty-two cows, chiefly of the Jersey-Holstein
Farmer, Puriri Farm, Kaimata. This property consists of 363 acres of land. When taken over by Mr. Taylor there were about 200 acres of standing bush, but this has now all been levelled, with the exception of shelter patches. Mr Taylor does not believe in having all his eggs in one basket, and the system of alternating grazing paddocks has been adopted by him. By this means the quality of the grass is very much improved, and the best results are obtained for dairying purposes. He started with cross-bred cows, but is now working with the best strains of Ayrshire, and has an imported bull of that breed. Mr. Taylor is a son of Mr. C. W. Taylor, and was born in the year 1870, in Lincoln, England. He was brought to New Zealand at an early age, and landed in New Plymouth by the ship “Urenui,” on her first trip, in 1875. Mr. Taylor was educated in the New Plymouth district, and was brought up to country life. In conjunction with his father, he took up sixty-one and a-half acres of land, on the deferred payment system, in 1888, and this property has been increased until the area now amounts to 363 acres. In 1890, Mr. Taylor married a daughter of the late Mr. W. Henry Heal, one of the first settlers in the Moa district, and has seven sons and two daughters.
Farmer, Kaimata. Mr. Webster's property consists of 102 acres of freehold land, on which he conducts dairy farming. He was born in Lyon road, Bexley Heath, Kent, England, in the year 1869, and was educated in the Upper School in connection with Dulwich College. Mr. Webster was brought up to the grocery trade in London, where he remained for ten years. He then came to New Zealand, and landed in Taranaki in 1896. Subsequently he acquired a farm at Carrington road, New Plymouth, and worked it for five years. This property he afterwards exchanged for one at Tarata, an education lease of 368 acres. Later on, Mr. Webster acquired his present property. In 1901, he married a daughter of Mr. J. B. Riley, of Carrington road, and has one son.
is a thriving settlement situated twenty-three miles from New Plymouth by rail, and is the nearest railway station to Mount Egmont. It is in the Moa riding of the county of Taranaki, and forms part of the Huiroa survey district of the Taranaki land district. Tariki was originally known as a sawmilling centre, and for many years a mill belonging to the New Plymouth Sash and Door Factory has been in operation. There are two creameries situated not far from Tariki; one at Waipuku, two miles to the south, and one at Ratapiko, about five miles inland. Tariki has a hotel, and a public hall; and business firms are represented by two stores, a butchery, a saddlery, a bakery, and a blacksmith's establishment. At the railway station, which stands at an altitude of 948 feet above sea level, the business of the post office and telephone bureau is conducted. There are Anglican and Methodist churches in the settlement, and a well equipped public school. The Mountain road from New Plymouth to Hawera, runs parallel with the railway through Tariki; good shooting and fishing are obtainable in the neighbourhood.
has been under the management of a stationmaster since the year 1902. The building is of wood and iron, and contains a ladies' waiting room, a public lobby, a general work room, and a post and telegraph office. The station is connected by telephone with Hawera and New Plymouth, and the intermediate stations.
was opened in the year 1897. It stands on a site of an acre and a-half of land. The original building was enlarged in 1903, and the old school had been removed from Waipuku. There are two class rooms and two porches, with accommodation for 150 children. There are 125 names on the roll, and the average attendance is 105. The headmaster is assisted by a mistress, and a pupil teacher.
Headmaster of Tariki school since its inception, was born in Dorset, England, where he was trained as a teacher. On arriving in New Zealand in 1888, he was appointed to Opunake school, whence he was transferred to Tariki.
at Tariki stands on a quarter-acre section. It is of wood and iron, with seats for sixty persons, and was erected in the year 1899. There is a Sunday
General Blacksmith, Tariki. This business was established in the year 1898. The premises consist of a large smith's shop, with a residence adjoining. Mr. Hancock was born in the year 1875, at Plumpstead, Kent, England. He came to New Zealand with his parents as an infant, and was educated at Wanganui and Wangaehu. Subsequently he learned his trade at Stratford, where he remained for about seven years. Mr. Hancock then removed to Tariki, where he acquired his present business. He has been a member of the Tariki school committee, and the Caledonian sports committee, and is secretary of the local Lodge of Odd-fellows—a position which he has held for ten years. In 1899 Mr. Hancock married a daughter of Mr. Alfred William Hewitt, of Stratford.
Butchers, Mountain road, Tariki. Head establishment, Midharst. This business was opened in 1894 by Messrs G. and W. Jones. Mr. David Jones is manager, and is further referred to as a farmer.
the property of the New Plymouth Sash and Door Company, were established some years ago. The plant is large and up-to-date. A special feature is the steam haulage of logs in the bush, which Mr. Nixon was the first to introduce into Taranaki; this was tried by the company on his recommendation, and has proved entirely successful.
Manager of the Tariki Road Sawmills, was born in the year 1856, in Northumberland, England, and was afterwards in charge of engines and machinery at the Stonecraft lead mine. In 1879 he came to New Zealand, and, after a year's farming experience in Otago, he engaged in sawmill work at Normanby for several years. He next spent a year in the kauri mills at Tairua; but returned to Taranaki in 1884, and remained at Ngairs nine years, most of the time in the service of the New Plymouth Sash and Door Company. Mr. Nixon subsequently received his present appointment. He has taken considerable interest in local matters; he was a member of the local school committee for four years, and was also one of the promoters of the church at Tariki road. Mr. Nixon is a Justice of the Peace.
Farmer, Tariki. Mr. Canning was well known as a business man in Eltham, where he was agent for the United Fire Insurance Company, and was secretary to the Eltham Athenaeum, the Caledonian Society, and the local Lodge of Oddfellows. He was born in the year 1849 at Devizes, Wiltshire, England, and was educated at the Southwark Grammar School. For eight years subsequently he was a member of the London Corn Exchange. In 1876 he came to New Zealand by the ship “Avalanche,” and was for seven years manager of a station at Porangahau, in Hawke's Bay. In 1887 Mr. Canning removed to Taranaki, and four years later established himself in Eltham as a land and commission agent. This business he successfully conducted for a number of years, and then, having disposed of his interest, he became a farmer at Tariki.
Farmer, Tariki. Mr. Jones's property consists of 105 acres of freehold land, which is used chiefly for grazing purposes. There is a comfortable homestead, and the property has been much improved. Mr. Jones was born in March, 1871, in North Wales, England, where he was educated and brought up to farming. He came to New Zealand in 1894 by the s.s. “Gothic,” and settled in Taranaki with his brothers, Messrs G. and W. Jones. Subsequently he took over the management of their branch butchery business at Tariki. Mr. Jones is a member of the Tariki school committee, and of the Caledonian sports committee. In 1899 he married a daughter of Mr. Robert Hooker, of New Plymouth, and has one son and one daughter.
Farmer, Tariki road. Mr. Kelsey was born in the year 1868. in Surrey, England. He was educated at Whitgift Grammar School, and afterwards served an apprenticeship in the engineering trade. For six years he was employed on different steamers belonging to the well known firm of Wood Brothers,
is a small settlement situated twenty-four miles south by rail from New Plymouth, halfway between Inglewood and Stratford, and is in the county of Stratford, and in the Huiroa survey district of the Taranaki land district. A short branch line of railway to Manganui is (1900) being constructed in order to open up the district, which was originally covered with virgin bush. Waipuku has a creamery and a post office, situated near the corner of Rutland and Croydon roads. There is a public school at Tariki, about two miles distant. The railway station, the highest in Taranaki, stands 1125 feet above sea level. The main south road, known as the Mountain road, runs through the settlement.
is conducted at the homestead of Mr. F. Bell. It was opened in 1894, and receives and distributes a daily mail, but no mail is despatched from the office.
Postmaster at Waipuku, is a native of Lincolnshire, England. He became a colonist of New Zealand in 1876, and after working at his trade as a blacksmith for twenty-one years in New Plymouth, he settled at Waipuku in the year 1897.
is one of the skimming stations of the Midhurst Dairy Factory Company. It stands at the junction of the Rutland and Croyden roads, on a half-acre section. The building is of wood and iron, and the plant includes a six horse-power steam engine, and a number six Baillie separator, capable of treating 880 gallons per hour. During the season of 1906 there were twenty suppliers, and up to 1400 gallons of milk were delivered daily.
was appointed Manager of the Waipuku Creamery in the year 1905. He was born in 1875 in Wanganui, and was educated at the Wanganui Boys' High School. Mr. Milne was brought up to country life, and afterwards gained eight years' experience at the Moa Dairy Factory in Inglewood, where he had charge, for part of the time, of the separators and engine. He was subsequently manager of the Skinner Road Creamery for one year before he took up his duties at Waipuku. In 1898 Mr. Milne married a daughter of Mr. H. F. Goff, of Woodville, and has one daughter.
is a dairy-farming and sawmilling settlement, twenty-seven miles south-east by rail from New Plymouth, in the north riding of the county of Stratford, and in the Huiroa survey district of the Taranaki land district. The township has two large stores and several smaller ones, a bakery, a butchery, two smithies and a hotel; and also Anglican, Primitive Methodist and Methodist churches, and a public hall. The settlement has a public school, and other schools are situated at Salisbury and Beaconsfield roads, where there are also skimming stations belonging to the Midhurst Dairy Factory Company. The Midhurst Dairy Factory is one of the largest in the colony. The railway station is at an altitude of 1122 feet above sea level. The surrounding country is of an undulating character, and was at one time entirely covered with bush; and two mills, belonging respectively to the Union Timber Company, and Messrs Quin Brothers, are still (1906) in operation. Game and fish can be obtained in the neighbourhood.
was established about the year 1890. It is a wood and iron building, and contains two class rooms, and two porches; and the school and the teachers' residence stand on a section of three acres. The school has accommodation for 140 pupils; there are 151 names on the roll, and the average attendance is 120. Mr. James William Mail, who was appointed headmaster of the Midhurst public school in the year 1904, was born in the Shetland Islands in 1869, and came to New Zealand at an early age. He was trained as a teacher in Invercargill, and had considerable experience under the Southland Education Board before his appointment to Midhurst.
was established in the year 1894, and stands on a section of six acres. The building is of wood and iron, and contains two class rooms, two porches, and there is a six-roomed residence for the headmaster. The school has accommodation for seventy children. There are sixty names on the roll, and the average attendance is fifty. Mr. James Alexander Auld was appointed headmaster in May, 1904, and Miss L. Finnerty, assistant mistress, in August, 1905.
formerly Master of the Midhurst school, was born at Rattray, Perthshire, Scotland, where he was educated and trained as a teacher. He came to New Zealand in 1887, and was for some time engaged in teaching under the Otago Education Board, at Ida Valley and Blacks. Mr. Reaks removed to Taranaki in 1896, under engagement with the Taranaki Education Board, to take charge of the Midhurst school. On leaving the Ida Valley school, Mr. Reaks was presented by his pupils with a handsome gold locket; and on his departure from Blacks, with a Gladstone travelling bag, from the school children, and was entertained and presented by the parents and other residents with a purse of sovereigns. He is married, and has four children. After leaving Midhurst Mr. Reaks went to reside at Stratford.
Midhurst, is a wood and iron building. It stands on a section of a quarter of an acre in extent, and has accommodation for seventy persons. Services are
was a native of Denmark, and learned the trade of a cabinetmaker. In 1870 he came to New Zealand, landed in Napier, and after working there for some time started business on his own account in Kaikora North, where he remained for seven years. He then removed to Taranaki, took up land, and subsequently established a business in which he was assisted by his son. Mr. Pedersen died some time ago.
was established in the year 1895. Directors for 1906: Messrs A. Brown (chairman), L. Baskin, S. Carlton, W. Hathaway, S. M. Porritt, A. Ridd, F. E. Y. Taylor, and A. A. Ward. Mr. R. C. Templer is secretary, and Mr. F. Kleemann, manager. The Midhurst Dairy Factory is a wood and iron building, and contains a receiving room, a separating room, and cream, butter, chilling and freezing rooms. The plant is driven by water power, which is obtained from the Tepopo stream, on which a concrete dam has been constructed. The water is then brought by wooden fluming through a tunnel thirteen chains long, to the McCormick twin turbines. These will develop thirty-six horse-power in combination. There is also a De Laval separator, and Humble and Sons' four ton freezing machinery is employed. The output of the factory is about 380 tons of butter per annum. There are seven creameries within six miles of the factory; namely, at Waipuku, and at York, Rugby, Salisbury. Pembroke, Beaconsfield and Stanley roads.
was appointed Secretary of the Midhurst Dairy Company in the year 1905. He was born in 1855 in Lyttelton, and is a son of the late Mr. Edward Merson Templer, of Coringa station, who was a member of the first Provincial Council of Canterbury. He was educated at Christ's College, Christchurch, and was brought up to farming. Mr. Templer subsequently served under the Wanganui Education Board as a teacher for eighteen years, during ten years of which he was headmaster of the Cheltenham school. In 1893 be became connected with the dairy industry, assisted in establishing the Cheltenham Dairy Factory, and was secretary for six years. He left the district to take up the management of a large herd of cows for Mr. C. Fitzherbert, of Cinder Hill. Two years and a-half later, Mr. Templer removed to Stratford, where he was in business on his own account as an auctioneer and commission agent for two years. He was the first to organise the Farmers' Union in the Taranaki district, and was for some time afterwards secretary of the Stratford Dairy Company, before his present appointment. In the year 1881 Mr. Templer married a daughter of Dr. Richards, of Hororata, Canterbury, and has two sons and one daughter.
was appointed Manager of the Midhurst Dairy Factory in the year 1902. He was born in 1866, in Germany, where he was educated. In 1893 he came to New Zealand, landed at Lyttelton, and was for six years employed by the Tai Tapu Dairy Factory, as butter-maker. He then removed to Stratford, and held a similar position in the Stratford Dairy Factory, for five years, and in 1901 went thence to Midhurst. A year later, he was promoted to the position of manager. In 1892 Mr. Kleemann married a daughter of Mr. Smidt, of Christchurch, and has one son and two daughters.
of the Midhurst Dairy Company was originally an independent co-operative butter factory, before it was acquired by the Midhurst Co-operative Dairy Company. The buildings are of iron and wood, and stand on an acre of ground. The plant is driven by a four-horse horizontal engine, and there is a Crown separator with a capacity of 510 gallons per hour. During the season of 1905–6 there were nineteen suppliers; and a record of thirteen hundred gallons per diem was reached in the height of the season.
was appointed Manager of the Pembroke Road Creamery in the year 1904. He was born in 1875, in London, England, where he was educated, and followed a seafaring life for seven years. Afterwards he went to Argentina, South America, where he learned his present business, and from 1895 to 1901 was in the service of a company known as La Escandinavia Argentina Limitada. He then went to Australia, and joined the firm of Bartam and Son, the well known dairy machinery importers, of Melbourne. Later, he came to New Zealand, was for some time employed as fireman at the Belfast Freezing Works, and finally removed to Stratford and joined the Stratford Dairy Company. He was afterwards manager of the Toko road and Makuri creameries before his present appointment. In 1905 he married a daughter of Mr. Lees Watkins, of Stratford.
(Griffith Jones and William Jones), Butchers and Farmers, Midhurst; branch at Tariki. The premises owned by the firm of Messrs G. and W. Jones stand on a freehold section of half an acre, and include two shops and a smithy. The portion occupied by the butchery consists of a shop with a verandah and a small
of the firm of G. and W. Jones, was born in March, 1859, in North Wales, England, where he was educated. He came to New Zealand in the ship “Rangitikei,” in 1879, when he was unable to speak a word of English. Mr. Jones was for two years in Christchurch, Canterbury, but, later on, removed to Stratford, then in its infancy, and was for a number of years engaged in bush work, shearing and road construction. He was afterwards at Kaiapoi, Canterbury, for two years, and gained experience as a butcher and in threshing mill work. Finally, he returned to Taranaki, and in 1892, in conjunction with his brother, established the present business. In 1894 Mr. Jones married a daughter of the late Mr. John Carson, of West Oxford, Canterbury; but she died, leaving one son.
established himself in business as a general storekeeper and produce merchant at Midhurst in the year 1899. A large and complete stock of all descriptions of merchandise necessary for a first-class trade was kept on hand by Mr. Sergeant, who also had various agencies essential to the requirements of the district. Mr. Sergeant afterwards sold his interest in the business to Mr J. R. Parkinson, and removed to Tauranga.
Farmer, Salisbury road, Midhurst. Mr. Carter's property consists of 100 acres of freehold land, on which he conducts dairying. He was born in the year 1880, at Bell Block, Taranaki, was educated at Waipuku, and brought up to country life. Afterwards he was employed at the Eltham Butter Factory for some time, and rose to the position of assistant, and then to that of buttermaker. In 1904 Mr. Carter acquired his present property, and has since carried on farming on his own account.
formerly Secretary and General Manager of the Midhurst Co-operative Dairy Factory, is well known as a politician. He was born in Nelson, was educated at Nelson College, and was afterwards a school teacher for some time. He then joined the firm of Messrs Hodder and Company, merchants, of Richmond. In 1892 he removed to Taranaki, and took up land at Tariki, and afterwards became secretary and manager of the Midhurst Co-operative Dairy Factory. He subsequently removed to Wellington, and is now (1906) secretary of the National Dairy Association. Mr. Harkness has twice represented Nelson city in Parliament, where he was a strong supporter of the Atkinson Government. In Nelson he was a member of the Waimea County Council for eight years; as chairman of the Richmond Town Board, he took a prominent part in the waterworks scheme; and he was a member of the Nelson Education Board and school committee for many years. While he was in Taranaki he was chairman of directors of the Midhurst Co-operative Dairy Factory, a member of the Moa Road Board, and a director of the Inglewood Moa Farmers' Union. As a Freemason he has held office as Past Grand Master and Junior Deacon. Mr. Harkness is married, and has five sons and four daughters. He is further referred to on page 36 of the Nelson, Marlborough, and Westland volume of the Cyclopedia of New Zealand.
is a thriving borough on the Patea river, in the centre of an extensive dairying district, thirty miles south by rail from New Plymouth, in the county of Stratford, and in the Ngaire survey district of the Taranaki land district. It is situated about 1000 feet above sea level, about nine miles from Mount Egmont; the climate is bracing, though somewhat moist. In the year 1877 the whole countryside was covered with a vast, virgin forest, and the timber stood like a wall on either side of the Mountain road. In that year the population of Stratford and the surrounding district numbered about half a-dozen settlers, and most of these had been compelled to cut tracks through the bush to reach their holdings. A small store was erected on the present site of Broadway, before the survey of the township was completed. In 1878 the railway line was opened from New Plymouth to Stratford. Three years later, the settlement is described as still having only one store, which stood on the site now (1906) occupied by the Bank of New South Wales. The ground was in such a condition that planks had to be stretched across the present Broadway, and it was no uncommon thing to see bullock teams and the drays they were attempting to draw, stuck in the mud. But from that time forward, the progress has been steady, and in recent years, even rapid. The local government of the district was for a number of years conducted by a Town Board, which did good work; but in 1898, Stratford was constituted a borough. The main thoroughfare, Broadway, is a fine wide street, and contains a large number of substantial shops, with handsome plate glass show windows. Stratford has a town hall, and a fine building known as the Municipal Chambers. The town has a District High School, a private school, and a technical school; and the Roman Catholic high and primary school is conducted in connection with the Monastery of Our Lady of Perpetual Succession. There are Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist, and Primitive Methodist churches, and the Salvation Army is also represented. Stratford has several branches of the various banks doing business in the colony, and the Government Departments include the police station, the District and Stipendiary Magistrate's Court, the Stock Office, the Public Health Office, the Post and Telegraph Office, railway station, and the Public Works Department for the whole of the Taranaki provincial district.
Member of the House of Representatives for the Patea electorate, was first returned to Parliament as member for Egmont in the year 1896, and he was re-elected for the same constituency at the general election of 1899. In 1902, however, he stood for Patea, for which he was elected, and was re-elected at the general election of 1905. Mr. Symes was born in Somersetshire, England, in 1852. While he was an infant he was brought to Taranaki by his parents, and received his education in the provincial district of Taranaki, and at Nelson and Wanganui. As a youth he was articled to a lawyer, who, however, died without leaving a will, and he was therefore unable to get his articles assigned. Mr. Symes then took to auctioneering, and was in business for about four years in Wanganui and Palmerston North. Then he bought into a sheep run on D'Urville Island; but after five years returned to Taranaki, and settled down to farming at Waverley. While a resident in that district he became interested in local politics, and was for some years a member and chairman of the Wairoa Road Board. He was also elected to the Patea County Council, of which he was chairman for nine years. In the year 1890 Mr. Symes acquired interests in the Stratford district, and was a member of the Stratford County Council for six years. He took up land at Toko in 1890, and five years later settled on his estate, which he farmed till 1900, when he sold out and took up his residence in the borough of Stratford, where he has engaged in insurance and general agency work. Mr. Symes married a daughter of the late Mr. John Treweek, an old colonist, who came to New Zealand in the year 1840, and died at Kakariki at the age of eighty-four; and has one son.
Council was constituted on the 1st of August, 1898. Stratford has an area of 1920 acres, with a population of 2126, as disclosed by the census taken in April, 1906. The capital value of property in the borough is £354,000; and the unimproved value, £191,000. The rating is carried out on the basis of the unimproved value, and the general rate of 2⅜d in the pound. Special rates, aggregating one penny and seven-tenths of a penny in the pound, are struck to provide interest on various loans.
Stratford is particularly fortunate in its water and drainage schemes, as an inexhaustible supply of water is obtained by means of filtration tunnels sunk under the bed of the Patea river, which rises at the base of Mount Egmont, some nine miles away. The drainage of the borough is on the septic tank principle, and is a striking testimony to the thoroughness of the bacteriological system for the disposal of sewage. As both water and drainage schemes are carried out by means of gravitation, the cost of upkeep is practically nil. The average pressure of the water service is 100lb to the square inch. The work of installing both schemes was designed and carried out by Mr. H. W. Climie, C.E., the Council's Engineer.
The Council possesses a large number of municipal reserves, which produce a revenue that is annually increasing. The town is also fortunate in the possession of several domains, the largest of which is King Edward's Park, fifty acres, and Victoria Park, twenty acres in extent. The former is used chiefly for hockey and golf, whilst the latter is the principal ground for football and cricket and other sports.
The Town Hall, situated in Juliet Street, is a commodious building capable of seating 800 persons. It is lighted throughout by electricity, and has every accommodation and convenience for theatrical performances, dances and other entertainments. The municipal buildings are situated in the centre of the town, on a valuable reserve. The lower portion of the building is at present (1906) divided into four large shops, from which a revenue is derived by the Council. The upper portion consists of the Council Chamber, the Town Clerk's room and other offices, the Public Library and Reading Room.
The municipal abattoirs are situated about two miles and a-half out of the town, and stand in an area of thirty-two acres, sub-divided into six paddocks, which are let to butchers at a yearly rental of £10 each. The cost of the land, buildings, slaughterman's cottage, yards, etc., has been £4,300, which was obtained from the Colonial Treasury at 3½ per cent., one per cent. of which goes to provide a sinking fund. As the annual charges on the loan are met out of revenue derived from the slaughtering fees and paddock rents, the ratepayers are in the position of having an extremely useful institution, which will become their own property in forty-one years, when the loan expires, without any extra burden whatever being laid on their shoulders.
The streets of Stratford are well lighted by means of electricity; and the lamps, fifty-five in number, burn from sunset to sunrise, the year round.
A well equipped and up-to-date fire station is situated in the centre of the town, and there is a smaller station south of the Patea, river. The Public Library and Reading Room in the Municipal Buildings are open to the public daily, free of cost, from 9.30 a.m. to 9.30 p.m. A regular supply of the latest literature is received each month.
Stratford possesses two cemeteries, one within the borough, five acres in extent, and another, about three miles outside on the Ohura road, ten acres in extent. The old cemetery will
The members of the Council, who hold office till 1907, are Messrs N. J. King (Mayor), D. J. Malone, H. L. Betts, A. B. Blackett, H. N. Liardet, R. McK. Morison, P. F. Ralfe, R. H. Robinson, G. Sangster and S. A. Ward. The officers of the Council are: Town Clerk and Treasurer, E. F. Hemingway; Assistant, W. Whitlock; Borough Solicitor, T. C. Fookes; Borough Engineer, H. W. Climie; Sanitary Inspector, F. B. Gardner; Ranger and Town Hall Custodian, C. J. Wickham; Abattorr Manager, G. Thomson.
was elected Mayor, of Stratford in April, 1903, and again in the years 1904–5–6. He was born in 1860, in Bedford, England, where he was educated, and brought up to the trade of a builder. He came to New Zealand in 1879, and landed in Auckland by the ship “May Queen.” In 1888 Mr. King went to Melbourne, Australia, where he gained four years' experience, and returned to New Zealand in 1892. He finally settled in Stratford, where he established his present business. Mr. King has been a member and chairman of the Stratford school committee, and has been a member of the Stratford Borough Council since its inception. In 1881 he married a daughter of the late Mr. J. B. Lawrence, of Auckland, and has two sons and one daughter.
was one of the first members of the Stratford Borough Council, and, except for two years, has served continuously since its inception. He was born in the year 1862 at Mahurangi, where he was educated, and gained his first experience of nursery work. In 1880, Mr. Morison settled at Ngaire, where he took up 130 acres of land. This property he farmed for a number of years, and was one of the promoters, and for several years a director, of the now famous Ngaire Co-operative Dairy Factory. Mr Morison has been a member of the Egmont Licensing Committee for three years, has been a member of the Stratford school committee, and now represents the Borough Council on the Technical School committee. He has also been a member of the Library Committee since its establishment. In 1886 Mr. Morison married a daughter of Mr. Thomas Drake, of New Plymouth, and has one son and five daughters. He is further referred to as the proprietor of “The Nurseries.”
was elected a member of the Stratford Borough Council in the year 1902. He was born in Sheerness, Kent, England, and was educated at King William College, Isle of Man. He afterwards followed a seafaring life for seven years, and was also engaged in farming in the Old Country for about five years. In 1851 he went to Australia, and in the year 1862 came to New Zealand, and settled in Canterbury, where he carried on farming for some years. Mr. Ralfe subsequently removed to Taranaki, and settled in Stratford in 1871. Later, he acquired 500 acres of land at Cardiff, which is now (1906) farmed by his son. Mr. Ralfe has been a member of the Ngaire Road Board, the Stratford County Council, the New Plymouth Harbour Board, and other local bodies. In 1866 he married a daughter of the late Mr. Charles Bates, of Banks Peninsula, and has three sons and one daughter. He is further referred to as secretary of the Stratford Bacon Curing Company, Limited.
was elected a member of the Stratford Borough Council in April, 1903. He was born in the year 1878, at New Plymouth, and is the youngest son of Mr. J. Ward, J.P. He was educated at New Plymouth, and afterwards learned the ironmongery trade with his brother, Mr. H. Ward, with whom he continued until starting on his own account at Stratford in May, 1899. Mr. Ward has been secretary of the Stratford Municipal Band for some time, and is a member of the Stratford Chamber of Commerce. As a Freemason, he is Junior Warden of Lodge Stratford, No. 75, New Zealand Constitution, and is a member of the Loyal Stratford Lodge, Independent Order of Oddfellows, Manchester Unity. In 1900, Mr. Ward married a daughter of Mr. William Doughty, an old resident of Stratford, and has two sons and one daughter. Mr. Ward, who is a Justice of the Peace, is further referred to as a member of the firm of S. Ward and Co.
was elected a member of the Stratford Borough Council in April, 1905. He was born in the year 1869, at Brighton, England, and at an early age came to New Zealand with his parents. He was educated at Southbrook, North Canterbury, and in 1884 removed to Okaiawa, Taranaki. He then entered the employment of the Hawera Star, and four years later was appointed accountant, a position which he held for thirteen years. In the year 1901 he went to Stratford, where he had acquired a stationery, bookselling, and fancy goods business in Broadway. Mr. Betts is vice-president of the Stratford Tradesmen's Association, and secretary of the Stratford Bowling Club. In 1892 he married a daughter of Mr. W. Sanson, of St. Albans, Christchurch, and has two sons. Mr. Betts is further referred to as a bookseller and stationer.
was elected a member of the Stratford Borough Council in April, 1905. He was born at North Allerton, Yorkshire, England, in the year 1853, but came to New Zealand with his parents when he was ten years of age, and landed in Auckland. Mr. Robinson was educated at the Old Wesley College, Upper Queen Street, and was afterwards apprenticed to the drapery business under Messrs S. and J. R. Vaile. Shortly after completing his term he went to Napier, and resided there for twenty-five years. He established a business in Napier, which he conducted successfully for nearly twenty years. With a view to further advancement, and to keeping his family around him, Mr. Robinson removed in 1898 to Stratford, where he acquired and built up a large business. Mr. Robinson takes a keen interest in local affairs, and is president of the Stratford Tradesmen's Association, a very live organisation. He married in 1875, and has five sons and three daughters. Mr. Robinson is further referred to as a draper.
Town Clerk and Treasurer of the borough of Stratford, comes of an old Yorkshire family, though he spent the greater part of his early life in the South of England, and was educated at the Sutton Valence Grammar School, near Maidstone, Kent. He landed in New Zealand in 1892, and removed to Taranaki the following year. Mr. Hemingway has been closely identified with municipal matters since 1896, and has occupied the position of Town Clerk since February, 1902.
Captain of the Stratford Volunteer Fire Brigade, is a son of the late Mr. H. Kivell, a well known colonist, and was born and educated in New Plymouth. He was brought up to farming, and was for some time with Mr. H. R. Hulke, of Bell Block. Subsequently he learned his trade as a saddler under Mr. Cunningham, with whom he remained for four years; later on, he was employed by Mr. Henderson, of Hawera. He returned to New Plymouth in 1889, and entered the service of Mr. Harris Ford. About three years later, he opened the Stratford branch of his business, of which he has since continued in charge. Mr. Kivell has always taken an active interest in fire brigades; he has filled his present position for several years, and done much to place, the Stratford Brigade in its present flourishing condition. He has been a prominent athlete, represented the district in the football field against England in the year 1886, and is handicapper for the Taranaki district for athletic sports. As a member of the Ancient Order of Foresters, Mr. Kivell has held office as Past District Chief Ranker, and in Hawera was instrumental in forming Court Egmont, of which he was for some years secretary.
was constituted about the year 1890. It has an area of 784 square miles, and the total capital value of the county is £1,479,214, of which the unimproved value is £898,265. The county is bounded on the north by the counties of Taranaki and Clifton, and on the south by those of Hawera and Patea. Its western boundary crosses the top of Mount Egmont, and the district extends inland to the Wanganui river on the east. The rates average from 1⅝d to 2¾d in the pound on unimproved values. Altogether the Council has raised loans amounting to £69,600, which has been expended on roads and bridges. A large bridge over the Patea river, in the borough of Stratford, is under the control of the Stratford Borough Council, which has become responsible for the debt incurred in the construction. The county offices are situated in the borough of Stratford; they are of wood and iron, stand on a half-acre section, and were erected in the year 1902. The Council has a traction engine and a stone crushing plant. The county has five ridings; namely, North, South, East, West, and Ohura. Members in the year 1906: Messrs G. A. Marchant (chairman), and D. L. Astbury, A. Brown, W. Hathaway, J. Thomson, J. Christoffel, J. B. Hine, A. W. Wood, and W. A. McCutcheon. Mr. C. Penn is County Clerk and Treasurer, and Mr. E. C. Robinson, County Engineer.
has for some years been a member of the Stratford County Council. He was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in the year 1856, and went to Cape Colony as a child with his parents. In 1865 the family came to New Zealand, and settled in Auckland, where Mr. Brown, senior, is still (1906) farming. Mr. Brown was brought up on his father's farm, and afterwards settled in Taranaki, where he started farming on his own account about 1879. He took up his present farm in the year 1904. This property, which is named Manganui, after the stream of that name, is situated at Midhurst, on the Mountain road. It consists of 280 acres, on which he conducts dairying, and cropping for home use. Mr. Brown has also another farm of 100 acres, situated about five miles from Midhurst. He has been a director of the Midhurst Dairy Factory since its inception, and was chairman for the year 1906; has also been chairman of the Midhurst school committee, and is chairman of the Waipuku Domain and Cemetery Boards. Mr. Brown is married, and has seven children.
C.E., was appointed Engineer of the
has its headquarters in Stratford. Its members for the year 1906 were: Messrs Dingle, King and Cameron. The Stratford Mountain House is under the control of the Board, and delightful views can be obtained from it. The Dawson's Fall House is situated not far from the Stratford House. A magnificent view of the mountain, and of the surrounding country, can be obtained, and a fine waterfall of 100 feet is to be seen on the route.
was erected in the year 1895, and contains a public room, a postmaster's room, a mail room, and telegraph operating and telephone exchange rooms. Mr. J. J. Pickett, who was appointed postmaster on the 1st April, 1901, is assisted by a large staff of officers.
in connection with the Agricultural Department, is situated in Broadway, and is in charge of a resident inspector, who visits the surrounding districts.
Inspector of Stock in connection with the Agricultural Department at Stratford, is further referred to on page 1023 of the Otago and Southland volume of the Cyclopedia of New Zealand.
is situated in Broadway South, Stratford, and Constable W. H. Ryan is officer-in-charge.
Police Officer in charge of the Stratford district, is a son of Mr. George Ryan, merchant, of New Plymouth. He was born in the year 1853, in New Plymouth, where he was educated; joined the Police Force in 1872, and has been stationed, successively, at Napier, Waipawa, Tolago Bay, White Cliffs, New Plymouth and Inglewood. At one time Constable Ryan was stationed at Parihaka, and while there saved Inspector Pardy from drowning in the Waitotara river. For this he received the Humane Society's silver medal, and a special letter of thanks from the Hon. John Ballance, who held Inspector Pardy in high estimation. In the year 1878, Mr. Ryan married Miss Walsh, of New Plymouth, and has two daughters and one son.
for Taranaki has its headquarters in Stratford, and was constituted a separate branch in March, 1901. The district extends from Mokau in the north, to Wanganui in the south, and many miles inland from the sea. It is under the care of a resident engineer, who is assisted by two assistant engineers, two engineering cadets, a clerk, three overseers, and a timekeeper. In February, 1906, 220 men were employed on public works under the Taranaki branch of the department.
formerly Resident Engineer of the Public Works Department for Taranaki, was born in the year 1876, at Ross, Westland, and was educated partly at Ross, and partly at the Hokitika High School, where he passed his civil service examination, taking first place out of about 400 pupils. In 1894 he entered the Public Works Department in Wellington, and eight months afterwards was transferred to Greymouth, where for a year he was engaged on harbour and road improvements, and on the construction of the Greymouth-Hokitika railway. For two years subsequently Mr. Furkert was engaged on construction work on the Otira section of the Midland railway. He was then transferred to the North Island, and, having qualified as a surveyor in 1898, was engaged in survey work for about three years, on the main trunk railway. As an amateur photographer, Mr. Furkert has taken many excellent representative views of various parts of the country. In September, 1902, he married a daughter of Mr. Henry Plimmer, of Wellington, granddaughter of the late Mr. John Plimmer, the Father of Wellington, and his one son. Mr. Furkert was transferred from Taranaki to take charge of the construction work at the south end of the main trunk railway, with his headquarters at Taihape.
for the Provincial District of Taranaki is domiciled in the municipal buildings, Broadway, Stratford. Mr. F. B. Gardiner, Sanitary Inspector under the Public Health Act for the whole of the Taranaki district, was appointed to the position in October, 1905. He joined the Health Department in Wellington in the year 1901.
dates from about the year 1878. It is built of wood and iron, and in cludes a ticket lobby, a ladies' waiting room, a general work room, a parcels office, and the stationmaster's room, and there is also a goods shed. Stratford is the junction of the branch line to Toko, officially known as the Stratlord-Ongarue line. There is a dock from which trains start to Toko, and about ten trains pass daily through Stratford.
Stationmaster at Stratford, entered on his duties in August, 1905. He had been previously in charge at Waimate, Canterbury, and is further referred to on page 1065 of the Canterbury volume of this Cyclopedia.
was established in the year 1905, when the district was separated from New Plymouth, with which it had formerly been connected. Members of the Board for 1906: Messrs W. Monkhouse (chairman) representing the Stratford borough; J. B. Hine and G. A. Marchant (representing Stratford County), and Mr. H. N. Liardet, secretary. The first duty of the Board was to arrange for the erection of a local hospital in Stratford on the site of five acres and aquarter, which had been set apart for the purpose in 1893. Plans were prepared, and the contract let for a brick T shaped building, with a tower roof, men's and women's wards, an operating room, and all needful departments. The hospital was expected to be in operation about the end of 1996.
was constituted in the year 1897. There are two classes, in which botany, physics, dairying, chemistry, woodwork and dressmaking are taught. Mr. H. Dromgool, B.Sc., as master, and Miss A. M. Budd, M.A., as mistress, are in charge of the work, under the direction of Mr. F. A. Tyrer. This school has established a record in Taranaki for the number of its successful candidates at scholarship examinations. Pupils have on two occasions won Queen's Scholarships, and have also gained two out of three National Scholarships awarded to Taranaki; in 1905 a Stratford boy took second place in the colony, with 660 against 661 marks. Since the year 1898 thirty-nine pupils have passed the matriculation examination. In the year 1903–04, one pupil gained a Junior University Scholarship, another passed the medical preliminary examination, four passed the matriculation and solicitors' general knowledge examinations, and three the junior civil service. Two scholars took first and second place respectively in senior scholarships, and two third and fourth places in junior scholarships. In the year 1905 one scholar passed with credit the Junior University Scholarship, five passed the matriculation and solicitors' general knowledge, and four the junior civil service examinations, and the school also won a Queen's Scholarship. From three to five-hours each week are devoted to technical and manual work. The syllabus of the primary classes includes paper work, cardboard and woodwork. There are two cadet corps in connection with the school. The staff includes Mr. F. A. Tyrer, headmaster and superintendent of the Technical School; Mr. A. R. Gatland, B.A., first assistant; Mr. R. Brown, second assistant; Miss S. Hogg, third assistant; Miss J. Blackett, fourth assistant; and Misses King and Mackay, junior teachers. Mr. R.H. Clark is manual and art teacher.
was appointed Headmaster of the Stratford District High School and Primary School, and Supervisor of the Technical School, in the year 1897.
stands on a section of four acres, at the corner of Fenton Street and Juliet Street. There are two school buildings; namely, the main school, which contains four class rooms and three porches, and the infants' school. There is accommodation for 525 pupils, though the names on the roll sometimes exceed that number, and in the year 1905 there was an average attendance of 477.
is situated in Orlando Street, on a half-acre section, which was originally the site of the first co-operative dairy factory in the district. The building was crected in 1903. It is of wood and iron, and contains four class rooms, devoted to art work, science, chemistry, wood-work and dairy work. Mr. F. A. Tyrer, headmaster of the Stratford Public School, is superintendent, and Mr. R. H. Clark is manual and art teacher.
was founded in Stratford on the 23rd of January, 1897, when work was begun in a lean-to at the back of the primary school. The first portion of the present fine building was commenced on the 17th of May, 1899, and was enlarged in 1904, by the addition of a wing. The building, which is of wood and iron, is two stories in height, and contains fifteen rooms; of which four are dormitories, The high school, which is attended by twenty children, is held in the convent, and St. Joseph's primary school adjoining has an attendance of 120 pupils. There are eight Sisters in charge, and two of these travel daily to conduct the primary school at Eltham, where sixty children are in attendance.
until lately included the settlements of Midhurst, Waipuku, Cardiff, Toko, Strathmore, and Whangamomona, but the two last named places are now in the charge of the Home Mission. The parish was constituted about the year 1891, with the Rev. A. English as the first incumbent. Holy Trinity church, Stratford was erected in 1890 on the East road, and was enlarged in 1899. It is built of wood and iron, and has accommodation for 200 persons. There is also a Sunday school, with about 170 children, in charge of thirteen teachers. Services are held regularly in the various townships. The vicarage which has lately been enlarged and renovated, stands on a section of two acres and a half of land in Orlando Street.
B.A., was appointed Vicar of Stratford in the year 1903. He was born in 1870, in London, England, where he was partly educated. In 1890, He went to Tasmania, and in 1893 came to New Zealand. He subsequently studied at St. John's College, Auckland, and at the Auckland University, Where he graduated B.A. in 1902. Mr. Watson was ordained
dates from the year 1891. The district covers the country between Eltham and Inglewood, and extends as far as Whangamomona. The principal church is St. Andrews, which stands on half an acre of land in Regan Street. Stratford. It is of wood and iron, was built in 1902, and has accommodation for 250 adults. The old church has since been used as a Sunday school. Services are also held in various parts of the district, and there is a Presbyterian church at Toko.
M.A., has been in charge at Stratford since June, 1905. He was born in Turakina, in 1872, graduated B.A. in 1896, and M.A. with second class honours in the following year. Mr. Thomson was ordained in 1901 at Lincoln, Canterbury.
extends from Ngaire on the south to Waipuku in the north, and goes as far east as the settlement of Whangamomona. The principal church in the district is known as the Church of the Immaculate Conception, and is situated in Mirada Street, Stratford. It stands on a half-acre section, and was erected in February, 1894. The building is of wood and iron, and has seats for 300 persons. The presbytery, convent, and school stand on a section of about three acres on the opposide side of Miranda Street.
Priest-is-charge of the Stratford Parish since 1901, was born in County Limerick, Ireland. He was ordained at Waterford in the year 1881, and came out to Wellington, New Zealand, in the same year. Before settling in Stratford, Father Treacy had been stationed at Lyttelton, Masterton, Kumara, Geraldine, Hawarden and New Plymouth.
includes the settlements of Ngaire, Cardiff and Toko. The principal church in the district is at Stratford. It is known as Wesley church, and stands on a quarter-acre section at the corner of East road and Cordelia Street. It is of wood and iron, and has seats for 260 persons. The Sunday school, which is under the charge of ten teachers, is attended by 120 children. There is a small church at Cardiff with seats for 100 persons, and services are also regularly held at Ngaire and Toko.
Minister in charge of the Stratford circuit, was appointed in April, 1901. He was born in Dublin, Ireland, in the year 1853. Mr. Griflin was for some years a minister of the Free Methodist church before the Union took place. Before arriving in Stratford, he had been stationed successively at Pahiatua, Kimbolton and Whangarei. He was married, in 1876, to a daughter of the late Mr. A. Hood, of Auckland, and has, surviving, six sons and two daughters.
has been represented in Stratford since July, 1889, when periodical visits were begun from New Plymouth. The district was formed into a separate circuit in March, 1890, and the first church was erected about that time on a quarter-acre section fronting Broadway. In less than three years it became necessary to enlarge the building. The present convenient new church, which replaced the old one in September, 1899, is of wood and iron, and has seats for 250 persons. The old building is now used as a Sunday school room, and there are eighty scholars under the charge of eleven teachers. The town of Eltham was originally worked from Stratford, but this has latterly been constituted a separate circuit. There is also at Midhurst a wood and iron church, which was erected about the year 1892, and has seats for eighty adults. Services are held regularly at various points in the settlements round Stratford.
Minister of the Primitive Methodist Circuit at Stratford, was stationed at Greendale, Canterbury, before taking up his duties at Stratford in April, 1906.
has been represented in Stratford since the year 1891. The barracks in Fenton Street were erected in 1894, and adjoin the railway line. The building is of wood and iron, and has accommodation for 250 adults. There are two vestries. Services are held regularly in Stratford, and also at Midhurst, Toko, and Huiroa. The soldiers in Stratford number thirty-one, and the corps is in charge of Ensign Joseph Brookes, who was appointed in August, 1905.
was established in March. 1900. Officers for the year 1906; Messrs G. N. Curtis (president), R. Dingle (vice-president), C. S. Curtis (treasurer), H. L. Betts (secretary), and a committee of five. The club, which has fifty members, has a splendid green situated in Cloton road, near the Technical School. It is surrounded by shelter trees, and there is a fine pavilion.
was founded in 1891. Officers for the year 19006: Dr. T. L. Paget (president), and Messrs A. W. Budge (vice-president), S. Pitt (treasurer), W. H. Hartgill (judge), J. Henry (handicapper), and J. R. Mackay (secretary). The property of the club is situated on Pembroke road, and consists of ninety-four acres of freehold land, with a racecourse, one mile long, and a training track, seven furlongs in length. The fine grand stand of wood and iron will seat 1,500 persons, and there is also a smaller stand. The annual meeting is held on St. Patrick's Day, and is a popular gathering. The stakes amount to over £1000.
was appointed Secretary of the Stratford Racing Club in the year 1901. He was born in Nelson, and is a son of Mr. Joseph Mackay, who was at one time headmaster of the Wellington College. Mr. Mackay was educated at Wellington College, studied for his profession as a surveyor in Stratford, and qualified in 1899. He is further referred to as a member of the firm of Orbell and Mackay, engineers and surveyors.
was established in the year 1902. Officers for the year 1906: Messrs N. J. King (president), J. H. Thompson (honorary secretary and treasurer), and a committee of twelve. The annual sports meeting is held in January of each year in Victoria Park, Stratford. It is a popular gathering, and about £100 is annually given away in prize money.
is under the management of a local committee, and Mr. J. A. Jone is the curator. The fish hatcheries are situated on the Gentle Annie stream, near Stratford. There are four concrete ponds and two large dams, in which there are about ten thousand brown trout (savelinus fontinalis), one or two thousand Loch Levin trout (salmo Levenensis), and about one hundred large stock fish, mainly rainbow trout (salmo iridia). There are also about one hundred and fifty English salmon (salmo salar). Timber is (July, 1906) on the ground to erect a building capable of turning out 50,000 fry every year; hitherto about 30,000 have been turned annually into the rivers.
; Head Office, New Plymouth; Stratford branch, Broadway, Stratford. This branch was established in the year 1902, and is conducted in a wood and iron building, which contains a shop, an office, and a workroom. About twenty pianos are usually in stock for selection, and there is a staff of experts engaged in tuning. All kinds of musical instruments and music are kept in stock.
J.P., was appointed Manager of the Stratford branch of the Collier and Colonial Piano Company in the year 1902. He was born in June, 1872, at the Thames, Auckland, and was educated in Christchurch. Mr. Rountree started in business on his own account, as a general storekeeper, at Poro-o-taroa and Ongarue, in the year 1900. While there he organisised the Ongarue Liberal League, and was appointed its secretary. He was also chairman of the Ongarue and Poro-o-taroa Storekeepers' Association. He sold out his interests in 1902, and was manager for the Colonial Piano Company, at New Plymouth, until two years ago, when it amalgamated with Collier and Company. Then he removed to Stratford, where he is manager of the Collier and Colonial Piano Company (United), Limited. He is at present (1906) secretary for the North Island West Coast Band Association. Mr. Rountree is the composer of the Auckland Exhibition barn dance, and takes an active interest in musical matters. He was appointed a Justice of the Peace in the year 1901.
was established in the year 1891 under the name of the Stratford Town Band, and received its present name in 1903. It has competed at local contests, and at Hawera and Wanganui. There is a membership of twenty-four, and Mr. T. G. Grubb is chairman and bandmaster.
is published by the Stratford Printing and Publishing Company, Limited. Directors for the year 1906; Messrs O. Curtis (chairman), W. D. Anderson, A. Bayly, A. W. Budge, S. Pitt, and J. McCluggage, The journal, as now constituted, resulted from the amalgamation, in November, 1903, of the Stratford Post and the Egmont Settler. The Egmont Settler was founded in 1890 by the late Hon. John Ballance and the Stratford Post was founded by Mr. J. Ivess in 1896, and afterwards owned by Mr. J. H. Clayton. The Post is an evening paper of thirty-six columns, printed on four pages, and has a large circulation through central Taranaki. In politics it is independent. Ten runners are employed, who deliver the paper every evening throughout the district, covering a distance of 160 miles daily. Mr. A. F. Copping is editor, and Mr. W. C. Whitlock, manager.
was appointed editor of the Stratford Evening Post in the year 1904. He was born in the year 1866, at Tottenham, London, England, and was educated at the Cloudesley College, and at St. Mary's, Stoke Newington. He then for some time travelled on the Continent of Europe and in America, but subsequently returned to England, and entered the Judicature Department in the New Law Courts, London. Shortly afterwards Mr. Copping went to Australia, and arrived in Sydney, in 1886. He was for nine months in New South Wales, and during that time he contributed articles to Australian journals. After again visiting Europe, he came to New Zealand, and shortly after joined the staff of the Wairarapa Daily Times, on which he remained until, in 1900, he was appointed subeditor of the Christchurch Press; and he continued in that office until his appointment as editor of the Stratford Evening Post. Mr. Copping was initiated into the Masonic Order in England, and is a member of the Royal Arch Chapter. In 1896 he married a daughter of the late Mr. Henry Owen, of Masterton. This lady died in 1899, leaving one daughter. In 1905, Mr. Copping married a daughter of Mr. John Bavley, of Alkington, Fernside, Canterbury.
was appointed Manager of the Stratford Evening Post in the year 1903. He was born in the year 1865 in London, England, where he was educated, and brought up to commercial life. He afterwards came to New Zealand, and arrived in Blenheim in 1886. Mr. Whitlock engaged in farming for a short time, and afterwards took up land in the Central Buller district, where he farmed for about fourteen years. In the year 1899 he acquired the Egmont Settler, and conducted that journal up to the time of the formation of the present company Mr. Whitlock has been a member of the Stratford Rifles. In 1892 he married a daughter of the late Mr. Albert Alexander, of Hobart, Tasmania, a member of the Royal Academy of Music, and has two sons and two daughters.
in situated in Broadway. The first courthouse was destroyed by fire some years ago, and subsequently the present handsome building was erected and enlarged in 1905. It is built of wood and iron, and contains a court room, a public office, a magistrate's room, and rooms for witnesses and the clerk of the court. There is also a library and a robing room. Weekly sittings of the Magistrate's Court are held, and quarterly sittings of the District
was appointed Clerk of the Stratford District and Magistrate's Court, in June, 1905. He was born in County Kerry, Ireland, in 1868. After settling in New Zealand he joined the Justice Department in Wellington, in 1898. He was clerk of the Magistrate's Court at Gore, before he received his present appointment.
Barrister and Solicitor, Broadway, Strafford. Established 1891. Bankers, Bank of Australasia. Mr. Fookes was born in New Plymouth, and is a son of Mr. A. C. Fookes, of that town. He was educated at Nelson College, and was afterwards articled to Messrs Fitzsherbert and Marshall, of Wanganui. Mr. Fookes was admitted to the bar in 1890, and commenced practice in the following year. He has always taken a prominent part in athletic matters, and was connected with various football and rowing clubs in Wanganui and Taranaki. Mr. Fookes has long been connected with the Stratford Chamber of Commerce and the Stratford Horticultural Society, and supports all progressive movements.
(William George Malone, James McVeagh, and William David Anderson), Barristers and Solictors, Broadway, Stratford. This firm was founded in Stratford in the year 1903; but the senior partner, Mr. Malone, had carried on business previously for ten years. The firm has branches in New Plymouth, lnglewood, Eltham, and Kaponga, with a resident solicitor in charge of each branch.
Barrister and Solicitor, Broadway, Stratford. This practice was established in the year 1898, Mr. Wake having been admitted to the bar two years previously in Christchurch. He is solicitor to the Bank of New South Wales in Stratford.
M.R.C.S. (England), I.R.C.P. (London), Physician and Surgeon, Page Street, Stratford. Dr. Paget, who has practised in Stratford since 1893, was born in Loughborough, England, in 1868, and took his diplomas in 1890. Dr. Paget served as a member of the Stratford Borough Council for one year.
Surgeon and Mechanical Dentist, Kickapoo Chambers, Juliet Street, Stratford. Branches at Eltham, Kaponga, Manaia. Hawera, Patea, and Waverley, Each of these branches is under the care of a qualified dentist.
was born in September, 1859, at New castle-on-Tyne, England, and was educated in America. He studied for his profession at Boston Dental College, qualified as a dentist in 1881, and commenced practice in Boston. Subsequently, Mr. Hunter graduated in medicine, at the University of Ohio, and took his M.D. degree in 1887. He came to New Zealand in 1899 as agent to the Kickapoo Medicine Company, and travelled throughout the colony. The agency was subsequently taken over by Messrs Kempthorne, Prosser and Co., and in 1900 Mr. Hunter founded his present business. In 1896 he married a daughter of Assistant Quarter-master General Albert Hatcher, of Bermuda, a retired officer, who served twenty-four years in the Royal Artillery, and has three sons and two daughters.
Chemist and Druggist, Broadway, Stratford. This business was established in the year 1894 by Mr. Teed, and acquired by the present proprietor in 1901. It is conducted in a wood and iron build-which contains a shop, a consulting room, and a drug store. Mr. Stohr is an importer of fancy toilet goods and drugs. He was born in 1869, in Dunedin, where he was educated; and he qualified for his profession in Dunedin, and afterwards in Melbourne, Australia. Then he returned to New Zealand, and was registered as a chemist and druggist in 1899. Mr. Stohr is a steward of the Stratford Racing Club, is selector and has been secretary of the local football club, and was one of the promoters and a member of the Stratford Bowling Club. In 1893 he married a daughter of the late Mr. Tom Campbell, of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia.
at Stratford occupies a prominent site in the principal street. It was opened as an agency in 1891, and in October of the following year was created a branch. The bank does a good business, and is under the management of Mr. F. G. Kimbell.
opened in Stratford in 1903.
was appointed to the management of the Stratford branch of the Union Bank in March, 1905. He has had banking experience in England, Australia, and New Zealand, and had been sixteen years in the service of the Union Bank, which he joined in London.
in Stratford was opened as an agency several years ago, and established as as a branch, in the year 1891. It is centrally situated between the National Bank and the Bank of Australasia, and has a good connection in the town and district.
formerly Manager of the Bank of New Zealand at Stratford, is the only surviving son of the late Mr. John Curnow, who was a well-known merchant in Melbourne, Australia. Mr. Curnow was born in Melbourne in 1861, and educated there at the Scots College. After a short experience in a solicitor's office, he, at the age of seventeen, came to New Zealand to take an appointment in the Bank of New Zealand at Christchurch. His first move was to Greytown North, and shortly afterwards he was transferred to Wellington, where he was quickly promoted to the position of senior ledger kceper. Then he went to the Te Aro branch as accountant, and remained about six years, and in 1892 was appointed to the management of the Stratford branch. In 1892 Mr. Curnow married the daughter of Captain Hyde, of Nelson. The late Mr John Curnow, M.A., LL.B., who was formerly second master in Mr. Farquhar Me-Rae's college and grammar school at Auckland, and, later, Inspector of Schools for Canterbury, was a brother, and Mr. W. Curnow, sometime editor of the Sydney Morning Herald, a cousin of the subject of this sketch. Mr. Henry Curnow was transferred from Stratford to the management of the Bank of New Zealand at Whangarei.
at Stratford is situated on a corner site at the intersection of Broadway and Fenton Street. It was opened in the year 1890 as an agency, doing business on one day in the week only; but in 1894 it was raised to the status of an ordinary branch, under the management of Mr. W. M. Bayly. The building now in use was completed early in 1897, and is one of the finest in Stratford.
Manager of the National Bank at Stratford, was born in New Plymouth in the year 1867, and is a son of Mr. Daniel Bayly, of Wanganui, who came to New Zealand in 1841 by the ship “Amelia Thompson.” Mr. Bayly was educated at the Wanganui Collegiate school, joined the National Bank, and has been stationed at New Plymouth, Wanganui, Napier, and Wellington. He is secretary of the Stratford Tennis Club, and a leading player.
was established in the year 1904, and is supported by a large number of business and public men. Meetings are held periodically at the Municipal Chambers. Mr. N. J. King is president, and Mr. J. H. Thompson, honorary secretary.
Land and Commission Agent, Agent for the Alliance Assurance Company and Colonial Mutual Life Assurance Society, Broadway, Stratford. Mr. James was one of the first settlers in Stratford, where he arrived as early as 1880, when dense forests covered the districts and farming was in its most primitive stage. In 1888 he established his present business, which has grown with the progress of the town and district. Mr. James is chairman of the Stratford Chamber of Commerce and the Stratford Farmers' Cooperative Association, Limited, a director of the Stratford Bacon Curing Company, Limited, and has taken a prominent part in promoting the advancement of the district.
Stock and Station Agent; Stratford branch, corner of Broadway and Fenton Streets, Stratford. Agent for Messrs P. and D. Duncan, Christchurch, the Norwich and London Accident Insurance Company, and the New York Life and Phoenix Fire Insurance offices, etc. The Stratford branch of the well known business of Mr. Newton King, stock and station agent, was opened in the year 1900. The premises are situated in Broadway, and consist of a wood and iron building, which contains extensive offices, and a large general sales' room. In Juliet Street there are three large bulk stores, fitted with a water-power lift and grain crushing plant, in connection with the main establishment. Weekly sales of produce, furniture, pigs, poultry and horses are held each Saturday at the Mart and Haymarket yards; fortnightly stock sales at Mr. King's yards, at the corner of Fenton Street and Portia Street; and regular stock sales at Toko, Kaponga, and Whangamomona. Sixteen persons are employed, including two auctioneers.
was appointed Manager and Auctioneer of the Stratford branch of
Auctioneer and General Commission Agent, Broadway, Stratford. This business was established in the year 1898, by the present proprietor, and is conducted in a wood and iron building, which contains an auction room, and a general store. Mr. Morison does a large business in seeds and is agent for Messrs Sutton and Son, London, Gibbons and Co., of Wellington, the Victoria Fire Insurance Company, Wilson and Co. (Portland cement), Kempthorne, Prosser and Co. (Westfield manure), and R. MeK. Morison (nurseryman). Mr Morison holds a regular weekly sale of farm produce and poultry at his rooms in Stratford. He was born in the year 1863, in Auckland, and is a son of Mr. John Morison, an old settler, who arrived in Auckland in 1842, and was afterwards for many years a resident of Mahurangi. Mr. Morison was educated in Auckland, and was brought up as an orchardist in the Auckland district, where he remained for some years working on his own account, before establishing his present business in Stratford. He was a member of the Stratford Town Board, has been a member of the Stratford Borough Council, and is a member of the Stratford Agricultural Society. In 1886 Mr. Morison married a daughter of Mr. Alfred Catchpole, merchant, of Ponsonby, Auckland, and has one son and four daughters.
(Frederick James Steuart and Samuel Bradley Corrigan), Auctioneers and Commission Agents. Head office, Manaia; branch at Stratford. This business was established by Messrs Budge and Good, and subsequently acquired by Messrs Steuart and Corrigan. Regular sales are held at Manaia, Stratford, Otakeho, Kaponga, Strathmore; and an annual sheep fair takes place at Manaia during February. Owing to the firm's large and increasing connection, a branch was established at Stratford.
Senior Partner of the firm of Messrs Steuart and Corrigan, was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in the year 1849. He was educated at Chatham. England, and afterwards came to New Zealand. In the year 1868, in conjunction with his brother, he took up a station in Otago, where he remained for five years. Afterwards he was in partnership with Mr. Brown for five years, and then removed to the North Island. He took up a large block of several thousand acres of land in Taranaki, in partnership with his father-in-law, and in 1890 took up another 4000 acres in the East Ward. On a part of this property the township of Strathmore was afterwards formed. About 700 head of cattle and 4000 crossbred sheep are depastured. Though not actively engaged in publie life, Mr. Steuart takes a keen interest in all things that bear upon the progress of the district. He married a daughter of a well known settler at Manaia, and has both sons and daughters.
Public Accountant, Auditor, Land, Commission, and Insurance Agent, York Chambers, Broadway, Stratford. This business was established in January, 1903, by Mr. Thompson. He is agent for the Sun Fire office, the Accident branch of the New Zealand Insurance Company, secretary of the Stratford Electric Supply Company, Limited, Derby Brothers' Stratford Sash and Door Factory, the Taranaki Athletic Association, the Stratford Caledonian Society, and the Stratford Chamber of Commerce. He is also agent for Mr. W. Butler, carrier.
Mr. Thompson was born in 1880, at Feilding, and was educated partly in Feilding and partly in Stratford. He was brought up as an accountant, and for six years was accountant to the Taranaki Sawmillers' Association, before establishing his present business. Mr. Thompson has also acted as honary secretary of the Stratford Public Library for a year or two.
(Stanley Orbell and John Reay Mackay), Engineers and Surveyors. Broadway, Stratford. Branch at Inglewood. This firm was constituted in the year 1899. Messrs Orbell and Mackay undertake surveying and engineering throughout the district; they are engineers for the Maganui, Moa, and Waitara West Road Boards, and formerly were engineers to the Inglewood Borough Council and Clifton County Council. Mr. Mackay is further referred to as secretary of the Stratford Racing Club.
Photograph-ic Artist, Broadway, Stratford. Private residence. Mountain Road North. This bbusiness was established in the year 1896. It is conducted in a wood and iron building, which contains a show room, a waiting room, a well-lighted studio, a dark room and finishing rooms. Mr. McAllister undertakes all kinds of portraiture and landscape photography. He was born in Helensborough, Scotland, and when six years of age came to New Zealand with his parents. He was educated in Dunedin, where he afterwards learned photography. Mr. McAllister subsequently worked in Christchurch and Wellington, and then removed to Hawera. A year later he disposed of his business, and established himself in Stratford.
Baker and Confectioner, Central Tea Rooms, Broadway, Stratford. This business was established in November, 1893, by Mrs. M. Ellingford. The premises adjoin the Post Office, and consist of a wood and iron building, with a verandah. The shop has double windows, and there is a large luncheon room, which will seat about forty people. There is a bakehouse in connection with the establishment, under the charge of a competent baker. Bread is delivered throughout Stratford and the surrounding districts. Mrs. Ellingford was born in Banks Peninsula.
Baker, Stratford. Mr. Lacey, who, until the incorporation of the borough in 1898, was a member of the Stratford Town Board, is a native of Lincolnshire, England. He came to New Zealand by the ship “Halcione,” and for several years was engaged in contracting in Taranaki. He also had a farm on Smart road. In 1892 he removed to Stratford, and acquired his present old established bakery business. Mr. Lacey takes a leading part in local affairs, and is a local preacher in the Primitive Methodist church, of which he has been a member for over thirty years. He is married, and has seven daughters and three sons.
Baker and Confectioner, Broadway, Stratford. This business was established in the year 1891. It is conducted in suitable premises, which include a modern bakehouse with the latest improvements. Delivery is made by cart throughout the district.
Baker and Confectioner, Covent Garden Tea Rooms, Broadway, Stratford. These tea rooms were established in the year 1894, and were acquired by Miss Wilson in 1901. The premises consist of a wood and iron building, with a verandah, and contain a shop, a tea room, and a residence. There is also a bakehouse under the charge of a competent baker. Bread is delivered throughout Stratford and the surrounding district. Miss Wilson was born at Meanee, Hawke's Bay, and is a daughter of Mr. Peter Wilson, an old settler of the Stratford district. She was educated at Kakara-mea and Manutahi, and was brought up to country life. For four years and a-half Miss Wilson worked in Stratford for Messrs Curtis Brothers, and subsequently gained two years' experience in the Auckland district, before she entered on her present business.
Aerated Water and Cordial Manufacturer, Stratford. Established 1892. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. Mr. Johnston was born in the year 1854, at Waimea, Nelson, where he was educated, and afterwards was farming. In the year 1890 he took over his present business from his brother Mark. Mr. Johnston has greatly increased his trade, and has an extensive connection in the district. He is a member of the Order of Oddfellows, and has filled all the chairs.
Coach Builder and General Blacksmith, and agent for the Massey-Harris Bicycles, Page Street, Stratford. This business is conducted in a wood and iron building which contains a general smith's shop, a wheelwright's shop, and a paint shop. There is also a convenient office. The smith's shop was the first establishment of its kind in Stratford, and was founded by Mr. James McKenzie in the year 1879. Nine persons are employed. Mr. Pollock was born in 1872, in Belfast, Ireland, where he was educated. He landed in Wellington in February, 1885. Then he went to Taranaki, learned his trade in Stratford, and was employed for ten years in the establishment, of which he became owner in 1896. Mr. Pollock is married, and has two sons and three daughters.
(Cornelius O'Leary, proprietor), Broadway, Stratford. This business was established in the year 1903, by Mr. C. O'Leary, who was for four years previously manager of the local branch of the Melbourne Clothing Company. The premises consist of a wood and iron building with a
(B. F. Hardy, manager), Clothiers and Mercers, Broadway, Stratford. This business was established in 1900. The premises include a double-fronted shop with a verandah, a fitting room, and a residence. A large stock of clothing, mercery, and boots is maintained, and the company imports most of its merchandise.
was appointed Manager of the Melbourne Clothing Company in the year 1902. He was born in 1878, in Auckland, where he was educated, and learned his trade under Messrs Rush-brook and Co., of that city. Mr. Hardy subsequently gained experience in connection with other firms, before his present appointment. In 1899 he married a daughter of the late Mr. W. Nealie, of Waikato, and has one son and one daughter.
Draper, Clothier, Milliner, etc., Municipal Buildings, Broad way, Stratford. This business was established in the year 1895, and was acquired by the present proprietor in 1904. It is conducted in a double-fronted shop with a verandah. Mr. Plumtree imports Manchester and dress goods, as well as various other lines, from the best British and other markets. He maintains a large and varied stock, and has adopted a system of order and delivery by post with customers at a distance, which has proved very successful. Six persons are employed in the business. Mr. Plumtree was born in the year 1873, in Shiels, Yorkshire, England, was educated in Hull, and came to New Zealand in 1889. He subsequently gained experience of his trade in Patea and Hawera, but finally removed to Stratford, and in 1895 entered the establishment, of which he afterwards became the proprietor.
Draper, Manchester House, Broadway, Stratford. This business was established in the year 1896, and was acquired two years later by the present proprietor. Manchester House is the largest retail establishment in Stratford, and consists of a double-fronted roomy shop, and a convenient showroom, an office, and a reserve room, etc. Mr. Robinson imports the bulk of his stock direct from English manufacturers, and thus gets his goods at the finest prices. He is ably supported by his two sons, Messrs W. H. Robinson and J. L. Robinson, and four other assistants. In 1904 Mr. Robinson bought an old established business at Inglewood, which is managed by his second son, Mr. E. H. Robinson, with a staff of five assistants. Mr. Robinson is further referred to as a member of the Stratford Borough Council.
Merchant Tailor, Broadway, Stratford. This business was established in the year 1896. The premises consist of a wood and iron building, and contain a shop with a verandah, a cutting room, a fitting room, and two workrooms. Mr. Fieldes is an importer oftweeds, and tailors' trimmings, and maintains a well assorted stock. He was born in 1867 at Nelson, and is a son of a very early settler; was educated partly in Nelson and partly at the Blenheim High School, and afterwards worked at his trade for five years in Nelson. Afterwards he removed to Hawera, and conducted business on his own account for four years. He then sold out, and was for
Merchant Tailor, Broadway Stratford. This business was established by Mr J. Francis, and afterwards acquired by the present proprietor. It is conducted in a wood and iron building, which contains a shop with a verandah, a workroom and cutting rooms. Mr. Patterson is an importer of tweeds and tailors' trimmings, and maintains a considerable stock. He was born in the North of Ireland in the year 1868, and came to New Zealand at an early age with his parents. He was educated in Dunedin and Inver-cargill, where he learned his trade. Then he went to Australia, and gained four years' experience in the best tailoring establishments in Melbourne and Sydney. Mr. Patterson returned to New Zealand, and worked as a journeyman in Dunedin for two years-before settling in Taranaki. In the year 1893, he married a daughter of Mr. F. Lacey, of Straford.
Hairdresser and Tobacconist, Broadway, Stratford. This business was established in the year 1902. It is conducted in a wood and iron building, which contains a shop, and a saloon with two chairs. A general stock of tobacco and fancy goods is maintained, Mr. Jensen was born in the year 1877, in Blenheim, was educated at Wanganui, and learned his business under his father. He is an honorary member of the Stratford Football Club; for three years he was a member of the Stratford Brass Band; was a member of the Wanganui band for one year; and is a member of the Stratford Gun Club, and Boxing Association. In 1902 he married a daughter of Mr. William Brun-skill, ol the firm of W. and J. Staples, boot manufacturers, Wellington, and has one daughter.
Hairdresser, Tobacconist, and Billiard Room Proprietor, Broadway, Stratford. This business was established in September, 1891, and was the first of its kind in Stratford. It is conducted in a building of wood and iron, which contains a shop with a verandah, a saloon fitted with three chairs, and a well-lighted billiard room, which contains a fine table by Wright Ranish and Co. Mr. Mercer was born in the year 1870, at Maidstone, Kent, England, and came to New Zealand with his parents at an early age. He was educated in Nelson, and learned his trade with Mr. Aldous, in Wellington.
(Frederick Smyth Pollock, J.P., proprietor), corner of Broadway and Page Street, Stratford. This hotel was established in the year 1892. It is a large two-storied wood and iron building, with a balcony on three sides, and contains twenty-three bedrooms, seven sitting rooms, a commercial room, and a fine dining room, which will seat fifty guests. There are also stables in connection with the establishment.
J.P., Proprietor of the Commercial Hotel, was born in the year 1867, in County Derry, Ireland, where he was educated, and brought up to farming by his father, with whom he worked until emigrating to Canada in 1886. He was for six years and a half in New York and Montreal, and then returned to the Old Country, Mr. Pollock afterwards went to New South Wales, Australia, was for some time in Sydney, and atterwards made a trip through the country, visiting Burke, Newcastle, and other places. Subsequently he came to New Zealand, settled in Stratford in 1896, and became proprietor of the Commercial Hotel. Mr. Pollock took a trip to the Old Country in 1902, and visited America, Ireland, England, and Scotland, Honoluln, and Pago Pago. He was appointed a Justice of the Peace in 1904. In 1896 he married a daughter of the late Mr. Gallie, of Timaru, and has two sons.
Engineer and Cycle Agent, Juliet Street, Stratford. This business was established in the year 1896, but the premises now occupied were not erected until December, 1902. They consist of a one-storied wood and iron building, which contains a double-fronted shop, part of which is divided off as a cycle show room, and a workroom. The plant includes a four horse-power Pelton water wheel, lathes and drilling, shaping, grinding, and other machines, Mr. Harkness Imports Allday and Onion cycles, and builds machines from Birmingham Small Arms parts. He was born in 1872, in Wanganui, was educated in Hawera, and learned engineering in Wellington, under the firm of S. Luke and Company, Limited, by whom he was employed for six years. He subsequently settled in Stratford, and founded his present business. In 1899 Mr. Harkness married a daughter of Mr. F. Hawkins, of Makara, Wellington, and has two daughters and one son.
(Sidney Arthur Ward), Ironmongers and Hardware Merchants, Broadway, Stratford. This business was founded by Mr. S. A. Ward in May, 1899, and is conducted in large, suitable, and specially fitted up premises. The firm does a large indenting trade, and its customers are scattered over the surrounding districts, as far as the back blocks. Three persons are employed. Mr. Ward is further referred to as a member of the Stratford Borough Council.
(Herbert Mercer, manager), Broadway, Stratford. This business was established in the year 1902. It is conducted in a wood and iron building, which contains a shop with a verandah, ladies' and gentlemen's fitting rooms, an office and a workshop. A large and well assorted stock is maintained by the company.
Boot and Shoemakers and Importers; Head Office, Wellington; Stratford branch, Broadway, Stratford. The Stratford branch of this business was founded in the year 1891. The premises are situated on leasehold land, and consist of a double-fronted shop with a verandah, and a workroom behind.
Manager of the Stratford branch of Messrs R. Hannah and Co., was born in the year 1869, in London, England, where he was educated, and learned his trade. In 1891 Mr. Dixon went to Melbourne, Australia, and nine months later removed to Tasmania, where he was employed by Messrs B. G. Clark and Co., of Launceston, for two years. He afterwards went to Sydney, where he had four years' experience in the boot business, and was subsequently for two years at Armidale. In 1901 Mr. Dixon came to New Zealand, and finally settled in Stratford. He is a member of the Stratford Bowling Club. In 1894, Mr. Dixon married a daughter of Mr. Robert Meredith, of Sydney, New South Wales, and has one son.
Boat and Shoemaker and Importer, Corner Shop, Broadway, Stratford. This business was established in the year 1888, and acquired by Mr. Jordan in 1904. The premises consist of a large shop with a verandah and a good show window. There are also fitting rooms and work rooms. Mr. Jordan imports English and European goods, and also keeps a considerable stock of colonial bootware. He was born in the year 1876, at Ashburton, Canterbury, and was educated at Palmerston North. In 1894 Mr. Jordan removed to Stratford, where he learned the saddlery business, and found employment for four years. He was then employed at the Corner Boot Shop, and gained experience for three years and a-half before acquiring the business on his own account. Mr. Jordan married a daughter of Mr. William McIvor, of Dunedin, in 1903, and has one son.
(George L. Pearce, proprietor), Boot and Shoe Importer, Broadway, Stratford. This business was established in 1902. It is conducted in a wood and iron building with a verandah, and contains a shop, a fitting room, and a workshop.
Proprietor of the Universal Boot Depot, was born in the year 1873, in Cardiff, Wales, England. He came to New Zealand at an early age, was educated at Waitara, and gained experience of commercial life at Dannevirke, Christchurch, and Ashburton. He afterwards settled in Stratford, and acquired his present business in 1904. Mr. Pearce is a member of the Stratford Municipal Brass Band. In 1897 he married a daughter of the late Mr. John Renowden, of Nelson, and has two sons and two daughters.
Butcher, Broadway, Stratford. Private Residence, Juliet Street. This business was established many years ago, and was acquired by the present proprietor in the year 1903. The premises consist of a large shop with a verandah, an office, and a small goods room, and there is also a stable. All meat sold in the establishment is killed at the municipal abattoirs. Mr Curtis was born in 1861, in Surrey, England, where he was partly educated. He came to New Zealand at an early age, and for about ten years resided in Napier, where he learned his trade as a butcher, under Mr. Conway. He then removed to Auckland, and was with the well known firm of R. and W. Hellaby for twenty-two years, for fourteen of which he had the management of the firm's Parnell shop. Thence he removed to Stratford to take over his present business. Mr. Curtis was for fourteen years a member of St. Mary's Cathedral choir in Parnell, and is a member of the Holy Trinity church choir in Stratford. He is also a member of the Stratford school committee. In 1891 Mr. Curtis married a daughter of Mr. John Conway, builder, of Tauranga, and has three daughters.
was established in the year 1898. Directors for 1906: Mr. R. Dingle (chairman), and Messrs O. M. Curtis, S. H. James, N. J. King, R. Cock, J. C. George, and J. B. Connett. Mr. P. F. Ralfe is secretary, and Mr. J. Batcher, curer. The factory is situated on three acres of land on Cloton road. It is a two-storied building in wood, iron, and brick, and has cutting, curing, washing, trimming, and drying departments. The plant includes a water turbine engine of fifty-six horse-power, and a British Linde six-ton refrigerator. The cool chambers can carry 100 pigs per week. The brand is “Shakespeare,” and the goods include both smoked and green cured bacon. The slaughter house is one mile distant from Stratford, on part of a section of 134 acres on East road, and is connected by a tram-line with the factory.
Secretary of the Stratford Bacon Curing Company, is further referred to as a member of the Stratford Borough Council.
Butcher, Stratford. This business was established in the year 1904, and is conducted in a wood and iron building. Mr. Walsh was born in 1864, in Victoria, Australia, where he was educated, came to New Zealand at an early age, and learned his trade in Wellington. He was afterwards for four years employed in Nelson, and then removed to New Plymouth, where he remained for six years. Mr. Walsh settled in Stratford in 1900, and, after working for some time as a journeyman, started in business on his own account. In 1886 he married a daughter of the late Mr. John Ruck, of Wellington. This lady died in 1898, leaving three daughters and two sons. In January, 1901, Mr. Walsh married a daughter of Mr.
(Alfred Gilbert Wallace, manager), Broadway, Stratford. This business was established in the year 1903. The premises consist of a shop with a verandah and a residence. A large stock of well assorted English and colonial tweeds is maintained.
was appointed Manager of the Bradford Woollen Company in the year 1904. He was born in 1885 in Wanganui, where he was educated, and where he gained five years experience at the tailoring trade, before he received his present appointment.
Stratford, was founded in the year 1896. Directors for the year 1906: Mr. H. N. Liardct (chairman), and Messrs N. Randrup, R. Orr, G. Moir, N. B. Fry-day and J. Irvine; G. H. Archer (manager), and W. Monkhouse (secretary). The company's buildings, situated in Broadway, consist of a large store with offices, and a store room, and contain departments for clothing, grocery, hardware, crockery, glass-ware, and grain and produce. The company has also a store and stabling in Juliet Street.
was appointed Manager of the Central Co-operative Store, at Stratford, in the year 1904, and was formerly connected with the Golden Cross Co-operative Store, Golden Cross, Ohinemuri. He is further referred to at page 916 of the Auckland volume of the Cyclopedia of New Zealand.
was founded in the year 1895. Directors for 1906: Mr. R. Dingle (chairman), and Messrs W. Montgomery, G. Sangster, W. Peters, T. Hine, J. C. George, J. Pennington, W. H. Were, and E. Walter. Mr. J. F. Batey is manager, and Mr. H. Hine, secretary. The Central Factory of this Association stands on a section of three acres in extent, on Cloton road, and contains a full modern plant, the output of which is about 500 tons of butter per annum. The Association has seven creameries in the surrounding districts; namely, at Robson, Skinner, Toko. Gordon, Douglas and Makuri roads, and also at Toko. The milk receiving stage at the Central Factory is large enough for two milk waggons to be unloaded at a time, and by means of a steam hoist the milk is taken at the rate of 2500 gallons per hour. When the milk is received it is weighed, and samples are taken from each supplier, who is paid on the percentage of butter fat as shown by the Babcock milk tests. The separator room is 36 feet by 24 feet, and is fitted with five Alpha de Laval separators, capable of treating 2000 gallons per hour. The separators are supplied with milk from two 1100 gallon Triumph pasteurisers. In summer 4500 gallons of milk are received per day, with a growing supply. The skim milk is returned to suppliers at the rate of eighty-five per cent, and ten per cent, of butter milk. The cream room is 22 feet by 24 feet, fitted with one 600-gallon and three 400-gallon cream vats, which stand high enough to run the ripened cream from them to the churns. The cream, as it runs from the separators, is elevated by means of the Sabroa cream elevators, the first of their kind introduced in New Zealand. From them the cream passes over the Alpha de Laval cream cooler into the cream vats, where it is ripened, and the proper temperature controlled by means of freezing machinery. The butter room is 36 feet by 24 feet, fitted with three churns and two butter workers, of the latest improvement, and a capacity of 1000lb each. Off the butter room there are two cooling chambers, where the temperature can be controlled to any degree without trouble. There is also a fine storeroom, where all boxes are prepared for packing. Above the store-room is the salt room, with every convenience for its purpose. Off the separator room is the engine and freezing machinery room, whilst the boiler room, which is built of iron, stands about four feet clear from the main building.
Manager of the Central Factory of the Stratford Farmers' Co-operative Association, drew the ground plans, and had the building and plant erected as he required it. In fact all the machinery has been fitted up by himself, and the factory is admitted by all experts to he the finest and most up-to-date in New Zealand. Mr. Batey was born in Cumberland, England, where he was brought up in the butter trade and dairying, and had considerable experience in factories. He was one of the first practical experts that came out to New Zealand, and arrived in Canterbury in 1888, when the dairy industry was in its infancy. Mr. Batey first took charge of the well known Tai Tapu factory, twelve miles from Christchurch, where he remained eight years, and under his capable management the factory secured its present flourishing position. He was appointed manager of the Stratford Central Factory in 1896, and shortly afterwards was successful in carrying off the champion shield at the Hawera show, and many other first prizes at the New Plymouth and Dunedin shows. Mr. Batey's English experience has been of great value, and in him the Association has a thoroughly practical and capable manager. He has made himself very popular with the settlers and townspeople, and has done much towards furthering the advancement of the dairy industry. Mr. Batey is a Freemason, and has held office as Senior Warden in the Lincoln Lodge. He has served on the committee of the Stratford District High School.
(Robert McKinney Morison, proprietor), Main Road, Stratford. These well kept nurseries include fifty-five acres of land, situated partly within and partly outside the boundary of the borough of Stratford, and are well watered by a creek. Mr. Morison makes a specialty of shelter trees, hedge trees, and shrubs, and has splendid specimens of shelter hedges to meet every requirement. He is further referred to as a member of the Stratford Borough Council.
Bookseller, Stationery and Fancy-goods Dealer, Broadway, Stratford. This business was established about the year 1894, and was acquired by the present proprietor in May, 1901. The premises include a large shop with a verandah, and a well assorted stock is maintained in all departments. Mr. Betts imports, largely from the best markets. Two persons are employed. Mr. Betts is further referred to as a member of the Stratford Borough Council.
General Storekeeper, Broadway, Stratford. Mr Hopkins is the eldest son of Mr William Hopkins, of Saltwater Creek, North Canterbury, and was born on the 16th of December, 1861. He was educated at the local public school, and afterwards worked on his father's farm for some years. In the year 1882 he began business on his own account as a storekeeper at Woodend, and remained there for nine years. He then went to Kaikoura, and in the year 1893 removed to Papanui, Christchurch, where he conducted a general store very successfully for ten years. In 1903 he removed to Stratford, and entered into partnership with Mr. W. Burrough, storekeeper. Two years later Mr. Hopkins bought his partner's interest, and has since conducted the business on his own account. In 1883 he married a daughter of Mr. John Stevens, of Woodend, and has four daughters, the eldest of whom is married to Mr. Robert Masters, of Stratford.
was established in the year 1899. Directors for 1906: Mr. R. H. Cameron (chairman), and Messrs F. J. Steuart, G. E. Wilson, N. J. King, A. W. Reid, and S. H. James. Mr. W. J. Newton is engineer, and Mr. J. H. Thompson, secretary. There is a capital of £5000, and there were dividends at the rate of eight per cent, in 1904. and five per cent, in the years 1905 and 1906. The works, which were the first established in Taranaki, and the first, outside Wellington city, to supply public lighting by electricity in the North Island, are situated on the Patea river, about three-quarters of a mile east of the town boundary. The plant includes two Brown Boverie alternators single phase forty cycles, each driven by twin turbines of Swiss manufacture. The current leaves the station at 2200 volts, and is transformed in the town to 100 volts. The capacity of the plant (1906) is ninety kilowats. The company runs a night load only, but it is intended shortly to supply a day load for motors.
entered the service of the Stratford Electric Supply Company's service in August, 1902, and was appointed chief engineer in February, 1903. He was born in the year 1850, at Tunbridge Wells, England, and was educated partly in his native place, and partly in Sweden. Mr. Newton served an apprenticeship in fitting and turning in his father's workshop, after which he became a partner. Disposing of the business in Sweden, Mr. Newton returned to England in the end of 1872, and in 1874 came to New Zealand, landing in Dunedin. In 1887 he removed to Wellington, and for about three years was in charge of the industrial branch of the New Zealand Equitable Fire and Life Assurance Society. He afterwards became a member of the firm of Gaby and Newton, engineers, Wellington, and commenced the systematic manufacture of split pulleys, bearings, etc. After dissolving partnership, he went into business as a practical electrician, and was a co-patentee of the “Pononga Electric Belt.” In January, 1897, he was appointed assistant engineer at the Porirua Asylum, and held the position until August, 1902. In 1871 Mr. Newton married a daughter of the late Mr. Carl Johan Scherstrom, of Stockholm, and has one son.
Jeweller and Watchmaker, Stratford. Mr. Gilbert's establishment is well fitted up; he keeps an up-to-date stock, and has a good and steadily increasing connection. Mr. Gilbert was born in the year 1859, at New Romney, Kent, England, where he was educated, and learned his trade with his father, who had an old established business in that town. Hearing good accounts of New Zealand, he came to the colony in the ship “Oldenburg,” and soon after his arrival, opened up his business in Eltham, whence he removed to Stratford. Mr. Gilbert takes a considerable interest in local matters, and has been a member of the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce, and of the Education Board.
Watchmaker and Jeweller, Broadway, Stratford. This business was established in the year 1896 by Mr. John Petrie. The building is of wood, iron, and brick, and contains a large shop, well equipped in every respect, and a convenient work room. There is also a very fine show window. Mr. Petrie was born in the year 1854 in New Deer, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, where he was educated and learned his trade. Subsequently for a few years he conducted the business which was established by his grandfather, John Petrie, at New Deer, in the year 1800, and carried on by his father, William Petrie. In 1875 Mr. Petrie came to New Zealand on account of the health of his family. He married Miss Stephen, of New Deer, and has three sons and three daughters.
Carrier, Coal, Firewood, Grain, and Produce Merchant. Office, yards, and stablos, Broadway and Juliet Street, Stratford. Agent for the New Zealand and Colonial Carrying Companies. This business was established by Mr. Jury in 1900. The premises consist of a commodious iron store, stables, and yards, situated on half an acre of freehold land in Broadway, and of a stable, stores and yards situated in Juliet Street. There is storage capacity for 5000 sacks of grain, and a plant for crushing oats and wheat, and for cutting wood, which is driven by a six horse-power engine and boiler. The stables in Broadway consist of six stalls and four loose boxes, besides a man's room. The Juliet Street premises have a sixteen-stalled stable, with five loose boxes, together with a harness room, a storeroom, a man's room, and covered coal sheds. There is also standing room for traps, etc. The plant includes four large lorries, an express, seven spring drays, and two tip drays. Eighteen horses are employed in the business. Mr. Jury also owns a mower, and a side delivery reaper, and undertakes agricultural contracts in the district. In June, 1906, he bought out the business of Mr. W. Butler, who was in the same line, including his New Zealand Express Agency, and works it in conjunction with his old business. Mr. Jury was born in 1870, in Omata, was educated at Tikorangi, and brought up to farm work. Subsequently he worked a farm of eighty acres on the Pembroke road, Stratford, for eleven years, and after he had greatly improved it he sold the property to the Stratford Poultry Company, Limited. Mr. Jury is a member of the Caledonian and Acclimatisation Societies, and, as a Freemason, is a member of Lodge Stratford, No. 75. In 1891, he married a daughter of Mr. G. Mumby, of Stratford, and has one son.
Cloton road, Stratford. This factory is a wood and iron building, and was erected in the year 1891. The machinery is driven by a twelve horse-power overshot water wheel, and the plant includes planing and morticing machines, two circular, and two cross-cut saw benches, a power morticer, tenon, moulding, sand-papering and boring machines, and a band saw. All kinds of joining, in addition to the manufacture of sashes, doors, mantels and other work, are undertaken. Ten persons are employed.
was appointed Manager of Derby Brothers' Sash and Door Factory in November, 1902. He was born in Kent, England, in January, 1847, and accompanied his parents to New Zealand when he was ten years of age. He was educated partly in Wellington and partly in Auckland, and learned the trade of a builder and joiner. For some years he was connected with various large
has its head office in Broadway, Stratford, and was incorporated on the 31st of October, 1896. Directors for the year 1906: Messrs H. Brown and Co. (Inglewood and New Plymouth), G. Syme (Hawera), Twigg and Co. (Hawera), Derby Brothers (Toko and Stratford), and the New Plymouth Sash and Door Company (New Plymouth). The object of the company is to regulate the price of timber, and to attend to matters of mutual interest in connection with the sawmilling industry. Mr. W. Daveney is secretary.
Farmer, Mona Park, Stratford. Mr. Corkill was born in the year 1859, in the Isle of Man, where he was educated and brought up to country life, by his father, who owned a large farm. He came to New Zealand in 1878, and settled in Otago, at Horseshoe Bush, and became a station manager. Five years later he removed to New Plymouth, on behalf of the National Bank, to take charge of the Tataraimaka estate, and after managing this property for five years he settled in Stratford in the year 1888. Mr. Corkill subsequently bought 200 acres of land, which he named “Mona Park.” Of this property he still (1906) farms sixty acres, milking about twenty cows, the balance being let to a tenant. Mr Corkill has been vicar's warden and people's churchwarden in the Holy Trinity church, Stratford, for some time. In 1886 he married a daughter of the late Mr. James Cullen, one of the oldest identities of the Taieri Plains, and who is said to have brought the first horses to Dunedin. Mr. Corkill has four sons and one daughter.
Farmer, “Fernside Farm,” Kaohuri Road, Stratford. Mr. Cox was born in the year 1840 in Lineolnshire, England, where he was educated, and brought up to farming. In 1875 he came to New Zealand by the ship “Halcione,” and was engaged on various Government works till 1880, when he acquired his present property of 103 acres. Mr. Cox is one of the suppliers of the Stratford Dairy Company. He has always taken considerable interest in local affairs, and was a member of the Manganui Road Board for three years. He is married, and has one daughter.
was agent at Stratford for the Accident Branch of the Commercial Union, the National Fire Insurance Company, and the Citizens' Life Insurance Company; auditor for a number of local companies, including the Stratford Building Society and the Electric Supply Company; and acted as agent for the purchase and sale of property in all parts of the colony. He was appointed Returning Officer for the Patea electorate in the year 1905. Mr. Brooking was born in New Plymouth in 1870, and was educated at the New Plymouth High School. He afterwards gained experience in mercantile life in New Plymouth, Wellington, and Auckland. For two years and a-half he was secretary of the Stratford Co-operative Store Company, and was the proprietor of the Egmont Settler for two years. In 1896 Mr. Brooking married a daughter of Mr. B. Buckthought, of Taranaki, and had three sons and two daughters, at the time of his death, on the 27th of April, 1906. Mr. Brooking had been operated on for appendicitis, but passed away on the second day after the operation.
who was at one time chairman of the Stratford County Council, is the youngest surviving son of one of Taranaki's
was born in Perth, Scotland, in the year 1836, and arrived with his parents in Nelson by the ship “Phoebe Dunbar,” in 1850. He afterwards worked at the building trade with his father, and in 1856 went to the Collingwood gold diggings, and was with the first party who found gold at the Slate river. A year later he returned to Nelson, and worked again at his trade for five years. He then removed to Blenheim and was in business there for twenty years, during thirteen of which he was Deputy Official Assignee. He had large stores and timber yards, all of which were swept away in the great flood of 1872, which ruined him. On making a fresh start, he received large orders for tallow casks, and did very well as a cooper and contractor. In 1878 Mr. Gorrie removed to Nelson, where he followed various occupations and contracts. In 1891 he went to Taranaki, and settled in Stratford in the coachbuilding trade, from which he retired four years later with an interest in the Oeo Hotel, on the West Coast. As an architect he supervised the construction of many fine buildings in Stratford town and district. Mr. Gorrie was sub-agent for the National Insurance Company, Citizens' Life Assurance and Scottish Metropolitan Accident Insurance Societies. Whilst he was in Blenheim he was captain of the Fire Brigade for twelve years. He was married and had one son, a coachbuilder, at the Lower Hutt, near Wellington. Mr. Gorrie died some time ago.
formerly Postmaster and Telegraphist at Stratford, was born in Wanganui, in the year 1858, and was educated at the Wanganui College. He was afterwards clerk and shipping reporter on the Wanganui Herald, when that paper was owned by the late Hon. John Ballance. In 1874 he became a cadet in the telegraph department. After being stationed at Blenheim for eighteen months, he was removed to Christchurch, where he remained for nine years. He was then successively at Wellington and Wanganui, and was appointed to Stratford in 1893, where he remained until retiring in 1902. Mr. Rapley's never failing courtesy made him a very popular officer. He was for some years, subsequently, agent for the United States Equitable Life Insurance office, and on the withdrawal of the company became agent for another life insurance office. He has been a Freemason for many years, and is a member of the local lodge. While in Wanganui he studied for, and successfully passed the barristers' general knowledge examinations. Mr. Rapley is married, and has five daughters and two sons.
formerly Chairman of the Stratford Butter Factory Company, was born on the Rhine, Germany, and came with his parents to Canterbury, in 1851. He was educated at Christchurch, and was afterwards engaged in farming. Mr. Tisch visited the West Coast goldfields, and followed goldmining for two years. He then travelled through the colony, and finally bought an estate at Lepperton, near New Plymouth, which he farmed until the foundation of Inglewood township, when he determined to start business there as a butcher, and fattened his beasts on his own farm. He remained at Inglewood for about four years, and sold out in 1878. Mr. Tisch then removed to Stratford, when he opened the first hotel there
was one of the early settlers of the Stratford district. As a man of unusual energy and enterprise he has, however, been actively associated with settlement and industry in other districts, such as Meanee in Hawke's Bay, and Karamea and Manutahi in Taranaki. Mr. Wilson is at present (1906) a resident of the provincial district of Auckland.
is a small settlement in the centre of a dairy farming country, and is thirty-three miles west of New Plymouth, and four miles west of Stratford, on the main road to Opunake. It is on the south-east slope of Mount Egmont, forms part of the western riding of the county of Stratford, and is in the Ngaire survey district of the Taranaki land district. The settlement has a store, at which the business of the post office is conducted; a public school; a dairy factory, and a Primitive Methodist church. The country, which is undulating, was originally covered with native forest. Good shooting is obtainable in the neighbourhood.
which was established about the year 1886, stands on a glebe of seven acres. The building is of wood and iron, contains a class room and two porches, and has accommodation for eighty children; there are fifty-seven names on the roll, and the average attendance is forty-five. It is in charge of a mistress who is supported by an assistant.
who has been Headmistress of the Cardiff school since the year 1905, is a native of Westland. She was educated at the Goldsborough school, where she also served her pupil-teachership, and she was two years in charge of the Huiakama school, before she was appointed to Cardiff.
. Head Office, Stratford. Directors for the year 1906: Mr. W. Richards (chairman), and Messrs G. A. Marchant, J. T. Belcher, H. McKean, J. McFadgen, A. J. Smith, P. Wellington, and G. Topp. Mr. A. C. Ross is manager, and Mr. T. H. Penn, secretary. The factory stands on a section of five acres of land. It is built of concrete, wood and iron, and there are cheese making, butter making, engine, and refrigerating, curing, packing, and store rooms, a cooling chamber and an office. The plant is driven by a seven-teen horse-power Murray boiler, and a nine horse-power Tangye engine. In the butter-making department a two ton Humble and Sons' refrigerator is used, as well as three 440 de Laval separators, two churns, two coolers, one 400-gallon cream vat, and one double cream elevator. The cheese-making department is fitted up with five 700-gallon vats, five presses, one curd mill, one de Laval pasteuriser, one Chambers' milk hoist, one alkaline testing outfit, and one Babcock tester. The output for the season 1905–6 consisted of 265 tons of cheese and two tons of butter. There are about thirty-seven suppliers. Five assistants are employed.
Chairman of the Cardiff Co-operative Dairy Factory Company, Limited, has been resident in the district since 1881. He was born in the year 1850, in Staffordshire, England, where he was educated abd brought up as an iron-worker. Mr. Richards came to New Zealand in January, 1880, and landed in Wellington. He joined the Armed Constabulary, and was employed in the construction of the old track round Mount Egmont. Mr. Richards took up 100 acres of land in the Cardiff district, which was then covered with bush, and in 1901, added 257 acres. The property has since been fully cleared and highly improved. Mr. Richards is one of the founders, and an original director, and has been chairman of the local dairy factory since 1901; and he has been a member of the Cardiff school committee, and its chairman for about three years. In 1878 he married a daughter of Mr. Thomas Sutton, of Lutterworth, England, and has three sons and one daughter.
was appointed Manager of the Cardiff Factory in the year 1901. He was born in 1876, at Waimea, Southland, where he was educated, and spent a number of years in connection with the rearing and management of cattle and sheep. He was afterwards employed at the Toitoi Dairy Factory, Fortrose, for one year, and was then appointed manager of the Tokonui Dairy Factory, and during four years of his management was successful in gaining one first, four seconds, and one third prize for cheese at the Otago and Southland Agricultural and Pastoral Society's shows. Mr. Ross subsequently removed to Taranaki. Since the year 1901 he has succeeded in gaining a first and four second prizes
is a farming settlement on the Opunake road. It lies thirty-four miles south-east from New Plymouth, and nine miles from Stratford, in the west riding of the county of Stratford, and in the Kaupokonui survey district of the Taranaki land district. The settlement has a public hall, a smith's shop, and a public school. There is also a good creamery, belonging to the Mangatoki Dairy Company, and the business of the post office is conducted at the residence of the manager. Mails are received and despatched thrice weekly.
was opened about the year 1898, and stands on a section of two acres. A teacher's residence of four rooms was erected in 1906. The average attendance is about forty-six, and the teacher in charge has one assistant. Mr. Samuel Turkington, the headmaster, was born in Belfast, Ireland, in 1858. After coming to New Zealand, he was trained for his profession in Dunedin, and had considerable experience in various parts of the colony before he received his appointment to Mahoe.
has been established for several years, and is situated on the Stratford-Opunake road, about five miles distant from the factory. The building is of wood and iron. Its floor is of concrete, and the plant includes a thirteen horse-power Murray boiler, a six horse-power Tangye engine, four Alpha de Laval separators, a pasteuriser, a cream cooler, a Sabroe cream hoist, Chambers' hoist, etc. The creamery works all the year round, and deals, in the height of the season, with 3,600 gallons per day.
was appointed Manager of the Mahoe Creamery in the year 1901. He was born in New Plymouth in the year 1879, educated at the Fitzroy school, and
is a farming settlement thirty-one miles east from New Plymouth, and six miles from Stratford by rail, in the east riding of the county of Stratford, in the Ngaire survey district of the Taranaki land district. About the year 1885 the whole of the country surrounding the settlement was covered with dense bush. Most of the original settlers took up land under lease with the right to purchase, though many of the holdings were acquired direct from the Maoris. Toko has two stores, a bakery, a butchery, a smithy, one hotel, and a livery stable, and there are four creameries of the Stratford Dairy Factory in the district, including one in the township. The post office is under the charge of a postmistress, and there is a church at which services are held regularly by visiting representatives of various churches. There is also a local domain. There are a number of sawmills at work in and near Toko, including the New Plymouth Sash and Door Company's mill, Messrs Derby Brothers' mill, and Mr. G. Syme's mills at Toko road and Makuri road. Mr. W. M. Kennedy established the first sawmill in the settlement. It is said that the Maori word Toko means, in English, to propel a canoe.
was erected in 1901, but the department had been previously represented for some time at one of the local stores. The building is of wood and iron, and contains a public lobby, a mail room, and a residence. Daily mails are received and despatched. The office is in charge of a postmistress.
was established about the year 1892, and stands on part of a section of ten acres, about one mile and a-half from Toko. The building is of wood and iron, and contains two class rooms and three porches. There is accommodation for 160 pupils, the number on the roll is 163, and the average attendance 120. The teacher's residence adjoins the school; and the headmaster is assisted by a mistress and a pupil teacher.
was appointed headmaster of the Toko public school in the year 1904. He was born in 1865, in Dunedin, where he was educated, and trained as a teacher at the Normal Training College. Mr Allan was for seven years in charge of the Purekireki school, and afterwards removed to Taranaki. He conducted the Oaonui public school for two years, and the Omata public school for six years, before being transferred to Toko. Mr. Allan is a member of the New Zealand Educational Institute. In 1899, he married a daughter of Mr. R. Malcolm, of Oaonui, and has one son and one daughter.
is situated about six miles from Toko. It is the property of the Stratford Dairy Company, and has been at work for a number of years. The building is of wood and iron, and stands on part of a section of four acres; and the plant is driven by water power, and includes a 440 de Laval separator. There are fourteen suppliers, and the largest quantity put through in one day in the season 1905–6 was 1326 gallons.
was appointed manager of the Makuri Road Creamery in the year 1905. He was born in 1881 at Palmerston North, was educated at Rongotea, and brought up to country life. In 1901 he was employed at the Auroa Dairy Factory, near Kaponga, and after one season's experience became an assistant cheese-maker at Awatuna. Mr. Membery was afterwards for a year at the Riverlea Factory before he re-received his present appointment.
was established by the Crown Dairy Company, and acquired by the Stratford Company in 1902. It is a wood and iron building, and stands on a section of two acres of land. The plant includes a twelve horse-power boiler, an eight horse-power engine, two Alpha de Laval separators each of 440 gallons, a cooler, a pasteuriser, and a skim milk pump. There is also a full cheese plant. There are twenty-one suppliers, and the highest tally for the seasons of 1905–6 was 2000 gallons. The cream is sent in daily by the 2.15 train to the factory at Stratford.
was appointed Manager of the Toko Factory in the year 1903. He was born in 1874, at Waikouaiti, where he was educated and brought up to farming. He was afterwards employed at the Shag Valley Dairy Factory, and a year later he became manager of the Owaka Cheese Factory for two years. Mr. Diack was then for three years manager of the Omimi Cheese. Factory, and for two years subsequently he was manager of the Katikati Butter Factory, in the Auckland district, before his present appointment. In
Contractor, Toko. Mr. Hayward was born at the Thames, Auckland, in the year 1871, and was educated in Auckland. He worked in connection with carting and carrying until 1888, when he removed to Taranaki. For two years he was employed on the Pohokura sheep station, and then started a carrying and contracting business on the East road, between Stratford, Toko, and Whangamomona. Mr. Hayward was the first to take pack horses to the Whangamomona district, in the year 1890, for Mr. Sealey's survey party. He employs about fifty bullocks and ten horses, including waggons and drays. In 1902 Mr. Hayward married a daughter of the late Mr. H. Surman, of Mount Eden, Auckland, and has one son and one daughter.
(G. E. Cluett). General Storekeepers, Toko. This business was established in the year 1892, and was acquired by the present proprietor in 1898. The building is of wood and iron, and is situated in the main street of the township. It contains a store, an office, and a residence. The premises also include a bulk store and a stable.
was born in Portsmouth, England, where he was educated; and in 1870 entered the service of the mercantile marine. He was for seven years in the Shaw, Savill and Albion line, and became second mate on the “Zealandia.” Mr. Cluett subsequently came to New Zealand and settled in Auckland, where he was engaged in various occupations. About 1890 he removed to Stratford, and took over the Commercial Hotel. A year later he acquired the Ellerslie Hotel, near Auckland; he was then for some time in business as a sharebroker, and was well known on the Auckland Exchange. Mr. Cluett afterwards returned to Stratford, and, in conjunction with Mr. R. Carr, took over the Stratford Hotel, in which he continued to be interested until he settled at Toko.
was appointed Manager of Messrs Cluett and Company's store in Toko in July, 1905. He was born in 1878, in Wellington, was educated at St. Patrick's College, and was brought up to business life at the Molesworth Street establishment of Mr. David Anderson, with whom he remained for about six years. Subsequently, Mr. Caulton was employed by the Massey-Harris Company, in Dunedin, for eight years. He then removed to Taranaki, and was for four years at Eltham, before receiving his present appointment. In 1904 Mr. Caulton married a daughter of Mr. Robert Milles, of Dunedin, and has one daughter.
is the property of the New Plymouth Sash and Door Company, Limited. The machinery, which was at work for about twenty years at Ngaire, was transferred to Toko in 1905. The plant includes an engine of thirty horsepower, a feeding breast bench, vertical saws, and a planing machine. The mill is known as a two-bench mill, and will cut 8000 cubic feet per day; the timber near the mill is estimated to be sufficient for about six years cutting. An iron tramway of about three miles in length has been laid through the bush, as far as the Patea river, where a bridge is in course of construction, in order to be able to reach the bush beyond. The timber from the mill is loaded on to trucks at the railway siding at Toko, where there is a yard. About twenty-four persons are employed.
(Alfred Bayly and Charles Bayly), Sheepfarmers, Toko. Messrs Bayly Brothers' Property Consists Of 3000 Acres Of Good Pastoral Land, and Carries About 6000 Sheep, and 500 Head Of Cattle. There Are Two Fine Homesteads, and A Substantial Woolshed Containing One Of Taylor and Bremmer's Latest Woolpresses. The Ab over Toko brand of wool is well known in the market. Messrs Bayly Brothers were born in Taranaki, and are sons of the late Mr. Thomas Bayly. They were educated at the New Plymouth High School, brought up to farming by their father, and subsequently acquired their present property. Both have been well known in the football field and as members of athletic clubs. Mr. Charles Bayly married a daughter of Mr. B. Jonas.
Farmer, Hillside, Toko. Mr. Bayly, who is a member of an old and well known family in Taranaki, was born in New Plymouth in the year 1857, and was educated in New Plymouth and Wanganui. He was brought up to farm life, and has owned farms at Manaia, White Cliffs, and Mokohia. Mr. Bayly's present property contains 950 acres, and carries 2,200 crossbred sheep and 150 head of cattle. Mr. Bayly has taken considerable interest in all athletic matters, but principally in football and cricket. He married a daughter of Mr. Fantham, of Hawera, a well known colonist, and has two sons and three daughters.
was born in New Plymouth in the year 1862, and educated at Wanganui, and at the Parnell Grammar School, Auckland. He had considerable experience in managing farms, before taking up land of his own in 1891. While a resident of the Toko district he owned “Tokoawa,” a fine property of 1649 acres, on the banks of the Toko river. It carried 3,500 sheep, and about 400 head of cattle; and the woolshed could house 500 sheep at night, and had accommodation for shearing 5000 each season. Mr. Bayly acted as judge for the Stratford Racing Club. He married a daughter of Mr. W. Rennell, a well known old colonist, and has children. After leaving Toko, Mr. Bayly lived at Palmerston road, Gisborne.
was born near Ballymoney, in County Antrim, Ireland, in the year 1857. He attended the Eden National School, and was further educated at the Ballymoney Model School. Subsequently, he spent two years in Scotland, and then emigrated to New Zealand, where he landed at Port Chalmers, in August, 1879. Mr. Kennedy was for five years in the Timaru and Geraldine districts of South Canterbury, where he gained his first colonial experience. He then removed to the North Island, and settled at Hawera as manager for the sawmilling firm of Messrs Southey and Willy, who had their mills at Mangawhero, Eltham. He managed the firm's business for seven years, and for part of that time in his own name, on behalf of the guarantors to the Bank of New Zealand. In 1892, in conjunction with Messrs Meredith and Howe, Mr. Kennedy started the first steam saw and planing mills in the Toko district, under the style of W. L. Kennedy and Co., and subsequently had also a branch mill at Strathmore. On the dissolution of the partnership, in 1897, Mr. Meredith took over the Strathmore mill and Mr. Kennedy ran the
is a township thirty-four miles south-east by rail from New Plymouth, and lies in the south riding of the county of Stratford, and the Ngaire survey district of the Taranaki land district. The railway station stands at an altitude of 834 feet above the sea. Ngaire has a dairy factory, a butchery, two stores, and a public school. The Mountain road runs through the settlement, which lies to the south-east of Mount Egmont, and there are some attractive gardens in the locality, well planted with shelter trees. Originally, the undulating country, which surrounds the settlement, was covered with native bush; this, however, has been cut down, and the local sawmill, which did duty for many years, has (1906) been removed.
is a commodious wood and iron building, and contains two class rooms and two porches. There are two shelter sheds in the playgrounds, flower gardens and an experimental garden, and there is also a teachers' residence of five rooms. There are 120 scholars on the roll, with an average attendance of one hundred. The school has also a cadet corps, of which the headmaster is lieutenant. Mr. W. J. Evans, the headmaster, is assisted by one teacher and a pupil teacher.
DI, was appointed Headmaster of the Ngaire School in 1900. He was born in the year 1870 at Ross, Westland, where he was educated, and served his apprenticeship as a pupil teacher. Mr. Evans subsequently removed to the North Island, and was for one year assistant in the Inglewood public school, and was then appointed to the Dudley road school, of which he was for two years headmaster. He has always taken great interest in football and cricket, and as a Freemason is a member of Lodge Stratford, No. 75, New Zealand Constitution. Mr. Evans is married, and has five children.
was established about the year 1894. Directors for the year 1906: Mr. J. McDonald (chairman), and Messrs W. Morison, T. Coleman, T. Blair, T. Orr, R. Orr, and J. Robson. Mr. C. C. Robertson is manager, and Mr. T. H. Penn, secretary. Registered office, Stratford. The factory is situated on a site of two acres of land in Finnerty road. It is of wood and iron, and contains two receiving stages, a making room, a butter room, a curing room, a store room, an engine room, and an office. The
was appointed Manager of the Ngaire Dairy Factory in the year 1905. He was born in 1880, in the Gore district, where he was educated and brought up to farming. In 1896 he began work at the Otama Bridge Dairy Factory, and, after several years' experience, removed to Taranaki, and was appointed first assistant at the Ngaire Dairy Factory. Two years later he became manager of the Otama Bridge Dairy Factory for one season, and then returned to the Ngaire Dairy Factory as manager. Mr. Robertson was for two years a member of the Mataura Mounted Rifles.
(Frank Arthur Lee, proprietor), General Merchants, Ngaire. This business was established in the year 1900 by Mr. Lee, and is conducted in freehold premises, which contain a large store, a private residence, stables and a cart-shed. Full stocks of groceries, ironmongery, drapery, boots and shoes are carried. Three persons are employed and delivery is made by the firm's own carts.
the Proprietor of the business of Messrs F. A. Lee and Co., was born in New Plymouth, in the year 1877, educated in Eltham, and was afterwards employed successively by Mr. Adams and Mr. Parrott. In December, 1900, he started business on his own account at Ngaire, in a small shop, and three years later bought his present commodious premises. Mr. Lee is married, and has one son and one daughter.
the property of Mr. George Syme, is situated some distance from Ngaire, on the Wingrove road. It has been in existence for many years, and there is a tramway connecting the mill with Ngaire, where the timber yard is situated. The mill has a complete up-to-date plant, including a thirty horse-power boiler, a twenty-five horse-power engine, an iron travelling bench, and an American planer, etc. Thirty persons are employed, and the annual output is about 1,000,000 feet. A locomotive is employed for conveying the logs to the mill, and in the bush horse or bullock teams are in use.
Manager of the Wingrove Road Mill, was born in Suffolk, England, in the year 1847. In 1856 he came to New Zealand with his parents, and settled in the Nelson district, where he was educated. Until he was twenty-one years of age he was employed at blacksmithing, but afterwards turned his attention to sawmill work. Mr. Blizzard has been engaged in sawmilling in the Marlborough, Wellington, and Taranaki districts. He has been in the Ngaire district for about twenty-two years, and has been employed as a mill manager during the greater part of that time. Mr. Blizzard has been a member of the Ngaire school committee, and was a volunteer in the Marlborough district. He is married, and has two children.
Farmer, Ora Downs, Ngaire. Mr. Brown's property consists of 985 acres of freehold land, 600 acres of which is in grass and 385 acres in heavy bush—the latter left for sawmilling purposes. A large number of cows are milked, and a Lawrence Kennedy milking machine has been installed. Mr. Brown was born in the year 1874, at Mahakipawa, Marlborough, was educated in New Zealand, and brought up as a sawmiller. He disposed of his mill to Mr. G. Syme, of Hawera, in 1901, before taking up his present property.
has been prominently connected with the timber industry in Ngaire for many years, and was formerly manager of the New Plymouth Sash and Door Company's mill, of which he was one of the founders in 1883. He was born in Northumberland, England, where he was educated, and came to New Zealand by the ship “Prince of Wales,” landing in Otago in the year 1860. Mr. Robson had charge of machinery in Otago for some time, and then removed to the North Island. He was first engaged in the timber industry in Wellington about 1870, and was for several years with Mr. J. Cruikshank at the Upper Hutt. He then went to the Wairarapa, and erected machinery for Mr. Cotter's large sawmill at Greytown, where he remained for some time as manager. Mr. Robson removed to Taranaki in 1875. He started the first mill at Normanby, and carried it on successfully till establishing the Ngaire sawmill in conjunction with his brother, under the style of Robson Brothers. This business was afterwards bought by the New Plymouth Sash and Door Company, for which Mr. Robson acted as manager for a number of years. He is a Freemason, and has held office as treasurer of his lodge. Mr. Robson is married, and has five sons and five daughters. He has now (1906) retired from the more active pursuits of life, but still resides in the Ngaire district.
stands at the junction of three roads; namely, the Mountain road, and the Eltham-Opunake and Rawhitiroa — Waitotara roads. It is the centre of what is reputed to be the most fertile dairy farming district in Taranaki. The main trunk line from New Plymouth to Wellington runs through the settlement, which is thirty-six miles south-east of New Plymouth, and 215 miles from Wellington. Eltham railway station, which stands 707 feet above sea level, is twelve miles to the north of Hawera, and six miles to the south of Stratford. Mount Egmont lies almost north-west from Eltham, which is in the Ngaire survey district of the Taranaki land district. Eltham is well known as the centre of the New Zealand Axemen's Carnival, which annually attracts visitors from various parts of the colony. The town was constituted a borough on the 12th of October, 1901. A water supply has already been installed, and is obtained by gravitation from the Waingongoro river, three miles and a-half distant. There is also a drainage system, on the septic tank principal; and in the lighting of the borough, kerosene is to be superseded by gas. The Taranaki Farmers' Mutual Fire Insurance Company has its headquarters in Eltham. This company is incorporated under the Mutual Insurance Act of 1903, and is managed by a local Board, representing the South Taranaki settlers. Although the company only started in June, 1905, yet in February of the following year, the total insurances amounted to £45,000, and about 200 insuring members had joined the association. Eltham is also the domicile of the Eltham Drainage Board, which has jurisdiction over the Ngaire swamp, a block of land in the county of Hawera; it lies to the east of Eltham, and is valued at £55,890. There is an Eltham-Opunake Railway League, the object of which is the construction of a railway to Opunake. The industries of the borough include dairy, bacon, and butter-box factories, sawmills, and sash and door works. Retail trades are well represented in Eltham by modern establishments in the two main thoroughfares, Bridge Street and High Street; and there are also resident lawyers, doctors, and dentists. A daily evening paper, the Eltham Argus, is published in the borough, which has three hotels, several boarding houses and livery stables. Coaches run daily to Opunake, each way, via Mangatoki, Kaponga, Awatuna, Awatuna East, and Te Kiri; and there is also a tri-weekly service to Mangamingi and Omoana. Eltham has branches of the Banks of Australasia, New Zealand, and New South Wales. Education is provided at a large public school, and also at a convent school; and Government departments are represented by a post office and telegraph office in brick, a police station and the railway station. There are churches belonging to the Anglicans, Presbyterians, Primitive Methodists, Methodists, Roman Catholics, and the Salvation Army. Weekly sales are conducted at two private saleyards in the borough, which has a Tradesmen's Association in active operation.
was incorporated on the 12th of October, 1901. It is situated in the centre of a rich agricultural and pastoral district, at the junction of the Mountain — Eltham — Opunake, and Rawhitiroa-Waitotara roads. Within a year of its incorporation, there were proposals for a loan of £16,000 for water and drainage schemes; and a further loan of £7,500 was raised in 1905 for street improvements, fire brigade, and other purposes. The borough has an area of 1590 acres, and 500 rateable properties of the capital value of £174,000. A general rate of 1½ in the pound is levied, and a variable water rate—in terms of the Municipal Corporations Act, 1900. The borough's revenue amounts to £2,040 a year. Eltham is at present (1906) lighted by seventeen kerosene lamps, at a cost of £3 per lamp per annum; but the erection of gas works is under the consideration of the Council. The water supply is obtained from the Waingongoro river, at a point three miles and a half from the town. The water first passes through a filter tunnel, and then into a settlement tank, from which it is brought by gravitation. Pipes are laid throughout the borough, and a pressure of ninety-five pounds to the square inch can be obtained. Eltham's drainage is on the septic tank system. The borough has a recreation reserve of eleven acres near the railway station. The cemetery,
J.P., was born in Brooklyn, United States of America, in the year 1858. He came to New Zealand with his parents in 1863, in the ship “Echunga,” landed at Timaru, and was educated at Geraldine, in Canterbury. He removed to the North Island, and joined Mr W. Dale, auctioneer, of Patea, with whom he remained four years. Then he returned to Canterbury, and was engaged in various pursuits there for some time. In 1886, he entered the employment of the late Mr. R. A. Adams, and shortly afterwards opened the branch, which he subsequently acquired in conjunction with Mr. A. E. Scrivener. Mr. Tayler has been chairman of the Eltham school committee and the Chamber of Commerce, and has been a member of the Charitable Aid Board. He has been a Freemason for many years, and has occupied various positions in the local lodge; and is a Past District Grand Master of the Order of Oddfellows. Mr. Tayler is married, and has three sons and two daughters.
was first elected a member of the Eltham Borough Council in the year 1902, and was re-elected in 1905. He was born in 1862 at Poplar, London, England; started work at nine years of age, and was educated at a night school; and came to New Zealand with his parents in 1870. For seven years Mr. Stanners was employed by Messrs Curtis Brothers at Stratford. Then he entered the service of Messrs Adamson and Pease in Hawera, and subsequently became manager of a business for that firm for about eight years. Later, in conjunction with his brother, he commenced business as a butcher in Eltham, under the style of Stanners Brothers; this business he conducted for about eight years, and subsequently sold his interest to his partner. Mr. Stanners has been chairman of the Eltham Domain Board, of which he is still a member, and he is a member of the executive of the New Zealand Axeman's Association at Eltham. He has also passed the chair in connection with the local Lodge of Oddfellows. In 1886 he married a daughter of Mr. W. T. Styles, of Hawera, and has two sons and three daughters.
was elected a member of the Eltham Borough Council in April, 1905. He was born in 1873, at One-hunga, Auckland, and was educated at Te Aro School, Wellington. He was afterwards brought up to the stationery business by Messrs Lyon and Blair, and continued with that firm for fifteen years, before starting in business on his own account at Eltham. Mr. Carman is president of the Eltham Tradesmen's Association, and is secretary of the Eltham Bowling and Tennis Clubs. In 1899 he married a daughter of the late Mr. W. Swain, of Wellington, and has two daughters. He is further referred to as a bookseller.
was returned a member of the Eltham Borough Council at a by-election in 1906. He was born in March, 1872, at Porirua, near Wellington, and was educated at Johnsonville. He learned his trade as horseshoer and general smith in Molesworth Street. Wellington, where he was employed for fourteen years. In the year 1904 Mr. Retter acquired his present business. He takes an interest in local matters, is secretary of the Eltham Gun Club, and a member of the local cricket club, and of the District High School committee. In 1894 Mr. Retter married a daughter of the late Mr. Solomon Stephens, of Rangiora, Canterbury, and has two sons and one daughter. He is further referred to as a coachbuilder.
was originally established at Mangawhero road, but on the opening of the railway it was removed to the railway station, where it was conducted for a number of years. Subsequently the present site in Bridge Street, was presented to the department by Mr. John Searle, and the building was opened in September, 1904. It is a two-storied brick building, and contains a public office, a postmaster's room, a mail room, and a private box lobby containing fifty-five boxes; there is also a telephone exchange, with twenty-seven subscribers. The Eltham Post Office is the central distributing station for Mangamingi, Omoana, Rawhitiroa, Rotokari, Mangatoki, Kaponga, Riverlea, Awatuna, Awatuna
was appointed Postmaster at Eltham in the year 1904. He was born in London, England, in 1855, and came to New Zealand with his parents when two years of age. He was educated at Mr. Finnimore's school, in Wellington, and was afterwards employed at a flaxmill in Canterbury. Mr. Barnard entered the postal department in 1873, as a cadet, and was subsequently stationed at Nelson, Greymouth, Auckland, and Gisborne, and at Naseby, in Otago. In 1881 Mr. Barnard married a daughter of the late Mr. M. Chambers, of Auckland, and has three daughters and five sons.
is a wood and iron building, and contains a ladies' waiting room, a luggage room, a public ticket lobby and a general workroom. There is also a long passengers' platform, and a large goods shed. The staff consists of a stationmaster and five assistants.
was appointed Stationmaster at Eltham in the year 1905. He is further referred to, on page 816, in the Wellington volume of the Cyclopedia of New Zealand.
stands on the site of four acres, on Mountain road. The building is of wood and iron, contains four class rooms and two porches, and has accommodatior for 237 pupils. The growth of the school has been so great of recent years that classes are also held in two halls in the town, pending the enlargement of the school premises. There are 310 names on the roll, and the average attendance is 280. The headmaster is assisted by four teachers, and two pupil teachers. Mr. Taliesin Thomas was appointed headmaster of the Eltham public school, in the year 1893. He came to New Zealand at an early age, and became a teacher under the Wanganui Education Board.
includes the settlements of Te Roti, Ngaire, Mangatoki, Manganui, and Fraser road. The principal church is known as All Saints' and is situated in Eltham on a site of three-quarters of an acre. It was erected at a cost of £600, and is a wood and iron building, with seats for 200 persons. The old building, which did duty for many years is now (1906) used for the Sunday school, which has an attendance of forty children, under five teachers. At Te Roti there is St. Luke's church, of wood and iron, which will seat one hundred people. Services are also held in other centres. The Rev. Harry Campbell Bourne, M.A., was appointed Vicar at Eltham in February, 1906. Mr. Bourne is an Englishman, and came out to New Zealand to take charge of the parish of Eltham.
has its principal church in King Street, Eltham. The foundation stone of the new building was laid in 1901, on a site of about half an acre, and the opening service was conducted by the Rev. C. E. Godbehear. The building is of wood, with a porch and a vestry, and there is a hall behind for meetings, gymnasium, and a Sunday school. The Rev. Charles E. Godbehear is resident minister in charge, and the buildings were erected during the first two years of his ministry.
includes the districts of Bird road, Ngaire, Rawhitiroa and Mangawhero roads, Mangatoki and Mahoe. The principal church of the district is situated at the corner of York Street and London Street, Eltham. It stands on a quarter-acre section, and is a wood and iron building with seats for 150 persons. The Sunday school is in charge of eight teachers, and is attended by about sixty children. The parsonage is a five-roomed residence, situated in Mills Street, and stands on three eighths of an acre of land. Services in the surrounding districts are held in union churches or schoolrooms.
was appointed Minister-in-charge of the Eltham Primitive Methodist circuit in the year 1905. He was born in 1858, at Wednesbury, Staffordshire, England, where he was educated, and became a local preacher in connection with the Wesleyan Methodist Church in 1882. In April, 1886, Mr. Benning came to New Zealand and landed in Auckland. Two months later, he was stationed at Pukekohe, where he remained for one year and seven months, and was afterwards at Waipawa for three years. Mr. Benning was then stationed successively at Oxford, Canterbury, for two years, at Westport for three years, at Kumara for the same period, at Petone two years, and at Mount Eden. Auckland, for four years. Mr. Benning was ordained on the 26th of February, 1900. In 1877, he married a daughter of the late Mr. Samuel Ellis, of Chester, England.
has been represented in Eltham since the year 1888. The barracks are situated in York Street, and were erected in 1905. They occupy a site of a quarter of an acre, and are of wood and iron with accommodation for 230 persons. There are eighty active members in connection with the branch, and the band has a membership of twenty. Adjutant David McLure is in charge of the corps.
was founded in September, 1903, and has a membership of twenty-one. The band room, valued at £150, is the property of the band, and stands on a freehold section at the back of the Fire Brigade station. Officers for the year 1906: Messrs A. Beesley (bandmaster), L. King (treasurer), and F. C. Davidson (secretary).
Bandmaster of the Eltham Brass Band, was born in the year 1878, in Bradford, Yorkshire, England, and was educated at All Saints day school in his native place. In 1890 he went to Australia, and for four years worked in connection with the woollen trade at Ipswich, Queensland. He then came to New Zealand, and was for about four years employed in the Roslyn Woollen Mills, near Dunedin. Mr. Beesley afterwards gained experience as a cycle engineer under Mr. J. Gray, of Milton, with whom he remained for three years and a-half. He then removed to Taranaki, settled in Eltham, and acquired the business he has since conducted. Mr. Beesley was a member
came into existence in December, 1897, as a biweekly paper, and in the year 1902 appeared as a daily evening paper. It is a four-page sheet of thirty-two columns, one-third of reading matter, and two-thirds of advertisements. Politically, the Argus supports the Liberal Government. The proprietor subscribes to the Press Association. At one time the domicile of the paper was near the railway station, but was subsequently removed to more central premises in High Street. There is a full printing plant, driven by water-power, with a subsidiary oil engine. A considerable amount of jobbing business is also undertaken.
has been Proprietor of the Eltham Argus since October, 1901. He is further referred to as a member of the Legislative Council.
at one time business manager and part owner of the Eltham Argus, was born at Wanganui, where his parents were early settlers. He learned the printing trade at the office of the Wanganui Herald, when that journal was owned and edited by the late Hon. John Ballance. About the year 1878 he assisted Mr. George Capper to start the Feilding Guardian, afterwards the Feilding Star. In March, 1880, Mr. Claridge was employed by Mr. J. B. Innes to work on the Hawera Star, which made its first appearance in the following month. After being connected with the Star for a period of nearly eighteen years, he resigned his position as foreman, in order to start the Eltham Argus. He subsequently sold his interest in that journal, and now (1906) owns the Martinborough Star, in the provincial district of Wellington.
Barrister and Solicitor, Bridge Street, Eltham. Mr. Crump established his Eltham practice in the year 1901. He is a member of the Eltham Borough Council, and was previously in practice for a number of years in Palmerston North. Mr. Crump is further referred to on page 1167 of the Wellington volume of the Cyclopedia of New Zealand.
Barristers and Solicitors, High Street, Eltham. Mr. Alexander Howat Johnstone, B.A., LL.B., is resident solicitor in charge.
Chemist and Druggist, Bridge Street, Eltham. This business has been conducted by the present proprietor since the year 1901. Mr. Ridd is further referred to on pages 1031–2 of the Wellington volume, of the Cyclopedia of New Zealand.
has been represented in Eltham since the year 1898, and the town was previously, for a number of years, visited weekly from Hawera. Temporary premises are occupied in Bridge Street, but the bank owns a section at the corner of York Street and Bridge Street, on which a building is ere long to be erected. Visits are paid twice weekly to Kaponga. Mr. Hugh Saunders Robison has been manager at Eltham since the opening of the branch. He is a native of New South Wales, Australia, where he was born in 1862. Mr. Robison entered the service of the bank on leaving college, and had numerous appointments before he was transferred to Eltham.
in Eltham was opened in May, 1905, in temporary premises in High Street, and weekly visits are paid to Kaponga. Mr. Henry Frank Hayden, the manager, was born in India, in 1869, and joined the Bank of Australasia, in Melbourne, in the year 1888.
was represented in Eltham as a visiting agency for some years before the establishment of the local branch, in September, 1898. The premises stand on a section of a quarter of an acre, and were completed in June, 1902. The building is of two stories, in wood and iron, and contains a banking chamber, a manager's room, a strong room, and a residence. The manager is assisted by five officers, and visits are paid to Kaponga twice weekly.
Surveyor, Eltham, Mr. Templer, who is a son of the late Mr. E. M. Templer, was born in Christchurch in 1859. He was educated at Christ's College, served his cadetship under Mr. J. H. Baker, Chief Surveyor of Canterbury, and became an authorised and licensed surveyor in 1882. In the following year he was engaged by the Manawatu Railway Company, and two years later commenced private practice in Wellington. He returned to Canterbury in 1888, having been appointed engineer to the Mandeville and Rangiora Road Boards. Removing to Auckland in 1895, for the benefit of his health, he entered into partnership with Mr. Whalley in the year following. After the dissolution of this partnership, Mr. Templer went to Eltham, where he has since followed his profession. He married, in 1888, the eldest daughter of the late Mr. E. C. Latter, of Christchurch.
Licensed Land Broker and General Commission Agent, Eltham. Mr. Datson is a member of the Waimate Road Board, and was formerly its secretary and treasurer. He was born in the year 1861, in Moonta, South Australia, where he was educated, and was for many years assistant accountant and paymaster to the well known Wallaroo and Moonta Copper Mining
(William Henry McGarry and Alfred McGarry), Auctioneers, Wholesale Wine and Spirit, Seed and Produce Merchants, Land and Financial Agents, corner of High Street and King Edward Street, Eltham. This extensive business was established in the year 1897, in premises specially built in High Street. The firm afterwards erected another building in High Street, but even that ultimately proved too small for the requirements of the business, which was then removed to its present site. The premises now occupied consist of a commodious wood and iron building, erected on a quarter-acre section. There are offices, an auction room, and a wine and spirit cellar; and also a seleyard fitted up with fowl coops and every convenience. Weekly sales are held every Saturday, and special outdoor sales as required. Messrs McGarry are importers of wine, spirits, and general merchandise, and carry on a large and growing business.
Senior Partner of the firm of Messrs W. H. and A. McGarry, was born in Roscommon, Ireland, in the year 1866, and is the youngest son of the late Mr. John Edmond McGarry. He was educated and brought up to a mercantile life in his native country, and about 1885 came to New Zealand, landing in Auckland. Eighteen months later he removed to Wellington, where he was engaged for a few years in mercantile life before settling in Taranaki in 1891. He started in business on his own account in Stratford, and removed to Eltham in 1899. When Eltham was constituted a borough Mr. McGarry became senior councillor, and headed the poll amongst twenty-seven candidates. He was again re-elected on the second occasion, but retired on account of pressure of business, though he still takes an interest in local affairs. In 1897 he married the eldest daughter of Mr. Felix McGuire, formerly member of the House of Representatives for Egmont and Hawera, and has one son and two daughters.
Coachbuilder, Farrier and General Smith, High Street, Eltham. This business was founded in 1892 by Messrs Fitch and Company, and was acquired by the present proprietor in 1904. It is conducted in a large wood and iron shop erected on a freehold section. The plant includes three forges and all necessary appliances. Eight persons are employed. Mr. Retter is further referred to as a member of the Eltham Borough Council.
(C. C. Ward, proprietor), Eltham branch, High Street, Eltham; Head Office, New Plymouth. The Eltham branch of the Excelsior Drapery Company was established in the year 1901. The premises consist of a large wood and iron building, which contains a well lighted shop, with three plate glass windows, a fine show room, and a dressmaking department. The stock is imported, the firm having agents in London.
was appointed Manager of the Excelsior Drapery Company in Eltham, in the year 1904. He was born in 1880 in Christchurch, and was educated in Wellington and Wanganui. He gained his first experience of the drapery business under Messrs Pettie and Kenning in Wellington, and continued with that firm for two years. Subsequently he gained further experience under Messrs George and Kersley, and at Te Aro House, Wellington. In 1900 Mr. Goldstone removed to New Plymouth, and entered the employment of Mr. Ward. Four years later he received his present appointment. Mr. Goldstone is a member of the Eltham Cricket Club, and also of the executive of the Eltham Tradesmen's Association.
Merchant Tailor, Bridge Street, Eltham. This business was established in the year 1905 by Mr. R. McMillin. The premises consist of a brick building, which contains a shop, a cutting room, and a workshop. The proprietor maintains an assorted stock of imported tweeds and tailors' trimmings. Three persons are employed. Mr. McMillin was born in 1872, at Tapanui, Otago, and was educated in Auckland, where he learned his trade under Mr. John Platt, of Newton. Subsequently, he worked for some time as a journeyman, and then removed to Paeroa, where he was in business for two years. Mr. McMillin afterwards returned to Auckland, and gained further experience before establishing his present business in Eltham. He is a member of the Eltham Lodge of the Order of Druids, No. 32. In 1895 he married a daughter of the late Mr. Thomas Walsh, of Auckland, and has, surviving, one daughter and one son.
Hairdresser, Tobacconist and Billiard Saloon Proprietor, corner of High Street, and King Edward Street, Eltham. This business was established in the year 1902, and was acquired by the present proprietor in 1903. The premises stand on a freehold section, and consist of a wood, iron and brick building, containing a double-fronted shop with a verandah, a hairdressing saloon fitted up with two chairs, and a large billiard room lighted by five skylights. Mr. Lewin has installed one of Cook's air gas plants, which is used for lighting the shop and the billiard and hairdressing saloons. All the arrangements are up-to-date in every respect. Mr. Lewin was born in January, 1877, in Nelson, where he was educated. He afterwards learned his trade at Marton, where he was employed for five years, and subsequently gained further experience at Stratford and Napier. He then started in business on his own account at Mangaweka, where he continued for four years and a-half before removing to Eltham. Mr. Lewin is a member of the Eltham Tradesmen's Association, and of the Eltham Bowling Club.
(Charles Potts, proprietor), corner of Bridge Street and High Street, Eltham. This hotel is a two-storied building, and contains about thirty-four rooms, including five sitting rooms, a large dining room, and a billiard room. The tariff is a moderate one, the liquors and accommodation are of the best, and a good table is kept.
the Proprietor of the Branch Hotel, was born in the year 1846, in Canterbury, Kent, England, where he was educated, and learned carpentry. He came to New Zealand in 1873, and settled in the Wairarapa. Later on, Mr. Potts removed to Feilding, and was at Patea before finally settling at Eltham. Darling his residence in New Zealand, up to 1904, he was engaged in building and contracting. The Bank of New Zealand, Adams' Buildings, and other buildings in Eltham were erected by him. In 1904 Mr. Potts took over the Branch Hotel. For some time he was a member of the Eltham Borough Council. As a Freemason he is a member of Lodge St. John, No. 95, New Zealand Constitution, and is a member of Court Patea, Ancient Order of Foresters. As a volunteer. Mr. Potts has had twenty-five years' experience. At the time of the Parihaka scare, he was at Te Whiti's stronghold as lieutenant in the Carterton Rifles. Mr. Potts is married, and has six sons and seven daughters.
Cycle Engineer, Bridge Street, Eltham. This business was established some years ago, and was acquired by the present proprietor in 1903. It is conducted in a wood and iron building, and contains a shop, a large store, and a workshop fitted up with modern appliances. Mr. Beeslev is an importer of Birmingham Small Arms parts, and builds a popular machine known as the “Settler.” He is further referred to as bandmaster of the Eltham Brass Band.
(Alfred Fletcher Cole and Peter Thomas Donelly), Cycle Agents, Importers and Manufacturers, Bridge Street, Eltham, and at Hawera. This well known firm imports Swift, Raleigh, and Rover Cycles, and builds a Birmingham Small Arms machine, the “Egmont Special.” The firm carries heavy stocks of all cycle and motor accessories and parts, including naptha and benzine for motor cars and cycles. Messrs Cole and Donnelly also have in stock sporting and photographic goods and golf appliances, books, stationery, and fancy goods. The premises are owned by the firm, and include two shops, and an attached dwelling. The firm owns a motor car in Eltham, and a motor cycle agency. Two persons are employed.
of the firm of Messrs Cole and Donnelly, acts as manager of the business. He was born in Quail Valley, Nelson, in the year 1872, is a son of one of Nelson's early settlers, was educated at the Eighty-eight Valley school, and brought up on a farm. He afterwards removed to Taranaki, where he was engaged in contract work for some time. In November, 1897, he entered into partnership with Mr. Donnelly in his cycle business at Hawera. Later on he took charge of the firm's Stratford branch, which the firm afterwards sold, and now (1906) he has charge of the Eltham branch. Mr. Cole is a member of Lodge Mansion of Peace, Manchester Unity, Independent Order of Oddfellows, Wakefield. He has competed with fair success in bicycle races, and is interested in photography. Mr. Cole is married, and has two children.
Secretary of the Eltham Bacon Factory Company, was for some time proprietor of the Excelsior store in Bridge Street. He was born in the year 1871 at Nottingham, England, where he was educated, and afterwards served in the hosiery branch of Messrs Adcock and Blagg. In 1892 he came to New Zealand, and shortly after his arrival opened the Excelsior store in Eltham, but subsequently disposed of it. Mr. Parrott has identified himself with the welfare of the district; he is chairman of the Eltham Debating Society, and in temperance work has taken a leading part in the Order of Good Templars.
Bookseller, Stationer, and Fancy Goods Dealer, Bridge Street, Eltham. Agent for the New Zealand Times, New Plymouth Daily News, and Hawera Star. This business was established in the year 1902 by Mr. Carman. It is conducted in a large shop, which has an extensive shop window, fronting the main street. A well assorted stock of fancy goods and stationery and of the latest books is maintained by Mr. Carman, who has also a considerable lending library. Mr. Carman opened a branch shop at Kaponga in June, 1904. As a news agent he acts as town publisher of the Eltham Argus. Mr. Carman is further referred to as a member of the Eltham Borough Council.
Bookseller, Stationer, and Fancy Goods Dealer, High Street, Eltham. This business was established in the year 1897, and was acquired by Mr. Cannell in 1903. It is conducted in a wood and iron building, which contains a large double-fronted shop with a verandah. An assorted stock is maintained, various lines being imported. Mr. Hodder, was born at the Lower Hutt, Wellington, and was educated at Marton. Hawera, Opunake, and Sandon. He was brought up to the stationery business in Stratford, under Mr. Hodder, and afterwards under Mr. Betts, in the same establishment, where he continued until removing to Eltham in 1903. Mr. Cannell is a member of the Eltham Bowling Club, and of the local Lodge of Oddfellows.
General Storekeeper, Bridge Street, Eltham. Branch at Ngaire. This business was established in the year 1900 by Mr. Davidson. It is conducted in a wood and iron building, containing a large double-fronted shop, an office, and a store room. A large and varied stock of boots, crockery, hardware, grocery and produce is maintained. The Ngaire branch of Mr. Davidson's business was established in 1903. The usual stock is maintained, and there is also a drapery department. Mr. Davidson was born in 1875, at Wanganui, and was educated at the Wanganui High School. Subsequently, for six years, he gained experience in the wholesale trade in Wanganui, and was afterwards employed by Mr. J. L. Stevenson, for ten years before establishing his present business. Mr. Davidson takes a keen interest in local matters, and is chairman of the Domain Board, of which he had previously been a member and its secretary from its inception. He is also a member of the Executive of the Eltham Tradesmen's Association, secretary of the Eltham Brass Band, and has been conductor of the Presbyterian church choir since 1904. In 1905 he married a daughter of Mr. Thomas Palmer, of Eltham.
(George Washington Tayler and Alfred Thomas Scrivener), General Storekeepers, and Direct Importers, Bridge Street, Eltham. This business was established in the year 1886, by the late Mr. R. A. Adams, of Patea, as a branch of his business, and was conducted by that gentleman until shortly before his death, when it was acquired by the present proprietors. The premises consist of a large wood and iron building, the front portion of which is used as a general store; the rest of the building includes store rooms and packing rooms.
J.P., Senior Partner of the firm of Tayler, Scrivener, and Company, was appointed manager of the business when is was established by the late R. A. Adams in 1886. He is further referred to as Mayor of the borough of Eltham.
was born in Wanganui in the year 1863, and was educated at the Wanganui Grammar School. He gained commercial experience under Messrs Duthie and Thain; and after being twelve months with Mr. Davidson, of Hawera, he took up a dairy farm at Midhirst, which he worked for about ten years, and then re-entered commercial life in partnership with Mr. Sergeant. About 1895 the partnership was dissolved, and Mr. Scrivener started on his own account in Midhurst. In November, 1904, in conjunction with Mr. G. W. Tayler, he took over the large business formerly conducted in Eltham by the late Mr. R. A. Adams. Mr. Scrivener was a member of the Midhirst Road Board for some years, and was at one time a director of the Midhirst Dairy Factory. He has always taken considerable interest in local affairs, and is ready to assist any proposal beneficial to the community at large. Mr. Scrivener married a daughter of Mr. Christianson, of Midhirst, and has two sons and three daughters.
formerly owned this extensive business, which was then managed by Mr. G. W. Tayler, one of its present proprietors. Mr. Adams died some time ago.
(Robert Death, proprietor), Bridge Street and Burke Street, Eltham. These well-known stables were established in the year 1894, and were acquired by the present proprietor in 1905. The large wood and iron building, ninety-seven yards in depth, and extending from Bridge Street to Burke Street, contains 104 stalls and twelve loose boxes. Four gigs, four single and one-double buggy, a drag, a coach, and fourteen horses are employed in the business. Mr. Death was born in 1879, at Rangitikei, and was educated at Wanganui. He was brought up on his father's farm in the Wanganui district, and has had experience with horses from his earliest days. He was afterwards, for a time, at Waitotara, before removing to Eltham. Mr. Death is a member of the local Court of Foresters. In 1904 he married a daughter of the late Mr. W. Thompson, of Ngaire, and has one daughter.
Eltham; a branch of the New Plymouth Sash and Door Factory and Timber Company, Limited. This yard is fully stocked with seasoned timber from the company's mills, and supplies Eltham and the surrounding districts. There is a manager's office with a storeroom, and the manager is assisted by a yardman.
Manager of the Eltham Timber Yard, was born in the year 1870 at Thames, and was educated at the Thames High School. He subsequently took charge of a general store at Waitekauri, and, later on, was engaged for four years in D. Berry and Company's ironmongery business in New Plymouth. For over five years Mr. Reid had charge of the Stratford branch of Henry Brown and Company, sawmillers and timber merchants, but left that employment in 1903 to take his present position. He is a member of Lodge Excelsior, Manchester Unity, Independant Order of Oddfellows, New Plymouth; for some years he conducted the Primitive Methodist choirs at the Thames, New Plymouth, and Stratford respectively, and was also conductor of the Stratford Presbyterian church for five years. On his retirement from these positions he was, in each case, presented with handsome presents. He was also a member of the Thames Orchestral Society and the Thames Naval Band; was a member of the Waitekauri school committee, and has been a director of the Stratford Co-operative Building Society for three years. Mr. Reid is married, and has two children.
Farmer, “Dovedale,” Eltham. “Dovedale” consists of 1700 acres, half of which is held under freehold tenure, and the balance under lease in perpetuity. It is used as a grazing farm for sheep and cattle, and a large number of fat lambs are raised annually. Mr. Jenkins was born in the province of Nelson, in the year 1848, and is a son of the Rev. William Jenkins, a Wesleyan missionary, who came to New Zealand in the year 1840, conducted fourteen Maoris to England, on a visit to Queen Victoria in 1863, and was afterwards private secretary to Sir Walter Buller in connection with native affairs at Wanganui. Mr. Jenkins was brought up to farming, principally in Nelson, and afterwards at Wanganui. During the Titokowaru disturbances he served two or three years as a carting contractor for ammunition and provisions, and was present at the engagement when Major Von Tempsky was killed. He was also at the fight at Moturoa, near Waverley, under Colonel Whitmore, who suffered a defeat, in which Major Hunter and a number of men were killed. On one occasion he had charge of a working party which opened up the Mountain road through the bush between Hawera and New Plymouth, and saw the work completed. Mr. Jenkins subsequently became one of the pioneer settlers of the Eltham district, and gradually increased a small area to his present holding. He has been a member of various school committees, a pioneer director of dairy factory, companies, and is a member of the Eltham Drainage Board. Mr. Jenkins has been connected with the Salvation Army since 1888, and is still (1906) a member of the Eltham corps, of which he was the first member. In 1877 he married a daughter of the late Mr. John Drake, of Johnsonville, We lington, and has, surviving, five sons and one daughter.
was born in Papatoitoi, Auckland, in the year 1852, and is a son of the late Rev. R. Coxhead, one of the early settlers who came to New Zealand in the ship “Jane Gifford.” After leaving school he followed farming for some time. In 1872 he joined the Armed Constabulary, and served in the Waikato district, where he afterwards took up land, and resided for some years. Mr. Coxhead then went to the Waimate Plains, and spent some time there at farming, but was afterwards successively at Opunake, Hawera, and Alton. In 1897 he decided to settle at Eltham, where he bought land, and erected a comfortable dwelling. He was thoroughly familiar with the whole country for miles around, and could give valuable information as to the quality and suitability of the soil. Mr. Coxhead, who is married, and has two sons and six daughters, has since settled in another part of Taranaki.
was born in New Plymouth in the year 1845. Although only a lad at the time of the war, he served through a portion of the campaign with the militia and volunteers. Until settling in Eltham, in 1880, Mr. Henwood was engaged in pioneer work, and has had his share of colonial experiences; he was one of the first settlers to take up land in the Eltham district. Mr Henwood was a director of the Eltham Co-operative Dairy Factory, and was always willing to assist in anything for the welfare of the district, in which he still owns property. He married a daughter of Mr. Scammell, of New Plymouth, and has two sons and two daughters.
is a dairy-farming district on the Eltham-Opunake road. It has a general store, which conducts the business of the post and telegraphic office, and the telephone bureau. There is a sawmill in the district, and the Awatuna Co-operative Dairy Company has its establishment in the village; and there is also a blacksmith's shop Awatuna East lies to the south-east of Mount Eg-mont and is in the Waimate riding of the county of Hawera.
; offices, Awatuna East. The Awatuna Dairy Factory is thoroughly up-to-date, and has also a cheese-making plant. It contains an engine room, a butter room, a cheese-making room with five vats, two chilling rooms, a curing room, a salt room and a packing room. The machinery includes a fourteen horse-power boiler, a twelve, horse power Tangye engine, a two-ton Humble freezer and heater, and three Alpha de Laval separators, etc. The factory has two creameries, and the staff consists of a factory manager, two assistants, and two creamery managers.
was appointed Manager of the Awatuna Cooperative Dairy Factory Company in 1905. He was born in Wellington in the year 1879, and was educated at St. Patrick's College. In 1898 he was employed at the Ngaire Dairy Factory, and was afterwards at the Kaupokonui and Riverdale factories. For some time subsequently Mr. Callaghan had charge of the Skeet Road Factory, before he received his present appointment.
General Storekeeper, Awatuna East. Mr. Howitt acts as local postmaster, and is further referred to under Patea as a former member of the Patea Borough Council.
(Samnel Parkes and Thomas Hector Brooker). Sawmillers, Awatuna East. The mill of Messrs Parkes and Brooker is situated about two miles from Awatuna East. It has been established for twenty-three years, and has been working in various parts of the Awatuna district. The firm owns over 280 acres of good timber land, and has also cutting rights over considerable areas in the district. The plant is complete and up-to-date, and includes a thirty horse-power boiler, a fourteen horse-power Murray engine, a breaking down bench with vertical saw, a breast bench, and an American planing machine. About twenty persons are employed, and the daily output is 5000 feet. In connection with the establishment there is a yard at Opunake, where supplies of timber are kept. Carting is done with the firm's own teams.
of the firm of Parkes and Brooker, was born in Nelson in the year 1854, and is a son of an old colonist. He removed to Taranaki when eighteen years of age, and was employed at sawmills in various parts of the district. In 1883, in conjunction with Mr. Robert Palmer, he started his present business. Mr. Palmer subsequently retired from the firm, and in 1896 Mr. Brooker was taken into partnership. Mr. Parkes is married, and has three children.
of the firm of Parkes and Brooker, has been connected with the sawmilling business for many years, and is a pracal business man.
is on the Eltham-Opunake road between Eltham and Kaponga. It is a dairy factory settlement, in the Waimate riding of the county of Hawera, and lies to the south-east of Mount Eg-mont. Postal and telephonic business is conducted at the local store, and mails are despatched and received daily to and from Eltham and Opunake. There is a public school, and a blacksmith's shop completes the business places in the settlement.
was opened in the year 1880. It is a wood and iron building, and contains one room. There are good shelter sheds in the playgrounds, and there is a teacher's residence of four rooms. The roll contains forty-three names, and the average attendance is thirty-six.
(certificate D) is Sole Teacher of the Awatuna public school. She was born in. Herefordshire, England, and came to New Zealand in 1897. Miss Powell matriculated in New Zealand, and after about three years' experience took charge of the Awatuna public school.
is on the Kaupokonui river, on the Eltham-Opunake road, and is the centre of a large dairy-farming district. Its affairs are managed by a Town Board. The settlement is nine miles west of Eltham, and sixteen miles east of Opunake, on a good coach road. It is part of the Kaponga survey district of the Taranaki land district, and is in the Waimate riding of the county of Hawera. There are three churches in Kaponga, and the Anglican church has a resident clergyman; the township also has a resident medical man, a solicitor, a dentist and a chemist. Kaponga has a hotel, as well as a large accommodation house, and many firms including several branches of Eltham establishments, do business in the place. The Banks of New Zealand, Australasia and New South Wales have visiting agencies in the settlement, which has a Horticultural Society, an Oddfellows' Lodge, a brass band, a public hall, and a public school.
was constituted in the year 1905, with Messrs W. Swadling, F. J. E. Gapper, C. E. Betts, R. H. Campbell, and R. Law as its first members. It has jurisdiction over an area of 640 acres. The town district has fifty-four householders, and there are two miles and a-half of metalled roads; the rateable value of the property of the district is £21,839. The Board's offices are situated in the main street of Kaponga. Members of the Board for the year 1906: Messrs W. Swadling, F. J. E. Gapper, C. E. Betts, R. H. Campbell, and A. H. Guy. Mr. James McVeagh, of the firm of Malone, Mc-Veagh, and Anderson, is solicitor to the Board; Mr. F. J. Cowern is clerk and treasurer, and Mr. N. Eccleston, foreman of works.
J.P., Chairman of the Kaponga Town Board, was born at Bix, Oxfordshire, England, in the year 1859, and brought up to farming. In 1879 he came to New Zealand, and worked for some time in the Manawatu and Ran-gitikei districts, and in Taranaki. In 1882 he took up land at Kaponga, erected the first house, and cleared the first bush in the township. Mr. Swadling owns one farm of 185 acres, on which he conducts dairying, and another of 100 acres situated on the Palmer road, is devoted to grazing. Mr. Swadling is the first chairman of the Kaponga Town Board. He is a member of the Kaponga school committee, of which he has been secretary; he was a director of the Kaponga Dairy Factory, is a member of the Waimate Poad Board, and of the Horticultural Society, and a vestryman of St. Mark's Anglican church. Mr. Swadling takes a keen interest in the progress of the district. He is a widower, and has one daughter. His wife died on the 26th of May, 1906.
a member of the Kaponga Town Board, was born in Brighton, Kent, England, in the year 1868. He came to New Zealand with his parents in the year 1874; was educated in Canterbury, brought up to farming, gained experience in Canterbury and Taranaki, and was farming for some years in the Okaiawa district. In 1900 he started in business on his own account at Kaponga as a seedsman, etc. He was elected to the first Town Board of Kaponga, is a member of the local cricket club, a vice-president of the Horticultural Society, and is interested in all matters affecting the welfare of the district. Mr. Betts is further referred to as a grain and produce merchant, and cycle agent.
is a member of the Kaponga Town Board, and was born in the year 1868, in Nelson, where he was educated and brought up to commercial life. He subsequently started a store in the Nelson district, and then went to Australia, where he gained five years experience of business life in Sydney. He afterwards returned to New Zealand, and in 1894 settled in the Kaponga district, where he was employed successively by Messrs Harwood and Co., and Messrs W. Gruar and Co. Mr. Gapper acquired the business of W. Gruar and Co., in 1904. He was elected a member of the first Kaponga Town Board, and at one time held fourteen separate secretaryships. He is chairman of the Athenaeum Committee, and the Tradesmen's Association, and is secretary of the Kaponga Rifle Club. Mr. Gapper is married, and has two children. He is further referred to as a general merchant in Kaponga.
was opened in June, 1891. It is a wooden building with two class rooms. The grounds, on which there also stands a teacher's six-roomed residence, are seven acres in extent. There is an average attendance of eighty-eight, and the headmaster, Mr. Peter Matheson, is assisted by a mistress.
in the Wellington Diocese of the Anglican Church, takes in the district lying between the Waingongoro stream near Manaia, and the Tipoka stream near Parihaka. Churches have been erected at Kaponga, Manaia, Opunake, and Otakcho, and services are also held in eight different halls in various parts of the district. The Rev. Henry Thomas Rawnsley, Vicar of the Waimate Plains parish, arrived in New Zealand in 1875. He was educated in England, studied for Holy Orders at Selwyn College, Dunedin, was ordained deacon in 1898, and priest in 1900. Mr. Rawnsley subsequently became curate of St. Matthew's church, Dunedin, and afterwards vicar of Waitara, before accepting his present appointment in 1901.
was established in the year 1900. Instruments were obtained in the first place at a cost of £100, and uniforms, three years later, at a cost of £70. The band property is vested in trustees, and the affairs of the band are administered by a committee, consisting of the secretary, two trustees, and two band members. The Kaponga band won the contest at the Stratford Carnival. When the band was formed one member paid £20, which was refunded later on, but the public gave no support to the founders.
was appointed Bandmaster and Conductor of the Kaponga Brass Band in the year 1902. He was born in Haslingden, near Manchester, England, in 1880, and at the age of ten years went to Tasmania with his parents. He was afterwards employed at farm work, general work and roadmaking. Mr. Eccleston came to New Zealand in 1900, and worked for a while at Mangauoki. He was subsequently appointed foreman of works for the Kaponga Town Board. Mr. Eccleston, who is practically self-taught, was a member of the Scottsdale and Mathinna Bands in Tasmania.
(William George Malone, James McVeagh, and William David Anderson), Barristers and Solicitors, Kaponga. The Kaponga office of this well known legal firm is in charge of Mr. James McVeagh, the resident partner, who is more fully referred to on page 845 of the Auckland volume of the Cyclopedia of New Zealand.
M.B., Ch.B. (Edin.), and M.R.C.P. (Edin.), Manaia Road, Kaponga. Dr.
(Frederick John Northcott, proprietor), corner of Manaia Road and Main Street, Kaponga. The Commercial Hotel has been established for many years, and is a two-storied building, of twenty-four rooms, with good accommodation, and every convenience for travellers. The best brands of liquor are stocked, the tariff is moderate, and a good table is kept. There are also stables in connection with the establishment.
Proprietor of the Commercial Hotel, was born in Huirangi in the year 1877. He afterwards went to Australia, and was educated in Melbourne. Mr. Northcott returned to New Zealand, and learned his trade as a blacksmith and farrier in New Plymouth and Auckland. He carried on business on his own account in New Plymouth for three years, and then acquired the Oeo Hotel, which he conducted for two years. He sub-sequently took over the Whangamomo-na Hotel for eighteen months, and became proprietor of the Commercial Hotel in March, 1906. He is a member of Lodge Loyal Good Intent, Auck-land. Manchester Unity, Independent Order of Oddfellows, and was for some time a member of No. 2 Company, New Zealand Native Rifles. Mr. Northcott is married, and has one daughter.
Butcher, Main Street, Kaponga. This well established business is conducted in suitable premises and gives employment to three persons. Two delivery carts are employed.
was born in 1879, in Wakefield, Nelson, where he was educated, and was for many years engaged in sheepfarming with his father. In 1901 he removed to Kaponga, and entered into partnership with Mr. Currin in a butchery business. Mr. Baigent bought out his partner's interest in 1906. He is a member of Lodge Mansion of Peace, Manchester Unity, Independent Order of Oddfellows, Wakefield, and is a member of the Kaponga Hall and Library Committees, the Kaponga Rifle Club. Athletic Association, Horticultural Society, and Cricket Club, and is an honorary member of the Kaponga Band. Mr. Baigent was a member of the Waimea Rifles in the Nelson district.
General Merchant, Main Street, Kaponga. This business is conducted in commodious premises, and full stocks are carried in grocery, drapery, ironmongery, boots and shoes, and in general country requisites. There is also a bakery in connection with the establishment. Mr. Gapper manages the business, and employs eight persons and two delivery carts. He is more fully referred to as a member of the Kaponga Town Board.
(Edmund Mills and Alfred John Adlam), General Merchants, Main Street, Kaponga. The business of Messrs Mills and Adlam is conducted in freehold premises. Full stocks of groceries, drapery, ironmongery, boots and shoes, seeds and produce are carried. Messrs Mills and Adlam are agents for the Phoenix Insurance Company, the New Zealand Accident Insurance, the Auckland Weekly News, the Press, Budget, and Hawera Star newspapers. Two persons are employed. Goods are delivered by the firm's carts.
of the firm of Mills and Adlam, was born in the year 1878, in the Hutt district. He was educated at Greytown in the Wairarapa, and brought up to the grocery business. In 1903, in conjunction with Mr. Adlam, he started the present business. Mr. Mills is married, and has two children.
of the firm of Mills and Adlam, was born in Oakura, in the year 1870, and is a son of Mr. Adlam, J.P., a well known settler in Taranaki. He was brought up on his father's farm, and afterwards entered a storekeeping business in Stratford, and was engaged in packing goods when all the country round was covered with standing bush. Later, Mr. Adlam was for five years with Curtis Brothers, and was then for a short time in a general store at Eltham. He started the Kaponga business in 1903, in partnership with Mr. Mills. Mr. Adlam is a member of Loyal Excelsior Lodge, Manchester Unity, Independent Order of Oddfellows, New Plymouth; is a member of the Kaponga school committee, Horticultural Society and Rifle Club, and was for three years a member of the Eltham Rifles. Mr. Adlam is married, and has six children.
Seedsman, Grain and Produce Merchant and Cycle Agent, Manaia Road, Kaponga. This business was established in the year 1900 by Mr. Betts, in suitable premises near the centre of the township. Full stocks of seeds, grain and produce of all kinds are carried, and there is a cycle repairing department. Mr. Betts is agent for the Massey-Harris bicycle, and other makes are also stocked. He is further referred to as a member of the Kaponga Town Board.
. Farmer, “Roseneath,” Kaponga. “Roseneath” is a freehold property of 375 acres, the greater part of which is let for dairying purposes. The homestead is a fine two-storied building with well laid out grounds planted with a fine selection of native and imported shrubs. Mr. Frethey was born in the year 1866, at the Lower Hutt, where he was edu
is chairman of the Kanga school committee, a member of the Victoria Park Board, and the Public Hall Committee. He is married, and has one daughter.
is a dairy-farming district, with a local post office and public school. On Government maps the settlement is named Puniho. It is situated on the El-tham-Opunake road, six miles to the west of Eltham, and nineteen to the east of Opunake. The local storekeeper conducts the business of the post and telephone burean. A sawmill is at work a few miles from the settlement. Te Kiri lies south-by-west from Mount Egmont, is in the Opunake survey district of the Taranaki land district, and forms part of the Waimate riding of the county of Hawera.
was opened about the year 1899. It contains one classroom, and there is also a teacher's residence. The grounds are seven acres in extent. The number on the roll is fifty, and the average attendance is thirty-seven.
D3, was appointed Headmaster of the Te Kiri Public School in the year 1902. He was born in Northamptonshire. England, in 1879, and came to New Zealand with his parents at an early age. Mr. Bates was educated at Normanby, where he subsequently served as a pupil teacher. For about eighteen months he was a relieving teacher under the Wanganni Board, and was afterwards in charge of the Rangi-wahia school for three years before he received his present appointment. Mr. Bates is permanent secretary of the Opunake-Te Kiri Lodge of Oddfellows, and is secretary of the local sports committee, and football club.
is forty-eight miles from New Plymouth and twenty-eight miles west of Hawera, and in a south-westerly direction from Mount Egmont. It has daily communication, by means of mail and passenger coaches, with New Plymouth, Hawera and Eltham. The local post office has all the usual branches, including the agency of the Government Life Insurance Office. Opunake has also its library and reading room, a volunteer fire brigade, a brass band, a harmonic society, a Caledonian Society, and racing and bowling clubs, a public hall, two hotels, and a number of places of business; a branch of the Bank of New Zealand, a biweekly newspaper, a public school, and a Roman Catholic convent school, a police station and a courthouse; and resident clergymen of the Presbyterian, Methodist, and Roman Catholic bodies have their headquarters in the settlement. A railway to connect with the main trunk line at El-tham is now (1906) in contemplation, and local settlers look forward with eagerness to its construction.
was constituted in the year 1882. Members for 1906: Messrs W. C. Dudley (chairman), J. C. Read, E. O'Mearu, J. Stewart, and C. A. Trotter. Mr. A. O'Brien is clerk. The district under jurisdiction is about one mile square. The total value of all property is £73,245, but rates are levied only on £63,201. The town district rate is ¾d in the pound, and a county rate of the same amount is also levied on the town property. Meetings of the Board are held in the Town Hall, which, although Government property, is maintained out of the rates. A local domain, twenty-five acres in extent, on which has been built a handsome grandstand, is administered by the Domain Board, the members of which are the Town Board commissioners.
formerly chairman of the Opunake Town Board, was a member of that body for over ten years, and chairman for seven years. He was born in the year 1862, in Canterbury, where he was educated, and brought up to commercial life. In 1882 he removed to the North Island, and shortly afterwards established himself at Opunake. In all public matters he has always exerted himself to promote the welfare of the district. He was honorary secretary to the Opunake Racing Club for thirteen years, chairman of the school committee, and a prominent director of the Opunake Wharf Company. Mr. Rogers was mainly instrumental in obtaining a grant from the Town Board for the Wharf Company, to make a road to the jetty.
was constituted under the Egmont County Act and the Egmont County District Adjustment Act of 1902. It has an area of 254 square miles, with Opunake as the county town. The county is divided into three ridings; namely, Rahotu, with a valuation of £616,087; Oeo, £272,069; and Opunake, £73,245. Meetings of the Council are held at the offices of the county clerk, and the supervision and employment of labour is carried out by three foremen. Members of the Council for 1906: Messrs M. Fleming (chairman), J. Burgess, E. Maxwell, M. J. Brennan, and R. Warner (Rahotu riding); S. Campbell, A. B. Coffin, and J. Conaglen (Oeo, riding); and W. C. Dudley (Opunake riding). Mr. G. W. Rogers is clerk.
Chairman of the Egmont County Council, and one of the members for Rahotu riding, was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, in the year 1854. He was educated at the Galbally National School, and was brought up on his father's farm. In 1874 he came to New Zealand, and landed in Nelson, and was then for three years on the West Coast diggings, principally on the Buller river. Mr. Fleming then went to Canterbury, where he remained for eighteen months, and afterwards removed to Hawke's Bay, where he remained for two years. In 1881, at the time of the Te Whiti troubles, he acquired part of his present farm, and the first fencing he put up was pulled down by the Maoris. Mr. Fleming has been a member of the Egmont County Council since its institution, and was appointed chairman in the year 1904. For over twelve years he was a member of the Parihaka Road Board, and for eight years its chairman. He has also been chairman of the Cape Egmont Dairy Company since its inception in 1896, is chairman of the local school committee, and of the Domain Board, and a trustee of the Public Hall. In 1884 Mr. Fleming married the second daughter of the late Mr. John Kavanagh, of Okato, and has ten children. He is further referred to as a farmer.
one of the members of the Egmont County Council for Rahotu riding, was born in the year 1847 in Herefordshire, England, and was brought up to farming. After some years spent in farming on his own account he came to New Zealand in 1881, and took up his present farm, Mr. Burgess has been a member of the Egmont County Council since the formation of the county, and, is chairman of the Warea Co-operative Dairy Company, Limited, and of the Cape Egmont Horticultural Society. For some years he was a member of the Parihaka Road Board, and is the Egmont County Council's first representative of the New Plymouth Charitable Aid Board. Mr. Burgess is provincial delegate and secretary of the Warea branch of the Farmers' Union, of which he was formerly president, and is a director of the Egmont Box Company, Limited, and president of the Warea Literary Institute. Mr. Burgess is further referred to as a farmer.
one of the members of the Rahotu riding in the Egmont County Council, was born in Kilmore, Victoria, Australia, in the year 1862, and is a son of the late Rev. Andrew Maxwell, and a nephew of the late Mr. Justice Johnston. He came to New Zealand in 1866, and was educated at the Crofton Grammar School, Wellington. Subsequently, he was for three years in the employment of a life insurance company, and later on entered the law office of a relative. He joined the Armed Constabulary at the time of the Parihaka disturbance (1881), remained in the force for seven years, and was engaged in clerical work in the district office at Opunake, and in the Defence Department, Wellington, for most of the time. After resigning from the force he started sheepfarming near Opunake. His first farm, which he sold three years ago, consisted of 440 acres. His present holding is named Marumarunui, after an old Maori fort of refuge on Mount Egmont, visible from the homestead. Mr. Maxwell takes a keen interest in public matters, and is connected with many local bodies and institutions. Since the formation of the county he has been a member of the Egmont County Council, and he was for years a member of the Parihaka Road Board, part of the time as chairman. He is a member of the New Plymouth Harbour Board, to which he was elected in 1894, and of which he was chairman for seven years. Mr. Maxwell has been a director of the Opunake Wharf Company, Limited, since its inception. He is Major of No. 1 Batalion, Wellington Mounted Rifles. He is also vice-president and a member of the executive of the Farmers' Union in the Taranaki Provincial District, and is a director of the Taranaki Farmers' Mutual Insurance Association. Mr. Maxwell takes a great interest in tree culture and in botany, and at the Melbourne Exhibition he gained first award for a collection of New Zealand ferns. He is married, and has two sons and one daughter.
was elected a member of the Egmont County Council for the Oeo riding in the year 1905. He was born in County Derry, Ireland, in 1861, and learned farming on his father's farm. In 1882 he came to New Zealand, and settled in the Taranaki district. After some time spent in general and farm work he took up a portion of his present holding, which he has added to from time to time. Mr. Campbell has been a director of the Pihama Dairy Company since its inception; has been a member of the school committee, and is a trustee of the Hall Committee, the Recreation Grounds Committee, and a member of the Oeo Bowling Club. He is married, and has ten children, and is further referred to as a farmer.
was elected a member of the Egmont County Council for the Oeo riding in the year 1905. He was born in 1856, in County Donegal, Ireland, where he was educated, and learned farming on his father's property. In 1876 Mr. Conaglen came to New Zealand, and landed in Auckland, where he worked for about four years on the kauri fields. He then went to Wanganui, where he was engaged in bush work for several years. In 1883 he removed to Pihama, and took up part of his present holding, in conjunction with his brother and another, whose interests he subsequently acquired. Mr. Conaglen has two farms, separated by the Skeet road. The homestead “Wanvoe” consists of 113 acres, the other farm, “Glencoe,” contains 298 acres. Mr. Conaglen has been a member of the Waimate Road Board; is chairman of the Pihama school committee and of the Hall Committee: is a member of the Oeo Bowling Club; and has been a director of the Pihama Dairy Company since its inception in 1897. Mr. Conaglen is married, and has six children. He is further referred to as a farmer.
was elected a member of the Egmont County Council for Rahotu riding in the year 1905. He was born in Nelson in 1847, and is a son of one of the early pioneers, who landed in Nelson in 1842, and was one of the few who escaped the Wairau massacre. Mr. Warner was educated in Nelson, and brought up on his father's farm. He was subsequently for many years sheepfarming in the Wanganui district and managing farms, and was then for three years in the Midhurst district, before removing to Opunake in 1889. Mr. Warner's farm consists of 320 acres of good grazing land, on which he conducts dairy farming. For some years Mr. Warner was a member of the Eltham
formerly in charge of the Opunake Post Office, is a native of Birmingham, England, and came to New Zealand with his parents when a boy in 1865. He is a son of Mr. John Brame, well known in Auckland as a journalist, and a nephew of Mr. William Brame, one of the Albertland pioneers. After being educated in Auckland at private schools, he entered the service of the Telegraph Department in 1872, as messenger in the Coromandel office, and was appointed to a cadetship in 1878. Since then he has been stationed at various offices. Mr. Brame takes much interest in musical matters. He is also an enthusiastic student of New Zealand ferns, and has one of the best collections in the colony. After leaving Opunake Mr. Brame was for some time at Kumara, whence he was transferred to Balclutha.
adjoins the Courthouse, and consists of a constable's residence of six rooms, a lock-up of two cells, and stables. Mr. Thomas Hickman, constable-in-charge at Opunake, also acts as Clerk of the Court. He entered the Armed Constabulary in the year 1868, and on one occasion his duties compelled him to arrest the Maori prophet, Te Whiti, at Parihaka.
is conducted in a substantial wooden building, containing two class rooms. The school grounds are of considerable extent, and there is a teacher's residence of three rooms. There are 105 names on the roll, and the average attendance is ninety. The headmaster is assisted by a mistress. Mr. Alfred Gray, who has been headmaster of the Opunake public school since September, 1905, was born at Waikouaiti, in the year 1875. He served as a pupil teacher in Rangiora, and was for some years assistant at the Central School at New Plymouth, before his appointment to Opunake.
formerly Headmaster of the Opunake School, is a native of Westmeath, Ireland, and was educated at Cheltenham College and King's College, London. He came to New Zealand in 1880, and has since then been engaged in teaching in various public schools. As a cricketer he has distinguished himself; he takes a great interest in athletics generally, and was a member of the Phoenix Cricket Club in Wellington, and an active member of various football clubs. The portrait reproduced with this article represents Mr. Heenan as First Lieutenant of the Wellington Guards, of which he was a member for many years.
was established in the year 1894 by Mr. M. J. Brennan, who shortly afterwards took into partnership Mr. G. P. Armstrong, who took over the paper in 1905. It is a bi-weekly paper, double news in size, with twenty-eight columns, and a four-page supplement issued with each number, and has a circulation throughout the county of Egmont. The offices, plant, and jobbing plant are situated in Brennan's buildings. The editor has three assistants.
Editor and Proprietor of the Opunake Times, was born in Greytown, New Zealand, in the year 1870. He was brought up as a printer, and worked successively on the Wairarapa Standard and the Wairarapa Observer. For some time subesquently he gained experience on papers in the Wellington, Hawke's Bay, and Auckland districts, before entering into partnership with Mr. Brennan in the year 1895. Mr. Armstrong takes an active interest in the various clubs and societies of Opunake.
is a handsome wooden building, with rooms for the magistrate, clerk, and witnesses. Monthly sittings are held by the Stipendiary Magistrate; and by the local Justices of the Peace, when necessary.
Solicitor, Opunake. Offices, Main Street, Opunake. Mr. McDavitt was born in Bendigo, Australia, in the year 1858, and came to New Zealand at an early age. He was educated in a private school at Greymouth, and afterwards entered the office of Mr. A. R. Guinness, now (1906) Speaker of the House of Representatives. Later, he returned to Australia, but some years after came back to New Zealand, and entered the office of Mr. W. H. Jones, a solicitor, of Greymouth. In 1888 he was admitted a solicitor of the Supreme Court of New Zealand, and in 1891 began practice in Greymouth. Eighteen months later he removed to Reefton, where he remained for two years. Mr. McDavitt then went to Stratford, where he practised for three years, and thence he went to Waihi. In the year 1897 he settled in Opunake. Mr. McDavitt is solicitor for the Opunake Town Board, and the Oaonui, Pihama, and Opunake Dairy Companies, and is conductor of the Opunake Harmonic Society and Brass Band; is connected with the choir of the Roman Catholic church, a steward of the Opunake Racing Club, and on the committee of the Caledonian Society.
Tailor and Habitmaker, Main Street, Opunake. Mr. Clarke was born in the year 1868, in Auckland, where he was educated, and at thirteen years of age was apprenticed to the tailoring trade. He subsequently worked as a journeyman in various parts of Auckland, and was for a short time in business on his own account in conjunction with a partner. About 1891 he removed to the Taranaki district, and in 1894 went to Opunake, to manage a business which he shortly after acquired. For about eight years Mr. Clarke has been secretary and delegate of the Opunake Football Club, is a member of the management committee of the Taranaki Rugby Union, the Opunake Racing Club, the Caledonian Society, and the Coursing Club, and secretary of the Des Forges Challenge Cup Union. While in Auckland he was a member of the Amateur Athletic Society, and competed with some success in pedestrian events. Mr. Clarke is married, and has two children.
(Henry James Newman), General Storekeepers and Provision Merchants, Opunake. Agents for the Northern Fire Insurance Company, Straits Fire and Marine Company, Booth and McDonald's Farm Implements, Reid and Gray's Drags and Agricultural Implements, McDougall's Celebrated Sheep Dip, Yates' weeds, and the Aorere S.S. Company. The business of this firm was established in the year 1880, by the proprietor, in conjunction with his brother, the late Mr. J. H. Newman, and has made wonderful progress, considering the firm's misfortunes. Messrs Newman Brothers were twice burnt out, and then occurred the death of one of the partners. Since then Mr. H. J. Newman has carried on the business alone, and has replaced the burnt-down building with a handsome store, which is thoroughly stocked with all the goods necessary for a first class business.
is a son of the late Mr. J. L. Newman, a well-known colonist, and was born in Nelson. The family afterwards removed to New Plymouth, where Mr. Newman was educated. He subsequently entered the office of the Union Steam Ship Company, and remained there until he decided to establish his present business. Mr. Newman takes a great interest in local matters, and warmly supports whatever promises to aid the progress of Opunake. He is a member of the Ancient Order of Foresters, and has held office as treasurer of the local court for many years.
(
the Senior Partner and Manager of the firm of Prosser Brothers, was born in Wellington, in the year 1880. He was brought up as a watchmaker and jeweller in Opunake under Mr. C. Rowlands, and has worked at the trade since 1898. In 1903 he took over the business in conjunction with his brother. Mr. Prosser is a member of the Opunake Mounted Rifles, and of the Opunake Coursing Club.
Junior Partner in the firm of Prosser Brothers, was born in the year 1881. in Opunake, where he was educated. He subsequently took up farming, and holds a dairy farm of 230 acres in the Opunake district.
who was an early settler of Opunake, was born in the year 1844, in London, England, where he was educated. He went to Australia in 1802, and in 1864 came to
is situated in the centre of an extensive dairying district, and is of great historical interest. It was formerly an armed constabulary station, and was the scene of much fighting during the Maori war in 1866. Pungarehu is in the Parihaka riding of the county of Taranaki, and is in the Cape survey district of the Taranaki land district, on the New Plymouth-Opunake mail coach road, twenty-seven miles south-west from New Plymouth. The settlement has two stores, a smithy, a public hall, a public school; and also a post, telegraph and money order office, a large dairy factory and flaxmills. Mail coaches pass north and south throughout the settlement.
stands on a section of two acres of land. The building is of wood and iron, with one class room and two porches. About thirty-five children are in attendance, and Mr, Ernest James Humphrey is headmaster.
Farmer, Cape Road, Pungarehu. Mr. Fleming holds a farm of 650 acres, situated within a short distance of Pungarehu post office, and carries on dairying and grazing. He is further referred to as chairman of the Egmont County Council.
lies on the coast, near Cape Egmont, thirty miles from New Plymouth; and is in the Parihaka
is under the care of a headmaster and an assistant teacher, and is well situated in the township. There is an attendance of about eighty children.
Headmaster of the Rahotu public school, was born in Fifeshire, Scotland, was educated at Edinburgh University, and trained for the teaching profession, He came to New Zealand by the ship “Pomona,” in the year 1876, and handed at Dunedin. Mr. Campbell entered the service of the Otago Education Board, and for six years was engaged in teaching in Otago. In 1882 he was appointed master of the Woodville school, and hold the position until he took charge of the Lepperton school in 1885. Mr. Campbell subsequently received his present appointment. During his residence at Lepperton he was for some time secretary of the Lepperton Dairy Factory, and his daughter was clerk of the Waitara West Road Board.
and Coast District is in charge of the Rev. H. Foston, who was appointed in the year 1905, and is further referred to on page 853 of the Wellington volume of the Cyclopedia of New Zealand. At present the district, which is twenty-four miles in length, and from three to twelve wide, includes Rahotu (where the minister resides), Okato, Warea, Pungarehu, Tataramaika; and services are also held in schools and halls in various places. The church property at Rahotu consists of three acres and ahalf, with the church and the parsonage.
(Alexander William Hood, proprietor), Rahotu. This hotel has been established for about thirty years. It is a two-storied building, and contains twenty-two rooms, including two sitting rooms. Tourists are specially catered for, and the Mountain House on the west of Mount Egment is about fourteen miles distant. At the Rahotu Hotel every comfort is provided for travellers; there is a good table, the liquors are of the best brands, the tariff is moderate, and the accommodation is good. The stables in connection with the hotel have accommodation for twenty horses, and horses and vehicles are on hire.
the Proprietor of the Rahotu Hotel, was born in Auckland, in the year 1870. He was brought up to the butchery business, and afterwards was employed as a plumber. For thirteen years he was in the employment of the firm of Hellaby Brothers, and was for part of the time manager of one of their shops. Mr. Hood took, over the Rahotu Hotel in June, 1905. He is a member of the local sporting and athletic clubs, is an old footballer, and a member of the Order of Druids, Lodge No. 2, Auckland, Mr., Hood is married, and has four children.
(John Guy and William Arthur Guy), General Butchers. Wholesale and Retail, Rahotu. This business was established in the year 1898 by Messrs Guy Brothers, who supply a wide district. Two delivery carts are employed. Messrs Guy Brothers own about ninety, acres of land, on a portion of which they do their own slaughtering.
of the firm of Guy, Brothers, was born in Penarrth, Wales, in the year 1872. He came to New Zealand at an early age, and after finishing his education, learned the trade of a butcher. From 1891 he was butchering in various parts of Taranaki, and in 1898 started his business at Rahotu. Mr. Guy is secretary of the Hall Committee, a member of the Domain Board, Rifle Club, and Opunake Mounted Rifles, and for many years was a member of the Opunake Football Club. He is married, and has one daughter.
of the firm of Guy Brothers, was born at Wainui-o-mata, near Wellington, in the year 1876, and was educated in the Taranaki district. He afterwards learned butchering, and in 1898 started, in business at Rahotu in conjunction with his brother. Mr. Guy is a member of the Hall Committee, chairman of the Rahotu Sports Club, and was for many years a member of the Opunake Football Club, and for a long time its captain. He was captain of the Taranaki representative team in 1905, and was a North Island represetative in the match played between the North Island and South Island at Christchurch. Mr. Guy is married, and has two children.
General Storekeeper, Baker and Confectioner, Rahotu. This business is conducted in two separate buildings, and there are departments for groceries, bread and confectionery, drapery, dressmaking, tailoring, ironmongery, seeds and manure, boots, crockery, and agricultural implements. Six persons are employed, in addition to Mr. Hughson's family. Mr. Hughson is agent for the Royal Insurance Company, and for the leading weekly news-papers. He also owns the line of mail coaches—New Plymouth to Opumake, in connection with which four persons, thirty-two horses, and three coaches are employed. Mr. Hughson was born in the Shetland Isles in the year 1862, and was employed in his father's store until he was seventeen years of age. He then came to New Zealand, and for six years served with the Armed Constabulary, at the time the road was being put through to connect with Opunake Later, Mr Hughson went to Auckland for a short time, but soon returned to Taranaki, and took up a farm at Okato, which he still holds. While resident at Opunake, before dairy factories were established, he devised a scheme for the packing and disposal of butter, and for some time managed the business created by the system. He afterwards went to Okato, where he was manager of the branch business of the New Plymouth Co-operative Association, until taking it over on his own account. He sold out in 1902, and subsequently acquired his present business. Mr. Hughson is chairman of the Rahotu school
is twenty-six miles by coach from New Plymouth, and seventeen miles from Opunake. It is the centre of a dairy farming district in the Parihaka riding of the county of Taranaki. Warea lies west-by-north of Mount Egmont and forms part of the Cape survey district of the Taranaki land district. The settlement has a dairy factory, a creamery, a sawmill, and a flax mill; and the business of the post, telegraph and telephone office is conducted at the general store. Warea has also a public school and a town hall, with a public library.
Warea. The business of these departments is conducted by Mr. C. H. King, who is further referred to as a storckeeper.
stands on a section of four acres, on which there is also a residence for the teacher. The average attendance is forty, and Miss Alice Evans is teacher in charge.
; Secretary, Mr. Hugh Bailey, Brougham Street, New Plymouth. The Warea Co-operative Dairy Factory is situated near the Warea Post Office. The plant is up-to-date, and includes a Tangye six horse-power boiler, an Anderson's sixteen horse-power water turbine, an engine of six horse-power, two De laval separators, each of 440 gallons capacity, a Humble and Son's freezer of one ton capacity, a De Laval pasteuriser, two churns of 700 and 300 pounds capacity respectively, a Holben and Kirk butterworker, a McGowan hoist, an insulated cream vat, a Tangye special type pump, and a Triumph skim milk weighing machine. There is a creamery in connection with the factory at Newall road. The staff consists of a factory manager and two assistants, and a creamery manager.
Manager of the Warea Co-operative Dairy Factory, was born in the year 1880, at Gospori, Hants, England, but afterwards lived at Southampton, where he was educated. He was for some time subsequently in a solicitor's office, and in 1899 came to New Zealand, went to Taranaki, and worked in the Oakura Dairy Factory. Mr. Robinson afterwards removed to the Rangitikei district as a factory assistant, but returned to Taranaki, and was for two years assistant in the Warea Factory. Later, for two years, he was in charge of the Newall road creamery before receiving his present appointment.
General Storekeeper, Warea. This business was established in the year 1889, and acquired by Mr. King in 1904. Full stocks of groceries, drapery, ironmongery, boots and shoes, etc., are carried, and goods are delivered by cart throughout the district. Mr. King was born in 1869, in Northampton, England, where he was educated, and was subsequently employed in a warehouse. In 1885 he came to New Zealand, and was for many years in Wellington, in a warehouse, before acquiring his present business. Mr. King is secretary of the Warea Hall Committee, and conductor of the choir of the Presbyterian church. While in Wellington he was for twelve years conductor of St. James Presbyterian choir at Newtown, and was a member of the Wellington Orchestral Society, and the Wellington Liedertafel. Mr. King is married, and has three children. He is further referred to in connection with the Post Office at Warea.
Farmer, “Greenburn,” Warea. Mr. Burgess's property consists of 108 acres of freehold land, on which he conducts dairying. He takes a keen interest in horticulture, and has successfully exhibited in all the shows held on the Coast. Mr. Burgess is further referred to as a member of the Egmont County Council.
is seventeen miles southwest by coach from New Plymouth, and not far from the sea coast. It is in the Parihaka riding of the county of Taranaki, and forms part of the Cape survey district of the Taranaki land district. Okato is the centre of a dairy-farming district, and has a large dairy factory. The business of the post and telegraph office and telephone bureau is conducted at the local store. There is an accommodation house, three blacksmiths' shops, and a public school, and a hall in the settlement. Okato has also a lacal Lodge of Druids. Good shooting and fishing are obtainable in the neighbourhood, and the roads are fair for cycling. The English meaning of the Maori word Okato is said to be “sweeping of the waves,” and it is stated that the name was given to the place in consequence of a tidal wave
Okato. The business of these departments is conducted at the store of Mr. James Smith Fox, who is further referred to in another article.
is conducted in a wooden building, which contains two class rooms, with accommodation for one hundred pupils. There are seventy names on the roll, and the headmaster, Mr. W. J. Boyce, is assisted by a mistress.
includes the country stretching from the Oakura stream in the north, to Okahu in the south. The principal church is situated at Okato, and is known as St. Paul's. It was erected in the year 1897, is well fitted up, and has accommodation for a congregation of 120 persons. There are about three acres of land, on which stands a vicarage containing seven rooms. At Tataraimaka, St. Peter's church has seats for eighty persons, and services are also held in various public halls throughout the district. The Rev. Frederick William Young, B.A., is vicar. He was born at Kaiapoi in 1865. After serving for a number of years as a teacher in Canterbury and Taranaki, Mr. Young graduated B.A. in 1897, took holy orders, and has been stationed at Okato since 1901.
Okato, occupies a very central position. A fine new building has recently been erected, and the old church (built in 1881), now does duty as a Sunday school. At the comfortable presbytery reside Father Cognet and his assistants, Fathers Soulas and Schaefer. The parish extends from Oakura river to the Oeo road, thus including the thriving township of Opunake, and the districts of Pihama and Te Kiri. Opunake has a fine church and presbytery, with a resident priest. There is also a handsome convent, belonging to the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions, and the parish schools are attended by about sixty-four children. The parish numbers about 650 persons, and about 175 Catholic Maoris scattered along the coast are also regularly visited. On the 11th of October, 1903, a new church was opened at Pungarehu, and dedicated to St. Martin.
Priest in charge of St. Patrick's Roman Catholic church, Okato, was born at Lyons, France, and was educated at the College of Valbenoite. He joined the Society of Mary in the year 1880; for four years he was a member of the teaching staff of the Colleges of Tonlon and Montlucon; and in 1885 he was ordained to the priesthood at Lyons. Father Cognet then came to New Zealand, and spent about seven years at Jerusalem, on the Wanganui river. He was subsequently for a year at Otaki, and later was transferred to Paripaki, near Hastings, Hawke's Bay, for one year. Father Cognet then removed to New Plymouth, where for upwards of a year he assisted Father McKenna, and in May, 1896, was placed in charge of Okato.
General Storekeeper, Okato. Agent for the South British Fire and Accident Insurance Company. Mr. Fox has two separate shops devoted to his business. In the principal shop, in which the business of the district post office is conducted, full stocks of groceries, ironmongery, boots and shoes, grain, manures, etc., are carried. There is also a bakery in connection with the establishment. The second shop is in charge of a manager, and contains drapery and clothing departments. Mr. Fox employs nine persons, and two delivery carts.
was born in the year 1867, in Arbroath, Forfarshire, Scotland, where he was educated. He was subsequently employed by various retail firms, and was afterwards for several years a traveller for commercial houses. In 1891 he came to New Zealand, and was for two years in charge of the dairy factory on a farm, for the National Bank of New Zealand, at Tataraimaka. He was then employed by the Crown Dairy Company for four years, and in 1899 started in business as a storekeeper on his own account at Okato. Mr. Fox is chairman of the Cemetery Trust, and a member of the Okato hall and school committees. As a Freemason he is a member of Lodge Ikaroa, No. 115, New Zealand Consitution,
is a dairy-farming district on the New Plymouth-Opunake road, about fourteen miles south-west of New Plymouth, and twenty-four miles from Opunake. It lies between the villages of Oakura and Okato, and is in the Omata riding of the county of Taranaki, and in the Cape survey district of the Taranaki land district. The settlement is intersected by the Timaru stream, on the banks of which stands the Timaru creamery.
Tataraimaka. This creamery was formerly the property of the Crown Butter Factory, but was subsequently acquired by the Oakura Co-operative Dairy Factory Company, Limited. It occupies a picturesque site on the road between Oakura and Okato. About 850 gallons of milk are received daily, the cream of which is sent to the factory at Oakura. The plant includes two de Laval separators, and there is a daily output of twelve boxes of butter. Mr. W. R. Cave is manager.
was appointed Manager of the Timaru Creamery and Oakura Factory in the year 1893. He was born at Gosport, in Hampshire, England, in 1864, and is a son of the late Mr. A. M. Cave, a well known house and ship decorator, who did up Lord Brassey's yacht “Sunbeam,” and the yacht “Hildegarde,” when it belonged to the Prince of Wales, now King Edward the Seventh. Mr. Cave was educated at Mr. Gayne's Collegiate School, Gosport, and came to New Zealand in the s.s. “Ruapehu” in October, 1889. Eight years later he took a trip Home for the Jubilee in the s.s “Tonga-riro,” and returned by the ill-fated “Mataura,” which was wrecked in the Straits of Magellan. In 1889 Mr. Cave removed to New Plymouth, where he found employment on what is known as the National Bank Farm at Tataraimaka, and while there, as manager of the butter factory, he gained first prize for his butter. Mr. Cave has a farm of 125 acres, situated near the creamery on the Petane road, and he runs upwards of a score of cows.
is a small coastal town about eight miles to the south-west of New Plymouth, on the New Plymouth-Opunake road. It is in the Wairau survey district of the Taranaki land district, in the Omata riding of the county of Taranaki. Oakura has a post office and telephone bureau, one hotel, a store, and a blacksmith's shop, and there is also a town hall, in which services are held by visiting clergymen. The Oakura Dairy Factory is in active operation during the season. The area of good land in the neighbourhood of Oakura is restricted, owing to the mountain range coming very near to the coast line at this point. During the native troubles a considerable amount of fighting took place in the neighbourhood. There is regular coach communication by the New Plymouth-Opunake line.
is one of the old established schools in the Taranaki district. It contains one class room, a lobby, and two porches. There is also a teacher's residence of five rooms. The number on the roll is forty, and the average attendance thirty-five.
D1, was appointed Teacher of the Oakura school in the year 1905. She was born in the New Plymouth district, and educated at Otakeho and in Hawera. After serving as a cadet in Hawera she went to Otakeho, where she remained for three years. She then served successively in the Terrace End, Mangamahu, Fitzherbert East, and Awatuna schools, before receiving her present appointment.
J.P., of Oakura, was born in West-bury, Wiltshire, England, in the year 1842. He is the son of Mr. Nathaniel Adlam, a farmer, and was educated in his native place. After having been two years in the Cardiff ironworks, he joined the 43rd Regiment, and
J.P., who occupies a prominent place in Gudgeon's “Defenders of New Zealand,” took a very active and gallant part in the Taranaki Maori war, and his name is inseparable from its history. He was born in Madeira, in the year 1837, and was educated in Leamington, Warwickshire, and at Islington, London, England. In 1856 he came to New Zealand with his parents in the ship “St. Michael,” direct to New Plymouth. The family at once entered upon pioneer life, taking up land at Omata. Mr. Mace had a great deal of experience among the Maoris in connection with Mr. Wellington Carrington, and became familiar with the native language. When, in 1860, the settlers of Omata erected a stockade, in consequence of rumours that unfriendly natives were on their way from the south, Mr. Mace volunteered for service under Captain Rurton, the commanding officer, and while acting as a scout, he discovered the rebels at Wairau, 500 strong. He gave the alarm, and warned the settlers to retire to the stockade, but Mr. Ford, disregarding the advice, paid the penalty with his life. Captain Burton, wishing to know whether the rebels were erecting fortifications, sent young Mace to reconnoitre. While galloping alone up the Waireka Hill, he met two natives—and named Apia, whom he knew—and was warned by them that no white man would be allowed to pass. With diffienlty, he persuaded Apia to return with him to see Captain Burton and Captain Good. On Apia leaving, shots were fired, killing Ford, Pasome, Shaw, and two boys, Mr. Mace next volunteered to ride into New Plymouth with despatches, and though repeatedly fired at, he accomplished the dangerous duty without injury. After this he acted as guide to Captain Cracroft of H.M.S. “Niger. It is Captain Mace's opinion that nearly five years' warfare might have been avoided if the capture of Waireka Pa by Captain Cracroft's volunteers had been judiciously and actively followed up. Old Abraham, the leading chief, was killed, but no sufficiently decisive victory was gained, and the turbulent natives continued their depredations. On joining the Mounted Volunteers, Mr. Mace was made orderly to Colonel Carey, and was thus engaged at Waitara for about two years. He had a horse shot under him, and was twice wounded by spent bullets. For his services in the Omata and Waitara campaigns he received the thanks of Governor Gore Browne, who offered him a commission, which he declined. On a truce being proclaimed at Waitara, Mr. Mace returned to New Plymouth, served under Colonel Sir W. J. Warre, was promoted to the rank of ensign in 1862, had command of the Mounted Volunteers, and was foremost in all the skirmishes of that time. In July, 1863, he received his lieutenancy, went recruiting in Dunedin, and returned with 150 men. He was promoted to the rank of captain; and Colonel Haultain, then Defence Minister, acknowledged that the Taranaki Mounted Volunteers, under Captain Mace, were, as a corps, second to none in the colony. He was frequently mentioned in despatches, and immediately after the war was awarded the New Zealand Cross. Captain Mace can tell of many stirring episodes in the war. He was wounded in an ambuseade at Warea, where a small party was surrounded by seventy natives. At the taking of Abraham's pa he had his horses killed and wounded under him. Captain Mace was subsequently for about five years a member of the Provincial Council of Taranaki, and for over twenty years was a member of the Oakura Road Board, of which he was also chairman for a considerable period. He has also been chairman of the local school committee, and member of the Licensing Committee. He has been a Justice of the Peace since the conclusion of the war, and has been a Freemason since 1863. In 1863 he married a daughter of Mr. Hamer Arden, one of Taranaki's early settler's, and has two daughters and four sons. Two of his sons have leased from their father a fine 300 acre freehold farm at Wairau.
is a dairy-farming settlement not far from Oakura, in the Omata riding of the county of Taranaki, and forms part of the Wairau survey district of the Taranaki land district. The settlement lies nearly north of Mount Egmont, and contains a good deal of excellent farming land.
J.P., Farmer, Tapuae. Mr. Morris was born in Middlesex, England, was educated at Kingsland, and afterwards learned the grocery trade, which he followed for a number of years. He subsequently came to New Zealand in the ship “Taranaki,” and landed at New Plymouth in the year 1880. Mr. Morris settled at Tapuae, where he started farming. His property consists of 1000 acres of land, on which he depastures sheep, conducts mixed farming, and has a well equipped dairy factory. Mr. Morris has been chairman of the Oakura school committee for many years; he was chairman of the Oakura Road Board for a considerable time, and has also been a member of the Taranaki County Council. He married a daughter of
is a fine dairy-farming district twenty-three miles to the west of Hawera, and seven miles to the south-east of Opunake, on the Hawera — Opunake — New Plymouth road. There is a daily mail service by coach with Hawera and Opunake. The settlement has a public school, and the business of the post and telegraph office, money order office and telephone bureau is conducted at the local store. There is a Presbyterian church, with a resident minister at Opunake, a public hall, two black-smiths' shops, and a dairy factory, which has three creameries. Pihama has a bowling club, and the racecourse of the Opunake Jockey Club is in the neighbourhood. The district forms part of the Oeo survey district of the Taranaki land district, and is in the Waitnate riding of the county of Hawera.
was opened in February, 1887, and has an attendance of fifty. There is a teacher's residence adjacent to the school. Mr. Frederick William Mason, the headmaster, is a well known teacher, who served for many years under the Wanganui Education Board. He is more fully referred to on page 1475 of the Wellington volume of this Cyclopedia.
; Offices, Opunate; Secretary, Mr. M.
was appointed Manager of the Pihama Co-operative Dairy Company in the year 1903. He was born in Wanganui in 1878, and was brought up on a farm. He subsequently became assistant at the Awatuna Dairy Factory, where he worked for three years. For the following two years Mr. O'Dea was assistant in the Pihama factory, and was then for one year a butter maker at Mangorei before receiving his present appointment. He is a vicepresident, and a member of the Opunake Football Club, a member of the local Bowling Club, handicapper for the Opunake Caledonian Society and the Oaonui and TeKiri Sports Clubs, and has successfully competed as a distance and sprint runner in the Wanganui and Taranaki districts. Mr. O'Dea is married.
is situated at the corner of the Skeet and Patiki roads. The plant includes an eight horse-power boiler, with a six horse-power Tangye engine, and a Crown separator with a capacity of 560 gallons, etc. The supply is about 1800 gallons per day.
was appointed Manager of the Skeet Road Creamery in the year 1905. He was born at Norsewood, Hawke's Bay, in 1884, and was educated in the Rangitikei district, where he was also for some time engine driving. In 1902 he started dairy factory work as an assistant at the Bulls factory, and was subsequently manager of a factory in the Hunterville district, before receiving his present appointment.
Farmer, “Sea View.” Pihama. Mr. Campbell's property consists of over 1200 acres of good land. “Sea View,” the homestead farm, contains 800 acres, and is devoted to general farming. Another farm of 200 acres on the Waiteika road, and one of 200 acres on the Watino road, are devoted principally to dry stock. Mr. Campbell is further referred to as member of the Egmont County Council.
Farmer, Skeet Road, Pihama. Mr. Conaglen's property consists of two farms separated by the Skeet road. The homestead, “Wanvoe,” contains 113 acres, and the other, “Glencoe,” 298 acres. Dairyfarming is carried on. Mr. Conaglen takes a keen interest in the progress of his district, and is connected with various institutions. He is further referred to as a member of the Egmont County Council.
is a dairy-farming district, the central point of which is about twenty miles from Hawera and four miles to the westward of Otakeho, with which there is daily communication. The village has a public school, a public hall, and a small public library, which has its domicile in the school. There are three creameries within a short
. The business of these departments is conducted at the store of Mr. J. D. Proflitt. The branch line of wire connects with the Hawera-Opunake line at Otakeho.
Postmaster at Auroa, was born in the year 1870, in Staffordshire, England, where he was educated, and served his time as a draughtsman. In 1892 he came to New Zealand, and settled in the Nelson district. Shortly afterwards, however, he went to Taranaki, and engaged in dairy farming in the Pihama district. Eighteen months later, he was employed in a store at Manaia, and subsequently returned to Nelson, where he was for three years with the Farmers' Co-operative Association. In 1899 he was appointed manager of a store at Auroa, and afterwards took over the business on his own account. Mr. Proffitt is secretary of the Auroa Sports Club, and a member of the Auroa school committee, and the Manaia Racing Club. At one time he competed with success in amateur evele racing. Mr. Proffitt is married, and has four children. He is further referred to as a general storekeeper.
was established by the Crown Dairy Company, and subsequently taken over by the Kaupokonui Co-operative Dairy Company, Limited. The building is large and well fitted, and the plant includes an eight horse-power Murray boiler, a four horse-power Tangye colonial engine, three De Laval separators, each of 440 gallons capacity, a pasteuriser, and four large cheese vats, etc. The maximum supply is 2560 gallons daily. The manager has five assistants.
was appointed Manager of the Auroa Cheese Factory and Creamery in the year 1903. He was born in Nottinghamshire, England, in 1878, and accompanied his parents to New Zealand in 1885. He entered the service of the Crown Dairy Company, and was assistant at the Pihama factory for four years. For a few months subsequently he worked at the Toko factory, and was then appointed assistant at the Otakeho dairy factory, of which he afterwards became manager. Later on, he worked successively at the Skeet road and Ngaire creameries before receiving his present appointment. Mr. Ogle is married, and has one son.
or Skimming Station, is situated on the Skeet road, and is a wooden building with concrete floors. The plant includes an eleven horse-power Luke boiler, a four horse-power Luke engine, three De Laval 440 gallon separators, a pasteuriser, and the usual plant and fittings. There are twenty suppliers, and in the height of the season the creamery puts through 25,500 pounds of milk. An assistant is employed when necessary.
was appointed Manager of the Auroa Creamery in 1904. He was born in the year 1881, in Hamilton, Waikato, where he was educated. He was engaged in engine driving, and started dairy factory work when sixteen years of age. Mr. Cochrane was afterwards farming for some time, and, later on, became first assistant in a butter factory. He was subsequently employed in brickmaking, but finally returned to dairy factory work. Mr. Cochrane is married, and has one child.
General Storekeeper, Auroa. Agent for the Auckland Weekly News. Mr. Proffitt's business is conducted in suitable premises, in which a full stock of country requisites, groceries, drapery, ironmongery, boots and shoes, etc., is carried. Mr. Proffitt also conducts a dairy farm of seventy acres in connection with his business.
is about midway between Opunake and Hawera, and has daily coach communication by a good road with each of these places. The village lies to the west of Hawera and to the south-east of Opunake, and is almost due south from Mount Egmont; it is in the Oeo survey district of the Taranaki land district, and the Waimate riding of the county of Hawera. The Kaupokonui Company has a branch dairy factory—one of the largest and most important in Taranaki—about two miles from the village. There is a telephone bureau at the local post and telegraph office. Otakeho has also a public hall, an Anglican church, a store, a hotel, a smithy, and a public school. The surrounding country is devoted entirely to farming.
dates from the year 1885, and is conducted in a wooden building, which contains two rooms. There is accommodation
General Storekeeper, Otakeho. Mr. Eaves' business is conducted in commodious and well arranged premises. Full and varied stocks are carried in groceries, ironmongery, drapery, boots land shoes, and produce. Mr. Eaves is agent for the New Zealand Fire Insurance Company, the New Zealand Accident Insurance Company, Silver Dust Flour, Chamberlain's medicines, the Auckland Weekly News, and the Christchurch Press, etc. He was born in Tasmania, and arrived in New Zealand in the year 1902.
Farmer, Otakeho. Mr. Coxhead's farm consists of 230 acres of excellent land. It is under thorough cultivation, and is stocked with about 1000 Lincoln sheep and thirty cows. The farm is a portion of Mr. Coxhead's late father's property, which was divided amongst a family of five sons and one daughter. Mr. Coxhead was born and brought up in Auckland, where his father landed from England in 1842. He is married, and has one daughter.
“The Pines.” Otakeho. Mr. le Fleming's homestead is situated on the Auroa road, near Otakeho, and comprises 300 acres of good farming land. He also holds 125 acres on another part of the Auroa road, 250 acres on the Skeet road, and 170 acres at Awatuna. These properties are devoted principally to dairy farming. Mr. le Fleming was born at St. Albans, Christchurch, in the year 1861, and was educated at the Kaiapoi borough school. He subsequently removed to Taranaki, and for some time managed a property of 4000 acres at Ngaire and Otako for Mr. Isaac Wilson, sometime member of the House of Representatives. He took up the Skeet Road portion of his property in 1882, and has added the rest since. Mr. le Fleming was a member of the Waimate Road Board for three years. He has been for many years chairman of the Otakeho school committee, is a director of the Kaupokonui Dairy Factory Company, and a member of the Farmers' Union, and the Egmont Agricultural and Pastoral Association. He is married, and has seven children. Mr. le Fleming is heir to the baronetcy of le Fleming, created in the year 1705. The second baronet was bishop of Carlisle. Sir Michael le Fleming, the founder of the family, was a kinsman of Baldwin, Earl of Flanders, and, having assisted William the Conqueror against the Scots, received various manors in Lancashire, Westmoreland, and Cumberland.
formerly of “Opuhi,” Otakeho, is the eldest son of Mr. J. Hawken, a well-known colonist, and was born at Kakaramea in the year 1870. He was educated at Patea, learned farming with his father, and afterwards owned a farm in the same district for about two years, prior to settling at Otakeho, where he had 600 acres of first-class land, stocked with 2000 crossbred Lincoln sheep, and fifty dairy cows. Mr. Hawken subsequently removed to Hawera. He takes a lively interest in all that concerns the welfare of his district, and is a good allround athlete.
is a dairy-farming district on the Hawera-Opunake road, twelve miles from Hawera, and about two miles from Manaia. It is the headquarters of the Kaupokonui Dairy Company, which conducts its large factory and store on co-operative lines. The business of the post and telegraph office is conducted by the company's secretary. Kaupokonui is also the name of a stream, which takes its rise in Mount Egmont, and discharges into the South Taranaki Bight, near the village. Mount Egmont is about due north from Kaupokonui. The settlement lies in the Waimate survey district of the Taranaki land district, and is in the Waimate riding of the county of Hawera.
was formed in 1897, with a capital of £2000, which was afterwards increased to £10,000 in £1 shares. The offices are at the company's own buildings at Kaupokonui, and Mr. E. C. Barleyman is secretary. Though it started in a modest way, the company has so enlarged and extended its business that it has become one of the most important of its kind in Taranaki. In addition to the main factory there are six creameries, or branch factories, some of a large size. In the flush of the season the staff numbers about thirty-five. The factory was making cheese in the year 1906, and the output was about 1200 tons, equal to 560 tons of butter. A co-operative store, carried on by the company as part of its business, has proved a great success, and an immense benefit to the shareholders. For the year ending the 30th of June, 1906, £42,913 7s 8d was paid to suppliers for milk.
Secretary to the Company, is a dairy farmer who holds several farms in the district, and is a staunch advocate of co-operation. He was born in Blenheim in 1866, and educated there and in the Nelson district; was brought up to commercial life, and served six years in law offices in Blenheim. In 1893 he removed to Taranaki, and gradually acquired his present properties. When the Kaupokonui Company was formed Mr. Barleyman was appointed secretary. He is local postmaster, a steward of the Manaia Racing Club, and local agent of the Royal Insurance Company. Mr. Barleyman is married, and has two children.
is one of the largest in Taranaki, if not in New Zealand. The buildings are large, roomy, and strongly constructed, and the plant is up-to-date and complete. The main factory, and five out of six creameries are fitted up for cheese making, as well as for separating. The motive power at the factory is derived from two twenty-five horse-power McCormick turbines, but there is auxiliary power in the shape of a ten horse-power Luke engine. The boiler is twenty-five horse-power, and the rest of the plant includes a twelve ton Humble and Son refrigerator, five Alpha de Laval separators, three Topliss chruns, each of 1000 pounds capacity, two six feet butterworkers, four insulated Humble cream vats, a very large pasteuriser, a Topliss butter pounder. Chambers' hoists, a Riddell's skim milk weighing machine, two seven beam Fairbanks scales, and a Sabroe cream hoist. For cheesemaking there are eight vats, with a capacity of 6400 gallons per day; eight gang presses, a McPherson curd mill, etc. There is a special testing room, with appliances for laboratory work. In the flush of the season, when cheesemaking is in hand, the staff at the main factory consists of two cheesemakers, and fourteen assistants.
the Manager, is a native of Dunedin, where he was born in 1867. Until he reached seventeen years of age he worked on his father's farm, but then entered the Edendale Dairy Factory, in which he worked for two years. He then took charge of the Aparima cheese factory, near Riverton, and re
is on the Waimate Plains, and near the sea, on the South Taranaki Bight, between the Kapuni and Kaupokonui rivers. It is almost due south of Mount Egmont, and forms part of the Waimate survey district of the Taranaki land district, and of the Waimate riding of the county of Hawera. Manaia is governed by a Town Board, and is also the headquarters of the Waimate Road Board. It has Anglican, Methodist, Roman Catholic and Presbyterian churches, and there is a resident Presbyterian clergyman. There are convent and public schools in the township, which has also an Oddfellows' Hall, a Town Hall, and municipal buildings, and local branches of the Banks of New Zealand and Australasia. The businesses include those of two bakers, two butchers, three stores, four drapers, two bootmakers, three hotels, and a general smith; and the resident professional men consist of a solicitor and a medical practitioner. The main road between Hawera and Opunake runs through the settlement, and there is daily communication each way by mail coaches; the distance to Opunake being eighteen miles, and to Hawera, ten miles. Manaia has a somewhat peculiar landmark in a tower which was erected by the Armed Constabulary at the time of the native troubles, for the purpose of a look out and redoubt. The settlement has a tri-weekly newspaper, named the Waimate Witness and Kaponga Advocate; also a local library, and racing club; and two large dairy factories are in operation in the immediate neighbourhood; one at Riversdale, towards Hawera, and the other at Kaupokonui, on the other side of the township. The local post and telegraph office has a telephone exchange. Manaia has a police station and a counthouse, and the Magistrate at Hawera periodically visits the district. The town is lighted by electricity, by the Hawera County Electric Company. In the octagon, a granine obensk, surrounded by an iron railing, commemorates the officers and men of the Armed Constabulary, and of the Patea Field Force, who fell in engagements with the Maoris in Taranaki in the years 1868–9.
. Members for the year 1906: Messrs J. Hunt (chairman), A. G. Bennett, J. J. Meldon, C. Hunger, and W. S. Glenn. Mr. F. Archer is clerk and treasurer. The total capital rateable value of the town is £48,184; the unimproved value is £15,874, and value of improvements, £32,310. A rate of ¾d in the pound is levied on the capital value, and a rate of the same amount is levied by the county, in addition to which a sanitation rate of ⅗d in the pound is also levied. Manaia has a volunteer fire brigade, a public domain of thirty-four acres, and a cemetery of twenty acres, which are under the jurisdiction of the Board. In the year 1906 municipal buildings were erected in the main street of the town at a cost of £1,500. The Board meets on the third Thursday in each month.
Chairman of the Manaia Town Board, was born in London, England, and was educated at Merchant Taylors' School. He learned
who is a member of the Manaia Town Board, is further referred to as a barrister and solicitor.
was elected a member of the Manaia Town Board in the year 1904. He has a farm of 350 acres on the Waimate Plains, and carries on dairying. Mr. Glenn was born in Greymouth in 1878, and removed to Taranaki as a child with his parents, who settled at Manaia. He was educated in the Manaia public school, and brought up to farming. Later on he became an auctioneer in the firm of Steuart and Corrigan, with whom he remained in that capacity for three years. Mr. Glenn is secretary of the Manaia Tennis Club, and a member of the Egmont Racing Club, and of the Egmont Agricultural and Pastoral Association. He takes a keen interent in sport, and owns several thoroughbred brood mares and was part owner of the well known horse “Maniopoto.” Mr. Glenn has represented Taranaki in football since 1899; he represented New Zealand against the English team in 1904, and in 1905–6, he was a member of the New Zealand “All Blacks,” who toured the Old Country. Mr. Glenn is married.
was elected to the Manaia Town Board in the year 1904. He was for a number of years in business as a storekeeper and flaxmiller at Oroua Bridge, and settled in the Manaia district as a storekeeper in 1903. He is further referred to on page 1126 of the Wellington volume of this Cyclopedia.
formerly a member of the Manaia Town Board, was born in the year 1876, in Geelong, Victoria. He came to New Zealand with his parents at an early age, was educated at Patea and Manaia, and was brought up to farming. For a number of years he was engaged in country life, and then started in business on his own account in Manaia as a baker and confectioner. Mr. Young is a member of Lodge Manaia in the Order of Oddfellows, and has passed all the chairs. In 1901 he married a daughter of Mr. R. D. Nosworthy, of Blenheim, and has two daughters and one son. He is further referred to as a baker and confectioner.
which has jurisdiction over a populous and fertile district on the Waimate Plains, has its headquarters in Manaia.
Chairman of the Waimate Road Board, was born at New Seat, Wanganui, in the year 1866, and was educated
is centrally situated in the Octagon. The building is of wood and iron, and was one of the first post offices on the Waimate Plains. It contains a public office, mail and instrument rooms, a private lobby with thirty-six letter boxes, and a telephone exchange, with fourteen subscribers. About fifteen mails are received and despatched daily. The postmaster is assisted by a cadet and a messenger.
who has been Postmaster at Manaia since 1904, has been in the service of the department since the seventies.
has been in existence since the early days of the settlement. The premises stand on a three-quarter acre section on Manaia road, and contain an office, a residence two cells, and a stable.
was appointed Constable-in-charge of the Manaia Police Station in January, 1903. He became a police officer in Dublin, Ireland, and served seven years before joining the New Zealand force, about the year 1883.
was established in the year 1882, and stands on part of a section of ten acres. It is built of wood and iron, and contains three class rooms and two porches. There is a large playground of five acres, and a school residence. Accommodation is provided for 180 pupils; the names on the roll number 120, and there is an average attendance of 105. The staff consists of a headmaster, a mistress, and a pupil teacher.
was appointed Headmaster of the Manaia public school in the year 1890. He arrived in Wellington in 1882, and having previously qualified, became a teacher under the Wanganui Education Board.
was established in the year 1888. It consists of four pages, of eight columns each; about eight columns in every issue is devoted to reading matter, and the rest to advertisements. The paper is printed on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and has a circulation throughout the Waimate Plains, Kaponga, Manaia, and the surrounding districts.
who has been proprietor of the Waimate Witness and Kaponga Advocate since the 1st of January, 1906, was connected with journalism at Cromwell, Otago, for several years, and was also headmaster of the Cromwell public school. He is more fully referred to on pages 725–6 of the Otago and Southland volume of this Cyclopedia.
formerly of the “Waimate Witness,” was born in Sussex, England, in 1848, educated at Brighton, and served a term with a firm of architects and surveyors in London. At the age of nineteen he emigrated to New Zealand, where he had an adventurous and varied career on the gold-fields and in other pursuits, including four years in the Armed Constabulary. He finally married, and took up a farm in the Taranaki district. As a correspondent for several papers his writings soon became known, and he was induced by the late Hon. J. Ballance, then editor of the “Wanganui Herald,” to take a position on that paper. Subsequently he was offered and accepted the editorship of the “Waimate Witness,” Manaia. During his residence in Manaia he held many public positions, and was appointed a Justice of the Peace in 1895. He is an enthusiastic cyclist, and has won several prizes in racing events, one being a gold medal for a ten-mile track race. In his younger days he was a well known footballer and cricketer, and an expert rifle shot. Mr. Crowhurst has written many serial stories, as well as a number of burlesques, farces, and operettas, which have been successfully produced; and he is also an amateur actor. After leaving Manaia he resided successively in Stratford and New Plymouth.
is conducted in a wood and iron building, which is a portion of the old Armed Constabulary barracks. There are rooms for the Magistrate, Clerk of Court, and witnesses. Sittings are held monthly by Mr. A. Turnbull, Stipendiary Magistrate, who resides at Hawera. The local constable acts as Clerk of Court.
Barrister and Solicitor, Manaia. Bankers, Bank of Australasia. New Plymouth agent, Mr. W. L. Fitzherbert. Mr. Bennett was born in the year 1870, in Auckland, where he was educated, and entered the office of Messrs Russell and Campbell, solicitors, in 1885. He was admitted a solicitor in 1891. He pays regular business visits to Kaponga every Friday in each week. Mr. Bennett has taken a leading part in athletic and local matters, and is secretary and solicitor to Lodge Loyal Manaia, No. 6801, Manchester Unity, Independent Order of Oddfellows, vice-president of the Waimate Football Club, treasurer of the Manaia Presbyterian church, president of the Waimate Horticultural Society and of the Manaia Town Board. He is also solicitor to the Kanpokonui Co-operative Dairy Factory Company, Limited, and agent for the Royal Insurance Company. Mr. Bennett is also a member of the Manaia Town Board.
at Manaia, was opened in the year 1882, and occupies a site on the main south road. It is a single storey wood and iron building, and contains a banking chamber, a manager's room, a strong room, and a residence. The staff consists of the manager and two assistants. Mr. H. C. M. McLvor was appointed manager in the year 1905.
at Manaia was opened as an agency in the year 1881. The original building was destroyed by fire in 1903, and the present premises, which were built shortly afterwards, contain a banking chamber, a manager's room, a strong room, and a residence. The staff includes a manager and two assistants.
Auctioneers, Land. Commission, and Insurance Agents, Manaia. Head office, Broadway, Stratford. The Manaia branch of this business, which was bought in the year 1897 from Messrs Budge and Good, is in charge of Mr. S. B. Corrigan.
was born in Geelong, Victoria, Australia, in the year 1858, and was educated at the Geelong Grammar School. He came to New Zealand in 1872, passed the succeeding eleven years on a farm at Manutahi, and then went to Queensland, and was shipwrecked. After being for four years overseer on the Yamba run, Queensland, he took the management of Captain John Haines' Maurice estate in the western district of Victoria, and three years later went to New South Wales, where he managed Mr. R. Macfarlane's station “Rangawirra,” for about four years. At the end of that time he returned to New Zealand, and engaged in farming at Otakeho until he joined Mr. Steuart. Mr. Corrigan conducts the principal sale in the district surrounding Manaia, and at one memorable sale 2000 head of cattle passed under the hammer. Mr. Corrigan takes a keen interest in sport, and also in all local matters. He married a daughter of the late Mr. Edward Hilton, of Darwen, Lancashire, England.
Land and Commission Agent, Surveyor and Engineer, Manaia. Agent for the National and South British Insurance Companies. Mr. Stewart is a native of Scotland, and was born in 1855; he came to New Zealand at an early age with his parents, who settled in Otago, was educated at the Otago High School, and afterwards studied for his profession, which he followed for some time in the Otago, Southland, and Canterbury districts, before removing to the North Island. For two years he was in Wanganui, and then removed to Manaia, where he received the appointment of engineer to the Waimate Road Board. He held this position for ten years, and then established himself in business in 1894. Mr. Stewart has been a member of the Waimate Road Board and Hawera County Council, chairman of the Manaia Town Board, and a member of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board; and was captain of the Waimate Football Club for many years.
Baker, Pastrycook, and Confectioner, Manaia. Mr. Stevenson's business was one of the first of its kind in Manaia, and a good connection has been worked up by him. Three persons are employed, and there is a large daily output from the bakehouse. Mr. Stevenson was born in Nelson, and educated at the public schools. He learned his trade with his father at Opunake, and remained with him until he took over the present business in the year 1891. Mr. Stevenson is a member of the Order of Oddfellows.
Baker and Confectioner, Manaia. This business was established in the year 1903, by the proprietor, in a wood and iron building, containing a double-fronted shop with a verandah, a refreshment room, and a residence. There is also a modern bakehouse, under the charge of a competent baker, and stables. Bread is delivered within a radius of ten miles from Manaia, and two carts are employed in the business. Mr. Young is further referred to as a member of the Manaia Town Board.
Manager of the Manaia Dairy Factory, was born in Cheshire, England, in the year 1859, and is a son of the late Mr. T. Woodward Antrobus. He was educated at Halton Grammar School, and learned dairyfarming at New Hall Farm. Stockham, Runcorn, the residence of his father. Mr. Antrobus came to New Zealand in the year 1883, by the s.s. “British King,” landed at Lyttelton, and went to Ashburton, where he joined Mr. Harding, at the Flemington cheese and butter factory. In 1886, he was appointed manager of the Manaia Co-operative Dairy Factory, and two years later became manager to the Crown Dairy Factory Company. During the ten years he was with that company, he held, at different times, the managership of the Opunake and Kaihihi-Okato factories. In 1898 Mr. Antrobus was again appointed manager of the Manaia factory, by the Kaupokonui Dairy Factory Company, who had purchased it from the Crown Company. During the season of 1905–6 with the help of his five assistants, Mr. Antrobus turned out upwards of one ton per day. He was on several occasions a member of the Manaia school committee, the committee of management of the Presbyterian church, and of the Egmont (Hawera) Agricultural Association. In the year 1896 Mr. Antrobus married Miss Rose Emeline Putt, the third daughter of Mr. John Putt, Okato, and has four daughters. He has never, in all his travels, met with land that approaches in richness that of the well-watered Waimate Plains.
(David Craig), Tailor, Manaia. This business was established in the year 1890. It is conducted in a wood and iron building, which contains a shop, a cutting room, a workroom, and a residence.
Sole Partner in the firm of Craig and Co., was born in County Sligo, Ireland, where he was educated. In the year 1879, he came to New Zealand, and landed in Port Chalmers, where he learned his trade. He then removed to Waikato, Auckland, where he was engaged in connection with his trade for some years, and afterwards was in business on his own account at Te Aroha. He afterwards returned to Dunedin, where he worked for one year before settling in Manaia. Mr. Craig was a member of the Manaia Town Board for three years. In 1889 he married a daughter of the late Mr. James McFarlane, of Waikato, and has two daughters.
(Evan Davies, proprietor), Manaia. This hotel, which was rebuilt in 1906, stands in the centre of Manaia, at the junction of the Opunake-Hawera road. It is a two storied wooden building, and contains, downstairs, a billiard room, a commercial room, three sitting rooms, offices, etc.; and, upstairs, fifteen bedrooms, two sitting rooms, and two bathrooms. There is an acetylene gas plant, and electric light has also been installed. The table and accommodation are good, only the best brands of liquors are kept, and the tariff is moderate.
Proprietor of the Waimate Hotel, was born in Cardiganshire, Wales, in the year 1855. He went to sea at thirteen years of age, and when twenty-four years of age was master of a vessel in the China trade. From that time he commanded vessels continuously for twenty-five years, and never once had a mishap. He is qualified to act as his own pilot in most parts of Australasia. Amongst the vessels commanded by Captain Davies, were the barques “Othello,” “Alexa” (in the Home wool trade), “Clifton” (five years in the China and South African trade), “Alcestis,” and “Wenona” (of which he was part owner). He commanded for some time the ship “Republic,” trading between Puget Sound and Honolulu, and was part owner and captain of the “Wosung,” sold in Fiji at the end of 1905. As a Freemason, Captain Davies is a member of the Marine Lodge, Port Chalmers, Lodge of Mark Masons, and Lodge Royal Arch, and is a vice-president of the Waimate Football Club, and of the Manaia Jockey Club. He is married, and has one son—who is in business in Wellington—and one daughter.
Storekeeper and General Merchant, Manaia. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. Mr. Gilmour's fine business was established by him in 1882. The building is of two stories, and contains a large shop and a dwelling house; and extensive stocks of groceries, ironmongery, and other goods are kept by the proprietor. Mr. Gilmour has worked up an excellent connection in Manaia and the surrounding districts. He is a son of the late Mr. John Gilmour, of New Plymouth, who was an old settler, and well known in business circles. The subject of this notice was born and educated in New Plymouth. He entered the Customs in Auckland, whence, after a while, he was transferred to Christchurch; but in the year 1882 he resigned in order to enter business on his own account at Manaia. Mr. Gilmour has taken an active interest in local matters, and has been a member of the Manaia Town Board. He is married and has two children.
was for a number of years well known as a business man in Manaia, where he kept a store, and did a large trade throughout the district. He was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in the year 1861, and was brought up to commercial life. In 1880 he arrived in Dunedin, New Zealand, and was for some years employed by various firms in the South Island. He settled in Manaia in 1895, became secretary to the school committee, and also took an active interest in other matters affecting the district. After leaving Manaia Mr. Sinclair became agent at Stratford for Nathan and Company, Limited.
Farmer, “Mill Farm,” Manaia. Mr. Tait, who is a well known settler, has several properties in the district. He was born in London, England, and arrived in Australia in 1845, with his uncle in the ship “Henry Reid,” landing at Port Phillip. For some time he was on the Bendigo diggings, and came to New Zealand in 1857. He engaged for some years in mining in Nelson, and also spent some time on the West Coast. In 1870 he removed to the North Island, and took up land in Hawera, where he lived for twelve years. On removing to Manaia he was engaged in sawmilling on his own property for about three years, and then entered into farming. Mr. Tait is married, and has seven sons and one daughter. The picture of the late Corporal James Tait, Hawera Cavalry, is that of Mr. Tait's fourth son, who was accidently killed in the year 1897.
Sometime a farmer at Manaia, was born in the year 1847, in Ayrshire, Scotland, and was partly educated in his native country. He came to New Zealand with his parents in the ship “Mersey,” and completed his education in Auckland. His father took up land near the North Cape, and after working with him for about fifteen years, and at Otahuhu for five years, Mr. Scott bought a farm of 400 acres, known as “Glencairn” near Manaia, at the first Government land sale in 1880. For many years he was successful as a prizetaker at Hawera and New Plymouth with young stock, and was an
lies south-by-east from Mount Egmont, and the Inaka river runs not far from the township. Although only a country place Okaiawa has the advantage of electric light, supplied by the Hawera County Electric Light Company, which has a splendid power house between Okaiawa and Normanby, on the Waingongoro river. There is a large dairy factory in the settlement, which also contains a hotel, a store, a butchery, and a public school; and a Maori minister of the Methodist church has his residence in the village. The settlement is surrounded by excellent pastoral and farming country.
was established in the year 1884. The building is of wood and iron, and contains two class rooms and two porches, and a teacher's residence adjoins the school. There is accommodation for 120 children, the roll has 1£6 names, and the average attendance is ninety-two. The headmaster is assisted by a mistress, and a pupil teacher.
was appointed Headmaster of the Okaiawa Public School in the year 1902. He is more fully referred to on page 1280 of the Wellington volume of this Cyclopedia.
Okaiawa. This creamery has been established since about the year 1894, and is situated three miles from Okaiawa. The building is commodious, and well fitted up with an up-to-date plant. Power is derived from a breast wheel, and there is an auxiliary three horse-power Murray engine driven by a Murray boiler of eight home-power. There are three Alpha de Laval 440 gallon separators, a No. 5 Alpha de Laval pasteuriser, a skim milk weigher and a cream hoist. The manager has one assistant.
was appointed Manager of Joll's Skeet Road Creamery in the year 1901. He was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1874, came to New Zealand with his parents, was educated at Kaitangata, and brought up to farming in the Catlin's River district, where he still (1906) holds a farm. Deciding to become a factory manager, he served for a season in the Owaka factory, and, later on, was for a time in the Waihola factory before receiving his present appointment. Mr. White is a member of the senior team of the Okaiawa Football Club.
Farmer, “Armadale,” Okaiawa. Mr. Bremer's farm consists of 600 acres of good pastoral land, 284 acres of which is freehold; and the balance of 316 acres, leasehold, is known as the Gordon Park Estate. Mr. Bremer devotes his attention chiefly to the breeding of high-class horses, and milks about one hundred cows. He is well known as a breeder of draught horses, with which
Farmer, Okaiawa. This well known settler was formerly farming at Te Awamutu, in the Waikato district, and is further referred to at pages 729 and 730 in the Auckland volume of this Cyclopedia.
is a town district in the Hawera riding of the county of Hawera. It lies to the southeast of Mount Egmont, to the north of Hawera, and the south of Eltham, and is only three miles from Hawera, with which it is connected by a regular coach-service. The Normanby railway station stands 386 feet above sea level, and is forty-five miles to the south-east of New Plymouth, and 207 miles from Wellington. The Normanby Horticultural, Poultry, and General Produce Society holds an annual show, which extends over two days. Victoria Park is the name of the local recreation ground. There is a public school, and services in connection with the Presbyterian, Methodist and Anglican bodies are held in the township. Dairy farming is the chief local industry, and there is a large dairy factory about half a-mile to the north of the railway station, and a creamery at Te Roti. Normanby has three stores, two hotels, and other places of business. The business of the post office is conducted at the local railway station. The township is lighted by electric light, supplied by the Hawera County. Electric Light Company, whose power station is not far away.
was constituted about the year 1883, and has a municipal area of 640 acres. The unimproved value of rateable property is £10,000, on which rates amounting to threepence halfpenny in the pound are levied. The district is governed by a Town Board, the annual revenue of which is approximately £400; and the offices of the Board are situated in the Town Hall, which is the property of the town district. Normanby has a considerable length of main road, and a recreation ground, known as Victoria Park, of seven acres. The park is situated near the railway station, is laid down in grass, and is used for sports, picnics, etc. Meetings of the Board are held on the third Monday in each month. Members for the year 1906: Messrs T. Lloyd (chairman), H. McCoy, H. Kemp, W. Webley, and A. Clarke. Mr. R. T. Cowern is Town Clerk.
was elected a member of the Normanby Town Board in November, 1905. He was born in 1863, in Essex, England, where he was educated, and afterwards went to Canada, where he remained for four years, and gained considerable experience in outdoor pursuits. In 1894 he came to New Zealand, and was for a time at Manaia and afterwards at Otakeho. He then removed to Hawera, and was caretaker of the Egmont racecourse for five years. Subsequently he settled in Normanby, and became proprietor of the line of Palace cars, which ply regularly between Normanby and Hawera. In 1894 Mr. Clarke married Miss Mannington, of Sussex, England, and has one son and two daughters. He is further referred to as a member of the firm of Clarke and Higginson, livery stablekeepers, and as a coach proprietor.
was appointed Town Clerk of Normanby in the year 1902. He was born in Patea in 1879, was educated in Manaia, and brought up on a farm. Later on, he was for some time in his father's office in Eltham, before receiv-
is a wood and iron building, containing a ladies' waiting room, a ticket lobby, a lamp room, and a general postal and work room. There is also a large goods shed. The stationmaster is assisted by a cadet and a porter.
was appointed Stationmaster and Postmaster at Normanby in the year 1903. He has been connected with the Railway Department since leaving school, and joined the service at Wanganui.
was erected in 1879; it is built of wood and iron, and contains three class rooms. There are 153 names on the roll, and the average attendance is 123. All standards are taught, and the percentage of passes in the various divisions is good. Mr. R. Clarkson, the headmaster, is assisted by Miss Lucy O. Mowbray and two pupil teachers.
Headmaster of the Normanby School, was born in Christchurch, Canterbury, in 1869, and received his education at the West Christchurch school and the High School. He entered the service of the Education Board in 1891; and after having had charge of various schools in the South Island, was appointed to his present position in 1895. Mr. Clarkson is well known in athletic circles, and has won several cycling events in different parts of New Zealand, as well as several records and championships. He has also taken considerable interest in horticulture, and is a member of different local clubs. Mr. Clarkson is married, and has two sons and two daughters.
was established in the year 1883, and is affiliated to the Royal Horticultural Society of Great Britain. Shows are held in the Horticultural Hall, which was erected by the society in 1900. It stands on a three-quarter acre section, and measures 70 feet by 30 feet. There is also a lean-to of 70 feet by 16 feet. At the show of 1906 prize money to the amount of £130, and twenty-eight medals were distributed, seven of which were supplied by the Royal Society of Great Britain. The attendance averages about 1500. Shows are held in March of each year, and last for two days; and most of the leading nurserymen between Wellington and Auckland are large exhibitors. Officers for the year 1906: Messrs F. McGnuire, C. E. Major, M.H.R., A. B. Stewart, J. Livingstone (patrons), J. Forbes (president), C. E. Gibson (auditor), and J, Lloyd (secretary and treasurer). There are four vice-presidents, and an executive committee of ten, and a general committee of forty-four.
Father of the Normanby Horticultural Society, was born in the year 1839, in Northumberland, England, where he was educated, and brought up to farming. He came to New Zealand in 1863, and landed in Otago. Six months later he removed to Canterbury, and afterwards visited the Wakamarina diggings. Mr. Robsonthen went to the Wairarapa district, where for a long time he was engaged in sheep-farming. In 1877 he removed to Taranaki, and took up 160 acres of land at Te Roti. There were then no roads in the district, but only bullock tracks, and the bush was varied only by occasional small clearings, on which white clover flourished in abundance. Mr. Robson is still (1906) a member of the Horticultural Society, and has been a member of the district road board.
Coach Proprietor, Normanby. Mr. Clarke's Palace cars have been running regularly between Normanby and the Egmont stables, Hawera, since the year 1905. The time table is a daily one; two trips being made each way; namely, from Normanby at 9 a.m. and 1.45 p.m., and from Hawera at 11.30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Mr. Clarke is further referred to as a member of the Normanby Town Board.
. Offices, Normanby; secretary, Mr. C. E. Gibbon. The factory of this company is situated about half a mile from the Normanby railway station, and is a wooden building with concrete floors. There is an up-to-date plant, which includes a ten horsepower Murray boiler, a three and a-half horse power Crabtree engine, a water wheel of five horse-power, two de Laval separators, each of 440 gallons capacity, a Holben and Kirk pasteuriser, two H. Brown and Co.'s churns, a Humble direct expansion cream vat and a Humble freezer of two tons capacity. A great expansion has taken place in the output from this factory, the yield of 110 tons for 1906 being double that of the preceding year. The staff includes a manager and an assistant. At Ararata there is a creamery in connection with the factory.
was appointed Manager of the Normanby Dairy Factory in the year 1904. He was born in 1872, in Mosgicl, where he was educated, and brought up to farming with his father. In 1898 he started work in the Owaka Dairy Factory in Otago, and a year later removed to Taranaki. He was employed by Mr. Joll at Okaiawa for five years before receiving his present appointment. Mr. Lees is chairman of the Referees' Association of South Taranaki, and was secretary of the Okaiawa Football Club. He is married, and has one daughter.
Butcher, Normanby. This business was established by Mr. Andrews in the year 1903. The premises stand on a freehold section and consist of a wood and iron building with concrete foundations. Behind the shop there is a small goods room, equipped with a five horse-power electric motor, and a modern sausage plant. The slaughter house is situated on leasehold land, about a mile distant from the township. Mr. Andrews was born in 1874, in Coromandel, Auckland, where he was educated, and learned his trade under his father, Mr. H. E. Andrews. In 1894 he removed to Taranaki, and was for some time in Eltham, and afterwards
. The power house of the company is situated two miles and a half from Normanby.
A.I.E.E., First Assistant Engineer in charge of the Power House, is a son of the late Mr. E. T. Evans, for fourteen years headmaster of the Stratford school. Born in Dunedin in 1873, and educated by his father in the Taranaki district, Mr. Evans made his first start in life as a pupil teacher in the Stratford school; but, desiring to become an engineer, he was articled to Mr. F. W. Okey, of the Taranaki Foundry. When he had served his full course of six years he went to England, and entered the service of Johnson and Phillips, Victoria Works, Old Charlton, Kent: With this large firm of engineers, electricians and contractors—the builders, by the way, of the Tutanekai—he stayed two years. Following his service with Johnson and Phillips, he spent one year in visiting large electrical works in Great Britain, and on the Continent of Europe. On returning to New Zealand he entered the firm of John Chambers and Sons, with whom he remained nine months. Two and a half years were then spent in the service of Steuart and Fen, in supervising the erection of works, etc. After two years spent with Messrs A. and T. Burt, he removed to Hawera to take up, in July, 1904, his present position. Mr. Evans, when at Home, was a student of the Finsbury College and King's College, and became A.I.E.E., and a member of the Junior Institute of Engineers, London. As a Freemason, he is a member of Lodge Maori, Ravensbourue, No. 105, New Zealand Constitution, and is affiliated now to Lodge Hawera. Mr. Evans is a member of the Howera Hockey Club.
was appointed Second Assistant Engineer to the Hawera County Electric Light and Power Company, Limited, in the year 1905. He was born at Tauranga, Auckland, in 1884, and was educated at Newtown Abbot Grammar School, in Devonshire, England. On leaving school, he went to London, and entered the Faraday Training Institute for electrical engineering, graduated fifth in his year, and then entered the large ironworks of Roby and Co., Lincoln, for one year. Mr. Purvis was subsequently for a year with the County of London and Brush Electric Light Company, and afterwards for a year as assistant engineer with the North Metropolitan Power Supply Company, before returning to New Zealand.
stands second to New Plymouth in Taranaki towns, and the municipality has jurisdiction over an area of 500 acres. Water is brought in by gravitation from the Kapuni river. A local gas company has, for many years, supplied the lighting of the town, both public and private, but the Hawera County Electric Light Company has a power house not many miles away, and electric light has, in many instances, superseded gas for lighting purposes. The municipal offices stand in High Street, in which there is also a very well appointed reading room and library. There are fine municipal baths in the centre of the town, and a well equipped abattoir stands some distance outside the boundary. The town has a volunteer fire brigade. Hawera is the county town of the county which bears the same name, and lies south-east from Mount Egmont, in the Hawera survey districts. The local railway station, which stands 343 feet above sea level, is forty-eight miles south-east from New Plymouth, and 203 miles from Wellington. It is also eighteen miles north-west of Patea, the most southern port in Taranaki. Hawera has a mounted and unmounted volunteer corps. The local industries include two very extensive timber and woodware factories, and there are also brick works, and butter and bacon factories. The Egmont Racing Club has an excellent racecourse, and holds meetings in February and May. Hawera is the scene of band contests in which competitors from all parts of New Zealand take part. The Agricultural and Pastoral Society holds an annual show, and there are other bodies which hold attractive gatherings. Hawera has a daily evening paper—the Hawera and Normanby Star—and a weekly paper is issued from the same office. The Hawera Club has a considerable town and country membership. There are several branch banks in the town, and the business of the Post and Telegraph Office and Telephone Exchange is conducted in a fine brick building. There is a local hospital, under the care of a Hospital and Charitable Aid Board. The town has a district high school, a primary school, and a Roman Catholic convent high school and primary school. There is a handsome English church in brick, and an ornate new wood and iron Methodist church on concrete foundations; and the Presbyterian and Roman Catholic bodies have very fine buildings. Hawera, as a market town, is visited by large numbers of country settlers from the surrounding districts, and important stock sales are held regularly. The Government Stock Inspector's office is on the first floor of the Post Office buildings; the District Court and Stipendiary Magistrate's Court is in Princes Street, with the police station. There is a resident Magistrate in Hawera, and an Inspector of Permanent Way is stationed there in connection with the railway. An active Acclimatisation Society has successful fish hatcheries near the town. Apart from its churches, Hawera has some fine substantial brick buildings. The business men are progressive, and, as members of the local Chamber of Commerce, they meet regularly to consider mercantile and public questions. Retail trades are prominently represented, some of them by remarkably fine establishments. Coaches run daily between Hawera, Normanby, Manaia, and Opunake. Hawera is well supplied with medical men, surgeon-dentists and solicitors. The country around the town is of exceptionally rich quality, remarkable for its pastoral resources, and includes the famous Waimate Plains, which constitute one of the most valuable productive areas in New Zealand.
Member of the House of Representatives for Hawera, was elected in December, 1902, and re-elected in December, 1905. Mr. Major was born at St. Heliers, Jersey, in 1859, and is the son of Mr. Edwin Newton Major, mariner, now living in retirement at St. Malo, France. He was educated in his native town, and, at the age of twelve, came to New Zealand in the ship “Jessie Readman,” from which he landed in Wellington on Christmas Day, 1871, after a passage of eighty-one days. He found employment in a store at Oroua, Manawatu, but a year later he returned to Wellington, where he entered the office of Messrs Brandon and Quick, solicitors, and for two years was with the late Mr. J. Gordon Allan, as managing clerk. His next change was to Gisborne, where for a year he managed the extensive legal business of the late Mr. E. Ward. He was next with Mr. Joshua Cuff, of Gisborne, but when Mr. Cuff removed to Auckland, Mr. Major entered into business in Hawera with Mr. Parrington. That was in 1880, and six months later Mr. Major established his present business in the offices he still occupies. During his long residence in Hawera, Mr. Major has lent valuable assistance to almost every public enterprise of importance,
has an area of 500 acres. Rates are levied on the unimproved value, which amounts to £160,000, and there is a general rate of 3d in the pound, and a separate water rate. Interest on all loans is provided out of the general revenue. The annual income amout to £6247, and consists of £1950, general rate; £1475 water rate; Government subsidy, £187; licenses and fees, £650; rents of reserves and offices, £1200; bath fees, £65; ahattoir fees, £645; and sundries, £75. The water supply is drawn from the Kapuni river; it was established in 1901, and is brought in by gravitation, a distance of twelve miles. There is a pressure of 65 pounds to the square inch in the day time, and of 90, pounds at night. The cost of construction was £31,000. Hawera's reserves include King Edward's Park, which is twenty-eight acres in extent. The municipal offices are situated in the main street of the borough, and were erected in 1881. The building is a two-storied one of wood and iron, and contains public offices and a council chamber. Hawera has public baths, which were erected in 1902. The main bath is 75 feet by 40; and there is a smaller bath measuring 40 feet by 10 feet, for children. Hawera is lighted by electricity, which is supplied by a local company. The installation was completed in the year 1904, and consists of sixty-five incandescent lights, which cost £3 6s 8d per annum, per light. The public abattoir, which was completed in October, 1903, at a cost of £7000, is situated one mile and a-half outside the borough boundary, on a section of thirty acres of land. The building is of wood and iron, with concrete foundations, and is well equipped and up-to-date in every respect. The fire station, which is managed by a volunteer brigade, is situated in High Street, opposite the municipal chambers, and was erected in 1902. It is a two-storied building of wood and iron, with a tower, and is equipped with all modern appliances. Drainage is on the gravitation system, discharging into the sea two miles and a-half away. Hawera has a fine public library and reading room. Members of the Council for the year 1906: Mr. J. W. Hirst (Mayor), and Messrs J. E. Wilson, H. K. Whittington, J. Brunette, H. W. Sutton, C. Goodson, E. Morrissey, W. Sargeson and E. A. Pacey. Mr. B. A. Meek is Town Clerk and Treasurer, Mr. John McPherson, Borough Foreman, and Mr. E. B. T. Worthy, Manager of the Abattoir.
was elected Mayor of Hawera in April, 1906. He is further referred to as a licensed land broker, and land and commission agent.
a member of the Hawera Borough Council, is well known as a watchmaker and jeweller. He was born in Clerkenwell London, in 1837, and is the eldest son of the late Mr. John Brunette, who for fifty years occupied the responsible position of manager for Messrs Leavers and Harker, manufacturing jewellers, City Road, London. Mr. Brunette was educated at Dame Owen's Grammar School, Islington, and subsequently entered the Government School of Design, Somerset House. After completing his studies in technical education in London, he entered the employment of Messrs Leavers and Harker to learn the trade, and afterwards visited Coventry and Birmingham, where he gained a thorough knowledge and experience of the watchmaking and jewellery business. Having a desire to settle in one of the Australian colonies, and hearing that Messrs G. Coates and Company, of Christchurch, Canterbury, required a practical assistant, Mr. Brunette made enquiries, with the result that, out of 300 names presented for the position, he was the successful applicant. With his wife and five children he arrived at Lyttelton in 1870, in the ship “Monarch,” commanded by Captain Paddle, and during the passage he acted as schoolmaster to the children on board. After several years of useful service with his employers, Mr. Brunette started business on his own account. It was he who manufactured the Bishop's crozier and pastoral staff for the Christehurch Cathedral, an extremely handsome and valuable piece of work, and the first of the kind made in New Zealand. These insignia are of silver, oxidised, set with jasper and greenstone, and are used by the bishop in important ceremonies. Prior to the abolition of the provinces Mr. Brunette was in charge of the timeball system at Lyttelton, and performed his duties to the entire satisfaction of the Minister of Public Works. After the settlement of the native difficulty on the Waimate Plains, Taranaki, Mr. Brunette saw that there was a good opening in Hawera for one of his profession, and started business there in 1881. He has
who has, except during three years, been a member of the Hawera Borough Council since 1887, was born in Sussex, England, in 1853, and attended school until nine years of age. He was then put to work under his father, a bricklayer, and after learning his trade, worked as a journeyman for some time. In the year 1875 he came to New Zealand in the ship “Hindustan,” and settled in Wanganui, where he was employed for three years. Mr. Whittington was subsequently for two years in Wellington, and in March, 1880, removed to the Hawera district, where he started in business on his own account. He was for a number of years a member of the local school committee, and was one of the first members of the local Lodge of Oddfellows, and a Past Provincial Grand Master of the Order: and he is also a Freemason. Mr. Whittington was a member of the local Volunteer Fire Brigade for eight years, during three of which he was captain. In 1879 he married Miss Jackman, of Warwickshire, England, and has six daughters and three sons. He is further referred to as a builder and contractor.
was first elected a member of the Hawera Borough Council in November, 1900. He was born in 1843, at Holbeach, Lincolnshire, England, where he was educated, and learned his trade as a painter and paperhanger. For a number of years Mr. Sargeson followed his trade in Ireland, Lincolnshire, and other parts of Great Britain. In 1879 he came to New Zealand, and landed in Auckland from the ship “Famenoth.” He started in business on his own account, and in 1892 removed to Taranaki, and settled in Hawera. Mr. Sargeson has been connected with the business of Mr. G. Syme, sash and door factory proprietor, for some years, and also takes occasional contracts on his own account. While in Auckland he was a member of the Newton East and Newton West school committees for some time. In 1866 Mr. Sargeson married a daughter of the late Mr. John Patrick, of Belfast, Ireland, and has, surviving, three sons and three daughters. One of Mr. Sargeson's sons went to South Africa at the time of the Boer war, and became a member of the Scottish Horse.
was elected a member of the Hawera Borough Council in April, 1905. He was born in 1872, near Lincoln, England, where he was partly educated. In 1883 he came to New Zealand with his parents, and landed in Auckland, where he finished his education, and learned the building trade. In 1894 he removed with his father to Hawera, and worked in connection with his trade, until taking over his father's business in 1898. Mr. Pacey has passed all the offices in connection with the Lodge of Good Templars, and has taken a Grand Lodge degree. He is also an active temperance worker. In 1902 Mr. Pacey married a daughter of Mr. C. W. Goodson, of Auckland, and has one son.
was appointed Town Clerk for the borough of Hawera in September, 1903. He was born in Wellington in 1874, and educated at Wellington College. Mr. Meek afterwards entered the Government service, and was connected with the Audit Department, until he received his present appointment.
who for four years was Mayor of Hawera, was born in the year 1836 at Canonbie, a border parish of Dumfriesshire, Scotland. He is the eldest son of Mr. William Davidson, of Low Marsh House, and was educated at local schools. On his mother's side he traces his family back to the historic John Armstrong, who was murdered by James V. in 1530, and to whose memory, and that of his fellow-victims, a monument has been erected. Mr. Davidson came to New Zealand in 1865, and
who was for two years a member of the Hawera Borough Council, has been prominently connected with the borough since the year 1888. He was born in 1856, in Collingwood, Victoria, Australia, but came to New Zealand, and was educated in Nelson, where he learned the business of a butcher, before removing to Taranaki. Mr. Barraclough was captain of the Hawera Fire Brigade for several years; was for twelve years a member of the H Battery, Nelson, under Captain Pitt (now Attorney-General of New Zealand), and rose to the rank of lieutenant; and he has for some time been a member of the Hawera Mounted Rifles. He is a trustee of the Methodist church, and has also served as circuit steward; and for sixteen years prior to 1906, was superintendent of the Sunday school. Mr. Barraclough married a daughter of Mr. John Currin, of Nelson, and has four sons and three daughters.
who was a member of the Borough Council of Hawera for about seven years, is a successful lawyer. He was born at Midhurst, Sussex, England, in the year 1850, and is a son of the late Mr. Charles Caplen. After receiving his education he entered the office of Mr. William Gray, of London, underwriter at Lloyds. Mr. Caplen came to New Zealand by the ship “Blue Jacket,” and landed in Lyttelton in 1867; and, after a trial at farming at Motueka, Nelson, he went to Whangapeka on the outbreak of the goldfields there, in 1869. He next went to Reefton, where he remained for eight years, during which he pegged out the “Hopeful,” “Welcome,” “Alexandra,” and other claims. After this he signed articles with the late Mr. Warner, solicitor, of Greymouth, passed his examination, and was admitted to the bar at Wellington by Chief Justice Sir James Prendergast, in the year 1882. Mr. Caplen went to practise his profession in Hawera, and soon had an extensive legal connection, with many of the leading settlers of the district as his clients. He was a member of the finance and other committees of the Borough Council, and is solicitor to the Hawera Star-Bowkett Building Society. As a Freemason he is a Past Master, was secretary of Lodge Hawera for about four years, and is a Past Assistant Grand Registrar; he is also an honorary member of the Manchester Unity of Oddfellows. Mr. Caplen is a lay-reader of the Church of England. He was a member of the cricket and tennis clubs, and is president of the bowling club, to which, in conjunction with Mr. W. B. Hutson, he gave the land for a green; and he was one of the winners of the 1897 champion doubles. In 1879 Mr. Caplen married the daughter of the late Mr. John Dew, of Greymouth, and has three daughters and two sons.
who occupied a seat on the Hawera Borough Council for some years, also owned the Commercial Livery and Bait Stables. He was born in County Armagh, Ireland, where he was educated, and landed in Lyttelton with his parents in the year 1863, from the ship “D. G. Fleming.” While he was in Canterbury, he was engaged in farming and business occupations. In 1881 Mr. Haughey settled in Hawera, and established himself as a coal and produce dealer, prior to taking over the livery stable business. In 1874 he married Miss Ward, who, however, died in 1898.
was formerly a member of the Hawera Borough Council. He was born in 1876 in Dalyesford, Victoria, Australia, and was educated partly in his native place and partly in New Plymouth. In 1890 he came to New Zealand and settled in Taranaki. Mr.
who was for some years a member of the Hawera Borough Council, and was also chairman of the Hawera Chamber of Commerce, is a well known draper of the town. He was born in Mongonui in the year 1868, and is the son of Mr. John Paterson, who for fully thirty years has been a farmer in the Palea district. Mr. Paterson was educated at the Patea High School, and learned his trade with Mr. R. A. Adams. On the completion of his apprenticeship he went to Wellington, where he had two years' experience in Te Aro House; he then returned to Taranaki, and managed the late Mr. Adams' Hawera branch. Four years later Mr. Paterson bought the business for Mr. Smith, of Wellington, and after managing it for about two years, took it over for himself and his brothers. He was elected to the Hawera Borough Council in 1897; in the same year he became chairman of the Hawera Chamber of Commerce, and was also at the same time a member of the Patea Harbour Board. Mr. Paterson has taken an active part in social affairs, and for some time was on the management committee of the Presbyterian church. In 1892 he married a daughter of Mr. J. C. Butler, of Wellington, and has an only daughter.
who was for some years a member of the Hawera Borough Council, has worked for the benefit of the community during many years. Immediately after his arrival in Hawera he organised the fire brigade, of which he has since been secretary; and he was vice-president of the United Fire Brigades' Association for three years, and subsequently its president. For many years he has been a member of the Education Board, and chairman of the school committee. Mr. Robbins has been president of the Prohibition League since its formation. He has long been treasurer of the Presbyterian church, and for many years superintendent of the Sunday school. When the Chamber of Commerce was revived some years ago. Mr. Robbins was elected chairman, and for three years he was vice-president of the New Zealand Dairy Association. He was the organiser of the North Island Dairy Association, and was mainly instrumental in negotiating for its amalgamation with the South Island Association. In 1896 Mr. Robbins contested the Hawera seat in the House of Representatives, but was defeated by thirty votes. He was born in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, and was educated in his native town. His father, Captain Robbins, having decided to settle in Wellington, Mr. Robbins came to New Zealand in 1877, and found employment in Wellington with Mr. George Denton, the well-known ironmonger and jeweller, with whom he remained about six years, and rose to the position of manager. While in Wellington Mr. Robbins was a hard-working member of the various temperance organisations and other social institutions. In 1888 he married the eldest daughter of Mr. Donald Ross, of Wanganui, and has one son and two daughters. Mr. Robbins is further referred to as an ironmonger.
who sat on the Hawera Borough Council for many years, was born in 1838 near Boscastle, in Cornwall, England, and is a son of Mr. William Cory Scott, farmer. He was educated in his native place, and worked on his father's farm, until he sailed for New Zealand by the “Joseph Fletcher,” which arrived at Auckland on the 19th of March, 1858. Mr. Scott went farming at Pukekohe, and had to take up arms against the Maoris during the Waikato war. He was one of the twenty volunteers who defended the stockade at Pukekohe during the memorable attack by 400 natives on the 14th of September, 1863, and held the post for over six hours until relief came. After this he was captain of No. 3 Company, Pukekohe Rifle Volunteers. He was also chairman of the Pukekohe West Road Board and school committee for many years previous to his leaving for Hawera in 1881. Mr. Scott bought several farms in the Taranaki district, and also went into business as a land broker and commission agent. In 1875 he married a daughter of Dr. Corbett, of Taukau, near Auckland.
who has been on several occasions a member of the Hawera Borough Council, was born in Liverpool, England, educated in Birmingham, and afterwards learned the upholstering trade, with the well known firm of Chamberlain, King, and Jones, of that city. He came to New Zealand by the ship “Orara,” in the year 1879 landed at Lyttelton, and for some time worked at his trade in Christchurch. After some experience as a journeyman in Wellington and New Plymouth, he bought out Mr. W. J. Watts' cabinet-making business in Hawera, with the advancement of which he has ever since identified himself. As a Forester, he has several times held office as Chief Ranger; has been president of the Chamber of Commerce and of the Caledonian Society, and captain of the Fire Brigade; and he is a member of the Hawera volunteer corps. Mr. Wilson is married, and has three daughters and three sons.
who has been a member of the New Plymouth Harbour Board since the year 1894, has been a settler in the Taranaki district, and prominently connected with public affairs, since the seventies. He was born in 1837, in County Kilkenny. Ireland, educated in Dublin, and brought up to country life on a farm. In the year 1862 he came to New Zealand, and landed in Marlborough, where he became manager of a station for Mr. Bullen, at Kaikour. He afterwards bought land in Taranaki, and returned to the Old Country about the time of the Titokowaru disturbance. Mr. McLean was absent from the colony for about seven years, and on his return settled on his land at Waingongoro, near Hawera. This property, which consisted of 700 acres, was, during the twenty years of Mr. McLean's residence upon it, brought from its natural condition into a good state of cultivation. Subsequently, for some time, it was worked by Mr. McLean's sons, one of whom was unfortunately killed, and the other, Mr. W. R. McLean, went to the Argentine. Mr. McLean, senior, has since sold 100 acres, and leased the balance of his farm to a tenant. For some years he was a member of the Hawera County Council, and was chairman for one term, but retired from the position in 1905. For several years before the constitution of the county, Mr. McLean was a member of the Hawera Road Board. In 1872 he married a daughter of the late Mr. William Houston King, of Paisley, Scotland, and has, surviving, two sons and one daughter.
has jurisdiction over about 438 square miles, and is bounded on the north by the county of Stratford, on the west by the county of Egmont, and on the east by the county of Patea, the southern boundary being the Tasman Sea. The capital value of the property in the county is £2,577,837, on which on a rate of 1¼d in the pound is levied with the exception of Mokoia riding, in which the rate is ¾d. The district is divided into six ridings; namely, Mokoia, Waimate, Hawera, Eltaam, Okaiawa and Mangatoki, each of which returns one member, with the exception of Waimate, which returns three, and Hawera, with two members. About £50,000 has been borrowed for the construction of roads and bridges. In 1906 a large bridge was erected at a cost of £1,100 on Skeet road, over the Kapuni river. Members of the Council for the year 1906: Mr. J. Marx (chairman), representing Mangatoki riding, and Messrs W. Duirs (Mokoia riding), W. Blair, T. A. Bridge, and A. J. Hastie (Waimate riding), T. L. Joll (Okaiawa riding), J. Boddie (Eltham riding), J. Davidson and J. Forbes (Hawera riding). The offices of the Council are situated in Princes Street, Hawera. Mr. C. A. Budge is Clerk and Treasurer, and Mr F. Basham; County Engineer.
was elected a member of the Hawera County Council in November, 1905. He is further referred to as chairman of the Waimate Road Board.
holds a seat as a member of the Hawera County Council as one of the representatives of the Hawera riding. He is further referred to as a former Mayor of Hawera, and as a member of the Patea Harbour Board.
was elected to the Hawera County Council in 1905. He was born in Laurencekirk, Kincardinshire, Scotland, in the year 1850, and was brought up to farming on his father's farm. In 1872 he landed in Wellington, and after gaining local experience he took up land in 1878 at Whakamara, near Mokoia, where he has since resided. Mr. Duirs has always taken a prominent part in local matters. Many years ago he was a member of the Hawera Road Board and for some years was chairman of the Whakamara school committee, of which he is also commissioner. Mr. Duirs is chairman of the Mells Cooperative Dairy Factory Company. Except for two seasons he has held this position from the company's inception: and he is also a member of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board. Mr. Duirs is married.
has been Clerk and Treasurer of the Hawera County Council for many years. He was born in Blenheim in the year 1860, and is a son of the late Mr. William Budge, surveyor, who came to Nelson with the early settlers. Mr. Budge was educated at Nelson College, entered the service of the National Bank at Blenheim in 1876, and was subsequently at the bank's branches at Wellington, Reefton, Greymouth, Christchurch, and Nelson. In 1883 he removed to Hawera, and in 1888 received his present appointment. As a footballer, Mr. Budge, when only seventeen years of age, represented Wellington in interprovincial matches, and was one of the earliest members of the Wellington Athletic Football Club.
J.P., who was one of the first members of the Hawera County Council, was born in Queenstown, Ireland, in the year 1834, and after leaving school was for four years an apprentice on various sailing vessels (trading between Bristol and the West Indies. In 1855 he came to Australia as second mate in the barque “Lord Ashley,” obtained his discharge, and was for some time trading on the New Zealand coast. He left the sea at the time of the Waikato war, took charge of a party of men who were engaged in
was for several years Chairman of the Hawera County Council. He was born in the year 1838, at the Cheviot Hills, Northumberland, England, near the source of the North Tyne. His father, the late Mr. John Heslop, who died some years ago, was, in his later years, a well known resident of Puketapn, near Napier. Educated at Redsdale, near Bellingham, Mr. Heslop was brought up on the farm of his father, with whom he came to New Zealand by the ship “Indian Queen,” and landed in Wellington in February 1857. After an experience of shepfanning on a run near Castle Point, belonging to the late Mr. John. Sutherland, Mr. Heslop managed the Hatuma estate for some time. Then the son joined the father in a farming venture at Patangata, on land that was chiefly swamp, lying between the Kaikoura and Patangata rivers. Unfortunately, the Waipawa river, in a heavy flood, broke over its banks at the head of Homewood Valley, made a new course, and formed a lake over most of the land, which had to be given up after ruinous losses. In 1873 Mr. Heslop left Hawke's Bay, and settled near Wanganui, where for ten years he carried on farming. While there he was a member of the Wanganui Agricultural Association and Jockey Club, and was elected to a seat on the first Wanganui County Council, of which he continued a member until he left that district. In 1883 he removed to his present property at Mawhitiwhito which consists of 623 acres. As chairman of the Goat Valley and Matapu school committees, Mr. Heslop has worked hard in the cause of education. It was mainly through his efforts, that the school at Matapu was erected, and he also induced the settlers to clear the land and snow it down in grass. Mr. Heslop has ever been ready to give the benefit of his experience as an old colonist to land and forest conservation boards, pastrol and agricultural institutions, and other public bodies. He is a member of the Taranaki and Board and Land for Settlements Board, the Forest Conservation Board, a steward of the Jockey Club, and of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, and a member of the Licensing Committee. He has acted as a judge of cattle and horses for more than thirty years at shows in the Wairarapa, Hawke's Bay, Palmerston. Wanghnui, New Plymouth, Waikato, Christchurch, Nelson, and Auckland. On several occasions Mr. Heslop has been asked to enter the House of Representatives. He stood for Patea when Mr. George Hutchison resigned, and lost the election by one vote. As a volunteer in the old days Mr. Heslop saw active service on the East Coast. At the memorable fight at Omaranui, he had a very narrow escape, as a bullet passed through the rim of his hat. He was one of the first to enter the pa, and has a relic of the incident in the shape of an old Maori musket. For some years, he was corporal of the Waipawa Cavalry, and is the holder of the New Zealand war medal. As a pioneer settler, few have done more hard work than Mr. Heslop. As far back as 1863, in conjunction with Mr. S. Thorpe, he chartered the steamer “Bangitira” for her first trip in New Zealand, and took, amongst other items of freight, three teams of working bullocks from Napier to Port Chalmers. It was their intention to cart stores to the Dunstan goldfields, but the outlook being less bright than they expected, they sold out and returned to Napier, where they conducted the business of carriers to and from sheep stations in Hawke's Bay for some years. Mr. Heslop was one of the first to ride through the Manawatu Gorge, and to bring stock by that route, which he did with great difficulty in 1872. His knowledge of the country in the North Island is most extensive. He has travelled throough to the Waikato, via Mokau, Awakino and Te Kuiti, returning down the coast by way of Kawhia, Waitara. Hunterville, Taumaranui, the Wanganui river and other routes. On one occasion he was one of three who successfully climbed Mount Egmont. For many years past he has been a recognised land valuer; he has valued the land of the Hawera county for Property Tax purposes, and he has been largely employed by the Government Life Insurance Office, the Public Trustee, Advances to Settlers Department, banks and other corporations. As a breeder of Shorthorn cattle Mr. Heslop has made a name for himself, but he is now crossing with Holsteins for dairying purposes, combined with size and constitution. In 1874 he married the eldest daughter of the late Mr. M. J. Good-son, who was one of the earliest settlers on the Coast, and has one son and two daughters. His eldest daughter is married to Mr. A. McWilliams, late manager of the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company's Maungatoki Dairy Factory, but now sheep-farming in the back blocks: and his son is managing the farm at Waverley. His second daughter married Mr. J. W. Richards, of Popokura.
has its headquarters in Hawera. Members for the year 1906: Messrs Wilkie, Limbrick, Wrigley and Hornby. The Board has control over the southern portion of the Egmont National Park. The house, under the control of the Board is known as the Dawson's Fall House, owing to its nearness to the beautiful falls of that name. In a recent year the number of visitors was 2608, as compared with 1270 for the previous year. Every effort is made by the Board to promote the convenience of visitors and tourists.
is known as the C Company of No. I Battalion Wellington (West Coast) Mounted Rifle Volunteers. The corps was established in July, 1885, and is said to be the third oldest corps in the colony. It was originally formed as a eadet company, and afterwards changed into a rifle corps, and subsequently became a mounted corps. Officers for the year 1906: Captain W. C. Morrison, New Zealand Militia, and Lieutenants A. G. Muir and J. Robertson; Farrier — Sergeant, C. T. Nicholas; and A. Mitchell, Honorary Secretary. Monthly parades are held at the drillshed in Hawera. The corps is in a sound financial position.
of the Hawera Mounted Rifles, was born in the year 1876. in Hawera, was educated at the local school, and brought up to the trade of a blacksmith. He joined the volunteers in 1901, became secretary soon after, and was promoted to the rank of farrier-sergeant in 1905. Mr. Nicholas is a member of the Hawera Football Club. In 1905 he married a daughter of Mrs M. Morrison, of Christchurch, and sister of Captain W. C. Morrison, He is further referred to as a farrier and general blacksmith.
is known as the F Company of the 4th Battalion Wellington (Taranaki) Rifle Volunteers, it was constituted in September, 1900, and has a strength of forty-eight members. The company meets periodically for instruction at the drillshed, Princes Street, Hawera. The rifle team in connection with the corps took fifth place at Trentham in 1906. Officers for 1906: Captain A. Paterson, Lieutenants E. J. Bellingham and A. Winks; Sergeant and Secretary W. H. Wood.
holds a commission as Senior Lieutenant in the Hawera Volunteer Rifle Corps, which he joined in the year 1905. He is further referred to as manager of the Hawera branch of the Onehunga Boot Factory.
of the Hawera Rifle Volunteer Corps, was born in the year 1876, at Bulls, Rangitikei, and was educated at Carnarvon and at Palmerston North. He was then employed at the Palmerston North branch of the New Zealand Clothing Factory, and a year later was transferred to Wanganui, where he gained further experience during the ensuing three years. In 1900 Mr. Winks entered the service of Mr. A. J. Whittaker, in Hawera. Two years later he was employed by Messrs Wilson and Son, and subsequently entered the service of Messrs Paterson and Co. In 1897 he became a member of the Wanganui Rifles; in 1901 he joined the Hawera Rifles, and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant in September, 1905. Mr. Winks married Miss Rowberry, of Wellington, in the year 1904.
was erected in the year 1896, and stands in a central position in PrincesStreet, near the intersection of High Street. The department was represented in Hawera for about thirty years before the erection of the fine two-storey brick building with its clock-tower, which is now in use. The ground floor of the building contains the public office, a private box lobby, with 180 boxes, and the postmaster's room, a mail room, and the telegraph room. There is a telephone exchange, with 150 subscribers, and seventy-two bureaux connections. There are two town, deliveries daily, and many mails are received and despatched from the office. The staff consists of about twenty officers.
who has been Postmaster at Hawera since the year 1896, joined the department in 1871.
for the Hawera district has its offices in the Post Office Building in Princes Street. The district extends from Eltham to Waitotara, and is under the charge of an inspector, who has two assistants.
was appointed Inspector of Noxious Weeds, in connection with the Hawera branch of the Stock Department, in the year 1905. He was born in 1866, at Birkenhead, Cheshire, England, where he was educated, and subsequently gained experience under Messrs J. C. Houghton and Co., fruit brokers, of Liverpool. Mr. Hignett came to New Zealand in 1882 by the barque “Horsa,” and shortly afterwards settled in Taranaki. He was engaged for a number of years in farming and dealing, and was afterwards a member of the firm of Wyllie and Hignett, auctioneers, of Waitara, for about six years. He joined the Agricultural Department in 1902, and was stationed in the New Plymonth district for over two years before being transferred to Hawera. In 1891 Mr. Hignett married a daughter of Mr. J. Goble, of Inglewood, and has two sons and four daughters.
is a sub-office of the Wanganui district. The building, which was erected about the year 1883, stands on a-half-acre section in Princes Street, in addition to the office and residence, there are four cells, and stabling for two horses. Sergeant I. S. Bernard has been in charge of the station since the year 1898, and is assisted by two constables.
is situated on Glover road, and consists of a commodious wood and iron building, with a statiomaster's room, a lamp room, parcel department, a ladies' waiting room, porters' room, and vestibule. The office of the inspector of permanent way and a refreshment room adjoin the main building, and on the opposite side of the station yard there is a large goods shed, measuring 190 feet by thirty-two feet. Ten trains arrive and depart daily. Large quantities of butter are carried, but in 1905 the freights included also 12,000 bags of chaff. The stationmaster is assisted by a staff of about forty persons.
has been Stationmaster at Hawera since the year 1898. He is an old officer of the department, and occupied many positions before he was transferred to Hawera.
was appointed Inspector of Permanent Way at Hawera in April, 1905. The district under his charge extends from
became a separate body in December, 1902, when the district was separated from that of Taranaki, which with it had formerly been connected. The Hawera district includes the counties of Hawera and Egmont, and the boroughs of Hawera and Eltham, and the Board makes an annual requisition for funds. The annual expenditure, including charitable aid, is about £3000 per annum, and on an average 150 patients pass through the hospital each year. The secretary of the Board acts as relieving officer for the district; and a sum of about £400 a year, out of the total expenses, is paid for the support of residents in the New Plymouth Old. People's Home. Members of the Board for the year 1906; Messrs B. C. Robbins (chairman), T. A. Bridge, J. Marx, W. Duirs, M. J. Brennan, J. Boddie, and G. W. Tayler. Mr. C. E. Parrington is secretary.
consists of a block of wood and iron building, the largest of which contains two main wards, devoted respectively to men and women, with twenty beds in the former, and fourteen in the latter ward. There are also two private wards, a doctor's room, a matron's bedroom and sitting room, a nurses' dining room, a kitchen, a good laundry, and rooms for the local staff. The hospital has a fine verandah in the front, and there is a nurses' home on the ground, and an isolation ward, with three and five beds respectively, and a room for nurses. The hospital grounds are prettily laid out in flower gardens, and there is also a large vegetable garden. Dr. F. G. Westen-ra is medical superintendent, and the matron is assisted by three nurses and three probationers; the Board also employs a cook, a laundress, a housemaid, and a gardener.
was appointed Medical Superintendent of the Hawera Hospital in the year 1896. He was born in Canterbury, and is a son of the late Mr. Richard Westenra, an old Canterbury settler, who came to New Zealand by one of the first four ships. He was educated at Christ's College, Canterbury, and subsequently went to the Old Country to study for his profession. In the year 1885 he took his diploma as L.R.C.P. and L.R.C.S. at Edinburgh, and also holds degrees as M.B. and C.M., of that University. After his return to New Zealand he was for some time house surgeon at Christchurch Hospital, and settled in Hawera about the year 1892. Dr. Westenra is further referred to as a medical practitioner.
was appointed Matron of the Hawera Hospital in the year 1904. Miss Dunsford had acted as a hospital matron for six years before her appointment to the Hawera Hospital.
was established in the year 1901, and stands on a site of about ten acres on the south road. It is a large building of wood and iron, and contains thirteen rooms, including a gymnasium, a wood-working room, science and art rooms, and a fine concert hall, measuring 60 feet by 30 feet. There are five entrance porches, and accommodation is provided for about 600 pupils. The headmaster is supported by six teachers, three assistants and four pupil teachers. There is a fine school residence on the grounds. The roll contains 550 names, and the average attendance is 460.
Headmaster of the Hawera District High School, had considerable experience in the South Island, before his appointment to Hawera.
was founded in February, 1885. The original building was replaced in 1895 by a new one, which contains eight principal rooms, besides offices. There are six Sisters in residence; and music, singing, fancy work, languages and book-keeping are taught. A primary school, attended by 150 pupils, is also under the care of the Sisters.
extends from about two miles beyond Normanby to the sea on the south-west, to the boundary of the parish of Patea on the south-east, and of Eltham on the north. It includes the settlements of Normanby, Mokoia, Whakamara, Mere Mere, Ararata, and Fraser road. The principal church, which is known as St. Mary's, is situated at the corner of Princes Street and Glover road, Hawera, on a site of half an acre. The original building was erected in the year 1882, and was subsequently replaced by the present fine brick church. The vicarage stands on a site of an acre in Glover road. St. Paul's church at Normanby was erected about the year 1890. In the year 1905 a brick church, known as St. James, was opened at Mokoia; and, together with the land on which it stands, was presented to the church by Mrs Lysaght.
M.A., was appointed Vicar of Hawera in the year 1902; he was ordained deacon in 1890, and priest in the following year. He came to New Zealand after some years' experience in England, to take charge of the Hawera parish.
at Hawera occupies a site of an acre at the corner of High Street and Argyle Street. The original building is now (1906) used as a Sunday school, and the church which took its place was opened on the 23rd of March, 1903. It is of wood and iron, with brick foundations and a handsome spire, and has accommodation for 350 persons. Services are held morning and evening every Sunday. The land on which the church is built was given by the late Mr. Winks. The manse is situated in Argyle Street, on a site of two acres and a-half. At Normanby there is a small Presbyterian church, where services are regularly held, and visits are paid periodically to Okaiawa, and three other places.
B.A., was inducted to the charge of the Hawera Presbyterian church in the year 1904. He died at Wanganui on the the 25th of August, 1906, and his successor had not been appointed when this article went to press.
Hawera, is a fine building with a handsome spire, and stands in three acres of nicely laid out grounds, on which are also situated the convent schools and presbytery. The first church was erected at Waihi, near Normanby, and afterwards removed to Hawera. It was rebuilt in the year 1877, and now (1906) forms part of the school. The present church was built in 1886, and is capable of accommodating 300 persons. Two masses are said each Sunday, so that the 600 adult parishioners may have an opportunity of assisting. The parish, which has been sub-divided twice within the past five years, now includes Manaia and Okaiawa, where services are held every Sunday. Six Sisters conduct the convent school in Hawera, where there are 150 pupils, and four Sisters teach seventy pupils at Manaia. Both schools are under the supervision of the State school inspectors, and music, painting, drawing, typewriting, shorthand, and fancy work are taught, as well as the ordinary branches of education.
Parish Priest, was born at Dungarvan, Ireland, and was educated at the Augustinian Seminary of Dungarvan, at Mount Melleray Abbey, and afterwards at All Hallows', Dublin, where he was ordained, in the year 1887. Subsequently he came to New Zealand, and was curate at St. Mary's Cathedral, Wellington, for six years, pastor of Patea for one year, and of Waipawa for four years, where he introduced the Sisters of St. Joseph, and built a convent and schools at a cost of £1300. Some years later he was appointed Irremovable Rector of Hawera. Since then he has built schools at Eltham, Hawera, and Manaia, a fine church at Kaponga, a convent at Manaia, where he introduced the Sisters, and a presbytery at Hawera. The parish is now one of the best equipped in New Zealand.
Assistant Priest at Hawera, was born in the County of Tipperary, Ireland, where he was ordained in June, 1905.
was originally part of the Patea circuit, but in the year 1906 it was made a separate circuit. The original Patea circuit is now divided into five districts; namely, Hawera, Eltham, Stratford, Opunake and Patea circuits. The Hawera circuit includes the borough of Hawera and the town districts of Normanby and Manaia. The principal church stands in Regent Street, Hawera; and the original building, which did duty for many years, is now used as a Sunday school. The foundation stone of the new church was laid with Masonic honours, on the 9th of November, 1905, and was opened for divine service in April, 1906. The building stands on concrete and brick foundations, is completed in wood and iron, and has a well-finished interior. The church has a fine choir gallery, and a handsome rostrum, and there is room for 400 persons. The building was completed at a cost of £1500. The Sunday school is attended by 140 children, who are in charge of fourteen teachers. There is a commodious parsonage in connection with the charge.
was appointed Minister in charge of the Hawera circuit in 1905. He is more fully referred to at page 770 of
was appointed Choirmaster of the Methodist church at Hawera in the year 1899. He was born in the year 1865, in Penzance, Cornwall, England, where he was educated, and brought up to the boot trade. In 1879 he came to New Zealand, landed in Lyttelton, and was for a number of years connected with the boot trade in Canterbury. Mr. Hutchens removed to Taranaki in 1894, and after spending a short time on a bush farm at Opunake, settled in Hawera, where he opend a boot shop. Subsequently he retired from this business, and has since given up his time entirely to matters connected with music. He commenced playing the flute at the age of seven years. In 1879 Mr. Hutchens married a daughter of the late Mr. Oliver Hosking, of Penzance, Cornwall, England, and has two sons and one daughter. His youngest son has shown marked musical ability, and is (1906) studying at the Royal Academy, London. Mr. hutchens is further referred to as a teacher of music.
was established in the year 1902. The club-house is a fine building of wood and iron, erected on a freehold section of five-eighths of an acre. It contains ten rooms, including a large billiard room with one of Alcock's tables, a reading room, a card room, bedrooms and stewards' quarters, besides bathrooms and lavatories. There is a membership of one hundred. Officers for 1906: Mr. H. W. Sutton (chairman of committee). Mr. J. A. Turton (secretary), and
was appointed Manager of the Hawera Club in the year 1904. He was born in 1876 in Lyttelton, where he was educated, and afterwards assisted his father, who was a launch proprietor. He subsequently removed to Wellington, and was, amongst other things, acting-second butler at Government House, in Lord Ranfurly's time. In 1903 Mr. Agar married a daughter of Mr. J. H. Jones, of New Brighton, Christchurch.
was established about the year 1881. The racecourse is situated one mile and a-half from Hawera, or the Waihi road, on a freehold section of eighty-six acres. In 1904 a handsome building was ereeted, at a cost of £3000, and includes a grandstand, which has seating accommodation for 2000 people; there is also another stand with seat room for 750 persons. The course, which is one mile round, is, owing to the nature of the turf, considered' a slow one, and there are two grass and two ploughed tracks inside the course proper. Meetings are held in February and May of each year. The Summer Meeting of 1906 distributed stakes to the value of £1921, and at the Hack or Winter Meeting £915 was the amount of the stakes. Officers for 1906:, Messrs R. H. Nolan (president), H. W. Sutton (chairman of committee), and J. A. Turton (secretary).
was established in the year 1894, and is the outcome of an athletic society which formerly existed from 1876. Committee for 1906: Messrs W. Duirs (president), W. K. Wallace and M. F. Purser (vice-presidents), with a general committee of about twenty-five. Mr. W. A. Quin is secretary and treasurer. The society organises and conducts sports on New Year's Day at King Edward's Park, near High Street, and the prize list amounts to about £125. There is a large attendance of town and country people, and the sports are followed in the evening by a concert at the Opera House. The society is in an excellent financial position, with a considerable fixed deposit.
was founded about the year 1886. Its fish ponds and hatcheries are on the Waihi stream, about two miles to the north of Hawera. The land owned by the Association consists of four acres, and there is a splendid supply of water available for fish hatching and rearing purposes. The buildings include a large hatchery fitted with the latest devices. Water is brought in by iron pipes and a race, and the hatchery is capable of dealing with about a million ova. There are five large concrete ponds for the stock fish and yearlings, and about a dozen small races for rearing fry. Rainbow trout, together with Lochleven, Scotch burn and salmon are propagated at the hatcheries. The output in 1906—the first year's hatching—was, roughly, 50,000 fry, sold to neighbouring, societies, and 30,000 yearlings liberated by the curator, Mr. W. R. Thornhill, who resides in a cottage on the grounds, The site, which is prettily laid out is surrounded by a wellkept hedge and planted with shrubs. Board of Management for the year 1906: Messrs H. J. Day (president), F. J. Rigley (vice-president), and a committee. Mr. C. A Budge is honorary secretary and treasurer.
was established in 1885. Officers for the year 1906; Messrs Charles Washer (patron), F. C. Livingston (president), Henry P. Best (vice-president), A. R. Young, M.R.C.V.S. (hon. veterinary surgeon), H. W. Sutton (treasurer), and C. A. Budge (secretary). There is a membership of about 600, and a committee of twenty-four. The annual show is held in the month of November of each year, and lasts two days. The Association owns a freehold of fifty-two acres in the boroungh, with a grandstand, a produce shed, and-publican's booth, cattle and sheep pens and horse boxes, and there is a splendid show ring. The show is a popular one, and is attended by from 5060 to 7030 people. At the meeting of 1905 the amount paid in prize money was about £750.
Teacher of Music, Regent Street, Hawera. Mr. Hutchens commenced teaching in the year 1898. He is further referred to as choirmaster of the Methodist church.
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Senior Partner of the firm of Dixon and Bates, was born in Wellington, where he was educated. He was afterwards apprenticed to the confectionery business, in which he was employed for eight years. He then removed to Palmerston North, where he was employed by Messrs Grace, Clerk, and Company for some years. He was subsequently appointed to the management of their Hawera branch. Mr. Dixon worked up a successful business, and finally took Mr. Bates into partnership, and bought the Hawera business. He is a member of the Wanganui Education Board. In 1900 Mr. Dixon married a daughter of the late Mr. J. S. Nicholson, of Ashburton, and has three daughters.
was founded on the 10th of April, 1880, by Messrs P. Galvin, J. B. Innes, and J. C. Yorke. In October of the following year Mr. Galvin sold his interest to Mr. Armit. It was then conducted by Messrs Yorke, Innes, and Armit, Mr. Yorke acting as editor; and Mr. W. A. Parkinson, then a member of the Hansard staff, was engaged during the Parliamentary recesses as sub-editor and reporter. Mr. Armit retired after a short connection, and about the year 1890 Mr. Innes sold his interest to Mr. Yorke, who became sole proprietor. Four years later Mr. Parkinson acquired the journal from Mr. Yorke. The Hawera and Normanby Star is an eight-page daily paper, with seven columns on each page. It is independent in polities, and Press Association news is published daily. Special attention is devoted to the dairying industry of Taranaki. The Egmont Star is a well got up weekly edition, issued from the same office, which also publishes the Star Almanac, and West Coast Directory, an annual of about 450 pages, demy octavo. The domicile of the business is in High Street; and the premises, of wood, iron, and brick, contain a full newspaper and jobbing plant, including linotypes.
Proprietor of the Hawera and Normanby Star, was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, where he was partly educated, and afterwards attended school in Tasmania and Victoria. He was brought up as a journalist on the Launecston Examiner, and five years later went to Melbourne for a time. In 1875 Mr. Parkinson came to Wellington, under engagement to the New Zealand Times. Subsequently he joined the Parliamentary staff. and was for seventeen sessions in the Hansard Gallery, but resigned his position on becoming proprietor of the Star.
Hawera, was destroyed by fire in August, 1895, and in the following year the present building was erected on the old site. The court room is commodious and well fitted up. There are six other rooms in the building, which was built on the co-operative principle, and cost about £1200. Mr. Andrew Turnbull is Stipendiary Magistrate, and Mr. Alfred Trimble is Clerk of the Court. In addition to regular sittings of the Magistrate's Court, periodical sittings of the District Court are held in Hawera.
Clerk of the District Court and Magistrate's Court, Receiver of Land Revenue, Registrar of Electors and Returning Officer, Hawera, is the eldest son of the late Colonel Robert Trimble, of Ingle-wood. He was born at Garston, near Liverpool, England, in 1857, and was educated at the preparatory school of Mr. and Mrs Lakin, Grassendale Park, and at the Royal Institution school, Liverpool. In August, 1873, he entered the office of Messrs Lamport and Holt, managers and Part owners of the Lamport and Holt line of steamers, trading between Liverpool, Brazil, and River Plate ports. When fourteen years of age, Mr. Trimble began to attend the parades and heavy gun drills of the 15th (now 6th) Laneashire Artillery Volunteers, of which his father was Lieutenant-colonel; in 1874 he passed his examination for a captain's commission, and was gazetted sub-lieutenant. Towards the end of 1874 Colonel Trimble decided to emigrate to New Zealand with his family. He arrived in 1875, and took up land in the neighbourhood of Ingle-wood, Taranaki. Mr. Alfred Trimble worked as a carpenter until 1881. In 1879, when the Maoris ploughed the land of the settlers at Oakura and Hawera, and hostilities seemed imminent, Mr. Trimble was elected captain of the No. 3 Company of the Ingle-wood Rangers. He left Inglewood in February, 1881, and after being a short time in the Crown Lands office at Patea, he was appointed Clerk of the Magistrate's Court and District Land Officer at Hawera. Towards the end of that year further disturbances with the natives eulminated in the “Parihaka affair,” and Mr. Trimble joined a newly-raised volunteer corps at Hawera, and rose to the rank of sergeant. He left that corps in April 1882. Mr. Trimble was appointed Registrar of Electors, and subsequently Clerk to the West Coast Settlement Reserves Trustees, as well as Clerk of the Court. He has been Returning Officer for the district of Hawera since the general election of 1896. In 1886, a volunteer rifle corps was formed in Hawera, and Mr. Trimble was elected captain, and held that rank till January, 1891, when he resigned. In 1893, he was elected a member of the Cyclists' Touring Club (whose headquarters are in London) with a membership of 50,000, and has been consul for a number of years.
Crown Prosecutor at Hawera, is a son of Judge Barton, sometime of the Native Lands Court. He was born at South Yarra, Melbourne, Australia, in the year 1857, was partly educated in the South of France, and at the Otago High School, Dunedin, studied law under his father, in Wellington, and with Mr. F. M. Ollivier, of the same city, and was admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of New Zealand, by the late Mr. Justice Richmond, in 1881. He shortly afterwards commemeed practice in Patea, and in 1885 removed to Hawera. Mr. Barton, who is an able lawyer, is solicitor for the Hawera Borough Council, Government Insurance Department, Public Trustee, Advances to Settlers Department, Bank of Australasia, and Bank of New South Wales. As a Freemason he is a member of Lodge Hawera, and has
Solicitor and Patent Agent, Princes Street, Hawera. This practice was established in the year 1904. Mr. Atkinson is the fifth son of the late Sir Harry Atkinson, and was born in Wellington. He is a member of the committee of the Hawera Chamber of Commerce.
Barrister and Solicitor, Princes Street, Hawera. P.O. Box 95. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. Mr. Caplen, who is more fully referred to as a former member of the Hawera Borough Council, established his practice in the year 1882 in centrally situated offices, immediately opposite the Post Office. The premises are of brick, and on one occasion this material arrested the progress of a destructive fire. Mr. Caplen was the first in Hawera to build in brick. He has commodious offices, and portions of the building are let to tenants.
Barrister and Solicitor, Regent Street, Hawera. This practice was established in July, 1899. Mr. Foy is agent for the National Fire Insurance Company. He was born in Nelson in the year 1873, and was educated at public schools, and at Nelson College. Mr. Foy subsequently studied law in Wellington, under Messrs Moorehouse and Hadfield for four years, and was afterwards a year with Mr. W. R. Haselden, now Judge Haselden. Later, he removed to Marton, and was about a year with Mr. Fullerton-Smith. He then passed his final examination, and was admitted a solicitor of the Supreme Court in 1899, and a barrister in the following year. Mr. Foy is local preacher of the Methodist church, and is secretary of the Hawera Church Trust. In 1903 he married a daughter of Mr. S. Dixon, of Hawera, and has two sons.
Barrister and Solicitor, Regent Street, Hawera. P.O. Box 26. Bankers, Bank of Australasia. Private residence, Victoria Street. Mr. Halliwell is an experienced lawyer, and is always increasing an already good connection. He was born in Geelong, Victoria, Australia, in December, 1861, and is the son of the late Mr. Thomas Halliwell, schoolmaster, of Dunedin, and was educated at the Dunedin High School; was articled to Messrs Duncan and McGregor, of Dunedin, and was admitted to the Supreme Court by Mr. Justice Williams, in 1883. Mr. Halliwell was for nine years with the firm of Duncan and McGregor, and then removed to Palmerston North, where he became managing clerk to Mr. Herbert J. Hankins. On severing his connection with that gentleman in 1896, Mr. Halliwell immediately afterwards went to Hawera to establish his present practice. He was dux of the Dunedin High School during his last year at school, and was awarded the certificate of merit for second place in the final law examination by the Canterbury Law Society. In his younger days he was an enthusiastic footballer, having for some years played half-back and forward in the first fifteen, and acted as captain of the second fifteen of the Pirates Club, Dunedin. He is a member of the management committee of the Hawera Presbyterian church, and honorary secretary of the Hawera Chamber of Commerce.
Solicitor, Hawera. Mr. McCarthy was born at Charleston, Westland, in the year 1874, and was educated at the public, school at Manaia, and at St. Patrick's College, Wellington. He studied law under Mr. H. Caplen in Hawera, was admitted a solicitor of the Supreme Court in May, 1902, and since that time has acted as managing clerk for Mr. Caplen. Mr. McCarthy has been a member of the Waimate and Hawera Football Clubs, and of the Hawera Cricket and Hockey Clubs. He has been one of the team to represent Taranaki in cricket since 1894, and also played on behalf of New Zealand against Lord Hawke's team. He has played on behalf of the West Coast against Wellington, and in two inter-provincial matches against Victoria In 1906 Mr. McCarthy married a daughter of Mr. John Mutjens, of Greymouth.
M.D., Physician and Surgeon, High Street, Hawera. Dr. Brown studied for his profession, and qualified at the Columbia University, New York, America. He subsequently came to New Zealand, and founded his practice in Hawera.
M.R.C.S. (England), L.R.C.P. (London), Physician and Surgeon, Victoria Street, Hawera. Dr. Deck is a native of Suffolk, England, and studied for his profession at Bartholemew's Hospital, London. He qualified as a medical man in 1896, and practised for some years in the Old Country, before coming to New Zealand. Dr. Deck settled in Hawera in January, 1906.
M.D., Physician and Surgeon, High Street, Hawera. Dr. Sloan is a native of Ayrshire, Scotland, and was educated privately at Kilmarnock. He studied for his profession in Glasgow, and at Edinburgh, and took his diploma as Ch. B., at Glasgow University in the year 1888, and his M.D. in 1893. Dr. Sloan subsequently became Public Vaccinator, and a member of the General Council of the University of Glasgow. He arrived in Wellington in 1896, practised there for a time, and shortly afterwards settled in Hawera.
L.R.C.P., L.R.C.S., M.B., C.M., Medical Practitioner, Princes Street, Hawera. Dr. Westenra, who has been in practice in Hawera since the year 1892, is further referred to as Medical Superintendent of the Hawera Hospital.
Surgeon-Dentist, Hawera. Mr. Grey was born in Auckland, and was educated at the Auckland College. He served the primary stage of his profession with his brother, Mr. A. D. Gray, the well-known dentist of New Plymouth, and completed his studies under Mr. Kemp, of Auckland. In 1894 he obtained his diploma, and afterwards joined Mr. Yule, of Invereargill, as assistant, and remained with him for two years. Mr. Gray commenced practice at Hawera in the year 1897. He pays weekly visits to Eltham and Patea.
(S. B. Hunter and W. D. Johnston), Surgeon Dentists, High Street, Hawera. The Hawera branch of Messrs Hunter and Johnston was established in 1905, and is conducted in a wood and iron building. There are two surgeries, two waiting rooms, and a workroom fitted up with every modern appliance.
Junior Partner of the firm of Messrs Hunter and Johnston, was born in the year 1877, in Invercargill, and was educated in Dunedin. He studied for his profession under Dr. Yule, in Invercargill, and was registered as a dentist in 1899. After that he followed his profession in various parts of the colony, before joining Mr. Hunter in partnership.
Surgeon Dentist, Union Street, Hawera. This practice was established in the year, 1888, and acquired by Mr. Stocker in 1905. It is conducted in a wood and iron building, containing a waiting room, a surgery, a workroom, and a residence. Mr. Stocker was born in 1885, at Tauranga, and was educated in Wellington and Napier. He studied for his profession at Hawera and Wellington, was registered as a dentist in June, 1905, and took over his practice in Hawera in the following November. Mr. Stocker is interested in hockey, and has represented Hawera in contests held in the provincial district since 1903. While in Wellington he was a member of the United Hockey Club, and was at one time connected with the Hastings Hockey Club.
Surgeon Dentist, High Street, Hawera; branch at Manaia. This practice was established in the year 1902, and is conducted in a wood and iron building, which contains a waiting room, a surgery, a workroom, and a residence. Mr. Wilson pays professional visits every week to Manaia, and quarterly visits to Opunake. He was born in the year 1870, at Whangarei, and was educated in his native place, and at Canterbury College, Christchurch. Subsequently he returned to Auckland, studied for his profession under Mr. A. L. Smith, and obtained registration in 1900. After gaining further experience in Auckland and at Wanganui, he removed to Hawera in 1902. Mr. Wilson is an enthusiastic footballer; since 1903 he has been one of the Taranaki representatives, and became captain of the team in 1905. In 1904 he married Miss Furlong, formerly matron of the Hawera Hospital and has one daughter.
Chemist and Druggist. High Street, Hawera. This business was established in June, 1891. It is conducted in a wood, iron, and brick building, which contains a shop with a verandah, a dispensary and a store. Mr. Tait is an importer of drugs and chemist's sundries. He was born in the county of Edinburgh, Scotland, and was educated at MidCalder and at Bathgate Academy, near Edinburgh, where he studied for his profession, and passed his examination as a chemist and druggist. After some years' experience he removed to Belfast, and was employed for about three years in the old established business of Messrs Grattan and Co. Mr. Tait then came to New Zealand, and landed at Port Chalmers in April, 1881. He subsequently spent a short time in Auckland, and later, was for about nine months in Wellington. Then he entered into business on his own account in Lyttelton, where he continued for six years, before removing to Hawera. Mr. Tait has taken an interest in local affairs for some years, and is a member of the Hawera school committee, the Caledonian Society, and the Presbyterian church committee. As a Freemason he is a member of Lodge Hawera, and was for about three years Worshipful Master. In 1888 he married a daughter of the late Mr. James Donaldson, formerly gaoler at Addington, and has three sons and one daughter.
Chemist and Druggist, corner of High Street and Regent Street, Hawera. This business was established many years ago, and was acquired by Mr. Wallace in the year 1902. It is conducted in a wood and iron building, which contains a shop, a dispensary, a consulting room, and a store room. A specialty is made of cattle drenches and veterinary medicines.
was born and educated in Auckland, where he studied for his profession under Mr. Graves Aitken, whose assistant he was for two years. Mr. Wallace removed to Hawke's Bay in 1893; for twelve months he was assistant to Mr. Eccles, at Napier, and in the beginning of 1895 he took charge of the Hastings branch of the business. He subsequently settled in Taranaki, and acquired his present business at Hawera.
has been represented in Hawera since the seventies. The branch was originally in High Street, but was subsequently removed to Princes Street, where it stands in a quarter-acre section, and contains a banking chamber, a manager's room, and a residence. The manager, Mr. Alfred William Webster, was born in New Plymouth, in the year 1864. He joined the bank in his native place, and has held various positions in different parts of the colony.
was opened as an agency in July, 1881, and was made the central branch for the district in the year 1895. The building is of wood and iron, and contains a banking chamber, a manager's room, a strong room, and a residence. The manager has five assistants.
was appointed Manager of the Bank of Australasia at Hawera in the year 1903. He entered the service of the bank in 1883, at Geelong, Victoria, and held numerous positions before being stationed in Hawera.
at Hawera was opened in the year 1877, by Mr. W. G. White, the present manager. The building presents a good appearance, and occupies a prominent site in Princes Street, adjoining the Bank of New South Wales, and opposite the Post Oilice.
Manager of the Bank of New Zealand at Hawera, was born in Newcastle-on-Tyne, England, in 1849, and is a son of Mr. Theophilus White, of New Plymouth, who for many years was Provincial Treasurer of Taranaki. He was educated in New Plymouth, and joined the bank there in 1865. His first move was to the head office, Auckland, and subsequently he was successively at the branches in Nelson, Hokitika, Greymouth, Westport, Lyell, and Wanganui. In 1887, he took charge at Hawera, and has gained and retained the confidence and esteem of the people of the town and district. Mr. White has taken an active part in local affairs. He is president of the Hawera Institute, Hawera Horticultural Society, Hawera Cricket Club, and many other institutions, and treasurer of the Rughy Union, etc. As a vestryman and churchwarden of St. Mary's church, he has taken an active part in parish work. In 1879, he married the daughter of the late Mr. James Dingle, of New Plymouth.
was established on the 20th of May, 1895, on which date the first general meeting was held. Officers for the year 1906: Mr. J. Brunette, president: Mr. C. O. Ekdahl, vice-president; Mr. J. Foy, secretary and treasurer, and a general committee of fifteen. There is a membership of about eighty, and meetings are held monthly at the Borough Council offices. A general annual meeting is held in the mouth of October, and special meetings when required. Considerable activity is displayed in connection with all matters affecting the well-being of Hawera and the surrounding districts.
Secretary and Treasurer of the Hawera Chamber of Commerce, is further referred to as a barrister and solicitor.
(Arthur William Gillies and Ernest Edward Nalder), Auctioneers, Stock and Station Agents, Union Street, Hawera. This business was established by the Egmont Farmers' Union, which, during its twelve years of ownership, developed a large connection. It was acquired by the present firm in 1905. Fortnightly sales of stock are held at Hawera and Okaiawa, and periodical sales at Stratford and Manaia, besides regular horse sales; clearing sales are also held when and where desired.
Senior Partner and Auctioneer of the firm of Gillies and Nalder, is more fully referred to on page 541 in the Otago and Southland volume of this Cyclopedia.
Auctioneer, General Commission Agent and General Merchant, Jay's Royal Mart, High Street, Hawera. Agent for the Sun Fire Insurance Office, the Morshead Nursery Company, Day, Son, and Hewitt's cattle medicines, and Brigg's sheep dip. This business was established in the year 1899, and was acquired by the present proprietor in 1904. It is conducted in the old Theatre Royal building, which contains offices, and a large auctioncering room fitted up with fowl coops. There is also a grain store, and a yard with pig pens. Regular auction sales are held on Saturday and Thursday in each week. Mr. Jay is further referred to as a member of the Hawera Borough Council.
(Robert Howard Nolan and Arthur Sydney Tonks). Auctioneers, Stock and Station Salesmen, etc., Regent Street, Hawera. P.O. Box 87. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. Private Residences: Mr. Nolan's, Nolantown, half a mile from the Post Office; Mr. Tonks', Main South road. This flourishing business—one of the largest in Taranaki—was established in the year 1880 by Mr. Robert H. Nolan, who was joined about two years later by Mr. Tonks. Stock sales are held regularly at Hawera, Manaia, Opunake, Eltham, and Kakaramea. As many as 35,000 sheep have been yarded on a single sale day, and large transactions are made in all kinds of stock. The fine brick premises of the firm are quite close to the main business thoroughfare, and the Hawera yards are within easy reach of the town. Land and property sales are conducted at the saleroom, and largely attended.
Senior Partner in the firm of Messrs Nolan, Tonks, and Company, who has for many years been a Justice of the Peace, was born in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia, in the year 1855, and is the second son of Mr. David Nolan, of the well known Auckland firm of stock-auctioneers. Messrs Hunter and Nolan. He was educated at the Wesley College, Auckland, and the Auckland College and Grammar School. Mr. Nolan struck out for himself by going to the Thames goldfields, where he built and worked the Eglinton battery. He subsequently returned to Auckland, and entered the warehouse of Messrs McArthur and Co., and a few years later represented the firm in the South Sea Islands. On returning to New Zealand he travelled for the firm throughout both islands, but started in business for himself in 1880. Mr. Nolan is president of the Egmont Racing Club of which he was also secretary for several years, and by which he was presented with a gold watch and chain as a souvenir; is president of the Opunake Racing Club, and of the Eltham Racing Club, judge of the Patea and Waverley and Waitotara racing clubs, and secretary of the Egmont Hunt Club. He was chairman of the Mokoia Domain Board before the domain was taken over by the Government, and is a director of the Hawera Permanent Building Society, and chairman of directors of the Hawera Gas Company. As a volunteer he has held the rank of lieutenant; and as a Freemason he is a Past Master of the Hawera Lodge, and Past Grand Junior Deacon of the Grand Lodge of New Zealand. In 1882 he married the daughter of Major Durie, of Wanganui, and has three daughters and one son.
Junior Partner in the firm of Messrs Nolan, Tonks and Company, was born in the year 1862, in Auckland, and is the third surviving son of the late Mr. Benjamin Tonks, a well-known auctioneer of Auckland. He was educated at Mr. Farquhar Macrae's Grammar School and the Auckland College and Grammar School; then he went into his father's office, and two years later tried farming at Kaipara. In 1882 he joined Mr. Nolan. In the absence of his partner, Mr. Tonks acts as auctioneer, but in a general way he attends mainly to the outdoor management of the business. He is prominent at polo and tennis, and is a steward and a member of the committee of the Hawera Jockey Club. In 1885 Mr. Tonks married Miss Nolan sister of his partner, and has two sons and one daughter.
Land Agent and Authorised Surveyor, Princes Street, Hawera, opposite the Post Office. Secretary for the Hawera branch of the New Zealand Farmers' Union, Agent for the South British Insurance Company, Fire and Accident, and Agent for Messrs A. J. Park and Son. Patent Agents. Mr. Atkinson was formerly for some years a surveyor on the Government staff. He has resided for a great number of years in Taranaki, and has an extensive knowledge of the quality and
Land and Finnancial Agent, Hawera, Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. Mr. Cowern began business at Patea in 1874, and his knowledge of the district is unequalled. Upwards of half a-million acres of land have passed through his hands within the past ten years, and he has negotiated many of the largest land transactions that have taken place in the island. Mr. Cowern is further referred to as a former Mayor of Patea.
Licensed Land Broker and General Commission Agent, Hawera. Mr. Hirst has been engaged as a land broker, and land and commission agent, since the year 1896, and does a considerable business in town and country properties. He is further referred to as Mayor of Hawera.
Licensed Land Broker, Insurance, Financial, and General Commission Agent, Princes Street, Hawera. P.O. Box 137. Bankers, Bank of Australasia. Established in 1881. Private residence, Princes Street. Mr. Major possesses the fullest confidence of the public as a man of business, and is widely and favourably known. His long and intimate acquaintance with the district enables him to give specially advantageous advice to his clients. As a financial agent, Mr. Major has been very successful; as, of hundreds of thousands of pounds invested for his numerous clients, not a penny of either principal or interest has been lost. Mr. Major is further referred to as member for Hawera in the House of Representatives.
(Ernest Sussex), Land and Estate Agents, Taranaki Land Exchange, High Street, Hawera. Agents for the Alliance Fire Insurance Company, Messrs Reid and Grey's Farm Implements and Oil Engines, etc. This business was established in the year 1905, and is conducted in a double-fronted building, containing offices, etc. Messrs Sussex and Co. are buyers and sellers of freehold and leasehold properties in all parts of the district.
Sole Partner in the firm of Messrs Sussex and Co., was born in 1870, in Victoria, Australia, where he was educated. He was brought up as a builder, and worked at his trade in Victoria for ten years. In 1893 he came to New Zealand, landed in Hawke's Bay, and a year later removed to Taranaki. He then settled in Hawera, where he worked as a journeyman for a time, and afterwards became a master builder for twelve years, during which he erected many farm houses and country residences in and about Hawera. Subsequently he established the firm of Sussex and Co. Mr. Sussex has been a member of the HaweraHigh School committee since 1903.
Photographer and Picture Framer, Hawera Studio, Union Street, Hawera. This business was established in the year 1892 by Messrs Berry and McAllister, and was acquired by Mr. Gungall in 1898. The original site of the business was in Regent Street, but the proprietor, having acquired a freehold section of over an eighth of an acre, erected the present convenient studio and residence in 1904. The building is of wood and iron, with a verandah, and contains a large well-lighted studio; a vestibule with a large show window, a picture-framing department, a dressing room, and dark rooms and work rooms. In connection with picture-framing, Mr. Gungall has invented a machine for making true joints to picture frame moulding, which is simple, easy of application, and very effective. He undertakes all classes of photography, including portraiture and landscape work.
Baker and Confectioner, High Street, Hawera. This business was established about the year 1892, and was acquired by the present proprietor in November, 1904. It is conducted in a wood and iron building, which contains a shop, and a refreshment room. The premises include also a commodious bakehouse, under the charge of a competent baker, a residence, and a stable and trapshed. Mr. Currin was born in the year 1874 at Wakefield, Nelson, where he was educated. He was brought up to the business of a butcher in Riwaka, under Messrs Ryder Brothers, by whom he was employed for six years. In 1895 he removed to Taranaki, and worked at his trade at Stratford, Eltham, Kaponga, and Hawera, before acquiring his present business. As an Oddfellow, he was a member of Lodge Motueka, Nelson, for nine years, and passed all the chairs of the Juvenile Lodge before being transferred to the senior.
Bakers and Confectioners, High Street, Hawera. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. Established 1892.
Senior Partner in the firm of J. P. Keen and Co., was born at Ealing, England, in the year 1870, and came with his parents in 1874 to New Zealand by the “Ocean Mail.” They first settled at Feilding, and afterwards removed to Halcombe, where Mr. Keen went to school. Later on, he was apprenticed to Mr. W. Hogg, the well-
Wholesale Wine, Spirit, and General Merchant, Regent Street. This business was established in Princes Street about the year 1890, but was removed Inter on to Regent Street, and in July, 1905, but was acquired by the present proprietor. The premises consist of a wood and iron building, with a concrete and stone foundation, and there is a convenient cellar, with a bottle-washing plant. Mr. Harrison is a large importer, and maintains a well-assorted stock for the supply of hotels and the general public. He was born in 1868. In London, England, and was educated at Barnett Grammar School, and afterwards in Belgium, not far from Brussels.
Subsequently he had four years' training in commercial life in London. In 1887, he came to New Zealand, and landed in Auckland, where he remained for nineteen years, five of which were spent in connection with the kauri gum trade. Then he entered the employment of Messrs L. D. Nathan and Co., with whom he remained for eleven years; he had charge of the correspondence; and acted for some time as private secretary to the late Mr. L. D. Nathan, before acquiring his present business. Mr. Harrison has been chairman of the Licensed Victuallers' Association. As a Freemason he is an Immediate Past Master of Lodge Manukau, No. 24, New Zealand Constitution. In July, 1901, Mr. Harrison married a daughter of the late Mr. J. Benjamine, of Auckland. He is further referred to as part proprietor of the White Swan Brewery.
(Harrison and Co:, proprietors), High Street, Hawera. This brewery was erected about the year 1880, by Mr. McGuire. It was afterwards acquired by Mr. Summervail, and was finally taken over by Messrs Harrison and Co. The building is a three storied one of wood and iron, and contains a twenty hogshead plant. A bottling cellar adjoins the brewery. Mr. Harrison is further referred to as a wine and spirit merchant.
was born at Newcastle, and came at an early age to Greymouth with his parents, who settled for a short time at Addison's Flat and Reefton. After having been employed in several parts of the colony, Mr. McLachlan removed to Hawera in 1880, and was engaged at Johnston's brewery and aerated water manufactory for about eight years. He then conducted a carrying business successfully for some years; then took a hotel at Otakeho, of which he remained in possession until he purchased Mr. Johnson's business, which he made one of the largest in the district. He afterwards removed to Wanganui.
Builder and Contractor, Regent Street, Hawera. This business was established in 1894 by the late Mr. Thomas Pacey, and has been conducted by his son, Mr. E. A. Pacey, since 1898. The premises consist of a wood and iron, building, which stands on a freehold section of four acres in Regent Street, and there is also a convenient timber yard. There is a complete modern plant for joinery and wood work, which is driven by a twelve horsepower gas engine. Mr. Pacey has erected a large number of buildings in the Hawera district, including the brick shop of Messrs F. McGuire and Hardley in High Street, and the “Economic” building for Messrs Hardley and Sons. He is further referred to as a member of the Hawera Borough Council.
Builder and Contractor, Office and Yards, High Street; private residence, Glover road, Hawera. This business was established in March, 1880, by Mr. Whittington, who has erected many substantial buildings in the Hawera district, including St. Mary's church, and the Mokoia church. He has also erected the brick work in connection with a number of buildings, including those of Messrs Caplen, Sutton, Halliwell, Cowern, McGuire, and Hardley, and many others. Mr. Whittington is further referred to as a member of the Hawera Borough Council.
formerly of the firm of Holda-way and Bradley, coachbuilders, Hawera, was born at Richmond, Nelson. He learned his trade under Mr. J. Papps, of Richmond, and afterwards was for three years with Messrs James and Tunniclifle, of Blenheim. Mr. Holdaway started business in Richmond on his own account, but, seeing a larger scope in the rising district of Hawera, went there in 1896, and bought out Mr. John Veats. Mr. Alfred Theodore Bradley became his partner. Mr. Holdaway afterwards removed from Hawera to Levin.
is the property of the Hawera Dairy Company, Limited, and was originally established as a factory in 1897. The building is of wood and iron, and contains an up-to-date plant, including three 410 Alpha de Laval separators, a six horse-power steam engine, and a steam boiler of eight horsepower, a pasteurising plant, and a cream cooler. Three thousand gallons of milk are delivered daily, in the height of the season, by twenty-five suppliers.
was appointed Manager of the Hawera Creamery in the year 1904. He was born in 1878, at Bell Block, and was educated in his native place, and at King and Upland road schools. Mr. Baldock was brought up to country life, and gained his first experience of dairy work at the Carrington Road Factory, New Plymouth. Eighteen months later, he became assistant at the Opunake creamery, and subsequently manager for one season. He then removed to Oakura, and was manager of the Petone Creamery for one year before his appointment to
(Alexander Paterson, managing partner), Drapers, Clothiers, Tailors, etc., High Street, Hawera. P.O. Box 173. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. Private residence of managing partner, Wilson Street. This firm's business, which is one of the best in Hawera, was established in the early seventies, and was for many years conducted by Mr. Sutton, a former mayor of the horough. It was bought by the present proprietors in 1897, and amalgamated with their other established business, which had been previously a branch of Te Aro House, Wellington. There are twenty employees, and the shop is in good favour with the buying public. Mr. Alexander Paterson is further referred to, as a former member of the Hawera Borough Council, and as a member of the Patea Harbour Board.
Merchant Tailor, High Street, Hawera. This business was established in the year 1901. It is conducted in suitable premises, which contain a shop with a verandah, a fitting room, and a work room. Mr. Rodger is an importer of tweeds and tailors' trimmings, and employs about ten persons. He was born in the year 1871 at Dumfries, Scotland, where he was partly educated. Mr. Rodger subsequently came to New Zealand, and attended school in Dunedin and in Oamaru, where he learned his trade under Mr. J. H. Milligan, with whom he continued for three years. Later on, he worked for four years as a journeyman at Temuka, and for a year afterwards at Christchurch. He then removed to Hawera, where he was employed by Messrs Newcombe and Massey, and subsequently joined Mr. A. Paterson, draper, Hawera, for whom he conducted his tailoring establishment for four years, before starting in business on his own account. In 1898 Mr. Rodger married a daughter of Mr. John Rountree, of Warkworth, Auckland, and has two sons.
. Merchant Tailor, High Street. Hawera. This business was established in May, 1902, and is conducted in a shop with a verandah and a workroom. Six persons are employed. Mr. Smith is further referred to at page 550 of the Wellington volume of this Cyclopedia.
Draper, Milliner, Clothier and Mercer, “The Economic,” High Street, Hawera. This business was established in the year 1896, and was acquired by Mr. Spence in August, 1900. It is conducted in a large double-fronted shop, specially erected for the business. The building is lighted by skylight, and contains dress, Manchester, fancy goods, clothing and blanket departments. There is a large showroom at the rear, and on the upper floor are the dressmaking departments. About twenty persons are employed. Mr. Spence was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, where he was brought up to country life; but in 1867 he went to Glasgow, where he was apprenticed to the soft goods trade for four years. In 1871 he sailed in the British barque “Guiana,” for Georgetown, Demerara, British Guiana, where he was employed, first with Messrs Irvin, McArthur and Company, and afterwards with Messrs Playfair and Company. He, however, tired of tropical life, and returned to Glasgow in 1875. In 1879, on account of his health, Mr. Spence sailed from Glasgow in the ship “Auckland” (Captain MacDougall) for Dunedin, New Zealand, and landed on New Year's Day, 1880. After helping to swell the ranks of the unemployed in Dunedin for three weeks, he obtained employment with Messrs Thomson, Strange and Company, with whom he remained for four years. Then he was for a short period with Mr. Gabities, at Oamaru, whence he removed to Ashburton, and was employed to Mr. Andrew Orr for ten years. Mr. Spence subsequently went to the North Island and entered into partnership with a brother in Feilding, under the style of Spence and Spence; and after seven years acquired “The Economic,” in Hawera. In 1885 he married a daughter of the late Mr. Walter Allan, of Balclutha, and has, surviving, four sons and three daughters.
Cabinetmaker and Upholsterer, Princes Street, Hawera. Mr. Arthur was born in Wanganui in the year 1864, and was educated in his native town. He learned his trade partly with his father, and afterwards in Auckland and Wellington. Mr. Arthur is a member of the Hawera Mounted Rifles, the New Zealand Natives' Association, and of the Hawera Chamber of Commerce.
(Alfred John Jury, proprietor), corner of High Street and Princes Street, Hawera. This hotel was established in the sixties, and was acquired by the present proprietor in the year 1906. The “Egmont” stands on a section of three-quarters of an acre, and is a large two-storied wood and iron building. It contains fifty rooms, including twenty-five bedrooms, eight sitting rooms, a commodious commercial room, a billiard room, and a dining room, which will seat sixty guests. Behind the hotel there are large and convenient stables.
Proprietor of the Egmont Hotel, was born in the year 1859, in New Plymouth, where he was educated, and brought up to the building trade, which he
who is a resident of Hawera, was at one time proprietor of the Railway Hotel in that town. Mr. Flynn's family, of six daughters and four sons, possess musical talents of a high order, and the instruments they play form a complete orchestra.
Engineer and Blacksmith, Iron and Brass Foundry, Nelson Street, Hawera. This business was established by Mr. Houston, and acquired by the present proprietor in June. 1902. Owing to the development of the trade, new premises became necessary, and the present commodions building was erected in 1905, on a freehold section of half an acre. It is of wood and iron, and contains a foundry, a farrier's shop, an engineering shop and a pattern shop, a store, and an office. The plant includes a gas engine of four horsepower, two lathes, two drills, shaping machinery, and a fan for the cupola. All kinds of engineering work are undertaken, and the fitting up of dairying plant is a specialty. About eight persons are employed. Mr. Hopkirk was born in Gattonside, near Melrose, Roxburghshire, Scotland, where he went to school. He came to New Zealand in the year 1873, and landed in Wellington, where he served his time to the engineering trade. Mr. Hopkirk gained general experience in various parts of the colony, and also at sea for a short time. For several years subsequently he was engaged in the flaxmilling industry, in conjunction with his brothers, in the Waira-rapa district. He then returned to his trade, and was for some time employed in making drawings for the Union Company. Mr. Hopkirk was afterwards employed in erecting dredging machinery on the West Coast for Messrs Luke and Company, Limited, before acquiring his present business.
Farrier and General Blacksmith, Princes Street, Hawera. This business was established by Mr. Nicholas in the year 1903. The premises consist of a smith's shop and an office. Mr. Nicholas is further referred to as Farrier-Sergeant of the Hawera Mounted Rifles.
Engineer, General Smith, Manufacturer of Farm Implements, Egmont Egmont Engineering Works, Princes Street, Hawera.
(Bertram Crosskey Bennett and Frederick William Sutton), Ironmongers and Hardware Merchants, High Street and Nelson Street, Hawera. This business was established in the year 1888, and was acquired by Messrs Bennett and Sutton in January, 1906. The premises consist of a wood and iron
Ironmonger, Grocer and General Storekeeper, High Street, Hawera. P.O. Box 27. Bankers, Bank of Australasia. Private residence, Victoria Street. Mr. Robbins' business was established in the year 1884 by Messrs Robbins and Picrard, and was conducted under that style for about nine years, when Mr. Robbins became sole proprietor. Each department is kept well stocked, and the shop has a large, handsome double-window frontage to the principal street. The premises include a fine brick store for the better convenience of the business, and to accommodate the bulk stock which Mr. Robbins imports direct in large shipments. Goods are delivered to all parts of the district. Mr. Robbins is further referred to as a former member of the Hawera Borough Council.
Cycle Engineer, Hawera Branch, Regent Street, Hawera; Head Office, Wanganui; Branch at Stratford. This business was established in the year 1898, by Mr. R. Fortune, and was acquired by Mr. Price in November, 1905. The premises consist of a wood and iron building, which contains a double-fronted shop with a verandah, a show room, an office, and a workshop. The plant includes lathes and all necessary machinery. The special brand of cycle built by the firm is known as “The Clipper.” Three persons are employed.
was appointed Manager of the Hawera branch of Mr. P. C. Price's cycle engineering business in November, 1905. He was born in the year 1879, in Wanganui, where he was educated, and was for seven years employed in the Wanganui Freezing Works, where for a time he was engaged in grading mutton for the British market. In 1903 Mr. Suisted joined Mr. Price in Wanganui. In 1905 he married a daughter of the late Mr. Edward Baker, of Kaiapoi, and has one daughter.
(Thomas Dickson), Boot and Shoemakers and Importers; Hawera Branch, High Street. Hawera; Head Office, Wanganui. The Hawera branch of this business was established in the year 1904. The premises consist of a wood and iron building, which contains a double-fronted shop with a verandah, fitting rooms, and workrooms.
was appointed Manager of the Hawera branch of Messrs Dickson and Co.'s business in the year 1904. He was born at Napier in 1850, and was educated at Woodville. He learned his trade with a brother-in-law at Danne-virke, and served an apprenticeship of three years. Mr. Thacker afterwards worked for two years as a journeyman, then removed to Wanganui, and was employed for a year by Mr. J. Thorpe. Subsequently, for two years, he was manager of the boot department of Messrs R. H. White and Co's business before receiving his present appointment. Mr. Thacker was for two years a member of the Dannevirke Mounted Rifles, and for eighteem months a member of the Dannevirke Infantry Volunteers.
(W. S. Moore, proprietor); Hawera Branch, High Street; Head Office and Factory, Onehunga. The Hawera branch of this business was established in the year 1892. It is conducted in a wood and iron building, which contains a large double-fronted shop with a verandah, a fitting room and a workshop. About fifty per cent, of the stock is imported. Competent repairers are at work on the premises.
was appointed Manager of the Hawera branch of the Onehunga Boot Factory in March, 1905. He was born in the year 1882 in Auckland, where he was educated at the Grammar School, and had a commercial training at college. For some time afterwards he gained experience in Messrs Buddle, Button and Co's office, and subsequently was employed for three years as traveller for Mr. F. Prime. Later, he learned the boot business with Mr. A. Hughes, with whom he remained for four years, during the greater part of which, owing to the proprietor's illness, he had the practical management of his shop at Onehunga. On Mr. W. S. Moore acquiring the business, Mr. Bellinham was appointed manager of the local branch. In 1904 he married a daughter of Mr. O. Pople, of Onehunga, and has one son. Mr. Bellingham is further referred to as a lieutenant in the Hawera Rifle Corps.
Saddler and Harness Maker, High Street, Hawera. Mr. Duxfield's business was established in the year 1894. It is the largest of the kind in Hawera, and six men are kept in constant employment. The premises are centrally situated, and lighted by large windows, in which there is a fine display of harness and saddlery, with ladies' saddles as a specialty. Mr. Duxfield obtained a certificate of merit at the Egmont Agricultural and Pastoral Association for superior workmanship in saddlery. He was born in Durham, England, in 1869, came out to New Zealand with his parents in 1885, and learned his trade under Mr. James Haig, the well-known Auckland saddler, whom he accompanied on his removal to Wanganui under a five years' engagement, during three years of which he acted as foreman. In 1894 he started business on his own account in Hawera. Mr. Duxfield has been a member of the Hawera Mounted Rifles since 1895, and is also a Druid, and a member of the Hawera Hunt Club.
Butcher and Farmer, High Street, Hawera. Private residence, Victoria Street. This business was originally founded in Patea in the year 1882, and was transferred to Hawera six years later. Mr. Barraclough
Butcher and Farmer, Princes Street, Hawera. Private residence, Milmoe Street. This business was established in the year 1903. It is conducted in a wood and iron building, which contains a large shop with a verandah, an office, a small goods room, and a sleeping room. Meat is delivered throughout Hawera and the surrounding districts by two vehicles, in addition to a basket delivery. All meat sold on the premises is slaughtered at the municipal abattoirs. Mr. Dailey also leases twenty-five acres of land on Lake road, which he works in conjunction with his business. He was born in the year 1879, at Swannanoa, Canterbury, and was educated at Swannanoa and Waimate. He subsequently learned the butchering business at Waimate, Canterbury, and afterwards in Hawera. For about four years Mr. Dailey was employed by Messrs Young Brothers, before starting in business on his own account. He is a member of the Hawera Lodge of Good Templars, in which he has passed all the chairs. In 1904 Mr. Dailey married a daughter of the late Mr. T. Pacey, of Hawera, and has one son.
(William Guy Clemoes, proprietor), Tawhiti road, Hawera. This factory was established in the year 1890 by a local company, who afterwards leased it to the present proprietor. It is built of wood and iron, with concrete foundations and floors, and stands on a site of an acre and a-half. The plant includes a twelve horse-power Murray boiler, a turbine of twelve horsepower, and a Hercules three-ton freezer. There is a receiving yard at the back of the factory, with a race communicating with the killing room, which is fitted up with all necessary vats, supplied with hot and cold water. From the killing room car-cases are removed to the cutting-up room, and afterwards placed in the chilling room, which measures eighteen feet by twenty feet. When thoroughly chilled the meat goes to the curing department, and is subsequently treated in the smoke house, which measures nine feet by nine feet, and is thirty feet in height. From the smoke house the cured article goes to the packing room on the upper floor, which is twenty-five feet by thirty feet, and is moved by a crane, for loading, direct to the waggons. There is also a steam drying room, measuring thirty feet by fifteen feet. The factory is capable of dealing with 150 pigs a week. The office of the factory is connected by telephone.
Proprietor of the Hawera Bacon Factory, was born in Cornwall, England, in the year 1872. He came to New Zealand with his parents in 1877, was educated in Hawera, and was brought up to country life. For two years and a-half Mr. Clemoes farmed on his own account at Waitara, and then learned his trade as a bacon curer at Manga-toki, where he afterwards served for four years in one of the factories. He was subsequently appointed manager of the Hawera Bacon Factory, and held the position for over two years before leasing the property on his own account. Mr. Clemoes has taken first and second prizes, including certificates of merit for bacon and hams. As a Freemason he was a member of Lodge St. John, Eltham, and was transferred to Lodge Hawera in 1903; and he has been a member of the Order of Oddfellows since 1891. He married a daughter of the late Mr. H. Smith, of Auckland, in 1894, and has three sons and one daughter.
Fruiterer and Confectioner, High Street, Hawera. This business was established in the year 1897, and is conducted in a wood and iron building which contains a shop with a verandah, and two store rooms. Mr. Carpenter is an importer of fresh and dried fruits, and also stocks all local fruits in season. He is a son of the late Dr. Joseph Edwards Carpenter, M.A., Ph.D., who was for many years editor of the Stratford-upon-Avon Times (Warwickshire), and was also the author of “What are the Wild Waves Saying,” “Her Bright Smile Haunts Me Still,” and over a thousand other songs. Dr. Carpenter also edited sixteen volumes of penny readings, at the time when these entertainments were very popular in the Old Country. Mr. Carpenter was born in September, 1851, in London, England, and was educated in London and at Godolphin School, Hammersmith. He was brought up to business life in London, where he remained for ten years, and then removed to Demerara. West Indies, where he was engaged in mercantile life, and was for some time in the boot business on his own account. He subsequently returned to his native land for a visit, and came to New Zealand in 1889. For several years Mr. Carpenter was engaged in farming in Taranaki, and resided for several years at Stratford before establishing his present business in Hawera. He was choirmaster and organist of the Presbyterian church.
Bricklayer, Tawhiti Brickyards. Turuturu road, Hawera. These brickyards were established in the year 1904, and occupy six acres of land. The buildings are iron-roofed, and the principal shed measures 40 feet by 60 feet. The plant is driven by a seventeen brake oil engine, which drives a Crabtree brick-making machine and press. There are fourteen drying sheds, each about sixty yards long, and capable of holding 300,000 bricks. A large permanent down-draught brick kiln, with a sixty-five feet chimney stack, will burn 35,000 bricks at one time. Chimney pots, flower pots, and other earthernware goods are manufactured. There is a splendid deposit of clay on the property, and the produce of the brickyard is in great local demand. An expert manager and a potter are employed.
Proprietor of the Tawhiti Brickyards, was born in the year 1875, near Invercargill, He was brought up to farming, in which he is still interested. Mr. Quin is also one of the proprietors of Quin and Company's Sash and Door Factory.
Bookseller, Stationer, Fancy Goods Dealer, Sports Depot, High Street, Hawera.
Provision Merchants, of London (represented in New Zealand by Mr. James Kowin), have made Hawera their head-quarters in Taranaki. This is said to be the largest butter importing firm in the world. From France alone Messrs Lovell and Christmas import £1,000,000 worth of fresh butter annually, while Finland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Canada, United States of America, the Argentine, Australia, and New Zealand contribute to their wonderful turnover. The value of the total turnover in butter, cheese, and eggs is upwards of £3,000,000 annually, and of this New Zealand contributes between a quarter and half a million, mainly from Tara-naki and Auckland.
the New Zealand representative of Messrs Lovell and Christmas, holding powers of attorney for the partners individually and collectively, is well known in both hemispheres, as having a lifelong experience of the provision trade. He was born at Cambridge, England, in the year 1841, is a son of Mr. James Kowin, printer of that town, and was intended for his father's profession; but on leaving school in London, at the age of fourteen, he embraced an opportunity of entering the provision trade. Subsequently Mr. Kowin joined his employer as a partner, and ultimately became sole proprietor of the business. In 1887, he sold out to Messrs Hudson Brothers, and retired on a competence. He was, however, dissatisfied with a life of leisure, and accepted the offer made by Mr. Lovell, with whom he had been acquainted from boyhood, and had been intimately associated in business transactions with him. To keep himself thoroughly in touch with all matters connected with the butter industry, Mr. Kowin takes a trip to the Old Country every year, leaving New Zealand about the end of March, and returning late in August. Considering that the first year's turnover was only £2000, and that his sixth season's purchases amounted to £300,000, Mr. Kowin may fairly be said to have surmounted all difficulties by the latter date. His plan of operations is highly satisfactory to producers, for he makes immediate cash advances on the season's output, and this advance constitutes the minimum purchase price; should it prove to have been excessive, Messrs Lovell and Christmas bear the loss; but if, as is generally the case, a higher price is obtained than is represented by the advance, the producers gain the additional advantage. To show their appreciation of the benefit gained by the colony from Mr. Kowin's transactions and business knowledge, the people of Hawera entertained him at a banquet, which was one of the most successful ever held in the district. The freight alone on New Zealand butter shipped by Mr. Kowin to his principals amounts to over £20,000 a year. This sum is divided pretty equally between the New Zealand Shipping Company and the Shaw Savill and Albion Company. From the nature of his transactions, Mr. Kowin could hardly fail to be popular throughout Taranaki, but his popularity is not confined to those with whom he has commercial dealings; for, apart from the benefit conferred by the business he does with the district, he is generally liked by the settlers, on account of his personal character.
Seed and Grain Dealer, Hawera. Importer of Agricultural Implements, Agent for the Massey Harris Company, Importer of English, American, German, and French
General Storekeeper, Princes Street, opposite Post Office, Hawera. This business was established in the year 1896, and was acquired by the present proprietor in 1899. It is conducted in a wood and iron building, which contains a shop with a verandah, an office, and a store. Mr. Smith is an importer and indentor of general merchandise. Delivery is made by vehicle throughout Hawera and the surrounding districts. Mr. Smith was born in Kakaramea, in 1871, and was educated in public schools in Hawera and Auckland, where he was also brought up to commercial life. He was subsequently employed for six years by Mr. James Davidson, and was for some time manager of the business. Later, he was employed as manager by Mr. Parkinson for nearly three years, before acquiring the present business. Mr. Smith is a member of the Hawera Chamber of Commerce, the Hawera Agricultural and Pastoral Society, and is an honorary member of the local Volunteer Fire Brigade and Brass Band. In 1906 he married a daughter of Mr. M. Luther, of Auckland
(L. H. McAlpine, managing director), Mart and Offices, Regent Street, Hawera. This business was established in the year 1895, and is conducted in a centrally situated wood and iron building. Auction sales are held every Saturday, and the Association keeps a large stock of general merchandise, provisions and fruit. Consignments of fruit are received from all parts of the colony, and from Australia, and a considerable business is done in this line.
Managing Director and Auctioneer of the West Coast Farmers' Trading Association, Limited, was born in Auckland, where he went to school. He was brought up to commercial life, and was for a number of year a traveller for Auckland and Dunedin firms. In the year 1884 he went into general storekeeping in Otago, and was extensively engaged in the grain trade. He joined the Farmers' Trading Association in 1895.
. Directors: Messrs E. Payne (chairman), G. Syme, J. G. Beamish, T. L. Joll, and J. White. Mr. C. E. Gibson is secretary, Mr. C. Parrington assistant secretary, and Mr. G. Trevithick, engineer. The company's registered office is in Union Street, and the power house is situated about six miles from Hawera, on the Waingongoro road. At this point a considerable bend in the Okaiawa river is taken advantage of by a tunnel of a chain and a-half in length, to provide a fall of forty feet. A weir has been constructed so as to provide a steady supply of water power, and the turbines thus driven will develop from seven to eight hundred horse-power. From the power station, the current is led by overhead wires to four different settlements; namely, Hawera, Manaia, Normanby and Okaiawa, which are lighted by electric light generated at the central power house. The company also provides motive power to the Riversdale and Joll's dairy factories. In addition to the engineer in charge, two engineers and two assistant engineers are employed at the power house.
was appointed Chief Engineer and Working Manager of the Hawera County Electric Light Company, Limited, in March, 1904. He was born in the year 1877 in Cornwall, England, and is a son of Mr. J. G. Trevithick, who is further referred to on page 210 of the Auckland volume of this Cyclopedia. He came to New Zealand with his parents at an early age, and was educated at the Auckland College and Grammar School. In 1896 he served his time as an electrical engineer with Messrs Chambers and Son, in
Secretary of the Hawera County Electric Light Company, Limited, was born in the year 1847, in Chester, England, where he was educated at St. John's School. He came to New Zealand in 1860 with his parents, who settled on a farm near Marton. Nine years later he removed to the Patea district, where he was variously employed till 1877, when he started a general store in Normanby. In 1883 he took up farming, and in 1886 he became clerk to the Normanby Town Board, and secretary of the Normanby Dairy Factory. He subsequently resigned these appointments to accept the position of secretary to the Hawera County Electric Light Company. Mr. Gibson was the first chairman of the Normanby Town Board and school committee. He married Elizabeth, the only daughter of the late Mr. Joseph Wright, of Roby, Lancashire, England, and has two sons and two daughters.
was established in the year 1896, with a capital of £10,000 in £1 shares. Gas was first supplied in the following year, and the streets of the town were lighted in 1898. The re-registered office and show-room of the company is situated in High Street. The gas works stand on Lower Tawhiti road, adjoining the railway line, on a site of three acres of land. There is a full modern plant, including eight retorts, and two gasholders capable of containing 30,000 and 10,000 superficial feet of gas respectively. About seven miles of mains have been laid throughout the borough. There are 470 consumers and the charges are 6s 8d net per thousand feet for cooking and power purposes, and 8s 4d net for lighting. Directors for the year 1906: Messrs R. H. Nolan (chairman), H. W. Sutton, A. Trimble, W. A. Parkinson, F. J. Wrigley, W. G. White, and E. A. Pacey. Mr. H. Elliott is secretary and H. J. Atkinson, manager.
was appointed Manager of the Hawera Gas Company in the year 1905. He is a son of Mr. H. Atkinson, who was for thirty-five years manager of the Auckland Gas Company, and learned his business as a gas engineer, under his father, in Auckland. Mr. Atkinson was afterwards stationed at Thames, Whangarei, and Pahiatua, and was manager of the Pahiatua Gas Company for two years. He afterwards removed to Northcote, Auckland, and was for two years manager of the Northcote Gas Company, before his appointment to Hawera.
(Alfred Clarke and William Everett Higginson, proprietors), Princes Street, Hawera. These stables were established in the eighties, and acquired by the present proprietors in June, 1905. They are situated at the back of the Egmont Hotel, are built of wood and iron, and contain thirty stalls, and eleven loose boxes. Messrs Clarke and Higginson employ two large drags, two cabs, six buggies, and five gigs, and about seventeen horses in connection with the business.
Senior Partner of the firm of Messrs Clarke and Higginson, is further referred to as a member of the Normanby Town Board.
Junior Partner in the firm of Messrs Clarke and Higginson, was born at the Lower Hutt, near Wellington, in the year 1881, and was educated at Manaia and Hawera. He has been trained amongst horses, and worked in the stables, of which he is now one of the proprietors, for a number of years. After being employed elsewhere for about eighteen months he returned to Hawera, and became a member of the present firm. Mr. Higginson is a member of the local Lodge of Druids.
(George Hayes Gibson, proprietor). Union Street, Hawera. These stables were established in the year 1896, and were acquired by the present proprietor in 1901. The old building was replaced by the present fine one in 1903. The premises cover the whole of a quarter-acre section, which was formerly known as the Hawera bowling green. They are built of wood, iron, and brick, and contain forty-five stalls, and fifteen loose boxes. There is also standing room for about eighty vehicles. Mr. Gibson employs sixteen traps of all descriptions and eighteen horses in connection with his business. All trains are met at the railway station by an employee with a comfortable landau.
Goldsmith and Jeweller, Watchmaker, and Optician, High Street, Hawera. P.O. Box 75. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. Mr. Brunette's business was established in 1882, and is now carried in by himself and his son. The shop is well stocked, and a flourishing business is done by the firm. Mr. Brunette joined the Masonic Lodge, No. 652, Scottish Constitution, Hawera, in 1885, passed various offices, and was secretary for three years. The Lodge afterwards affiliated with the New Zealand Constitution, and Mr. Brunette was installed as Worshipful Master in 1897. Mr. Brunette is further referred to as a member of the Hawera Borough Council.
(Quin Brothers, proprietors), Corner of Glover Road and Wilson Street, Hawera. This factory was established in the year 1896 by Messrs T. Twigg and John T. Quin, under the style of Twigg and Company. In 1899 Mr. Joseph Quin became a partner, and in 1903 Mr. Twigg's interest was acquired by Mr. A. A. Quin. The factory was erected in 1896, on a
Managing Partner of the Hawera Sash and Door Factory, was born in the year 1868, at the Limestone Plains, Southland. He was educated partly at his native place, and partly at Normanby, and afterwards was for ten years engaged in farming in Southland. In 1897 he sold out, and removed to Hawera, and has been connected with the factory ever since. Mr. Quin married a daughter of Captain John Macdonald, of the Bluff, in the year 1892.
Egmont Sash and Door Factory, Hawera. Bankers, Bank of New South Wales. Branch at Stratford; agencies at Opunake, Manaia, Eltham, and Patea. Sawmills and yards at Normanby, Ngaire, Stratford, Midhurst, and Toko. This business was established in the year 1882, and is one of the largest in the province, employing over fifty persons. Every article of woodwork in connection with the building trade is manufactured. There is also a large cooperage which turns out every dairy requisite, churns, tallow casks, butter boxes and kegs. The factory, which is situated near the railway station, is a fine large iron building, and contains the latest machinery, driven by a powerful steam engine. The yards occupy a large area, and contain stocks of cut
Farmer, Ngawini Dairy, Hawera. Mr. Cocker farms over 500 acres of land, 300 acres of which is leased from the Maoris. He has successfully established a private butter factory on his property, which is situated about twelve miles by road from Hawera. The plant is driven by a four horse-power Allan oil engine, and consists of a 150-gallon per hour de Laval separator, 150lbs churn, a five feet circular butter worker, and cream tubs. There is a splendid supply of fresh water for all purposes of the factory, as well as for the cattle on the estate. Mr. Cocker's brand of butter is known as “Ngawini.” It is extensively patronised in the local market, and is also exported in large quantities to London. Mr. Cocker was born in the year 1873, at Bury, near Manchester, England, and was educated at Bury Grammar School. He afterwards came to New Zealand, and arrived at Port Chalmers in 1886. After being for some time in Wellington, he settled in the Manaia district, and gained his first experience of dairy work at the Crown Dairy Factory, at Manaia, of which he subsequently became manager for three years. Mr. Cocker then commenced dairy farming on his own account at Ararata, and for three years delivered milk as a supplier to a creamery before establishing his private factory at Hawera. For some time Mr. Cocker was a member of the local school committee.
Settler, Hawera. Mr. Goodson is the son of the late Mr. M. J. Goodson, of the Waihi Downs estate. He was born in the year 1866, at Wanganui, and was educated at the Wanganui College. Subsequently, he learned farming with his father, and remained on the estate until the latter's death, in 1888. He has since farmed the portion of 700 acres of the property that came to him. Mr. Goodson also owns eighty acres on the south road, and fifty acres of valuable land in Normanby. He is a member of the Egmont Polo Club, Hunt Club, and Racing Club, and of the Egmont Agricultural and Pastoral Association. Mr. Goodson is a well-known stock breeder, and an exhibitor at the principal cattle shows, at which he has always been a prize winner with both sheep and cattle. He married a sister of Mr. R. Welsh, barrister and solicitor, of Hawera, and has two children.
sometime Chairman of the Wanganui Education Board, and a member of many local bodies, was an old settler, and well known in the districts of Wanganui and South Taranaki. His son, Mr. T. A. Bridge, is chairman of the Waimate Road Board, and a member of the Hawera County Council.
sometime Manager of the Egmont Farmers' Union, not now in existence, was born in Buckinghamshire, England, in the year 1842. He was brought to New Zealand in the ship “Duke of Portland” by his parents in 1852. They settled in Canterbury, and he was educated at the Christchurch Boys' High School, and at the old Commercial School in that city. Mr. Fantham first entered into farm life close to Christchurch, where, until 1877, he possessed a property, on which he started his well-known pedigree herd of Shorthorn cattle, descendants of which are found all over New Zealand, and with which he was
formerly a contractor and grain dealer at Hawera, was born in County Wicklow, Ireland, where he was educated in the Church of England school, and brought up on his father's farm, a property which has been in possession of the family for over 200 years. In 1871 Mr. Finlay came to New Zealand by the ship “Zealandia,” and landed at Lyttelton, whence he went to the Timaru district, where he farmed successfully for about twelve years, took an active part in local affairs, and was a contributor to the newspapers. In 1881 he sold his property, and took a trip to the Old Country. Before his departure he was entertained by the clubs for which he had acted as secretary, and presented with valuable tokens of their esteem. On his return to New Zealand, in 1882, he was engaged as agricultural correspondent of the Timaru Herald, and visited and reported on the principal farms in Otago, Southland, and Canterbury. In 1885, attracted by the richness of the land, he removed to Hawera, and started farming; but afterwards, wishing for a more active life, he sold his property and commenced business as a commission agent, grain and firewood dealer. The business became so large that it required the services of ten men, fifteen horses, and many drays, chaff-cutters, and threshing machines. Mr. Finlay bought grain all over the district, and supplied Waitara, New Plymouth, and Stratford with horse feed. He subsequently settled on a farm at Tokaora; but he still takes an active part in all public matters, has been deputy collector of agricultural statistics for fourteen years, and deputy-returning officer for the past five general elections. Mr. Finlay was at one time sole representative in Taranaki of the New Zealand Farmers' Bee and Poultry Journal, and was correspondent for the Egmont Settler, Patea County Press, Hawera Star, and occasionally the Auckland Weekly News. He was a member of the Hawera Borough Council for three years, and is a member of the Hawera Agricultural and Pastoral Association, and many other societies. Mr. Finlay is married, and has two daughters and one son.
one of the pioneer settlers of Taranaki, was born in the year 1823 at Aston Court, Worcestershire, England. He was educated partly in England and partly in France, and was brought up to country life. Subsequently, he came to New Zealand, and arrived in New Plymouth in the year 1845. He took up land in the Omata district, and, with other settlers, was driven into New Plymouth for shelter, at the time of the Maori disturbances. For some time he had charge of a company of friendly natives, but resigned the position on becoming captain of the No. 2 Company of Bush Rangers. With this company he served throughout the campaign without being wounded, and for his services he received the New Zealand war medal and 400 acres of land at Urenui. Captain Good then settled in Urenui, and took charge of the northern outpost for about five years. He subsequently settled at Oeo, where he took up a large block of land, with his homestead at Pihama, where he resided until the year 1904. when he removed to Hawera, and settled at Ramanui. Captain Good was a member of the Taranaki County Council for some time.
came to New Zealand in the year 1852, and landed at New Plymouth, but made his way to the Wanganui district, where he took up land. Having come to New Zealand with considerable capital, and with shrewdness and capacity for hard work, he soon reaped profitable returns; and, in 1871, attracted by the rich lands of Hawera, he began to acquire the fine estate known as the “Waihi Downs.” For many years he carried on operations both in Hawera and Wanganui. As he was a man of fine physique it was nothing for him to ride from Hawera to Wanganui on horseback in one day, and, even during the most troublesome times with the natives, he often went up and down the coast, and on some occasions he carried the mails and large sums of money from New Plymouth to Wanganui. When native affairs reached their worst, he and other settlers were driven into Wanganui, where he lived for some time, and was later on, at Mayfield. About 1880 he built the homestead at “Waihi Downs,” where he resided with his family until his death in 1888, at the advanced age of eighty. Mr. Goodson left a widow, with a grown up family of three sons and five daughters, all permanent settlers in the district.
was born in Scotland in 1850, and brought up to farming pursuits. In 1871 he left for Canada, where he remained for six years, engaged in various pursuits, principally in connection with the railways. After returning to the Old Country he came to New Zealand in 1877, and landed at Wellington, but shortly afterwards went to Ashburton, Canterbury, where he remained about nine years, engaged in contracting and carrying. He next moved to Hawera, where he established a carrying business, was elected in 1886 to the Borough Council, and occupied a seat for six years. In 1894 he sold out his business, bought a hotel at Kakaramea; advantageously conducted it for eighteen months, when he sold out his interest, and bought a fine farm near Manaia, which he afterwards disposed of, and purchased the Egmont stables, which had excellent accommodation for 210 horses, with a number of loose boxes. His turnouts were the finest in the district, and comprised buggies, waggonettes, landaus, drays, etc. Tourists and the general public visiting Hawera could thoroughly rely on Mr. Grant for the style of conveyances, and the carefulness of his drivers. Mr. Grant was identified with all the principal local societies, the racing club, and the Hawera Agricultural and Pastoral Association, was a trustee of the Presbyterian church, and an Oddfellow of long standing, and was Master of the Masonic Lodge in 1886, besides being the leading spirit of the Caledonian Society. Mr. Grant, who was married, and had seven children, died about seven years ago.
who has been connected with the Hawera district since the year 1874, was born in New Plymouth, in April, 1853. He was brought up in the Wanganui district, learned farming, and afterwards took up 332 acres about four miles from Hawera, on the road to Patea. His property was then in a rough state, but has since been brought into good cultivation. In 1885 he leased his farm, and for seven years afterwards was farming on the Waimate Plains. He then sold out his interest, and settled in Hawera in 1898. Mr. Hicks was a member of the Hawera school committee for six years, has been a member of the Order of Oddfellows since 1887, and an elder of the Presbyterian church since 1899. In 1892 Mr. Hicks married a daughter of the late Mr. George Gibson, of Manaia.
sometime of Milmoe Falls, Tawhiti, near Hawera, was born in 1840, in Sligo, Ireland, of which town his father. Mr. Thaddeus Milmoe, was a well-known citizen. He was educated in Sligo, and joined the Royal Irish Constabulary, but retired on a pension after seven years' service on account of injuries received in the execution of his duty. On coming to New Zealand in 1864, Mr. Milmoe joined the survey staff of Major Charles Heaphy, chief surveyor, and shortly after was put in charge of the stores, a part of which consisted of 400 breech-loaders and 400 revolvers. He then removed to New Plymouth, joined the survey party at Patea under Messrs William Williams and Percy Smith, and remained on the West Coast survey until 1867. Mr. Milmoe bought a tract of land from the military settlers, but was in occupation only about one month when
of Hawera, was born in Cavan, Ireland, in the year 1846, and brought up to farming. He left for Australia in 1863, and a year later came to New Zealand, and spent some time on the Otago goldfields, and on the Wakamarina, in Marlborough, where he met with good success, and washed out 360 ounces of gold from a rich pocket in the Disputed Claim. Mr. O'Reilly remained on the field for about eighteen months, and then proceeded to Nelson, and Reilly's Gully, on the West Coast. He afterwards went to Okarito, but, owing to the illness of his mae, returned to Hokitika, and leased one of the finest of the local claims. Then he returned to Reilly's gully, and on going along the track passed a tent with four suspicious looking characters, who afterwards turned out to be the notorious Maungatapu murderers. On his way he was joined by Mr. Dobson, the surveyor, who was murdered the next day. Mr. O'Reilly advised Dobson not to proceed down the side of the river, but to cross over. This advice was disregarded, and Dobson met his fate; and a monument now marks the spot where his body was found. Shortly afterwards Mr. O'Reilly bought the Port Lyttelton Hotel, Hokitika, and changed its name to the “Cavan.” He was present at the trial of Sullivan, at Hokitika, for the murder of young Dobson. In 1867 he left Hokitika for Addison's Flat, and built the Cavan Hotel, where he remained for seven years, when he removed to Wanganui, where he remained for a considerable time. Finally, he settled in Hawera, where he opened a store and an accommodation house; and then built the Shamrock Hotel, which he conducted for fourteen years. Having amassed a fortune, Mr. O'Reilly retired from active life in 1895, but he still (1906) resides in Hawera.
sometime secretary of the Hawera Gas Company, Limited, and a well-known land broker at Hawera,
was born at Smethwick, Birmingham, England, where he went to school, and was apprenticed to Messrs G. Newberry and Son, old established drapers, at Smethwick. After serving eighteen months he got his indentures cancelled, in consequence of the death of his father. Then he entered the service of Copestoke, Moore, Crampton and Company, one of the largest wholesale drapery businesses in England, and received charge of the entering department. He remained in the firm's employment until his departure for New Zealand in 1874, and, on leaving, received a flattering testimonial. Mr. Whittaker arrived in Wellington by the ship “Soukar.” On the voyage out he was appointed schoolmaster, and many of his shipboard pupils have since attained to prominent positions in the colony. On his arrival in Wellington, he entered the employment of Mr. J. Smith, of Te Aro House, and was with him about a year, in charge of the fancy department. After that he took charge of a business at Napier, belonging to Messrs Newton, Irvine and Co., but after six months he returned to Wellington to join the business of Mr. Joseph Paul, late of Wanganui; but six months later he re-entered the employment of Mr. James Smith, with whom he remained until 1878. Then he started a general store at Hawera. On the natives becoming troublesome, the settlers decided to form a volunteer corps, and on one memorable Sunday 250 volunteers were sworn in by Captain Wilson, and called the No. 1 and 2 Companies of Hawera Volunteers, No. 1 being commanded by Captain Livingstone and Lieutenants McLean and Watt. The men were called out several times a day, as the natives continually came into town, seizing everything they could lay their hands on. Mr. Whittaker has seen thirty bullock drays, with families and belongings, coming from the country into town for protection. Business was at a complete standstill. The Government was then offering a reward of £1000 for the capture of the notorious Titokowaru. Te Whiti sent 2000 natives to march round Hawera a number of times, informing them that the walls would fall and kill all the inhabitants, as they had done in ancient Jericho. Things, however, settled down in 1881, after Mr. Bryce's celebrated march on Parihaka. But during the troubles Mr. Whittaker had been a heavy loser, and received employment on the railway between New Plymouth and Waitara, where he remained until he received an appointment from Messrs Webster and McKellar, and Messrs Webster Brothers, as traveller. He severed his connection with those firms in 1882, and, in conjunction with Mr. Capel, started a drapery business in Waitara. This was carried on for some years, and then Mr. Whittaker sold his interest to his partner, and returned to Hawera, where he joined Mr. F. McGuire in the business known as the Hawera and West Coast Drapery
Dairy Factory Manager, Normanby, is a native of Southland, where he was born in 1865, and received his education. His knowledge of dairying was gained at the Woodland and Edendale factories, and he was ten years at Edendale. He has been for many years similarly employed in Taranaki. Whilst he was in the South Island, Mr. Laidlaw took considerable interest in public affairs, and was connected with many local bodies.
lies south-east of Mount Egmont, and has a flag station, fifty miles to the south-east of New Plymouth, 197 miles from Wellington, and seven miles south-east of Hawera. The station stands at an altitude of 214 feet above sea level, and the surrounding district is devoted to dairy farming. The settlement has a pretty little Anglican church, which, together with the quarter-acre section on which it stands, was the gift of a lady; and there is a native Methodist church at Manuwapou not far away.
was established in the year 1904, and is an up-to-date building, with skylights and high windows. A teacher's six-roomed residence stands on the school grounds, which are two acres and a-half in extent, and contain some excellent school gardens. The average attendance is thirty-two. Mr. William Arthur Curtis was appointed headmaster of the Mokoia public school in the year 1904.
. Offices at the Factory, Mokoia; Secretary, J. A. Turton, Hawera. Capital £3000, in £1 shares. Chairman of Directors, Mr. William Duirs. The factory of this company is commodious and well arranged, and the plant includes a seventeen horse-power Tangye boiler, a ten-horse-power Tangye engine, a three-ton Humble and Son's ice-making machine, two 440-gallon de Laval separators, a Sabroe cream hoist, a Primus pasteuriser, two 300-gallon Humble vats, two half-ton churns, and a six-feet Topliss butterworker. The premises include also a cool chamber, a freezing chamber, and a testing room. Two creameries are connected with the factory, and the output is about 150 tons annually. The manager has four assistants, in addition to the creamery managers.
Manager of the Mells Co-operative Dairy Factory, is also the local postmaster. He was born in Palmerston South in the year 1873, and was educated at Temuka. On leaving school he made a start as a factory assistant, under his father, who was manager of the Temuka factory. Four years later he entered the service of the Crown Dairy Company, and remained with it for eight years, working successively at Opunake, Otakeho, Okato and Toko. For one year, subsequently, he managed the Toko factory, for the Stratford Dairy Company, and on the opening of the Mells factory was appointed manager. Mr. Bowman is chairman of the Mokoia school committee, and is a member of Lodge Hawera, Number 34, New Zealand Constitution. He is married, and has two children.
Farmer, Mokoia, Mr. Duirs' farm at Whakamara, Mokoia, contains 575 acres of first class land, all in one block. He also holds 200 acres of land on the Waimate Plains, near Manaia. As a breeder of Polled Angus cattle, Mr. Duirs is a well-known exhibitor at the Hawera agricultural and pastoral shows, and has taken several prizes. Mr. Duirs is further referred to as a member of the Hawera County Council.
is a farming settlement in the Otoia riding of the county of Patea, and forms part of the Carlyle survey district of the Taranaki land district. The village is about fourteen miles from Hawera, and eight from Patea. Its railway station, which is two miles away, is known as Bull road; it stands at an altitude of 297 feet above the sea, and is sixty miles distant from New Plymouth, and 191 miles from Wellington. The chief local industry is dairying, and there are two creameries in operation. The village of Alton has a public hall, a State school, a public library, a general store with a post office, and a local hotel, besides a number of private residences. A church belonging to the Methodist denomination is supplied by the minister at Patea, and the Anglican vicar of Hawera holds a monthly service in the local hall.
are domiciled in the store of Mr. Charles Edward James. Mails are despatched and received twice daily.
Postmaster at Alton, was born in Devonshire, England, in the year 1876. He was brought up to the drapery trade, and in 1892 came to New Zealand, settling in Nelson, where he entered the employment of Messrs Cock and Company. He was subsequently employed by Messrs Sargood Son and Ewen, with whom he remained for about nine months. Mr. James then removed to Napier, where he was for a short time in the boot trade, before joining a survey party in the Ruahines. He afterwards went to Australia, and was engaged in various occupations in New South Wales and Queensland for three years. On his return to New Zealand he worked at Paeroa and the Upper Thames goldfields for about four years, and was employed for twelve months on a sheep station in Hawke's Bay. Mr. James then worked for five years in Alton, and was for one year with Gibsons Limited, of Hawera, before taking over his present business in February, 1905. He is secretary of the Sports Club, librarian, and a member of the Library Committee, and has also been a member of the Hall Committee. Mr. James is married. He is further referred to as a general storekeeper.
was established in the year 1881, and is conducted in a wood and iron building, containing one class-room and a porch. A teacher's residence stands on part of the school ground. There are sixty-four names on the roll, and the average attendance is fifty-three. Mr. William Alexander Swinburne was appointed headmaster of the Alton public school in April, 1902. He had been stationed previously at Wangaehu.
General Storekeeper, Alton. This business is conducted in freehold premises. Full stocks of groceries, ironmongery, drapery, boots and shoes, etc., are carried, and there are two delivery carts, by which goods are delivered throughout the district. Mr. James is agent for the New Zealand Fire and Accident Insurance Company, Coopers' Seeds, Shacklock Ranges, the Auckland Weekly, the Hawera Star, and Wangangui Chronicle, etc. He is more fully referred to as postmaster at Alton.
Farmer, Alton and Hurleyville. Mr. Gibbs, one of the early settlers of the district, has a property of 506 acres at Alton, and another farm of 130 acres at Hurleyville. He carries on dairying, grazing, and sheepfarming, and at one time engaged extensively in the growing of cocksfoot for seed. He was born in Wakefield, Nelson, in the year 1851, and is the son of one of Nelson's pioneer settlers, who came out to New Zealand in 1842, and died in the early nineties, at eighty-six years of age. After a general experience of country life, Mr. Gibbs went, about the year 1875, to North Queensland, where he engaged in goldmining, and afterwards worked on various stations. He then returned to New Zealand, and settled in the Manawatu district, and about March, 1877, took up two hundred acres of his present holding. Mr. Gibbs takes a keen interest in the progress of the district. He is chairman of directors of the Kakaramea Dairy Company, chairman of the Alton Library Committee, and a member of the Egmont Agricultural and Pastoral Association. At one time he was a member of the West Patea Road Board—the position is now (1906) held by one of his sons; and he was for some time chairman of the local school committee. Mr Gibbs, who is a Justice of the Peace, has two sons and two daughters.
is on the main line of railway, 190 miles from Wellington, sixty-two from New Plymouth, and thirteen from Hawera. The district is devoted to sheepfarming and dairying, and is served by a flag station, which stands at an elevation of 221 feet above the level of the sea. The settlement is in the Otoia riding of the county of Patea, and in the Carlyle survey district of the Taranaki land district. The fine factory of the Kakaramea Dairy Company has several creameries in the neighbourhood, and there is also a flaxmill at work in the locality. The village contains a public school, a post office, a store, a hotel, and some churches, which are supplied by visiting clergymen from Patea, five miles to the south.
Farmer, “Spring Grove,” Kakaramea. Mr. Williamson's property consists of 300 acres of first-class land, most of which is leased for dairying and sheepfarming. He was born in Kingsley, Staffordshire, England, in the year 1837, and came to New Zealand when he was fifteen years of age. His father bought a farm near Wanganui, and Mr. Williamson assisted on it for fifteen years. At the time of the gold discoveries in Otago he went to the Dunstan diggings for a short time. In 1867 he took up land at Kakaramea, but on the outbreak of war was ordered by the officer in charge of the district to leave, which he did, but took his cattle with him, and in less than a year returned to the district. Mr. Williamson was a member of the militia at the time of Titokowaru's disturbance, and had previously been
is the name of the southern port of Taranaki, and also a river, which rises in Mount Egmont flows through the borough of Stratford, and after a somewhat tortuous course, discharges into the South Taranaki Bight, a short distance to the south of the borough of Patea. The town occupies a plateau, which is approached by a bridge over the Patea river, and a gentle rise. It is pleasantly situated, and a striking feature in fine weather is the beautiful snowcapped cone of Mount Egmont, which is directly to the north-west of the settlement. Patea is part of the Carlyle survey district of the Taranaki land district, and is the county town. The Patea railway station, which stands on the east bank of the Patea river, is 185 miles from Wellington, sixty-six south-east of New Plymouth, and eighteen miles from Hawera. Its height above sea level is only ten feet. Patea is governed by a local Borough Council, and is the headquarters of the Patea Harbour Board, which has the control of the port. The Council Chambers and Public Library stand in Oxford Street. Like New Plymouth, the municipality has been enterprising enough to arrange for a supply of electric light and power, for public and private purposes in the district. The motive power is derived from the Kaikura stream, and at a point about three miles to the north of the borough. The town has a public domain of sixty acres in extent. Patea has a racing club, a horticultural society, a public hospital, and a brass band. The local newspaper, the Patea County Press, is published thrice a week. There is a local courthouse and police station, and a post and telegraph office with postal exchange, with twenty-nine subscribers. The Government Agricultural Department has a grader and an inspector of meat stationed at Patea, which has modern butter freezing works, meat works, and two brick factories. The professions are represented by a medical practitioner, several solicitors, and a resident surgeon dentist. There is a local corps of Rifle Volunteers. The Banks of Australasia, New Zealand and New South Wales are represented in the town. There are Anglican, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic and Methodist churches, and there is also a good District High School in the borough.
was constituted a borough in the year 1877, and has a municipal area of three miles and a-half long by two miles wide. The rateable value of property amounts to £7000, and the capital value is £112,000. A general rate of 1s 9d in the pound, a bridge rate of 4⅜d, and a water rate of 1¾d are levied. The revenue of the borough for the year 1905 was, including electric light, £2500. There are seven miles of streets, most of which are formed. The Borough Council owns considerable reserves in the town, and these, together with the education reserves, and the property of the Rhodes estate, form a large portion of the land in the borough. The municipal offices are in Oxford Street, in a wood and iron building, which contains a council chamber, a town clerk's office and public office, a reading room and library. The Volunteer Fire Brigade station is situated in Egmont Street, and is equipped with an engine and hose reel. Water is supplied from a reservoir, which stands on a hill in the centre of the borough, and is laid on throughout the centre of the town. A domain of sixty acres is controlled by a local board. The cemetery is about half-a-mile distant from the centre of the town, and consists of a reserve of fifty acres. Drainage is carried out by surface drains only, but this method is effective, owing to the height of the borough above the Patea river. The borough is lighted with electric light, which was installed in April, 1901. The power-house is situated about four miles north-west of the town. Water is derived from the Kaikura or Honeyfield Creek, and a dam of about eight acres in extent has been constructed to conserve the supply. There is a good fall, which drives a Brown-Bouverie alternator, 300 volt, 50-cycle generator. The current is led into the town, where it is transformed at various places to 100 volts. Electricity is supplied on three systems; namely, contract, assessment, and metre. In 1906 there were 100 consumers. Members of the Council for 1906: Mr. G. Williams (Mayor), and Messrs Rossiter, J. K. Mitchell, A. M. Howitt, A. F. Spooner, C. A. Larcombe, H. O. Clarke, J. J. Holtham, A. Christensen, and J. A. McKenna. Mr. R. W. H. Hamerton is Town Clerk and Treasurer, and Mr. H. Priestley, Electrical Engineer.
succeeded Mr. H. O. Clarke in the Mayoralty, on the resignation of the latter in December, 1905, and was again elected in April, 1906. Mr. Williams has been connected with the Borough Council for many years, and is well-known as a coach and cab proprietor and general carrier. He was born at Otahuhu, Auckland, in 1858, and is a son of Mr. William Williams, carpenter—who afterwards joined the police force at Greymouth—and was educated at Auckland, and on the West Coast goldfields. In 1871 he left Westport for Wanganui, where he was variously employed; and after gaining a knowledge of horses, in the employment of T. W. Fisher and others, he started on his own account in the early eighties as a carrier and coal merchant in Patea. Mr. Williams has about a dozen horses, and runs two brakes and a cab, besides doing a good carrying trade. He meets all the trains, and gives every attention to the wants of travellers. As a Forester he is a Past Chief Ranger, and has been treasurer of his Court for many years. He is a member of the committee of the Patea Jockey Club, which he was mainly instrumental in re-organising, and a member of the Patea Bowling Club. In 1883 he married a daughter of Mr. James Robertson,
was Mayor of the Borough of Hawera from the year 1897 until his resignation in December, 1905. He was born in London, England, in the year 1847, is a son of the late Mr. William Clarke, solicitor; was educated at a private school, and at King's College, London, and practised as a solicitor in London for about fifteen years. In 1888 he came to New Zealand by the s.s. “Arawa,” settled in Akaroa, and was admitted a solicitor of the Supreme Court of New Zealand. He practised in Akaroa for about four years, in partnership with Mr. C. M. Henning. During his residence at Akaroa he was elected mayor four times. In 1895 he settled in Patea, and was, in the following year, appointed Town Clerk, but relinquished the appointment in 1897, on his election to the mayoral office. He was at one time chairman of the Patea District Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, and Patea Cemetery Board. Mr. Clarke is further referred to as a solicitor.
who is a member of the Patea Borough Council, was born in Denmark in the year 1874, and is the son of Mr. Theodor Christensen, manager of a tobacco and cigar factory in Copenhagen. He was educated in the Danish capital, and came to New Zealand in 1889. After being two years in the employment of Mr. O. W. Oldham, he was appointed manager of the Patea fellmongery, and held the position until he acquired the business on his own account. In 1887 Mr. Christensen married Miss Larsen, daughter of a farmer in Denmark, and has two sons.
was elected a member of the Patea Borough Council in January, 1906. He was born in the year 1870, in Patea, where he was educated, and learned the trade of a tailor. Mr. Holtham first began business on his own account in 1893, but three years later removed to Wanganui, where he gained further experience at his trade during a period of six years, before returning to Patea. He was for one year a member of the Patea school committee; and as a Freemason he is a member of Lodge Kilwinning, New Zealand Constitution. In 1896, Mr. Holtham married a daughter of the late Mr. W. Atkins, of Patea and Wanganui, and has one son. He is further referred to as a tailor.
who holds a seat on the Patea Borough Council, is a well-known business man, and is further referred to as a general storekeeper, tea merchant, baker and confectioner.
who has been a member of the Patea Borough Council for many years, was born at Bath, England, in 1861. He is the son of Mr. Benjamin Larcombe, who brought his family to New Zealand in the ship “British Empire” in 1865, when he landed in Lyttleton; but afterwards settled on the West Coast goldfields. Mr. Larcombe was educated at Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia, and at Ahaura, West Coast; learned his trade as a boot and shoemaker at Dunganville, West Coast, and followed it in Canterbury. He first entered into business on his own account at Waikari, North Canterbury, and was subsequently at Dunganville on the West Coast. In 1890 Mr. Larcombe removed to Patea, where he has been successful. He is a member of the Patea Bowling Club, and of the Masonic Lodge, Patea. In 1891 Mr. Larcombe married a daughter of Mr. Aaron Pethybridge, of Greymouth, and has one son and one daughter.
has been a member of the Patea Borough Council since the year 1902. He was born in 1865, in Manchester, England, and was educated in Glasgow, where he was brought up to mercantile life. After some years' experience, Mr. Mitchell came to New Zealand, and landed in Auckland in 1886. He then removed to Wellington, and went thence to Patea. For eleven years Mr. Mitchell was secretary of the Western Packing and Canning Company, and began business on his own account as an estate agent, in 1901. In 1894 Mr. Mitchell married a daughter of the late Mr. Rupert Jacombe, of Patea, and has one son and one daughter. He is further referred to as a land, estate, commission, and shipping agent.
of the Patea Borough Council, was born in Torquay, Devonshire. England, in 1839, is a son of Mr. Fred Rossiter, butcher of these parts, was educated in his native county, and learned his trade with his father. In 1859 he came to New Zealand with his parents, by the ship “Minerva,” and, after some experience at Gabriel's Gully, and other goldfields, he started business for himself, as a butcher, in Victoria Street, Christchurch, in 1864. Twelve years later he settled on land in the Malvern Hills district, and, like many others before him, lost at farming what he had gained as a tradesman. On returning to Christchurch, he went into business again, and about six years later left for the North Island, where he established himself in business at Patea in 1894. In the following year Mr. Rossiter successfully contested one of the seats of the borough, and has proved himself a good representative. He is a member of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Domain Board; and has urged the establishment of cool chambers for the storage of butter and other produce. Before leaving
who has held a seat on the Patea Borough Council since about 1897, was born in the year 1864, in Surrey, England, where he went to school. He was about seven years in a law office, and afterwards followed farming and nursery work. In August, 1890, he arrived in Wellington, was for a short time at Otakeho, and for a year afterwards he was employed as a gardener by Mr. Lysaght, at Mokoia. In January, 1892, he removed to Patea, and was employed by Messrs Murgatroyd Brothers, fellmongers, till 1904, when the works were bought by Mr. A. Christensen, by whom he is still (1906) employed. Mr. Spooner has taken an interest in local affairs, and has served as captain and secretary of the Fire Brigade. As a Druid, he is secretary for Star of Egmont Lodge, in which he has passed the chairs. He is a member of the Patea Brass Band, for a number of years he has acted as organist of the Anglican church, and is a member of the Patea Chamber of Commerce. In 1896 he married a daughter of the late Mr. Richard Prouse, of Whenuakura, and has two sons and one daughter.
Town Clerk of Patea, is a son of Mr. Thomas Hamerton, senior proprietor of the Inglewood Record. He was educated at New Plymouth, the Patea High School, and Wellington College, and he was afterwards a reporter on the staff of his father's paper. He subsequently accepted a clerkship in the office of the Wellington City Council, where he acquired much useful experience. Mr. Hamerton then returned to Patea, and for nearly, three years studied law with his uncle, Mr. Gervase D. Hamerton; after that he was appointed to his present position, having resigned his seat as a councillor to apply for the appointment. Mr. Hamerton has also been a member of the Domain Board, Cemetery Board, and Hospital Board. He is a member and a former player of the Patea Football Club.
was appointed Mechanical and Electrical Engineer in charge of the Patea Municipal Electric Light Works in the year 1905. He was born in 1862 at Kingston-on-Thames, Surrey, England, was educated in the Old Country, and studied for his profession as an electrical engineer for five years. In 1884 Mr. Priestley went to Queensland, Australia. He was employed on the installation of an electrical plant at the Parliamentary Buildings, Brisbane, the first plant of its kind installed in Queensland, and, later, at the erection of a plant at Mount Morgan. In 1890 Mr. Priestley came to New Zealand, and was employed in electrical work for some time, and was afterwards engaged in the locomotive department of Government railways till the year 1900. He then left the public service and was employed by Mr. J. G. White in erecting electrical plant in Auckland, and was subsequently employed in connection with installations at Dunedin, Wellington, and Christchurch, before accepting his present position. Mr. Priestley has been a Freemason since 1886, and since settling in the Patea district has affiliated with the local Lodge. In 1884 he married a daughter of Mr. William Henry, Whitechurch, of Charters Towers, Queensland, and has three sons and three daughters.
who has for a number of years been a member of the Patea Fire Brigade, was appointed captain in the year 1903. He was born in 1877, at Onehunga, Auckland, and was educated at Onehunga and in the Waikato. Mr. Glenny has had experience in the management of horses since his early days. In 1893 he was employed in the Patea stables, where he worked for eighteen months before acquiring the business on his own account. Mr. Glenny is a member of the Ancient Order of Foresters. In 1903 he married a daughter of Mr. Thomas Penn, of Patea, and has one daughter. He is further referred to as a livery stable proprietor and coal merchant.
who was a member of the Patea Borough Council from its inception for many years, and who occupied the mayoral chair from 1883 to 1887 inclusive, and again in; 1893, was born in the year 1842 in the Vale of Clwyd, North Wales, England. He was a son of the Rev. Edward Adams, who was still living in that district in 1898 at the age of ninety years. Mr. Adams was educated in Flintshire, and was apprenticed to the drapery business in Liverpool. In 1862 he went to Melbourne, Australia, and in the same year crossed over to New Zealand. After spending a year on the Otago goldfields, he went to Auckland, and entered the ranks of the Waikato militia. He took part in several skirmishes, and was at the taking of Orakau. He then took up land in the Waikato, but soon afterwards found his way to Canterbury. By 1868 Mr. Adams was again in the North Island with the Armed Constabulary, and took part in the fights at Nukumaru and other places, during the Taranaki war. In the year 1874 he started in business in Patea, and conducted a large business for many years, and at different times had branches in various towns on the coast. For some time before the borough
J.P., who was Mayor of Patea for three years in succession, was a well known land and financial agent in Patea for nearly a quarter of a century. He is further referred to as a land and financial agent now in business in Hawera.
was Mayor of the borough of Patea in the year 1888. He was born in 1841, in Chester, England, where he was educated, and brought up to mercantile life in Liverpool. In the year 1860 he came to New Zealand, and landed in Wellington. At first Mr. Gibson settled in the Rangitikei district, and commenced farming; but at the outbreak of the Taranaki war, just after Major Von Tempsky was killed at Te-Ngutu-o-te-Manu, he removed to Taranaki to take charge of one of Messrs D. Peat and Lewis' commissariat contract stores. Before the colonial forces were withdrawn from Taranaki Mr. Gibson began business as a storekeeper in Patea. This business he conducted on his own account till the year 1905, when a limited company was formed of the Patea and Hawera warehouses, and the management taken over by his sons, with Mr. Gibson as governing director. Besides being Mayor of Patea and a member of the Borough Council. Mr. Gibson has been chairman of the Patea Harbour Board, and a member of the local road boards. In 1872 he married the eldest daughter of the late Mr. Daniel McGregor, an old colonist of Wanganui. Mr. and Mrs Gibson have four sons and seven daughters.
who was first Mayor of Patea, and who held the position for several years, began life in the British Navy, but while yet a young man he spent some years on the Australian goldfields. On coming to New Zealand in the sixties, he settled in Wanganui, and afterwards at Patea, where he entered into business as a watchmaker. In his mayoral capacity he laid the foundation stone of the Patea breakwater, and turned the first sod of the Patea railway. On one occasion he stood for the Egmont seat in the House of Representatives. Some years ago Mr. Sherwood left the colony, and resided in Kensington, London, England, until his death, which occurred in December 1895.
who was elected to the Borough Council of Patea in the year 1896, is a well-known retired sea-captain. He was born in Launceston, Tasmania, in 1848, and is the son of Mr. R. G. Gibbons, a shipbuilder, of that town. He came to New Zealand when a boy, and was educated at Nelson College. When twenty years of age, having passed the necessary examinations, he became master of the schooner “Alert”; and in 1874 was in charge of the “Tongariro,” running between Wanganui and Patea, and afterwards was master of the s.s. “Clyde.” Captain Gibbons designed and superintended the construction of the s.s. “Patea,” the first steamer which traded direct from Wellington to Patea, and was run by him for many years. He next had the “Wakatu” in the same trade, but left her to design and superintend the construction of the s.s. “Waverley,” of which he was master for fourteen years. In 1895 he gave up
who occupied a seat on the Borough Council of Patea, was born in London, England, in the year 1838, was educated at the British School, James Street, Buckinghamgate, Westminster, and apprenticed to the tailoring trade. He came to New Zealand in 1880, b the ship “Western Monarch,” remained in Wellington a few months, and then removed to Patea, where for a short time he was employed by the late Mr. R. A. Adams, the well-known draper and clothier. In 1881 he established himself in business in Patea, and in 1887, having been fairly successful, he went into farming at Woodville. A year later, however he decided to return to his old business pursuits in Patea, but five years after that again, he bought a farm at Hurleyville, where he resided for three years. On returning for the second time to Patea, in 1896, he left his nephew in charge of the farm, which is well stocked, and is 168 acres in extent. Mr. Herbert is a member of the Patea Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, and a member of the Patea Bowling Club, in which he ranks as a first class player. In 1870 he married a daughter of the late Mr. Thomas Walkden, of London, England.
who was elected to the Patea Borough Council in January, 1897, and again in September of the same year, is a son of Mr. William Howitt, of Patea, an early military settler. He was born at Okato, Stoney River, near New Plymouth, in the year 1869, and was partly educated in the blockhouse then in use as a private school. His education was continued at Patea after the removal of his parents to that town, and there, too, he learned the trade of a baker with his father. Then he took a trip to the Old Country, where he found employment in the office of the Northern Trawling Company, Aberdeen, Scotland, and attended evening classes at the Gordon College. Mr. Howitt travelled nearly all over England and Scotland, and on his return to New Zealand wrote and published an account of his travels, of which 4000 copies were printed by Messrs Mills, Dick, and Co., of Dunedin, and the whole issue was promptly sold. While at Home he made known the many advantages of colonial life, and was in this way successful in inducing about thirty emigrants to avail themselves of the opportunities offered by Mr. Courtney, the well-known immigration agent for Taranaki. Mr. Howitt bought his father's business in 1897, but subsequently disposed of it to his brother. In 1897 he married the daughter of the late Mr. George Souter, farmer, of Kennethmont, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Mr. Howitt is further referred to as a general storekeeper at Awatuna East.
served for several years as a member of the Patea Borough Council. He is a member of the well-known firm of McCarthy and Hunger, coachbuilders, etc. Mr. Hunger was born in Switzerland in the year 1855, and is the son of the late Mr. M. Hunger, of Granbunden, Switzerland. He was educated at his native place, and apprenticed to the blacksmith's trade. In 1875 he came to New Zealand, by the ship “Halcione,” landed at New Plymouth, and worked for the Taranaki Ironsand Company as a blacksmith. Three years later he went to Wanganui, where he worked for Mr. Walter Armstrong, of the Eureka Carriage Factory. Mr. Hunger then tried his luck on the goldfields at Kumara, but lost all his savings in a few months. Then he went successively to Timaru, Oamaru, and Dunedin, and worked at his trade at each place. He afterwards removed to Wanganui and Patea, where he found employment with Messrs Williams and Son, now of Manaia. A year later he entered into partnership with Mr. John McCarthy, and they have since established a very good business. Mr. Hunger has devoted much attention to mechanical engineering. In 1884 he married Miss Elizabeth McCarthy, sister of his partner, and daughter of Mr. Hugh McCarthy, of Patea, and has three daughters and four sons.
was elected a member of the Patea Borough Council in the year 1903. He was born in 1845, in Dublin, Ireland, where he was educated, and came to New Zealand in 1863 as valet to Major Moore, Assistant Commissary-General to the New Zealand forces, and served till 1867, in Taranaki, when he settled on the land. Mr. O'Brien subsequently joined Number 3 Division of the Armed Constabulary force, then in camp on the coast; served for some time under Captain Newland, and was engaged in numerous skirmishes. In 1867 he went to the Thames for a time, and on returing to Taranaki became a military settler at Okato, where he resided until 1879. Later, for a short time, he served with the police force, and was stationed on the West Coast of the South Island. In 1881, he joined a volunteer corps in Taranaki, and settled in the Patea district, with which he has been connected since that time, In 1868 Mr. O'Brien married Miss Mountcashel, of Lincolnshire, England, and has five daughters and one son.
who was for some time a member of the Patea Borough Council, was born in Wanganui, in the year 1869, and is a son of the late Mr. George Francis Sherwood, Patea's first mayor. He was educated at the Patea High School. In May, 1896, he established himself in business in Patea as a coach and cab proprietor, and became contractor for the delivery of mails to and from the railway station. Mr. Sherwood subsequently disposed of this business, and settled on his farm at Whenuakura. In the Ancient Order of Foresters he became Chief Ranger, was for a time treasurer of the Patea Fire Brigade, and passed all the chairs in the Good Templar Lodge. Mr. Sherwood has represented his county in football and cricket against New Plymouth, Wanganui, and Hawera.
controls the southern port of the provincial district of Taranaki. Members of the Board for the year 1906: Messrs J. A. McKenna (chairman), W. Rossiter (representing the ratepayers of the borough of Patea), H. E. Deane (Government appointee), J. Davidson (representing the Hawera county subdivision), H. W. Sutton (representing the Hawera borough subdivision), G. Johnston (representing the Waverley subdivision), and G. V. Pearce (representing Otoia riding subdivision). Mr. E. C. Horner is secretary and treasurer, and Mr. J. R. Paterson, assistant secretary and wharfinger. It was no uncommon thing a few years ago for vessels to be stuck up outside the bar for days or even weeks, and it was quite impossible to enter the port except at flood tide. But now (1906), such improvements have been effected that even at low tide, nine, feet of water is available; which permits small coastal steamers to enter at any time. Sums of money amounting to £15,530 have been expended on the eastern and western piers. The revenue of the Board for the year ending the 31st of December, 1905, was £3352. This included a balance brought forward, £145, and rents of reserve £631; but the rest represented wharfages and port dues. The expenditure of the Board at the same period included sinking funds, £218, interest, £918; and amounted to a total of £2561; which left a balance of £791 to be carried forward to 1906. The total liabilities of the Board at the end of the same year, including all loans, was £27,742, and the gross assets at the same time amounted to £16,428. This showed an excess of £11,313 of liabilities over assets. The port charges are 2s per ton for wharfage, 6d per ton berthage, and 1¼d for pilotage.
who holds a seat on the Patea Harbour Board, is a representative of the Hawera county subdivision, and is further referred to as a former Mayor of Hawera, and as a member of the Hawera County Council.
who is one of the members of the Patea Harbour Board as a Government appointee, and was chairman for some years, is a well-known bookseller and stationer. He was born in London, England, and is the son of Mr. Thomas Deane, chemist and druggist; was educated at Camberwell, and served an apprenticeship to the building trade. In the year 1859 he came to New Zealand by the ship “Cashmere,” worked as a builder in Christchurch for about a year, and then went on a station in the Mackenzie Country. When the Otago goldfields began to attract attention in 1862, he went there and did fairly well. After that he joined the Defence Force at Wellington, and saw service for about seven years. Then he joined the Armed Constabulary in the Patea district, but three years later left the force for the Telegraph Department, in which he remained for about seven years. Mr. Deane then started an aerated water and cordial factory, which he still carries on, and in 1891 opened his principal business. He was for some time a member of the Patea Borough Council, and is further referred to as a bookseller and stationer.
has been for some time a member of the Patea Harbour Board, as representative of the borough of Hawera. He is further referred to as a former member of the Hawera Borough Council, and as a member of the well known drapery firm of Paterson Brothers and Co.
holds a seat on the Patea Harbour Board as a representative of the ratepayers of the borough of Patea. He is further referred to as a member of the Patea Borough Council.
Secretary to the Patea Harbour Board and Clerk of the Patea County Council, was born in Essex, England, in 1851, and is a son of Mr. Robert Horner, veterinary surgeon, of Palmerston North. He was educated at St. Nicholas College, Brighton, England, and trained as a clerk in London. Mr. Horner left England for New Zealand in 1867, in the ship “Electra,” and landed in Wellington in October of that year. After a good deal of pioneer work in Rangitikei, Wanganui, and other parts of the coast, Mr. Horner established himself in Patea in 1881. Since then he has held various positions of trust and responsibility.
was constituted under the Act of the year 1876, and has jurisdiction over an area of 691 square miles. Members of the Council for the year 1906: Messrs G. V. Pearce (chairman), J. Walker, W. van Asch, O. Symes, O. Hawken, J. Kennedy, G. Johnston and W. Derrett. Mr. E. C. Horner is clerk and treasurer. The county of Patea lies between the county of Hawera on the north and the county of Waitotara on the south, and is divided into three ridings; namely, Kapara riding, which returns one member, Waverley riding, which returns four members, and Otoia riding, four members. At the census of April, 1906, the county had a population of 4126. The capital value of all property is £1,500,000, on which a general rate of ¾d in the pound is levied, with special rates in certain ridings. There are about sixty miles of main roads, and about one hundred miles of side roads. Of the large number of bridges, which are under the control of the Council, the most important are those over the Patea, Whenuakura and Waitotara rivers, on the main road. The revenue of the Council for the year 1905–6 was £6167; of which about £946 was Government subsidy, grants, and thirds. The expenditure for the same year was £6160, which included grants to nine Road Boards, amounting to £1609. In 1906 the total loans of the county for bridges and roads amounted to £11,999.
who was for some time chairman of the Patea County Council, was born at Bridgewater, Somerset, England, in April, 1845. He is the son of Mr Francis Symes, a Somersetshire farmer, and was educated partly in the Old Land, and partly in New Zealand where, with his father's family, he arrived by the ship “Ann Wilson,” which was so badly provided and watered that it is said many deaths occurred from that cause on the voyage out. Mr. Symes landed at Lyttelton in 1857, but New Plymouth being the destination of the Symes family, they proceeded thither, and in 1861 Mr. Symes was sent to Nelson to school. About the middle of 1864 the family left New Plymouth for Wanganui, and found their way to the Patea district in the year 1873. Mr. W. C. Symes secured a block of about 1500 acres at Manutahi, besides other considerable patches of freehold and leasehold property in the neighbourhood. Though he does a good deal of cropping, and is well known as a breeder of Shorthorns, it is as a breeder of Lincoln sheep that he has mainly made his reputation. Every year he sends numbers of Lincoln rams to the sales, and his entire stock of Lincolns exceeds 4000 in number. He also breeds hacks and draught horses for his own use and occasional sale. The quality of his land is proved by its average yield in grain; sixty-five bushels of oats and forty bushels of wheat, respectively, to the acre. Mr. Symes was a member of the Patea County Council for nineteen years, and chairman for eleven years. He was chairman of the Patea West Road Board for nineteen years, and is a member of the Patea Harbour Board, Licensing Bench, and Hospital and Charitable Aid Board for the Wanganui and Patea district. During Mr. Symes' occupancy of the county chairmanship nearly all the bridges of the district were renewed, with the exception of the bridge across the Patea river, which had just been completed when he took office. The economical expenditure of the county funds distinguished his term of office. As a steward and chairman of the committee of the Patea Jockey Club, steward of the Egmont Racing Club, vice-president of the Hawera Hunt Club, and steward and committee-man of the Hawera Agricultural and Pastoral Association, Mr. Symes has had his hands fairly full. As a Freemason he has held the office of Senior Warden of Lodge Patea Kilwinning, and he is a member of the Patea Bowling Club. In 1886 he married a daughter of Mr. Peter Hume, of Lower Wairarapa Valley, and has one daughter and three sons.
is known as the C Company of the 4th (Taranaki) Battalion Wellington Rifle Volunteers. It was established in September, £900; and some of the members served in the Boer war. The strength of the corps is about sixty. Meetings for instruction and drill are held fortnightly at the Oxford Street Drill Hall. Officers for the year 1906: Messrs R. W. H. Hamerton (captain), C. R. Honeyfield and E. White (lieutenants), W. G. Brown (sergeant and secretary), and M. Carey (colour-sergeant).
was gazetted to the charge of the Patea Rifle Volunteers on the 3rd of November, 1903. He is further referred to as Town Clerk of Patea.
stands in Egmont Street, and was erected in the seventies. It is a wood and iron building, and contains a mail room, an operating room, a private letter box lobby with eighty boxes, and a postmaster's room. There is also a telephone exchange, with twenty-nine subscribers. Eight mails are received and despatched daily, and there is a town delivery of letters. The staff consists of a postmaster, three cadets, two messengers and a letter carrier.
Postmaster at Patea, has been in charge since March, 1902. He is an old post office official, and served in Ireland before coming to New Zealand in 1874.
is under the control of the officer-incharge at New Plymouth. Mr. W. A. P. Sutton, at present (1906) Meat Inspector at the Patea Meat Canning Works, was appointed Inspector of Stock in 1906. He is an old officer, and had had much experience in New Zealand before his present appointment. On the 15th of October, 1901, he was appointed an Inspector under the Slaughtering Act of 1900, and under the Dairy Industry Act of 1898.
under the Agricultural Department is domiciled at the West Coast Refrigerating Company's Works, Patea. Until the year 1904 the branch was worked as a sub-office of New Plymouth, but in consequence of the increase of the work, owing to the steady development of the dairy industry in Taranaki, a special office became necessary. In 1903 Mr. Walter Wright accepted an appointment in the Dairying Division of the Department of Agriculture; and after being stationed for one year in Wellington, was appointed Dairy Produce Grader in charge at Patea, in 1904. He still holds the position.
stands in Victoria Street, on a site of two acres, and was erected in the year 1902. It consists of a wood and iron building with a verandah, and there are also stables and two cells. The district under the control of the local officer extends inland for about twenty-five miles.
Constable-in-charge of the Patea Police Station, also acts as Clerk of the Court, and has been in charge at Patea since May, 1899.
is a wood and iron building erected against a concrete wall, owing to the level of the platform being some ten feet below that of the adjoining road. The apartments consist of a ladies' waiting room, stationmaster's room, porters' room, lamp room, and general work and refreshment rooms. There is a good platform, and a large goods shed. About ten trains pass through the station daily. The stationmaster is supported by a clerk, a cadet, two porters and a storeman.
was appointed Stationmaster at Patea in the year 1893. He has been an officer of the department since 1875.
which has the control and management of the local hospital, raises the necessary funds by annual assessments on the Patea Borough Council and the Patea County Council, and these funds are subsidised by the Government. The revenue amounts to about £770 a year. Charitable aid in the district is administered by the Board on behalf of the Wanganui and Patea Charitable Aid Board, and the expenditure under this head amounts to about £50 per annum. The Board consists of the whole of the members of the Patea County Council, and of five members returned by the Patea Borough Council. Mr. E. C. Horner is secretary and treasurer.
was erected about the year 1876, and stands on a section of several acres in extent. The building, which is of wood and iron, contains two separate wards for men and women, each with four beds. It also has an isolation ward with four beds, an operating room, a kitchen, bathrooms, and other offices. There are quarters for the matron and nurses. The patients average about five in number for the year.
was appointed Medical Superintendent of the Patea Hospital in the year 1904. He was born in Canterbury, and was educated at the Dunedin University. Dr. Simmons graduated in 1902, and served for a time as assistant surgeon at the Masterton Hospital, before his appointment to Patea.
stands on a site of several acres in Egmont Street. The building is of wood and iron; and contains four classrooms and porches. Accommodation is provided for 200 pupils; there are one hundred names on the roll, and the average at tendance is eighty-three. The teacher's residence stands on the school grounds, fronting Egmont street. The staff consists of the headmaster and a mistress.
who has been Headmaster of the Patea public school since about the year 1896, was previously a teacher under the Wanganui Education Board, at Turakina.
contains about thirty square miles. The principal church is at Patea, and is known as St. George's. It is of Gothic architecture, built of wood, and roofed with shingles, and has accommodation for 200 persons. The original building was erected in 1871, and is now (1906) used as a school room. Services are held regularly in Patea, and at St. Stephen's church in Waverley, and also at Alton, Manutahi and Hurleyville in halls. St. Stephen's church at Waverley has accommodation for about one hundred persons.
Vicar of Patea, was born in England, and passed through the New Zealand theological course while a student at St. John's College, Auckland, and at Bishopdale, Nelson. He was ordained deacon in the year 1885, and priest in 1887.
at Patea stands in Oxford Street, opposite the Borough Council Chambers, and was erected in the seventies. It stands on a section of half an acre, is built of wood and iron, and has room for over one hundred persons. A manse was erected in 1905. The minister at Patea also officiates at Manutahi and Kakaramea.
was appointed Minister in charge of the Patea Presbyterian church in October, 1904. He had previously been stationed at Paeroa, Auckland.
was separated from that of Hawera in the year 1891, and extends from Manutahi to Kai Iwi. The principal church is known as St. Patrick's, and is situated in Egmont Street, Patea. It was erected about the year 1879, on a site of half an acre, and is a wood and iron building with seat room for 250 persons. The presbytery, which adjoins the church, was erected about the same year, and was enlarged in 1894. A convent conducted by the Sisters of St. Joseph, was erected in Egmont Street in 1904. There are five Sisters in residence. A primary school is also conducted, and is attended by ninety children. At Waverley there is a church named St. Francis' Church, which was erected in 1886 on a site of three acres, and enlarged in the year 1899. Services are held every Sunday. The Rev. William McGrath is in charge.
was appointed Methodist minister in charge of Patea, at the Conference of 1906.
in connection with the Methodist Church of Australasia has had its headquarters in Patea since the year 1887. The district worked by the first missionaries extended from Mokau in the north to Rangitikei. The work was begun by an emancipated slave, named William Naylor, who gathered the people together, and persuaded them to abandon heathenism; and under his guidance a church was erected at Taumaka, near Manutahi, and another at Manawapou, near Mokoia. During the time the Taranaki Maoris were under the influence of Naylor, the Waikatos again invaded the West Coast; but under his direction the local natives were victorious over the invaders, and helped the cause of Christianity. The first white missionary who settled in the district was the Rev. M. Skevington, who was stationed at Heretoa on the Waimate Plains. About that time a Waitotara native, who felt aggrieved with his people, went to Taupo, and persuaded the Ngatituwharetoa to come down to punish them. As they were coming down the Waitotara river the informer's kinship asserted itself, and he deserted the war party, and came and warned his tribe that enemies were coming. The tribe gathered under the directon of Naylor, and killed a number of the invaders, and took the others prisoners. Subsequently some of the women and children were returned to their own people, through the intervention of Mr. Skevington. The fight took place at Patoka, near the site of the Waitotara railway station. The Taupo natives afterwards returned to avenge the defeat, but were met on the way, and presented with food in obedience to the Scriptural injunction, “If thy enemy hunger, feed him,” and a collision was averted. The Ngatituanu and Ngarauru tribes then decided to send two of their number to Taupo, and carry the gospel to their enemies. These two men, one of whom was named Tomaunihera, arrived at Tokaanu, where they were immediately slain, and thus ended the feud between the two tribes. During the Maori war William Naylor joined the rebel natives in disapproval of the action of the Government, and he was afterwards killed in battle. Mr. Skevington, accompanied by a number of natives, attended a district meeting of the church in Auckland, and among the natives there was a lad who afterwards became notorious as Titokowaru. Mr. Skevington, however, died suddenly in the old High Street church, in Auckland, immediately after preaching, and thus the natives had to return to Taranaki alone. Mr. Skevington was succeeded by the Rev. Mr. Woon, who travelled among the Maoris, and Mr. Skinner was appointed as a teacher, and was stationed as catechist at Patea. On Mr. Woon's departure the Rev. William Hough was appointed, and on retiring was succeeded by the Rev. Mr. Stannard, who was stationed at Waitotara, near the present site of the railway station. On his departure the Rev. William Kirk took up his residence at Kai Iwi, on a piece of land which had been bought for a mission station and for school purposes. The Rev. W. J. Watkin then took charge. Shortly afterwards war again broke out, and in the year 1868, Mr. Watkin had to retire to Wanganui. The war practically put an end to all missionary enterprise till 1887, when the West Coast mission was again revived at Patea. During the years that intervened Hauhauism became rampant on the coast, and most of the Maoris forsook Christianity, and joined the movement. As that died away, Te Whiti and Tohu arose, and their influence spread from Waikato to Rangitikei. When the Rev. T. G. Hammond, who was stationed at Patea, took up the work in 1887, the natives were beginning to look for a change, and had had a series of meetings to consider returning to Christianity. Mr. Hammond was formally welcomed by Tawrua on behalf of the natives, and he commenced visiting the various settlements which were willing to receive him. Except at three places—Hukutere, Whenuakura, and Waitotara—the opposition was very bitter. Ultimately a church was erected at Hukutere, and the opposition gradually grewless. Mr. Hammond now (1906) holds services in many of the settlements all along the coast, but loyalty to Te Whiti and Tohu still keeps numbers from embracing Christianity. In 1898 a Taranaki Maori went to college, and qualified as Mr. Hammond's assistant. He was appointed at the Conference of 1900, and is known as the Rev. Robert Hadden. Mr. Hadden is stationed at Okaiawa, and has been doing magnificent work among his own people. Services are hold periodically in more than thirty different places.
has had charge of the West Coast Maori Mission since the year 1887. He was born in Richmond, Nelson, in 1846, and has been well known in connection with the church since 1874.
No. 5086, Ancient Order of Foresters, was established in the year 1867. Officers for 1906: Messrs E. F. Mann, Chief Ranger; E. Mercer, Sub-Chief Ranger; and R. W. H. Hamerton, secretary. The Foresters' Hall is a wood and iron building, situated in Leicester Street. It was erected in 1891, was acquired by the Order in 1902; and has seat accommodation for seventy persons. Court Patea has accumulated funds amounting to £1200.
was established in the year 1894. The racecourse is situated in the borough, and consists of forty acres of leasehold land. There is a racing track one mile in length, and a grandstand which will seat over 500 persons. Other buildings include a judge's box, a secretary's office, and conveniences. A meeting is held on Easter Monday each year. The stakes for 1906 amounted to £420. From two to three thousand persons attend the meetings. Officers for 1906: Messrs W. C. Symes (patron), H. O. Clarke (president), W. Gower, and G. Williams (vice-presidents), and a committee of twelve. Mr. G. W. Booth is treasurer, and Mr. R. W. H. Hamerton, secretary.
holds an annual show in the month of December. The gatherings, which are held in a local building, are attractive, and are attended by a considerable number of settlers. Officers for the year 1906: Messrs E. C. Horner (president) and W. C. Cargill (secretary).
was founded in the eighties, and has a membership of about twenty. Officers for the year 1906: Messrs J. Hulbert (conductor), and J. Dempsey (secretary).
was appointed Conductor of the Patea Brass Band in the year 1902. He was born in 1874 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, and accompanied his parents to New Zealand in 1879. He was educated in Wellington, where he learned the trade of a cabinetmaker, and afterwards worked at Palmerston North. Bulls, New Plymouth, and Hawera, before establishing his business in Patea. Mr. Hulbert began to take an interest in musical matters at fourteen years of age, when he began to practise on the cornet. While at Bulls he became a bandsman, for about two years, before
was established in July of the year 1875. It was founded by Mr. Ivess, and was afterwards conducted respectively by Messrs Clayton. T. E. Hamerton, Holloway, and Cowern, before being acquired by the present proprietor, Mr. Cargill, on the 1st of January, 1904. The journal is published on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays of each week, and is a four-page sheet of seven columns per page. Each issue contains about twelve columns of reading matter, apart from advertisements. The paper is independent in politics, and has a very extensive circulation, in the Patea and Waverley districts. The office is centrally situated in Egmont Street, and there is a full jobbing plant. Mr. William Clement Cargill is proprietor and editor of the paper.
stands in Egmont Street, adjoining the Post Office, and was erected in the seventies on a site of an acre. The building, which is of wood and iron, contains the courthouse, a public office, and rooms for the magistrate, clerk, and witnesses. For some time a magistrate was stationed at Patea, but was withdrawn about the year 1891. Periodical sittings of the court are held by Mr. A. Turnbull, Stipendiary Magistrate at Hawera.
Barrister and Solicitor, Egmont Street, Patea. P.O. Box 39. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. Mr. Adams commenced practice in the year 1876, and has secured a first-class connection. He is solicitor for the Bank of Australasia, Bank of New South Wales, and the Bank of New Zealand, and for the Hurleyville Dairy Factory Company, Limited. Mr. Adams was born in 1850 at Nelson, and is the son of the late Mr. Henry Adams, for many years Crown Prosecutor at Nelson. He was educated at Nelson College and at the Edinburgh Academy, Edinburgh. Mr. Adams was admitted to the bar by Mr. Justice Richmond, in 1874, and was in partnership with his father for two years, before establishing himself in Patea. He has been a prominent footballer, and was a representative of Nelson against Wellington and other provinces. In 1878 he married a daughter of Major Turner, of Patea, and has one daughter.
Solicitor, Leicester Street, Patea. P.O. Box 14. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. Private residence, Leicester Street. Mr. Clarke is further referred to as a former Mayor of the borough of Patea.
Barrister and Solicitor, Egmont Street, Patea. P.O. Box 19. Bankers, Bank of Australasia. Probably no solicitor on the coast is more widely known, or has a more intimate acquaintance with the district than Mr. Gervase Hamerton, who was born at Halifax, Yorkshire, England, in 1843, and is the son of the late Mr. Holden Hamerton, solicitor. He was partly educated at the Burnley Grammar School, Lancashire, and subsequently was under private tuition at New Plymouth, where his parents with their family arrived in the ship “Cashmere” in 1854. On the death of his father, Mr. Hamerton entered the office of Mr. Standish, then Crown Prosecutor of New Plymouth, and completed his legal training under Mr. C. B. Izard, Crown Prosecutor of Wellington. He was admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of New Zealand by Chief Justice Sir George Arney, in 1868; he began the practice of his profession in New Plymouth in the same year, and twelve years later removed to Patea, where he established himself in 1880. He is known not only as an able lawyer, but also as an energetic colonist of high standing. Mr. Hamerton is chairman of the Patea Chamber of Commerce, and Patea Domain Board, and solicitor to the Patea Harbour Board. He holds office as vicar's churchwarden in the Anglican church, and was vestryman and parishioners' churchwarden continuously for nearly twenty-five years. During the second Taranaki war, in 1862–3, he was bugler in No. 2 Company Taranaki Rifles, the late Sir Harry Atkinson's company; and on the recommendation of Colonel Stapp was promoted to the rank of 2nd lieutenant of No. 7 Taranaki Militia, after the close of the war. As a Freemason, he is a Past Master in the Order, and has filled all the principal offices in his present lodge at Patea, and in Lodge De Burgh Adams of New Plymouth, in which he was initiated in 1866. Mr. Hamerton is solicitor to various local bodies. He devotes much spare time to horticulture, and is vice-president of the Patea Horticultural Society. In 1873 Mr. Hamerton married Miss Mary Madeira Gledhill, daughter of the late Mr. Francis Ullathorne Gledhill, who represented Taranaki in the first General Assembly held in Auckland, and has three daughters and four sons.
M.B., Ch. B., Physician and Surgeon, Hadfield Street, Patea. Dr. Simmons, who has been practising in Patea since the year 1901, is further referred to as Medical Superintendent of the Patea Hospital.
Surgeon Dentists, Dental Chambers, Egmont Street, Patea. Head Office, Stratford. This branch was opened in the year 1904, and is conducted in a wood and iron building, which contains a waiting room, a surgery, a recovery room, and a workroom, fitted up with the most modern appliances.
was appointed Manager of Messrs Hunter and Johnston's Patea branch in the year 1905. He is a son of Mr. John Reynolds, sheepfarmer, of May-field. Masterton, where he was born in 1883. He was educated at Parkvale school, and at Wellington College, studied for his profession under Mr. S. Hall, in Wellington, and passed his examination successfully in October, 1904. Mr. Reynolds is a member of the Patea Bowling Club.
Patea, occupies an excellent site, nearly opposite the Post Office. This branch was opened in the year 1871 by Mr. R. C. Tennent, and is now managed by Mr. John Munro, who has two assistants.
Manager of the Bank of New South Wales at Patea, joined the service in the year 1877. He was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1861, and is the son of Mr. John Munro, the well-known auctioneer of Westport. In 1873, he entered his father's office, where he gained four years' commercial experience. He joined the Bank of New South Wales at Westport in 1877, and five years later was transferred to Auckland as teller. In 1890, he was appointed to his present position. Mr. Munro married the daughter of the late Mr. W. Weaver, of Worcester, England, in 1890, and has one son and one daughter.
in Patea stands at the corner of Egmont Street and Oxford Street, and was opened in May, 1873. The premises now (1906) occupied were erected in the year 1883 on a section of half an acre, and consist of a fine two-storey wood and iron building, containing a banking chamber, a manager's room, a strong room and a residence. The manager is assisted by two officers.
was appointed Manager of the Patea branch of the Bank of New Zealand in the year 1905. He has been an officer of the bank since 1876, and was promoted to the position of manager in 1884.
holds monthly meetings at the Borough Council Chambers, where matters affecting the welfare of the port and district of Patea, and subjects of colonial interest are discussed. Remits are also exchanged with other Chambers. Officers for the year 1906: Messrs W. Rossiter (president), G. D. Hamerton (vice-president), A. Christensen), J. A. McKenna, J. Beagey, and W. C. Cargill (executive). Mr. Cody is treasurer, and Mr. C. A. Larcombe, secretary.
Land Insurance, Shipping, Finance, and General Agent, Egmont Street, Patea. P.O. Box 28. Bankers, Bank of Australasia. Mr. Horner has been established in Patea since the year 1881. He is clerk of the Patea County Council, secretary of the Patea Harbour Board, Hospital Board, Patea East and Patea West Road Boards, agent for Aorere Shipping Companies and agent for the Liverpool, London and Globe Insurance Company. Mr. Horner is further referred to as secretary of the Patea Harbour Board.
Land, Estate, Commission, and Shipping Agent, Egmont Street, Patea. This business was established in the year 1901 by Mr. J. K. Mitchell, who is agent for the Patea Steamship Company, the New Zealand Shipping Company, the National Insurance Company, and is auditor for the Patea Racing Club. Mr. Mitchell does an extensive shipping business, and undertakes all kinds of commission agency work. He is further referred to as a member of the Patea Borough Council.
Photographer, Picture Framer, Cycle Importer, Land, Insurance, and Commission Agent, Oxford Street, Patea. Mr. Wells conducts his business in a two-storey wood and iron building, which contains a double-fronted verandah shop, with a show room, a studio, a picture-framing shop, a finishing room, a photographer's work room, and a residence. The proprietor was born in 1866, in Surrey, England, and arrived in Otago in the year 1882. He was intended for the legal profession, but had to give it up on account of illness. Later on he turned his attention to photography, and about the year 1894, started business on his own account, at the Thames, Auckland. He afterwards removed to Wanganui, and after being three years and a-half in that town, removed to Patea, and commenced his present business in 1902.
Clothiers and Milliners, Egmont Street, Patea. This business was founded by the late Mr.
Tailor and Storekeeper. Bedford Street, Patea. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. Mr. Herbert is further referred to in another article as a member of the Patea Borough Council.
Tailor, Egmont Street, Patea. Private residence, Bedford Street. This business was established in the year 1904. It is conducted in a wood and iron building, containing a shop and a workroom. Mr. Holtham is further referred to as a member of the Patea Borough Council.
Cabinetmaker and Upholsterer, Egmont Street, Patea. Private residence, Victoria Street, This business was established in the year 1900, and is conducted in a two-storey wood and iron building, with show room and work shop. All classes of furniture are made, and particular attention is paid to orders. Mr. Hulbert is further referred to as conductor of the Patea Brass Band.
Butcher, etc., Egmont Street, Patea. Mr. Rossiter carries on an extensive wholesale and family trade throughout the district, including Alton, Hurleyville, Whenuakura, and other localities. He is further referred to as a member of the Patea Borough Council.
(A. W. R. Bonld, manager), Egmont Street, Patea. This business was established in the year 1896, and is conducted in a wood and iron building, which contains a shop with a verandah, and a small goods room. There is also a residence on the premises. All meat sold is killed at the Western Canning Company's slaughter house.
Manager of the Taranaki Butchery, was born in Wellington, where he was educated and learned his trade, passing through every department. In 1890 he removed to Taranaki, and has worked at his trade at various places between Wanganui and New Plymouth. Some time ago he managed the Taranaki butchery for two years, and again took it over in 1906. In 1902 he married Miss Moss, of Rangitikei, and has one son and one daughter.
has its head office at Patea; and is a co-operative association owned by about fifteen butter factories. Directors for the year 1906: Captain G. Johnston (chairman), and Messrs T. L. Joll, A. C. Pease, W. Williams, and J. J. Campbell. Mr. F. W. Grainger is manager and secretary. The works were erected in 1901, and consist of a substantial wood and iron building, which contains an up-to-date plant, including a thirty-ton Hercules refrigerator, and two Babcock steam boilers of forty-five and thirty horse-power respectively. The chambers are cooled on the latest air circulating system, and contain 5400 cubic feet of air space in six separate chambers. Butter from various factories arrives at the railway siding in insulated trucks, alongside the works; in order to save handling, the boxes are transferred on ingenious conveyors direct into the chambers, and when the butter has passed through the various processes, and has received the official mark of the Government grader, it is shipped on board steamers lying alongside the building at the Patea river front, by similar conveyances. Each day's churning of every factory is separately graded, and this also applies to the grading of cheese. For the twelve months ending June, 1905, 129,000 boxes of butter were handled and shipped from the works. Five men, in addition to the office staff, are employed.
Manager and Secretary of the West Coast Refrigerating Company at Patea, has been in charge since the inception of the works. He was born in the year 1871, in Sunderland, England, where he was educated. When he was fourteen years of age, he came to New Zealand, and landed in Auckland. He served an apprenticeship of five years as an engineer at the works of Messrs J. J. Niven and Co., Hawke's Bay Foundry, and was afterwards employed at the Hawke's Bay Freezing Works, for the same period. Mr. Grainger was then engaged for five years as an engineer on vessels of the Union Steam Ship Company, before he received his present appointment at Patea. He is a member of the local tennis club. In the year 1903 Mr. Grainger married a daughter of the late Mr. G. Wordsworth, of Manaia, and has one daughter.
(Thomas Thompson, manager), Patea. This well-known factory was established in the year 1888 by Mr. Oldham, and successfully carried on by him for ten years. Afterwards a limited company was formed, and at a later period Mr. R. Darling acquired the works, which passed into the possession of Mr. T. Thompson in 1904. The works are extensive, and situated on a block of eighty acres of good land close to the railway station, from which the site is separated by the main road to Waverley. A siding across this road communicates with the works—a convenience granted by the Railway Department, in consideration of the large turnover of the company. The buildings have a frontage of 220 feet by a depth of 120 feet, and have been much enlarged since the company took them over. The process of reducing fat sheep and cattle into canned mutton and beef is effectually and simply carried out. Live stock are slaughtered daily, and so admirable are the arrangements, that, from stage to stage of the industry, everything proceeds like clockwork. The tin-packing cases are made on the premises, and there is methodical management throughout the entire establishment. Fifty thousand sheep and 4000 head of cattle are passed annually through the works. The preserved products are all exported to the Old World, where they find a ready sale. It is claimed that this is the only meat preserving company in New Zealand, whose goods are on the Admiralty list for purchase. On the lands in the vicinity of the works, stock is kept for a reasonable time before being killed, to enable the animals to get into thoroughly good condition after travelling, and every care is taken to keep up the quality of the meat. By general request, meat is supplied to the public at retail prices; a circumstance which speaks well for the estimation in which it is held by local residents. Wherever the preserved meats of the Western Canning and Packing Company have been tested, they have won golden opinions.
Proprietor of the Western Packing and Canning Company's works at Patea, acquired the business in 1904. He was previously well known in Southland as general manager of the Southland Frozen Meat and Export Company, and is further referred to on page 848 of the Otago and Southland volume of this Cyclopedia.
Wool-broker and Fellmonger, near the Bridge and Railway Station, Patea. The Patea fellmongery was established in the year 1883. It was acquired by Mr. Murgatroyd in 1891, and was conducted by him until taken over by the present proprietor, who had previously been manager. Skins and hides from the Western Canning and Packing Company, and from the farmers and butchers in the neighbouring districts, are treated at this fellmongery. In summer about 600 skins per day are put through, but in winter the output is only about half that number. About fourteen persons are employed. Mr. Christensen is further referred to as a member of the Patea Borough Council.
General Merchants; head office, Patea; branch at Hawera. This extensive business was founded by Mr. John
were established by Mr. H. Graves in the year 1900, and acquired by the present company at its incorporation in 1905. They are situated on the east side of the Patea river, on a site of fifteen acres of partly freehold and partly leasehold land. There is a large permanent Hoffmann kiln, capable of holding 120,000 bricks, and a pipe kiln of modern design, for burning and facing bricks, chimney pots, and pipes. There are also large sheds for drying purposes, and these will contain between three and four hundred thousand bricks. The plant consists of an ordinary wire-cutting brickmaking machine, capable of turning out twelve thousand bricks per day. There is a splendid deposit of clay on the company's property, which is practically inexhaustible. The produce of the works finds a market as far as New Plymouth and Marton, and on the West Coast of the South Island. It is expected that the annual output will exceed over a million and a half of bricks in the near future, besides pipes and eartherware of various descriptions. Mr. Herbert Graves is managing director.
Bookseller, Stationer, Fancy Goods Importer and Tobacconist, Egmont Street, Patea. Mr. Deane's is the principal business of its kind in the district, and his store is well stocked with fancy goods, perambulators, crockery and glassware, tobacconists sundries, etc. The shop has a large double window, and is of good dimensions, with a fine show room upstairs. Mr. Deane is further referred to as a member of the Patea Harbour Board.
General Storekeeper and Tea Merchant. Baker and Confectioner, corner of Egmont and Bedford Streets, Patea. Bankers, Bank of Australasia. Mr. Howitt's general store was established in the year 1895 by Mr. W. K. Howitt and himself, but two years later, when the success of the undertaking was assured, the senior partner withdrew from the firm, and Mr. A. M. Howitt became sole proprietor. Mr. Howitt subsequently purchased from his brother, Mr. W. K. Howitt, the bakery business which had been founded by their father. The bakehouse is well equipped, the oven being one of the largest on the coast, and lined top and bottom with fire bricks. An improvement, by no means common in the colony, is a patent pyrometer, an instrument for measuring the degrees of heat above those indicated by a mercurial thermometer. The advantages of this kind of oven become apparent, when it is explained that the baking occupies only about half the time required by the old style of oven. As a result, there is a great improvement in the quality of the bread, as well as in the speed with which it can be turned out in large quantities. Mr. Howitt's carts traverse the country round for a radius of about ten miles, with prompt delivery in all weathers; and his wedding cakes, and other fancy confections, frequently find their way into Hawera, Waverley and other neighbouring towns. The business is conducted in a fine shop, which is stocked with all the varied goods usually found in a country store. Mr. Howitt is a direct importer of crockery and other manufactures, and is agent for the “Tiger” and “Golden Heart” teas. He also deals largely in flour from the best mills in the colony. Mr. Howitt was born at Stoney river, Taranaki, in 1875, educated at Pahia, and after gaining two years' experience with the late Mr. R. A. Adams, several five years with Mr. John Gibson, the well known storekeeper of Patea. After that he went into business with his brother as a general storekeeper, and subsequently acquired the business on his own account.
Livery Stable Proprietor and Coal Merchant, Bedford Street, Patea. This business was established in the year 1898, and is conducted in a wood and iron building, which contains eight stalls and a loose box, and stands on a quarter acre freehold section. Five vehicles, including a lorry, a dray, a buggy, and two cabs, and eight horses are employed. For some time Mr. Glenny has had the mail contract between the Post Office and the railway station. He is further referred to as captain of the Patea Volunteer Fire Brigade.
is an old settler in the Patea district, and had many experiences during the Maori disturbances. He was born in the year 1846, in County Cork, Ireland, where he was educated at a private school, and brought up to farming. In 1868 he came to New Zealand, and landed in Auckland, but he soon afterwards removed to Taranaki, and settled at Patea. A few weeks later disturbances with the natives took place, and in 1868 Mr. Beamish joined the No. 2 Armed Constabulary Force, under Sergeant Scannell, afterwards Judge Scannell. He was subsequently present at the fight at the Turutumoki redoubt, about two miles to the south-east of Hawera, under Captain Ross. It was a night attack, and the force, which numbered only twenty-four men, held the position against great odds. Mr. Beamish was severely wounded, and later received his discharge. Then he started as a shop assistant, and afterwards commenced storekeeping on his own account. He bought the Masonic Hotel in Patea, and leased it to a tenant. Afterwards Mr. Beamish commenced farming in the district. He subsequently conducted the hotel on his own account for some time, and leased the farm; but afterwards sold the hotel property, and returned to
arrived in Lyttelton in the year 1858. He is a native of Worcestershire, England, and a son of Mr. and Mrs Thomas Palmer, of New Brighton, Christchurch, who are (1806) eighty-six years of age. After coming to New Zealand with his parents, he remained for some time in Canterbury, and gained experience on sheep stations in Hakataramea. In 1866 Mr. Palmer first visited Wanganui, and shortly afterwards was attracted to the Thames goldfields. He joined the Armed Constabulary in Auckland, in 1868, returned to Wanganui, and saw service during the following six years. He was stationed at New Plymouth and at White Cliffs, and was a member of the expedition sent out against Te Kooti at Ngatapa, Poverty Bay, where the rebel and his followers escaped over a cliff, by means of ropes. In 1874 Mr. Palmer settled in the Patea district, and started farming on the Whenuakura block. He acquired about 1500 acres, which he farmed for many years, and which is now (1906) in charge of his sons. Mr. Palmer has been a member of various road boards and school committees. In 1878 he married a daughter of the late Mr. Thomas Merry, of Christchurch, and has five sons and four daughters.
referred to at page 184, was born in Lanarkshire, Scotland, in 1842. He arrived in Wellington in November, 1857, by the barque “Gleaner,” and was for three months in the Hawke's Bay district. In 1862, he went to the Otago diggings, but returned in six months to Hawke's Bay, where he became a farmer, and owned 200 acres of land at Hampden. He had also a leasehold farm near Napier. In 1872, Mr. Wilson sold out his Hawke's Bay properties, and settled in Taranaki, near Patea, on a farm which he worked for twenty years. Having sold his property, he removed to Stratford, where he bought a farm of seventy acres. During the Maori war Mr. Wilson served in the militia at Napier, and afterwards in Taranaki. He was also in the Yeomanry Cavalry in both districts, and at the time of the Mohaka massacre he went to Poverty Bay with the troops. Mr. Wilson was for about five years a member of the Patea Road Board, and was also a member of the Kakaramea school committee and of the Mangamura Road Board. He was afterwards on the Stratford school committee, and was for some time a director of the Stratford Farmers' Co-operative Dairy Factory. Mr. Wilson married the daughter of the late Mr. Charles Raven, of Napier, and has three sons and two daughters.
Photographs for the following blocks came to hand too late to be worked into position with the articles to which they belong; but the connection is, in each case, established by means of the names of the persons concerned, and the pages on which their articles appear.
The land district of Hawke's Bay is situated on the east coast of the North Island, and extends from Cape Turnagain to Lottin Point, about thirty miles beyond East Cape. The original province of Hawke's Bay stretched from the Waimata just to the south of Cape Turnagain, to the 39th parallel, a little north of Mahia Peninsula, and south of Poverty Bay. But the land district now includes the whole of the Poverty Bay country up to the East Cape. It has a coast line 300 miles long, with an average depth of forty-five miles from the sea, and an area of 6,063,000 acres; whereas the province of Hawke's Bay contained something less than 3,000,000 acres. The western boundary of the district is formed by the Ruahine, Abimanawa and other ranges which form the watershed between the east coast and the Bay of Plenty.
Most of the sea board is included in the large bay named by Captain Cook after Admiral Hawke, then first Lord of the Admiralty. The coast from Cape Turnagain north to Hawke's Bay consists of a succession of steep cliffs and broken headlands. Cape Kidnappers, a conspicuous limestone promontory, 900 feet in height, marks the entrance to Hawke's Bay. The Bay receives a number of rivers, and in its southern curve lies Ahuriri roadstead, which forms the harbour of Napier. Beyond Napier the coast sweeps north-east in a regular curve to Mahia Peninsula, a triangular piece of land, about 1,000 feet in height, off the southern extremity of which lies Portland Island. North of Mahia, the coast
Nearly due west of Poverty Bay, and about thirty-five miles inland from Clyde, on the Wairoa, is the only lake of any size in the district—Waikare-Moana. It is about eleven miles long by eight miles broad; and, being surrounded by precipitous hills wooded to the water's edge, it presents a scene of almost unsurpassable beauty.
The chief mountain range is the western boundary line, the Ruahine, which extends north from the Manawatu Gorge, as far as the Ngaruroro river. Its height varies from 3,000 to 6,000 feet, and its summits are mostly snow-clad during winter. Between the Ngaruroro and Mohaka rivers lies a shorter range, the Kaweka, about 5,650 feet high—a rugged and steep ridge of hills, also covered with snow during the cold season. From these two ranges the land falls seaward in long rolling plains and downs—mostly limestone country—which affords admirable pasture for sheep. North again from the Kaweka range there is a long series of forest-clad hills of varying heights stretching away, in lines approximately parallel to the coast, toward the East Cape. The highest point in these hills is Hikurangi (5,606 feet), an abrupt and precipitous peak, which can be climbed from only one side. The Pukatori range, which extends across the border line from the south, parallel with the Ruahine, belongs mostly to the Wellington district.
Hawke's Bay is, on the whole, a well watered district. The Porongahua rises in the Puketoi range, and reaches the sea north of Cape Turnagain; the Tutaekuri discharges itself into Napier Harbour; Ngaruroro, south of Napier, flows into Hawke's Bay—as do the Tukituki, entering the sea near the Kidnappers, the Mahaka, which rises in the Kaweka range, and runs round the back of the Mangaruru hills, and the Wairoa, which runs due south from Lake Waikare-Moana. The Turanganui, with a tidal estuary, serves as a harbour for Gisborne, and the Wairoa is also navigable for a short distance, for vessels of light draught.
The chief tract of level country is the Ruataniwha Plain, about fifty miles south of Napier; it is about 120 square miles in extent, and is chiefly taken up by sheep runs, carrying a large amount of stock. The Heretaunga Plain is another stretch of open country, immediately south of Napier. It is of a rich alluvial soil, and is about ninety square miles in area. Most of it is thickly settled and cultivated, while the balance is used for grazing. The only other plain of any size is at the back of Poverty Bay. It is about sixty-five square miles in area, and, being fertile and well cultivated, it carries a prosperous population.
The climate of the Hawke's Bay district is mild, and is subject to neither extreme of temperature. The coastal districts are hot and dry in summer, but the heat is by no means so relaxing as in the humid atmosphere of Auckland. Except in the bush country, and the highlands at some distance from the coast, the rainfall is light; the average for over thirty years being only about thirty-seven inches.
In spite of the comparative dryness of the climate, Hawke's Bay is distinctively a sheep grazing country. A large portion of the district consists in undulating limestone land, admirably adapted for sheep; and an area of over two and a-half million acres has been laid down in clover and English grasses.
The most important industries are, therefore, naturally pastoral in character, and there are freezing works at Tomoana, Port Ahuriri, Paki Paki, and Gisborne; though, in spite of the importance attached to sheep-farming, agriculture is not neglected. But the superior advantages for grazing naturally divert the attention of the settlers from the tilling of the soil. Most
Considerable portions of the back country are still uncleared; and though the famous Seventy Mile Bush, on the southern border of the old provincial district, is now little more than a memory, there are extensive areas elsewhere on which the timber has not yet been “cut out.” Timber—chiefly whitepine—is extensively exported, and more sawmills are being erected in the bush districts.
As the timber is cleared off the land, the settlers naturally turn their attention to dairying, more especially in the districts where the holdings are small, and it is correspondingly difficult to make a living out of sheep. The chief dairy factories that have, so far, been established are at Norsewood, Ormondville, Woodville, Hastings, and Gisborne; but others are already proposed. The immense success that has been achieved by the dairy industry in Taranaki, and many other districts in the colony, encourages the belief that Hawke's Bay will find creameries and butter and cheese factories extremely valuable adjuncts to her lucrative pastoral industries.
Fruit growing and canning should be mentioned in this connection, for there are large orchards at Hastings and Havelock North, and vineyards at Taradale and Greenmeadows; and, indeed, if every other resource failed, there is no reason why Hawke's Bay should not become the fruit garden of New Zealand. The formation of the Hawke's Bay Fruitgrowers' Company and the Heretaunga Fruitgrowers' Union has done a great deal for this industry. A fruit canning and preserving factory has been established at Frimley (Hastings), and the excellence of the output has already secured for it a
The land question is of considerable importance to Hawke's Bay, though settlement has been carried out there on a larger scale than in many other districts. There are about 1200 Crown tenants in the province, holding about 800,000 acres; and about 250,000 acres have not yet been dealt with. Most of this area is, however, suitable for pastoral purposes only. The patches fit for agriculture are scattered about the country, and could hardly be selected, except in connection with large surrounding areas of poor land. Indeed, most of the land not yet taken up is broken bush country, fitted rather for sheep than cattle, and able to carry an average of one sheep to the acre when cleared.
The Hawke's Bay Maoris hold some of the richest land in New Zealand. Large areas have (1906) been leased to Europeans, but the Maoris still have in their own hands about 800,000 acres; and this country comprises agricultural as well as pastoral land. Most of the native land lies towards the East Cape, in the county of Waiapu; and is still, therefore, somewhat inaccessible, even if it were found possible to alienate it. In fact, the whole of the Hawke's Bay and Poverty Bay districts suffer more or less from isolation; and when once they are brought into more direct communication with other centres of progress in the colony, an energising impulse, likely to lead to large results, should be given to the development of the district.
The native population of the district, now known as Hawke's Bay, belonged to some of the most famous of the Maori tribes inhabiting the North Island. The Arawas, whose centre was at Rotorua, and the Ngatiawa, who spread along the shores of the Bay of Plenty, furnished some portion of the inhabitants of the district. The Uriwera, who still cling to the wilds of Tuhoeland, north and
These tribes had spread over to the east coast of the island from the original homes selected by their ancestors, who had reached New Zealand hundreds of years before from Hawaiiki; and it was with their members that Cook first came in contact, when the “Endeavour” visited the East Coast of the North Island in the year 1769.
The great navigator first came in sight of New Zealand in the neighbourhood of Poverty Bay, and his landing place, near Gisborne, is one of the few spots in the colony to which a great historical interest attaches. Cook, accompanied by Dr. Solander and Mr. Banks, landed in Poverty Bay on the 8th of October, 1769. He had some difficulty with the natives, whose curiosity and thievish propensities were hard to restrain. This led to two or three natives being shot, and the “Endeavour” sailing away in the hope of finding a better anchorage. The roadstead was called by the natives “Te-one-roa,” but the navigator named it Poverty Bay, because of the difficulty of obtaining food from the Maoris. The southern point of the bay, Young Nick's Head, was so called by Cook after one of his apprentices, who was the first to sight the land.
Further down the coast Cook named Cable Cape, north of Mahia Peninsula, and an island, called Te Houra by the Maoris, he renamed Portland Island, after the island in the British Channel, which it seemed to resemble. Some attempts at trading with the natives were made, but with small success, owing to their dishonest practices. Cook sailed across the inlet now known as Hawke's Bay—so called by him in honour of Admiral Hawke; and at the headland which marks its southern limit he had further trouble with the Maoris. They attempted to carry off the son of his Tahitian interpreter, Tupaea; and after this lad's rescue Cook named the point Cape Kidnappers. Further south, he saw a barren islet, which he called Bare Island; and the “Endeavour” reached the end of her coastal cruise southward at Cape Turnagain.
Here the wanderers turned north again, and followed the coast line up to East Cape. Gable End Foreland, Tokomaru, and Tolago Bay were described by Cook; and at the last-named spot he stayed several days to get food and water. Here the explorer gathered much curious information as to the manners and customs of the Maoris—their “moko,” or tatooing, their
After Captain Cook's visit there was a long interval, during which New Zealand was almost forgotten. The only people who represented any connection with the rest of the world were the sealers and whalers who frequented its coasts. From the end of the eighteenth century onward, the New Zealand waters were a favourite hunting-ground for American and Australian whalers, who were really instrumental in establishing the first white “settlement” that ever existed in this colony. The crews of the whalers often took long holidays on shore, and at the “trying out” stations, during the off season, they consorted freely with the Maoris. Many of them married native women, became pakehas, adopted the Maori habits, and completely surrendered their civilised manners and attire.
But even in this anomalous position they did something, by precept and example, to prepare the way for the higher civilisation, which was to follow. Most of the whalers, however, though physically brave and energetic, as their vocation demanded, were dissolute, and given to violent excesses; and from this point of view they did very little to win the respect of the natives, or reconcile them to the coming of the white race. So far as Hawke's Bay was concerned, there was a whaling station there at an early date, as in 1837 we hear of a
The establishment of the Church Missionary stations on the shores of the Bay of Islands early in the nineteenth century, inaugurated a new era in the history of the colony. The devoted enthusiasm of Marsden and his followers gradually extended the influence of Christianity through most of the tribal districts in the North Island; and although the new faith was not always firmly enough founded to stand any serious strain, there can be no doubt of the immense influence for good wielded by the missionaries in humanising and civilising the natives. The centre of missionary activity was, however, a long way from Hawke's Bay, and it was not until 1843 that the Church of England attempted to found a missionary station in the district. The east coast of the North Island was little known, but some attention had been called to it in recent years by the adventures of John Rutherford, a sailor, who was captured by the Maoris at Tokomaru Bay, near East Cape, and held captive by them for ten years. An account of his experiences was published in the year 1830, and probably did something to direct the energies of the Church Missionary Society to this new field for enterprise. By 1840, the Rev. William Williams, who was stationed at Waimate, in the Bay of Islands district, had travelled through the country, south and east, past Rotorua and Tauranga, toward the East Cape. So far back as 1834 he had visited these districts, and in 1838 the Rev. Henry Williams, his brother, had followed in his steps. Arrangements were then made to send a native teacher to the East Coast, and in 1838 four teachers were stationed at Tauranga (Poverty Bay) and three at Waiapu. The Rev. W. Williams paid another visit to the district in 1839, and early in 1840, he removed with his family from Waimate, and established himself permanently on the shores of Poverty Bay.
In the same year the New Zealand Church Society was founded, for the purpose of establishing a branch of the Anglican Church in these islands. The tentative formation of the New Zealand Company in 1825, and the attempts made by its various successors to take up land in New Zealand and to colonise it, had roused much interest in England; and though no formal and systematic effort at colonisation had yet been made, the Church Society felt that the time had come to extend the benefits of the Church's ministrations to these distant lands. The Society applied to the Imperial Government to constitute New Zealand a separate see, and in the year 1841, the Rev. George Augustus Selwyn was appointed the first Bishop of New Zealand. He arrived in Auckland in May, 1842, and at once set energetically about the work of organising his diocese. By that time there were three mission stations on the East Coast; one at Waiapu, in charge of Mr. J. Stack, one at Uawa, under Mr. C. Baker, and the Rev. W. Williams was labouring at Turanga (Poverty Bay). The Bishop shortly afterwards appointed the Rev. W. Williams to be Archdeacon of Waiapu, while the Rev. Henry Williams was appointed Archdeacon of Waimate. From this time onward the East Coast tribes had the benefit of the ennobling and civilising influences which Christianity has always brought in its train, even among savages, the most ferocious, or the most degraded. The Maoris were soon fully alive to the advantages conferred by the new faith, and the labours of the missionaries among them paved the way for the influx of the colonists, who could never have ventured to these shores had it not been for the self-denying labours of the teachers and preachers sent out in the early years in the nineteenth century by the Church Missionary Society, and the Missionary Committee of the Methodist Church.
When writing more than thirty years ago, in Sir Julius Vogel's “Official Hand Book of New Zealand,” Mr. W. Carlile remarked that it was not possible to fix any date at which it could be said that the settlement of Hawke's Bay was founded. For many years it had been associated in the minds of colonists only with whalers and pakeha Maoris; and the few faithful missionaries who laboured amongst the native tribes felt little desire to expose their converts to the evils which always follow in the first contact of a higher with a lower civilisation.
Canterbury, Otago, Nelson, and Wellington were settled at certain fixed dates by specific bodies of colonists, who came there for a clearly determined purpose. But Hawke's Bay, as a settlement, started without any definite impulse, and grew first by almost imperceptible degrees. After the Wellington settlement was firmly founded, the extensive and fertile plains of the northern and north-eastern districts speedily attracted the attention of colonists. Between Wellington and Hawke's Bay the magnificent stretches of forest land—one area alone bearing the name of “Seventy Mile Bush” —the splendid sheep country along the old lake bed of the Ruataniwha—the plains of Heretaunga and Karamea, which to-day contain some of the richest soil in the colony—all these natural advantages suggested irresistibly to the early colonists the duty of extending settlement in this direction. Further, there was grave danger that if no efficient effort was made to secure this land, it would fall into the hands of the “landsharks,” and other unscrupulous selectors. Even before 1850, public attention was called to the fact that pastoralists were taking up the Hawke's Bay land on illegal leases from the natives; and, in spite of the right of pre-emption claimed by the Government, in virtue of the Treaty of Waitangi, and the strongest regulations against trafficking in native lands, there was no doubt that the Maoris were already being fleeced and impoverished by unprincipled Europeans.
In 1851 Mr. Fox, in his “Six Colonies of New Zealand,” urgently recommended the Government to purchase the lands now included in the Manawatu, Wairarapa, and Hawke's Bay districts. At that time it was believed that £50,000 would cover the total cost of the land; but it was not until some time later that the desired step was actually taken. However, in December, 1850, Mr. Donald McLean, then Native Minister, had gone up to the Hawke's Bay district as Lands Purchase Commissioner, and negotiated the purchase of several important blocks. A tribal quarrel about land titles between two of the principal Hawke's Bay chiefs and their followers, ended in some loss of life to the
Between the years 1850 and 1860 the growth of the district and the town was very rapid. Mr. Hurst-house, in his “Britain of the South,” states that, in 1860, the population of Napier town was 500, while there were about 3,500 Europeans in the district, and about the same number of natives. Indeed, the district had begun to feel that it could stand alone; and a natural desire for the independent administration of their own affairs spread widely among the settlers. This sentiment was intensified by the knowledge that most of the revenue derived from their lands was spent for the benefit of distant Wellington. Ever since the early days of colonisation the people of Wellington had heard vaguely of the “Howreedy” (Ahuriri)
The success of the separation movement, it may be noted, was largely due to the energetic advocacy of Napier's paper, the “Hawke's Bay Herald,” which was founded in 1857 by Mr. James Wood, who—as editor and proprietor of the paper—was for many years identified with the progress and public life of the district. When the ballot on the separation question was taken, it was found that only six votes were recorded against it; and thus the small population of Hawke's Bay district—about one-tenth of that of Wellington—appropriated to itself about one-third of all the lands in the province.
In terms of the Constitution Act, the Provincial Councils were elected under a system by which every man had a vote in every electoral district in which he held property. The Superintendent was also supposed to be elected by the general suffrage. But by the new Act, it was decreed that the Superintendent for each newly created province should be chosen by the Council itself.
The Hawke's Bay Provincial Council consisted of ten members, and it happened that these were
The chief duty of the Provincial Council was naturally to supply means of communication for the settlers. Happily the large limestone deposits throughout the district proved splendid roadmaking material, the only drawback being the dazzling whiteness of the metalled surface. But in spite of the exertions of the Council the district remained for some years almost isolated, and therefore unprogressive. The Crown lands were divided into two classes—agricultural and pastoral; and for these the freehold price was ten shillings and five shillings per acre. and this was all the land could be justly said to be worth, for so far as agriculture was concerned, there was no market for the produce, and the cost of transit to the sea was almost prohibitive. For the rough country to the north toward Wairoa, and the heavy bush land to the south beyond Takapau, five shillings an acre was too high a price to allow any chance of profit to the occupier. The natural consequence was that many of the pioneers of settlement in Hawke's Bay district succumbed to the heavy financial burdens entailed by the disadvantages of their position. Their lands were speedily mortgaged, and their holdings, heavily encumbered, soon, in too many instances, passed into other hands.
But though the back country developed but slowly, the district soon became famous through its coastal trade. Napier harbour is the chief, indeed the only good, port between Wellington and Auckland; and in the early days the inner harbour had not silted up so extensively as it did after dredging operations began there. Vessels drawing as much as fourteen feet could then easily enter and berth in the inner basin. Napier thus became the centre of a valuable shipping trade; and it was not till the construction of the Manawatu railway diverted Wellington exports in another direction, that Hawke's Bay began to suffer from the growing ascendency of the older province.
Before railway communication was opened between Wellington and the West Coast, the exports of produce from Napier had actually begun to exceed the exports from Port Nicholson.
So far as the natives were concerned the early settlers in Hawke's Bay had very little cause for complaint. Even in the very early days when the Maoris far outnumbered the white settlers, the natives were almost always friendly. In 1837 there was a fierce tribal quarrel between Te Hapuhu and Moananui, the leading chiefs of the district. But though a number of natives lost their lives through the feud, both parties frequently protested their friendship for the pakehas, and their determination on no account to injure the white settlers. Moananui and his followers finally secured possession of the extremely valuable Ahuriri plains; but neither they nor their defeated rivals made any attempt to molest the Europeans. It was not till the Hauhau rebellion and the descent of Te Kooti on the East Coast that the Maoris and the whites in Hawke's Bay came into conflict.
Shortly after the Hauhau religion was set up by Te Ua, two prophets or missionaries, Patara of Taranaki and Kereopa of the Ara-was, were sent to preach the new faith among the tribes of the Bay of Plenty district and the East Coast. Kereopa, who was a sanguinary fanatic, murdered Mr. Volkner, a well known missionary, at Opotiki, apparently with the object of committing his followers to an inexpiable war with the pakehas. He then went on to ward Poverty Bay to stir up the native tribes, and thither he was followed by the more peaceful Patara, who desired to prevent further violence. Meantime an expeditionary force under Colonel McDonnell had come up from the west coast to Opotiki, and exacted some punishment for the Hauhau outrages. But meanwhile Kereopa had made good use of his time on the East Coast, and converted several tribes to the faith of Pai Marire. Apparently only the intervention of Patara saved Bishop Williams and his family from a murderous attack. Patara himself, however, won over the Waiapu, Ngatiporou and the Hicks Bay and Kawakawa tribes to the Hauhau creed. But happily there were several notable exceptions; and Ropata, Mokena Kohere, and Hotene Porourangi, all distinguished chiefs, determined to hold by the pakehas. Henare Potae, of Tokomaru, also kept faith with the whites; and if it had not been for the fidelity and courage of these chiefs the British troops would have had to face at least 2000 Maoris around Wairoa and Poverty Bay. The Ngatiporou alone could muster at least 1000 warriors, and
Kereopa by this time had worked through the country down to Poverty Bay, and in 1868 he had gained such a hold over the natives that Bishop Williams and his family were obliged to retire to Napier for safety. Mr. McLean urged upon the notice of the Government the importance of the movement in its early stages, and Majors Biggs and Fraser were ordered to march on Poverty Bay, with the co-operation of the Ngatiporou chiefs Ropata and Mokena. Wacrenga — a — heka, a strong pa, was stormed, though bravely defended by the Hauhaus, and large numbers of prisoners were taken. At this juncture we first meet the notorious Te Kooti, who, though professedly friendly to the whites, was accused of intriguing with the Hauhaus. A little later he was shipped off to the Chatham Islands along with the worst characters from the Waiapu and Poverty Bay tribes. It is quite possible that there was no real ground for the charges brought against him. In any case he was deported without trial, seemingly on the general pretext that he was a troublesome and daring man, a professional thief and blackmailer. But whatever may have been the degree of his guilt, it is certain that the atrocities afterwards committed by him and his followers in this district, were inspired by a desire for vengeance against those who had sent him into exile.
During 1865–66 there was a good deal of trouble with the Wairoa tribe—a branch of the great Ngatikahungunu family. Kopu Para-para, one of the bravest chiefs, fortunately remained faithful to the English, while the skill and courage of Ropata were as usual of immense service to his white friends. A large body of native, including Uriwera, to the number of 500, gathered together at Waikaremoana, the lake on the border of Tuhoeland, now so famous for its picturesque scenery. They were defeated through the resourcefulness and valour of Ropata; and Tuatini, one of the old generation of chiefs, who had once ruled over the whole East Coast, was among the slain.
So far as the East Coast was concerned, the trouble with the Maoris for some years centered round the tribes connected with the Opotiki outrages, and the murder of Mr. Volkner. The Ngati-ira hapu, which was accused of complicity in this crime, once formed a formidable tribe, having held all the country then possessed by the Ngatiporous. The Poverty Bay tribes and the Uriwera were their kinsmen, and the sympathy shown for them along the East Coast rendered it necessary to send an expedition against them. Colonel Lyon and Captain Newland succeeded in breaking up the Hauhau forces, and recapturing most of the booty taken from the Opotiki settlers. A long series of desultory skirmishes followed, but ultimately the Uriwera were driven back into their own inaccessible country, and troubled the Europeans no more till 1868, when Te Kooti once more came upon the scene.
In July, 1868, the schooner “Rifleman” called at the Chatham Islands with Government stores for the use of the 200 Maori prisoners, who were then interned on the islands under the supervision of Captain Thomas and fifteen men. Te Kooti and his followers suddenly seized the arms and ammunition of their guards, overpowered the crew, and captured the ship. They behaved with kindness to the women and children, and killed only one man who offered resistance. On the 5th the vessel started under her new masters for the New Zealand coast. On the 10th they landed a little to the south of Poverty Bay, and disembarked the provisions, guns and powder with which the “Rifleman” was loaded. Major Biggs, the Resident Magistrate of the district, advanced against them with a force of volunteers and friendly natives, but found them too strongly posted to admit of a successful attack. The Hauhaus then retreated inland into rough country, and Major Biggs, pursuing them, was repulsed with loss at Paparatu. Colonel Whitmore had been summoned from Wangamu on the news of Te Kooti's escape, and he now took command, leading his men a desperate chase over very rough country in pursuit of the agile and lightly encumbered Hauhaus. One division of his force, under Captain Richardson, was beaten at Te Konahi, while Coloel Whitmore, following too closely and incautiously on the Hauhaus, was
These successes naturally increased Te Kooti's “mana,” and brought him many recruits. He gave out that he intended to advance toward the Waikato and dethrone the King. But in the mean-time he had resolved to exact vengeance from the pakehas of the district for their share in his deportation. His followers murdered a young Wairoa chief and several of his men, and the friendly natives—600 Ngatiporou and Ngatikahungunu—gathered to attack the Hauhaus. But Te Kooti easily evaded them, and advanced rapidly toward Poverty Bay. In spite of the fact that prisoners were captured who revealed the intentions of the Hauhaus, no message was sent to Poverty Bay to warn the settlers. When rumours of the coming danger did eventually reach the district, Major Biggs refused to countenance any serious preparation for defence. The military men on the spot all seem to have argued that Te Kooti would never advance on Poverty Bay, because he would thus leave his rear exposed. But they had soon to learn that Maoris had no particular respect for British military traditions. On the 9th of November, Te Kooti came down on the unprotected settlement, and almost without opposition murdered in cold blood thirty-seven friendly natives and thirty-three whites—men, women, and children.
The news of this atrocious crime aroused the authorities to resolute action, and within a fortnight a body of 600 friendly natives and whites were again in pursuit of Te Kooti. The Hauhaus were defeated with loss at Karetu, and thence they retired to the almost inaccessible stronghold of Ngatapa. An attack was made on this position by Ropata with the Ngatiporou, but it failed; and Te Kooti, after defending himself for some time against Ropata and Colonel Whitmore, eventually escaped. Over 120 of his followers were killed, and that portion of the East Coast was cleared of the Hauhaus. Te Kooti subsequently appeared among the Uriweras, and persuaded them to join with him in a raid towards Mohaka in the Hawke's Bay district. It this expedition he killed seven Europeans, and fifty-seven friendly natives, losing only twelve of his own men. As Lieutenant Gudgeon says in his “Remminscences of the War,” nothing in the history of these campaigns is more remarkable than the ascendancy that Te Kooti exercised over the Maori mind and in spite of numerous defeats and losses he could always depend upon finding some of the tribes ready to do his bidding. After an arduous march to Lake Waikare-Moana the colonial forces drove him further back into the Uriwera country. He made an other foray on the East Coast in the direction of Tolago Bay; and the indefatigable Ropata conducted another unsuccessful march in pursuit of the Haunaus, right up to the borders of Tuhoeland. In 1872 a fourth expedition set out from Poverty Bay under Captain Porter in pursuit of Te Kooti, and after suffering great hardships succeeded in surprising the lebel chief at Ruahapu. But here again To Kooti eluded his pursuers, escaping with only nine men. He finally sought refuge in the Waikato with the King party; and with this disappearance ends all strife between Maoris and Europeans on the East Coast or in the Hawke's Bay district.
But though the native difficulty was thus definitely settled so far as active hostilities between the races were concerned, there was endless trouble over a question much more difficult to decide—the ownership of the native lands. From the outset the Maoris objected strongly to the incursions of the pakehas' cattle on their preserves; and “grass money,” or fee for trespass, was an early source of trouble. Under the terms of the original land settlement, the leasing of native lands was forbidden; but it was difficult for the colonists to gain any firm foothold in the country without either buying or leasing land; and even the officials appointed to check the practice, connived at these illegalities. Many abuses resulted from these evasions of the law. The lessees lent money on mortgage to their landlords. The natives were reckless and extravagant. In many cases they became deeply involved, and so the land passed into the hands of tenants. There was no doubt that such proceedings were based on direct violation of the law, and many sales were on these grounds subsequently repudiated. In 1861 the “Hawke's Bay Times” was started chiefly to protest against these breaches of the law with respect to land tenure. But though it stuck vigorously to its self-imposed task, the chief offenders were high in office and social rank, public opinion was hard to rouse, and in 1874 the paper was discontinued. “The Acts of the
It will now be convenient to revert the course of events following on the establishment of Provincial Government in Hawke's Bay. To summarise briefly the work of the Provincial Councils in the earlier days, it may be said that they were occupied with two main topic—the construction of roads and public works, and the settlement of the land question with its natural corollary, the interminable native difficulty. The first Council agreed to memorialise the Government to introduce a bill repealing the Native Lands Purchase Ordinance so as to enable Europeans to lease land from the Maoris. In 1862 the Council recommended Government to fix for all waste land sold by auction a minimum price of not less than ten shillings per acre. In 1865 a further attempt was made by Mr. J. Buchanan, to settle the disputed question of land tenure by a series of resolutions to the following effect: (1) That the Council is of opinion that the special welfare of the province and the general interests of the colony are retarded by the neglect to enforce the Land Purchase Ordinance of 1846. (2) That Europeans have occupied for pastoral purposes all the lands best suited for agriculture, and that in this way genuine settlement has been stopped. (3) That British law is thus discredited in native eyes through the tacit approval of the authorities in these illegalities. (4). That the large sums of money obtained from the leaseholders are utilised as sinews of war by the Maoris. (5). That these facts were viewed with discontent and alarm by all loyal and law abiding people. Mr. McLean—who in 1863 had been elected Superintendent after the resignation of Mr. Fitzgerald—led a party in the Council opposed to the views advocated by Mr. Buchanan; and in 1865 he moved as an amendment to Mr. Buchanan's resolutions: (1) That this Council is of the opinion that the occupation of the Ahuriri Plains by a settled population is essential to the advancement and prosperity of the province. (2) That the action of the Native Lands Act of 1862 will tend to throw these lands into the hands of large proprietors to the incalculable injury of the community. (3) That the Council is aware that the Native Lands Act is an essential feature of the policy of the colony as at present represented in the General Assembly, and there is no chance of the Ahuriri Plains being exempted from its operation. (4) That the Council recommends the imposition of a land tax on a sliding scale to prohibit the individual proprietorship of large blocks. Later in the year, however, Mr. Buchanan returned to the charge with a resolution to the effect that the true reason for the abeyance of the Native Land Purchase Ordinance of 1846 was the reluctance of the Government to bring it into operation; and that the Council desires to point out that residents without a legal claim to the land they occupy, cannot expect redress for trespass or the right to collect rents or to transfer ownership. This motion was negatived on the casting vote of the Speaker (Mr. Wilkinson); but the aggressive tone of the resolutions suggests the bitterness with which the question of land tenure was fought out in the provincial parliaments.
In spite of the constant difficulties about native lands, the relations between Europeans and Maoris were generally of the best. Thus in 1865 we find the Superintendent thanking the Wairoa chiefs for the active and zealous part they took in resisting the advance of the Hauhaus; and again, in 1866, in his address to the Council, Mr. McLean especially refers to the loyalty and devotion of the friendly natives in connection with the East Coast war. In this same address, however, Mr. McLean informed the Council that a large area of valuable land had been purchased from the Maoris of the East Cape, Wairoa and the Nuhaka districts, and that efforts would at once be made to plant settlements in the northern portion of the Hawke's Bay district. By this time the chiefs
This picture represents a vast amount of progress accomplished during the brief years that had elapsed since settlement first began in Hawke's Bay. A few figures may give some idea of the advances made up to this time by the whole district. By 1867 there were 247,000 acres fenced—being an advance of 181,000 acres in three years—and of these 28,600 acres were in English grass. Of freehold and leasehold land the total area was 1,700,000 acres, more than half the total area of the province. The white population of Hawke's Bay in 1864 was 3770; by 1867 it had risen to 5175. Within the same period the number of buildings had increased from 738 to 1130, the number of horses from 2780 to 4713, and the number of sheep from 558,000 to 842,000. At the same time the Council had not been blind to the higher interests of the community. As early as 1864 attempts were made to extend the basis of the educational system. At the beginning of 1863 there were only three public schools with a total attendance of forty-five pupils. By 1867 there were twelve public and denominational schools with 300 pupils, and an average for all of 226; and six of these schools were conducted by British trained teachers. Meanwhile internal means of communication were being slowly provided for the settlers. By 1865 a new line of road had been cleared through the Forty Mile Bush to the Manawatu on the West Coast. Arrangements had been made for the reclaiming of swamp land round
In the provincial annals of Hawke's Bay are to be found the names of many colonists who played a distinguished part in the early history of the colony. J. D. Ormond, Colenso, Tiffen, Captain Carter, T. H. Fitzgerald, Hitchings, Kennedy, Tuke, Russell, J. Buchanan, D. McLean, Colonel Whitmore—these are some of the names which fill the largest part of the public and political records of the district; and of these gentlemen some held the honourable post of Superintendent. Hawke's Bay's first Superintendent was, as we have seen, Mr. T. H. Fitzgerald; but in April, 1861, he resigned, and his place was taken by Captain Carter. In 1863 Mr Donald McLean was unanimously chosen as Superintendent; and in 1867, when his four years of office had expired, he was unanimously re-elected. In September, 1869, however, Mr. McLean's place was taken by Mr. J. D. Ormond, who was re-elected in 1871, and was holding office when the career of the province was cut short by abolition. Of other official members of the Provincial Council it is sufficient to notice the Speakers—Captain Carter, Mr. Tucker, Mr. Wilkinson, and Mr. Colenso—who all contributed largely to the successful solution of the many difficult problems of local self-government.
Of Mr. McLean (afterwards Sir Donald) it may be said that he had won a deservedly high reputation in the colony before he settled in Hawke's Bay. “Soon after he came to New Zealand,” writes Mr. Gisborne, “he became conversant with the language of the natives, and their habits of thought and feeling. From an early date he had been continuously employed by Government in difficult negotiations with native tribes in different parts of both islands for the purchase of land, and for other public purposes, and he showed singular aptitude for these duties. Wherever he was sent he fulfilled his mission with ability, and almost always with success. Physically and morally, he had wonderful qualifications for bringing arrangements with natives to a successful issue. He had a commanding presence, and a dignity of behaviour—qualities to which the New Zealand natives attach considerable importance, and he combined with penetration and good judgment, equanimity, patience, tact, energy, and perseverance. He threw himself, as it were for the time, into the minds of the natives, in their meetings and in his conversation with individual chiefs, and he inspired them with confidence in himself.” This indeed is an impressive eulogy, and Mr. Gisborne points out that when, in 1862, Sir William Fox's Ministry, of which Mr. McLean was a member, was turned out of office, the new Government tried hard to secure Mr. McLean's services as Native Minister. Such a testimony to personal work and ability is indeed rare in political life. His influence was always cast in the scale of peace; and it was largely owing to his efforts that peace was finally established on an enduring basis between the whites and Maoris. Sir Donald McLean was perhaps, less successful in the administration of provincial business than in the sphere of native affairs. His deliberateness and capacity for suspending judgment, which enabled him to deal so effectually with the Maoris, were often out of place, or even a positive hindrance in transacting the practical affairs of the province. Moreover, he was often at fault in the choice of his subordinates; and the self-confidence, born of a consciousness of ability in his own special department, made him occasionally difficult to work with, and impracticable. But no one has ever doubted that Sir Donald McLean did good and enduring work for the country of his adoption; and when he died, in 1877, the members of the Government paid his memory unwonted honour by going from Wellington to Napier to be present at his funeral.
Mr. J. D. Ormond was a man of a very different type. He was one of the early settlers in the Hawke's Bay district, and he was for many years the able coadjutor of Sir Donald McLean in public life. “Mr. Ormond,” writes the brilliant author of New Zealand Rulers and Statesmen, “is a man of great mental power. He is cool, observant, cautious, prudent, and resolute. His political and administrative ability is considerable. He thinks deeply, and when he has made up his mind to act, he acts with decision and effect. What he has lacked in later years is sympathetic power. He has become taciturn, reserved and angular in his general relations to other public men. He is more like the veiled prophet of politics than the gregarious statesman of the modern day.” Mr. Ormond was for many years a Parliamentary representative of Hawke's Bay. In 1872 he was Minister of Public Works and Immigration in the Stafford Ministry. In the Waterhouse Ministry (1872–3) he was again Minister of Public Works. Under Dr. Pollen, in 1875, he was Minister of Crown Lands; and in 1877 he was once more Minister of Public Works. Few men in the colony have done more than Mr. Ormond to further the interests of their district, and to discharge conscientiously then public and private responsibilities.
The name of Sir George Whitmore is connected with the early history of Hawke's Bay, chiefly through its association with the Maori war. Colonel Whitmore did much to break the power of the rebel Hauhaus, and it was largely through his exertions that Te Kooti was finally driven from the East Coast. Sir George Whitmore was Colonial Secretary and Defence Minister under Sir George Grey, 1877–9; and in 1863 he was appointed
Another more conspicious figure in the later politics and public life of Hawke's Bay is Sir William Russell, the son of a distinguished soldier who played an active part in the Maori wars of 1845–46. Captain Russell was also in the army till he settled in New Zealand in 1861. He was for several years an active member of the House of Representatives, and he was a member of the short-lived Atkinson Administration of 1884. Again in 1889–90 he took office under Major Atkinson as Colonial Secretary and Minister for Defence. In these capacities Captain Russell showed considerable administrative ability; displaying not only great and conscientious industry, but unusual tact and discernment in dealing with his colleagues and subordinates. From June, 1899, to the end of 1905 he was the recognised Leader of the Opposition, and stood, in the eyes of the colony, tor the old “Conservative” party, now almost displaced by the Liberals. But though Sir William Russell has always commanded the respect of his opponents and the admiring affection of his friends, he has never been a very successful party leader; but it may be that, neither as Leader of the Opposition nor as a private member of the House, a Conservative of the old type is no longer indispensable to the successful administration of New Zealand's affairs.
Among other more or less eminent public men who have taken a leading part in the political life of Hawke's Bay, may be mentioned Mr. W. Colenso, the distinguished authority on Maori history and legend, who stood for Hawke's Bay in the House of Representatives in 1861–65; Mr. J. Buchanan, who represented Napier during 1882–84; Mr. S. Carnell, who represented Napier in 1893–96; Mr. F. Sutton, who sat for Napier, 1877–81, and for Hawke's Bay 1882–84; Mr. T. Tanner, who sat for Waipawa 1887–90; Mr. G. H. Swan, member for Napier 1891–93, and Mr. W. Cowper Smith, who was member for Waipawa and Woodville from 1881 to 1893. Of former members of the Legislative Council, Mr. J. Curling sat from 1857 to 1861; Mr. A. H. Russell from 1861 to 1872; Mr. H. R. Russell from 1862 to 1885; and Mr. J. N. Wilson, from 1877 to 1893. The present members of the Legislative Council for Hawke's Bay are the Hon.
In the matter of internal communications, Hawke's Bay is reasonably well provided. The chief means of transit and transport is, of course, the Napier-Wellington railway, which runs for about one hundred miles within the limits of the district. The country between Napier and Woodville, where the line crosses the border, is the most thickly populated part of the district, and contains the largest proportion of arable land. Some idea of the extent to which it has been taken up and settled may be derived from the fact that though very large areas in this part of the country are still in the hands of the natives, there are nearly a million acres sown down in grass. The existence of a railroad in a country so well adapted for settlement has naturally done much to promote the prosperity of the district, and to spread civilisation in these once trackless wilds.
Alongside the railway there is an excellent road which was made before the rails were laid down. This main road is well served by a system of lateral branch roads, which radiate in all directions, and provide efficient means for internal transit From the main road, a branch runs westward to Kuripapanga, for forty-five miles, and thence on to Inland Patea, where the roads from Tokaanu, Hunterville, and Wanganui converge with the road from Napier. The main north road from Napier is the coach route to Taupo; it runs through the fertile Petane Valley, and thence onward into the pumice country, of which the centre of the island is chiefly composed. The road which connects Wairoa with Napier is broken by the Waikare and Matahouroa streams, and while these were unbridged the weekly mail coach to Napier was occasionally stopped by floods.
Beyond Wairoa the northern section of the district is connected with Napier by a road, which runs through Tiniroto to Gisborne, a distance of seventy-five miles. Much of the country is hilly, and there is little metal available for the roads. The consequence is that wheeled traffic is almost entirely suspended during the rainy months of winter; but a coach runs weekly for about ten months of the year. A road to Gisborne from Wairoa has been constructed so as to reach the Nuhaka Hot Springs, and this is now open for wheeled traffic.
The communication between Gisborne and the Bay of Plenty district is very much in the state that might be expected from the general condition of the North Island in this respect. A road has been surveyed from Gisborne to Opotiki, a distance of 120 miles, along the lines of the Motu track; and it has been formed as far as Motu township, sixty miles from Gisborne. The rest of the distance must still be traversed on foot of on horseback, and, as the country is heavy, and thickly wooded in places, these districts are still practically isolated on the land side from the rest of the colony.
For a long time past an agitation has been carried on in Hawke's Bay, for the construction of a railway that should connect the Gisborne and East Coast country with the Bay of Plenty, and also with Rotorua. Already a railway has been started from Gisborne, in the direction of Motu, and it has been carried past Ormond to Te Karaka; eighteen miles in all. The completion of this line would, of course, vastly improve the prospects of the district. But the East Coast-Rotorua railway is already (1906) one of the greatest public projects before the people of the North Island, and it will soon assume the importance that should rightly attach to a scheme of such great colonial utility.
North of Gisborne the country which, as already described, is mostly rugged and comparatively inaccessible, is already being opened up. The coastal road is open for traffic as far as Port Awanui. But the greater part of the passenger and goods transport, is carried on by the small steamers, which trade regularly at the numerous bays and harbours—Tolago, Tokomaru, Waipiro, Tuparoa, Awanui—which lie between Mahia and East Cape.
Though it is impossible to describe Hawke's Bay as the most picturesque part of New Zealand, yet like many other districts in this lovely land it has individual and characteristic beauties of its own. There are several well recognised tourist routes running through the district. The Napier-Taupo road affords opportunities for a splendid driving trip through broken pastoral country interspersed by bushclad gullies and hills. The Waipunga and Mohaka Falls are objects of special interests on this route. The Seventy Mile Bush is no longer the fascinating stretch of country that it was before the railway was driven through; nor can the Manawatu Gorge, now shorn of most of its beauty, be regarded as the peculiar possession of Hawke's Bay. Perhaps the most delightful of all trips available to the tourist who has reached Napier in his wanderings, is the Waikare-Moana tour, which is made by the Wairoa. Lake Waikare-Moana lies in the heart of the wild Uriwera country, and is generally adjudged pride of place among New Zealand lakes outside the sub-alpine region. The broken coast, the precipitous cliffs, and the luxuriant bush combine to produce a wonderful picture of scenic beauty; while the countless romantic legends and traditions associated with the lake will always render it an object of special interest to the student of Maori lore and Maori character. The lake lies about thirty-five miles north-west of Wairoa, and is reached by coach. An accommodation house has been erected at the lake by the Tourist Department, and boats and launches are now available for visitors.
Another interesting trip from Wairoa is the drive to the Nuhaka
Though a great part of Hawke's Bay is still, comparatively speaking, unopened, settlement is progressing rapidly, and there are already a number of towns able to take a high place among the most important centres of population in the colony.
Napier is pleasantly situated on the peninsula known as Scinde Island, which is joined to the mainland by a narrow single bank several miles in length. It is a busy town with a population of about 9,500. The business part is on the flat land at the loot of the group of hills that take up the greater part of the peninsula. These hills, formerly barren and waste, are now occupied by numerous private residences, and the very general tree-planting has given the upper town a distinctive and pleaing aspect. There is a good water supply, derived wholly from artesian wells of large size, and pumped by machinery to reservoirs on the tops of the hills. The shipping trade, as the large exports show, is especially active during the wool and frozen meat season. It is still carried on at Port Ahuriri, about a mile from the town; but has recently, in a large measure, been transferred to the fine breakwater which is now partially completed.
The local affairs are economically managed, and the rates amount to only about 2s in the pound. The town is built chiefly of wood, and though it possesses a high pressure water supply and an efficient fire brigade, the insurance rates are very high. Education in the town is provided for by the ordinary primary schools, and by two efficient and successful high schools for boys and girls—both boarding schools. At Hastings also there are two high schools, one for boys and one for girls; while Gisborne and Dannevirke have their respective high schools. The Napier Technical School has already done much good work for the town and district. While referring to educational matters, it should be noted that special exertions have been made in the Hawke's Bay district for the instruction and culture of the natives. The Te Aute College for Maori boys, and the Hikurere School for girls, are well appointed, admirably conducted, and highly successful institutions. The school of St. Joseph at Napier for halfcastes and natives, and the Meanee Mission School, are both carried on by the self-sacrificing exertions of the Roman Catholic section of the community. The work done at Te Aute in particular has been of inestimable value to the district and the colony, not only by familiarising the better class of natives with European literature, and at least the rudiments of culture, but by enlisting their services in the cause of civilisation on behalf of their less enlightened brethren. The splendid work done by the young Maori Party in uplifting the Maori race, is directly due to the influence exercised over the leaders of the movement by the training they received at Te Aute.
Gisborne, the trade-centre and port of what is known as the Poverty Bay district, is a prosperous town of nearly 6000 inhabitants, exclusive of Maoris, and rapidly increasing in size and importance, as the large quantity of unimproved land in the Cook county is fast becoming settled and made productive. There are 1,281,414 sheep in Cook and Waiapu counties.
Clyde, the county town and port of the county of Wairoa, is picturesquely situated on the Wairoa river, about three miles from the mouth. The river is navigable for small craft as far as the village of Frasertown, twelve miles further up.
With a few exceptions the towns and villages to the south of Napier are all situated on the line of railway running from Napier to Wellington. The principal are: Hastings, a rising town of 4,600 inhabitants, Waipawa, Waipukurau, Dannevirke, and finally Woodville, about three miles from the Manawatu Gorge, and distant ninety-five miles from Napier. It is at this end of the district that the Crown has, in the last few years, successfully planted settlement; and, in place of the continuous forest, known as the Seventy-Mile Bush of earlier days, there are now prosperous townships, with thriving industries.
Fellmongeries, soapworks, boot, coach, sash and door, and rope and twine factories are established in the principal towns. During the year 1901 the Hawke's Bay Woollen Manufacturing Company commenced operations in their factory at Napier, and though the company subsequently suspended work on account of financial difficulties the industry is now (1906) about to be revived. The coastal waters teem with fish, and the trawling industry is in a flourishing condition.
The recent progress of the district of Hawke's Bay and of the town of Napier is admirably illustrated by the statistics of the Napier Chamber of Commerce. The returns for the year ending the 30th of June, 1905, show that the area laid down in grass amounted to 3,057,124 acres, as against 2,687,403 acres for 1904. The area of improved land was greater by 352,046 acres than it was in 1904; but the area in crops showed a small decrease, no doubt due to the great extension of pastoral industries, more especially in connection with dairying and frozen mutton. The total number of sheep in the district at the end of April, 1905, was 2,938,397, or 6000 fewer than in the previous year; a fact which showed that Hawke's Bay, like other districts in the colony, suffers from the decimation of its flocks, through the efforts of sheepfarmers to push the frozen mutton trade. Cattle had increased during the same period by over 16,000 head; while the total of 22,000 horses remained practically unchanged.
According to the trade returns for the year, imports showed a small decrease, whereas the value of exports had increased from £959,477 to £1,178,400, a gain of £218,923. The Napier Harbour Board returns showed a further increase in export values of £128,674. This was due chiefly to the rise in wool, which had increased in value from £775,000 to £935,000. The shipping returns give further proof of the growing commercial activity of the district. The number of steamers and sailing vessels which entered Napier port for the year 1905 showed an increase of eleven; while the tonnage was nearly 8000 tons above the previous year's record. The Customs revenue, which rose from £84,896 to £95,618, gave further indication of increasing prosperity. The railway returns for the Wellington-Napier-New Plymouth section also showed an increase of over £24,000. While the expenditure had increased £15 per mile, the revenue for the same period had risen by £31 per mile—a satisfactory sign of industrial and commercial progress. All these facts and figures combine to encourage the most confident hopes for the prosperous development and future success of Hawke's Bay. Happily for the district, the staple products—wool, frozen meat, and dairy produce—represent the firmest and most permanent foundation on which the prosperity of a country can be based. The timber has been mostly cleared away; but as the roads and railways stretch into the hitherto unsettled country, the great extractive industries will be supplemented by many subsidiary forms of occupation and investment. But not even the lack of mineral wealth appears to be a serious disadvantage, when we reflect upon the enormous natural resources of Hawke's Bay, as represented by her sheep and cattle, her butter and cheese and wool; and by the time that these resources are fully explotted, Hawke's Bay will vie with any other district in New Zealand in population, in wealth, and in all the essentials of the most progressive civilisation.
During the period that New Zealand was a Crown colony, it was under personal Government; the members of the Legislative Council, who aided the Governor, were his nominees. On the 30th June, 1852, the Imperial Parliament passed a Constitution Act for New Zealand, which was proclaimed in the colony by Governor Grey, on the 17th of January, 1853. Under this Act, six provinces were created, namely Auckland, New Plymouth, Wellington, Nelson, Canterbury, and Otago. In later years subdivisions took place, and resulted in the formation of the new provinces of Hawke's Bay, Marlborough, Southland, and Westland. A Provincial Council, with a Superintendent at its head, was elected in every province. In the older provinces the Superintendents were elected by the people, but after the establishment of the new provinces, they were chosen by the Provincial Councils. The Superintendent had power to convene and prorogue the Council, and the Governor was empowered, on a petition of a majority of the Council, to remove the Superintendent. The Councils were elected for a term of four years, and to meet, at least, once a year. An elector's qualification was the possession of a freehold, valued at £50, or a leasehold of the annual value of ten pounds in a town, or of five pounds in the country. The Superintendent was the official head of his Executive; the proceedings were governed by Parliamentary usage, and all bills passed by the Council required the assent of the Governor. Within their respective provinces the Councils had the control of Crown lands, education, immigration, harbours, police, and hospitals, but their legislative powers were confined chiefly to the framing of laws relating to live stock and timber, drainage and fencing, though upon them devolved also the important duty of opening up the country with roads and bridges. Customs duties, the higher courts of justice, postal business, laws relating to bankruptcy, marriage ordinances, native affairs, criminal laws, and laws relating to the inheritance of property, were all dealt with by the General Assembly.
While the settlements were so distant from each other, and the means of intercommunication so scanty, provincialism was of the greatest benefit to the country as a whole. Every district could attend to its peculiar requirements, and the pioneer work of colonisation was thereby helped more than it could have been by any other means. Ultimately, however, a feeling of dissatisfaction arose, and spread rapidly in some of the country districts, concerning the unequal distribution of provincial revenues. It was alleged that an undue portion of public moneys was spent in the chief towns, while the roads and bridges for the country were neglected in consequence. The agitation ended in the passing of a bill by the General Assembly in 1858, intituled “The New Provinces Act.” Under the new law, Hawke's Bay was the first district to claim the right to secede, and, by forming a new provincial Government, it reaped the full benefit of the revenues derived from its extensive area. It thus came about that 1,514 inhabitants—the population of Hawke's Bay at that time, and about one-tenth of that of the mother province—took over the control of the whole country from Wairoa to Woodville, about one-third of the area of the original provincial district of Wellington. The loss to Wellington meant a corresponding gain to the junior province. An election was held, and ten members were returned to the first Hawke's Bay Provincial Council, which held its first meeting on the 23rd of April, 1859, in the Golden Fleece Hotel, which stood on the site now occupied by the Bank of New Zealand. About the year 1860 the Provincial Council Chambers were built, and became also the headquarters of the Magistrate's Court and other Government departments.
Under the administration of the Council, Hawke's Bay made substantial advances. The first public works included the formation of a road to Meanee, and the building of Tareha's bridge. Other roads were soon formed—some through dense bush; more pastoral lands were taken up, and a healthy spirit of progressiveness opened up ways to a prosperous future. Some of the provinces's most important public works were authorised and completed during the superintendency of Sir Donald McLean.
Settlement progressed rapidly throughout the colony, under provincial rule, but when the country became more populated, and communication was made more easy, it was found that the political machinery was too cumbersome. Ten Provincial Councils could not always work in harmony with the General Assembly, and though they had done good work, a time came when their abolition was deemed advisable. Sir Julius Vogel was the chief champion of the change, and, at his instance, a bill for the abolition of the provinces was passed in the year 1876. Since that date there has been one central Government; the country has been divided into counties, governed to a limited extent by county councils, while municipal bodies control the local affairs of the towns.
During the continuance of Provincial Government in Hawke's Bay four Superintendents held office. Mr. T. H. Fitzgerald was succeeded by Captain J. C. Lambton Carter, who was followed by Sir Donald McLean. Upon the latter gentleman joining the Fox Ministry as Native Minister, the Hon. J. D. Ormond was elected to office, and held the position until 1877, when the Abolition Bill came into operation. The Hon. J. Wilson, Provincial Solicitor, and Mr. G. T. Fannin, Provincial Clerk, held their respective positions throughout the whole period of provincial rule in Hawke's Bay. Mr. Fannin was subsequently appointed clerk to the Hawke's Bay County Council, and held the position until 1906.
the first Superintendent of Hawke's Bay, was one of the principal agitators for separation from Wellington, and worked in conjunction with Mr. H. B. Sealey, who wrote articles, and opened a correspondence in the columns of the Wellington “Spectator.” Mr. Fitzgerald also represented Hawke's Bay in the House of Representatives. He was a surveyor by profession, and upon resigning the Superintendency, resumed his practice. He subsequently left New Zealand for Australia, where he died many years ago.
succeeded Mr. T. H. Fitzgerald as Superintendent of Hawke's Bay. He was elected on the 8th of April, 1861, and remained in office for two years. Captain Carter was educated and trained for the Imperial service, and subsequently rose to the rank of Captain of H. M. 53rd Regiment. After resigning his commission he came to New Zealand, and took up land in Hawke's Bay, where he carried on sheep-farming. Captain Carter died in Napier, on the 27th of May, 1872.
K.C.M.G., the third Superintendent of Hawke's Bay, was born in Scotland in the year 1820. He went to Sydney at seventeen years of age, and two years late came to New Zealand. In April, 1844, he entered the Government service as Protector of the Aborigines, for the Western district, which extended from Mokau to Wanganui, and included Taupo. Sir George Grey subsequently abolished the department of Native Protectors, but retained Mr. McLean's services for practically the same duties, under the designation of Inspector of Police. In 1850 he received a commission empowering him to acquire land for the Government, in both islands. He visited Hawke's Bay, and arranged for the purchase of between six and seven hundred thousand acres, which led to the settlement of the province. With Sir George Grey's sanction he organised a department, in 1853, called the Native Land Purchase Department, with officers allotted to the various districts. He himself held office as Chief Commissioner, and, in that capacity, in 1851, made large purchases of land in the Auckland province. During the period of Governor Gore Browne's administration he continued to hold this office, together with that of native secretary, and was the adviser of the Governor on all matters affecting the Natives. In 1863 Sir Donald McLean settled in Hawke's Bay, and in the same year was elected to the office of Superintendent. In 1866 he was returned for the first time to the House of Representatives, and during the following three years continued to be both Superintendent and member. He took office in 1869 as Native and Defence Minister, and held this position until he retired from public life, seven years later. For thirty-two years Sir Donald McLean was actively engaged in the public service, from which he retired just a month before his death, which took place at Napier, on the 5th of January, 1877. The “Lyttelton Times,” a few days before his death, in summing up a long article upon him, said: “As a public man, measured by the value of what he has done, he dwarfs everyone in New Zealand.” Sir Donald was knighted in the year 1874, in recognition of his public services.
who was the last Superintendent of Hawke's Bay, was born in the year 1832, at Wallingford, Berks, England, and is the youngest son of the late Captain Frank Frederick Ormond, a captain in the Royal Navy of England. He was educated in Plymouth, England, and came to New Zealand when he was sixteen years of age, by the ship “Ralph Burnell.” For two years Mr. Ormond was private secretary to his brother-in-law, Lientenant-Governor Eyre, but in the early “fifties” he settled in Hawke's Bay as a sheep-farmer, when the district was included in the province of Wellington, and when the settlers were less than twenty in number. A few weeks later he entered political life, and since then he has continuously taken an active and prominent part in the administration of the public affairs of the colony. He was a member of four Ministries: as Minister of Public Works in the Fox Ministry in 1872, and again in the Waterhouse Administration in the same year for a few days; as Secretary for Crown Lands and Minister for Immigration
Member of the Legislative Council, was born in London, England, and educated at Barnet High School. He came to New Zealand in 1862 by the ship “Egmont,” landed at Lyttelton, and from there went to Auckland, where he served through the Waikato war in the volunteers, and received the New Zealand war medal. Mr. Smith started in business at Waipukurau in 1872, and two years afterwards he became a member of the local road board, and was chairman for fourteen years. In 1877 he was elected to the county council, of which he was a member for eighteen years, six years of which he was chairman. In 1881 he was returned for the first time to the House of Representatives, where he represented the Waipawa electorate for over twelve years, and for three years was senior whip to the Ballance Government. In the session of 1882 Mr. Smith moved a resolution for the increase of the wages of railway employees, and in recognition of his successful services on their behalf, was presented with a gold watch, suitably engraved, and an illuminated address. He also, for several sessions, carried a vote of £6000 for a subsidy to public libraries, and was the father of the lease-in-perpetuity clause of the Land Act. After an active political career, he was compelled by ill health to retire from public life, and from his many local appointments. He was instrumental in having the Waipukurau traffic bridge erected, at a cost of £6,000, and many other local works done in the district. Mr. Smith was chairman of the county hospital for many years, in which he took a great interest. In 1895 he was called to the Legislative Council.
M.L.C., who was appointed to the Legislative Council on the 20th of January, 1901, as a life member, is further referred to as the last Superintendent of Hawke's Bay.
was appointed to the Legislative Council in the year 1857, and held his seat until 1861. He was also Resident Magistrate in Napier, Chairman of the Bench, Receiver of Land Revenue for the Province of Hawke's Bay, Returning Officer for the Provincial Council, and held other public positions. It was he who took the Separation Petition, bearing between 300 and 400 signatures, to Auckland, for presentation
was appointed to the Legislative Council in the year 1861, and continued to be a member until 1872. He joined the Executive Council of the second Stafford Ministry, and from October, 1865, to August, 1866, held office as Minister for Native Affairs. Colonel Russell was a descendant of a Scottish family, entered the Imperial service at an early age, and rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in the 58th Regiment, with which regiment he served in New Zealand during the first Maori war, and afterwards settled in Hawke's Bay as a runholder. In the year 1874 Colonel Russell returned to England, and took up his residence in Devonshire. His son, Sir William Russell, was for six years Leader of the Opposition in the House of Representatives.
one of Hawke's Bay's earliest settlers, was appointed to the Legislative Council in the year 1862, and continued to be a member until 1885. He was formerly Sheriff for the district of Hawke's Bay, and chairman of the Board of Warders for the district of Waipukurau. Mr. Russell owned the Mount Herbert sheep run, where he resided. In 1866 he laid out and founded the town of Waipukurau, and promoted the settlement of the surrounding district; he also gave sites in the township for public, charitable, social, and religious purposes, in addition to monetary endowments, and his name will always be remembered as that of a public benefactor in the district with which he was long associated.
K.C.M.G., was a member of the Legislative Council in the year 1863. He was born at Malta in 1829, educated in Scotland, and then entered the Imperial service. At seventeen years of age he went to Cape Colony, where he served under Sir Harry Smith, and was afterwards a member of the Cape Mounted Rifles. General Whitmore saw active service in the Crimean war, and in 1861 came to New Zealand as Military Secretary to General Cameron, under whom he went through the second Maori war. Subsequently he was appointed to the command of the New Zealand forces. As marks of distinction for active service he held South African, Crimean, Turkish, and New Zealand medals. For some years General Whitmore was in partnership, as a sheep-farmer, with Sir John McNeil, in the Rissington station. He married a daughter of Mr. William Smith, of Roxeth, Middlesex, England, in the year 1864, and died in Napier on the 16th of March, 1903.
was called to the Legislative Council in November, 1877, and held his seat until the year 1893, when he resigned in order to go to England. He was also a member of the Executive Council, without portfolio, of the Grey Ministry, from November, 1878, to October, 1879.
Member of the House of Representatives for Napier, was first elected in the year 1899, when he defeated Mr. R. D. D. McLean. He is an active politician, and is an authority on Maori law. Mr. Fraser is a member of the firm of Messrs Fraser and Bull, of Napier, and resides in Hastings.
Member of the House of Representatives for Hawke's Bay, was returned at the election of 1905, when he defeated Sir. William Russell. He is a native of Wales, and came to Hawke's Bay by the first wool ship, the “Southern Cross,” in 1857. He first found employment as cow boy at the late Mr. H. S. Tiffen's Homewood estate, whence he went to Tamumu, and afterward's to Mr. J. Knight as bullock driver. At the age of nineteen years he entered into partnership with Mr. C. Clark, of Kaikora North, purchased teams of bullocks, and became a public carrier between Napier and the Waipawa County district. He carted wool to Napier from the Patangata, Oero, and Tamumu districts for over fourteen years. Mr. Dillon then sold out, and purchased his father-in-law's property, on which he went sheep-farming. He also purchased a portion of the Homewood estate. At present he is owner of 2,500 acres and 1,000 acres at Tamumu, shears over 8,000 sheep, and depastures 300 head of cattle. During his long residence in Hawke's Bay, Mr. Dillon has devoted a good deal of his time to local affairs. He has at one time or other been an active member of nearly all the local public bodies. He has been chairman of the Waipawa County Council, of the Waipukurau Hospital, Patangata Road Board, Waipawa River Board, and school committee, and a member of the Napier Harbour Board. He was also for six years a governor of the Napier High School, and has identified himself with every forward movement in the district. Mr. Dillon is one of the oldest Freemasons and Oddfellows in Patangata. He married the daughter of Mr. S. Collins, and has nine sons and three daughters. Four of his sons he has placed on farms, and the others are working on the home estate.
M.H.R., was first elected a member of the House of Representatives for Waipawa in the year 1893 when he contested the seat with Mr. George Hunter and Mr. W. W. Carlile. He was again elected in 1899, in 1902 defeated Mr. James
M.A., Ll.B. who represents the Eastern Maori electorate in the House of Representatives, was elected to that body at the general elections in December, 1905. Mr. Ngata was born in Kawakawa, East Coast, in the year 1874. He was educated at the Waiomatatini Native School, and afterwards at Te Aute College, where he matriculated in 1890, subsequently taking his Batchelor of Arts degree at Canterbury College in 1893. Mr. Ngata then went to Auckland, and became articled to the well-known firm of Messrs Devore and Cooper, barristers and solicitors. In 1894 he took honours in political science, which entitled him to the Master of Arts degree, and in the following year he again distinguished himself by taking his LL.B. degree. Mr. Ngata was admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of New Zealand in 1896, and commenced the practice of his profession in Auckland. In 1899 he was appointed travelling secretary of the Te Aute College Students' Association, now known as “The Young Maori Party” a position he occupied until 1902. When some of the views of the party were incorporated in the “Maori Councils Act, of 1900,” he was appointed Organising Inspector of Maori Councils. Of late years Mr. Ngata has been actively engaged in organising and stimulating the sheep-farming industry among the natives of the Waiapu County, and his efforts have been crowned with considerable success.
represented the Hawke's Bay and Wairarapa electorate in the General Assembly from the year 1856 to 1858, resigning in the latter year, owing to private interests. He was a vigorous politician, and a strong advocate for separation from Wellington.
was nominated and elected a member of the House of Representatives, without opposition, on the 22nd of July, 1858, for the Wairarapa and Hawke's Bay districts. He filled the vacancy caused by the resignation of Mr. John Valentine Smith. Mr. Ferguson was a strong supporter of the separation movement, and he worked also to bring about the division of the Wairarapa and Hawke's Bay districts, so that each district might have a member of it own in the General Assembly. This division was effected in the session of the year 1858, and Mr. Ferguson continued to represent the County of Hawke, as the electorate was first termed. Mr. Ferguson was formerly a merchant in Auckland, and, later, owned a sheep run at Ahuriri.
was a member of the House of Representatives for Hawke's Bay electorate in the year 1860. He is further referred to as the first Superintendent of Hawke's Bay.
who was a member of the House of Representatives for Napier from the year 1861 to the year 1865, is further referred to under the heading of “Old Colonists.”
who was member of the House of Representatives for Clive from the year 1861 to the year 1881, is further referred to as a life member of the Legislative Council, and as the last Superintendent of Hawke's Bay.
has one of the longest political records in New Zealand. He represented the Hawke's Bay electorate uninterruptedly for twenty-one years, and was for six years Leader of the Opposition in the House of Representatives. Sir William Russell's grandfather, Captain Andrew Hamilton Russell, of the 28th Regiment, took part in the battle of Copenhagen, and in the Walcheren expedition, and lost his life in 1811, in the Peninsular campaign. His father was Lieutenant-Colonel Russell, of the 58th Regiment, who served in the Maori war. Sir William was born on the 12th of November, 1836, at Sandhurst, Berkshire, England, where he was subsequently educated at the Royal Military College. In the year
sometime a member of the House of Representatives for Napier, was born in Cambridgeshire, England, educated at Royston School, came to New Zealand in the year 1857, and settled in Napier. Shortly after his arrival he started in business, which he carried on successfully for a number of years. In 1867 he was elected a member of the Provincial Council, as representative for Napier, which position he continued to hold till the abolition of the provinces in 1877. On the death of Sir Donald McLean, in January, 1877, Mr. Sutton came forward as a candidate for the Napier seat in the General Assembly, and was returned, defeating Mr. Henry Stokes Tiffen and Mr. John Buchanan. At the general election in 1879, he was again returned with Captain Russell, this constituency then having two members. By a division of the electorate, Mr. Sutton, on two subsequent occasions, contested a seat against Captain Russell. During the years 1877 to 1879 Mr. Sutton was chairman of the County Council, and during his term of office initiated, and carried to completion, the work of making the Patea Road. In recognition of his services the Council presented him with a service of plate. He was also a member of the Education Board, and was secretary of the Napier Flying Club. Mr. Sutton died at Napier on the 26th of January, 1906, leaving a widow, one son, and six daughters.
an able and active politician, represented Napier in the House of Representatives from the year 1866 to the year 1876. He is further referred to as a Superintendent of Hawke's Bay.
who represented Napier, and also, later, Waipawa, in the House of Representatives, under the Stafford and Grey Governments, was born in Woolwich, Kent, England, in the year 1819, went to Sydney, Australia, about 1839, and for many years acted as Colonial Storekeeper for the Government in Sydney. In 1861 he came to New Zealand, in the ship “Montezuma,” landed in Napier, and subsequently purchased the Elsthorpe estate, a property of 10,000 acres, in the Patangata County, Hawke's Bay. Mr. Buchanan was chairman of the Hawke's Bay Provincial Council, and was in command of the Napier Rifles at the time of the Omaranui rising. He died in the year 1892, and left a family of four sons and two daughters.
M.L.C., was first elected as a member of the House of Representatives
was member for Waipawa in the House of Representatives from the year 1887 to 1890. He was a keen politician, and a supporter of the Atkinson Government. Mr. Tanner was born in Wiltshire, England, in the year 1830, and is a son of the late Mr. Joseph Tanner, a landed proprietor in that county. He began the study of medicine, but, not liking the profession, came to New Zealand in 1850, and went to Wanganui to learn sheep-farming with Mr. John Cameron, a large stock owner in that district. In the beginning of 1853 Mr. Tanner removed to Hawke's Bay, and took up a large run on the Ruataniwha Plains. Some years afterwards he took up lands on the Ahuriri Plains, and later on acquired the Endsleigh and Petane runs. The Endsleigh run, which comprises some of the finest land in the Havelock district, contains about 3,000 acres of freehold, and the Petane run 14,000 acres of leasehold, both properties being sown in English grasses. Mr. Tanner has always identified himself with the fortunes of the province; during the native troubles he took part in raising the Waipawa and Hawke's Bay Cavalry Volunteers, and proceeded with his troop to the relief of the settlers and friendly natives at the time of the Mohaka and Poverty Bay massacres. He was for many years a member of the various local bodies. In 1893 he visited England, when he resigned all his public offices except his seat on the Education Board. During his long residence in the district Mr. Tanner has taken a prominent part in all matters for the advancement of the district. He married an English lady, and has eight children, several of whom are married and settled in Hawke's Bay.
formerly a member of the House of Representatives for Napier, and an ex-mayor of Napier, was born in Sunderland, England. He was brought up as a chemist at Newcastle-on-Tyne, where he also gained a knowledge of photography. He went to Australia in 1854, visited the Victorian goldfields, and afterwards entered into business at Dunolly. In the year 1857, Mr. Swan came to New Zealand, and began business as a photographer in Wellington, in conjunction with Mr. Wrigglesworth. In 1864 he removed to Napier, where he opened and carried on a branch studio for himself and his partner. The partnership was dissolved two years later, but Mr. Swan carried on the Napier business till 1870, when he sold out to his assistant, Mr. Samuel Carnell. In 1866 he became a large shareholder and managing director in the Hawke's Bay Brewing Company, and in 1869 purchased the White Swan Brewery, which he carried on for many years. Mr. Swan was elected to the Borough Council of Napier in 1874, and he was Mayor of the town continuously from December, 1885, to April, 1901. No other Mayor in any town of the colony has a record which can be compared with Mr. Swan's in this respect, and he rendered to his borough services commensurate with the honour it had conferred upon him. He inaugurated the public salt-water swimming baths, and the sea wall which protects the town, and forms the esplanade; the Marine Parade is largely the outcome of his public spirit and intelligent persistency, and is the finest work of its kind in New Zealand. Mr. Swan was Chairman of the Napier Hospital Board, and of the Hawke's Bay United Charitable Aid Board for many years, and a member of the Napier Harbour Board for seventeen years. He represented Napier in the House of Representatives from 1890 to 1893, and favoured a policy of moderate and steady, as opposed to precipitate, progress. Mr. Swan now (1906) resides in Wanganui, where he and his eldest son, Mr. J. G. Swan, are in partnership in a large and increasing brewing and malting business. Mr. Swan is brother to Sir Joseph W. Swan, of electric light and photographic fame.
was a member of the House of Representatives for Napier from 1893 to 1896. He is further referred to as Mayor of Napier.
formerly a Member of the House of Representatives for Napier, is further referred to as chairman of the Hawke's Bay County Council.
Napier, the chief town and port of the province of Hawke's Bay, lies deep down in the Light extending from Mahia to Cape Kidnappers. It stands upon a peninsula, which terminates in a group of hill—at one time surrounded by water, and still called Scinde Island. The business portion of Napier is built upon the flat land fronting the Bay, and upon the hills are a large number of handsome private residences, surrounded by tastefully laid-out grounds and pretty gardens.
A little over half a century ago the embryo capital of Hawke's Bay came into being. After the province of Wellington had become firmly established, settlement extended to the north, and the town of Napier was laid out. The first auction sale of land took place on April 5th, 1855, when £5 per quarter-acre was paid for the few sections that were then disposed of. At that time there was some speculation as to where the centre of the town would eventually be. The vicinity of the site of Clive Square was at first favoured, but business houses grew more rapidly in Hastings Street, and in the adjoining portion of Emerson Street. The shipping trade at that time was confined to Port Ahuriri, and in 1858 Messrs Richardson and Charlton were conducting a wholesale warehouse at the Western Spit, and a hotel was in existence there. Port Ahuriri—or the Spit, as it is more commonly called—is still an important business place, and warehouses and offices of the leading merchants and business people are located there. Though distant about a mile and a half from Napier, it is included within the borough boundary, and it contains a number of the principal manufacturing works and industries of the province. The small steamers engaged in coastal trade, the fleet of lightering boats, and the trawling fleet, work from Port Ahuriri. Most of the colonial and intercolonial shipping trade, however, is carried on at the Breakwater Harbour, but the large Home-going steamers, that lie in the roadstead, discharge and load their cargoes by means of the Port Ahuriri lighters.
The leading business institutions in the colony are represented in Napier, and educational, religious, and social organisations are established
On the Marine Parade, at the corner of Emerson Street, a monument has been erected to commemorate the part taken by the Hawke's Bay Contingents in the South African war; at the corner of Byron Street stands a handsome monument in memory of the men who lost their lives in the flood of 1897, while attempting to rescue the washed-out settlers at Clive; and in front of the Borough Council Chambers there is an attractive band rotunda, surrounded by shrubs the flowers.
The climate of Napier may be described in one word, “superlative.” The summer days are tempered by balmy salubrious breezes from the sea, and the ranges to the west and south protect the town from the bleakness of the winter gales. Napier is fast becoming recognised as an ideal health resort, and it has long been noted as a favourite place for a holiday. The climate and congenial surroundings appeal to those in delicate health, the wealth of natural colouring and idyllic scenes to the artist and the lover of the beautiful; and among the attractions to sportsmen and tourists are excellent fishing, good shooting, rowing, sailing, surf-bathing, golfing, tennis, and bowling; while the splendid level roads of the town and district are eminently adapted for cycling and motoring.
Napier was constituted a borough on the 26th of November, 1874. At the census of 1906 there was a population of 9661, including those on shipboard, but not including Maoris. The financial position of the municipality for the year ended the 31st of March, 1905, was as follows: Receipts, £15,423 3s 11d from rates, £28,187 18s 7d from other sources, and £12,428 bank overdraft, being a total of £56,339 2s 6d. The total expenditure amounted to £51,987 17s 2d, leaving a balance of £4,351 5s 4d. There are 1180 ratepayers in the borough, and the annual rateable value is £88,532. The rates consist of a general rate of 9d in the £, three special rates amounting to is 8d in the £, a special sanitary rate of 4d in the £, and a graduated water-consumers' rate ranging from 1½ to 3½ per cent on the annual value. Members of the Borough Council for the year 1906. Messrs S. Carnell (Mavor), J. Spence, J. P. Thomson, J. C. Westall, W. Donaldson, T. W. Bear, A. Paul, A. J. Williams, Edward Crowley, and James Constable (Councillors).
The Borough Council Chambers are situated at the corner of the Marine Parade and Tennyson Street. Meetings of the Council are held at the Chambers on the first and third Wednesday in each month. The officers of the Council are: Captain M. N. Bower, Town Clerk and Treasurer; H. C. A. Wundram, Valuer and Clerical Assistant; W. Hodgson, Receiver of Rates; L. Pickering, Sanitary Surveyor; J. Henderson, Collector of Dog Taxes, Inspector of Nuisances, and Pound-keeper.
J.P., was first elected to the Mayoral chair in 1904, and in the following year he was again elected unopposed. He was born in Nottinghamshire, England, in the year 1832, was educated at Old Lenton, and was brought up as a mechanic in connection with the lace industry. He turned his attention to photography, and after the discovery of the collodion process, in 1852, left for New Zealand, arriving in Auckland by the “Caduceus” in 1862. He was employed as operator by Messrs Crombie and Webster, photographers, of that city, and on the outbreak of the Hokitika gold “rush,” in 1865, he left for the Coast to try his luck at the diggings. Not meeting with the success he anticipated, he went to Nelson, where he opened a photographic studio for six months, then returned to Auckland, and finally removed to Napier in 1869, where he established a studio. In 1905 he sold out his business to his nephew, Mr. Bunting, and he now (1906) lives in retirement. Mr. Carnell has always taken great interest in public matters, and supported the liberal party. In 1894 he stood for the Napier seat, defeating his opponent, Mr. Swan, by 520 votes, and represented the district for three years in the liberal interest. He holds advanced views on the “Land Question,” believing that the only way to prevent the possesion of large estates is to limit by law the amount of land one man can hold. He has always been opposed to the totalisator, and in the session of 1895 carried a motion in favour of its abolition, and in the session of 1896 he drafted a Bill to give effect to that resolution. The Bill passed its second reading by a majority of nine votes, but was blocked in committee, and slaughtered with the “innocents.” For many years Mr. Carnell has been a member of the Napier Hospital Board, is a member of the Napier Harbour Board, and was a member of the Land Board. He also served for some years as a member of the local school committee, and is a Freemason.
who has occupied a seat on the Napier Borough Council since the year 1898, was born in Belfast, Ireland, in April. 1851, was educated at a private academy, under the Rev. Matier, and was subsequently trained as a journalist on the staff of the “Banner,” a daily newspaper of Ulster. In 1874 he came to New Zealand, went first to the West Coast, then spent about a year on the staff of the “Otago Daily Times,” and afterwards returned to the West Coast, where for a number of years he kept a general store near Hokitika. Mr. Spence removed to Napier in 1886, when he purchased his present business. He is a member of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board.
was born in Dalkeith, Scotland, in the year 1859, and is the son of Mr James Thomson, draper. He was educated in Dalkeith, and was afterwards apprenticed to his father. Mr. Thomson then went to London, and was for six years in the old-established drapery house of Messrs John Lewis and Company, in Oxford Street, where he be came buyer for the fancy department. He came to New Zealand in 1885, via Melbourne, by the s.s. “Garonne,” and was for a year in Dunedin, as manager of the fancy department of Messrs S. II. Carter and Company. He then removed to Timaru, and began business with his brother, under the style of Messrs T. and J. Thomson. He sold out his interest to his brother two years later, and opened his present business in Napier. Mr. Thomson joined the volunteers in Dalkeith in 1878. He joined the Napier Rifles in 1888, obtained a lieutenant's commission in 1895, passed for a captain's certificate, and received the rank of captain in August, 1898. As a member of the council of the Highland Society since its inception, he takes an interest in Caledonian sports, and is a director of the Star Bowkett Building Society. Mr. Thomson is a Justice of the Peace, a member of the Napier Borough Council, has been president of the Napier Bowling Club, and as a Freemason is secretary of Lodge Scinde. He married a daughter of Mr. William Newman, of Wincanton, Somerset, England, in 1885, and has one son and one daughter. Mr. Thomson is further referred to as a draper and importer in Emerson Street.
was first elected to the Napier Borough Council in the year 1901. He was born in London, England, was educated in Hasting, and at fifteen years of age went to sea. He followed a seafaring life for many years, but left the profession, and came to New Zealand. During his first few years in the colony he was variously employed, but soon afterwards took up school-teaching in Hawke's Bay. In 1888 and 1893 he won the Bowen Prize, and in the latter year took his LL.B. degree. Mr. West-all commenced practice as a solicitor in Napier in 1900. He takes a keen and active interest in social and public life.
who was elected to the Napier Borough Council in April, 1905, was born in September, 1846, in Plymouth, England, where he was educated. He afterwards went to sea for some time, and came to New Zealand in 1865. Mr. Bear followed the diggings for several years, and then worked at his trade as a painter in Nelson. In 1876 he removed to Napier, and established himself in business as a painter and paperhanger. He has been for nineteen years a member of the local school committee; has been closely connected with the Working Men's Club since its inception, and has several times been its president; was one of the founders of the Caledonian Society, and is a Freemason.
member of the Napier Borough Council, was born in Liverpool, England, in May, 1851, and was brought up as a harness maker. He came to New Zealand in 1872, and about five years later settled at Napier. For about twenty-six years he was employed at one of the largest saddleries in the town, and then established himself in business on his own account as a general storekeeper in Hastings Street.
a member of the Napier Borough Council, was born at sea on board the ship “Columbus,” in which his parents emigrated to New Zealand. He was educated at private and public schools in Auckland, and was apprenticed to the plumbing trade. For about three years he worked as a journeyman plumber in Napier, and subsequently worked at his trade for a number of years in various parts of
was elected unopposed as a member of the Napier Borough Council on April 19th, 1906, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Mr. McGrath. Mr. Williams is further referred to as a chemist and optician.
was elected a member of the Napier Borough Council on the 7th of November, 1906. He is a son of the late Mr. F. Crowley, one of Napier's earliest colonists, and was born and educated in Christchurch. He joined the South British Insurance Company, remained with that institution for some years, was afterwards connected with the Union Insurance Company, and now conducts an insurance and commission agency business in Napier.
was elected a member of the Napier Borough Council on the 7th of November, 1906. He has resided in Napier for a number of years, and conducts a business in Shakespeare Road.
Town Clerk of Napier, was born in Caén, Normandy, in the year 1834, and is a son of the late Mr. George Edmund Bower, of the old Ordnance Department at the Tower of London. He was educated at St. Paul's School, London, and was a scholar there when Sir James Pren-dergast, subsequently Chief Justice of New Zealand, was the senior monitor. On leaving this school, Captain Bower went to the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, as a cadet, where he remained two years. He afterwards served with the 13th Light Dragoons and the 10th Hussars in the Crimea. He returned to England when peace was proclaimed, purchased his discharge, and sailed for New Zealand. Captain Bower arrived in Auckland in 1857, joined the military stores department, in which he remained until the outbreak of the Waikato War, in 1863, when he received a commission as sub-inspector in the Colonial Defence force, then under the command of the late Colonel Nixon. On the death of Colonel Nixon, who died from wounds received in action at Rangiaohia, he was promoted to the rank of inspector, and served in all the operations against the natives in the Waikato until the corps was disbanded. He then joined the first Waikato Regiment as captain, and served with it at Tauranga, Opotiki, and the East Coast, until it was disbanded. He proceeded to Napier, and was employed as district adjutant and quartermaster at Wairoa, Poverty Bay, Waikare-Moana Expedition, Taupo, etc., from 1868 to 1873. In March, 1874, he was appointed town clerk and treasurer of the borough of Napier. Captain Bower married a daughter of the late Mr. John Mason, of Auckland, in 1857, and has, surviving, one daughter and two sons.
Valuer and Inspector of Buildings for the Borough of Napier, was born in the year 1838, in Hanover, Germany, where his father was a builder. He was educated at the technical schools of Hanover, and afterwards entered a lawyer's office. Mr. Wundram subsequently followed a seafaring
Receiver of Rates for the Napier Borough Council, was born at Norwich, Nnfollk, England, in the year 1844, and is the son of the late Mr. Thomas Hodgson, of that city. He was educated at the private school of Mr. Samuel Gidney, and was afterwards apprenticed to the grocery trade. At eighteen years of age he joined the dramatic profession, and for nearly fourteen years was a member of various stock companies in provincial theatres, including the Queen's Theatre (Manchester), Theatre Royal (Dublin), Theatre Royal (Hanley), Princes Theatre (Edinburgh), and at Bolton, Blackburn, Preston, Belfast, Leeds, Bradford, Aberdeen, Greenock, and other places. Mr. Hodgson arrived in New Zealand in the ship “Mataura” (Captain Brown), in 1877, and for seven years was book-keeper for a Napier merchant. He received his present appointment in 1884. Mr. Hodgson's reminiscences of his dramatic days have been often pleasantly recalled by meeting travelling members of the profession, with whom he had been previously acquainted, such as Messrs J. L. Toole, Harry Paulton, F. Maccabe, T. B. Appleby, and Harry Taylor. His engagements were generally in juvenile lead, and light comedy business. Mr. Hodgson acts as returning officer in local and general elections, and was for many years secretary to the Napier school committee. He has on many occasions in Napier rendered valuable assistance in amateur performances for charitable purposes, and is secretary to the Napier Bowling Club. In 1866 Mr. Hodgson married, at Edinburgh, a daughter of Mr. W. H. Weir, scenic artist at the Theatre Royal, Dublin, and has, surviving, one son and one daughter.
who, in April, 1905, was appointed turncock to the Napier Borough Council, was born in Melbourne, Australia, in the early “fifties.” He was educated at a denominational school in his native city, and afterwards followed a seafaring life for a number of years. In 1875 he came to New Zealand, and for about three years was engaged in general work in Hawke's Bay. He entered the employ of the Napier Borough Council as assistant turn-cock in 1878, and was subsequently promoted to his present position. Mr. Sheehan is a member of the Hibernian Society; is married, and has three sons and one daughter.
was established on the 10th of October, 1876, with the present superintendent as one of its original members. The fire station first stood on the site now (1906) occupied by the band rotunda, in front of the Masonic Hotel, but in the year 1893 it was removed to its present site at the back of the Council Chambers, in Herschel Street. It is a wooden building of two storeys, the ground floor consisting of a large storage room for the horse, the horse-cart, hand reel, and a fifty-two feet escape. The next room has the salvage corps' waggon, and in the room adjoining there is stored a Shand Mason steam engine, ladder-cart, and spare reel. The first floor contains a large meeting room, a billiard room, and sleeping quarters for seven firemen, with bathroom, etc. There are also living rooms
was born in San Francisco, in the year 1851, and arrived in New Zealand with his parents shortly after. He was educated at the Wesley College, Auckland, and for some time was in the Bay of Islands. He then went to the Thames, where he was engaged in mining, and later worked for Messrs Matthews and Bartley, builders, Auckland. At the end of 1871 he settled in Napier, where he has since remained in business. For twenty years he has been secretary of the United Fire Brigades Association, an organisation that includes nearly two thousand members.
was appointed Secretary of the Napier Fire Brigade in the year 1900. He has been a member of the Brigade since 1885, and was for two years its foreman. Mr. White was born in London, England, in June, 1866, and settled in Napier with his parents in 1872. He was educated at the local district school, and was afterwards brought up to the basket making trade, under his father, who had started business in that line in 1874. In June, 1905, his father retired, and he took over the business on his own account. The factory is situated in Dickens Street, and gives constant employment to two journeymen. Mr. White grows his own supply of willows at his residence at Taradale. He joined the Napier Navals in 1886, and he remained in the ranks till they disbanded, acting for five years as secretary of the corps. He then joined the Napier Rifles, of which he was secretary till 1905, and is still (1906) a member. As a Freemason. Mr. White is Senior Deacon of Lodge Victoria, No. 21, N.Z.C.
is situated on the railway line at Awatoto, about three miles from Napier, and was established in 1902. Most of the slaughtering had previously been done in a smaller building, situated about fifty yards from the present one, which was under the control of the County Council. The abattoir is substantial and up-to-date in every respect, standing on a solid concrete foundation, and consists of the slaughter-house, yards, and stables, the manager's office being in a small detached wooden building. The main building is of concrete throughout, and includes the hanging and slaughtering room, the pig-killing room, offal and skin rooms, and the boiler house. An unlimited supply of excellent water is obtained by means of artesian wells, and a hydraulic engine on the premises supplies a good pressure. The amount of stock dealt with per month varies somewhat, but the average approximates 270 head of cattle, 2,100 head of sheep, twenty pigs, and thirty calves, a considerable portion of which is absorbed in the supply of trading steamers. The charges for the use of the abattoir are: 3s per head for fullgrown cattle, 1s per head for calves, 6d per head for sheep and lambs, and 1s and 1s 6d per head, according to weight, for pigs.
is centrally situated in Vautier Street, and is a large brick building, with three commodious concrete tanks on the south side. The boiler department of the main building contains two Babcock and Wileox boilers, and the engine room has a large compound condensing engine, one compound condensing tandem engine, and one simple high pressure pumping engine. An unlimited supply of excellent water is obtained from artesian wells, which discharge into the storage tanks at the station. The water is then pumped into two large reservoirs, one of which, situated on Cameron Road, 150 feet above sea level, gives 65lb pressure, and the other, on Bluff Hill, 330 feet above sea level, gives 135lb pressure. The distance from the pumping station to the low-pressure reservoir is 1,914 feet, and to the high-pressure reservoir, 6,864 feet; with connecting delivery pipes of twelve inches diameter.
was appointed to the temporary charge of the Napier Borough Pumping Station in January, 1906. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in May, 1869, his father being a metal-merchant and brass-founder. He was educated at George Watson's College, afterwards served an apprenticeship to engineering under Messrs Alexander Mather and Sons, of Fountain Bridge, and then accepted an appointment with Messrs Hudson and Corbett, marine engineers, of Kelvinhaugh Street, Glasgow. A few years later Mr. Beddie went to sea as third engineer on the s.s. “Victoria,” a large ocean tramp trading to the Argentine, and subsequently
occupy a large area, extending from “Old Barrack Hill” to Chaucer Road South, and have a southerly aspect. They were designed and laid out with artistic taste, and are kept in splendid order. The lawns are intersected with a number of pretty walks, and winding avenues stretch round the gardens. A number of well-kept beds contain a very large variety of flowering plants. The hillsides are planted with ornamental, deciduous, and evergreen trees, and also with a variety of native shrubs. The paths are asphalted, and a number of seats have been placed in the gardens. An aviary and a fernery are objects of special interest. The Botanical Gardens are a deservedly popular resort, and they are largely frequented on Sundays and general holidays. Napier has another fine reserve in Clive Square, near the centre of the town, and there concerts are occasionally given by the Battalion and City Bands.
Superintendent of the Napier Botanical Gardens, was born at Swaffham, Norfolk, England, in the year 1852, and was brought up as an agriculturist. He emigrated to New Zealand in 1874, and worked as a gardener for a few years at the “Old Bungalow,” Napier. In 1880 he was appointed assistant gardener in the Napier Botanical Gardens, and became superintendent in 1899. Mr. Alderton is a widower, and has five sons and two daughters.
From the date of the constitution of the Borough of Napier to the present time (1906) only seven gentlemen have occupied the Mayoral chair. For length of office the record made by Mr. G. H. Swan exceeds that of any other Mayor in New Zealand. The first Mayor of Napier was Mr. Robert Stuart, who held office from the 19th of January, 1875, to December, 1878. He was succeeded by Mr. J. H. Vautier, who was elected for three consecutive years ending the 29th of May, 1882. Mr. W. I. Spencer next filled the position from the 14th of June, 1882, to December, 1885. Then followed the record term of Mr. G. H. Swan, who was Mayor from the 16th of December, 1885, to April, 1901. During the following year the office was filled by Mr. J. C. McVay. He was succeeded by Mr. F. W. Williams, who occupied the chair for two years. Mr. S. Carnell, the present Mayor, has held office since April, 1904.
the first Mayor of Napier, held office from the 19th of January, 1875, to December, 1878, and was a member, ex officio, of the Hawke's Bay Provincial Council. He unsuccessfully contested the Napier seat in the House of Representatives against Sir Donald McLean, and for some years filled the position of Resident Magistrate at Napier. Mr. Stuart was a Scotchman by birth, and arrived in New Zealand about the year 1850. He settled in the South Island, where he engaged in sheep-farming. Subsequently he retired, and removed to Hawke's Bay, and died in Napier on the 7th of July, 1883, in the fiftieth year of his age.
was the second Mayor of Napier, and held office from December, 1878, to the 29th of May, 1882. He was born in Jersey, in the year 1834, and is a son of the late Mr. John Vautier, farmer, of St. Martin's. He was educated and brought up to the building trade in his native island, and in 1854 went to Liverpool, England, and sailed in the ship “Lightning” for Victoria. After a smart run of seventy-six days, the “Lightning” arrived in Melbourne, and there Mr. Vautier remained until 1855, when he left for Wellington in the brig “Onkaparinga,” reaching that port at the time of the disastrous earthquake which occured about three hours later. Mr. Vautier has very lively recollections of the effect produced on shore by the great shock. Towards the end of 1857 Mr. Vautier went to Nelson, and tried gold-mining at Collingwood, but soon after removed to Napier. Hawke's Bay was then a very sparsely-settled district, and when Mr. Vautier arrived, the hill, or collection of hills, which is now the pride of the borough, was covered with ferns. There was only one hotel in the town, and as the demand for houses and stores was great the advent of a builder was mutually satisfactory. As this demand slackened, Mr. Vautier entered into business as a coal and general merchant, and from this gradually became a ship-owner on a fairly large and remunerative scale. In 1885 he sold out his vessels, and since then has spent his time in looking after his landed properties, and serving the public in a variety of ways. On the occasion of the first Borough Council election, Mr. Vautier was returned at the head of the poll, and he was chairman of the public works committee until he was elected Mayor. He was made a life member of the Napier Harbour Board by the Governor, but on the repeal of the
Napier's third Mayor, held office continuously for three years and a half. He was an army surgeon, attached to the 18th Royal Irish Regiment, and came to New Zealand with the troops that took part in the second Maori war. Subsequently, on account of his eminent qualities as a surgeon and physician, he was induced by the people of Napier to resign his commission, and to practise his profession in their town. Dr. Spencer was also a diligent scientist, who kept well abreast of the times in all matters of science, and who gave occasional lectures on scientific subjects. Two of his sons are following their father's profession, and a daughter is the Lady Principal of the Napier Girls' High School. Dr. Spencer died at Napier in the year 1897, at the age of sixty-five years.
who for sixteen consecutive years was Mayor of Napier, is referred to as a former member of the House of Representatives.
was Mayor of Napier from April, 1901, to April, 1902, and was formerly chairman of the public works committee of the Napier Borough Council. He was born in Auckland, and is the second son of the late Mr. John McVay, one of Auckland's early settlers, who arrived from New South Wales in the year 1841. Mr. McVay was educated at the Rev. John Gorrie's Academy, and was subsequently apprenticed to the saddlery trade. In 1873 he started the business which is now so extensively known, and in which he employs thirty persons. Mr. McVay has been a borough councillor for over twenty years, and was a member of all the standing committees of the Council, and chairman of those on which the Mayor did not sit. For several years he has been an active member of the Napier Harbour Board. Mr. McVay is president, and was formerly vice-president, of the Napier Park Racing Club, and is a director of the Hawke's Bay Permanent Building Society. Few movements for the advancement of the town and district have been inaugurated in which his ready assistance has not been available. He is a Freemason of many years' standing. In 1871 Mr. McVay married Miss Craig, of Belfast.
who was Mayor of Napier from the year 1902 to 1904, and who for several years represented the borough of Napier on the Napier Harbour Board, was born in Poverty Bay in the year 1854, and is the eldest son of the Bishop of Waiapu. Mr. Williams was educated at St. John's College, Auckland, and the Church of England Grammar School, Parnell. In 1873 he entered the mercantile house of Messrs Kinross and Company, general merchants, Napier, and remained with that firm until 1880, when he established himself in the business from which has sprung the important concern of Williams and Kettle, Limited, and of which he is the senior managing director. Mr. Williams is chairman of the Hawke's Bay Permanent Building Society, was a member of the Education Board for some years, and is president of the Napier Chamber of Commerce. In 1883 he married the daughter of Mr. J. B. Brathwaite, of Napier, late manager of the Union Bank of Australia, and has an only son.
The most important public body of a municipality is the Borough Council, which levies rates, administers public moneys, and controls various institutions. The public acts of members are often censured in the press, and meet with hostile criticism from the “man in the street,” yet their good works very rarely receive any expression of public approbation or thanks. Despite this capable men often stand for election. In consequence of this public spirit Napier has been fortunate in securing, from time to time, the services of a number of highly-qualified administrators. In this section some of the past members of the Borough Council are referred to; and others are referred to in other sections of the work.
J.P., formerly a member of the Napier Borough Council, was born in London, England, in the year 1837, and is a son of the late Mr. Phineas Cohen, merchant, of that city. He was educated in London, and afterwards entered his father's office, where he remained until 1859, when he came out to New Zealand, and landed at Auckland. A few months later he went to Melbourne, and proceeded to the gold-fields at Inglewood and Navarre. In 1862, when the Otago gold “rush” set in, Mr. Cohen returned to the colony, and entered into business as a storekeeper at Tuapeka and on the Dunstan. In 1867 he went to the Thames, and spent three years in that district. After a further period of three years in Auckland, Mr. Cohen settled in Napier, and opened a fancy goods store, to which he afterwards added a furniture warehouse, and subsequently an auctioneering business. During his long residence in Napier, Mr. Cohen has taken great interest in public matters, with political leanings to the liberal side; and, in Mr. Ballance's days, frequently took the chair at his meetings. He was a member of the Hawke's Bay Hospital and Charitable Aid Boards, and for a great number of years was chairman of those bodies. He was also a school commissioner, and devoted considerable attention to educational matters. For over twenty years without intermission, until illness compelled his resignation, Mr. Cohen was a member of the borough council, and for a similar period was captain of the fire police and salvage corps. He is a Freemason, and has taken the Royal Arch degree. Mr. Cohen married Miss
occupied a seat on the Napier Borough Council for about twelve years, and since 1899 has been a member of the United Hawke's Bay Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, of which body he is now chairman. He was born on the 15th of March, 1852, at Breslau, in Germany, was educated at the Real Schule in his native city, and in 1867 went to sea in the merchant service. During the next few years he was engaged chiefly in the East, and was for some time in charge of a store ship on the Japanese coast. In 1874 he returned to England, and in the same year came to New Zealand. Settling in Napier, he was employed for about ten years in the New Zealand Shipping Company's office, and in 1886, in partnership with Mr. Prebble, established a shipping and general carrying business. Ten years later the partnership was dissolved, and Mr. Cranby then carried on business for a short time as a seed, grain, and produce merchant. In 1897, however, his interests were purchased by Messrs Simmonds and Company, and Mr. Cranby has since traded in Browning Street as a shipping and general commission agent, under the style of C. H. Cranby and Co. He represents the Huddart Parker Line, the Federal-Houlder-Shire Line, the North Queensland Insurance Co., the New Zealand Flour Millers' Association, the New Zealand Portland Cement Co., and a number of other valuable agencies.
formerly a member of the Napier Borough Council, was born in the year 1834, in Manchester, England, where he was educated. He left the Old Land in 1859, by the ship “Caduceus,” and landed in Auckland. In January of the following year he removed to Napier, and, having a knowledge of carpentry, obtained employment on the old Government buildings, near the present Post Office. Devolving into a builder and furniture manufacturer, Mr. Dinwiddie soon had a very fine business on those lines, and during his first fifteen years in the district gained a competence. In 1876 he took a trip Home, via the United States, returning by way of Suez. Mr. Dinwiddie then chose the life of a farmer, and settled in Patangata County. In this, however, he was not particularly successful, and he sold his farm, returned to Napier, and assisted his brother, Mr. Peter Dinwiddie, of the “Hawke's Bay Herald,” for some two or three years prior to his final retirement. During the time of the Maori troubles Mr. Dinwiddie saw active service, and was at the engagement of Omaranui. He took great interest in volunteer matters for about seven years, was one of the first to start the movement in Hawke's Bay, and held the New Zealand war medal. Mr. Dinwiddie died in 1900, leaving a family of one son and three daughters.
who occupied a seat on the Napier Borough Council continuously from October, 1901, to October, 1906, was born in Auckland, in October, 1863, and is the youngest son of a master mariner, who is (1906) caretaker of the Calliope Dock, on the Waitemata harbour. He was educated at a private school, conducted by Mr. E. M. C. Harrison, in Auckland, afterwards learned the trade of a baker in Parnell, and then served an apprenticeship to the hair-dressing trade
was elected to the Napier Borough Council in 1900, and served continuously till April, 1906, when he resigned in order to contest the Mayoralty. He was born in Napier in February, 1866, his father, a member of the 65th Imperial Regiment, being at that time in residence in the town. He was educated at a private academy under Mr. J. A. Reardon, and was subsequently engaged in a variety of employments, including those of a compositor, a cabinet-maker, a shearer, a ploughman, a labourer, etc. In 1897 he purchased a general grocery business in Napier, and has since conducted an extensive trade. Mr. McGrath is a member of the local Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, is a Past District President of the United Ancient Order of Druids, and is president of the Napier Tradesmen's Sports Club. For several years he held the local championship for the quarter and half-mile sprint; he is vice-president of the Union Rowing Club, and a member of the football and cricket clubs. At the general election of 1905 he unsuccessfully contested the Napier seat. Mr. McGrath is married, and has three sons and one daughter.
who was almost continuously a member of the Napier Borough Council from its formation, until his death, on the 7th of January, 1898, was one of Napier's most respected business men, and was intimately connected with its progress. He was born at Southport, near Liverpool, England, in the year 1839, but was educated and brought up in Yorkshile. Coming to New Zealand early in 1861, he spent about three years in Auckland, after which he settled in Napier, and was in partnership with Mr. John Close for nearly thirty-four years, few firms being better known throughout the colony than that of Neal and Close. As a public man, Mr. Neal carried into his work that punctilious attention and integrity which were his chief characteristics. He was chairman of the public works and waterworks committee, and a member of the finance committee, where his business abilities were of great service, and he was a painstaking member of the Napier Harbour Board, to which he was elected on seven consecutive occasions. On the Hawke's Bay Charitable Aid Board, the Napier Hospital Trust, and the Napier High School Board of Governors, Mr. Neal also rendered valuable services, and his innumerable acts of private and public charity were marked by an absence of ostentation. In 1870 he married Miss Close, a sister of his partner, and at his death he left a family of three daughters.
formerly a member of the Napier Borough Council, is a partner in the well-known firm of W. Plowman and Sons, cordial manufacturers. He was born in Manchester, England, in the year 1850, and is the son of Mr. James Plowman, machine broker. He was educated in his native city, and apprenticed to Sir Joseph Whitworth and Company, Limited, engineers. On the completion of his time he went to London, where for two years he was engaged in the wax and tallow chandlery business. In 1871 he came to New Zealand by the ship “St. Leonards,” and on arrival in Napier was engaged in the aerated water factory of Mr. George Bowman. Three years later he entered the employment of Messrs H. C. Robjohns and Son, with whom he remained for eighteen years, rising to the position of brewer and manager. In 1894 he joined in the purchase of the business of Messrs Thomson, Gifford, and Company. Mr. Plowman is a Master Mason, and a member of Lodge Scinde. He married, in 1877, a daughter of Mr. Pond, of Falmouth, England, and has two sons.
who was a member of the Napier Borough Council for many years, is a well-known shipping and forwarding agent. He was born in 1850, in Hayle, Cornwall, England, and is a son of Mr. John Pearce Smith, cooper and woodware manufacturer. He was educated at the Hayle Grammar School, and subsequently was apprenticed to the sea with the West of England Company. After attaining the rank of second mate, during a period of nine years, in the Valparaiso, Indian, and China trade, Mr. Smith gave up seafaring life, and embraced an opportunity of coming to New Zealand. Settling in Napier in 1875, he obtained employment in the establishment of Messrs Margoliouth and Banner, grocers and wine and spirit merchants, and remained with that firm seven years, having charge of the Spit branch and wool dumping works. Mr. Smith then entered into business on
who was a member of the Napier Borough Council for a number of years, was born in Devonshire, England, in the year 1843, and is a son of the late Mr. Thomas Welsman, who came with his family to Auckland in 1858, by the ship “Egmont.” He was educated partly in a public school in England, and partly by private tuition in Auckland, was apprenticed to the late Mr. H. Potter, chemist and druggist, in Auckland, and set up in business on his own account in 1861, in Queen Street. Mr. Welsman sold out in 1877, and established himself as a chemist in Napier. For many years he was superintendent of the Wesleyan Sunday School, and he has been a director of the Napier Gas Company. In 1870 Mr. Welsman married Miss Allen, of Gloucester, England, and has, surviving, three sons and two daughters.
was incorporated in the year 1875, and its first members were Messrs J. D. Ormond, J. Gibson Kinross, A. Kennedy, J. A. Smith, A. Newman, Joseph Rhodes, J. N. Williams, J. H. Vautier, F. Sutton, H. C. Robjohns, John Chambers, and the Mayor of Napier, ex-officio. Almost immediately after its formation the Board set about improvements in the way of wharfage space, etc., and by 1877 had constructed two piers, and made good progress with the wharyes and landing facilities, at what is known as the Inner Harbour. Now (1906) vessels drawing up to fourteen feet six inches berth at the Inner Harbour, and there is about 2,100 feet of wharfage accommodation. It is in connection with the Breakwater Harbour, however, that the Board's operations have been mainly directed of late years. On the 25th of January, 1887, the first block of the breakwater was laid, and the work is still being steadily carried on. On the 12th of June, 1893, the first vessel, a steamer of 910 tons register, was berthed alongside the breakwater wharf, and took a shipment of circus animals, etc., and this at a time when a heavy sea was running. In October, 1896, the Glasgow wharf was officially opened for traffic, and now the s.s. “Manuka,” a vessel of 4.505 tons register, and other steamers almost as large, are regular traders. The breakwater, which is in the shape of an angle of about 160 degrees, is completed for a distance of 2,542 feet from the point of the Bluff, and the remaining part of the work in progress is marked by buoys. It is constructed of concrete blocks, weighing about thirty tons each, upon a rubble foundation, and is well protected with thirty-ton blocks piled irregularly on the weather side, to act as wave breakers. There are two wharves, one running fore aft the breakwater for 1,200 feet, and the other projecting north eighteen degrees west for 410 feet, from a point one cable's length from the Bluff; the latter being known as the Glasgow wharf. The largest local and inter-colonial steamers, including the Union Steamship Company's and Huddart, Parker and Company's vessels, berth regularly at the Breakwater Harbour wharves. Ocean-going vessels anchor in the roadstead, loading and discharging cargo by means of sailing and steam lighters.
The Board has one large storage shed, 194 by 35 feet, at the Breakwater, near the Bluff, and two small ones at Port Ahuriri, one on the West and the other on the Iron Pot Quay. The harbour, pilotage, port charges, wharfage, and storage fees are based upon a reasonable scale. The signal station, which was formerly at the old barracks, on Barrack or Hospital Hill, is now situated on the highest point of the lighthouse reserve, overlooking the breakwater.
The total liability of the Napier Harbour Board is £500,000, which is provided for by a sinking fund. In 1905 the sum of £5,287 19s 5d was added to the sinking fund, which brought the gross amount, as at 31st December, 1905, up to £66,042 9s 9d.
Shipping business at the harbour has, year by year, steadily progressed. In 1877 the general revenue—exclusive of rates, interest, and Government grants—was £4,386; in 1887, £12,886; in 1897, £19,937; in 1904; £20,989; and in 1905 it had increased to £23,955. The amount of tonnage of vessels inwards in the year 1872 was 52,732; in 1882, 126,632; in 1892, 284,511; and in 1905 it amounted to 730,703 tons. The cargo imports grew from 46,493 tons in 1899, to 80,509 in 1905, and in the same years the cargo exports were respectively 55,475 and 65,162 tons.
The Board's offices are situated in Bridge Street, Port Ahuriri, and consist of a wooden building of six rooms. Members of the Board for 1906 are: Messrs J. Vigor Brown (chairman), J. S. Large, Henry Williams, John Harker, J. C. McVay, Charles Ellison, F. W. Williams, W. K. White, G. M. Morris, G. A. Macdonald, A. E. Jull, A. H. Russell, and the Mayor of Napier (Mr. S. Carnell) ex-officio. Officers of the Board are: Messrs J. P. Kenny (Secretary, Treasurer, Chief Wharfinger and Rate Collector), O. J. W. Lake (Harbour-master and Chief Pilot), E.
Chairman of the Napier Harbour Board, is a Scotchman by birth, and was educated at the Church of England Grammar School, Melbourne, Australia. Mr. Brown was afterwards apprenticed to Messrs Sargood, King and Sargood, in Melbourne, now (1906) the well-known firm of Sargood, Son and Ewen. He came to New Zealand in the year 1875, and was engaged by Messrs A. P. Stewart and Co., of Wellington, for whom he travelled for two years. In 1877 he accepted the appointment of manager of Messrs Archibald Clark and Sons' Napier branch, which position he held for twenty years, and much of that firm's success was due to his energy and' tact. In May, 1898 Mr. Brown resigned his position with Messrs Clark and Sons to undertake the management of the extensive business of Messrs Neal and Close. He is also managing director of the White Swan Brewery Company, and of the firm of J. Vigor Brown and Co., and is local agent for the United and Phoenix Fire Insurance Companies. Mr. Brown was first elected to the Napier Harbour Board in 1898, and has also served as a member of the Borough Council, and was a member of the council of the Free Trade Association. He is a member of the Board of Governors of the Napier Boys' and Girls' High Schools, is chairman of the Cemetery Trustees, was for three years president of the Napier Chamber of Commerce, is president of the Caledonian Society, a director of the Napier Park Recreation Company, chairman of the Napier Land, Building and Investment Society, and a director of the Napier Gas Company. He is also commodore of the Napier Sailing Club, and vice-president and treasurer of the Napier Park Racing Club.
who is a member of the Napier Harbour Board, ex-officio, is referred to as Mayor of Napier.
who has occupied a seat on the Napier Harbour Board for about five years, is a native of Yorkshire, England, and came to New Zealand with his parents at an early age. Mr. Ellison is a partner in the firm of Messrs Ellison and Duncan.
who is a member of the Napier Harbour Board, was born in England, in the year 1839, and was brought up as a flourimiller. He came to New Zealand in the ship “African” in 1862, and landed in Auckland, where he joined the Militia,
a member of the Napier Harbour Board, was born in Canada, on the 6th of December, 1864, and came to New Zealand with his parents in 1877. He arrived in Waipawa in 1881, for some years was engaged in store-keeping, and subsequently established himself in the brewing industry. Mr. lull is chairman of the Waipawa County Council, was elected president of the New Zealand Counties Association in 1901, was for some years chairman of the Waipawa Town Board and of the District Hospital Board, and in 1894 was president of the New Zealand Fire Brigades' Association. He is an enthusiastic Oddfellow, is a P.P.G.M. of the Hawke's Bay district, and in 1906 represented the district at the biennial conference held at Nelson.
who is a member of the Napier Harbour Board, is a well-known and highly-respected resident of Hawke's Bay. He was born and educated in Manchester, England, where he learned the cabinet-making trade, came to New Zealand in 1862 by the ship “Commodore Perry,” and landed in Dunedin. Shortly afterwards he continued his journey to Napier, where he established himself in business. In the year 1867 he took Mr. Townley into partnership, and started a branch at Gisborne. The business assumed extensive proportions, and became one of the largest in Hawke's Bay. In 1885 the partnership was dissolved. Mr. Large retaining the principal Napier business, and Mr. Townley the Gisborne branch. In 1896 Mr. Large retired from business. He was for some years an active and useful member of the Napier Borough Council, was a member of the Napier School Committee for some time, and is a member of the Chamber of Commerce. In 1863 he married a daughter of Mr. James Ferguson, of Manchester, England, and has two daughters and one son.
is one of the members of the Napier Harbour Board, and is more fully referred to as a former Mayor of Napier.
who is a member of the Napier Harbour Board, is further referred to as captain of the Hawke's Bay Mounted Rifles.
J.P., Member of the Napier Harbour Board, was born at Bath, Somerset, England, in the year 1848, and is a son of the late Mr. Isaac Williams. He was educated in his native city, where he was afterwards apprenticed to various branches of the hardware trade. In 1862 he came to New Zealand by the ship “Arabella,” and landed in Welington, in which port the ship was soon afterwards partially destroyed by fire. Napier was, in those days, a small but rapidly-extending town, and the branch of Mr. Williams' business mostly in demand was that of tin-smithing and plumbing. From the first he did well, and in a few years found himself in possesing of one of the finest and most complete hardware establishments in the province. Besides the splendid ironmongery warehouse in Napier, there is a branch at Hastings, whilst the American Coach Factory and the Vulcan Foundry, Napier, are further developments of the same business. Mr. Williams has taken an active part, for several years, in all public movements, was a member of the Borough Council for some years,
who is a member of the Napier Harbour Board as a representative of the Wairoa County Council, is a well known Napier merchant and manager of public companies. He was born in Glassgow, Scotland, and is a son of Mr. Joseph White, of that city. He was educated at the Glasgow University, and after a twelve months' pleasure trip on the Continent of Europe, and a few years' experience of the West India trade, sailed for Melbourne, en route for Napier, in the steamship “Lusitania,” in the year 1879. On his arrival in Napier he was appointed to a responsible position in the mercantile firm of Kinross and Company, which he held until 1886, when he established himself in business on his own account. Mr. White is manager of the North British end New Zealand Investment Company, Limited, and of the North British and Hawke's Bay Freezing Company, Limited, both of which he himself promoted. He is attorney for the London and Lancashire Insurance Company, and agent for the United Marine Insurance Company, the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, and for J. and E. Hall, Limited, manufacturers of refrigerating and ice-making machinery; besides representing many other important enterprises. In 1887 he married a daughter of the late Dr. Moore, of Christchurch, one of the earliest Canterbury settlers, and has three sons.
a member of the Napier Harbour Board, is referred to as an ex-Mayor of Napier.
Secretary and Treasurer of the Napier Harbour Board, joined the Harbour Board's staff as office boy on the 2nd of November, 1885, and fourteen years later, in April, 1899, was appointed to succeed Mr. J. T. Carr, C.E., as secretary and treasurer. He was born at Battersea, Surrey, England, in August, 1871, and is the only surviving son of Mr. Lawrence J. Kenny, now (1906) ganger for the Napier Harbour Board. Mr. Kenny came to New Zealand at twelve years of age, by the ship “Rangitikei,” and transhipped from Auckland to Napier in the s.s. “Southern Cross.” He was educated up to the time of leaving England at the Brothers' School, Battersea, and after his arrival at Napier entered the commercial academy kept by his uncle, the late Mr. John A. Rearden, at Coote Road, Napier. Upon the death of his uncle, Mr. Kenny completed his education at the Brothers' School at Napier. Mr. Kenny is fond of sport, and for years has been patron of the Ahuriri Football Club, the premier club of the province.
Dredge-master at Napier, and formerly Harbour-master and Pilot, is a native of Prussia, and was brought up to a seafaring life from a very early age. He came to New Zealand in the year 1857, made various trips to Melbourne, and sailed for the Chatham Islands in the brig “Adelaide,” commanded by Captain Weatherhall, when she was wrecked. The shipwrecked crew returned to Wellington by the schooner “Esther,”
Every electorate in New Zealand is also a licensing district, and district committees administer the licensing laws. Formerly licensing courts were in vogue, but under the Licensing Act of the year 1881, these were abolished, and elective committees of five members were substituted. These bodies are endowed with the power of granting, renewing, or refusing licenses, and applications for transfers of licenses must be submitted to them. On the day of the general elections, every three years, a poll is taken on the licensing vote, three issues being submitted to the voter, viz., “continuance, reduction and no-license.” A bare majority of votes may carry reduction, but a three-fifths majority is required to carry no-license. In districts where no license has been carried—under the Amendment Act of 1904—no licenses of any sort are to be granted and in these districts a three-fifths majority is required to carry restoration of licenses. The Napier Licensing Committee meets on the first Monday in the months of March, June, September, and December. The Stipendiary Magistrate and the Clerk of the Court are, ex-officio, Chairman and Clerk respectively of the Licensing Committee. The present elective members of the Napier Licensing Committee, who were elected in 1906 for a term of three years, are: Messrs H. J. Holder, C. D. Kennedy, G. A. Mac-donald, J. J. Niven, and Henry Williams.
who is a member of the Napier Licensing Committee, is a building contractor. He is president of the Working Men's Club.
who occupies a seat on the Napier Licensing Committee, is further referred to as Engineer of the Hawke's Bay County Council.
one of the elective members of the Napier Licensing Committee, was formerly one of the partners in the large engineering firm at the Spit, which is still carried on under the style of J. J. Niven and Company. Mr. Niven is now (1906) manager of the Napier Fish Supply Company.
who is a member of the Napier Licensing Committee, is referred to at length as a member of the Napier Harbour Board.
has an area of 3,232 square miles, and a population of 7,700. The rateable value is £3,800,000, on which a general rate of ¾ d in the £ is levied. Upon the abolition of the Hawke's Bay Provincial Council, the County Council, incorporated in 1876, came into existence. It has the entire management of the public affairs of the county, and meets on the second Monday in each month, at the council offices, which are situated in Tennyson Street, Napier. The Council is elected triennially. Members for the year 1906: Messrs R. D. D. McLean (chairman), Stanley Bennett, I. Simson, W. K. White, J. J. Rathie, G. P. Donnelly, T. E. Crosse, T. M. Chambers, and W. Shrimpton. Mr. A. H. Ferguson is county clerk, Mr. C. D. Kennenedy, consulting engineer, and Mr. John Orr is road overseer.
Chairman of the Hawke's Bay County Council, represented Napier in the House of Representatives from 1896 to 1899. He has been for twenty years a member of the County Council, and for a similar period a member of the committee of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, of which he has been president, is one of the oldest members of the Rabbit Board, is a member of the Board of Governors of the Boys' High School and the Girls' High School, and has also served on the Education Board, the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, and in many other minor public capacities. Mr. McLean was born in Wellington in the year 1852, and is the only son of the late Sir Donald McLean. He was educated at the Auckland Grammar School and at Clifton College, England, but was prevented from proceeding to the University on account of ill health, which necessitated his return to the colony. He was then articled to Messrs Hart and Buckley, a prominent legal firm in Wellington, and subsequently returned to England, where he was called to the Bar of the Middle Temple in 1882. Mr. McLean, however, did not practise his profession; he returned to New Zealand in 1883, and has since devoted himself to industrial pursuits, chiefly as a large station owner. His present property, known as “Marae-kakaho,” is one of the largest and best equipped stations in the province. Mr. McLean is a director of the Hawke's Bay Farmers' Co-operative Association and of the North British and New Zealand Freezing Company; and is president of the Highland Society.
one of the members of the Hawke's Bay County Council, is a well-known sheep farmer at “Wharerangi,” Puketapu. He is the second son of Mr. John Bennett, of “Newstead,” and was born at Puketapu. He was educated at the Wanganui Collegiate School, and
who for six years has represented the Heretaunga riding on the Hawke's Bay County Council, was for several years a member of the Patangata County Council, and for three years of the Waipawa County Council; he was one of the promoters of the Hawke's Bay Rabbit Board—which, by its splendid efforts and enormous outlay, effected the almost total extinction of the rabbit pest within the provincial boundaries—and for fifteen years was continuously its chairman; he has also served on the Clive River Board, the Hastings Borough Council, the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, the Napier High School Board of Governors, the Napier Licensing Committee, the Hawke's Bay Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, and other minor bodies. Mr. Crosse has actively supported the Government's closer settlement policy, and was selected as Crown Assessor in the purchase of nearly all the State-owned settlements in Hawke's Bay, and also acted in the same capacity in connection with the Flaxbourne estate in Marlborough. He takes a keen interest in polo and golf. Mr. Crosse was born in the year 1855, at Porangahau, in Hawke's Bay. His father settled on the Porangahau station, and Mr. Crosse was educated in Napier, at Marshall's Grammar School. He then returned to “Porangahau,” which he conducted for many years after his father's death. After leaving “Porangahau,” he bought the Kumeroa station at Woodville, which property was afterwards acquired by the Government for closer settlement. Mr. Crosse then purchased Patoka station and 800 acres of rich land near Hastings, known as “Woodland,” He works both properties in conjunction, and resides in Hastings.
who is a member of the Hawke's Bay County Council, is further referred to as a sheep-station owner.
who represents Clive riding on the Hawke's Bay County Council, has been a member of the Clive River Board for several years, and of the local school committee for fifteen years, ten years of which he has been chairman. He has also been a member of the local Lodge of Foresters for sixteen years, and is a member of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society. Mr. Rathie was born in Berwickshire, Scotland, in the year 1854, and is a son of a Presbyterian minister. He was educated at the parish school, and afterwards devoted his attention to farming. In 1874 he came to New Zealand by the ship “Tintern Abbey,” under engagement to Mr. John Scott Caverhill, of North Canterbury; two years later, however, Mr. Caverhill sold out. Subsequently Mr. Rathie had a varied experience in pastoral work at Longbeach (Ashburton), Heslerton (Rakaia), Moa Flat (Otago), and Ardgour (Central Otago). In 1882, he removed to Hawke's Bay, under an engagement to. Mr. John Roberts, of Clive Grange, where he remained for seven years. Mr. Rathie then bought a small block of land, and started farming on his own account. His property now (1906) consists of 84 acres of rich freehold land, devoted to mixed farming. Mr. Rathie is married, and has two sons and seven daughters.
who represents the Okawa riding on the Hawke's Bay County Council, is one of the oldest members of that body, and has filled the office of chairman on nine separate occasions. He is also a member of the Charitable Aid Board, is a trustee of the Napier Hospital, a member of the East Coast Native Land Trust Board, the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, and is a steward of the Hawke's Bay Metropolitan Jockey Club. Mr. Shrimpton has also served as chairman of the Okawa Road Board, and has given his time and attention to other important public bodies. He resides on his property at Matapiro.
was elected a member of the Hawke's Bay County Council for the Meanee riding, in November, 1905. He is also a member of the Meanee River Board, the Hawke's Bay and Napier Racing Clubs, the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, the Greenmeadows Bowling Club, and is vice-president of the Taradale Rifle Club. Mr. Simson was born in Waikaia, Otago, in the year 1871, and is the third son of Mr. Hector N. Simson, of Auckland, and grandson of the late Mr. H. N. Simson, sometime one of the largest and most successful horse breeders in Australia. He was educated at Gore, and by private tuition, and afterwards entered the warehouse of Mr. W. J. Hurst, grain and seed merchant, Auckland. In 1887 he returned to Gore, and joined his uncle, an auctioneer, and was subsequently engaged by Messrs H. S. Valentine and Company, of Riversdale, as auctioneer and stock salesman. During the mining boom in Auckland and the Thames, Mr. Simson established himself in business in Paeroa, as an auctioneer, and was later appointed as Government Valuer for the Ohine-muri County. Relinquishing his northern interests, he again returned to Gore, and in partnership with a brother, took over his uncle's business, which they successfully conducted until 1899, when Mr. Simson sold
is a member of the Hawke's Bay County Council. He is further referred to as a member of the Napier Harbour Board.
was appointed Engineer to the Hawke's Bay County Council in the year 1881. He was born in Napier in 1858, and is a son of the late Mr. Alexander Kennedy, of Napier—sometime captain of No. 2 Company Napier Militia, who was wounded at the memorable Omaranui fight. Mr. Kennedy was educated at the Napier Grammar School and at the late Rev. D'Arcy Irvine's private school at Waipukurau. He passed the junior Civil Service examinations in 1873, and joined the Public Works Department, in which he remained four years. In 1877 he entered the Survey Department, and was in the King Country when the surveyors were stopped by a party of eighty armed natives, under the late Major Kemp. He was placed in charge of an expedition of sixty armed native volunteers, and saw a good deal of rough work. In 1881 the Hawke's Bay County Council asked Mr. Kennedy to undertake the road and bridge engineering work of the county, and he has also acted as consulting engineer for the Patangata, Heretaunga, and Maraekakaho Road Boards, the Clive and Pukehou River Boards, the Wairoa County Council, and the Harbour Board. In 1885 he decided to study law, and passed the final examination in 1889. Mr. Kennedy was lieutenant in the F Battery Artillery Volunteers, and has a high reputation as a marksman. When in England, in 1893, he won several prizes at the Bisley meeting, and was included in the prize list of the “Queen's Prize,” and also gained a place in the following competitions: “Alexandra,” “The Armourers,” “Wantage,” “City of London,” and “Extra Prizes.” Mr. Kennedy is a good footballer, tennis player, and bowler. Though now unattached, as a Freemason, he is a Past Master of the Irish Constitution.
The military forces of New Zealand consist of a Permanent Defence Force, the Volunteer organisation, and the adult manhood of the colony, who, in case of need, would be called upon to enrol in the New Zealand Militia. His Excellency the Right Honourable William Lee, Baron Plunket, K.C.M.G., K.C.V.O., is Governor and Commander-in-Chief, and Colonel James Melville Babington, H.M. General Staff, who holds the rank of Major-General, is Commandant of the New Zealand Defence Forces. Lieutenant-Colonel the Hon. Albert Pitt is Minister of Defence.
The Wellington Military District embraces the provinces of Wellington, Taranaki, and Hawke's Bay, and also includes the town and surrounding country of Gisborne. The District Staff headquarters are in Wellington city, and the chief staff officers are Colonel William Holden Webb, New Zealand Militia (late 109th Foot), Officer Commanding the district, and Major Lewis John Joyce, New Zealand Militia, Adjutant. The forces of the district comprise one corps of field artillery, two companies of garrison artillery, two companies of engineers, four battalions of mounted rifles, five battalions of rifle volunteers, one bearer corps, and two battalions of defence cadets. In Wellington there is a garrison band, and there are battalion bands at Wanganui, Napier, New Plymouth, and Woodville. In addition there are fifty-three rifle clubs in the district.
The troublous early days of the second Maori war caused a stir in Napier and Hawke's Bay that resulted in the formation of a local
In 1866 the native risings were a source of much uneasiness to the people of Hawke's Bay. A secretly organised attempt was made by the Maoris to attack Napier. Discovering their intention, Archdeacon Williams, of Te Aute, hastened to town, and informed Sir Donald McLean, then Superintendent of the Province, of the danger that was immediately threatening Napier. The forces were at once called out, marched through the night to Omaranui, about thirteen miles distant from Napier, and at daybreak on the following morning, October 12th, were formed up to attack the fortified pa on the eastern bank of the Tutaekuri river. The Napier Rifles and Puketapu Militia were posted on the right flank, Nos. 1 and 2 Companies of Militia, and the Meanee Militia— the main body—were drawn up for a frontal attack, while a small body of friendly natives, from the northern districts, took up a position between the two attacking parties. Chiefs Renata, Tareha, and Karauria brought up another small force of friendly natives on the left flank. On a small hill in the rear a white flag was hoisted, while Mr. Hamlin, the Maori interpreter, took over a message calling upon the rebels to surrender. Near this flag Major Whitmore, who had charge of the operations, took up his position, being accompanied by Sir Donald McLean. For one hour the parleying continued, when, upon the enemy refusing to surrender, the Union Jack was run up in place of the white flag, and the order to attack was given. Led by
While the engagement was proceeding at Omaranui, another fight was taking place at Petane. There Major Fraser and Captain Richardson and Captain Carr, with the military settlers of the district, intercepted and captured a body of Maoris—of, which about twelve were killed—who were attempting to join their comrades at Omaranui. Near Parke Island the natives who were fighting at Omaranui, had previously drawn up their canoes, which were left in charge of a small party. A detachment from the main body, with the assistance of the harbour pilotman—who rowed across the inner harbour—overpowered this party, and took possession of the canoes. The prisoners were afterwards sent to the Chatham Islands for a term of imprisonment. The story of their escape from the Chathams, under Te Kooti, and subsequent massacre of settlers in Poverty Bay, is told in an article on “The Maori Wars,” in the Auckland volume of this work. The Napier forces were again called out on Sunday morning, on the 13th of April, 1869, and marched to Petane. There they remained in camp for a fortnight, but no conflict took place, as the threatening rebellious natives approached no nearer than Mohaka.
In 1869 the F Battery of Artillery was formed, under Captain Joshua Cuff. He was succeeded by Captain (afterwards Major) Richardson, and Captain (afterwards Major) Garner. Later, both these gentlemen successively held the position of Officer Commanding the Hawke's Bay district. Captain McCarthy was subsequently in command of the company. This corps afterwards changed its name, and became the present Napier Guards.
Interest in volunteering abated considerably after the Maori war, and the next impetus it received was the Russian “scare” of 1885. The original company of the Napier Rifles disbanded in 1874. On the 5th of March, 1878, the Napier Engineers were formed, but this corps changed its name to that of the Napier Rifles. The Napier Naval Corps was formed in 1885, but disbanded after about ten years' service. The rifle companies of the present battalion are the Hastings, Waipawa, Ranfurly, and Gisborne corps. On the 7th of December, 1898, the first No. 3 Battalion of the Wellington (East Coast) Rifle Volunteers was established, of which Captain Chicken, V.D., was appointed the first commanding officer, with the rank of Major. On the formation of this battalion, a presentation of colours was held on the Marine Parade, before a large muster of volunteers, veteran soldiers, and civilians. The flags, which were the records of the British regiments, were the gift of Dr. de Lisle, and were presented to the battalion by Mrs. R. D. D. McLean, after being consecrated by the late Dean Hovell. It is said that this was the first occasion in New Zealand on which regimental colours were presented to any battalion. The function terminated in a dinner, held in the Masonic Hotel the same evening.
The outbreak of the Boer war gave another impetus to the volunteer movement. It is claimed for Hawke's Bay that more men were sent to South Africa from that province, in proportion to population, than from any other district in the colony; namely, First Contingent, seven men; Second Contingent, twelve men; Third Contingent, fifty-seven men; Fourth Contingent, forty men; Fifth Contingent, forty-five men; Sixth Contingent, twenty-seven men; Seventh Contingent, forty-two men; Eighth Contingent, twenty-nine men: Ninth Contingent, forty-eight men: Tenth Contingent, seventy-nine men. A handsome monument of a life-sized trooper, carved in marble, standing upon a lofty pedestal on the Marine Parade, Napier, was erected by the people of Hawke's Bay to commemorate the part taken by the sons of her province in the war in South Africa, and was unveiled by His Excellency the Governor on the 10th of February, 1906.
Many settlers have materially helped the volunteer movement in
New Zealand Militia (late 109th Foot), Officer commanding the Wellington Military District, is more fully referred to on pages 132–133 of the Canterbury volume of this Cyclopedia.
D.S.O., Inspecting Officer of the Defence Cadet Rifle Volunteers and Defence Rifle Clubs, was formerly adjutant of the 3rd (East Coast) Battalion of Volunteers, Wellington District. He joined the volunteers at Timaru, in 1885, as a gunner in C Battery of New Zealand Artillery, and resigned in the year 1887, with the rank of corporal. In 1891 he joined the F Battery, Napier, and rose to the rank of lieutenant in 1895, and captain in 1897. The Battery was merged into an infantry company in 1897, and is now (1906) known as the Napier Guards. On the formation of the 3rd Battalion of the Wellington District, in 1898, Captain Hughes received the appointment of adjutant. He served with distinction in the war in South Africa, where he gained the Distinguished Service Order. Captain Hughes has always taken a keen interest in athletics, and has played for the province at football, has rowed in the Napier Rowing Club's representative crew several times, besides holding the Gollan Challenge Sculls. He is also a cricketer, polo, golf, and tennis player, and is generally active in all public movements.
has its headquarters at Napier, and comprises A Company—East Coast Mounted Rifle Volunteers, established in Gisborne on the 6th of February, 1900; C Company—Hawke's Bay Mounted Rifle Volunteers, formed on the 11th of April, 1900. at Hastings; and D Company— Huramua Mounted Rifle Volunteers, which has its quarters at Wairoa, was founded on the 19th of September, 1900. The Battalion was originally composed of four companies, but B Company has since been disbanded. The staff officers are, Captain A. H. Russell, and Adjutant, Captain Julius Sandtmann.
was founded in the year 1900, with a membership of eighty, and Captain A. H. Russell was elected to the command. The corps was selected for escort duty to the Duke of York, and was complimented on its efficiency. In 1903 a member of the corps, Sergeant Hyde, carried off the gold medal as the best all-round shot in the North Island; the corps was also instrumental for the introduction into the programme of the Agricultural and Pastoral Society's annual exhibition of the Lloyd-Lindsay jumping competition, and four of its members (the Wellwood Brothers), who represented the corps in this connection at many of the largest shows in the North Island, have never yet been beaten. A week's camping out, and six dismounted parades are held annually. The corps has a membership of fifty-two, thirteen of which are under the command of Lieutenant Davis Canning, with quarters at Waipukurau. The officers are: Captain A. H. Russell, Lieutenants D. Canning, Taranaki Te Ua and H. Campbell, Sergeant-Major J. T. Wellwood, Quarter-master Sergeant J. D. Rivers, Sergeants A. Hyde, B. C. McCormick, W. Ramsay, and A. Blom. Sergeant-Major Wellwood is secretary.
commanding the Hawke's Bay Mounted Rifles, was born in Napier in February, 1868, and is a son of Captain Hamilton Russell, of the 58th Regiment, a brother of Sir William Russell. He was educated at Harrow, and subsequently at Sandhurst. In the year 1887 he joined the Border Regiment as second lieutenant, and served in that capacity for five years in the Punjab and Upper Burma. In the year 1892 he came to New Zealand to join his father, who was then farming “Flaxmere,” in partnership with his brother William (now Sir William Russell); and in 1896—when the partnership expired, and each brother took a half share of the property—he was left to manage his father's interests. He has since successfully conducted one of the finest farms in the neighbourhood. The property is situated within two miles from Napier, and comprises 1,700 acres of rich agricultural land, in conjunction with which there is a run of 10,000 acres. Mr. Russell is a member of the Napier Harbour Board, and chairman of the Rabbit Board, and was for a time provincial chairman of the Farmers' Union.
of the Waipukurau Troop of the Hawke's Bay Mounted Rifles, joined the corps as a trooper at its formation, was elected sergeant in the same year, and lieutenant in the following year, and on the formation of a separate troop at Waipukurau was elected to his present command. He was born in April, 1872, on the Oakbourne station, and is the eldest son of the late Mr. John Davis Canning. Mr. Canning was educated privately, and afterwards at Clifton College, England, where he spent five years. Returning to New Zealand in 1891, he applied himself to sheep-station work, first with Messrs Duff and Mackie, of Kereru, and later with Mr. William Busby, of Tokomaru Bay. He then settled on the Rivers-lea
of the Hawke's Bay Mounted Rifles, was elected acting-corporal on the foundation of the corps, and six months later was made corporal. In 1903 he was elected sergeant, and soon after rose to his present rank. He is one of the Wellwood brothers who successfully represented their corps in the Lloyd-Lindsay competitions. Mr. Wellwood was born in County Kilkenny, Ireland, in February, 1874, and is the second son of Mr. Arthur Wellwood, a well-known farmer. He came to New Zealand with his parents in 1883, was educated at the Hastings public school, and for about five years afterwards followed farming pursuits. He subsequently, however, met with an accident, which compelled him to seek easier duties, and has since been employed in clerical work in Hastings. Mr. Wellwood is reporter for the “Hawke's Bay Herald,” and is a member of the Hastings Lodge of Oddfellows.
of the Hawke's Bay Mounted Rifles, was elected to his present rank in 1904, in succession to Quarter-master Shattky. He is a popular member of the corps, takes a keen interest in its welfare, and is an excellent marksman. Mr. Rivers is better known as the proprietor of the Carlton Club Hotel, in connection with which he is more fully referred to.
Senior Sergeant of the Hawke's Bay Mounted Rifles, joined the corps on its formation in 1900, having formerly been a member of the Marlborough Cavalry, where he learned the Lloyd-Lindsay work. In 1901 he commanded the team that represented his corps in the Lloyd-Lindsay Championship of New Zealand, held in Wanganui; the competition of that year being the pure Lloyd-Lindsay, which includes both leading and jumping, and also the dismounting and discharging of seven rounds of ammunition at a target, twice during the distance. There were twenty-one competitors in the contest, and so well were Sergeant Hyde's team trained that they accomplished the test in less than half the time taken by the second team, and with more than three times the number of target hits to their credit. In 1903 Mr. Hyde won the gold medal presented by the Minister of Defence for the best all-round shot in the North Island, three years in succession won the Hawke's Bay Belt, and has competed at the New Zealand Championship meeting at Trentham. In 1905 he won the Bolton Cup, as the best mounted shot in Hawke's Bay, and the Chambers Shield. In the same year he was selected as a member of the Bisley team, but owing to pressure of business was unable to go with them. He also won the Hawke's Bay Bracelet, the most important amateur horse race in the province, is a successful competitor in riding events at local meetings, and is starter for the Hawke's Bay Hunt Club. Mr. Hyde was born in Blenheim, Marlborough, and is the fifth son of Mr. William Hyde, sometime proprietor of the Commercial Hotel, and a brother to the chief Government poultry expert. He was educated at the Blenheim public school, afterwards spent a short time at the plumbing trade, and then served an apprenticeship to hair-dressing in Napier. He subsequently established a hair-dressing and tobacconist's business in Heretaunga Street, Hastings, which he still successfully conducts. His premises are centrally situated, and in the hair-dressing saloon, which is the largest in the town, three barbers are employed.
of the Hawke's Bay Mounted Rifles, joined the corps at its foundation as a private. He is an excellent horseman, and a first-class rifle shot, and has represented his corps at many local competitions—including contests for the Coleman Shield—and at Trentham. Mr. Ramsay was born at Fernhill, in March, 1869, his father being for many years a well-known contractor. He was educated chiefly at Meanee College, and then went as a cadet on the Flaxmere station, under Sir William Russell. In the year 1896, when the estate was divided, he was appointed foreman, and subsequently manager of “Twyford,” the estate of Mr. A. H. Russell. He was a steward of the Hastings Trotting Club (now defunct) and is a member of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, and the Hawke's Bay Jockey Club. Mr. Ramsay is married, and has one daughter.
of the Hawke's Bay Mounted Rifles, joined the corps in the year 1902, and attained his present rank in May, 1904. He gained his first experience in military matters in the South African war, in which he took part as a member of the Third New Zealand Contingent for fifteen months; he was present at Wepener, and other engagements, and accompanied Major Jowsey to Pretoria, being shortly afterwards invalided home, owing to enteric fever. Mr. McCormick was born in September, 1878, at Napier, and is the eldest son of Mr. Archibald McCormick, for many years chairman of the Woodville County Council. He was educated at the Manga-Atua public school, near Woodville, and was engaged in farming with his father for a few years. He then removed to Hastings, and was employed in Mr. W. A. Beecroft's livery stables, until leaving for South Africa during the Boer war. On his return to New Zealand he established the Albert Stables, and has since conducted a successful business on his own account. For several years Mr. McCormick has been one of the leading representative riders in the Lloyd-Lindsay competition, and holds a fine record. As an Oddfellow he has been through all the chairs in the local lodge, is a member of the Kennel and Poultry Club, and a successful breeder of Buff Orpingtons. Mr. McCormick is further referred to as the proprietor of the Albert Stables.
of the Hawke's Bay Mounted Rifles, is a native of Ireland, and was educated at the chief medical institutions of Dublin, where he graduated in the year 1885. He practised his profession for a time in Ireland, and in 1887 went to Australia, and settled in Mossvale, New South Wales, where he practised for seven years. Returning to the Old country, he was engaged in professional
is composed of six rifle corps, three having their centre in Napier, one in Hastings, one in Waipawa, and another in Gisborne. The officers of the Battalion staff are: Lieutenant-Colonel Kettle (commanding), Major Halpin, Adjutant Captain Hislop, Pay and Quarter-master Captain Fraser, and Surgeon-Major Locking. The headquarters of the battalion are in Napier.
of the 3rd (East Coast) Battalion of the Wellington Rifle Volunteers, first joined the cadets as a school boy in Dunedin, and was afterwards for about eight years a member of the B Battery. Later, he became captain of the Napier Guards, whence he was promoted to the command of the 3rd Battalion, with the rank of Major, and in 1903 was again promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. He is more fully referred to as a member of the firm of Messrs Williams and Kettle.
second in command of the 3rd (East Coast) Battalion of the Wellington Rifle Volunteers, and Captain in the New Zealand Militia, has been actively connected with military affairs since the year 1885, when he joined the Wellington City Rifles, in which corps he served for nine years, being sergeant when he resigned. Later on, having established himself in business in Hawke's Bay, he joined the Napier Rifles, and in 1900 was elected captain. He then went to South Africa with the Ninth Contingent, and on arrival there was placed in command of a squadron of the Seventh Contingent, and sent to the front. On the return of the Seventh Contingent Major Halpin was transferred back to the Ninth, and shortly afterwards returned to New Zealand in the s.s. “Orient.” For his services in South Africa Major Halpin received the Queen's Medal with two clasps. In April, 1905, he was appointed Major of the 3rd Battalion. He has made a thorough study of military science in all its branches, is one of the leading marksmen of the province, and holds several medals. He was born in Auckland, in October, 1866, was educated at the public schools in Wellington, and was brought up to the drapery trade. After serving many years in the soft-goods warehouses, he opened up business on his own account in Napier. Five years later, he sold out in order to join the Ninth Contingent for South Africa, and on his return to New Zealand was appointed manager at Napier of the well-known wholesale firm of Messrs Mackay, Logan, Caldwell and Company. Major Halpin takes a keen interest in athletic sports, and has been a member of the City Rowing Club, Auckland, Wellington Rowing Club, Wellington, and the Union Rowing Club, Napier, and holds several rowing trophies and medals.
of the 3rd (East Coast) Battalion of the Wellington Rifle Volunteers, first joined the volunteers as a member of the Defence Cadets in Dunedin. He subsequently became an officer in the Cadet Corps in New Plymouth, and on removing to Napier was elected captain of the City Cadets; later, he was promoted to his present rank. Captain Hislop was trained for the teaching profession in Dunedin, and afterwards received an appointment as first assistant of the Central School, New Plymouth. In 1892 he removed to Napier, as second assistant in the district school, and after serving for a considerable time as first assistant, in 1904 succeeded the late Mr. Morgan as head-master.
Quarter-Master of the 3rd (East Coast) Battalion of the Wellington Rifle Volunteers, joined the Napier Cadets in the year 1887, and after serving for two years, entered the Napier Navals, where he remained for five years. In February, 1896, he joined the F Battery of Artillery, in which he held the rank of quarter-master sergeant. The battery was subsequently disbanded, and Mr. Fraser was appointed Quarter-master Sergeant of the 3rd Battalion, and in 1901 was promoted to his present rank.
gained his first experience in volunteering in the Christchurch Queen's Cadets, which he joined as a private in the year 1887, subsequently rising to the rank of sergeant. He was then transferred to the Christchurch City Rifles, and removing shortly afterwards to the North Island, was for a time member of an infantry corps at Palmerston North. In 1896 he joined the permanent force as a gunner in the Royal New Zealand Artillery, rose to the rank of bombardier, and in September, 1903, was appointed instructor of the Hawke's Bay Infantry Volunteers. Sergeant-Major Williams was born in November, 1872, in Christchurch, where he was educated at the public schools. He subsequently served an apprenticeship as a coach-smith, but was afterwards variously employed in general work until joining the permanent force. He was married in 1897, and has one son and one daughter.
known as the A Company of the 3rd (East Coast) Battalion of the Wellington Rifle Volunteers, was formed originally in August, 1869, as the F. Battery of
was elected to the command of the Napier Guards in May, 1903. He is a partner in the firm of Messrs Ringland Brothers, clothiers, of Hastings Street, and has been connected with military affairs in Napier since the year 1892. He has served continuously with the Napier Guards since September, 1894, when he joined as a gunner in the F Battery (as the corp was then called), and has passed through the various ranks to his present position.
of the Napier Guards, was born in London, England, in the year 1867, and was educated at the University College and St. Thomas's Hospital, London. In 1890 he graduated M.R.C.S. (England), and L.R.C.P. (London), and for about three years subsequently conducted a private practice at Finchly, one of the northern suburbs of London. In 1894 Dr. Bernau came to New Zealand, and settled in Napier. He is a member of the honorary medical staff of the Napier Hospital, and holds various other professional appointments.
was formed on the 5th of March, 1878, and took the place of the Napier Engineer Corps, which had disbanded. It at once took a leading place among the companies of the North Island as a strong and welldrilled force, and has maintained that reputation. The shooting of the company in individual scores and in team matches has always been of a high average. A handsome silver shield, presented by Mr. J. H. Coleman, for team shooting among the companies of the Hawke's Bay district, has been won on two occasions, and at the Wanganui Rifle Association's meeting of 1899 members of the company made excellent scores.
of the Napier Rifle Volunteers, is elsewhere referred to as choir-master of the Hawke's Bay Highland Society.
of the Napier Rifles, is fully referred to as fifth assistant and junior house master of the Napier Boys' High School.
was founded in July, 1887, with Sir William Russell first in command. In shooting matters it has always held a good record, and in 1905 won the Coleman and Hastings Challenge Shields. The corps has a membership of fifty-six. Parades are held weekly, and special parades are also held with the battalion. There are frequent practices at the drill shed, inspection of arms is conducted quarterly, and class firing is held weekly at the Te Mata range. The members of the corps have two uniforms, one of khaki, with putties and helmet, and the other a blue uniform, with white facings, helmets, and belts; there are also blue field service caps. Officers of the corps are: Captain A. O. Bishop, Lieutenants A. Cullen and H. M. Bishop, Colour-Sergeant Charles Ross, and Sergeants Donald McLeod, William Ryder, and William Thomson. Corporal Vivian Smith is secretary.
of the Hastings Rifles, joined the corps in the year 1898, as a private, and subsequently rose to the rank of captain. He is an able and popular officer, and takes a keen interest in the welfare of his corps. He was born in July, 1879, and is a son of a well-known Hawke's Bay settler, who was for eleven years manager for Archdeacon Williams, of Te Aute. Captain Bishop was educated at the Heretaunga High School, and was afterwards apprenticed to the engineering profession, at which he has since been continuously employed. For some time he worked at Messrs Jones and Sons' engineering works, in Hastings, where he paid particular attention to the making and repairing of motor cars; and he is now the Hastings agent of a Napier firm of motor car importers and manufacturers. Captain Bishop is a member of the Hastings Hockey Club, and of St. Matthew's Gymnastic Club.
joined the Hastings Rifles in the year 1900 as a private, and was elected to his present rank in January, 1906. He was born in Napier in November, 1881, was educated at the Hastings District High School, and afterwards entered commercial life as a clerk in the Mutual Life Assurance office in Napier. Later he was for about six months employed at various trades, and then became a pupil teacher in the Hastings District High School, where he was appointed second assistant master in 1904.
of the Hastings Rifles, joined the corps as a private in the year 1902. He was born in Napier in November, 1884, and was educated at the Hastings public school. He was afterwards employed for a short time in a stationery business, and subsequently learned carpentry. Mr. Thompson is a journeyman in the employ of Messrs Stanley Brothers, of Hastings. He takes a keen interest in football, and is an active member of a local club.
joined the Hastings Rifles in 1897 as a private, and attained his present rank in the early part of the year 1902. He has represented his corps at the Coleman Shield competitions for the last six years. Mr. McLeod was born in Napier in December, 1878, was educated at the Hastings public school, and has since been employed at gardening. In 1898 he took up a position in the Grasmere orchard, and four years later succeeded Mr. E. A. Crappa as manager.
joined the Hastings Rifles in the year 1902, subsequently became Lance-Corporal and Corporal, and was elected to his present rank in January, 1906. He was born in Gisborne in June, 1881, was educated at the Hastings public school, and learned gardening. He afterwards became manager's chief assistant at the Grasmere orchard. Mr. Ryder is a member of the local Lodge of Oddfellows.
of the Hastings Rifles, was born at East Taieri, near Dunedin, in December, 1863, and was brought up to farm life. For some years he was engaged on various farms, and is now (1906) employed by Messrs Nelson Brothers, and resides in Hastings. Mr. McKay was formerly connected for some time with the Clutha Rifles, and joined his present corps in 1900.
is the only surviving member of the first roll of the Hastings Rifles. In the year 1896 he won the Government medal as the best rifle shot in the East Coast Battalion, and in 1899 he won the first cup presented to the corps, the donor being Sir William Russell. Three years in succession he took second place in the competition for the Company's Challenge Belt, and for many years was a member of the representative team in the contest for the Coleman Shield, having on two occasions been a member of the winning team. He also holds several other trophies. Mr. Ross was born in 1856, in Nelson, where he was educated at the public schools, and brought up as a coach-builder in his native place. In May, 1884, he settled in Hastings, and was employed for some years by the late Mr. Faulknor, and when the coach factory conducted by that gentleman was purchased by Mr. J. A. Pothan, he continued in the employ of the new proprietor, for whom he is now (1906) foreman. He is married, and has two sons and two daughters. Mr. Ross is a member of the Hastings Presbyterian Church, a member of the local school committee, and he is also a Forester.
was formed in the year 1897, chief among its promoters being Messrs H. C. Collett, and H. M. Rathbone, with Captain McClennan first in command. Fifteen of its members went to the front during the South African war, nine of whom are still members of the corps. The present membership is about fifty, and the uniforms are blue, with scarlet tunic and helmet, and khaki respectively. Parades are held weekly, and frequent shooting practices are also held during seven months of the year. There is an excellent range of eighteen targets, and the corps takes part in all inter-corps shooting contests between Gisborne and Woodville. The officers are: Captain H. C. Collett, and Lieutenants Collett and Sutherland, Colour-Sergeant Pellow is secretary.
First Lieutenant of the Waipawa Rifles, joined the corps at its formation, and was elected to his present rank in the early part of 1906. He took part in the South African war as a corporal in the Ninth Contingent, remaining on the field for nine months, during which time he was promoted to the rank of sergeant. Mr. Collett was born in Waipawa, in November, 1880, was educated at the local public school, and afterwards entered the employ of Mr. A. E. Jull, for whom he is now chief clerk. He was for about nine years a member, and for about six years of that term foreman of the local fire brigade, and is an Oddfellow of ten years' standing. Mr. Collett is captain of the local senior football team.
Senior Sergeant and Secretary of the Waipawa Rifles, is the second son of Mr. William Pellow, proprietor of the Commercial Hotel, and was born in Cornwall, England, in June, 1875. He was brought to New Zealand in the year of his birth, was educated at the Waipawa public school, and afterwards learned the hair-dressing trade, under his brother, whose business he bought in April, 1900, and has since successfully conducted it on his own account. Mr. Pellow is a member of the local golf club.
named after a former Governor of New Zealand, is an infantry body, and was founded in the year 1900, with a membership of about fifty. For the first three years the membership steadily declined, but late in 1903 Captain C. J. Smith was appointed to the command, and from that date the corps has been a popular and prosperous body. Two battalion and three company parades are held monthly, and the corps possesses some excellent marksmen. The officers are: Captain C. J. Smith and Lieutenant Garry.
who was appointed secretary of the Ranfurly Rifles in the year 1901, has been a member of the corps for several years. He was
was established on the 1st of May, 1901, with its head-quarters at Woodville. It is composed of six corps, known as A, B, C, D, E, and F Companies, with quarters respectively at Woodville, Dannevirke, Masterton, Pahiatua, Grey town North, and Ashhurst. Lieutenant-Colonel John Drummond is the commanding officer of the battalion, Captain William Jesse Reeve is adjutant, Lieutenant Walter Cairns is pay and quarter-master, and the chief medical officer is Brigade Surgeon Lieutenant-Colonel William Bey, V.D.
are known as the A Company of the 5th Battalion of Wellington Rifles. The corps was formed in June, 1896, with Mr. A. Stevenson as the first commanding officer. Subsequently Captain Stevenson was promoted to the command of the battalion, with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, and he was succeeded by Mr. G. T. Hall as captain of the corps. In 1902 Captain W. H. Nelson was appointed to the command of the Woodville Rifles. The company has a membership of forty-five. Weekly drills are held, and frequent shooting competitions take place on the range on Captain Nelson's property. In rifle competitions the corps has been successful in winning a number of trophies, and on two occasions has won the Coleman Shield. The Bisley team of 1902 contained four members of the company, including Captain Nelson. During the Boer War the Woodville Rifles sent thirteen men to the front, all of whom aid good service. The drill hall, which is the property of the corps, stands on a section of half an acre in Ross Street; it is a wooden building, eighty feet by sixty feet, and adjoining it are officers' quarters, orderly rooms, and un armoury. The officers are: Captain W. H. Nelson, and Lieutenants H. P. Horne and A. W. Rapley.
of the Woodville Rifles, has take a keen interest in rifle shooting for many years. The first open competition in which he took part was at the Hawke's Bay Rifle Association meeting, held at Petane in 1886, when he was successful in winning first prize in the consolation match. Mr. Nelson has at various times been a member of the Taradale, Takapau, Waipukurau, and Woodville rifle clubs. As a member of the latter he attended the meeting of the New Zealand Rifle Association, held at Wanganui in March, 1901, and was successful in winning the New Zealand Rifle Championship, with the record score of 570, breaking all previous records of this association by five points. Mr. W. H. Nelson, who was born at Waipukurau, is the eldest son of Mr. William Nelson, of Tomoana, Hawke's Bay. At an early age he was sent to England, and was educated at Warwick College. On his return to New Zealand he took up sheep-farming, which occupation he is now pursuing at Woodville. Mr. Nelson has devoted much of his time to matters of local interest. He took a leading part in the formation of the Woodville County Council, of which he has been a member from its inception. As a member of the Hawke's Bay Acclimatisation Society he has done good work in assisting to stock the rivers and streams in the district with trout. Mr. Nelson is married, and has one daughter.
known as the Second Company of the 5th Battalion of the Wellington Rifle Volunteers, was formed in April, 1898, by Mr. F. J. Knight, who ably captained the corps for four years. Captain John Drummond was next in command, and he was succeeded in September, 1904, by Mr. F. A. Harrison. The corps has a strength of about fifty. The full dress uniform consists of blue cloth, with white facings, and the other dress is of khaki. Parades are frequently held, and the corps is well drilled. It has also some able marksmen, one of whom, Sergeant W. Drummond, has been twice selected as a member of the Bisley team. At Trentham, in 1906, the corps made a creditable effort at the contest for the Coleman Shield, and shot into first place, being robbed of the honours of the day only on the time limit. At the Ruahine Battalion match at Masterton, on New Year's Day, 1906, the corps scored third place, and at the Rangitikei Rifle Association's meeting on Good Friday, it won the teams' prize, and carried off over one-sixth of the prize money. In other contests the corps has also done capital shooting. The rifle range, which is the joint property of the local military bodies, is situated at Tamaki, nearly two miles from the town; and the drill hall is a wooden building measuring 110 feet by fifty-five feet, standing off High Street. It contains officers' rooms, orderly rooms, an armoury, and supper rooms, and has also a fine stage. The officers of the corps are: Captain F. A. Harrison, First Lieutenant J. C. Davidson, Second Lieutenant E. Adams, and Mr. R. W. J. Edwards is secretary.
of the Dannevirke Rifle Volunteers, joined the corps
the first subaltern of the Dannevirke Rifles, is an enthusiastic and popular officer, and takes a keen interest in the welfare of the corps. He is a good marksman, and has frequently represented the corps at shooting matches. Mr. Davidson is further referred to as a member of the Dannevirke Borough Council.
joined the Dannevirke Rifles as second lieutenant in April, 1906. He was born in Wellington, on the 13th of March, 1873, received his education at Mount Cook School, Wellington, and afterwards lived for some years on the West Coast gold-fields, South Island. He then returned to the North Island, and commenced business for himself as a boot and shoe importer. Mr. Adams is a member of the Masonic Order, and takes a keen interest in musical matters. In June, 1896, he married the third daughter of Mr. T. Rodgers, a well-known and respected settler on the Rangitikei Line, Palmerston North.
of the Dannevirke Rifles, has been connected with military matters from his school days, when he was a member of a school cadet corps. At seventeen years of age he became a member of the Woodville Rifles, quickly passed through the various grades, and in March, 1905, was appointed sergeant in which rank he was transferred to the Dannevirke Rifles in March, 1906. Mr. Neilson takes a keen interest in the corps, and devotes most of his leisure time to matters connected with it. He is a capable marksman, holds the Government gold and silver medal as the second best shot in the North Island, has three times taken part in the Coleman match as a representative marksman, and holds many minor trophies. He was born at Woodville in September, 1885, and is the youngest son of Mr. C. Nielson, now (1906) of Hastings. He was educated at the Woodville public school, served as a pupil teacher for four years and a half, during which time he received special commendation, and in January, 1905, gained the D certificate. In June, 1905, Mr. Nielson was appointed second assistant master of the Dannevirke North School. He is captain of the No. 2 Company of the School Cadets.
consists of four cadet corps, three of which are stationed in Napier, and the fourth at Te Aute College. Of the town corps, two are provided by the Boys' High School, and the third is known as the Napier City Rifle Cadet Corps. The latter corps parades with the adult corps, whilst all meet occasionally for battalion parade, and go into camp together at stated times. At the Easter encampment held at Pukehou in 1906, 206 cadets and officers were under canvas. Excellent work was done, and the encampment had the
of the No. 2 Battalion of the Wellington Defence cadets is fully referred to as head-master of the Frasertown School.
is known as the A Company of the No. 2 Battalion of the Wellington Defence Cadets. The corps has a strength of sixty-three, parades every week, and shooting competitions are frequently held. The officers are: Captain E. W. Andrews, and two lieutenants.
of the 1st Company High School Cadets, who has been connected with volunteer affairs for many years, was born in February, 1861, at The Manor House, Buckland, Hertfordshire, England, and was educated at the Hastings University School, where he remained ten years; he subsequently took his B.A. degree, and returned to the institution as a resident master. In 1888 he resigned his position in order to come to New Zealand. For fourteen years he was English master at the Wanganui College, and in 1902 he succeeded Mr A. S. M. Polson as first assistant master of the Napier Boys' High School. Mr. Andrews takes a keen interest in athletics. He is captain of the Old Boys' Cricket Club (one of the senior Napier teams), secretary of the Hawke's Bay Referees' Association, a member of the Hawke's Bay Rugby Union, and of the provincial Cricket Association; and he was captain of the Ruahine Association Football Team in 1897, when it carried off the New Zealand Challenge Shield. As a Freemason he is a past master of Lodge Tongariro, No. 705, E.C., a Mark Mason, a Companion of the
known as E Company of the No. 2 Battalion of the Wellington Defence Cadets, was formed in the year 1904. There is a membership of sixty; regular and frequent drills, parades, shooting practices, etc., are held, and the corps has some excellent marksmen.
was first formed as a railway band about the year 1889, under the auspices of Mr. Burnett (who was also band-master), and was composed entirely of railway employees. Two years later it was constituted a garrison band, and in 1900 a battalion band. Mr. Burnett was succeeded as band-master by Mr. J. Barrett, who was followed by Mr. G. Hawkins, formerly master of the Wellington Navals Band. Messrs McConnell, Madigan, McGlaschan and M. Driver were then sucessively elected, and in April, 1905, Mr. H. A. King, the present band-master, took command. The band has a membership of twenty-seven, and the instruments include one E Flat cornet, five solo cornets, two second cornets, two third cornets, four tenor horns, two baritones, one euphonium, four trombones, two E Flat basses, two B Flat basses, and drums. The band is annually subsidised by the Borough Council to the extent of £25, for which they play thirteen concerts a year in the two town rotundas. It also gives two free concerts a year at the hospital, for which the members receive admission to the institution in case of illness. The Battalion Band is one of the most efficient in the North Island, and it is occasionally employed to play at functions outside the town. Practices are held twice weekly at the Garrison Hall, and the band also regularly parades with the volunteer corps. The Battalion Band has done excellent service under the able conductorship of Mr. King.
Band-master of the Battalion Band, is one of a family gifted with musical talent, his eldest brother, Mr. W. S. King, of Christchurch, being a well-known judge of band contests. He was born in Dunedin in November, 1880, and is the youngest son of Mr. G. L. King, now (1906) one of the departmental managers of Messrs Blythe and Company's soft goods and furnishing warehouse, Napier. Mr. King was educated in Dunedin, and learned the trade of a painter and house decorator, and is president of the Napier Painters' and Decorators' Union of Workers. He joined the Battalion Band at about fourteen years of age as third cornet player, and at twenty years of age became solo cornet player, which he remained till being promoted to the conductorship. Mr. King is also solo cornet player in the orchestra of the Frivolity Minstrels, with which he has been connected since their inception.
, Napier, stands on a site of a quarter of an acre on the Marine Parade, about midway between the post office and the breakwater. It is an old building, and has been enlarged and improved from time to time. The building is of wood with an iron roof, and contains the auditorium or general assembly and practice room—which occupies the whole of the main part of the structure—officers' rooms, orderly rooms, the big gun room, and the general meeting and supper room. The auditorium—the walls of which are decorated with several pictures of historical interest—possesses a fine stage, with dressing rooms and caretaker's room. The building is lighted by six large incandescent are gas lamps. A large rectangular parade ground is adjacent to the hall.
Sergeant in charge of the Garrison Hall, and secretary of the Hall Committee, first joined the Napier Volunteers in the year 1899, as a member of the Ranfurly Rifles, of which, in 1904, he was elected sergeant. As a marksman he holds four silver medals, a gold medal, and many other trophies. Sergeant Tronson was born at Porangahau in September, 1880, and is the eldest son of Mr. Gerald Preston Tronson, a farmer of Meanee. He was educated at the Waipawa and Napier district schools, afterwards engaged in general work, and subsequently entered the employ of Mr. R. Holt, timber merchant.
, which is situated near the centre of the town, is the joint property of the local military corps and the town band. It is a large wooden building, well built and appointed, and is one of the chief public halls in Hastings.
V.D., who was the first Commanding Officer of the 3rd Battalion Wellington (East Coast) Rifle Volunteers, was born in Sunderland, England, in the year 1847. He is the son of the late Mr. Joseph Chicken, of Bishop-Wearmouth, and was educated partly in his native town and partly in Auckland, where he arrived with his parents in 1859, by the ship “William Watson” (Captain Macfarlane). On leaving school he entered the employment of the late Mr. John Andrews, builder and timber merchant, and three years later removed to Napier, where he went into the service of Mr. R. Holt, sawmiller and timber merchant, with whom he has been for over forty years, for a considerable portion of which time he has been manager of the Napier mill. In 1866, when he joined the Napier Militia, he took part in the ensuing campaign, including the fight at Omaranui,
sometime of the New Zealand Militia, arrived in New Zealand by the ship “Cornwall,” in 1851. He took up land in the Hawke's Bay district for a sheep run in 1863. When the Maori war broke out Captain Tuke was appointed by Sir George Grey, as second in command, under the late Colonel J. Fraser, of the Military Settlers, and saw active service on the East Coast, for which he received the New Zealand war medal. He was also, for eighteen months, in command of the guard over the native prisoners, numbering 340, at the Chatham Islands, but was not there when they escaped, the guard having been removed. In Gudgeon's “Heroes of New Zealand” a long report appears, written by Captain Tuke, on the state of the prisoners at that date and before their escape. Captain Tuke was one of the founders of the Masonic Lodge Scinde in Napier, and a Justice of the Peace. He died on the 19th of March, 1901.
In a democracy like New Zealand the functions of the State are, naturally, numerous and varied; yet, although the trend of legislation may be termed progressive, or even socialistic, the institutions controlled by the Government are conducted mainly on the lines prevailing in England. Ministers in charge of the various departments devote most of their time to their direction; the responsible officers are men of ability, education and courtesy; and the administration in reasonably efficient, and, without doubt, above corruption.
The State is the largest owner of land in the colony; it possesses all—or practically all—the railways; owns and controls the post, telegraph, and telephone services; constructs and maintains the public works; supports and directs the hospitals and mental asylums; manages a life and fire insurance business; acts as a public trustee; educates nearly all the children; and is, naturally, the largest employer of labour.
On the 31st of March, 1906, the Government railways open for traffic had a mileage of 2,406 miles. For the year 1905–1906 they produced a revenue of £2,349,704, and entailed an expenditure of £1,621,239, which left a surplus of £728,465, which was equal to 3.24 per cent interest on the capital cost. The Public Trust Office, which is a universal guardian, undertakes the administration of intestate estates, estates under will, and trusts of all kinds. Its invested capital funds amounted, on the 31st of March, 1905, to £1,813,709. The Lands for Settlement policy, under which large private estates have been acquired by the Government, and divided into moderately small farms and grazing runs, has been rendered more successful by the Government Advances to Settlers Act, which was passed in 1894. This statute, which was designed to assist the small farmer with capital at a low rate of interest, has proved very beneficial in its working. The Old Age Pensions scheme has resulted in the relief of many who have found that “the race is not always to the swift”; and to them, under certain conditions, pensions, to a maximum of ten shillings per week, are granted by the country. The various branches of the Government institutions in Napier are referred to in this section.
at Napier is a commodious wood and plaster building, standing at the corner of Hastings Street and Shakespeare Road. It is at two storeys, the ground floor containing the general post office, money order, and savings bank departments, and a lobby with 200 private letter boxes; on the first floor are located
succeeded Mr. Cummings as Chief Postmaster at Napier in 1903. He entered the public service under the Canterbury Provincial Government, at Christchurch, in the year 1865, and in the same year opened the post office at Kaiapoi. He was afterwards successively in charge of the Blenheim and Nelson offices for a time, and was then transferred to Balclutha. He was subsequently stationed at Featherston, and in 1868 was appointed postmaster at Tauranga. In 1892 he was promoted to be chief postmaster at Westport, and was afterwards for some time at Hokitika, before receiving his present appointment. Mr. Sheath is a member of the Vestry of the Napier Cathedral, and is president of the Bluff Hill Bowling Club.
who was appointed officer-in-charge of the Telegraph Department at Napier in September, 1900, was born in the year 1856, at the Hutt, Wellington, where his mother was for twenty years post-mistress. He first became a telegraph messenger and letter carrier in his native town, and then went to Wellington, and a little later to Napier, as a cadet. He was subsequently attached for a number of years to the Dunedin, Blenheim, and Wellington offices, and was then appointed assistant officer-in-charge in Christchurch, whence five years later he was promoted to his present position.
Napier, has occupied various positions in the town, and is now (1906) located in the building formerly occupied by the Survey Department. Most of the business of this department, however, is transacted at Port Ahuriri. The Customs returns are steadily increasing the returns for 1905 amounting to about £85,000, a considerable increase compared with the returns for 1892, which were £58,000.
the Collector of Customs at Napier, is referred to on page 177 of the Auckland volume of the Cyclopedia of New Zealand.
at Port Ahuriri stood for many years on the site now occupied by the local post office, but was removed to its present location facing the “Iron Pot,” in 1895, in which year it was rebuilt. It contains the collector's room, the landing waiter's room, the long room, the locker's room, and a store room.
Landing Waiter at Port Ahuriri, was born in Worcestershire, England, in February, 1867, was educated at the Stourbridge Grammar School, and at an early age emigrated to New Zealand with his parents, who settled in the Stratford district, Taranaki. In January, 1884, he entered the Customs department of the Government service, and was stationed first at Auckland, and after serving in Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin, was appointed in September, 1901, to his present position. Mr. Penn takes a keen interest in musical matters, and is a member of the Frivolity Minstrels, the Orchestral and Harmonic Societies, and the Napier Bowling Club.
Napier. The offices of this department are situated on the second floor of the Government Buildings, in Shakespeare Road, the whole of the western wing being occupied by the survey branch.
Chief Surveyor and Commissioner of Crown Lands for Hawke's Bay, was appointed to his present position in July, 1906, in succession to Mr. E. C. Gold-Smith. He was born in 1848, educated at a private academy in London, and completed his studies at Nelson College, New Zealand. Mr. Trent entered the Civil Service in August, 1863, as a survey cadet, under the Provincial Government of Nelson. On the opening of the Buller goldfields he was transferred to Westport as draughtsman to the District Engineer, and afterwards became Assistant and Mining Surveyor. In 1873 he was promoted to the position of District Surveyor for the Grey Valley district, with head-quarters at Ahaura. This position he held until the abolition of the provinces, when he was transferred to the General Survey Department as Chief Draughtsman at Nelson. In June, 1904, he was appointed Chief Surveyor and Commissioner of Crown Lands for Marlborough, whence he was transferred to Napier.
and Registrar of Deeds and Titles, is domiciled in the Government Buildings, in Shakespeare Road.
District Land Registrar and Registrar of Deeds for Hawke's Bay, is the eldest son of an Auckland merchant, and was born in the year 1858. He was educated by private teachers, and at the Church of England Grammar School, and afterwards studied law under Mr. Samuel Jackson, of Auckland. After
was appointed Receiver of Land Revenue for Hawke's Bay in the year 1893. He was born in Yalding, Kent, in 1841, and is a son of the late Mr. Thomas Love Bull, who was a partner of the firm of Druce and Bull, merchants, and the founder of the National school at Christchurch, Chelsea, and fellow-worker of the late Sir Wentworth Dilke, in the establishment of the Literary and Scientific Institute of West London. Mr. Bull was educated at Ramsgate, and afterwards entered the office of one of the large copper firms in London. In 1863 he came to New Zealand by the ship “Zealandia” (Captain Foster), and landed in Canterbury. He signed articles to Mr. Charles Ffrench Pemberton, district surveyor for the Provincial Government of Canterbury, and on completion of his articles was surveying in the Kowai district. He was subsequently appointed engineer to the Kowai Road Board, and constructed roads in that district, built most of the bridges, and rebuilt many of them after the destructive flood and tidal wave of 1868. Tempted by the prospects of the flax industry, Mr. Bull resigned his position, and embarked in flax-dressing, employing about fifty hands. The enterprise proved disastrous, and Mr. Bull realised his assets, and in 1872 removed to Wellington, where he joined the Public Works Department of the general Government. Some three years later he was transferred to the Survey Department, under Mr. J. W. A. Marchant, now Surveyor General. On the abolition of the provinces and the formation of the present Lands and Survey Department, Mr. Bull was appointed chief accountant, which position he held until 1893, when he was transferred to Napier as Receiver of Land Revenue. Mr. Bull is a Master Mason, though unattached for many years past, his spare time being mainly devoted to music and to his bowling club, of which he is an enthusiastic member. For over twenty years he was a member of the managing committee of the Wellington Orchestral Society, and also wrote a number of operettas and burlesques, which were performed by the Wellington Christy Minstrels. As a “celloist” he has been successful, and enjoys the unique reputation of being the only left-handed player known. He was a member of the Wellington Philosophical Society for many years, and was an active member of the management committee of the Napier Horticultural Society, and a well-known grower of prize chrysanthemums. Mr. Bull also has ability as a poet; and his “Jubilee Poem” was, and still is, very widely appreciated, and his Jubilee version of “God Save the Queen” was enthusiastically sung at the Napier Cathedral special services by about 1500 voices. His patriotic writings during the South African war were much appreciated. As one of the earliest members of the StaBoating Club of Wellington, Mr. Bull was the designer and originator of the club's crest and motto. “Semper Refulgens.” In 1890 he patented an improved flax-dresser, and spent much time and money in endeavouring to improve the quality of the manufactured article. He was examined in that connection before the Royal Commission, in the published report of which Sir James Hector mentioned Mr. Bull's invention as one of the only two real improvements produced during the preceding twenty-five years. In 1876 he married the youngest daughter of the late Mr. A. B. Sheath, chief accountant of the Post and Telegraph Department, who, with his brother, Mr. Alfred Sheath, initiated the telegraph system of the colony at Christchurch.
in Napier has jurisdiction over the East Coast District, which extends from Pahiatua to Cape Runaway. There are also branch offices at Gisborne, Waipiro Bay, Wairoa, Hastings, Waipukurau, Woodville, and Pahiatua. The duties of the Department include the inspection of all classes of stock, the inspection of slaughterhouses and dairies, and to enforce the law regarding noxious weeds, rabbits, and the registration of brands, etc.
Chief Inspector of Stock for the Hawke's Bay District, was born at Mount Stewart, Otago, in the year 1859. He was educated at the Otago Boys' High School, and at Mr. A. Barratt's Collegiate School in Dunedin, and was afterwards for a few years on his father's sheep station. He was then employed in the office of Messrs W. and T. Turnbull, Dunedin, for two years, and afterwards followed farm life till 1883, when he joined the Government service in the Department of Agriculture. Mr. Miller received his present appointment in 1898.
. The office of the Government Roads Department in Napier is situated on the first floor of the South British Insurance Buildings, in Browning Street, and comprises the District Road Engineer's office, and the clerical and drafting room. The office staff includes the chief engineer, the chief and assistant draughtsman, the head clerk, and the imprestee; the department employs an average of 250 men, three inspectors, four overseers, and six foremen. The district, which is an exceedingly large and rugged one, extends from the mouth of the Waiawa river in the Bay of Plenty, to the mouth of the Waimata river in the south, the western boundary line running through Motu, Mangapoa, Lake Waikare-Moana, and Ruanga, to the Manawatu Gorge. The work of the Department includes the construction of roads and bridges, and the execution of all Government construction works within the limits of the district.
District Government Road Engineer for the province of Hawke's Bay, is a native of Auckland, and was born in March, 1863. After completing his education, he served his time to engineering, under his uncle, and was subsequently employed by other engineering firms, including the Manawatu Railway Company. He then entered the Roads Department of the Government service as a road-overseer, in which capacity he was stationed successively in South Taranaki, Wellington West, and Hawke's Bay. He was subsequently promoted to the rank of inspector, and was stationed
which had formerly been represented in Napier by an agent working on commission, was placed in charge of a permanent Government officer in 1905, and is situated on the first floor of Tabuteau's buildings, in Tennyson Street. The invested funds of the Public Trust Department amount to nearly £2,000,000; and the value of estates controlled by the office amounts to over £4,000,000.
who was appointed District Agent of the Public Trustee, and Deputy Official Assignee in Bankruptcy, in September, 1905, was born in Dunedin in November, 1878, and is a son of Mr. Alexander Jack, who is referred to in the Otago volume of the Cyclopedia of New Zealand as a member of the West Harbour Borough Council. He was educated at the Dunedin public schools; in 1894 he passed the junior civil service examination, and was then appointed to a junior clerkship in the Public Trust Office in Dunedin. In May, 1899, he was transferred to the head office in Wellington; in January, 1904, was appointed chief clerk in the Auckland office, and was subsequently promoted to his present position in Napier. Mr. Jack has passed the solicitors' law examinations. He is an enthusiastic cricketer.
in Napier is situated in temporary premises on the first floor of the Athenaeum Building, in Browning Street. The officer-in-charge is Mr. W. J. Blake, who is also Inspector of Factories for Napier.
Inspector of Factories and Awards at Napier, is a native of London, England, and went to Australia in the year 1842. He was educated at private schools, and afterwards entered mercantile life in Launceston, Tasmania. In 1862 he came to New Zealand, and after engaging in commercial pursuits for some years in Dunedin and on the West Coast, he entered the postal department of the Government service in Wanganui, but subsequently relinquished his appointment to take up book-keeping for a legal firm. Later, he became an insurance and general commission agent, until accepting an appointment as Government Inspector of Factories in Wanganui, in December, 1897. He was transferred to Napier in 1905. Mr. Blake, while in Tasmania, took a keen interest in athletics and volunteering.
which was formerly situated in the “Herald” buildings, was removed in the year 1902 to its present domicile in Tennyson Street. Mr. George Thomas Cross is officer-in-charge.
in Browning Street, is domiciled in the business premises of Mr. John Parker.
in Napier is situated in Byron Street, and is a wooden building containing offices, a large library, and sleeping quarters. Napier is the head-quarters of an extensive district, known as the Napier and East Coast Police District, including an area of about 250 miles long and 150 miles broad.
Inspector Ewen Phillip Macdonell Was Born In Scotland In The Year 1848, and Was Educated In Parish Schools. He Joined The Police Force In Scotland In 1867, and In 1875 Resigned In Order To Come To New Zealand. He Joined The Police Force Immediately On Landing, In 1900 Was Appointed Inspector In Charge Of The West Coast and Nelson Police Districts, and In March, 1902, Received His Present Appointment.
occupies one of the best residential sites in the borough, facing the Marine Parade and Coote Road. The hill on which it stands, though very steep, is planted with trees, and the gaoler's house commands a splendid view of the town and bay. The prison enclosure is about five acres in extent, and is surrounded by substantial stone walls. There is a good library, to which the prisoners have access. Everything about the gaol is scrupulously clean, and the sanitary provisions for the health of the inmates are of the latest design. Prisoners are kept occupied at various out-door and in-door occupations, all under adequate discipline and classification. Every requisite for the use of the gaol is, as far as possible, made in the prison work-rooms.
is an old wooden building standing on piles, with an asphalt platform, and contains the station-master's office, chief clerk's room, a parcel room, booking room and public office, luggage room, and a ladies' waiting room. There is also a goods shed and office, engine sheds and workshops. Ten trains leave daily for the south, including the Express. Passengers carried during the year 1905 numbered about 80,000.
With certain qualifications it may be said that every destitute, afflicted, or homeless person in New Zealand is cared for, chiefly at the expense of the State. It is a rare thing in the colony to see anyone soliciting alms, and begging is made a criminal offence, punishable by law. Cases of casual poverty are relieved through Charitable Aid Reards; the sick and injured may be treated at public hospitals, free of charge, if they have not the means to pay those who are mentally afflicted are placed in mental hospitals, where they are subjected only to the barest necessary restraint, and attended to by doctors of high qualifications; and orphans and children of destitute parents are looked after in special homes and industrial schools. This system of public relief is further helped by private benevolence, and all donations to hospitals are subsidised by the Government to the extent of £1 4s per £1. The necessarv institutions are substantially built, efficiently equipped, and scrupulously clean; and are conducted in a manner that assures the comfort, and even the luxury, of the inmates. In the days of Provincial Governments, the hospitals were maintained chiefly out of provincial revenues, but were subsequently made a charge on municipal and county revenues. Under the “Hospitals and Charitable Institutions Act,” which came into force in 1885, the colony is divided into thirty-four hospital districts, which are presided over by elective Hospital and Charitable Aid Boards. The more important charitable institutions in Napier are referred to in this section.
manages the charitable finances of an extensive district. It levies contributions on the counties of Hawke's Bay, Waipawa, Wairoa, and Patangata, and on the boroughs of Napier, Hastings, Woodville, and Dannevirke. There are really three distinct boards elected by the county councils, borough councils, and contributors. The Charitable Aid District, being much larger than the others, sends a greater proportion of members, though almost the same persons represent the three different Boards. The United District Charitable Aid Board, which controls the Old Men's Home, consists of seventeen members; the Napier Hospital Trustees are eleven in number; and the Hawke's Bay Hospital District Board, which controls the Wairoa Hospital, is composed of nine members.
Secretary of the United District Charitable Aid Board, the Napier Hospital Trustees, and the Hawke's Bay Hospital District Board, was born in Shropshire, England, in the year 1835, and is a son of a Shrewsbury merchant. He was educated at the Blue Coat School, and went to Victoria, Australia, in 1857, by the ship “Shuffolk.” After mining at Ballarat and Egerton, he gained considerable experience as a stockman on the western plains. Mr. Baker came to New Zealand in 1861, and settled in Invercargill, where he entered the service of Messrs Robertson and Company, auctioneers. Shortly after this the Southland Provincial Government needed a gaoler, and Captain Baker was appointed to the position. Twelve months later he took charge of the gold escort at Lake Wakatipu, and in 1865 went to Canterbury, where he joined the provincial police force. He joined the Armed Constabulary at Wellington in 1869, under Commissioner Brannigan, was promoted to sergeant during his first month's service, four years later he attained the rank of sergeant-major, and in 1879 was appointed sub-inspector. He was promoted to be captain in the Permanent Militia in September, 1886, and retired from the force in 1888. In the beginning of 1890 he accepted the positions he now holds. Captain Baker was initiated into Freemasonry in Lodge Unanimity, Christchurch, in 1865. In 1872 he married Miss Carleton, of Hawke's Bay, and a year later was left a widower with one daughter. His second wife, a daughter of Mr. Eyre, of Whangarei, to whom he was married in 1875, died ten years later, leaving one son and one daughter.
occupies a prominent site on “Old Barrack Hill,” overlooking the inner harbour, or Port Ahuriri, and near the western extremity of the group of hills known as Scinde Island. The appearance and utility of the buildings have been greatly improved by the addition of a storey to the central portion, in which are situated the quarters of the resident medical officer. The wards are all lofty, well-lighted, and well-ventilated, and there is an air of cleanliness and comfort about the whole establishment. The regular staff consists of the medical superintendent, Dr. Wilson, the matron, and eleven nurses. The honorary staff includes; Dr. Henley, Dr. Bernan, Dr. Edgar, and Dr. Ronald.
B.A., B.C., who was appointed House Surgeon of the Napier Hospital in July, 1904, was born in Napier in the year 1876, and is the eldest son of Mr. H. C. Wilson, of Messrs Wilson and Davies, dental surgeons. He was educated at the Wanganui College, and then went to Cambridge University, where he graduated B.A. in 1898, and B.C. in 1902. In the following year he returned to New Zealand, and was assistant medical officer to the Wellington Hospital before receiving his present appointment.
was established about the year 1870. It is situated on Old Barrack Hill, close to the Hospital, and consists of a group of small wooden buildings, originally erected as barracks for the troops. A new and substantial building is now (1906) in course of construction at Parke Island, a few miles from the city. This building is to cost about £12,000, and is to be thoroughly equipped. The inmates of the Napier Old Men's Home number seventy-one, of whom sixty-five are males, and six are females. Mr. William Mayo is manager
is a benevolent institution, established about the year 1890 by a few local philanthropists anxious to provide a home for orphans and neglected children of the non-criminal class. It is situated on Burlington Road, and is a wooden building conveniently and comfortably arranged. The home is supported by public subscriptions, by small endowments that it has received, and by some little help from parents whose children are resident there. It is controlled by a committee of twenty, elected by the subscribers. The children, who number twenty-six, attend the district school, and Bible classes are held in the Home. The income for the year 1905–6 was £1,125 12s 9d, and the expenditure £1,056 10s 11d, leaving a balance of £69 1s 10d on the year's working. Mrs. Thomas Tanner is president, Miss Davenport is secretary, and the treasurer is Mrs. Randall, Mrs McGregor is matron.
Of the many public services in New Zealand, none is more universally popular than the national system of education, which has been in operation since 1877. With the arrival of the first settlers, private school—which in some instances had been begun on shipboard, on the passage out—were established, and these were followed by denominational schools, controlled by the various churches, and assisted out of public revenues. The Provincial Governments set up in each province a system of public education, differing somewhat in principle in each centre of settlement, but for which liberal provision was made. After the abolition of the provinces, the duty of providing instruction for the young fell upon the General Government, and the Education Act of 1877 embodied a scheme of free, secular, and compulsory education for the whole colony; it practically did away with the provincial and denominational systems, and is still in force. In the state schools tuition is free of cost to parents, except in regard to school books; religion is not taught; and it is compulsory for all children, between seven and thirteen years of age to attend school or receive private tuition. Though the Roman Catholics maintain separate schools, and a few other denominational and private schools still exist, the State educates about ninety per cent, of the children. The syllabus comprises reading, writing and arithmetic, history, geography, grammar, drawing, elementary science, domestic economy, and physical culture; boys are also instructed in military drill, and may learn woodcarving, and girls are taught plain sewing and cookery. The colony is divided into thirteen education districts, each under the administration of an elected Board of Education; and each Board receives and expends the capitation grant allotted by the Government from the consolidated revenue. In addition to the primary schools, there are in every district secondary schools; and in the four chief centres there are University Colleges. The free scholarships offered by the Government and private citizens are so numerous that an apt pupil of proved ability is enabled, after leaving a primary school, to advance through the secondary schools and university colleges, at practically no cost to the parents.
The university colleges have professorial staffs of high attainments, and the courses of lectures in the various branches of learning are attended by large numbers of students of both sexes. The University of New Zealand is an examining body, empowered to grant degrees in Arts, Sciences, Law, Music, and Medicine, and its distinctions are allowed to rank with those of Oxford, Cambridge, or any other university in the British dominions.
Clyde Road, Napier. Board of Governors: Dr. Moore (chairman), Messrs H. A. Cornford, T. Tanner, J. C. Westall, C. H. Edwards, S. McLernon, H. J.
B.A., Principal of the Napier Boys' High School, was born in Oamaru, in 1860, and is a son of the late Mr. Angus Polson, manager of “Balruddery,” North Otago. He was educated at the Teanraki public school, Oamaru District High School, Otago High School, and Otago University, and gained his B.A. degree in 1889. When twelve years of age he passed the sixth standard examination with 100 per cent, of marks, and took first prize. Two months later he won Otago Education Board's Junior Scholarship of £80, six months afterwards the Oamaru Caledonian Society's Bursary of £60 was awarded to him; in December, 1883, he won an Otago Senior Scholarship of £120, and three years later he won a New Zealand University Scholarship of £135, making a total of £395. Of first prizes several were won for English, French, composition, mapping, Latin, Euclid, algebra, and general excellence. He received also a silver medal for best in drill, and the dux medal of the Oamaru District High School. The first-class certificates gained at the University included those for mathematics, mechanics, English, French, and mental science. Other examinations passed with much credit by him were the junior and senior Civil Service examinations, in the former of which he was first of 211 successful candidates. While studying at the University, Mr. Polson was also assistant master at the Otago High School, and in 1890 was appointed second master of the Waimate District High School. In 1894 he was selected from seventeen graduates for the position of assistant-master of the Timaru High School, and in January, 1896, he was appointed second master of the Napier Boys' High School, out of fourteen graduates who applied. In May, 1902, on the death of his predecessor, Mr. W. Wood, he was appointed to the principalship, out of twenty-nine graduates, and under his control the school has progressed by leaps and bounds. The attendance has more than doubled, and every department of school life is characterised by a healthy, vigorous tone. The testimonials held by Mr. Polson are of the highest order, and bear evidence to his character,
B.A., First Assistant Master of the Napier Boys' High School, is further referred to as Captain of the First Company of the High School Cadets.
M.A. (Cambridge), and Intermediate B.Sc. (London University), who holds the mastership of mathematics and science at the Napier Boys' High School, was born at Remuera. Auckland, and is the third son of the late Mr. William Kerr, one of the pioneers of Auckland. He was educated at public schools, and was afterwards for a few years engaged in teaching, under the Auckland Education Board. Mr. Kerr then graduated B.A. at the Auckland University, and subsequently went to Cambridge, where he took mathematical honours in the tripos of 1889, and graduated M.A. in 1893. For some time he studied at the London University, of which he is an intermediate B.Sc. Mr. Kerr was then appointed mathematical and science master at the Uttoxeter Grammar School, Staffordshire, and later on held a similar position in Morrison's Academy, at Crieff, in Scotland. In 1904 he returned to New Zealand, was for a few months an assistant master at Nelson College, and in 1905 received his present appointment.
B.A., who was appointed Senior House Master of the Napier Boys' High School in January, 1906, is a native of Nelson, where his father, Mr. Robert Allan, is manager of the New Zealand Clothing Factory's business. He was born in the year 1882, and after passing through the public school went to the Nelson College, where he subsequently studied for his B.A. degree, as an extra-mural student of the Auckland University College, graduating in 1904. Mr. Allan has taken considerable interest in athletics, and was a member of the Auckland University first fifteen for 1905.
Fifth Assistant and Junior House Master of the Napier Boys' High School, was born in Carnarvon, about twenty miles from Feilding, in the year 1884, and is the eighth son of Mr. G. A. Herman Rockel, a well-known farmer. He was educated at the public school in his native place, where, after reaching the second standard, he was employed a part of each day in teaching the pupils immediately below his own status in the school. At fourteen years of age he won a senior scholarship, and went to Wanganui College, where he was granted an extra free year. He was subsequently for two years at the Wanganui Preparatory College, under Mr. W. E. Atkinson, before receiving his present appointment. While at Wanganui he matriculated on the Junior University Scholarship papers, and he has since kept a year's terms as an extramural student of the Victoria College in Wellington. Mr. Rockel was for some time a member of the Wanganui Highland Rifles, and is a lieutenant of the Napier Rifles. As a footballer he played in the Wanganui College team in 1902, in the College Old Boys' team in 1903 and 1904, and in the Wanganui “Reps” for 1904; in 1905 he was a member of the Scinde Football Club, and of the Hawke's Bay “Reps,” playing with the latter team in all centres of the colony. He was also for some time a member of several Wanganui cricket clubs, and of the Wanganui rowing, swimming, and Sandow clubs.
D.D., Secretary to the High School Board of Governors, and sometime chairman of the Education Board, and Clerk and Treasurer to the Presbyterian General Assembly of New Zealand, was born at Pitcairn Green, near Perth, Scotland, educated at Redgorton parish school and Perth Academy, and graduated at Edinburgh University. Dr. Sidey entered the Church in 1857, and had charge of a parish at Auchtermuchty for about eight years; later, he was transferred to West Calder, where he remained for six years, then came to New Zealand by the ship “Caduceus,” and landed at Auckland in 1872. He proceeded to Napier, where he took charge of the Presbyterian Church, to which he had been appointed previous to his departure from Scotland. In 1884, when Mr. Patterson succeeded him in his charge, Dr. Sidey became clerk and treasurer to the General Asembly,
which is pleasantly situated on Clyde Road, Napier, was first opened under the superintendence of Miss M. E. G. Hewett, of Queen's College, Cambridge, in February, 1884, and has become one of the leading institutions of its kind in the North Island. The school has, from time to time, been enlarged and improved, and is now a handsome two-storeyed building, containg well-furnished class-rooms, a general dining room, a music room, sitting rooms, pupils' bedrooms, and the drawing room. Some distance from the main building there is a large play-shed, which also contains a cookery department. The grounds surrounding the school have a westerly aspect, and include an asphalt playground, an orchard and vegetable garden, flower gardens, and tennis and croquet lawns. Pupils are prepared for the junior and senior Civil Service examinations, matriculation, junior University Scholarships, and University term examinations, and Trinity College musical tests. Of the large number of pupils presented within recent years, ninety per cent. have been successful. Systematic instruction is also given in gymnastics and physical drill. The average attendance is about 105, an increase of nearly 100 per cent during the last five years. The head mistress of the school, Miss A. E. J. Spencer, B.A., is supported by an efficient staff, three of whom are University graduates.
B.A. (New Zealand), Principal of the Napier Girls' High School, was born in Napier, and is a daughter of the late Dr. Spencer, F.R.S., M.R.O.S., a scientist and physician who practised for some years in Napier. She entered the school as a pupil at its foundation in the year 1884, and matriculated in 1889. She graduated B.A. in 1895, and was immediately appointed to the teaching staff of the Girls' High School. In 1897 she became first assistant, and three years later succeeded Miss R. M. Matthews, LL.A., as principal.
governing the Hawke's Bay Education District, which extends from Cape Runaway in the north to Woodville in the south, has about 110 schools under its charge, with an aggregate attendance of 9,500 children. There are four district high schools, and seven centres at which technical education is given, and the total number of teachers under the Board's control is about 250. These figures, however, are rapidly increasing with the steady development of the district, and new schools are constantly in course of erection. The Gisborne district school is the largest in Hawke's Bay, with a roll number of 953; the next in size is the Napier district school, which is closely followed by the main school at Hastings.
who was appointed secretary to the Hawke's Bay Education Board in May, 1906, was born in Yorkshire, England, in the year 1875, and came to New Zealand in 1880. He was educated at the
B.A., F.G.S. (London), Inspector of Schools under the Hawke's Bay Board of Education, is the son of Mr. B. Hill, iron and nail factor, and was born at Lye, near Stourbridge, Worcestershire, England, in the year 1849, and trained as a pupil teacher in his native town. He was educated at Cheltenham College, where he completed his training for the profession of a schoolmaster, and was afterwards appointed to organise St. Mark's school, Nottingham. When the Canterbury Provincial Government were organising their schools (Hon. W. Rolleston being the superintendent), Mr. Hill was selected with several others for the work, and he came to New Zealand in 1873. in the ship “Merope.” While in Chrischurch he was for some time science master at Christ's College, and mathematical master at Miss Lohse's young ladies' school. He started the New Zealand “Schoolmaster,” and edited that journal for several years; and was the prime mover in the agitation which resulted in the formation of the first Teachers' Association in New Zealand, a general conference of teachers being held in Christchurch in 1876. In 1878 he was appointed inspector and secretary to the Napier Education Board, and for thirteen years held the dual position. He was however, obliged to relinquish the secretaryship on account of the rapid increase of the volume of examining work. Mr. Hill is an enthusiastic geologist, and his large district, extending from Cape Runaway to Cape Turnagain, provides him with an excellent field for observation. He assisted the people of Wanganui in the discovery of an artesian water supply, and in recognition of his services was presented with a specially-engraved and valnable gold watch by the Wanganui Borough Council. He was made a fellow of the Royal Geological Society many years ago, on the recommendation of Sir James Hcctor and Professor Hutton. An earnest believer in mutual improvement societies, Mr. Hill started the Napier Young Men's Club, and has done much to assist its progress. He is a Freemason, but unattached. In 1873 he married a daughter of Mr. John Knowles, of Worcestershire, and has four daughters and three sons.
who has been a member of the Hawke's Bay Education Board for about nine years, was born in the year 1854, at Belfast, in the north of Ireland, where his father was a builder. He was educated at Coleraine and Belfast, and in the latter place became a manufacturing jeweller. He came to New Zealand in 1877, shortly afterwards opened up business in the Waikato, and later established a branch at Gisborne. He subsequently sold out of the former, and acquired the business previously conducted by Messrs Jensen and Moeller in Napier. In 1903 Mr. McLernon erected the present handsome premises in Hastings Street, where, and in Gisborne, he conducts one of the finest jewellery, businesses on the East Coast. For some years Mr. McLernon was a member of the Gisborne Borough Council, and a member of the Licensing Bench. In Napier he was for years chairman of the local holiday association, and at different times has taken part in the management of various public bodies.
who has been architect to the Hawke's Bay Education Board since the year 1895, was born in Dunedin, in 1860, and is a son of a well-known wine and spirit merchant. He was educated at public schools, and at the Otago Boys' High School, and was articled to his profession under Mr. James Johnston, of Oamaru. Later on, he was for about a year in the Public Works Department of the Government service, and in 1883 he removed to Napier, and entered into partnership with Mr. T. R. Cooper. In 1891, however, Mr. Cooper withdrew from the firm, and Mr. Finch has since practised his profession on his own account in premises situated near the foot of Shakespeare Road. Mr. Finch's connection extends from Gisborne on the north to Dannevirke on the south, and a large number of the finest commercial houses, public buildings; and private residences, both in town and country, have been designed by him. Mr. Finch is architect for the Napier Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, and holds other minor offices. He comes of a gifted musical family, and is a life member of the Cathedral choir, of which he was for many years secretary and treasurer.
is a wooden building of two storeys, situated on the north side of Clive Square. The infant school is conducted in a separate building, standing on the corner of Clive Square and Carlyle Street. The school is one of the oldest in the province, and was founded in the “seventies.” It has accommodation for about 1,000 scholars, the roll number is about 700, and the average attendance 640. The school has an excellent name for efficiency, and the annual examinations show good results. There are two cadet corps in the school. The staff consists of the head-master, three male and five female assistants, and six pupil-teachers.
Head-master of the Napier District School, is further referred to as captain and adjutant of the 3rd (East Coast) Battalion of the Wellington Rifle Volunteers. He also holds the position of Major, commanding No. 1 Battalion, Hawke's Bay Public School Cadets.
(D3 Certificate), Second Assistant Master of the Napier District School, was born at Makotuku, in Hawke's Bay, in September, 1881, and was educated at the Makotuku and Ormondville public schools, chiefly under Mr. J. C. Westall, B.A., LL.B., He subsequently served as a pupil teacher for four years in the Weber school, and was then for one year in training in Napier. In 1903 Mr. Plank was appointed assistant master at Waipukurau, two years later
who in February, 1906, was appointed third assistant master of the Napier District School, was born in South Canterbury in September, 1886, and is a son of Mr. W. D. McClure, headmaster of the Kiritaki school, near Dannevirke. He was educated in Gisborne, at the public school, where he gained a scholarship in 1900, and at the High School, where he matriculated in 1902. He was then appointed as a second-year pupil teacher at the Mangapapa public school, nine months after was transferred to the district High School at Dannevirke, where he gained the D certificate, and a year later received his present appointment. Mr. McClure takes a keen interest in athletics, was captain of his school cricket and football clubs, and carried off the half-mile running championship for Poverty Bay. As a volunteer he is a member of the Napier Guards, and he is also a member of the choir of St. Paul's Church.
was originally established as a side school, to prevent overcrowding in the main school. It was intended only to accommodate small children, and was placed in charge of a mistress, who for some time had as many as 300 names on the roll. In February, 1899; however, the school was opened as a training college for teachers, and was retained as such under the head-mastership of Mr. Dodds, M.A., until the year 1902, when it was constituted an ordinary public school. It is situated in Hastings Street, and comprises two wooden buildings, with accommodation for about 450 pupils. There is a roll number of about 300, and the average attendance is 270. Mr. J. N. Dodds, M.A., is head-master.
situated on the Hukarere Road, was established by the late Bishop Williams, the first Bishop of Waiapu, in the year 1875. It was for some years maintained by the Church Missionary Society and the proceeds from a Maori school estate, but it was in 1892, affiliated to the Te Aute College. The two schools are supported by a valuable endowment, known as the Te Aute College Estate, and by Government scholarships or grants to individual pupils on their selection for transference from the various native primary schools. Many of the pupils have done excellent work, one became mistress of the school for several years, and some are now teaching in native schools in various parts of the colony. In addition to the ordinary school curriculum, dress-making, cookery, and laundry work are taught. Some of the old pupils receive hospital training. The building is of two storeys, in wood and iron, and has residential accommodation for about sixty pupils.
under whose general superintendence the Hukarere Native Girls' School is carried on, is a daughter of the late Bishop Williams, founder of the institution, and has been closely connected with the management of the school from its inception.
Lady Principal of the Hukarere Native Girls' School, was born in Berkshire, England, and was educated at Craufurd House, Maidenhead. In 1898 she was recommended by the Church Missionary Society for the position she now holds. She was joined by a sister two years later.
In the early days of settlement, State aid, in the shape of land endowments, was granted to the various religious denominations, as they established their churches in the colony, but for many years past Government support has neither been bestowed nor applied for. New Zealand has no established or State church, but of the various denominations the Church of England has the largest number of members and adherents. All the religious bodies of Britain are represented in New Zealand, and throughout the colony the respect they command is universal, while the influence they exert is apparent in public, private, and social life. In every city, town, and village, churches or places of worship have been erected, while in the more remote settlements services are held alternately, by the various sects, in schools or public halls. A spirit of amity and tolerance exists between the Christian bodies, and on questions of public importance joint action is often taken by the clergy of all denominations, who are, in most instances, men of considerable culture, learning, and influence. The Church of the Province of New Zealand, better known as the Church of England, is divided, for working purposes, into six dioceses, namely: Auckland, Waiapu, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch, and Dunedin. The Most Rev. Samuel Tarrant Nevill, D.D., of Dunedin, is Primate of New Zealand, and there are six other Bishops, including the Bishop of Melanesia. Meetings of Diocesan Synods are held once a year, and every third year the General Synod meets in one or other of the dicceses. The clergy of the diocese of Waiapu, including the Bishop and native ministers, number forty-nine. The Roman Catholic Church in New Zealand is under the charge of the Most Rev. Francis Redwood, S.M., D.D., Archbishop of Wellington, who has three other bishops in charge of the other centres. The Catholic district of Hawke's Bay, which extends to Pahiatua, is under the care of ten priests. The Presbytery of Hawke's Bay, which includes Gisborne, is divided into thirteen parishes, each in charge of resident ministers. The Methodist Church has six resident ministers in Hawke's Bay, and the Baptist and Congregational denominations each have a minister residing in Napier.
The Diocese of Waiapu, of which Napier is the centre, was formerly part of the New Zealand Diocese, but was constituted a separate diocese in the year 1859. It was bounded on the north by Tauranga, and on the south by Gisborne, and had a population almost exclusively Maori. The meeting of the first Synod was held at Waerenga-a-hika, Turanga, on the 3rd day of December, 1861, when the proceedings were conducted in Maori, Bishop Williams being president. During the Maori troubles, this portion of the diocese suffered considerably from the Hau-hau fanatics, and in March, 1865, the Rev. Mr. Volkner was murdéred at Opotiki. In 1868 the boundaries of the diocese were extended, and the provincial district of Hawke's Bay was taken from the Diocese of Wellington, and added to that of Waiapu, thus extending it to Woodville on the south. The new Synod met at Napier in August, 1872, and included Bishop William Williams (president), Archdeacon W. L. Williams (the present Bishop), the Rev. Samuel William (now Archdeacon), and Mr. J. B. Fielder. Bishop William Williams resigned the see in the year 1876, owing to ill-health, and Archdeacon W. L. Williams, as commissary appointed by the Primate, administered the affairs of the diocese till the consecration as Bishop of the Rev. Edward Craig Stuart, who was elected by the Synod on the 25th of September, 1877. Bishop Stuart resigned his see on the 31st of January, 1894, to take up missionary work in Persia. He was succeeded by Archdeacon W. L. Williams, who was elected Bishop by the Diocesan Synod on the 25th of September, 1894, and was consecrated in the Napier Cathedral on the 20th of January, 1895.
There are three Archdeaconries in the diocese, namely Tauranga, Waiapu, and Hawke's Bay. The two former are vacant, and the Venerable Samuel Williams is Archdeacon of the latter. The Cathedral Chapter consists of the Bishop, the Venerable Archdeacon Samuel Williams, the Rev. Canon F. Mayne (Vicar of the Cathedral Parish), the Rev. Canon C. Jordan (Vicar of Tauranga), the Rev. J. C. Eccles (Vicar of Woodville), and Messrs J. Thornton and J. B. Fielder (lay members). There are also fifty licensed clergy, 145 lay readers, eighty churches, and 150 other places of worship. The churches in Napier are in charge of the Rev. Frank Mayne, M.A., Canon and Vicar of the Cathedral Parish of St. John the Evangelist; the Rev. C. L. Tuke, Vicar of St. Augustine's; and the Rev. Oliver Dean, Vicar of St. Andrew's, Port Ahuriri.
which is one of the largest ecclesiastical buildings in New Zealand, may be said to owe its existence to the untiring energy and zeal of the late Very Rev. De Berdt Hovell, sometime Dean of Waiapu. The scheme for its erection was taken in hand in the year 1885; in the month of September, 1886, the foundation stone was laid; and the Cathedral was conseerated and formally opened for divine worship in December, 1888.
The task of designing the Cathedral was placed in the hands of the late Mr. B. W. Mountfort, architect, of Christchurch, and the Napier Cathedral is one of his very best creations. The plan of the Cathedral may be described as nave, chancel, and transept, with a morning chapel north of the chancel, and an organ chamber on the south. At the west end of the nave there are spacious vestries, in two storeys, for clergy and choir. The nave and chancel are under one continuous roof, into which the transep roofs join at a somewhat lower levation, so that the ridge is unbroken, save where the cross shows outwardly the commencement of the chancel inside. The roof is covered with states of two colours, arranged in patterns, and finished at the sky line with a perforated tile ridge. The main walls show a series of buttresses on each side, connected together by bold arches forming recesses, each of which contains a window of a couple of lancets, with diamond perforations above and between them. The brickwork of the walls is relieved by stone string courses and flat bands of stone, and is crowned by a handsome and massive cornice. An effective use has been made of moulded bricks, both within and with
The eastern window, of great size, has been filled with very beautiful stained glass, and was placed there in memory of the late Hon. Robert Stokes, sometime member of the Legislative Council of New Zealand; another richly-stained window has been erected to commemorate the first Bishop of the diocese, Dr. Williams; while a third, in memory of the wife of the late Mr. H. Stokes Tiffen, has been placed in the north transept. Other memorials have been erected to Captain Carr, of the Royal Artillery, Mr. Davis Canning, and Dean Hovell; while under an Agnus Dei window, in the south transept, there is a very touching inscription, on white marble, in commemoration of the eldest son of the late Dean, Hugh de St. Croix Hovell, who died under singularly sad circumstances. On the south side of the nave, opposite the north entrance, a wide arch leads to the vestries, underneath a picturesque projecting minstrel's gallery, which, is entered from the upper vestry. In the sacristry admirable paintings of Bishop Selwyn, Bishop William Williams, Bishop Stuart, Bishop W. L. Williams, Dean Hovell, and Archdeacon S. Williams, have been placed. They are from the brush of Herr Lindauer, and the credit of having secured them for the diocese is due to the Rev. J. C. Eccles, vicar of Woodville.
A new organ is now (1906) in course of construction in the Cathedral, and this instrument will be one of the largest in any church in New Zealand. It will comprise three manuals of sixty-one notes compass, and pedals of thirty-two notes, twelve pistons, twenty-one pneumatic registers, and three hitching pedals. The action throughout is on the improved tubular pneumatic principle.
Anglican Bishop of Waiapu, was born in the Bay of Islands in the year 1829, and is a son of the first Bishop of Waiapu, one of New Zealand's most prominent missionaries. He was educated at St. John's College, Auckland, and afterwards went to England, and graduated at Magdalen Hall, Oxford, taking the degree of Bachelor of Arts, with third-class honours, in Literas Humanioribus, in 1852. In the following year he returned to New Zealand as a missionary, and was engaged with his father, who in 1839 removed his head-quarters to Poverty Bay. In 1862 Mr. Williams was installed Archdeacon of Waiapu, and continued to labour among the Maoris until 1865, when the Poverty Bay Mission was broken up in consequence of the incursions of the Hauhaus. The Archdeacon took his family to Auckland, but, notwithstanding the very unsettled condition of the natives, he himself spent most of his time in the neighbourhood of Poverty Bay, in spite of many obstacles and warnings. He was there with a portion of his family when the Chatham Island prisoners, led by Te Kooti, landed at Whareongaonga, and was within a few miles of the scene of the massacre on the 10th of November, 1858. In 1877 he made Gisborne his head-quarters, where, in the year 1863, the Maori Theological College was placed under his charge as principal. He continued in this position until the resignation by Bishop Stuart, of the Waiapu see, and he was elected to fill the vacancy in 1894, and consecrated in the following year at Napier Cathedral by the primate, assisted by the Bishops of Christchurch, Nelson, and Melanesia. In Maori Literature, Bishop Williams has done much useful work. He has re-edited the “Dictionary of the Maori Language,” complied by his father, and is
M.A., Vicar of St. John's Cathedral, Napier, was appointed to his present position in 1906, to succeed the late Dean Hovell. Canon Mayne is referred to on page 183 of the Otago volume of “The Cyclopedia of New Zealand.”
F.M.I.C., London, who was appointed organist and choir-master of the Napier Cathedral on the 8th of August, 1905, was born at Bristol in January, 1859, and is a son of Mr. George Fray, a well-known coach-builder there. He was educated at Bristol, and at the Pulteny Street School, Adelaide, South Australia, under the Rev. W. S. Moore. Mr. Fray then returned to the Old Country to study music. He was trained in the practical knowledge of the organ at Westminster Abbey, under Doctor (now Sir Frederick) Bridge, the celebrated organist, and in the theory of music under Professor Prout, B.A., who now (1906) occupies the chair of music at the Dublin University. He subsequently returned to South Australia, and was appointed organist of St. Peter's, Glenelg, and for two years was an under-graduate of the Adelaide University, where he studied under Professor Ives, Bachelor of Music (Oxford), and Professor Bragg, M.A. In the year 1898, he was appointed organist of St. John's Pro-Cathedral, in Launceston, Tasmania, which post he held until September, 1905. During those seven years he did excellent work as organist of his church, and as choir-master of the Launceston Church Choir Association, and on his departure for New Zealand, was publicly entertained and presented with a purse of sovereigns. Mr. Fray is the local secretary to Trinity College, London, and has been appointed visiting music master of the Napier Boys' and Girls' High Schools. At the request of the Cathedral Vestry, Mr. Fray prepared the specifications of the new organ at the Napier Cathedral.
Secretary, Treasurer, and Registrar of the Diocese of Waiapu, was born in Finsbury Square, London, England, in the year 1839, and was educated at Dalston Academy, London. After serving as a clerk in various offices, he left England for India, joining the 70th Surrey Regiment at Rawul Pindee, in 1858, and two years later came with the regiment to Auckland. Mr. Fielder was in the detachment sent to Dunedin on the outbreak of the gold-fields in Otago, and was appointed clerk to the deputy-assistant commissary-general. In 1863 the detachment left for the scene of the Tatarai-maka massacre in Taranaki, and a few months later was ordered to Auckland, its head-quarters. He was next appointed district clerk at Otahuhu, and subsequently removed to Papakura in the same capacity. Mr. Fielder saw active service in the Waikato, under General Cameron. In 1865 the regiment was ordered Home, and Mr. Fielder, then holding the position of paymaster-sergeant, took his discharge, and entered the civil service as assistant clerk in the Napier resident magistrate's court; was afterwards appointed clerk to the bench and deputy-registrar of the Supreme Court: and two or three years later entered the Deeds Department, and became deputy-registrar of deeds and deputy-commissioner of stamps, which offices he held till his retirement from the service in 1879. He then accepted the secretaryship of the Napier Gas Company, and the management of the Hawke's Bay Permanent Building and Investment Society, having since 1867 also held the secretaryship of the Napier Building Societies, Nos. 1, 2, and 3. Mr. Fielder is also provincial corresponding secretary of the Hawke's Bay District I.O.O.F., M.U., one of the directors of the New Zealand branch of the Manchester Unity of Oddfellows, honorary treasurer of the Napier Bowling Club, district agent of the Royal Exchange Fire Insurance Company, and also of the New Zealand Plate Glass Insurance Company, member of the Vestry, and churchwarden of the Napier parish since the year 1866, secretary of the Waiapu Board of Diocesan Trustees, the Napier Park Company, the Napier Recreation Ground Company, and the Cemetery Trust. When the native troubles arose, Mr. Fielder joined the Napier Rifle Volunteers, and became sergeant-major. He was also present at the engagement at Omaranui, and holds the New Zealand war medal. Mr. Fielder married a daughter of the late Dr. Gibson, of Dublin, Ireland, in 1864, and has, surviving, one son and two daughters.
sometime Dean of the Cathedral Chapter of the Diocese of Waiapu, and of Napier Cathedral, was born in 1850, and was the eldest son of Dr. Charles H. J. Hovell, sometime surgeon of the 3rd Waikato Regiment, and Brigade-Surgeon-Lieutenant-Colonel. Dean Hovell was educated at the King's school, Rochester, under the Rev. Robert Whiston, M.A., and succeeded
Napier, was erected in the year 1885, and is situated at the corner of Bower Street and Edward Street. It is a wooden building with seating accommodation for about 250 persons. A large Sunday school, and a vicarage are situated close by.
Vicar of St. Augustine's Church, Napier, is a native of Kent, England, and was educated at Haileybury College, and the United Services College, Westward Ho, and in New Zealand, at St. John's College, Auckland. He has since ministered in various parts of Hawke's Bay, and was appointed to his present incumbency in 1900. In the Masonic fraternity Mr. Tuke is chaplain of Lodges Scinde and Victoria.
is one of the oldest churches in Napier. It is a wooden building, which has been renovated and enlarged from time to time, and now (1903) has seating accommodation for about 500 persons. The church has a membership of about 350, and the services are well attended. St. Paul's schoolroom is a separate building, with seating room for about 350 pupils. The roll number is about 200, and two Bible classes are conducted in conjunction with the Sunday school.
B.A., was appointed to his present charge in January, 1899. He was born in the year 1864, in Invercargill, where he was educated at the primary and secondary schools, and at the Otago Boys' High School and the Otago University. He graduated in the year 1886, and then went to the Old Country; after four years' theological study in Edinburgh was licensed as a
Napier. The foundation of the Catholic Mission in Napier dates as far back as the year 1859, when Father Regnier, S.M., built the first church, which is still in an excellent state of preservation, and is now used by the Marist Brothers as a school. It was in the same year, owing to the large number of Catholics amongst the soldiers, that Napier was first separated from Meanee, and Father Forest was appointed the first resident priest. Through the liberality of Mr. Thomas Fitzgerald (first Superintendent of Hawke's Bay), who gave a grant of land to the new mission, Father Forest was soon able to build a presbytery on one of the most beautiful sites in Napier, known as “Holy Mount.” Father Forest's most important work was the erection of the convent and schools for girls in the year 1863, with the introduction of the Sisters of “Our Lady of the Missions” in 1865. About the same time Father Regnier, who still had charge of the Meanee Mission, erected in the Napier Convent grounds a native school for half-caste girls and other poor children an institution which has since, under the able care of the Sisters, acquired an excellent reputation. This school is subsidised by the Government, and visited twice a year by the Government Inspector for Native Schools. There are at the school over sixty Maori and half-caste pupils, many of whom are sent from other parts of New Zealand by the Government, to take out their scholarships under the Sisters. Father Forest's next work was to erect St. Mary's Church, a handsome building of kauri timber, with fine slated roof, beautiful stained glass windows, and a handsome marble altar, at a cost of £2,300, St. Mary's is capable of seating 150 persons. The last work of Father Forest was the introduction of the Marist Brothers, the first branch in the colonies of the teaching order founded in 1837 by Father Champagnat, at St. Genis, near Lyons, France. The present Catholic population of Napier is about 1,580, and the number of children attending the convent, including boarders and Marist Brothers' school, is over 300 in all. These schools are undoubtedly among the most efficient in the colony. This progress required more school accommodation, as well as a residence for the Brothers, which cost £1,200. Father Forest, after twenty-six years' missionary labours in Napier, died in 1884, in his eightieth year. His successor, Father Grogan (now the Very Rev. Dean Grogan), shortly after his arrival in Napier, saw that St. Mary's Church was neither large nor central enough for the requirements of his numerous congregation. His first step was to purchase a site for a new edifice in the heart of the town, and the year 1894 saw his labours crowned with success in the completion of St. Patrick's Church, usually called St. Patrick's Cathedral—which is a fine building of kauri, of pure Gothic style throughout, and capable of seating about 700 people. It was built at a cost of £3,500. The beautiful stained glass windows were imported from Lyons, and the bell, which weighs half a ton, was cast by the well-known firm of Bourdon and Company, of that city. The tall elegant spire of St. Patrick's is the first object to attract the eye on approaching Napier by train.
S.M., was appointed to the charge of the Catholic parish of Napier in succession to Dean Grogan. Father Goggan was born in the United States, and educated at St. Stanislaus, Tullamore; St. Mary's, Dundalk; and the Royal University, Dublin; and he pursued his philosophical studies at Agen, France, and his theological studies at Barcelona, in Spain. He was then sent out as Professor of Science and Mathematics at St. Patrick's College, Wellington, where he took up his duties in June, 1885, and filled the position for seven years and a-half. Father Goggan then joined Father Devoy at Te Aro, where he laboured for four years. He was promoted to the charge of the Blenheim district in 1896, and subsequently was again promoted to Napier.
is situated in Clive Square, and is a wooden building of considerable dimensions. The interior is attractively arranged, and a large gallery extends nearly half-way round the building. The pulpit is placed at the cast end, and at the back of this there is a sweet-toned pipe organ, on both sides of which is seating accommodation for the choir. The Church is attended by a large and increasing congregation. The present minister is the Rev. A. C. Lawry.
situated in Tennyson Street, is a wooden building, with seating accommodation for about 250 persons. The pulpit is placed at the south end, on a broad platform, and the vestry is contained in a small wing. There is an organ both in the church and in the schoolroom. The Rev. C. Dallaston, formerly of Wellington, is the present pastor of the Church.
in Napier, stands in Carlyle Street, close to Clive Square, and is a wooden building of Gothic architecture. It is built on a large section, and the Sunday school stands at the rear. The interior of the church is bright and attractive, and seating accommodation is afforded for about 250 worshippers. The Church possesses a small organ, and the singing is led by an efficient choir, under the conductorship of Mr. F. L. Derbyshire. The Rev. R. Mc-Naughton is minister in charge.
The intensity of social life in every country is mainly augmented or modified by climatic influences. The effort for existence is much more serious and strenuous in colder climes than under the sunny skies of this bountiful country; and it naturally follows that the temperament of the community enjoying these favoured conditions is beneficially affected. In New Zealand the time devoted to labour is less than in any other part of the civilized world, the average individual wealth is greater here than in any other country on earth, and the conditions of life generally are easier and more congenial. There is no aristocracy or leisured class in this colony, and there is no abject poverty or fawning servility. All- or practically all—are workers; hence, everyone is enabled to devote a fair amount of time to a favourite hobby or amusement, and the inclination for healthy sports and pastimes is encouraged and fostered. In Hawke's Bay, as elsewhere throughout New Zealand, every form of recreation is catered for, but the people of Napier have at their doors an additional asset in the inner harbour—a magnificent stretch of land-locked water, where aquatic pleasures are safely indulged in. In this section the various phases of social life in Napier are noted.
is situated at the corner of the Marine Parade and Browning Street. The Club is a residential one, and the present handsome building was erected in 1906. Sir William Russell, Messrs R. D. D. McLean, J. H. Coleman, T. Tanner, and J. N. Williams are the trustees, and Mr. R. B. Mathias is honorary secretary and treasurer.
occupies new and commodious premises in Herschel Street. The building is of two storeys, in brick, and was erected in 1906. The club has a membership of over 100. There is an entrance fee of five guineas, and the annual subscription is five guineas for town members, and three guineas for country members. The officers are: Messrs C. B. Hoadley (president), D. A. Baxter (vice-president), C. J. Nantes (honorary secretary and treasurer).
. This club occupies a large site fronting Emerson Street, and extending to Dickens Street. The building is of two storeys, with an imposing frontage. On the ground floor is the library, newspaper room, billiard room, theatre, bar, and secretary's office. Upstairs there is a large reading and reference library room, several card rooms, a writing room, and a bar. The institution has had a successful career, is well managed, and has a membership of over 1,000. The library in connection with the club is the largest in Hawke's Bay.
Secretary and Librarian of the Napier Working Men's Club, was born in London, England, in the year 1850, and is the son of the late Mr. Thomas Lound. He was educated partly in London and partly in Auckland, where with his parents, he landed in 1859, from the ship “Harwood.” He joined the colonial forces, and served under Colonel Whitmore on both coasts of the North Island, and took part in the hunt after Te Kooti, and for about eighteen months he was sergeant in charge of the field hospital in the Patea district. Mr. Lound has been throughout his life more or less connected with bands and musical societies. Beginning as a member of the band of the Napier Rifles, he rose to be band-master, and has filled similar posts in the artillery and other bands. As a Freemason Mr. Lound is a member of Lodge Scinde, No. 5, N.Z.C., and he is both district secretary of the Ancient Order of Foresters and secretary of Court Sir Charles Napier. For many years he has been secretary of the Working Men's Club, the success of which is largely the outcome of his assiduity; and too much praise can hardly be bestowed upon him for the care and attention which have marked the execution of his many duties. In 1877 Mr. Lound married a daughter of the late Mr. R. Lawrence, of Taranaki, and has one son and one daughter.
No. 5, N.Z.C., was founded on the 7th of February, 1858, as Lodge Scinde, No. 419, I.C., but upon the establishment of the Grand Lodge of New Zealand it was decided to work under the new constitution. At Munn's Royal Hotel, at high noon, on the 2nd of February, 1858, the brethren then in Hawke's Bay met to consult concerning the proposed Lodge, and the meeting was attended, among others, by Messrs Michael Fitzgerald, John Alexander Smith, George Sisson Cooper, Edmund Tuke, Daniel Munn and Joseph Lucas Hodges, who became the foundation members. Mr. Michael Fitzgerald was the first Worshipful Master, and the Hon. J. D. Ormond, M.L.C., was one of the first trustees. The earlier meetings of the Lodge were held in an office, on the site now occupied by the Bank of New Zealand. In October, 1861, town section No. 124 was bought, on which a small wooden building was erected, but this hall was destroyed in the great fire of December, 1886. The present hall, in Tennyson Street, was erected in 1890, on the site of the old room, and in the interim the members had met in the hall of Lodge Victoria. Meetings of Lodge Scinde are
Worshipful Master of Lodge Scinde, No. 5, N.Z.C., was installed in his present office in June, 1906. He was initiated into Freemasonry in this Lodge in 1899.
who was elected Senior Warden of Lodge Scinde, No. 5, N.Z.C., in June, 1906, was initiated in the same lodge in the year 1900. He is further referred to as manager of the Napier branch of the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, Limited.
Junior Warden of Lodge Scinde, No. 5, N.Z.C., is further referred to in connection with the Highland Society.
Past Master of Lodge Scinde, No. 5, N.Z.C., was initiated in that lodge in 1897, and passed through all the chairs. He was born in India in February, 1875, and is the son of a major in the Indian Army. At the age of twelve years he came to New Zealand, and completed his education at the Christchurch and Lyttelton public schools. Mr. Edmundson was afterwards apprenticed to the cycle trade with the firm of Messrs Oates, Lowry and Company, of Christchurch, remained at head-quarters for about eight years, and in 1896 was appointed manager of the firm's Napier branch. This position he held until 1906, when he resigned in order to start in business on his own account. Mr. Edmundson is a member of the Napier Bowling Club.
No. 21, N.Z.C., which was established over thirty years ago, meets at the Masonic Hall, in Munroe Street, on the first Tuesday in each month, excepting December, when the installation ceremony is held on the second Tuesday. Officers for the year 1906: Messrs J. R. Dickson, W.M., W. A. Wilkie, S.W., J. Redshaw, J.W., R. Lucas, Secretary.
Worshipful Master of Lodge Victoria, was initiated in the year 1899, in Lodge Duke of Albany, 2073, E.C., and passed through all the chairs in Lodge Victoria, Napier.
Past Master of Lodge Victoria, No. 21, N.Z.C., has been a Freemason for many years, and is a Past Master of the Victoria Royal Arch Chapter. He was born in Wiltshire, England, in the year 1862, and came to New Zealand at the age of five years. Mr. Bull was educated in Remuera, Auckland, and served an apprenticeship to the building trade under Mr. McColl, of Newmarket. For some years subsequently he conducted business on his own account, and late in the “eighties” removed to Napier. Two years later he was joined by his brother, the firm being known as Messrs Bull Brothers.
No. 4596, of the Independent Order of Oddfellows, M.U., was founded in the year 1856, and meetings were first held in a lodge room at Onepoto Gully. Many years later, a property, situated at the rear of the Theatre Royal, was acquired, and the present hall was created. This building is of brick, with a central apartment fifty feet by twenty-five feet. The lodge has a membership of over 300. Over £150 is annually distributed by this lodge in benefits. The officers are: Messrs A. E. Bourgeois, N.G., F. G. Rolls, V.G., W. H. Gordine, G.M., Henry Bull, Secretary.
N.G. of the Loyal Napier Lodge of the Independent Order of Oddfellows, was born in Napier in the year 1882. He was educated partly by his father, and partly at the Napier district school—of which, in 1897, he was dux—and the Napier Boys' High School. Mr. Bourgeois afterwards joined the staff of the Tyser Line, Limited, and five years later entered the employ of Messrs Murray, Roberts and Company, where he is now (1906) on the staff of the wool and insurance department of the Napier branch. Mr. Bourgeois served as a volunteer for about five years, during which time he gained a special certificate at the Military School of Instruction, under Colonel Owen. He is also a member of the Napier Sailing Club.
who has been secretary of the Loyal Napier Lodge since 1896, was born in Auckland in the year 1872, and is the son of a builder. He was educated partly in Auckland and partly in Napier, having settled in the latter town with his parents in 1885. Mr. Bull afterwards entered the employment of Messrs Banner and Liddle, auctioneers and general merchants. This partnership was afterwards dissolved, and for five years subsequently he worked with Mr. Banner, who carried on the business on his own account. In May, 1902, Mr. Bull entered into partnership with Mr. A. L. D. Fraser, M.H.R., the firm being known as Messrs Fraser and Bull. Later, the firm bought out the business of Mr. Banner, and have since conducted a large insurance and general commission agency. Mr. Bull was for about nine years a member of the Napier Navals (since defunct), and has always closely identified himself with the social life of the town.
Past Provincial Grand Master, has been connected with the Lodge since the year 1874. He was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1848, and at twelve years of age went to sea, and served for some years successively in the naval and the merchant service. In 1872 Mr. Krogh came to New Zealand, and took up his residence at Port Ahuriri, which has continued to be his head-quarters. For some years he was engaged in coastal trading, and then established himself in business in Waghorn Street as an oil-skin maker, ironmonger, and general shopkeeper, with a varied stock adapted especially to the needs of a seaport. In conjunction with this business he has recently (1906) captained a lighter engaged in the local trade. Mr. Krogh is one of the oldest members of the Working Men's Club, and was for some years connected with the Port Ahuriri school committee and fire brigade.
Past Grand of the Loyal Napier Lodge, has been connected with the lodge for about ten years, and is its present auditor. He is the eldest son of Mr. T. Krogh, was born in the year 1880, and was educated at the Port Ahuriri school, of which he was dux in 1893. He then joined the commercial staff of the Napier “Daily Telegraph,” of which he is now (1906) advertising clerk. Mr. Krogh takes a keen interest in musical matters, and is a proficient pianoforte and banjo player. He is a member of the Napier Cricket Club, and secretary of the Hawke's Bay Homing Pigeon Society. For some years he was a member of the Union Rowing Club, the F Battery, and the Napier Guards. Mr. Krogh was also one of the principal promoters of the Hawke's Bay Sports Protection Society.
was established in the year 1891, with a membership of about twenty, and with Mr. G. H. Swan as its first commodore, In 1893 a shed was erected at Fisherman's Bay, which served the club for nine years, and in 1902 a valuable property of four acres, together with a substantial residence and a convenient jetty, situated on the Petane Road. Western Spit, was bought by the club. The original shed has been removed to the new site, the residence is to be converted into a club house, and about £100 is to be annually expended in the improvement of the property. The fleet consists of about fifteen yachts, and several privately-owned oil launches are used by the members. Fortnightly races are held in the inner harbour, and two races per season outside the harbour, and the trophies presented and competed for in 1905 exceeded £100 in value. The club has a membership of about eighty, and the annual subscription is one guinea. Officers for the year 1906: Messrs J. Vigor Brown (commodore), R. K. White (vice-commodore), F. W. Triggs (captain), D. Gillies (vice-captain), A. D. Brown (honorary secretary), and F. W. Triggs (honorary treasurer).
Captain of the Napier Sailing Club, was born in London, England, in the year 1861, and came to New Zealand at the age of eight years. He was educated at private and public schools in Christchurch, and afterwards learned the soft-goods trade with some of the chief warehouses in Christchurch and Wellington. He entered the employment of Messrs Archibald Clark and Sons in 1895, as country traveller in Hawke's Bay, and in 1901 was appointed manager of the firm's Napier branch. Mr. Triggs is a Freemason, and is a member of several athletic clubs. He joined the Napier Sailing Club in 1895, takes keen interest in the sport, and is also a member of the Royal Yacht Squadron, Auckland. His yacht, the “Gondola,” is well known in Napier as a fast boat.
Vice-Captain of the Napier Sailing Club, has held office since the formation of the club, and was for some time its captain. He was born in the year 1860, in Crinan, Argyleshire, Scotland, where he was educated, and subsequently served an apprenticeship to the boatbuilding trade. At sixteen years of age Mr. Gillies went to sea, in the merchant service. He arrived in Dunedin in 1888, and was employed during the following two years in the Union Steam Ship Company's vessels. In 1890 he joined the service of the North British and Hawke's Bay Freezing Company, Limited, at Port Ahuriri, where he is now (1906) in charge of the freezing chamber. Mr. Gillies is a member, and one of the founders, of the Hawke's Bay Highland Society.
was founded about the year 1875, with Mr. Spencer Gollan, its present president, as one of its promoters. The boatshed was originally situated on the Tutaekuri river, where it was burnt down and re-built, and it was afterwards removed to the Whare-o'Maramu river. It is a wooden building, about fifty feet square, and is well fitted up as a boat shed. The club holds a yearly contest with Poverty Bay, and has successfully competed in other regattas. A ladies' club has also been formed, and has proved very popular. The fleet consists of one racing sculler, two “best and best” fours, two number eight clinker fours, three four-oared maiden clinkers, two clinker scullers, four pleasure boats, and about half-a-dozen pair-oars and double scullers. Officers for the year 1906; Messrs Spencer Gollan (president), C. D. Kennedy, R. D. D. McLean, W. J. Tabateau, and R. Lanauze (vice-presidents), J. H. Ferguson (captain), J. B. Cuthbert (vice-captain), E. F. Shirley (secretary), P. Foley (treasurer), and there is a committee of seven.
Captain of the Napier Rowing Club, has been connected with the club for many years. He was born near Takapau, Hawke's Bay, in the year 1872, and was educated at Wellington College, the Napier Boys' High School, and at Lincoln College, Canterbury. He then removed to Napier, where he has since been engaged in commercial life. Mr. Ferguson is an active member of many clubs, most of which have received his generous assistance. He is further referred to as a house, land, estate, insurance, and general agent.
who was elected Vice-Captain of the Napier Rowing Club in the year 1903, has been a useful member of the club for about nine years, and was for some time its treasurer, and a member of the committee. He was born in Napier in April, 1879, was educated at the Gisborne and Napier schools, and then entered the employ of Messrs Kennedy Brothers and Morgan, where he subsequently became a draughtsman. Mr. Cuthbert is a member of the Hawke's Bay Rowing Association, and is a delegate for several rowing clubs.
was founded in the year 1876, with Mr. J. North as its first captain. The boat shed was originally situated on the Tutaekuri river, but was subsequently removed to Wellesley Road. It is a substantial wooden building, with an iron roof, and measures about ninety feet by thirty feet. The fleet consists of five four-oars, two convertible double-scullers, two single scullers, and three pleasure boats. The club holds a good racing record, and has acquitted itself creditably in interprovincial contests. It won the Couper Cup and the gold medal at Farndon Park, on Boxing day, 1905. The club has a membership of eighty, and the annual subscription is thirty shillings. Officers for the year 1906: Messrs William Nelson (patron), A. E. Eagleton (president), A. C. Barnes (captain), Walter Heifford (vice-captain), J. W. Cato (secretary), F. Simmonds (treasurer).
Captain of the Union Rowing Club, has been a member of the club for several years. He was born in Christ-church in the year 1867, and is a son of the junior partner in the contracting firm of Messrs Newton and Barnes. Mr. Barnes was educated at the public schools in Christchurch and Oamaru, and was apprenticed to the grocery trade. After spending a few years in that employment in South Canterbury and North Otago, he removed to Napier, and took over the Caledonian Hotel. Mr. Barnes has been president of the City Football Club, secretary of the Hawke's Bay Amateur Rowing Association, representative for the New Zealand Amateur Rowing Association and the New Zealand League of Wheelmen, and a member of the Hawke's Bay Rugby Union.
was established about the year 1893, with Messrs A. E. Eagleton, J. M. Hamilton, F. Moeller, and G. H. Swan among its promoters. For some years practices and contests were held in the open sea, but later the White Swan Swimming Baths were used for training and racing purposes. The Club has, at various times, been successfully represented at Christchurch, Wellington, and Wanganui; and swimming races are held at the annual sports, when cups and other trophies presented to the club are competed for. There is a membership of about thirty. Mr. W. G. Atack, a well-known Christchurch journalist, has for some years rendered valuable service to the club as delegate to the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association. Officers for the year 1906: Messrs R. D. D. McLean (patron), Frank Moeller (president), T. S. Roulston (captain), H. W. Allan (deputy-captain), A. E. Eagleton (secretary and treasurer).
who has been Captain of the Napier Amateur Swimming Club continuously for about six years, has held office since the inception of the club. He received his education at the Napier District School, and later at the Napier Boys' High School. In 1896 he entered the office of Messrs Cotterill and Humphries, barristers and solicitors, where he is still (1906) employed. Mr. Roulston is treasurer of the Scinde Football Club, and was one of the representative members of the Napier Rowing Club.
was founded in the year 1902, with Messrs R. Currie, E. H. Ricketts, E. Crowley, J. K. Martin, J. C. Grubb, and D. A. Pilmer among its premoters. It is registered with the unclassified associations, and is affiliated to the Northern Bowling Association. The Bowling green is situated at Greenmeadows, and was bought by the club from Mr. Butcher at a figure greatly beneath its value. It is laid out to accommodate four rinks, but its area is now (1906) increased to nearly one acre, in order to afford room for eight rinks and a ladies' tennis court. In the first year of its existence the club was represented at Auckland, and in the second year at Gisborne, where they were “runners up” for the trophy. In 1906 the club won six games out of nine in Wellington, and secured second place for the points prize; in inter club shield matches, also, they have taken a creditable place. There is a membership of fifty-three. Officers for the year 1906: Messrs H. F. Butcher (patron), J. J. Niven (past president), C. W. Badley (president), F. G. Smith (vice-president). Robert Currie (secretary and treasurer).
Secretary and Treasurer of the Greenmeadows Bowling Club, was one of the principal promoters, and represents the club in its inter-provincial contests.
was founded in the year 1896, with Mr. W. Dymock as its first president, and Mr. G. M. Morris as its first captain. The links are situated at Waiohiki, about seven miles south-west from Napier, and consist of 155 acres, leased from the Maoris. The ground is level and undulating, and is claimed to be one of the best golfing links in the colony. The course is an eighteenhole one, and takes about three hours in the playing. The Maoris take a keen interest in the games, and one member, Kurupo Tareha, held the New Zealand Championship for the year 1903. The club has been successful in inter-provincial contests, and holds the Wilson Cup. There is a membership of nearly 200; the entrance fee is one guinea, and there is an annual subscription of two guineas. A pavilion has been erected, and a caretaker is employed; the services of a professional player are also at the disposal of the club. Officers for the year 1906: Messrs F. L. Gordon (president), C. D. Kennedy (vice-president), G. M. Morris (captain), J. T. Cato (secretary and treasurer).
is affiliated to the New Zealand Rughy Football Union, and its functions are to act as a board of directors over the football affairs of the province, to settle disputes, arrange inter-provincial matches, and generally to supervise and protect the game. It consists of twenty-two members; including two delegates from each of the seven local football clubs, and two members from each of the four sub-unions, which have their centres respectively in Hastings, Waipawa, Dannevirke, and Porangahau; these, sub-unions act as local management committees. The management committee of the Union meets weekly, throughout the season. The officers of the Union are: Messrs F. Logan (president), E. P. Smyrk (chairman), J. P. Fortune (secretary), A. McCarthy (treasurer).
was appointed Secretary and a member of the management committee of the Hawke's Bay Rughy Football Union in the year 1902, and has been for many years a member of the City Football Club. He was born in Auckland in the year 1877, and was educated at the Napier Grammar School, and at St. Patrick's College, Wellington. Mr. Fortune then entered the employ of Messrs Cranby and Sidey, of Napier. Later, he joined the staff of the Napier Harbour Board, and in 1902 was appointed delivery clerk at the Board's sheds at the breakwater. Mr. Fortune is a member of the Unión Rówing Club, and of the Napier Lodge of Oddfellows.
also known as the Wednesday Afternoon Club, from the fact that it is the only cricket club that plays on that day, came into existence owing to the change the Scinde Cricket Club made in playing their practice matches on Saturday instead of on Wednesday. The majority of the members of the Napier Club were formerly connected with the Scinde Club, but Wednesday, being the weekly half-holiday in Napier, was found to be a more convenient day for play. For some time the seceding body of Wednesday players retained their connection with the old club, but in October, 1905, a new and separate club was organised under the present title, with Messrs J. W. Boyce, H. McDougall, L. Krogh, J. Browne, H. Pirie and S. Lyndon among its, promoters. It is divided into three elevens, known respectively as A, B, and C, and has been fairly successful in matches. There is a membership of forty-two, and the annual subscription is fifteen shillings. Officers for the year 1906: Messrs J. Vigor Brown (president), F. Moeller, J. Ross, W. Simm and M. Lascelles (vice-presidents), J. W. Boyce (captain), S. Lyndon (secretary), H. McDougall (treasurer).
Captain of the Napier Cricket Club, was born in the year 1877, at Maidstone, Kent, England, where he was educated, and learned the tailoring trade. In 1893 he went to Victoria, Australia, where he was employed at general work for about seven years. He finally came to New Zealand, landed at Lyttelton early in January, 1900, and after a varied twelve months' experience he went to Wellington, where he entered the employment of Messrs Osborne and Baker, and afterwards that of Messrs Kirkealdie and Stains. During his employment with the latter firm he made a thorough study of his trade, and became an assistant cutter. In April, 1903, he received the appointment of cutter for Messrs Blythe and Company, of Napier, and has won the reputation of being a skilful tailor. Mr. Boyce is a member of the St. Paul's Church Gymnasium, and was formerly a member of the Napier Rowing Club and the Napier Sandow School.
founded in the “sixties,” is one of the oldest and most prosperous of New Zealand racingg clubs. The course, which is situated within the Hastings borough, is one of the prettiest in Australasia. It has an area of ninety acres, embraces a pretty lake,
who has been secretary of the Hawke's. Bay Metropolitan Jockey Club since the year 1902, was born in London, England, in January, 1872. He was trained as an accountant, and was for seven years in the employ of Messrs Cassells, the well-known publishing firm. In 1892 he came to New Zealand, and for a time was employed at New Plymouth. Mr. Stratton subsequently held an appointment as clerk of works to the Southland Meat Company at Mataura, and then settled in Christchurch for a short time. In 1897 he went to the Old Country, and entered the office of the Royal Insurance Company in London, but in the following year he returned to New Zealand, settled in. Hastings, and took up journalistic work. Soon afterwards Mr. Stratton started in business as an accountant, in which he has been successful, and he holds a number of secretaryships. Whilst resident in Christchurch Mr. Stratton went to Australia as a representative swimmer, and during his residence in Hastings he has taken an active part in social life.
was founded about twenty years ago, with Messrs John Close, J. Mc Vay, G. H. Swan, and John Bennett among its promoters. The racecourse, which is controlled by the Napier Park Company, consists of some ninety acres, situated at Green meadows. This was at first rough and irregular country, but the expenditure of large sums of money has made it a capital course. There are three stands on the course, the grand stand, a small public stand, and the stewards' stand. The grand stand, which is claimed to be the best and largest of its kind in the province, includes apartments for the use of the secretary, the officers, and the jockeys. Three race meetings are held annually, in March, June, and October respectively. There is a membership of 160, and the annual subscription is two guineas. Committee meetings are held monthly, and the officers of the club are elected annually. Officers for the year 1906: Messrs John McVay (president), J. Vigor Brown (vice-president), Percy Martin (judge), J. Chadwick (handicapper), S. E. Cooper (time-keeper), James Lopdell (clerk of the course), A. G. Wood (starter), F. G. Smith (clerk of the scales), and J. E. Gleadow (secretary).
was established in the year 1894, with the object of encouraging the cultivation of Highland and Scotch literature, music, and games; to perpetuate the Gaelic language; and “to take cognizance of all matters which may be considered of special interest to Scotchmen.” It is controlled by a council of management consisting of the chief, three chieftains, a secretary and treasurer, and seven members of the committee. Meetings are held on the first Friday in May, June, July, and August; on the second night of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society's show, on the evening of St. Andrew's Day, and on the evening of the 25th of January (Burns' Anniversary). At these meetings harmony is indulged in, matters of general interest are discussed, and a paper is contributed by one of the members. Sports are annually held. The ordinary yearly subscription is 10s, for honorary members £1 1s, for honorary life members £5 5s. Officers for 1906–1907: Messrs R. D. D. McLean (chief), J. Neilson, H. Mc. Kenzie and J. McLean (chieftains), J. Alexander, J. McKay. J. R. McRae, J. Webster, J. P. Thomson, P. S. McLean, and R. Yuill (councillors), T. Parker (secretary and treasurer), J. H. Martin (choir-master), W. Scott (librarian).
one of the Chieftains of the Hawke's Bay Highland Society, was formerly a member of the Caledonian Society, and afterwards assisted in the formation of the present body, of which he has been a member of the Executive Council since its inception. He is the eldest son of Mr. Hector McKenzie, a farmer on the Hill of Fortrose, Ross, Scotland, an ancient seat of the McKenzie Clan. He was
who has been one of the Chieftains of the Hawke's Bay Highland Society since 1902, is one of the original members of that body, and for many years held office both as a councillor and as choir-master. He was born in February, 1853, at Coatbridge, situated about eight miles from Glasgow, in Scotland. In the year 1877 he came to New Zealand, and made the latter part of the voyage in the s.s. “Tararua.” For the first ten years Mr. Neilson was engaged in business as a jeweller at Waimate, South Canterbury, and late in the “eighties” removed to Napier, where he bought the old-established watchmaking and jewellery business formerly conducted by Mr. V. Jensen, in Emerson Street. Mr. Neilson is vice-president of the Napier Harmonic Society, and has always taken an active part in musical matters.
Choir-master of the Hawke's Bay Highland Society, belongs, on the maternal side to the Mackay clan, and although colonial born is a most enthusiastic Highlander. He is the second son of Mr. John Martin, the oldest-established tailor and woollen merchant in Napier. He went to England to study cutting, and, having gained a first-class diploma at a cutting academy, now assists in the firm in a practical manner. Mr. Martin has always taken a great interest in music, and has been a member of the various musical societies that have been formed in Napier; he has represented his province in inter-provincial cricket matches all over New Zealand, and he holds a commission in the 3rd. Battalion (East Coast) Wellington Rifle Volunteers, being captain of the Napier Rifles.
Secretary of the Highland Society, was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, in the year 1867, and was educated at Beith. He subsequently joined the staff of the Clydesdale Bank, and five years later was transferred to the head office at Glasgow, where he remained for seven years. Mr. Parker came to New Zealand in 1894, and finally settled in Napier. He is further referred to as a general outfitter, and hat and cap manufacturer, and as Junior Warden of Lodge Scinde, No. 5, N.Z.C.
a society formed with the object of cultivating local dramatic talent, and for purposes of public entertainment, was founded in the year 1901, with Mr. G. A. Broad and Mrs Edgar among its principal promoters. Their first play was “The Magistrate,” which was staged in the Theatre Royal in October, 1904, and drew a crowded house, and this was followed soon after by “Liberty Hall,” and “One Summer's Day,” which were equally meritorious, and met with unqualified success.
was founded in the early days of the provincial settlement, and Messrs J. H. Coleman, G. P. Donnelly, R. D. D. McLean, J. N. Williams, J. H. Williams, and Thomas Tanner were among its chief promoters. The show ground comprises thirty acres of rich level land, situated in the borough of Hastings adjoining the township. It is one of the finest show grounds in the colony, and possesses a large and handsome grand-stand, two produce sheds, poultry and dog stands, and a full complement of yards. There are also luncheon and afternoon tea rooms, fitted up with every convenience. Two shows are held annually, known respectively as the spring and autumn shows, and rank among the finest and most successful agricultural and pastoral exhibitions in Australasia. The attendances on these occasions is invariably large. The executive committee meets on the first Friday in each month, and the annual meeting for the election of officers takes place in June, at the Society's rooms in Tennyson Street, Napier. There is a membership of 1,050, and the annual subscription is £1. Officers for the year 1906: Messrs N. Kettle (president), A. H. Russell (vice-president), G. S. V. Wenley (treasurer), and Charles Douglas (secretary). There is also a general committee of twenty four.
formerly secretary of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, is the youngest son of Mr. George Home Binning Monro, who was a nephew of the late Sir David Monro. He was born in the year 1880 on the “Valleyfield” Station, in Marlborough, of which his father was manager for a time, and was educated at Wanganui College, and afterwards at Dover College, in England. In 1897 he returned to New Zealand, and was employed in the firm of Messrs Williams and Kettle until 1901, when he resigned his position as assistant stock agent to accept the appointment of secretary to the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society. Mr. Monro was a member of the Napier Golf Club, the United Cricket Club, the Napier Sailing Club, and the Napier and Hastings Clubs. He is now (1906) farming in Marlborough.
was founded in September, 1896, with the late Mr W. R. Bly the as its first chairman, and Mr. A. H. Wilson as its first secretary. It was formed for the purpose of settling matters relating to and fixing holidays to be obseved in the town, and practically all the business people of standing in Napier are members of the association. There is a subscription of 2s per member per annum. The annual meeting is held in July, when officers are elected. Mr. William Simm is chairman, and Mr. J. R. Crerar is secretary.
Chairman of the Napier Holiday Association, was born in the year 1869 in Glasgow, Scotland, where he was educated at the Bellahouston Academy, and was afterwards apprenticed to the soft goods trade with Messrs Smith, Sons, and Laughland. In 1883 he came to New Zealand, and for twenty-two years was continuously employed at Te Aro House, Wellington, of which he subsequently became assistant manager. He resigned this appointment in March, 1905, in order to succeed the late Mr. S. Blythe, as manager of the drapery and furnishing warehouse of Messrs Blythe and Company, of Emerson Street, Napier. Mr. Simm takes a keen interest in athletics, and is vice-president of the Napier Rowing Association and the Hawke's Bay Cricket Association; he is also an active member of the Hawke's Bay Caledonian Society, and of the Napier Bowling Club.
was established on the 10th of October, 1897, under the title of the Hawke's Bay Kennel Club. Its chief promoter was Mr. Hugh McDonald, who called a meeting at the Occidental Hotel, in Napier, which was attended by Messrs H. M. McDonald, Thomas Parker, A. E. Stanton, S. E. Harrop, and J. T. Healey. Six months later the present secretary was elected to manage the business affairs of the organisation, and from that date the real prosperity of the club began. Its title was changed to the Hawke's Bay Kennel and Poultry Club, and Mr. Paul Hunter, who has held the office continuously since, was elected president. The first show was held in the year 1898, when the club was indebted to Mr. J. Vigor Brown for the free use of the Theatre Royal. The meeting was a great success, and left a credit balance on the books of the club. In the following year the Theatre Royal was found to be too small to accommodate the numerous entries, and the Drill Hall, which has since been used for show purposes, was called into requisition. In 1902 it was found necessary, owing to the rapidly-increasing number of entries, to procure dog divisions and poultry pens, and the total cost of these, £130, was raised on debentures; but this debt is now (1906) almost cleared. The club's property in dog divisions and pens is stored in the rooms of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society at Hastings. An annual show is held at the Garrison Hall in the month of July, and is one of the best of its kind in the colony. Entries are received from all parts of New Zealand; the prizes are numerous and attractive, and the management of the show reflects great credit upon the officials. The benching of the dogs is on the same principle as that adopted at the Crystal Palace, London; namely, on raised platforms, eighteen inches high, and five feet wide, thus giving the animals ample room for exercise. The poultry and pigeous are exhibited in the “double-decker” style. The club has achieved signal success in the improvement of the breeding and classification of dogs. The membership of the club is about eighty, and the officers for the year 1906 are: Messrs R. D. D. McLean, J. H. Coleman, G. Hunter, and Dr. Bernau (patrons), Mr. Paul Hunter (president), twelve vice-presidents, and Mr. W. A. Smith (secretary and treasurer).
Of all studies music claims the greatest number of enthusiasts, and it also exercises the greatest influence-over the finer senses. Nothing is more elevating to the mind than the sweet symphonies of a cathedral organ; nothing so stirs the pulse as the inspiriting martial strains of a military band; and to the restless babe no sound is so pacifying as the soft crooning of a mother's lullaby. Every town of consequence in New Zealand has its musical societies and bands, and in the larger centres the municipal bodies subsidize the local bands to perform free open-air concerts. Musical entertainments given by the amateur societies are, generally speaking, of a high standard. The most successful theatrical companies that visit and tour New Zealand are those playing grand and comic operas, or musical comedies; and when their performances are of standard merit they do excellent business, invariably playing to full houses. Most travelling companies include Napier in their tour, there being two large theatres there. It will be gathered from a perusal of this section that the capital of Hawke's Bay is not behindhand in musical matters, and the teachers of music resident there are people of high attainment. An annual subsidy is granted by the Napier Borough Council to the two local bands (one of which—the Battalion Band—is referred to in the Military section), and they give periodical concerts on the Marine Parade and in Clive Square.
was established in the year 1905, with Mr. H. G. Spackman as conductor. Under his direction many standard orchestral works have been performed, and the society has become a powerful factor in the musical education of the community. It has been fortunate in the matter of completeness of its band, which numbers about fifty, and possesses instruments which are rarely found in amateur orchestras. The programmes have included classical works, and also those of a lighter character, and the performances have always been marked by completeness of detail. Two concerts are given annually in the Theatre Royal, and these have been so successful that it has been found necessary of late to repeat the performances, the accommodation of the theatre being insufficient for the large number of subscribers. Practices are held in the society's rooms in Hastings Street.
Conductor of the Napier Orchestral Society, was born in the year 1850, at Corsham, Wiltshire, England, and comes of a gifted musical family. He was educated at the local grammar school, and for some time afterwards assisted his father in business. At thirteen years of age Mr. Spackman was elected organist of the Baptist Church in Corsham. At seventeen years of age he was appointed organist of St. Bartholomew's Church, Corsham, and was succeeded fourteen years later by his brother, who still (1906) holds the position. Mr. Spackman was also a member of the Bristol Musical Festival Society, then under the conductorship of Sir Charles Halle. In 1883 he came to New Zealand, as organist of the Napier Cathedral, and held the position for ten years. He then resigned, and subsequently resided in Gisborne, where he became organist of Holy Trinity Church. Mr. Spackman was afterwards appointed music master of the Boys' College, Wanganui, where he also conducted an orchestra. In 1902 he returned to Napier, and has resumed the practice of his profession. Mr. Spackman is examiner in music for the Hawke's Bay Board of Education.
Secretary and Treasurer of the Napier Orchestral Society, was born in Adelaide, South Australia, on the 16th of June, 1867, and is the second son of Captain Lockyer, the late commodore-captain of the Adelaide Steam Ship Company. He was educated at the Hahndorf and St. Peter's Colleges in Adelaide, and was successively employed
is a musical society, established in the year 1897, with the object of raising money by public entertainments for charitable purposes. The first musical director was Mr. C. Wilson; interlocutor, Mr. E. H. Taylor; and stage manager, Mr. C. Price. The first concert was held at Eskdale in September, 1898, and since that date over thirty entertainments have been given. These concerts have been very successful, and over £1,000 have been collected for charitable objects. During the season practice meetings are held weekly, and the affairs of the society are managed by an executive committee. The membership of the society is about forty, and the orchestra, which is claimed to be the finest in the North Island, consists of eighteen members. The officers are: President, Colonel Benson; Musical Director, Mr. J. A. Stevens; Stage-Manager, Mr. G. Tudehope; Interlocutor, Mr. Charles Prebble; Property Master, Mr. Thomas Prebble; Secretary and Treasurer, Mr. J. S. Brass. The members of the committee are, Messrs J. S. Brass, Geo. Tudehope, H. Tankard, J. A. Stevens, and Chas. Prebble.
Musical Director of the Napier Frivolity Minstrels, and of the Napier Dramatic Students, is a son of Mr. C. T. Stevens, a draughtsman in the Government Land Transfer Department, Wellington. He was educated at Invercargill, and has since successfully followed mercantile life. Mr. Stevens was one of the promoters of the Hawke's Bay Kennel and Poultry Club, and is a successful breeder and importer of prize poultry, which he exhibits at all the principal New Zealand shows.
Secretary and Treasurer of the Napier Frivolity Minstrels, was born in Invercargill, where he was educated at the public schools. In October, 1904, Mr. Brass was appointed manager of the mercery department in the business of Messrs Kirkcaldie and Stains, Limited, at Napier. Shortly after his arrival in Napier he joined the Frivolity Minstrels, and a few months later was elected secretary and treasurer, a position which he still holds.
was appointed Property-Master of the Napier Frivolity Minstrels in 1904, and has been a member of the society for about seven years. He was born in Napier in October, 1880, and was educated at the District School and the Napier Boys' High School. For some years Mr. Prebble assisted in his father's business, and on the latter's death he bought out the interest held by other members of the family, and has since conducted a successful business, on his own account, as a fruiterer in Hastings Street. He has been for several years a member of the Cathedral choir, and was a member of the Union Rowing Club and the Napier Swimming Club.
who has been a member of the committee of the Napier Frivolity Minstrels, has been connected with the society as a soloist for about three years. He was born at Hastings in December, 1881, and was educated at the Napier District School. Mr. Edwards afterwards learned the boot trade, and has had considerable experience in business life, having travelled throughout the colony on behalf of various firms. For about twelve months subsequently he carried on business on his own account as a bootmaker, in Tennyson Street, and in 1905 entered into partnership with Mr. T. King, of Dunedin, as a boot manufacturer.
was established in July, 1903, with the object of cultivating a taste for part singing. Weekly practices are held, from March to November, in the Cathedral schoolroom. Oratorios, liedertafel, and liederkranz work are undertaken, and two public concerts are given annually. The management of the society is vested in a committee, consisting of a president, a vice-president, a secretary, a conductor, and two other members, elected annually. The membership of the society is about eighty, and the annual subscription is 10s. Officers for the year 1906: Messrs Thomas Tanner (president), G. C. Fletcher (secretary), and J. Chadwick (conductor).
has been Secretary and Treasurer of the Napier Harmonic Society since its inception. He is a member of the Napier Cathedral Choir, was for some years connected with the Frivolity Minstrels, and other local musical bodies, and has helped in organising school concerts in the neighbouring
Teacher of Music, Napier. Mr. Hoben was born in Sydney, Australia, in the year 1866, and came to New Zealand as a child. After appearing as a juvenile phenomenon, and going on tour, he finally went to the Royal Conservatorium of Leipsic. There he appeared at the “Abends” within three months of his arrival—an unprecedented thing for a new pupil. He had as masters in pianoforte vortrag, Dr. Carl Reinecke; for technique, Professor Zwintscher; for theory, Professor Gustav Schreck; and for voice production, violin, languages, etc., other eminent members of the professorial staff. After his return to New Zealand he settled in Napier, where he is engaged in teaching his profession.
Teacher of Violin, 'Cello, and Singing, Tennyson Street, Napier. Herr Lehmann was born at Wilsdruff, Saxony, in November, 1865, and comes of a musical family, his father being a professional musician, and his brother the director of the Heidelberg Orchestral Society. He was educated at his native place, where he also took his first lessons in music. Herr Lehmann then studied for five years at Leipzig, at which place he was subsequently conductor of the Crystal Palace Orchestra. For two years afterwards he studied at Frankfurt, and after having completed his professional training, accepted an appointment as conductor of the Kur-orchestra at Selisberg, Switzerland. In the year 1895 he came to Australia with a concert company, and soon afterwards started as a teacher of music in Adelaide, where for a time he also conducted the German Musical Society. Herr Lehmann settled in New Zealand in 1898, taught his profession in Wellington for six years, and then removed to Napier. In 1901 he married Miss Beatrice Vartha, a well-known pianist of Christchurch.
(Mrs. E. C. Lehmann); Pianiste, Tennyson Street, Napier. Miss Vartha is a native of Christchurch, where her father was formerly in charge of the Addington workshops. She commenced the study of music at the age of five years, under Herr Lund, and, later, studied under Herr Hirschburg, of Christchurch. At the age of seven years she played Hummel's concertos, and, three years later, Liszt's concerto, before public audiences. Miss Vartha subsequently taught music on her own account for some years in Christchurch. She afterwards travelled through the colony with Miss Bessie Doyle, Miss Fanny Wentworth, de Konski, the Boston Concert Company, and the Ernest Toy Concert Company, and played in Christchurch for Madame Dolores. Miss Vartha finally settled in Wellington, where she had the distinction of playing before the Duke and Duchess of York, in Parliament Buildings. In 1901 she was married to Herr Lehmann.
Teacher of Singing and Voice Production, Napier. Mr. Toner was born in the year 1872, in Dublin, Ireland, where his father held a commission in the Royal Irish Constabulary. For some years he was taught by Professor Dowling, M.A., and afterwards went to the French College at Black Rock. At an early age, however, he showed great musical talent, and entered Trinity College to prepare for the musical profession. His first master was Professor Stein, under whom he studied pianoforte music and harmony, and he then took lessons from Professor Monypenny. Mr. Toner subsequently went to London, where he studied for two and a-half years under Signor Negroni, the celebrated pupil of Lamperti.
was originally founded as an Artillery Band, in the early “seventies.” Later it became a Garrison Band, which it remained until the year 1890, when it was re-organised and given its present name. It has had as its successive conductors, Mr. Charles Lound and Mr. George Garry, the latter of whom was succeeded in about 1880 by Mr. Frederick Tankard, the present conductor. The band has a membership of twenty-two, and the instruments include one double B Flat bass, two E Flat basses, one G trombone, two tenor trombones, two baritones, two euphoniums, three E Flat horns, two solo cornets, two repiano cornets, three third cornets, two second cornets, one E Flat cornet, and two drums. For many years the Band practised in Newton's Buildings, at the corner of Hastings Street and Tennyson Street, but in 1902 this building was destroyed by fire, together with a large amount of musical literature and a number of instruments; since that time the Band has met for practice in a room at the rear of Mr. A. E. Eagleton's premises in Hastings Street. The Band is subsidised by the Borough Council to the extent of £25 per annum, and thirteen concerts are given annually, chiefly in the Napier band rotundas. Excellent services have been rendered by the Band on behalf of charitable objects.
Conductor of the Napier City Band, was born at Halifax, England, in December, 1847. In the year 1858 he came to New Zealand with his parents, in the ship “Zealandia,” and landed at Lyttelton. For some years he resided at Papanui, where he learned the trade of a blacksmith and wheelwright, and then went with his father to Amberley, and worked for him for about six years. Mr. Tankard subsequently was a journeyman blacksmith in Christchurch, for Messrs Cobb and Company, and afterwards for Mr. A. G. Howland. Later on, he established a smithy on his own account in St. Asaph Street, Christ-church, and in 1878 removed to Napier, where he was employed for ten years as a journeyman by Mr. Joseph Parker. Mr. Tankard then started in business, which he has since successfully conducted in Tennyson Street. He has been a member of the Napier Lodge of Druids for many years, and has passed through all the Chairs.
Piano and General Music Dealer, Turner and Repairer, Browning Street, Napier. This business was established in the year 1901, by the present proprietor, who is agent for Messrs Charles Begg and Company, Limited, Dunedin. Mr. Lockyer is further referred to as secretary and treasurer of the Napier Orchestral Society.
On the register of newspapers for New Zealand stand the names of 209 publications, of which sixty-one are daily papers. Others are biweekly, tri-weekly, weekly, and monthly productions. The leading newspapers—which in some instances started as single sheets—have grown in size and circulation together with the centres from which they emanate. They compare very favourably with the Old World journals, alike in their presentation of the world's news, and their representation of the intelligence of the country. By every service utilised by the postal department these papers are distributed throughout the country districts, and, in addition, almost every township publishes a periodical of its own. Considering its size, its population, and its age, New Zealand is better supplied with newspapers than any other country in the world. In Napier the pioneer newspaper of the province, the “Hawke's Bay Herald,” commenced its career in 1857. Four years later the “Hawke's Bay Times” came into being, and existed until 1874. It was published by Mr. Harding, in Hastings Street, and was an advocate for land reform and temperance. In 1870 the “Napier Daily Telegraph” made its first appearance. The “Star” next appeared upon the scene, but its meteoric career lasted only for some six weeks. The “Evening News,” a liberal journal, finally succumbed after a strenuous life of some years. A Maori paper, known as the “Whaka Maori,” had a life of short duration. The only two surviving journals published in Napier have maintained an unbroken existence since their establishment. Both are Press Association papers, well conducted, and ably edited. The “Herald” is the morning newspaper, and the “Telegraph” is published in the afternoon.
is one of the oldest journals in New Zealand, and was founded while the district was still part of the province of Wellington. The rich lands surrounding Hawke's Bay, and for many miles inland, were being sold, and the revenue was being expended in Wellington, while Hawke's Bay was left practically roadless. This was most unsatisfactory to the settlers, and a movement for separation was inaugurated, the promoters of which keenly felt the need of a newspaper to assist them. Mr. James Wood, an Auckland journalist, was induced to start' the “Herald,” the first number of which appeared on the 24th of September, 1857. It was a very small sheet, issued weekly at first, but soon afterwards was published twice a week. Early in the year 1871, Mr. Wood ventured to issue a daily half-sheet, Mr. W. W. Carlile being appointed editor. On the 1st of April of that year the business was purchased from Mr. Wood by Mr. P. Dinwiddie (who had been for some time accountant to Mr. Wood), Mr. Carlile, and Mr. Morrison (head of the printing department). In 1878 Mr. Carlile sold out his interest to his partners, in the following year Mr. Morrison sold his share to Mr. Walker, and the style of the firm was then changed to Dinwiddie, Walker, and Company. The business was in 1886 turned into a limited liability company, Messrs Dinwiddie and Walker retaining large interests, together with their respective positions of business manager and editor. In December of the same year a disastrous fire occurred in Napier, and the “Herald's” premises and plant were, with many other properties in the neighbourhood, completely destroyed. The present handsome brick and stone premises were then erected at a cost of about £5000. There is a large plant suitable to all the requirements of the town and district. The quality of lithographic, job-printing, and book-binding work issued from the “Herald” office will compare favourably with that executed in much larger towns.
was born in Manchester, England, in the year 1838, and served an apprenticeship in the well-known export warehouse of John Pender and Company, the head
who has been Editor of the “Hawke's Bay Herald” since the year 1901, is a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of New Zealand.
sometime Editor of the “Hawke's Bay Herald,” was born' in Manchester, England, in 1854, and educated at Turton Hall, Yorkshire. He gained his journalistic experience in various English journals before coming to New Zealand, where he was first engaged an sub-editor of the “Evening Post,” Wellington. Mr. Walker died in 1901.
was established on the 1st of February, 1870, by a company, for the purpose of providing an independent newspaper, untrammelled by party or sect. The company did not live long, as its shareholders failed to realise the difficult nature of the task they had undertaken. Before the year had expired Messrs Alex. Kennedy, T.
the Proprietor of the “Daily Telegraph, comes of an old English family settled for many, generations in Kent. He was born in the year 1833, at Maidstone, Kent, England, where he was educated. Deciding to try his fortunes in a new country, he left England for New Zealand, landed in Auckland early in 1856, and commenced business in that city. In the following year he proceeded to Hawke's Bay, and from then till 1886 carried on in Napier a wine and spirit business. This he relinquished in the latter year, and he has since given his whole attention to the management of the “Daily Telegraph.” Mr. Knowles is an excellent and active business man, and his beautiful home and grounds on the hill overlooking the town and bay are well-known in the district. He has been connected with the Napier Gas Company from its inception, and was for some years its chairman; has been chairman of directors of the North British and Hawke's Bay Freezing Company, Limited, for about fifteen years; is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, and is one of the directors of the Permanent Building Society. He married a daughter of the late Dr. J. J. Brown, of London, England, and has, surviving, one daughter, who is married to Mr. J. A. Macfarlane, manager of the Maraekakaho station and proprietor of “Ben Lomond” sheep run. Mr. Knowles is largely interested in sheep-farming, and is part owner of Waikareao station at Te Aute.
Editor of the “Daily Telegraph,” was born at Peterborough, Northamptonshire, England, in the year 1819. He is of Scotch descent, his father belonging to an old Argyleshire family, several of whose members have served the Empire with distinction in Canada and India. Mr. McDougall was educated in London, where he also married. Leaving England with his wife, very shortly afterwards, he first touched. New Zealand soil at Port Chalmers. For a few years he led the life of a' settler, and was engaged in various contracts in Canterbury. During this period he was a contributor to various newspapers, principally on political and social subjects. He removed to Napier in 1877, and for some time combined building operations with literary work. His writings brought him into notice, and he was in 1880 offered the position of editor of the “Waipawa Mail,” which he accepted, and since that time has been engaged solely in journalistic pursuits. In 1881 he unsuccessfully contested the Napier seat in the House of Representatives. In the following year he joined the literary staff of the “Hawke's Bay Herald,” and continued his connection with that journal till 1894, when he became editor of the “Daily Telegraph.” Mr. McDougall, as a Freemason, has held the office of Grand Provincial Superintendent since 1901; has been a member of the Ancient Order of Foresters for thirty years, in which order he is a Past District Treasurer; has for several years been president of the Starr Bowkett Building Society; and was a member of the Napier Borough Council for five years. He married a daughter of Mr. Edward Downey, of Stepney, London, England, and has six sons.
New Zealanders are invariably a law-abiding people. The colony has one policeman to every 1,375 of the population, and the cost per inhabitant is 2s. 10¼d. This compares more than favourably with the police service of Australia. Victoria has one policeman to every 798 persons, and the cost per head of the population is 4s. 6½d.; New South Wales, with one to every 599, costs 6s. 1¼d.; and West Australia has one to every 480, costing 10s. 7¾d. The laws in operation in New Zealand are in principle similar to those prevailing in England, and the administration of justice is also very identical. The judges and magistrates are men of high calibre and rectitude, and though the operation of invoking the aid of the law is very costly, the courts are entirely free from corruption. Three sessions of the Supreme Court are held annually at Napier, presided over usually by Sir Robert Stout, Chief Justice of New Zealand. The first sitting of the Supreme Court at Napier was held on the 8th of October, 1861.
in Napier is a large two-storeyed wooden building, standing at the corner of Browning Street and the Marine Parade. The one large court room is used both as a Supreme and Magistrate's Court, and the building contains the usual offices, including a court library. Sittings of the Supreme Court are held at Napier three times a year, and the Magistrate's Court sits daily. Mr. H. W. Brabant is Stipendiary Magistrate, and Mr. R. B. Mathias is Clerk of the Court.
(Herbert Humphries), Barristers, Solicitors, and Notaries Public, Shakespeare Road, Napier. Telephone 27; P.O. Box, 50. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. The firm act as solicitors for the Bank of New Zealand, Bank of New South Wales, the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, the New Zealand Shipping Company, the Tyser Line, Limited, the Tollemache Estate, Messrs Nelson Brothers, Limited, Messrs Dalgety and Company, Limited, and many others.
was born at Kidderminster, Worcestershire England, in 1857, and is the son of Mr. John Humphries, a carpet manufacturer. He was educated at Brighton College, and studied law mainly with Messrs Wilson and Cotterill, of Napier, and was admitted in 1885 by Chief Justice Sir James Prendergast.
Barristers and Solicitors, Tennyson Street, Napier. P.O. Box 43. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand.
was born at St. Kilda, near Melbourne, Australia, in the year 1860, and is the son of the late Mr. Hurdman Charles Cresswell, solicitor, of that city. He was educated at the Wesley College, Melbourne, and admitted a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of New Zealand in 1884, by the late Mr. Justice Gillies. Mr. Cresswell has been established in Napier since 1887, is solicitor for the Licensed Trades Association, and has formed a valuable connection. He is a commissioner of the Supreme Court of Victoria. As a Freemason Mr. Cresswell is a member of Lodge Scinde, No. 5, N.Z.C., and he has held the office of Principal Sojourner of the Victoria Arch Chapter for many years. He is an old member of the order of Druids, and was for some years lieutenant in F Battery of Artillery Volunteers. In 1880 Mr. Cresswell married Miss Forbes, of Gisborne, and has five daughters and two sons.
Napier possesses a salubrious, equable climate; it is blessed with an abundant artesian water supply, and the sanitary and drainage arrangements are maintained in perfect order. Thus it is a haven for the invalid and for those in delicate health. The large public hospital—referred to elsewhere—is visited by the medical practitioners resident in Napier, and, in addition to this institution, there are a number of private hospitals and nursing homes, conducted by certificated nurses, and patronised by the doctors. The medical men practising in Napier are highly-qualified members of their profession, the druggists and pharmacists are also qualified by examination, and this section of the work is devoted to them collectively.
M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P., Physician and Surgeon, Napier. Dr. Bernau is elsewhere referred to in the Military section of this volume as Surgeon-Captain of the Napier Guards.
M.B., C.M., L.R.C.S., L.R.C.P., L.F.P.S., Physician and Surgeon, Saville Row, Tennyson Street, Napier. Dr. Edgar was educated at Glasgow and Edinburgh Universities. He obtained his first diplomas in 1896, and graduated M.B., C.M., in 1899. During his college course, he won two medals in anatomy, one in chemistry, and first-class honours in clinicial surgery, and afterwards received the appointment of Junior Demonstrator of Anatomy at the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh. For a short time subsequently he studied at St. Bartholomew's Hospital in London, and for about four years acted as locum tenens in various places. Dr. Edgar then practised for eighteen months in conjunction with the medical officer of health for the town of Maidstone, Kent. He made two trips to New Zealand as surgeon of the s.s. “Wakanui,” and finally, in 1901, settled in Napier, where he has since conducted a private practice. Dr. Edgar is honorary visiting surgeon to the Napier Hospital.
B.A., M.B., B.Ch., B.A.O., Physician and Surgeon, Napier. Dr. Henley was born in County Wicklow, Ireland, in the year 1875, and was educated at Trinity College, Dublin University. During his Arts course he obtained first-class honours in mathematics and in experimental science, and graduated B.A. in 1898, with honours, obtaining a senior moderatorship and gold medal in experimental science. In the medical school he won the Trinity College scholarship in chemistry, physics, botany, and zoology in 1898, as well as first honours and prizes in physiology, materia medica, anatomy, and forensie medicine. In 1900 he obtained the gold medal for operative surgery in the Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland, and in the following year won the Hudson Scholarship and gold medal with first prizes in medicine, surgery, dermatology, and gynacology at the Adelaide Hospital, Dublin. He graduated M.B., B.Ch., B.A.O., in 1901. Dr. Henley is the author of a paper entitled “Notes on a method of measuring the relative opacity of organic substances to the X Rays,” which was published in the “Transactions of the Royal Dublin Society.” He was for a time resident physician and surgeon at the Adelaide Hospital in Dublin, and afterwards practised for a few months in Belfast. In January, 1902, he came to New Zealand, and settled in Napier, where he has since practised. Dr. Henley is honorary visiting surgeon of the Napier Hospital.
M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P., L.S.A. (London), Physician and Surgeon, Tennyson Street, Napier. Dr. Locking, after practising a number of years in England, came to New Zealand, practised in Nelson for several years, and removed to Napier in 1894. He is medical referee to the National Mutual, Citizens', Australian Widows', and Provident and Industrial Life Insurance Companies; medical officers to the Oddfellows' and United Friends' Lodges, and a member of the honorary staff of Napier Hospital. He is also surgeon-captain to the East Coast Battalion of Rifle Volunteers, and as a Freemason was a member of Lodge Victory, Nelson, and subsequently of Lodge Victoria, Napier.
B.A., M.B., Ch.B., and M.D., Physician and
Surgeon Dentist (late University of Penn sylvania, Philadelphia, U.S.A.). Office, Emerson Street, Napier.
Surgeon Dentist, Emerson Street. Napier. Mr. Harris was born at Onehunga, Auckland, in the year 1880, and is the youngest son of the late Captain G. B. Harris. He was educated at public and private schools, and was afterwards engaged in farming for a few years. Mr. Harris was subsequently apprenticed to his profession at the Christchurch branch of the London Dental Company, and some years later, after having qualified, was transferred to the Wellington branch. In October, 1905, he was appointed to the charge of the company's branch, at Napier. A few months later Mr. Harris took over the business, and has, since practised, on his own account.
(H. C. Wilson and H. Davies), Dentists, Tennyson Street, Napier. Telephone 83. This firm was founded by Mr. Wilson in 1867.
the senior partner, is a native of Berkshire, England, and studied for his profession under Sir Edward Saunders, dentist to Her late Majesty, Queen Victoria. In the year 1863 he came to Auckland by the ship “War Sprite,” at the time of the Waikato war. He immediately joined Captain Kreptner's German Company, 3rd Waikato Regiment, commanded by Colonel Lyon, and received an ensign's commission. He served all through the campaign, and holds the New Zealand war medal. On the disbandment of the troops, he removed to Napier, established his present large practice, and in 1893 took Mr. Davies into partnership. Mr. Wilson is an enthusiastic bowler, tennis, and golf player, and was connected with the Masonic body for a number of years. His eldest son is house surgeon at the Napier Hospital.
(T Thwaites, manager), Hastings Street, Napier. Telephone, 167. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. This dispensary was established in the year 1892. Its business is by no means confined to those on the books of the societies, nor to those medicines which are supplied free to the members. All kinds of sundries are kept in stock, and the drugs are imported direct.
Manager of the Hawke's Bay United Friendly Societies' Dispensary, was formerly dispenser at the Dunedin Hospital, and is referred to in the Otago volume of this Cyclopedia.
Emerson Street, Napier (J. W. Reid, proprietor). This business was established by Mr. Alexander Eecles, and was acquired by the present proprietor in the year 1902. The building has a fine frontage to Emerson Street, and the establishment is well fitted up and the goods neatly arranged. A complete stock of allopathic and homeopathic medicines, drugs, perpumes, and, toilet requisites is carried.
the Proprietor of the Napier Pharmacy, was born in Dunedin in the year 1865, and is a son of the late Mr. George Reid, a well-known builder. He studied his profession under Messrs B. Bagley and Son, of Dunedin, and in 1883 became assistant to Mr. J. W. Bridge, a chemist of Riverton. Two years later Mr. Reid returned to Dunedin, and was employed for about four years with
Pharmaceutical Chemist, Emerson Street, Napier. This business was acquired in the year 1905, by the present proprietor, who keeps a complete stock of drugs and druggists' sundries, including toilet goods and patent medicines. Mr. Thomas was born in Dunedin in September, 1877. He was subsequently indentured to his profession under Mr. Loasby, Dunedin, and afterwards held a professional appointment at Leeston, where, in June, 1899, he passed the New Zealand Pharmacy Board's examination. Mr. Thomas then joined the Australian staff of Messrs Frederick Stearns and Company, of Michigan, U.S.A., and afterwards held a similar position in the firm of Messrs Elliott Brothers, of Sydney. Later on he accepted an appointment in the retail business of Mr. Washington Soul, of Sydney, but eventually returned to New Zealand. For some time Mr. Thomas acted as locum tenens, settled at Napier in 1904, and started in business on his own account. Mr. Thomas is a member of the Napier Sailing Club.
Chemist, Optician, and Photographic Dealer, Hastings Street, Napier. Telephone, 79. Mr. Williams who is a son of the late Mr. Nathaniel Williams, was born in Napier, and educated at the Boys' High School. After studying his profession in Napier, he went to Wellington to gain further experience, and spent some time with Mr. Barraud, and with Mr. G. W. Wilton, Registrar of the Pharmaceutical Society of New Zealand. In 1897 he returned to Napier, and purchased the oldest-established pharmacy in Hawke's Bay from Mr. Henry Owen. Since that time every other pharmacy in Hawke's Bay has changed hands, and Mr. Williams has the distinction of being the senior chemist in business in the district. The optical department is very complete, with a large range of newest lines in lenses and frames, and a special room for the testing of the eyes. The dispensary is under the control of qualified men, and all water is treated by a Pasteur filter before being used. Mr. Williams is a member of the Napier Borough Council.
The five banks in operation in New Zealand have branch offices in Napier, and the buildings occupied by them are among the finest in the town. The establishment of the first banking house in Hawke's Bay dates back to 1858. On January 9th of that year the “Hawke's Bay Herald,” in a leading article, strongly advocated the establishment of a branch bank in Napier, and on the 4th of the following September it congratulated the settlers upon the arrival of Mr. Brathwaite, manager of the future branch of the Union Bank. This institution opened its doors to the public on the 1st of October, in Emerson Street. The Bank of New Zealand established its branch office in Napier on the 2nd of April, 1862.
Some figures relative to banking operations in New Zealand may prove of interest. For the quarter ended December 31st, 1906, the total deposits amounted to £22,202,640; of this, £2,108,841 represented the Government deposit; £10,250,540 was at call, and £9,843,259 was bearing interest. The total liabilities of the banks amounted to £23,972,561, and the excess of assets over liabilities was £1,368,438. For the same period the value of the notes in circulation was £1,611,220, and the coin and bullion held by the banks amounted to £4,696,758. The returns of the Post Office Savings Bank for the year 1906 reflect the general prosperous and well-to-do condition of the community. The deposits for the year were £7,907,153, and the withdrawals, £6,907,103. The excesses of deposits over withdrawals for the past three years were: £171,770 in 1904, £641,589 in 1905, and £1,000,050 in 1906. There are other Savings Banks in the colony in addition to the Post Office institution, notably one at Auckland, which does a larger business than the Government office in the northern city.
has its head-quarters in Sydney, where it was established in the year 1817. The head office for New Zealand is on Lambton Quay, Wellington, and the branch office in Napier is a handsome building occupying a central position in Hastings Street. Mr. A. Stedman is the local manager.
at Napier, which occupies a site in Hastings Street, near the corner of Emerson Street, was opened in 1874. Mr. H. S. St. Paul is manager at Napier, and the Waipawa agency is under the charge of Mr. G. E. Haggitt.
Napier, occupies a corner site in Hastings Street, at the intersection of Emerson Street. This Bank has its head office in London, and the chief office for New Zealand is at Wellington. On page 283 of this volume an illustration of the Napier branch office appears. Mr. David Stewart, who formerly had charge of the Dunedin office, is manager at Napier.
Napier, occupies a prominent corner in Hastings Street, being separated from the Post Office by Browning Street. The building presents a good appearance, its interior being particularly handsome. The manager, Mr. John Snodgrass, is assisted by a large staff.
Napier, is situated at the corner of Hastings Street and Emerson Street. It was opened in the year 1874 by Mr. Glegg, and for the past eighteen years has been managed by Mr. James McLean, who is assisted by a staff of five.
Manager of the Napier branch of the National Bank of New Zealand, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A., in the year 1855, and was educated in Scotland. After a short experience in a legal office, Mr. McLean came to New Zealand in 1873, by the ship “Jessie Readman,” and joined the National Bank at Dunedin. A few years later he was promoted to be accountant at Invercargill, was afterwards stationed at Tapanui for three years, and was then appointed to the Wanganui branch, where he remained for about six years. Mr. McLean received his present appointment in 1888. He is an ex-president of the Napier Athenacum, and for several years was treasurer of the since-defunct Caledonian Society. Mr. McLean married Miss Excell, a Melbourne lady, in 1884, and has two daughters.
The majority of the insurance companies doing business in New Zealand are represented by agencies in Napier, but some of the larger companies have established in the town branch offices with resident managers. Of the offices so established, from an architectural and ornate point of view, those of the Australian Mutual Provident Society, the New Zealand Insurance Company, and the South British Insurance Company stand out as the most conspicuous. The insurance business transacted in Napier, and throughout the province by means of the sub-agencies, is very large, and compares favourably with other centres.
In the fire insurance world the year of 1906 will ever be remembered as a time of great disaster and anxiety. The awful catastrophe at San Francisco crippled a number of American and Continental insurance companies, but, though its effect was felt in this colony, it injured neither the stability nor the prestige of the New Zealand institutions that held heavy risks in that unfortunate city. In our own country the losses by fire reported in the “Australasian Insurance and Banking Record” for the year 1906 amounted to £270,190, and the journal remarked that “New Zealand has been a field fruitful of losses, and has enjoyed pre-eminence as regards magnitude of individual losses.” But, if the fire insurance business for the year has been bad, that of life insurance has been remarkably good. Although he exact figures of the Australian Mutual Provident Society are not yet available, the new business for 1906 constitutes a record. For the year 1905 it amounted to £4,042,505. The new business written in the same year by the Mutual Life Association of Australasia, Limited, was £742,000, being about £100,000 greater than the new business of 1905. Other companies have reported phenomenal successes, and, if the wave of prosperity that has been prevalent for the past few years continues, there is every reason to hope that further records will be established in the future.
Napier, is an agency in the charge of Messrs Wenley and Lanauze.
underwrites Fire, Marine, Accident, Guarantee, and Indemnity risks of every description. A branch of the company was established in Napier over twenty-five years ago, and such was the extension of their business that it necessitated the erection of special premises, and the present hand some two storeyed building, situated on the corner of Hastings and Tennyson Streets, was completed in 1886. The Napier branch, which is the centre for all business between Wood-ville and Wairoa, is under the management of Mr. M. Herrold.
was appointed Manager of the Napier branch of the New Zealand Insurance Company, Limited, in the year 1900, when he was transferred from the Auckland office.
Napier Branch, is situated in a handsome brick building at the corner of Byron and Browning Streets. It is claimed that it controls the largest fire and marine insurance connection in Hawke's Bay. The district management is in the hands of Mr. A. E. Knight, who is assisted by an efficient staff.
came into being in January, 1904, as the outcome of an Act passed by the Government in the previous year. Under the terms of this Act the Colonial Treasurer is empowered to raise such sums of money as may be required. A special feature of the State Fire Office is that at the end of every three years the net profits are to be divided—one half going towards a reserve fund, and the other half to be distributed, pro rata, among the insurers. The office of the State Fire Insurance Department in Napier is under the charge of Mr. Claud Cato.
. The Napier branch of the Australian Mutual Provident Society is domiciled in a large two-storeyed brick building, situated at the corner of Hastings Street and Browning Street. There are a number of sub-offices of the society in the Hawke's Bay district.
was appointed manager of the Australian Mutual Provident Society at Napier in February, 1905. He was born in 1873, in Hobart, Tasmania, where he was educated. Mr. Russell subsequently joined the Hobart branch of the Australian Mutual Provident Society, was appointed district secretary at Nelson in 1903, and two years afterwards was transferred to Napier.
Napier, was opened in the year 1886, in Hastings Street, in a building situated between the Union Steamship Company's office, and the Clarendon Hotel. Mr. J. H. Dean is Resident Agent for the district,
Resident Agent of the New Zealand Government Life Insurance Department at Napier, was born in Brampton, Canada, in the year 1856, and is the eldest son of the Rev. W. J. Dean, then a missionary amongst the pioneer settlers and North American Indians, but afterwards of Wellington. He was educated in Auckland at the Wesley College, and Mr. Farquhar Macrae's High School, and later at the Wellington College, passed the junior and senior civil service examinations, and entered the Government Stores Department in Wellington. A few months later he entered the Life Insurance Department, under Mr. Godfrey Knight, then actuary. Mr. Dean remained in Wellington until 1892, having risen to the position of assistant accountant, was then promoted to his present position, and has had the satisfaction of seeing the business of his district increase very largely. In social, and especially in musical matters, Mr. Dean has taken an active interest for many years. Prior to leaving Wellington, he acted as organist at one of the churches for over twelve years, and has occasionally played at St. Paul's, Napier. He is one of the managers of the Presbyterian Church, and he established the Napier branch of the St. John's Ambulance Association. As a member of the Napier bowling clubs he ranks among the champion fours, and has represented the clubs at various tournaments in New Zealand. He married the daughter of the late Rev. J. D. Whittaker, of Wellington, in 1881, and has two daughters.
Tennyson Street, Napier. This branch was opened in the year 1892, and is under the management of Mr. A. B. Gibson. Prior to that date the company was represented by agents, and since the opening of the branch there has been a steady increase in the district business. The reserve funds amount to £30, for every £100 assured, and the policy of the Association has always been to strengthen these funds rather than to pay large bonuses.
was appointed manager of the Mutual Life Association at Napier for the Hawke's Bay and Gisborne districts, in October, 1895. He was born at Darlington, Durham, England, in the year 1867, and is a son of the late Mr. J. J. Gibson, of Messrs Gibson Brothers, merchants, of Leadenhall Street, Darlington. Mr. Gibson was educated partly at the Darlington Grammar school, came to New Zealand in 1880, in the ship “Wairoa, and finished his education at the Port Ahuriri district school. He then joined the Government Life Insurance office at Napier, and nine years later, having in the meantime gained a good insight into the business of life insurance, accepted an appointment as agent for the Colonial Mutual Life Office. Two years later he was appointed resident agent at Palmerston North for the Mutual Life Association of Australasia, before receiving his present appointment. As a Freemason Mr. Gibson is treasurer of Lodge Victoria, No. 21, N.Z.C., is senior circuit steward of the Wesleyan Church, and treasurer to the trustees. He has also been a member of the Licensing Committee. Mr. Gibson married the eldest daughter of the late Mr. James Robinson, contractor, of Dunedin and Port Chalmers, in 1896, and has two daughters and one son.
For the past decade New Zealand has enjoyed unprecedented prosperity, mainly on account of bountiful seasons and high prices for produce. But although the value of exports shows remarkable increases, on account of higher prices ruling, the quantity has not increased in similar ratio. The value of the total exports from New Zealand for the year ended the 30th of June, 1906, amounted to £17,706,689, being over two millions more than the exports for the respective preceding three years. This large increase was due in some measure to the improvement in the prices of wool, but, at the same time, every line of export showed a substantial increase in value. For the year 1904–5 the value of the wool and sheepskins exported was £5,885,985, and this rose in 1905–6 to £7,246,303. Frozen meat, the second chief item in the list of exports, advanced from £2,714,026 in the former year to £2,882,387 in the latter. The output of gold also rose from £1,974,739 to £2,153,047, and the value of butter and cheese from £1,598,199 to £1,840,383. After the four chief centres of the colony the Port of Napier came next in the value of goods exported, which, apart from specie and parcels, amounted to £1,346,760, being only £353,978 behind that of Dunedin. New Zealand's imports for the year ended the 30th of June, 1906, were valued at £13,869,042, which amount constitutes a record, as the total for exports also does. For the past forty-nine years New Zealand has exported £17,146,627 ounces of gold, of the value of £67,230,584; and £6,486,416 ounces of silver, of the value of £777,702.
Hawke's Bay is essentially a pastoral province, and it has progressed chiefly through the advancement made in that important line of industry. The early “eighties” saw he commencement of the frozen meat trade, and the beginning of the systemisation and expansion of the dairy trade. By-products have been utilised within recent years to full advantage, and have acquired a value undreamt of twenty years ago. Pelts and sausage skins, two modest items formerly regarded as refuse, have during the last few years brought about £1,000 a day into the colony. In the expansion of the meat trade Napier has, proportionately, kept well abreast of her larger sister provinces. The Port takes third place in New Zealand in the exportation of beef, and fourth place in that of mutton and lamb. Next in importance to the wool and meat trade in Hawke's Bay comes the timber industry. Saw-mills have been established in all the valuable forests, and the exportation of timber produces a large revenue to the province. A large trawling fleet employed daily in the Bay supplies the province and part of Wellington with fish. The agricultural, dairying, and fruit-growing industries are also of very considerable importance. Other industries, more especially in Napier and the other large towns, include fellmongeries, woollen mills, flax-mills, engineering works, soap works, breweries, coach, sash and door, and rope and twine factories. The business institutions of Napier are well abreast of the times, and this section will be found representative of the commercial,” industrial, and professional community.
is affiliated to the New Zealand Employers' Federation, and was established in the year 1902, to watch over and protect the interests of employers. The immediate cause of its foundation was the placing upon the Statutes of the Colony a large number of labour laws that the employers regarded as unreasonably prejudicial to their interests; but since the inception of the Association a number of legislative proposals have been modified at its instigation. The annual subscription ranges proportionately according to the number of persons employed by each member, the highest figure being £3 3s. The membership of the association is about 120. Officers for the year 1906: Messrs D. A. Baxter (president), R. D. D. McLean and P. Dinwiddie (vice-presidents), George Nelson (treasurer), and Captain Tonkin (secretary). There is also an executive committee of twenty-four.
Land and Commission Agent, Shakespeare Road, Napier. Mr. Balfour is agent for the Royal Insurance Company, and auditor for the Hawke's Bay Farmers' Association, Napier Gas Company, and other large private institutions in Napier. He was born in the year 1842, in Roxburghshire, Scotland, where he was educated. Mr. Balfour began his career in the Banking Corporation of the British Limen Company, and at nineteen years of age came to New Zealand in the ship “Chrysolite,” and landed in Lyttelton. He obtained a situation on a station at Lyndon, in Canterbury, and in 1863 entered the service of the Bank of New Zealand in Christchurch, became accountant at Lyttelton, and
Land, Estate, and Financial Agent, Tennyson Street, Napier. Mr. Couper is the second son of the late Mr. William Couper, sheep-farmer, of Kahuranaki and Havelock North, was born at Porirua, near Welington, in 1854, and educated at Havelock North and Napier. On leaving school he remained for two years on his father's Havelock farm of 200 acres, and Kahuranaki sheep run of 13,000 acres, and entered enthusiastically into every detail of farming and sheep grazing. He then proceeded to Wellington, and was for over a year in the office of Mr. W. Waring Taylor. After this he managed the Glengarry station for his father until December, 1874, when he went to Frasertown, Wairoa, and engaged in sheep-farming on his own account. This he continued with success until 1895, when, unfortunately, he entered into a trading speculation, running his own steamer between Napier and Wairoa. The venture not proving remunerative, together with the unproductiveness in sheep-farming, owing to great mortality amongst his flock, Mr. Couper was obliged to relinquish the whole of these connections, and make a fresh start in the business he now carries on so successfully. Being so well and favourably known throughout the district he has acquired a good connection. Mr. Couper has numerous valuable sheep runs on his books for sale, is open to undertake all kinds of financial and commission business, and may be called upon to give his best attention to all matters placed in his hands.
House, Land and Estate, Insurance, and General Commission Agent, Napier. Mr. Ferguson began business life in Napier about 1892, as a clerk in the employ of Messrs Baker and Tabuteau. He remained in their employ for thirteen years, holding latterly the position of chief clerk; and in April, 1905, he opened up business on his own account as a general commercial agent, dealing principally in house property, land, insurance, and general commerce. He is further referred to as captain of the Napier Rowing Club.
Auctioneers, Stock and Station Agents, Wool and Land Brokers, corner of Browning Street and Byron Street, Napier. This well-known firm was established in the year 1874, but in smaller quarters than those now occupied. The present premises are large and commodious. Periodical auction sales of land are held, and the firm's operations in this respect are among the most important held in the province. Mr. Hoadley originated the wool sales in Hawke's Bay in the year 1880, which sales have since developed into colonial importance. He is a son of Mr. Joseph Sawyer Hoadley, a descendant of Dr. Benjamin Hoadley, Bishop of Salisbury and afterwards of Winchester, in the reign of George I., and was born on his father's estate in Kent, England, in 1847. He was educated at private schools, and entered the service of the London and County Bank in 1864, with which institution he remained until 1872, when, owing to ill-health, he came to New Zealand by the ship “Merope,” and landed in Lyttelton. He became associated in the same year with the railway contractors, Messrs Brogden and Sons, who had extensive works in the colony, on the completion of which he was engaged to go to Germany for the same firm, but decided to remain in Napier, where he established his present successful business. He was the first secretary of the Napier Harbour Board, and held the position for five years, when he resigned in order to devote the whole of his attention to his firm's undertakings. Mr. Hoadley has been a member of the Scinde Masonic Lodge, of which he is a past master, and was one of the early promoters of the Napier Chamber of Commerce.
Native Interpreter, Napier. Mr. Kelly, who holds the position of Native Interpreter to the Supreme and Stipendiary Magistrate's Courts, and Native Land Purchase Officer, is the son of the late Captain Kelly, 83rd Regiment, sometime Registrar of Deeds at Auckland. He was born in Halifax, North America, and arrived in Wellington with his parents in 1848, in the ship “Indian,” was educated at St. John's College, Auckland, and in 1859 received an appointment at Mongonui in the Native Department, where he remained for over twenty-two years. Mr. Kelly has acted as clerk of the court and licensing bench, registrar of births, deaths, and marriages, meteorological observer, officer-in charge of the Customs, superintendent inspector of native schools, native interpreter, and judge of Assessment Courts. In 1862 he was transferred to Napier to take up his present position, and in 1893 was also appointed Native Land Purchase officer. Mr. Kelly has always taken a keen interest in athletic sports, and is vice-president of the Caledonian Football Club and president
Land and Financial Agents, Market Street, Napier. This firm was established in the year 1892, and in the following year a branch was opened at Hastings. A large number of properties are bought and sold on behalf of clients, and in addition to their numerous financial transactions the firm are the local representatives of the Hawke's Bay Trades Protection Society. Messrs Paterson, Mossman and Company's property at Clive, known as the “Farndon Farm,” one of the most up-to-date dairy farms in the colony, is further referred to under the heading of Clive.
senior partner in the firm of Messrs Paterson, Mossman and Company, is a descendant of the founder of the Bank of England, and has inherited financial shrewdness and commercial capacity. He was born in Glasgow, Scotland, where he was trained to mercantile life, and in 1876 came to New Zealand. For some years he was employed in a general provision business in Dunedin, and afterwards took up sheep-farming. In 1895 he established himself in business in Napier as a land and financial agent, which business he has since successfully conducted.
Custom House, Shipping and Forwarding Agents, Bridge Street, Port Ahuriri, Napier. The firm are agents in Napier for the New Zealand Express Company, Limited. This large business was established in 1882, by Mr. Smith, who is referred to as an ex-member of the Napier Borough Council.
(Charles Dugald Kennedy, Arthur Angus Kennedy, and James Rice Morgan), Civil Engineers and Surveyors, Herschel Street, Napier. P.O. Box, 104. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. This business, which is the largest of its kind in Hawke's Bay, was established in the year 1878 by Mr. C. D. Kennedy, who was joined by his brother, Mr. A. A. Kennedy, in 1890. Subsequently Mr. J. R. Morgan joined the firm, and it has since been conducted under its present title. Messrs Kennedy Brothers and Morgan are engineers for many of the local bodies, and Mr. C. D. Kennedy acts as consulting member.
of the firm of Messrs Kennedy Brothers and Morgan, is more fully referred to as engineer of the Hawke's Bay County Council, and as a member of the firm of Kennedy and Lusk, barristers and solicitors.
is the second son of the late Captain Alexander Kennedy, and was born in Napier in the year 1865. He was educated at the Napier Grammar School, and in 1881 was articled to his brother. He is an amateur photographer, a footballer, and a golfer. In 1894 he married the daughter of the late Mr. J.
is the second son of the late Mr. J. R. Morgan, architect, of Gisborne. He was born in Auckland, and educated at the Gisborne High School. In the year 1885 he was articled to Major Winter, and in 1902 became a partner in the firm of Kennedy Brothers, when the firm assumed its present title.
(H. J. and E. J. Bull), Builders, Contractors, Timber Merchants, and proprietors of the Napier Brickyard. Messrs Bull Brothers were born in Wiltshire, England, and arrived in Auckland with their parents on the 27th of April, 1867, in the ship “John Scott,” after a voyage of 137 days. They were educated in Auckland, and were then apprenticed to Mr. John McColl, of Newmarket, where they learned the building trade in all its branches. Mr. H. J. Bull subsequently carried out several large contracts for his employer, and then removed to Hawke's Bay with his brother in the year 1887. After working in various places for two years, they established their present business, which has steadily increased, and now ranks as one of the leading firms in the district. The firm subsequently took over the Napier Brickyard, in order to more effectually carry out the work entrusted to them. Messrs Bull Brothers employ about 100 persons, including carpenters, bricklayers, plumbers, painters, and carters, and can thus carry out the whole of any building contract with their own workmen. Among the many buildings erected by Messrs Bull Brothers may be mentioned the new Government offices in Shakespeare Road, several of the large wool stores at Port Ahuriri, and a number of substantial buildings in all parts of Hawke's Bay. Messrs Bull Brothers are past masters of Lodge Victoria, No. 21, N.Z.C., and members of the Victoria Royal Arch Chapter. In the year 1896 the two brothers married daughters of Mr. W. Denholm, one of the earliest settlers of Hawke's Bay.
Contractor, Brick and Tile Manufacturer, Napier. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. Private residence, Havelock Road. The works are situated on North Street, off Hyderabad Road, and contain a Hoffman's kiln of the latest design, capable of an output of 20,000 bricks daily. These bricks, which are of a bright cherry colour, are of a uniform quality, and are held in high estimation by builders. 500,000 were used in the erection of the Masonic Hotel, Napier. Adjoining the brickyards, Mr. Griffin owns a freehold property of eight acres, with unlimited beds of clay. He produces a lime of a very superior quality, which took the second prize in the London Exhibition against all comers, and was placed next to the Blue Lids, which are the finest in Great Britain. The qualities of both the brick and the lime are well known in the North Island, and the principal buildings in Hawke's Bay are erected of these materials. Mr. Griffin was born at Maybole, Ayrshire, Scotland, learned his trade in Glasgow, and was engaged in contracting previous to his departure for New Zealand, in the ship “Staad Haarlem,” in 1878. He obtained employment on the Wellington corporation works, in the manufacture of concrete blocks and attending to the drainage. He subsequently settled in Napier, where he established his present successful business. The concrete wall outside the Marine Esplanade, of one and a-half miles in length, was built by Mr. Griffin. In road work he has also been very successful, and completed a road of eleven and a-half miles from Kuripapango Bridge to the Rangitikei, an important and successful undertaking. In connection with the Napier harbour works he did a large amount of quarrying; one of his blasts took two tons of powder, and brought down 100,000 cubic yards of debris. The cylinder bridge across the Rangitikei river, which he constructed, is a credit to him. It has two spans of 127 feet each, and two of seventy-five feet, and is well constructed in every detail. He also built the Omaha bridge, and in connection with his various works employs about seventy men. Mr. Griffin was a member of the Napier school committee for several years, and of the Scinde Lodge of Freemasons for a considerable period. He is also a director of the Napier Star-Bowkett Company.
Stone-Masons and Sculptors, Emerson Street, Napier. This business was established in the year 1896 by Mr. C. H. Mott, the senior partner, and was carried on for some years in Dickens Street. In 1905, however, it was removed to its present site, where it occupies a large section. A good stock of marble and granite, imported from Italy and Scotland, is maintained, and a fine display is made of sculptured stones of various artistic and ornamental designs. There is a substantial shed for the workmen, and an attached office. Messrs Mott Brothers are trained and experienced sculptors, and their work is well known throughout Hawke's Bay. Mr. Charles Horace Mott was born in London, England, in the year 1876, and came to New Zealand with his parents at the age of six years. He was educated at the local public schools, and was trained as a stone-mason and sculptor under the late Mr. Tom Waterworth. He then started in business on his own account, and soon afterwards was joined by his brother in partnership.
Carver, Gilder, Picture Dealer and Framer, etc., Hastings Street, Napier. Bankers,
(George and Frederick Williams), Oil and Colour Merchants, Emerson Street, Napier. Telephone, 56. This business was established in the year 1860 by the late Mr. Nathaniel Williams, who was succeeded by his sons, the present proprietors, in 1894. The premises occupy a good block of buildings, and are lighted by fine plate-glass windows. A large stock is kept of the newest styles in paper-hangings, oilmen's stores, and paints. Painting and lettering is a specialty, and a large staff is constantly employed in the various branches of the business.
the founder of the business, came to New Zealand with his brother, Mr. Henry Williams. He was an exceedingly popular citizen, and up to his death in 1884 had a prosperous career.
Drapers' and Clothiers, Emerson Street, Napier. This business was founded in the year 1872 by the late Mr. W. R. Blythe, who began in a small wooden shop on a part of the site occupied by the present commodious premises. Under his management the business prospered, and additions were made from time to time to the building and property. In 1902, however, the premises were rebuilt in brick, and they now extend from Emerson Street to Hastings street. The shop is in three divisions, each with a separate entrance, facing Emerson Street, with double plate-glass windows, in which the latest goods are displayed to the best advantage. These three divisions include the Manchester, dress, fancy goods, clothing, and mercery departments, with their respective allied lines. The show-room extends the full width of the building, is large and well lighted, and tastefully arranged. The furnishing and carpet departments and work rooms are at the rear, while the offices are situated between the main shop and the show-room. A handsome staircase leads to the first floor, which contains the fitting rooms, waiting-rooms, and millinery and dressmaking work-rooms. The tailoring department is conducted in Hastings Street, and is under the care of an expert tailor. The firm import direct from England, America, the Continent, and Japan, and carry a heavy stock, which is handsomely and tastefully displayed. Each department is managed by a capable and experienced assistant, and about ninety persons are employed. Up to the year of his death, in 1903, the business was under the direction of the late Mr. W. R. Blythe. The executors subsequently placed Mr. Simm in charge of the business, and to his capable management its great success is largely due. The high-class quality of the goods supplied, and the invariable courtesy extended to customers, have created a feeling of confidence and respect that will ensure the continued success of Messrs Blythe and Company.
Drapers, Tailors, Habitmakers, Silk Mercers and General Outfitters, Lambton Quay, Wellington, and Hastings Street, Napier. The Napier branch of this business was established by Messrs Neal and Close in 1875, and was taken over by its present proprietors in January, 1897. The premises stand on the south-east corner of Hastings Street and Emerson Street, and consist of a large two-storeyed brick and wooden building, with an extensive frontage to both streets. The ground floor of the building is 213 feet in depth, and includes the haberdashery, silk, dress, cotton, muslin, linen, furnishing, glove, hoisery, lace and fancy, Manchester, gentlemen's clothing, and mercery departments. The large plate-glass windows are tastefully arranged with the latest goods. A wide stairway from the men's clothing department leads to the first floor, which comprises the dress-making, millinery, costume, jacket and mantle, underclothing, linoleum, carpet, and bedding departments. The dressmaking department is in the charge of an experienced dressmaker. The firm has a large country connection, and employs nearly ninety persons in Napier.
was appointed manager of the Napier branch of Messrs Kirkcaldie and Stains, in September, 1904. He was born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, and was educated and brought up to the drapery trade in Launceston, Tasmania, where he served an apprenticeship under Mr. J. R. Rusden, of “London House.” Mr. Murray was subsequently employed by Messrs Osborne and Wright, of Burke Street, Melbourne, and Messrs A. Miller and Company, of Geelong, for whom he managed a branch business at Shepperton. Later he became manager of Mr. Bradley's business at Creswick, and three years afterwards accepted an appointment with Messrs Stephen and Son, of Burke Street, Melbourne. In 1898 he came to New Zealand, and after seven years in the Wellington house, as manager of the gentlemen's department, was appointed manager in Napier.
Merchant Tailor, Tennyson Street, Napier. Established 1873. Private address, Lucy Road. Mr. Martin, who claims to be the oldest-established tailor in Napier, was born in Kent, England, and in the year 1838 went with his parents to Tasmania, where he learned his trade under Mr. H. Cook, at that time a leading tailor in Hobart. He came to New Zealand in 1862, and landed at Auckland, where he remained a short time, then continued his journey to Napier, where he obtained employment as cutter with Messrs Newton and Irvine. In 1873 he started his present business, and soon established for himself a deservedly good name for the cut and finish of his work. A speciality of his establishment is that no machine work or girl labour is employed, none but good workmen who have learned their trade being engaged. His business connection includes the principal people in Hawke's Bay. Mr. Martin is married, and his sons assist him in the business.
(Frederick Lee Derbyshire, proprietor), Emerson Street, Napier. This business was established by Mr. W. Dodds, who carried it on successfully for some time, and was acquired by Mr. F. L. Derbyshire in the year 1902. The shop is well stocked with first-class imported materials and a large plate-glass window serves to show off a varied assortment of up-to-date goods. The firm is well known for its reliable workmanship, and gives employment to ten persons.
proprietor of the Napier Tailoring Establishment, was born in February, 1876, in Auckland, where he was educated at the Beresford Street school. He afterwards learned the tailoring trade under Mr. Dodds, of Napier, and subsequently went to Wellington, where he was taught cutting by Mr. Paterson, of that city. Mr. Derbyshire then returned to Napier, and was employed by Mr. Dodds as his chief assistant for about three years. He subsequently took over the business, and has since conducted it on his own account. Mr. Derbyshire is the conductor of the Congregational Church choir, is vice-president of the City Football Club, and is a Freemason, and a member of the Order of Oddfellows.
(Messrs Hallenstein Brothers, Limited, proprietors), corner of Hastings Street and Tennyson Street, Napier. Head office, Dunedin. The Napier branch of this well-known firm was established in the “seventies,” and was removed to the present premises in the year 1895. The building is a two-storeyed one, to which, owing to the increase of the business, extensive alterations have been made from time to time. The large show windows are tastefully dressed, and attractively display the variety of goods in stock. The business is divided into three departments, namely, the boys' and men's tailor-cut ready-made clothing, the mercery, hats and waterproofs, and the general footware department; and each of these branches is managed by trained experts. The boot and shoe department carries a large and well-assorted stock of colonial and imported manufactures, and the clothing department is stocked from the firm's Dunedin factory; the mercery, together with a number of lines in boys' clothing, is imported from the world's chief manufactories. Sub-branches have been established at Hastings, Waipawa, and Dannevirke, each being managed by capable men.
manager of the Napier branch of the New Zealand Clothing Factory, was born in Wellington, and was educated at Te Aro public school and Wellington Technical College. He was afterwards employed successively by Messrs Thompson and Shannon, Mr. C. Smith, and the D.I.C. in Wellington, and subsequently removed to Dunedin under engagement as manager of the mercery department of the New Zealand Clothing Factory. He afterwards managed the clothing and tailoring department of the firm's Auckland branch. In February, 1896, he was promoted to the management of the Wellington branch, whence, seven and a-half years later, he was transferred, on promotion, to Napier.
General Outfitters, Hat and Cap Manufacturers, and Government Contractors, Masonic Corner, Hastings Street, Napier. This business, which was originally established by Messrs Burnett and Company in Emerson Street, was taken over by Mr. Parker in 1896, and shortly afterwards transferred to its present location. The premises consist of a handsome two-storeyed wooden building, the lower portion of which contains a shop and mercery department (with forty feet frontage), and the upper floor a hat manufactory and tailoring establishment. The latter floor has been enlarged and improved, and extends from Tennyson Street to Messrs Broad and Tristam's pharmacy. It has a fine show-room, and a cutting-room, and is well-arranged and fitted up. A large stock of gentlemen's mercery is carried, chiefly imported goods. Mr. Parker is agent for Welch and Margetson, and Virgor Middleton and Company, mercers; Lloyd, Attree and Smith, London; J. E. Mills, hatter; Arthur and Company, Stuart and McDonald, and Eadie, Ireland and Company, tweed and coating manufacturers; Hobson and Sons and S. Hess and Son, hatters' materials; and also Stetson's fur hats and Knox hats; Woodrow's, Christy's, Mills', Tress', and the Light and Cool hats. Messrs T. Parker and Company hold contracts for the supply of caps for railway officials throughout the colony; and the manufacture of riding breeches is a specialty. Twenty persons are employed by the firm.
the proprietor, is referred to as secretary of the Highland Society, and as Junior Warden of Lodge Scinde, No. 5, N.Z.C.
Millinery, Dressmaking and High-Class Drapery Establishment, Hastings Street, Napier. This business was established in the year 1902 by the present proprietor, Mr. Edward Beecham. The premises consist of a two-storeyed brick building, with twenty feet frontage, and a depth of 120 feet. The ground floor carries a large stock of millinery, dress materials, and general drapery, and at the back of the shop there is an office and accommodation for bulk stock. The dressmaking department, where eighteen persons are employed, is situated on the first storey, and is in charge of a competent dressmaker. A large and well-selected stock is always held in each department of the business, and the connection extends throughout Hawke's Bay.
proprietor of the “Red House,” was born in the year 1857, in Dover, Kent, England, where he was educated. He was afterwards apprenticed to the drapery trade under Mr. Robert Rycroft, of London, with whom he remained for three years, and he subsequently worked for a short time at Peckham. In 1887 Mr. Beecham came to New Zealand, and joined the staff of Messrs Blythe and Company, of Napier, as assistant in their fancy department. He soon afterwards became manager of the firm, and held this position for over sixteen years. On severing his connection with the establishment, in 1902, he was presented with a gold watch by the proprietor and his staff. Mr. Beecham is a member of the Napier Bowling Club, and has the honour of being a Freeman of the City of London.
Draper and Importer, Emerson Street, Napier. P.O. Box, 24; Telephone, 220; private residence, Cameron Road; private telephone, 378. London agent, Mr. C. H. Doust, 103 Fore Street, E.C. This business was established in the year 1888, in Emerson Street. Ten years later forty-feet frontage was leased from the Union Bank of Australia, one of the best business positions in the town, and a handsome brick shop was built, and constructed to allow of a second storey being added. The business steadily increased, and in 1903 the present handsome building was erected at a total cost of £3,400. The shop and show-rooms are lined with choice New Zealand woods, and varnished to accentuate their beauty. A handsome staircase leads to the second floor. The shop is splendidly lighted with six Wade's patent skylights on the top floor, and six side-lights, twelve feet by six feet, on either side. To make the buildings fire-proof iron shutters have been constructed to run and cover the side lights at night, and these are worked by wheels and pulleys. The splendid up-to-date stock is displayed to great advantage, and throughout there is a go-ahead aspect of active business. Mr. Thomson is referred to as a member of the Napier Borough Council.
Cabinet-maker and Upholsterer, Emerson Street, Napier. Telephone, 89. Bankers, Bank of Australasia. This business was established in the year 1895, by the late Mr. C. R. Allen. The premises have a frontage of about sixty feet, and conttain a splendid assortment of high-class furniture, carpetings, and linoleums. A large business is also done in wire-woven mattresses, which are manufactured on the premises. Mr. Allen, founder of the above business, was born in London, England, and came with his parents to Napier in the year 1874. He learned his trade with Mr. Newman, and after having acted as his foreman for over six years, started in business on his own account. Mr. Allen was for some years leader of the Napier Orchestra, a member of the choir of St. Patrick's Cathedral, and a member of the Order of Oddfellows. He died on the 5th of January, 1901.
manager of the general cabinet-making and house-furnishing business conducted under the title of C. R. Allen, was born near Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England, and was educated at private schools. He was brought up in connection with the manufacture and sale of linoleums and carpets, and conducted a successful business on his own account at Holmfirth, near Huddersfield. Ten years later Mr. Shore sold out, and came to New Zealand.
Furniture Warehouseman, Cabinet-maker, and Undertaker, Tennyson Street, Napier. This business was established in the year 1871, by Messrs Langley and Newman, in Hastings Street, and three years later was removed to Emerson Street, where it was conducted for thirteen years. In 1887 the present brick premises were erected in Tennyson Street. Mr. Langley subsequently died, and the business has since been conducted by Mr. Newman, with the assistance of his son. The ground floor of the premises contains a large show-room, sixty feet by seventy feet, which is entered by way of folding doors from Tennyson Street. A wide stairway leads to the first floor, which contains another well-lighted show-room, and at the rear of this there is a large work-room, used for manufacturing purposes. The show-rooms contain a large and varied assortment of general furniture, cabinet-ware, upholstery, carpets, linoleums, bedding, etc., which are so arranged that the purchaser can see at a glance the merits of the article offered for sale. Mr. Newman, was born in January, 1843, at Stratford, Essex, England, and was educated in his native place, and at Sidmouth, Devonshire, where he was apprenticed to the cabinet-making trade. He was subsequently employed for some years in London and Warwick, and in 1870 came to New Zealand in the ship “Electra,” and landed in Wellington. Mr. Newman shortly afterwards settled in Napier, where he established his present business.
Cabinetmaker and Furnisher, Emerson Street, Napier. This business was established by the present proprietor in the year 1881, and is conducted in a two-storeyed building. The show-room, which is large and well-lighted, contains an excellent collection of high-class furniture, linoleums, and bedsteads. The goods are manufactured on the premises, and five competent workmen are employed. Mr. Nicholson does a large business, both in Napier and the surrounding districts. He was born at sea on the 18th of April, 1854, and came to New Zealand at an early age. He was educated at Wesley College, Auckland, and afterwards served an apprenticeship to the cabinet-making trade. In the year 1875 he settled in Napier, was employed for a few years by Messrs Large and Townley, and subsequently established his present business. Mr. Nicholson is a member of the Napier Lodge of Oddfellows, and for five years was a member of the Napier Rifle Volunteers.
China and Glass Importers, Hastings Street, Napier. This business was conducted for many years by Messrs W. H. Worrall and Company, who sold out their interest in the retail business to the present proprietors in January, 1906, and subsequently the wholesale portion also to the same purchasers. The premises consist of a large two-storeyed brick building, measuring twenty-two feet by about
head of the firm of Messrs Ritchie and Company, was born in December, 1869, at Christchurch, where he was educated. In 1891 he removed to Wellington, where for some years he successfully carried on business in conjunction with his brother, latterly establishing the china and glass business on Lambton Quay, known as “The Crystal Palace.” In April, 1906, Mr. Ritchie sold out his interest in the Wellington business, in order to devote all his attention to the growing needs of his present business in Napier.
(A. H. Jones, proprietor), Emerson Street, Napier. This firm, which was established in the year 1902, maintains a stock of every requisite in household furnishings. The showroom, which is large and well lighted, contains an excellent collection of high-class goods. The manufacture of wire mattresses, bedding, and furniture is conducted on the premises. A specialty of the business is the complete furnishing of cottages, at a cost varying from £30 to £150.
Hairdressers and Tobacconists, corner of Hastings Street and Tennyson Street, Napier. The premises in which this business is conducted contain a shop with three show windows, and a well-appointed saloon fitted up with four chairs. The shop carries an assortment of the best English goods in tobacconists' wares, leather and fancy goods, brush-ware, toilet requisites, and fishing tackle, and is fitted up in excellent style. A good business is done, and four persons are employed by the firm.
the managing partner, was born in Napier on the 2nd of April, 1874, and was educated at the Napier public school. He was afterwards trained to mercantile pursuits in Napier and other parts of the colony, before taking up his present business. Mr. Price is a member of the committee of the Hawke's Bay Kennel and Poultry Club.
Hairdressers, Tobacconists, and Importers of Sporting Requisites, Hastings Street, Napier. Mr. Ross, the popular proprietor of the business of J. R. Ross and Company, is evidently determined to keep in the front rank in his own line, and few saloons in New Zealand are more attractive than his. The building is situated in a portion of the Masonic Block. Large plate-glass windows, with ornamental margins of beautiful tints, contain a large display of fishing tackle, tennis, cricket, football, boxing, and other sporting requisites, and massive double glass doors open into the artistically fitted and dressed shop. At night especially, when the whole is brilliantly lighted with incandescent lamps, it presents a striking appearance. The walls of the shop are ornamented with large and handsome glass cases,
(A. C. Barnes, proprietor), corner of Hastings Street and Dickens Street, Napier. This popular hostelry, which was formerly a large two-storeyed wooden building, was totally destroyed by fire on June 9th, 1906. Plans have since been prepared for the rebuilding of the hotel in brick, and upon modern and up-to-date lines.
(Frank Mocller, proprietor), Marine Parade and Tennyson and Hastings Streets, Napier. P.O. Box, 89. Bankers, National Bank of New Zealand. The Masonic Hotel may be shortly described as an hotel without a rival in Hawke's Bay. With its noble double balcony fronting the finest marine prominade south of the Equator, it occupies a unique position. But this is by no means the only excellent advantage by which the hotel gains general favour. The house is large, and furnished with excellent taste, and contains over a hundred rooms, including eighty bedrooms. In the basement are extensive wine-cellars, a splendid billiard-room, and a “dive.” On the ground floor is the main entrance from Tennyson Street, the manager's office, a fine commercial room, library and music room, a writing-room with about a dozen writing desks, card-rooms, private bar, and a fine dining-room, which has accommodation for two hundred guests. The main feature of the first floor is the ladies' drawing-room, where perfect comfort is accompanied by good taste and decoration. Here, also, are music and writing rooms, and pleasantly-furnished private apartments. The second floor is composed of bedrooms, with fine bath-rooms and lavatories. The flight of steps to the principal entrance is constructed of marble. From the balconies the view embraces the whole coast of the Bay, from Cape Kidnappers on the south to Mahia Peninsula on the north. The band rotunda, presented by Messrs Neal and Close to the citizens of Napier, is situated on the Marine Parade in front of the “Masonic,” and on summer evenings the town bands frequently perform there. To all classes of visitors the “Masonic” offers superlative attractions. Commercial travellers meet their customers there, and the twelve fine sample rooms provided by the proprietor prove an additional advantage to them. Tourists are attracted in large numbers, every care being taken to meet their special wants. Coaches for the Rotorua, Taupo, and Kuripapanga sanatoriums leave the “Masonic” corner. Convalescents in search of health obtain the benefit of the invigorating sea breeze from the balconies or on the adjacent parade, while the Bluff overlooking the shore is only a few minutes' walk from the hotel. The house is almost fire-proof, even the beautifully-panelled ceilings being of iron.
the proprietor of the Masonic Hotel, is the son of the late Mr. Philip Moeller, of Wellington, who was for a considerable period proprietor of the Empire Hotel, and at the time of his death was proprietor of the Occidental Hotel, which is still carried on by his widow. Mr. Frank Moeller gained his experience during his management of the “Occidental” for his mother. In 1892 he left Wellington for Napier, and since then has been host of the “Masonic,” which, during his occupation, has been renovated and re-furnished throughout. Mr. Moeller was specially complimented on the excellent management of his fine hotel by his Excellency the Earl of Ranfurly. Mrs. Moeller, the popular hostess, personally superintends the domestic arrangements, and is painstaking in her attention to invalids.
(William Parnell, proprietor), Hastings Street and Edward Street. Telephone, 251; P.O. Box, 142. Bankers, Bank of New South Wales. This hotel is a fine two-storeyed building, and contains about fifteen bedrooms, a ladies' drawing-room, sitting-rooms, commercial room, and a well-appointed dining-room, capable of accommodating fifty guests. There are also hot, cold, and shower baths, and salt-water baths are adjacent. The whole house is very comfortably furnished, and guests receive every care and attention, combined with quietness.
the proprietor, is the son of Mr. William Parnell, superintendent of the Botanical Gardens, Dublin, and was born in Dublin in the year 1855, where he was educated, and afterwards brought up to the grain trade. He went to Gisborne
(John William McDuff, proprietor), corner of Emerson Street and Clive Square, Napier. This hotel is one of the oldest in the province, and was first built at Meanee. Early in the “seventies,” however, it was removed to its present site, and in 1901 was rebuilt in brick. It is a substantial two-storeyed building with a handsome balcony, under which is the main entrance; from the balcony a fine view of Clive Square and the south-west portion of Napier can be obtained. The ground floor contains a commercial room, a dining room, sitting rooms, manager's office, two bars, and a billiard room fitted with two tables. A broad staircase leads to the upper apartments, which include twenty-three bedrooms, two sitting-rooms, two large bathrooms with hot and cold wate laid on, and lavatories. The whole house is furnished with excellent taste, a good table is kept, and the tariff is moderate. The Provincial Hotel is situated close to the railway station and the Theatre Royal, and is on the direct 'bus routes to Greenmeadows and Taradale.
proprietor of the Provincial Hotel, was born in Adelaide, Australia, in September, 1846, and was educated at the national schools in Victoria. He afterwards learned the coach-building trade, and came to New Zealand in September, 1878, to take charge of a branch business at Greytown for Messrs Black and Company. Four years afterwards he went to Wellington, and twelve months later to Wanganui, where he followed his trade till the year 1897. He then took charge of a small hotel at Waitotara, and removed to Napier in February, 1900.
(George H. Gilding, proprietor), opposite Recreation Ground, Carlyle Street, Napier.
for several years proprietor of the Criterion Hotel, Napier, is a native of Omagh, County Tyrone, Ireland, and came to New Zealand in 1872, landing with his parents in Hawke's Bay. He first learned the saddlery business with Mr. John McVay, of Napier, with whom he remained for fourteen years. In 1886 he left Mr. McVay, and started business at Kaikora North, where he remained for four years. He then purchased the Te Aute Hotel, remaining in it two years, when he took over the Railway Hotel, Hastings, and remained in possession five years, making a handsome competence during that time. In May, 1898, Mr. Charlton took over the “Criterion,” where by his courtesy and attention he added not a little to the established reputation of that popular hostelry. He owns a small farm near Hastings, on which he devotes much of his time. Mr. Charlton is a member of the Hawke's Bay Jockey Club, the Napier Park Club, and other local clubs.
Wholesale and Retail Iron Merchant and Hardware Importer, Emerson Street, Napier. The original firm of Messrs Hardy and Sidey formerly conducted a business in Hastings Street, but after the dissolution of partnership Mr. Hardy established the present business in Emerson Street, in the large building he now occupies. On the ground floor are the shop, office, and show-room, and a fine display of ironmongery is made in the three large windows facing the street. The show-room is heavily stocked with every variety of hardware and electro-plated goods, and the first floor is used as a bulk store. The business is an extensive one, and its growth has necessitated, from time to time, additions being made to the premises. At the rear of the establishment there is a plumber's and tinsmith's shop, conducted by Mr. Cooper, who manufactures for the firm. A large wholesale trade is done in the country districts of Hawke's Bay. In the year 1875 Mr. Hardy arrived in New Zealand, and settled in Napier.
Wholesale and Retail Ironmongers, Engineers, Boiler and Implement Manufacturers, and Plumbers, Napier and Hastings. This firm was established in the early “sixties,” has made its way to the front rank, and conducts a steady and increasing trade. The retail and wholesale ironmongery establishment of the firm is situated in Hastings Street. The section has a frontage of seventy-seven feet, and extends back to the Marine Parade. The premises consist of a large two-storeyed brick building, with plate-glass windows, tastefully arranged with a fine display of ironmongery. To the rear of the shop there are the offices, and large ironware stores. The whole of the top flat is used as a store-room for bulk stock, and for unpacking and sorting purposes. The firm are direct importers, receive regular and frequent shipments, and carry a heavy stock in all branches of the business. The American Steam Coach Factory, another branch of the firm's business, and the plumbing department, are conducted in separate buildings in Hastings Street. They are replete and efficient in every particular, and are under the charge of capable and experienced managers. The boiler and implement manufacturing department, known as the Vulcan Foundry, and the Hastings branch, are referred to elsewhere.
Managing Director of Messrs Henry Williams and Sons, Limited, is the eldest son of Mr. Henry Williams, founder of the firm. He was born on the 5th of March, 1860, at Bath, Somerset, England, and came to New Zealand with his parents in the following year. Mr. Williams subsequently entered his father's business, where he has since been almost continuously engaged.
Motor Car Importers and Manufacturers, Station Street, Napier. This business was established in the year 1905, under the style of Canning and Wychemirski, but the latter gentleman retired from the firm in 1906, leaving Mr. Canning to carry on the business. The premises are situated on an acre of freehold land, and comprise a show-room, garage, and a suite of offices, all lighted throughout with electricity. The show-room contains a fine display of motor ears, and the garage (the largest in New Zealand), which covers half an acre, is fitted with the latest machinery for repairing and building purposes, including four underlying pits fitted with electric lamps, for facilitating work underneath the ears. Eight persons are employed, including a motor car decorative painter, and body builder. Messrs Canning and Company are sole agents for the celebrated Maxwell Motor Cars, which are claimed to be among the swiftest and most reliable on the market, and have introduced a large number in Hawke's Bay. Electrical work is also undertaken by the firm, who hold many valuable agencies for dynamos and general electrical fittings, every class of electric installation is undertaken, and good headway is being made in this department.
senior partner in the firm of Canning and Company; is the younger son of the late Mr. J. D. Canning, of “Oakbourne,” and was born at Porangahau in the year 1872. He was educated at Clifton College, England, where he remained for eight years, making special studies in mechanical and electrical engineering, in which he received assistance from his cousins, Sir Richard Glass, and Sir Samuel Canning, the former of whom was the manufacturer of the first Atlantic cable, and the latter, the chief electrical engineer on the “Great Eastern,” who superintended the laying of the cable. In 1892 Mr. Canning returned to New Zealand, and after spending a time on his father's station at Porangahau, took up a small sheep farm near Napier, in which he still retains an interest, but devotes' all his time to his engineering business.
Emerson Street, Napier. This business was established in the year 1906 by the present proprietors, who have gone to considerable expense in making the place replete with the most modern appliances and conveniences. The showroom carries a fine stock of Englishmade bicycles of high grade and finish, including the “Royal Saxon;” and also perambulators and go-carts. In the workshop a competent staff of skilled mechanics are employed. The firm undertakes the building of motor cycles to order, and repairs are executed on the premises.
Manager of the Central Cycle Works, was born in Christiana, Norway, in October, 1867, and is a son of Mr. Carl A. Bergersen, proprietor of the Manawatu Cycle Works at Palmerston North. He came to New Zealand with his parents at an early age, and was educated at the Palmerston North public schools. Mr. Bergersen afterwards served an apprenticeship to engineering, partly at Palmerston, and partly at Wanganui; and then turned his attention to the cycle trade, at which he was employed successively in Wellington, Palmerston North, and Dannevirke. Later he became foreman mechanic for Messrs Oates, Lowry and Company, in Napier, and in October, 1905, accepted his present appointment. Mr. Bergersen is a member of the Napier Lodge of Druids, and is a Past Chief Ranger in the Ancient Order of Foresters.
Bicycle and Motor Car Builders and Importers, Emerson Street, Napier. Head Office, Christchurch. This firm makes a fine display in their show-rooms of “Zea-landia,” “Singer,” and “Atlanta” bicycles, and motor car and motor cycle requisites, and the large garage is fitted up with the latest machinery for repairing and building purposes. Sub-agencies have been opened at Hastings, Feilding, Dannevirke, and Waipawa. Mr. W. J. A. Schwartz is manager.
Emerson Street, Napier, Cycle and Motor Importers, This business was established by Messrs E. Reynolds and Company in October, 1903. The premises contain a fine show-room, with large plate-glass windows, a manager's office, and a workroom. Messrs Reynolds and Company are agents for a number of leading bicycles of both English and American make, including the “Rudge Whitworth,” the “Robin Hood,” “Birmingham Small Arms,” “New Rapid,” and “Birmingham. Small Arms Pattern.” The “F.N.” make of motor cycles, which has magneto-ignition, four cylinders with shaft drive, and an improved spring front fork, is also stocked. About 250 bicycles are sold in the year, besides a large number of duplicate parts, and repairing is also done on the premises.
Manager of Messrs E. Reynolds and Company's Napier branch, was horn in Greenock, Scotland, in December, 1882, and came to New Zealand with his parents at the age of eight years. He was educated at private and public schools in Christchurch and Fendalton, afterwards served an apprenticeship to the engineering trade under Messrs P. and D. Duncan, of Christchurch, and studied engineering for a—time at Canterbury College. Mr. Hyslop was subsequently in the employ of Messrs Reynolds and Company, and was then employed for two years as travelling representative and expert for the Massey-Harris Implement Company, in Melbourne. He returned to New Zealand, and worked successively for Messrs Morgan and Cable, engineers, of Dunedin, and for Messrs Oates, Lowry and Company, of Christchurch, and in 1903 opened a branch in Napier for Messrs E. Reynolds and Company. Mr. Hyslop is a member of the Napier Highland Society, the Union Rowing Club, the City Football Club, and the Hastings Athletic and Cycling Club.
Motor Car and Cycle Engineer, Napier. Mr. Wychemirski was born at Kieff, Russin, in March, 1875, and is a son of a Belgian engineer. He was educated at the premier school in Belgium, and afterwards applied himself to the study of mechanical and electrical engineering. For some years he was employed in large engineering establishments in Belgium and Russia, and subsequently served a full course in the Government Industrial School at Cokerill, Belgium, where in 1902 he obtained his diploma. Mr. Wychemirski then went to Australia, and received an appointment as second engineer on board a large steamer, trading between Sydney and Noumea, He resigned shortly afterwards in order to accept a position as second engineer and electrician of the “St. Pierre,” a local steamer at Noumea. Subsequently he came to New Zealand, and was employed by Messrs Skeats and Bockeart, of Auckland. He then became conductor of the Rotorua motor car service, and in 1905 joined Mr. Charles Canning, of Napier, in a partnership that was afterwards dissolved.
(proprietors, Henry Williams and Sons, Limited), Hastings Street, Napier. This well known foundry was established in the “seventies,” and was shortly afterwards taken over by the present proprietors. It is a large wood and iron building, covering nearly an acre, and is replete with the requisite machinery for engineering, boiler and inplement making. Thirty-five persons are constantly employed at the foundry.
who was appointed manager of the Vulean Foundry in the year 1889, was born in Darlington, England, in April, 1856. He was educated privately, and afterwards served an apprenticeship to the engineering trade, in his native town. In 1877 Mr. Willis came to New Zealand, soon after his arrival began work at the Vulcan Foundry, and was subsequently appointed manager.
Boot and Shoe Manufacturers and Repairers, Tennyson Street, Napier. This business was established in the year 1905, by Messrs Edwards and King, and is rapidly increasing in stock and output. It is conducted in suitable premises, situated on the ground floor of a two-storeyed wooden building at the corner of Hastings Street and Tennyson Street.
Saddler and Harness Maker, Agent for “Humber” and “King” cycles Emerson Street, Napier, Branch business at Taradale. Private Residence, May Avenue, Colenso Hill. This business is conducted in a new and up-to-date brick building, running back nearly one hundred feet; The shop has a frontage of twenty-one feet; with double plate-glass windows, and double entrance doors ' for motor cars. A good stock of bicycles is kept, and there is a complete plant for the repairs of machines, with all appliances for the handling of motor cars. Mr. King was born in Yorkshire, England, and came to New Zealand with his parents in 1884. He settled in Napier, and learned his trade with Mr. John McVay, in whose employment he remained for over eight years. Mr. King started in business on his own account in 1893. He takes a great interest in cycling, cricket, and motoring. Mr. King is married, and has four children.
(late Bowron Brothers), Wool-Brokers, Wool-Scourers, Fellmongers, etc., Napier. P.O. Box, 149. Telephone, 262. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. This firm's business was established many years ago by Messrs Bowron Brothers of Christchurch, by whom it was carried on until the year 1894, when Mr. H. F. Butcher joined the business. The office is at the corner of Byron Street and Herschel Street, and the works are situated on three acres of ground at Greenmeadows. In the busy season between forty and fifty persons are employed. An eight horse-power steam engine drives the machinery, water being obtained from two artesian wells. Wool and skins are bought from the neighbouring farmers, and pelts from the freezing works, large shipments being made direct to London. Messrs Bowron Brothers are referred to in the Canterbury volume of the Cyclopedia in connection with their firm in Christchurch.
of the firm of Messrs Bowron and Butcher, is a son of Mr. H. R. Butcher, woolcomber and fellmonger of Kaiapoi.
(T. J., W. H., and A. R. Leevers), Wool Scouring Works and Fellmongery, Awatoto. This important industry, situated within three miles of Napier, was established in the year 1890. Adjacent to the wool-shed there is a two-acre drying ground, and two artesian wells supply the water to the circular washing boxes, in which the wool is scoured. About 1,000 bales of wool are treated annually, and shipped to the Home market, good prices being realised. A large number of pelts are also shipped to London every season. Messrs Leevers Brothers are experts in everything appertaining to wool, and are engaged annually in classing for Mr. J. Hunter-Brown, at Wairoa; Mr. J. H. Rhodes at Spring-hill; and Messrs Herrick Brothers, at Tautane. Commissions are also undertaken for local brokers and sheepfarmers.
of the firm of Leevers Brothers, was born in Dunedin in the year 1876, and was educated in Christchurch. After spending three years with Messrs Warnock Brothers, wool buyers and tanners,
one of the partners of the above firm, was born in Dunedin in 1877, and received his education in Christchurch and Auckland. Subsequently he gained experience in Napier with his father, who was a well-known wool buyer and fellmonger. Mr. Leevers is a member of the Scinde Cricket Club, and is an enthusiastic rifle shot.
of the firm of Leevers Brothers, was born in Dunedin in 1879, and, after receiving an education in Christchurch and Auckland, joined his father in the fellmongery business in Napier. He is a member of the Victoria Lodge of Freemasons, No. 21, N.Z.C.
are a branch of the well-known firm of Messrs Thomas Borthwick and Son, Limited, and are situated at Paki Paki, on the railway line, five miles south from Hastings, The works stand on a site of 300 acres, to which there are entrances from Maraekakaho road and the Havelock road. The buildings consist of freezing rooms and stores, slaughterhouses, cooling-rooms, fellmongery, tallow works, and a manure factory, all the floors of which are laid down in Neuchatel asphalt. A feature in the construction is that the buildings are designed so as to dispense, as far as possible, with handling, and, with this object in view, the slaughtering is done on the upper floor. The sheep are driven up an inclined plane from the yards to this chamber, which measures 115 feet by thirty-five feet, and has accommodation for twenty-eight butchers. The slaughtering capacity is 2,800 sheep per day. In this department carcases are hung on dressing rails, and, after remaining suspended for a time, are forwarded, still suspended from parallel rails, to a chilling room, fitted with refrigerating coils, from which the carcases are separated by a false roof, so designed as to prevent damage to the meat by moisture. There are three freezing chambers for mutton, each measuring 105 feet by twenty-one feet, and each capable of storing 2,000 carcases; and five beef rooms, each measuring thirty feet by sixteen feet, and having carrying capacity for thirty bullocks. From 1,200 to 1,500 feet of tubing are built along the ceilings of each freezing room, and the tubes are arranged in coils of seven, and distributed so as to maintain an even temperature. The cold store is situated on the ground floor, and is capable of stocking 40,000 carcases. The fellmongery is conveniently situated, and sufficiently large to deal with the whole of the skins in the works. Its plant is of a modern description, and includes six large “dollies,” a fleshing plant, and a hydro-extractor, driven by electricity. In the tallow department four digesters deal with the offal, and separate the refuse from the fat, which then passes into refiners, is manufactured into tallow, and casked for shipment. The cooling chamber is a large compartment on the second floor, ventilated on three sides by adjustable louvres, and is capable of accommodating 6,000 carcases. The clean, water overflow from the works is allowed to escape into the adjoining creek, but the washings of the premises are irrigated on about one hundred acres of pumice land, forming a portion of the property, with the object of fertilising the soil. The freezing system employed at the works is that of ammonia expanded direct into the tubes by means of a Frick and Company's Eclipse machine, driven by a 100 horse-power Corless engine, the first machine of its kind to be erected in the colony. The works are lit throughout with electric light, which is supplied by a generator, driven by a Bellis-Morcom engine, and the same generator supplies the current for driving the electric motors used in connection with the various departments. The boiler-house is fitted up with two Babcock and Wilcox boilers, each of 160 horsepower. The offices are conveniently arranged, and adjacent to the works are the chief engineer's residence and the workmen's cottages. Everything has been done to ensure the comfort of employees, including the erection of dining-rooms, and a reading-room.
Secretary of the Hastings Freezing Works, was born in the year 1878 in Christchurch, where he was educated, and afterwards entered the employ of the Christchurch Meat Company as a cadet. Later, he was appointed receiving and forwarding clerk at the Islington Works, and was then transferred to the sales department of the Christchurch office. Mr. Dawson subsequently became chief clerk of the Islington Works, and four years later was transferred to Timaru as chief clerk and assistant works manager. He returned to Islington, and in 1900 again went to Timaru. Returning in 1904, he took charge as chief clerk of the Islington office, and resigned that position in December, 1905, to take up his present duties. Mr. Dawson is married, and has two sons and one daughter.
(Mr. W. Kinross White, general manager). Head Office, Glasgow, Scotland; London Office, 22 Basinghall Street; Colonial Office, Napier; Works, Western Spit, Hawke's Bay. The London managers are Messrs Brice, Junor, and White, and
General Manager for the Company, has resided for many years in Hawke's Bay. In 1886 he was instrumental in forming the North British and New Zealand Investment Company, Limited, of which he has from the first been manager. In 1888 he formed the North British and Hawke's Bay Freezing Company, which he has managed since its establishment, and he occupies other important commercial positions. Mr. White is referred to elsewhere as a member of the Napier Harbour Board.
Fellmonger-in-charge and wool expert of the North British and Hawke's Bay Freezing Company, Napier is the son of Mr. Henry Highley, a retired tanner and leather manufacturer, who was one of the earliest to introduce that industry into Hawke's Bay. He was born in the year 1856. at Halifax, Yorkshire, England, and was educated and brought up to the wool trade at Bradford. He had an early start in life in the factories, and rapidly advanced in his line, and when at the age of twenty was second buyer for a firm of merchants doing a large wool export trade. Mr. Highley came to New Zealand in 1876, in the ship “Waitara,” and settled in Napier. He entered into business with his father in the leather trade, but after a year or so took to his old line, classing some of the best clips of wool in Hawke's Bay, and also managing various fellmongeries from time to time, till he received his present appointment in 1896. Mr. Highley has taken an active part in social and local political affairs, and has held many useful positions. He was the donor of the site of the recently-opened public library and free reading-room at the Western Spit, and otherwise helped materially in the establishment of the institution.
(Nelson Brothers, Limited, proprietors) are situated on the line of railway about ten miles from Napier, and include the dwellings of the managers and employees. The situation is a suitable one, with level and fertile land for the ten receiving paddocks, which are plentifully supplied with water from a dozen or more artesian wells, the deepest of which is about 180 feet, and gives over 130,000,000 gallons per annum. The slaughter-house is a long, narrow building, with constantly-flushed concrete floors, and the butchers in the course of a day kill and dress as many as fifty head of cattle and 2,500 sheep, the carcases of which are despatched by overhead rails to the dressing, cooling, weighing, ticketing and grading rooms. The greatest care is exercised in grading, no old ewes and no sheep weighing over seventy pounds being passed for shipment. The examining expert is charged with the duty of rejecting all carcases showing blemished, bad colour, poor condition, or excessive fattiness. There are six freezing-rooms,
General Manager for New Zealand of Nelson Brothers, Limited, was born in Warwick, England, in the year 1843, and is a son of the late Mr. George Nelson, formerly well known as the founder of the firm of Nelson, Dale,
the New Zealand Secretary of Messrs Nelson Brothers, Limited, was born at Hampstead. Middlesex, England, in the year 1862. He is a son of the late Mr. H. E. Warren, and was educated at the Palace School, Enfield, and at King's College. In 1879 he joined the staff of the Royal Bank of Scotland, and a year later came to New Zealand with Mr. Nelson, as a cadet for the New Zealand counting house, by the Orient liner “Sorata,” on her fateful voyage when she ran ashore near Adelaide, South Australia. Mr. Warren has seen the growth of the Tomoana Freezing Works from its embryo stage, and has been intimately connected with it ever since. He is interested in cricket and golf, and is the honorary secretary and treasurer of the Heretaunga Clay Pigeon Shooting Club. In 1887 Mr. Warren married a daughter of the late Mr. Leslie Thomson, of Canterbury. This lady died in 1892, leaving one daughter.
Butcher, Hastings Street, Napier. This business was established in the year 1864 by the present proprietor. The premises extend from Hastings Street through to the Marine Parade, with a wide frontage at each end. The main building is of brick and concrete, two storeys in height, with tiled interior walls. Separated from this building by a paved yard is the manufacturing room (furnished with the latest sausage-making machinery and an up-to-date plant), and the stables, which are well and conveniently designed. Mr. Higgins was born in the year 1843, at Mountrath, Queen's County, Ireland, where he served an apprenticeship to the butchery trade. At fourteen years of age he was indentured for three years to Mr. Thomas Flemming, of Athy, County Kildare, in the buying and selling of cattle. Two years later he had the sole management of his employer's business, and at seventeen started in business on his own account in the same town. Mr. Higgins left for New Zealand on the 1st of August, 1862, by the ship “Constance,” and arrived in Wellington on the 12th of December of the same year, thence he transhipped by the “Wonga Wonga” to Napier, where he settled, and soon afterwards established his present business. He also conducts an agricultural farm of 107 acres at Clive. Mr. Higgins takes a keen interest in political matters, is an advanced liberal, a staunch supporter of Ireland having a parliament of its own in Dublin, and is an honorary member of the Hibernian Society. He has been twice married, and has four sons and four daughters. He paid a visit to the land of his birth in the year 1874.
established its branch office in Napier early in the “eighties,” with Mr. Ramsay Sime as its first manager. The premises occupied are situated in Hastings Street, and consist of a substantial two-storeyed brick and plaster building, which is one of the first brick buildings erected in Napier. There are also large grain and general produce stores belonging to the company at Port Ahuriri. The Napier branch is the head office for the province, and there is also a sub-agency at Dannevirke. General stock sales are held in all parts of Hawke's Bay, and the company deals in wool, skins, general produce, seeds, grain, etc., also in the purchase and sale of land. Large quantities of general supplies for country clients are imported.
manager at Napier for the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, Limited, is of Scotch parentage, and was born in London, England, in October, 1861. He was educated at the Madras Academy, Cupar, Fifeshire, Scotland, and afterwards joined the staff of a local bank. Three years later he became a junior clerk in the London office of the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, Limited, and after ten years' service came to New Zealand in December, 1890, and entered the Auckland office of the firm. He was subsequently transferred to the Wellington office as accountant, and four years later was removed in the same capacity to Napier, where, in 1900, he became manager. Mr. Baxter was for four years a member of the Hawke's Bay Harbour Board, as representative of the Chamber of Commerce, of which he has been a member for some years, and was formerly president; he was president of the Hawke's Bay Employers' Association, was one of the promoters and first chairman of the Hawke's Bay Woollen Manufacturing Company, Limited, was chairman of the Hawke's Bay Stock Agents and Wool Brokers' Association, is a steward of the Napier Park Racing Club, member of the Hawke's Bay Racing Club, member of the committee of the Agricultural and Pastoral Society, vice-president of the Napier Club, and was president of the Bluff Hill Bowling Club. As a Freemason Mr. Baxter holds the office of Senior Warden of Lodge Scinde, No. 5, N.Z.C.
Wholesale Warehousemen, Emerson Street, Napier. Telephone, 236; P.O. Box, 116. Bankers, Bank of New South Wales. This is a branch of the well-known firm of Ross and Glending, whose head-quarters are at Dunedin, and which business is referred to in the Otago volume of the Cyclopedia. The firm has been represented in Napier ever since the business was established, and on the closing of Messrs McArthur and Company's Napier branch, Messrs Ross and Glending secured the business of the departing firm, which they have greatly increased. Business is conducted in a fine three-storeyed brick building, erected in 1897, with a frontage to Emerson Street of forty feet, by a depth of 130 feet. It is fitted with all conveniences, including a hydraulic lift, which is said to be the first of its kind in Napier. The branch is under the management of Mr. R. A. Wilson.
manager of the Napier branch of Messrs Ross and Glendining, was born in Kirkealdy, Fifeshire, Scotland, in the year 1857, and is a son of Captain A. Wilson, of Kirkcaldy. He was educated in London, and afterwards entered the warehouse of Messrs Welch, Margetson, and Company. After a short experience there, he was transferred to Messrs Cook, Son and Company, of St. Paul's Churchyard. In 1876 Mr. Wilson decided to come to New Zealand, and left London in the ill-fated ship “Strathmore,” which was wrecked on the Crozet Islands. Between forty and fifty persons were drowned in endeavouring to get ashore, but about fifty effected a landing on one of those desolate islands. One passenger managed to save Mr. Wilson's mother—the only lady who survived. The weather for the first part of the time was very severe, but after seven months of terrible privations, with nothing but sea-birds and a grassy weed for sustenance, forty-four survivors were rescued by an American whaler, and taken to Ceylon. Five of those who escaped drowning died on the island. Mr. Wilson and his fellow-survivors will ever remember their existence on the inhospitable Crozets. They were brought to Melbourne by a P. and O. steamer. Mr. Wilson then came to New Zealand, and landed in Dunedin. He was for a few months with the New Zealand Hardware Company, and was afterwards with Messrs Ross and Glendining for about five years. He subsequently went to England, and on his return to New Zealand, started in business for himself in Hawke's Bay. About five years later he became manager of Messrs McArthur and Company's Napier branch, and after filling that post for eight years was appointed to his present position. Mr. Wilson is one of the managing committee of St. Paul's Presbyterian Church, and has been a member of the Napier Borough Council. He married the daughter of Mr. William Green, of London, England, in the year 1880, and has four sons.
Warehousemen, Herschel Street, Napier (Mr. Robert Bishop, manager). The premises of this firm occupy part of the large brick and concrete building opposite the Masonic Hotel.
Manager of Messrs Sargood, Son and Ewen's Napier branch, was born in London, England, and was brought up to
General Merchants and Importers, Stock and Station Agents, etc., Browning Street, Napier. Branches, Port Ahuriri, Hastings, Waipawa, Dannevirke, and Gisborne. Telephones, head office, 100; produce department, 195; Port Ahuriri, 24; and goods department, 142; Hastings, 212; private telephones of managing directors. Mr. F. W. Williams, 116; and Mr. N. Kettle, 117. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. Directors: Sir W. R. Russell, Messrs J. H. Coleman, L. H. McHardy, William Nelson, A. S. G. Carlyon, J. B. Chambers, F. W. Williams, and N. Kettle, the two latter gentlemen being managing directors. A glance at the directorate of this company is sufficient evidence that Messrs Williams and Kettle, Limited, is one of the most popular mercantile corporations in the colony. The nature of the business is varied, and the field of operations world-wide. Whilst fulfilling all the essentials of the “middleman,” the profits arising from export and import transactions are very largely distributed amongst the producers, who also play an important part in the control of the business. So popular is the company that its operations have extended into the domain of finance, and many of the large runholders of the province use it as a banking institution. Advances are made on stock, wool on the sheep's back, and other produce, absentee and other estates are supervised and managed. Messrs Williams and Kettle Limited are export agents for Messrs Nelson Brothers, Limited. The business was established in the year 1880 by Mr. F. W. Williams, who some three or four years later, was joined by Mr. N. Kettle, and when the company was formed in 1891 these gentlemen were jointly appointed managing directors.
one of the Managing Directors of Messrs Williams and Kettle, Limited, is referred to at length as an ex-mayor of Napier.
one of the Managing Directors of Messrs Williams and Kettle, Limited, is a son of the late Mr. Charles Henry Kettle, who was chief surveyor for the New Zealand Company, and who surveyed the site of Dunedin, and discovered the Wairarapa Plains in the year 1839. Mr. Kettle was born in Dunedin in 1854, educated at the High School and other local schools, and in 1869 entered the office of Messrs G. G. Russell and Company, wool and general merchants. Eight years later he removed to Napier to fill the position of manager of the Hawke's Bay business of Messrs Murray, Common, and Company (now Murray, Roberts and Company), general merchants, stock and station agents. Mr. Kettle resigned this position in 1884, to join Mr. Williams in the business which has since attained such large proportions. Though Mr. Kettle has closely applied himself to the firm's business, he has found time to devote to public duties. He has been chairman of the Napier Chamber of Commerce, with which he has been connected since its inception, and he was one of the promoters of the Free Association of Employees and Workmen of Hawke's Bay. In the year 1880 he married the daughter of Major Von Tempsky, and has two sons and two daughters.
Seed, Grain, and Produce Merchants, Napier. This business was established in the year 1890, and was taken over by its present proprietors in 1899. It is conducted in a two-storeyed brick building in Hastings Street, and the store for bulk stock is at Port Ahuriri. The firm import most of its large and varied stock of garden and field seeds from England, France, and America. It acts as agents for the farmers and fruit growers of the district in the selling and exportation of local produce. Messrs A. Simmonds and Company are agents for Mr. John Goddard, of the Havelock Nursery, and for Messrs D. Hay and Sons, Nurserymen, of Auckland.
Managing Partner of the firm of Messrs A. Simmonds and Company, was born in Birmingham, England, in the year 1872. He came to New Zealand at an early age, in the ship “Winchester,” and was educated at the Napier district school. He then learned the grain and seed business with Mr. Fulton, in Napier, and was afterwards employed by Messrs Cranby and Sidey, whose seed, grain, and produce business he subsequently bought out. Mr. Simmonds is a prominent bowler, and, with others, represented the Green-meadows Bowling Club at the Wellington Tournament of 1906, and he is vice-president and one of the oldest members of the Union Rowing Club, which he has represented at various times at interprovincial regattas.
(John Nicholson Anderson, proprietor), Milton Road, Napier. This nursery occupies valuable sites on both sides of Milton Road, and is one of the finest
Bookseller, Stationer, and News Agent, Napier. This business is conducted in a handsome two-storeyed brick and stone building, with a frontage of forty feet to Hastings Street, and a depth of 118 feet. Mr. Craig is a direct importer of books, stationery, and fancy goods, of which he holds a large up-to-date stock. He makes a special feature of educational requirements, and supplies a large number of retail shops throughout the Hawke's Bay district. Mr. Craig is agent for the British and Foreign Bible Society, and for the Art Union of London. His London agents are Messrs Dawson and Sons, and through them he keeps in close touch with the latest literature in the British and Continental markets, and receives a fortnightly shipment. Mr. Craig is a native of Edinburgh, Scotland, where he was educated, and served an apprenticeship to the book selling and stationery business. He came to New Zealand in January, 1872, and landed in Auckland. Six months later Mr. Craig removed to Napier, and accepted an appointment as accountant in the office of the “Hawke's Bay Herald.” Shortly afterwards he became manager of the firm's book and stationery business in Hastings Street, which he took over a year later in conjunction with Mr. P. F. Colledge. The partnership was subsequently dissolved, and Mr. Craig has since conducted the business on his own account. He takes a keen interest in educational matters, and was a member of the first school committee elected in Napier, retaining his seat for a number of years. Mr. Craig was one of the promoters and is a member of the committee and one of the trustees of the Hawke's Bay Children's Home.
General Storekeeper, Glasgow House, Waghorne and Churchill Streets, The Spit. Mr. Denholm, who is an old resident of the Spit, was born in Charlestown, Fifeshire, Scotland, in the year 1837. He was employed for a few years in Mr. John Read's wine and tea warehouse in Exchange Square, Glasgow, and at eighteen years of age obtained an engagement with the firm of Stuart and Kinross, with whom he came out to New Zealand by the ship “Maori” in 1855. Messrs Stuart and Kinross settled in Wellington, where they established themselves in business. Three years later, the firm opened a branch in Napier, under the management of Mr. Alexander Kennedy (late father of Mr. C. D. Kennedy, of Napier), and Mr. Denholm removed to Napier. On the dissolution of the firm he remained with Mr. Kinross for a few years, then afterwards entered the service of Mr. Stuart, and continued with him until about 1878, when he started his own business.
General Grocer and Provision Merchant, Napier. This business was established many years ago, and was acquired by the present proprietor in the year 1902. It is conducted in a large two-storeyed building, the ground floor of which has a fine frontage to Emerson Street. The first floor is devoted chiefly to the storage of bulk stock, and a heavy stock of general
Ship Chandler, Sail and Flag Maker, Tent and Oilskin Manufacturer, Waghorne Street, The Spit. Established 1878. Private residence, Roslyn Road. Captain Widerstrom's business is an extensive one, and the premises are large and spacious, with an immense stock of the various articles required in the trade. Captain Widerstrom is a native of Finland, and was brought up to the sea from his early years. He commanded various vessels, and sailed under the British flag for fifteen years, and under the American flag for five years. For a number of years he was engaged in the inter-colonial trade, commanding the “May Wadley,” and afterwards the “Pendle Hill.” He sold out his interest in the latter vessel in the year 1895, and purchased his present business. Captain Widerstrom has been a Freemason and an Oddfellow for many years. He is married and has three children.
. This Hawke's Bay industry is conducted on the most approved scientific principles, for the production of Liquid and Powder Specifics. The value to sheep-farmers, and hence to the colony at large, is rapidly making itself appreciated. The industry has now been in existence twenty years, and the most up-to-date machinery and appliances are in use in the factory at Port Ahuriri. A feature of importance in connection with the Murton work is that Murton's invention was awarded first place at the largest trials of ship dips ever held in New Zealand, viz., in Canterbury, in 1887, when all the leading sheep dips competed. The manufacturers claim that they supply the most reliable and cheapest sheep-dipping specifics. A visit to this factory is quite sufficient to prove that New Zealand can well hold her own in this particular manufacture.
Watchmaker and Jeweller, Emerson Street, Napier. Mr. Collins first started in business in 1880, when he opened a shop in Emerson Street. Later on, however, he conducted a large business for nearly eleven years in Hastings Street, and in the early part of 1905 he bought his present business. The premises are conveniently appointed, and a good stock of manufactured and imported jewellery is carried; four experienced workmen are employed. Mr. Collins was born at Peckham, London, England, in the year 1853, and came to New Zealand at an early age in the ship “African.” He was educated at public schools, and afterwards served an apprenticeship to the jewellery trade in Auckland. Later on, he gained three years' experience in a large Sydney house, then returned to New Zealand, and settled in Napier. Mr. Collins takes a keen interest in the Working Men's Club, of which he has been president.
Wood and Coal Merchant, and General Carrier, Clive Square, Napier. This business was established by the present proprietor in the year 1879. The premises consist of a commodious storage shed, an office, and ample yard accommodation. A large and increasing trade is conducted in wood, coal, charcoal, and produce, and also in cement and pipes. In connection with the produce department Mr. Amner has an efficient chaff-cutting and seed-crushing plant. Of late years, however, the manufacture of lime has claimed a good deal of his attention. He has three large kilns, situated in Milton Road, Shakespeare Road, and Faraday Street respectively. These have been fitted up at great expense with up-to-date machinery, and there is a brisk demand for the output of the kilns. The carrying plant is a large one, and twelve men are employed in the various departments of the business. Mr. Amner was born in Ireland, on the 9th of June, 1850. He was educated chiefly at Loak's Academy, Mile-End Road, London, and in 1867 emigrated to New Zealand. For two years Mr. Amner worked on the Thames gold-fields, and afterwards found employment on the railway construction works. He then married and settled in Napier, where he established his present business. Mr. Amner is a Freemason, a member of the Order of Oddfellows, and of the Ancient Order of Foresters.
Coach Proprietors, Napier. This firm run a line of mail coaches between Napier, Lake Taupo, and Tokaanu, via Tarawera, leaving Napier every
one of the partners, was born in Wellington, his father, the late Mr. Samuel Crowther, being one of the earliest settlers in that province. Mr. Crowther left Wellington in 1868, joined the colonial forces, and went through the campaign of that year. He left the force in 1878, and started an hotel and store at Taupo, which he personally carried on for five years, since which time he has resided in Napier, managing the line of coaches.
. This company was established in the year 1902, when it bought out Messrs J. and W. Harvey, of Napier, Mr. George Rymer, of Taradale, Mr. P. Cram, of Wairoa, and Messrs Crowther and McCauley, proprietors of the Napier-Taupo coach service. It now controls practically the whole of the bus service between Napier and the neighbouring townships, together with the inland coach service to Taupo, Patea, Wairoa, and Waikare-Moana. The firm has two large stables in Napier, another at Taradale, and also one at Wairoa. The town stables are situated in Hastings Street, and occupy about three acres of land. They are asphalted throughout, and fitted up in a modern and up-to-date style, and afford large accommodation. The rolling stock consists of about eighty vehicles, including landaus, wagonettes, drags, 'busses, coaches, buggies, and gigs; some 300 horses are kept, and nearly forty men are employed. The firm does a large business in letting all kinds of traps out on hire, and in general and special tourist traffic.
Traffic Manager of the Hawke's Bay Motor Company, Limited, was born in Cornwall, England, in the year 1862, and came to New Zealand at twelve years of age. He was first employed at a livery stable at Port Ahuriri, and in 1890 took over a general carting business at Petane. Later on, in conjunction with his brother, Mr. Harvey established a livery stable at Napier, but on the formation of the Hawke's Bay Motor Company, which purchased the business conducted by himself and his brother, he was appointed to his present position.
Secretary of the Hawke's Bay Motor Company, Limited, was born in Napier in the year 1877, and was educated at the district schools. He was afterwards employed for about eight years as a clerk in the Union Steamship Company's office at Napier, and then resigned in order to join his brother in business. For some time they conducted a livery stable business in Napier under the style of Messrs J. and W. Harvey, and on being bought out by the Hawke's Bay Motor Company, Limited, Mr. Harvey received his present appointment. He is a member of the New Zealand Accountants' and Auditors' Association.
(W. Ward, Proprietor). Telephone, No. 189; Box, No. 22; Bankers, Bank Of New South Wales. Established by the present proprietor in the year 1892, this industry has steadily increased from year to year, and has developed into one of the largest contracting
proprietor of the Awatoto Saw-mill and Timber Yards, was born in London, England, in the year 1855, and after receiving his education, served an apprenticeship to the building trade. He came to New Zealand in the ship “Waitara,” arrived in Napier in 1876, and has since been engaged in the building trade and contracting. Mr. Ward is president of the Hawke's Bay Builders' Union, a member of the Napier Bowling Club; as a Freemason, is a member of Lodge Victoria, No. 21, N.Z.C., and has been a member of the Ancient Order of Foresters for twenty-nine years. His residence at Awatoto, which is lighted throughout with acetylene gas supplied by an automatic generator, commands a fine view of Hawke's Bay. Mr. Ward is married, and has one son and three daughters.
Sawing, Planing, and Moulding Mills, Sash and Door Factory, Thackeray and Carlyle Streets, Napier. Telephone, 84; P.O. Box, 33. Bankers, New South Wales. Private residence, Cameron Road. Branch at Hastings, and saw-mills also at Piripiri. These are among the largest and best equipped mills in the colony. There is a ten-ton steam travelling crane, suplemented by tramways in every direction, with splendid stocks of seasoned kauri, rimu, cedar, totara, and other kinds of timber. The proprietor has a lease of 12,000 acres of fine forest country at Piripiri. Labour-saving machinery of every description abounds for planing, turnery, mortising, paling-pointing, boring, shaping, tenoning, gulleting, and other work. Power is derived from a forty horse-power steam engine and three boilers. Every variety of timber work is executed at the mills, such as doors, windows, mouldings, architraves, skirtings, verandah and cave brackets, finials, balusters, chair and table legs, gates, shop fronts, mantlepieces, ceiling centres, etc. A well-finished fifty-page quarto catalogue, printed and lithographed by the “Hawke's Bay Herald,” shows the great variety of plain and fancy timber work turned out by Mr. Holt. A very large number of persons are employed, and Mr. Holt and his sons are assisted by competent foremen. Mr. Holt was born in Oldham, Lancashire, England, in the year 1833, and was educated in his native town. He was apprenticed to a joiner and pattern-maker, and at the age of twenty-six years came to New Zealand, and landed in Auckland. Removing to Napier in 1866, he engaged in contract work, and subsequently started a small mill in Hastings Street. Mr. Holt did five years' active service as a volunteer, and was engaged in the Omaranui and Petane fights. For many years he was a member of the old Napier Philharmonic Society. He married, in 1861, a daughter of the late Mr. John Marshall, of Paisley, Scotland, and has two daughters and three sons.
Australasian Head Office, Emerson Street, Napier. Captain Richard Todd, Colonial Superintendent; Head office, 16 Fenchurch Avenue, London. New York representatives, Messrs Funch, Edye and Company, Produce Exchange. The Tyser Line, which was established in the year 1887 by Messrs Tyser and Company, for many years ship owners in the East India trade, is one of the most important shipping corporations engaged in the New Zealand trade. The fine vessels at present running between New Zealand and London are s.s. “Hawke's Bay,” s.s. “Tomoana,” s.s. “Marere,” s.s. “Niwaru,” s.s. “Mimiro,” s.s. “Star of New Zealand,” s.s. “Star of Scotland,” s.s. “Star of Ireland,” s.s. “Star of Australia,” s.s. “Indraghiri,” s.s. “Indradevi,” s.s. “Indralema,” and a new steamer recently launched. All these steamers are insulated for the carriage of frozen meat and produce, they each make two trips per year, and they call at all the principal New Zealand ports, from Auckland in the north to the Bluff in the south. The New Zealand agencies are: Auckland, Messrs Heather, Robertson and Company; Gisborne, Messrs Williams and Kettle, Limited; Wellington, Messrs W. M. Bannantyne and Company; Wanganui, Mr. James L. Stevenson; Napier, Messrs Williams and Kettle, Limited, Wenley and Lanauze, and the Hawke's Bay Farmers' Co-operative Association, Limited; Lyttelton, Messrs Kinsey, Barns, and Company; Dunedin, Messrs J. W. Swift and Company; Bluff, Messrs Henderson and
the Colonial Superintendent of the Tyser Line, Limited, is a well-known and popular commander. He served his apprenticeship in the East India trade, and for twenty years, ending 1887, commanded ships of the Shaw Savill Company in the New Zealand trade. In 1887 Captain Todd was appointed marine superintendent to the Tyser line, and Colonial Superintendent on the death of Mr. Robert Dobson, in 1893. Captain Todd is highly esteemed and exceedingly popular. His private residence is in Thompson road, Napier.
. The Napier branch of the Union Steam Ship Company was opened at Port Ahuriri in the year 1878, and a few years later the present substantial two-storeyed building was erected on Bridge Street. The Napier office, however, was not opened till about 1895; and this is now (1906) domiciled on the ground floor of the old Colonial Bank buildings, opposite the Post Office. Most of the customs and shipping business is conducted at Port Ahuriri, and the passenger trade is managed at the Napier office. The Company's passenger steamers call at Napier on their way north on Tuesdays and alternate Fridays, and on their way south on Mondays and alternate Thursdays; and in addition to these, the “Haupiri,” the “Wanaka,” and other cargo ships visit the port on varying dates.
Manager of the Union Steam Ship Company at Napier, was born in London, England, in the year 1863, and came to New Zealand at the age of eight years. He is a grandson of the late Captain Cargill, first Superintendent of Otago. Mr. Cargill was educated at the Otago Boys' High School, and joined the staff of the Union Steam Ship Company as a clerk in the Dunedin office.
The pioneer settlers of New Zealand were, generally speaking, men of sterling merit. They were bred in the United Kingdom, and were imbued with the highest British traditions, while the men selected by the early colonising associations represented the very best of their class. Their power of endurance proved equal to the hardships they experienced; by their energy they transformed the wilderness into bountiful pastures, and built embryo cities throughout the silent land. Their courage did not fail them even throughout the troublous times of the long-drawn-out Maori wars. The first half-century was necessarily a very trying period in the history of New Zealand, but the advantages and comforts enjoyed by the colonists of to-day are the outcome of the arduous efforts put forth in those years by the settlers who laid the foundation of the colony's prosperity. Succeeding generations may possibly inherit, potentially, the sterling characteristics of these old settlers, though they will never be called upon to so strenuously exercise them. They have great possibilities, however, according to Froude, who says, “I can well believe that it will be in the inexhaustible soil and spiritual capabilities of New Zealand that the great English poets, artists, philosophers, statesmen, soldiers, of the future will be nurtured.” This hope was more recently expressed by the Hon. W. P. Reeves, who said, “There are some of us who hope to live to see the day when New Zealand will turn out something beyond a fine, sturdy race of farmers, keen men of business, and fine athletes,—when it will distinguish itself in the walks of literature, art, architecture, and science—when New Zealand books, New Zealand pictures, New Zealand statues and buildings, will gain some repute and note in the civilized world. But we have to remember that the energies of the generation which is doing the first work in a young country are naturally turned to solid and material matters. It was the business of the pioneers to lay the foundations. It is our business, the business of their children, to erect the walls, to rear the building; it will be the business of those who come after us to adorn and to decorate the interior.”
sometime of “Ashcott,” Takapau, was born at Ashcott, Somersetshire, England, in the year 1826, and was the eldest son of an army surgeon. He received his education at Grosvenor College, Bath, and was afterwards for a few years in the Taunton branch of a banking house, of which his uncle was a director. Mr. A'Deane came out to New Zealand in 1855, in company with his only brother, and for many years experienced the hardships of pioneering work in Hawke's Bay. After a few years' experience on various stations, chiefly in the Waipukurau district, he took up an extensive area near Takapau, which he named “Ashcott,” after his native village. This property had formerly been held by the Crown, and was at that time almost entirely covered with fern and native bush. The clearing of this country was successfully accomplished by Mr. A'Deane, and Ashcott of to-day is one of
was born in the year 1815, at North Esk, Forfarshire, and was the son of the late Mr. William Begg, sheep-farmer, and brother of the late Mr. Charles Begg, the well-known music importer of Dunedin. He was educated in Aberdeenshire, brought up to farming, and for six or seven years before leaving his native land, was manager of a cooperative store; but the store having been profitably sold, he emigrated to Victoria, in 1852, and engaged in mining at Ballarat and Forest Creek. In 1885 he came to New Zealand, landing in Wellington soon after the great earthquake. A few weeks later he removed to Napier, where he took up some town and country sections. At the time of the Maori war Mr. Begg took part with the volunteers under Captain Buchanan, and also served in the Militia. He married the daughter of Mr. John Herd, of Cults, Aberdeenshire, in 1850, and left a family of two daughters. Mr. Begg died in Napier on the 15th of July, 1902.
was born in Gatehouse, Scotland, in the year 1841, and was a son of the late Mr. S. Blythe. He was educated in his native place, and then learned the drapery trade at Wigan, Lancashire, England. Later on, he became partner in a chemical manufacturing business at St. Helens, where he lived for several years. In 1870 Mr. Blythe came to New Zealand, and settled in Napier, where he was employed for nearly a year by Messrs Newton and Company, before establishing the wellknown drapery business of Messrs Blythe and Company. Mr, Blythe took an active part in public life, in which he did useful service. He took a keen interest in volunteer matters for many years, and was for some time Commanding Officer of the Hawke's Bay Military District. He was known for his kindly and benevolent disposition, and was a liberal contributor to every movement with a charitable purpose. Mr. Blythe married a niece of the late Captain A. McLean. He died in the year 1903.
was born at “Ogbourne,” St. Andrew, Marlborough, Wiltshire, England, in the year 1822, and was a son of the late Mr. Davis Canning. The Cannings of Ogbourne, in England, and of Oakburne, in Hawke's Bay, are branch of an old English family of which Lord Canning, a former Viceroy of India, was a member. Mr. Canning was educated in his native place, and came to New Zealand in 1851, in the ship “Cornwall,” landed at Lyttelton, and was employed by Mr. John Harding, of “Mt. Vernon,” Waipukurau. He afterwards purchased land and sheep on his own account, and selected a fine property of upwards of 2,000 acres at Porangahau, which he increased to 40,000 acres by leasing from the Maoris a tract of country adjoining the freehold. Mr. Canning introduced the Cotswold variety of sheep, and in all classes of stock kept only the best breeds. In 1868 he married a daughter of the late Mr. John McQueen, of Strathspey, Inverness, and had two sons, and one daughter who died at an early age. In 1883 he took a trip Home to see his wife, who had then been an invalid in the Old Land for about five years. The effects of the voyage, however, resulted in his death. Eight years later, Mrs. Canning so far recovered her health as to be able to return to New Zealand. Mr. Canning took an active part in public affairs, for which his liberal education eminently fitted him.
sometime of “Gwavas,” Tikokino, Hawke's Bay, was born on the family estate in Cornwall, England, on the 21st of July, 1824. According to “Burke's Landed Gentry” the Carlyon family is one of the oldest in Cornwall. The present head of the house, a son of the late Major Carlyon, is Mr. Arthur Spry Gwavas Carlyon, of “Gwavas,” Tikokino. Major Carlyon served many years in the Imperial Army; was Captain of the 1st Regiment of Foot, and served throughout the Crimean war, after which he came to New Zealand,
an old colonist, and formerly manager of the Puketapu estate, was born in Fifeshire, Scotland, in the year 1839. His father, Mr. John Carswell, a well-known manufacturer, came to Wellington with his family early in 1852. Mr. Carswell, whilst still a lad, worked for Mr. Gillies, of Otaraia, and afterwards for Mr. Robert Russell, of Whangamoana, Wairarapa. After four years of colonial experience he left for Castle Point, where he was a shepherd on Mr. J. V. Smith's run, and was next manager at Mataikuna for a further period of four years. Mr. Carswell then removed to Hawke's Bay, where for two years he was manager for Mr. Samuel Begg, of Mangawhare. After this he was associated with others in leasing from the natives the Te Haroto block of 30,000 acres, but sold his share to his partners about three years later. At this the country was disturbed by Te Kooti's rebellion, and for two years Mr. Carswell was employed in the difficult and dangerous work of packing from Petane to Taupo for the Government. He next leased the Puketitiri estate for about six years, after which period he was engaged by the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company as manager of the Seafield and Eskmount estates. Then he managed “Awamate,” in the Wairoa district, and afterwards “Lochinvar,” at Taupo, for the Bank of New Zealand. In conjunction with his son James, Mr. Carswell acquired “The Incline” property, which is managed by the former. This estate consists of 1,603 acres of open country, partly ploughed and grassed, and stocked with 2,500 sheep, besides cattle and horses. It is situated on the Tutaekuri river, about four hours' ride from Puketapu. Mr. Carswell was a member of the Wairoa County Council for three years, and has held seats on the Petane School Committee and Board of Trustees of the Petane Cemetery. He married Miss Orrock, of Scotland, in 1860, and has, surviving, four sons and four daughters.
one of the old colonists of Napier, was born in Yorkshire, England, in the year 1839. He worked on his father's farm as a boy, and at the age of thirteen went to London, and found employment with a provision merchant, with whom he remained for five years. He afterwards removed to Liverpool, and was employed in a large provision establishment. Mr. Close came to New Zealand in the ship “Persia,” and, after a voyage of seventeen weeks, landed at Auckland, in the year 1860. He was first employed at clearing scrub in the Domain and suburbs of Auckland, and afterwards in farm work in the district. In 1862 Mr. Close entered the service of the commissariat contractors department of the Imperial Forces (under General Cameron), in the Waikato district, during the Waikato disturbance, and endured much hardship with the troops at the front. He left Waikato early in 1863, and settled in Napier, where he was employed in a store for some time. In 1865, in conjunction with the late Mr. J. W. Neal, he purchased a general storekeeper's business. The firm was successful from the outset, and subsequently established a wholesale store, soap and candle works, and a flax and timber mill. Mr. Close has taken keen interest in volunteering and rifle shooting. In 1863 he was one of the founders of the Napier Rifle Volunteers, and ten years later was in command of the corps. He was president of the Napier Park Racing Club from its inception (in 1886) to 1992, and was one of the promoters of the Napier Gas Company, of which he has been chairman of directors for twenty-six years. Mr. Close has been Identified with the progress of Hawke's Bay for the greater part of his life, and in Napier has been intimately associated with all local organisations for the welfare of the town and district. In 1896, owing to indifferent health, he retired from active business life.
was a distinguished New Zealander, who gave upwards of sixty years of useful life to his adopted country. He was born in 1811, at Penzance, Cornwall, England, and was a son of Mr. Samuel May Colenso, and first cousin
was born at Caithness, Scotland, and came to New Zealand in the year 1840. He farmed for some years on Maori land at Porirua, and in 1854 took up “Kahuranaki.” About twenty years later he retired from the active management of his estate, and resided at Havelock North until his death in 1819. Mr. Cooper was one of the most successful runholders in the province; he took a keen interest in public life, and was a member of various public bodies. He left a family of five sons and five daughters.
was born in Jersey, Channel Islands, in the year 1827, followed a seafaring life from an early age, and owned a vessel called the “Hearty,” trading on the English coast. He came to New Zealand from Melbourne in the year 1855, by the brig “Hokoporinga,” landed at Wellington, and for about twelve months was employed at bridge building, etc. Then he removed to Hawke's Bay, resided for a considerable time at Clive, and engaged in various pursuits in that district until 1869. He was more than once burnt out by the Maoris, and suffered great losses. About 1865 he purchased some 900 acres, part of his later estate at Springfield. To this property he added a large station at Petane, consisting of 24,000 acres. Mr. Dolbel was a member of the Provincial Council for over sixteen years, was also a member of the Hawke's Bay County Council, and the Napier Harbour Board. He died at Springfield, Taradale, on the 28th of October, 1901.
born in Westmeath, Ireland, in the year 1830, and is the son of Mr. William Fannin, who came to New Zealand in 1853, by the ship “William Scott,” and settled on a run on the Ruataniwha Plains. He was educated in England and at Trinity College, Dublin, came to New Zealand with his parents and settled in Hawke's bay, where the white population then consisted of about half-a-dozen families. In 1858 Mr. Fannin was appointed clerk to the new Provincial Council of Hawke's Bay, and retained that position till the abolition of the provinces in 1876. During a portion of that period, when the Maori war was in progress, he acted as secretary to Sir Donald McLean and the Hon. J. D. Ormond, who represented the General Government in the conduct of the war. On the abolition of the provinces, Mr. Fannin was appointed clerk and treasurer to the Hawke's Bay County Council, and secretary to the Education Board. These positions he held up to 1996, when he retired from the public service.
sometime of Flemington station, Wanstead, Hawke's Bay, was born at St. Andrews, Fifeshire, Scotland, where he was educated. He arrived in Auckland in the year 1856, by the ship “Sandford,” and remained there for about two years. He removed to Hawke's Bay in 1858, when he obtained employment as shepherd on a large run for five years. In 1863 Mr. Fleming took up the Flemington run, where he resided up to the time of his death. He was the breeder of the well-known racing hack, “Jack Spratt,” alias “Charlie,” also “Taurekaitai,” winner of the Hawke's Bay Steeplechase in 1893, and of a great number of other races. His
was born in the year 1836, at Fatehgar, Bengal, India, and was a son of the late Major Robert Bell Fulton. He was educated at Blackheath Proprietary school, afterwards entered the service of Messrs Bryan, Donkin and Company, engineers, of Bermondsey, London, and a year later sailed for Port Chalmers in the ship “Slains Castle.” He arrived in Dunedin in 1852, his brothers, Mr. (afterwards the Hon.) James Fulton and Mr. Robert Fulton, having settled there in 1849. Shortly after his arrival he took up a small farm at outram, near Dunedin, but relinquished this to take up a sheep run at Waitaki, as one of three partners. In 1856 he went to Sydney, and for two years received a good commercial training. Before his return to New Zealand he married the youngest daughter of Mr. Edmund Smith Hall. Mr. Fulton again entered into farming pursuits in Otago, but three or four years later established a shipping and general agency business in Dunedin, which developed into a large concern. In 1872 he purchased, in England, a steamer for the Sydney and New Zealand trade, but unfortunately this vessel was lost on her way out. Undeterred by this misfortune, in the following year he went Home again, purchased and brought out the “Easby,” a steamer of about 1,800 tons, which he successfully ran until 1879, when the vessel was bought by a Melbourne firm. In May, 1878, Mr. Fulton suffered a very severe accident, from which he never thoroughly recovered. He was a passenger by the coach from Dunedin to Oamaru on the last trip prior to the opening of the railway. The coach capsized as it was descending the north side of the “Horse Range,” between Palmerston South and Hampden. Two of the passengers were killed, and others, including Mr. Fulton, were severely injured. He continued his agency business in Dunedin until 1883, when he went to England for a third visit, this time with the object of starting the Land and Loan Company of New Zealand, with the head office for the colony at Napier. In this he was successful, and he held the position of the first managing director. Mr. Fulton died some time ago, leaving a family of one son and four daughters.
formerly Stipendiary Magistrate at the Chatham Islands, was born in the year 1838 at Cawnpore, India, and is the third son of the late Major Charles Manners Gascoyne, of the East India Company's service, who served throughout the Sutlej campaign (medal and three clasps). Major Gascoyne came to New Zealand in 1853 with his father, and settled in Motueka, Nelson. In 1863 he joined the Colonial Defence Force, and in 1865 was attached to the East Coast expeditionary force, under Captain Fraser, serving throughout the Waiapu campaign, and subsequent operations on that coast. After the Poverty Bay massacre in 1868, Major (then Lieutenant) Gascoyne, with some friendly natives and a few white volunteers, went in pursuit of the murderers, overtaking and defeating them at Mangakaretu, with heavy loss to the enemy. Subsequently he was present at the capture of Ngatapa, and the operations on the West Coast against Titokowaru. The next year found him again on the East Coast, with the force operating on the Uriwera country against Te Kooti. In 1868 Major Gascoyne volunteered to carry despatches across sixty miles of country covered by the enemy's scouts, and returned the same way, meeting a second messenger (Paku Parone) who was killed a few minutes after they had parted. Major Gascoyne was twice mentioned in the despatches during the war, and was recommended by Major Westrup (commanding the Poverty Bay district) for the New Zealand Cross. He remained in the Permanent Force until he was appointed Sheriff of Auckland in 1888, and in 1890 he received the appointment of Stipendiary Magistrate at the Chatham Islands, which post he resigned in 1897. Major Gascoyne now lives in retirement at Hastings. He is a Freemanson of many years' standing. He married the only daughter of Mr. Henry Ward Carr, formerly of Liverpool, in the year 1872.
an old colonist, who resides at Whare-puki (a house on a hill), Te Hauke, Te Aute, was born in Essex, England, in the year 1848, and received his education in Warwickshire, under the Rev. John Townsend. He came to New Zealand in 1866, accompanied by his younger brother, in the s.s. “Kaikoura” — the first of the Panama line of steamers to call at New Zealand—and landed in Wellington. He originally booked his passage to the colony in the ill-fated steamer “London,” which sank in the Bay of Biscay, but owing to business complications, he fortunately missed the steamer. On landing, Mr. Giblin proceeded to Messrs Nelson Brothers' station at Arlington, Waipukurau, where he served a six months' cadetship, and was afterwards appointed manager of the same firm's Kereru station, where he remained for ten years. After two years spent in travelling, including a visit to England, Mr. Giblin returned to New Zealand, and took over the management of Mr. Carlyon's Gwavas station, at Tikikino, a position he retained for twenty-seven years. While at
sometime a well-known contractor in Napier, was born in the year 1832, in Port Patrick, Scotland, where he was educated, and learned the building trade. In 1858 he went to Cape Colony, and carried on business as a builder and contractor until 1865, when he sailed for New Zealand in the brig “Reichstag.” Whilst at Capetown, Mr. Glendinning married the daughter of Mr. John Norkett, of Sussex, a Cape settler. After spending two or three years in Auckland, Mr. Glendinning went to the Thames, and until 1872 was variously engaged in building, contracting and speculating. Securing large contracts in various parts of the North Island, he removed with his family from place to place, and finally settled in Napier to carry out the contract for the extensive bridge at the Western Spit. He also built the Redcliff and Mohaka bridges, and many handsome buildings in Napier were wholly or partly erected by him. For many years Mr. Glendinning was in partnership with Mr. John Griffin, a well-known builder and contractor of Napier. He died on the 23rd of January, 1896, from paralysis, and left a widow, five sons, and three daughters.
Commissioner of Crown Lands and Chief Surveyor for Canterbury, formerly held a similar position in Hawke's Bay. He was born in Camberwell, Surrey, England, in the year 1848, and is a son of the late Captain Henry Gold-Smith, who came to New Zealand by the ship “Star of India” in 1862, in command of No. 5 Company of the 1st Waikato Regiment. Mr. Gold-Smith was educated at Matthew's Denmark Hill Grammar School, Camberwell, and came to New Zealand in 1864, in the barque “Bosphoros.” Soon after his arrival he joined the first Waikato survey party under Mr. Lowe, and after assisting in the survey of the lands set apart for the military settlers at Pukerimu, went with Captain Turner's party to survey the confiscated boundary, and the military settlements near Tauranga. In 1867 he volunteered for active service at Tauranga, joined the engineers under Captain Skeet and Lieutenant Gundley, and was soon under fire. Old residents of Mahurangi, North Auckland, still remember Volunteer Tom Jordan, and they will be glad to know that the comrade still lives in whose arms the brave young soldier died. Two stalwart lads, each standing over six feet, and who had been acquainted but a few days, were taking cover behind the trunk of a large tree, from the deadly fire of rebels who surrounded them. One was fatally hit, and the other, disregarding all further cover, supported the dying man till his
for many years a native interpreter at Napier, was a son of the late Rev. James Hamlin, and was born at Waiuku, Auckland. He was educated at Mr. Gorrie's seminary, and after leaving school was employed in farming pursuits. During the Maori troubles, in the year 1863, he joined the 3rd Waikato Regiment under Colonel Lyon, and served for five years, first as ensign, and was afterwards promoted to the rank of lieutenant. At the termination of the war, Mr. Hamlin went to the Thames gold-fields, where fortunes were being rapidly made and lost, but, his speculations not proving successful, he removed to Napier in 1871, and entered into practice as a native interpreter, his knowledge of the Maori language and customs being extensive. In 1877 he acquired possession of the Te Uhi station, near Wairoa, a splendid property of 5,000 acres, which is now managed by his sons. He was a Freemason of old standing, and senior warden of his lodge. Mr. Hamlin died suddenly at Wairoa, and left two sons and two daughters.
who was a well-known settler in Hawke's Bay, resided in the Waipukurau district for fully thirty years. He owned “Mount Vernon,” one of the finest estates in the North Island. It consists of 15,000 acre of first-class land, carrying 25,000 pure-bred Romney-Marsh sheep, and about 300 head of pure shorthorn Durham cattle. The homestead is beautifully situated within easy distance of Waipukurau, built of brick, and is a handsome residence. There is a splendid woolshed with a complete shearing plant. About twenty persons are employed, some of whom had been with Mr. Harding for twenty-five years. A good deal of cropping is carried on with the latest improved agricultural machinery. Nearly 500 bales of wool are shipped every year, the brand “J.H.” over “Mt. Vernon,” being well-known in the leading wool markets. Mr. Harding was born in Southampton, Hampshire, England, and was brought up to the trade of a turner. He arrived in New Zealand in the year 1842, and landed in Wellington by the ship “Burmah.” For some time he worked at his trade in that town, and was afterwards in business as an ironmonger. He removed to Waipukurau in 1867, and was one of the first settlers to take up land in the district. Mr. Harding was a strict prohibitionist; he formed the first temperance society in New Zealand, in Wellington, as far back as 1842, and worked hard for the cause. He had been connected with various local bodies, and was on the licensing bench for some time. He was married, and had seven sons and five daughters. His grandson, Mr. Warden Harding, manages the estate. Mr. Harding died on the 25th of June, 1899.
J.P., Old Colonist, Omaranui, was born at Blackhill, Northumberland, England, in the year 1845, and came to New Zealand with his parents in 1856. His estate is a spot of great historical interest in Hawke's Bay, for on it was fought the battle of Omaranui, the site of which is now marked by a large willow tree. For more than forty years Mr. Heslop has taken an active part in all local movements. He joined the militia in 1864, and the cavalry in 1868, and holds the New Zealand war medal. Te Kooti, the great rebel chief, at one time, under the name of Hiroke, worked for Mr. Heslop's father, in charge of the men employed to drain the Puketapu property, and was well-known to the family. Some time after this Hiroke was tried at Poverty Bay for some
Old Colonist, was born in the year 1812, and at one time was caretaker and had charge of some 200 horses of the Ridsdale Ironworks, and subsequently worked as a miner at Netherton, near Newcastle. He came to New Zealand in 1856, by the ship “Indian Queen” (Captain Jobson), and his first employment was on the road from the Lower Hutt to Waiwetu. He next had charge of a farm near the Hutt Bridge, but, being advised by Mr. Purvis Russell to try Hawke's Bay, he accepted the management of that gentleman's run until 1859, when he was employed by the later Mr Lowry at Okawa estate, for about a year, afterwards leasing and ultimately purchasing a run at Puketapu, which consisted of upwards of 1,100 acres. Some years after, when his son William bought the Omaranui property of 4,000 acres, father and son went into partnership, and worked both runs conjointly. On the two estates there are now about 11,000 sheep, 300 head of cattle of the shorthorn cross, and about forty horses. Prior to this partnership the subject of this notice had been in partnership with his twin brother, Mr. George Heslop, of the Chesterhope estate, which, on the dissolution of the firm, was retained by the latter. Mr. Heslop, senior, died in 1894.
of Poraite, near Napier, is a very old colonist. He was born in the North of Ireland, and is a son of Mr. John Hill, of Bellaghy Castle, for over fifty years magistrate for the counties of Derry and Antrim. Captain Hill was educated at the Grace Hill Academy, and joined Lord Donegal's regiment in the year 1854. In 1855 he was gazetted to the 31st Regiment, served in the Crimea for six months, and afterwards accompanied his regiment to Malta. Gibraltar, and other posts, exchanged to the 14th Regiment in 1857, and came to New Zealand in 1860, where he went through a five years' campaign in the Maori wars. He then bought his discharge, and settled down as a sheep-farmer in Hawke's Bay. For twenty years Captain Hill, in partnership with Captain Gordan, conducted a run on the Heretaunga Plains. In 1893 Captain Hill purchased his partner's interest in the latter property, and afterwards leased it to his son, Mr. Dudley Hill, and purchased the charming property of fifty acres on which he now resides. It is situated on a point jutting out into the Inner Harbour of Napier, opposite Scinde Island, and the water frontage includes a very beautiful bay. Close to the shore is a delightful and valuable piece of bush, while at the back of the house is quite a forest of eucalyptus of immense size. Captain Hill has greatly enlarged and improved the house, which occupies one of the most beautiful spots in the province. He married a daughter of the late Mr. Charles French, of Dublin, and has one son and one daughter.
was born in the year 1820, in France, where his parents were temporarily residing. He was educated at the Royal Naval College, Portsmouth, where he won the gold medal with the right to a lieutenant's commission; but his father, Rear-Admiral Sir John Hindmarsh, did not consider him strong enough for the navy. In 1836, when his father was appointed Governor of South Australia, Mr. Hindmarsh accompanied him to that colony, and for some time followed the calling of a surveyor, in partnership with Mr. A. F. Lindsay, M.P., and laid out the towns of Hindmarsh and Walkerville. Mr. Hindmarsh went to England in 1841, and was called to the Bar of the Middle Temple, but after practising the legal profession for a few months, he returned to South Australia, where he settled on a large property on the shores of Victor Harbour, at the same time practising in the courts and filling the appointment of Revising Barrister under the Electoral Act for nearly all the colony. The fine climate of Napier tempted Mr. Hindmarsh to leave Australia, where he had spent the best part of his life, and which, from old associations, was dear to him. On his arrival in New Zealand, in 1878, he purchased a large run in the neighbourhood of Napier. He married a daughter of the late Captain Leworthy, R.N., and left a family of three sons and two daughters. The eldest son is a partner in the firm of Messrs Robjolms, Hindmarsh and Company, Napier; the second son is a barrister in Wellington, and the third is a runholder at Tokomaru, on the East Coast. Mr. Hindmarsh died on the 3rd of August, 1902.
Knight of the Royal Hanoverian Guelphic Order, first Governor and Commander-in-Chief of South Australia,
sometime of “Spring Vale,” Tikikino, Hawke's Bay, was born in Manchester, England, in the year 1822, and came to New Zealand in 1857. He settled at Tikokino two years later, and was engaged in sheep-farming up to the time of his death in 1864. Mr. Holden married a daughter of Mr. John Lever, of Manchester, England, in 1848, and left a family of three sons and five daughters. The sons are engaged in sheep-farming; Mr. Thomas Holden is in the Gisborne district, Mr. Jonathan Holden at Tikokino, and Mr. John Holden is at Makotuku.
was born in Fifeshire, Scotland, in April, 1821, and was brought up to farming. In 1864 he emigrated to New Zealand, in the ship “Strathallan,” and landed at Napier. For some years he managed a run at Waipukurau for Mr. Henry Russell, and was afterwards employed as ploughman for about eight years by Mr. Sydney Johnston, at Takapau, In 1873 he took up a small farm of 150 acres at Hampden, which he subsequently increased to 400 acres. This he successfully worked till about 1900, when he sold out, and has since resided at Makaretu. Mr. Inglis has always taken a keen interest in public affairs, and for some time was a member of the road board and school committee at Hampden. He is married, and has two sons and four daughters.
was born in the year 1826, at Hythe, Kent, and was the son of Mr. Job Lawrence, of Canterbury, England. He was educated in his native town, and joined the Customs at Folkstone. On the occasion of the late Mr. H. S. Tiffen's second visit to New Zealand, Mr. Lawrence accompanied that gentleman, and became his manager at “Homewood,” Kaikoura, in 1856. He arrived in Wellington in the ship “Westminster,” and transhipped to Napier in the little schooner “Salopia.” Mr. Lawrence afterwards purchased a part of the Homewood estate from Mr. Tiffen, and carried it on as a sheep run until 1886, when he sold it to Mr. James Collins. Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence then took a two years' trip to Europe, visiting Rome, Venice, Milan, and many other cities of interest. Mr. Lawrence has taken an active part in public matters. He represented Waipawa in the Hawke's Bay Provincial Council for a term, but declined re-election. He was a warm supporter of Sir Donald McLean. Mr. Lawrence was chairman of the Kaikora Road Board, School Committee, and Licensing Committee, and president of the Waipawa Racing Club. For many years he was a Justice of the Peace. In 1866 he married a daughter of Captain Brown, R.N., of Sligo, Ireland.
was born at Kingston, Jamaica, in the year 1820, was educated at Hall Place School, Baxley, Kent, and studied for his profession at Guy's Hospital. London, where he took his degree of M.R.C.S. in 1841. He entered the army, and was all through the Crimean war. During his thirty years' connection with the army, he spent nearly twenty years of that period in the various provinces of India, two years in Turkey, four in China, and a few months in Canada, and retired on a pension in 1872, with the rank of inspector general of army hospitals. He then went to Buenos Ayres, where he practised until 1874, when, on the death of his wife he left for England. After six years spent in Bath, Dr. Menzies came to New Zealand, entered into practice in Napier, and was appointed to the charge of the Napier Hospital and the Old Men's Refuge, retiring from the former position in 1896. He died on the 25th of May, 1904.
was born in Manchester, England, in 1848, and came to the colony by the ship “Montmorency.” He took an active
sometime of Blackhead station, was born at Strathdon, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, He emigrated to New Zealand in the year 1861, and settled in Hawke's Bay. For some years he carried on farming on a small scale, and later on took over the Blackhead station, in conjunction with Mr. J. H. Coleman, whom he bought out two years afterwards. This property was then little better than a wilderness, but it was subsequently improved, and eventually became one of the finest stations in the province. Mr. McHardy took a keen interest in all matters relating to sheep and cattle farming, and did good work in the interest of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, of which he was for some time president. He exhibited largely at agricultural and pastoral shows all over the colony, and won a large number of general and special prizes. He was also a breeder of shorthorn cattle, of which he was an excellent judge. Mr. McHardy was a member of the county council, road board, and other public bodies. He died in the year 1899, at sixty-nine years of age, and left a family of two sons and two daughters.
who was a well-known and respected colonist of Hawke's Bay, was born in Carshalton, Surrey, England, came to New Zealand in the year 1849, by the ship “London,” and landed in Wellington in December of that year, with many other prominent settlers. Early in the “fifties” Mr. Nairn settled at Pariri, Hawke's Bay, and entered into the work of a pioneer sheep-farmer so successfully that many years before his death he bequeathed to the Church of England in Hawke's Bay land valued at £10,000, from which a rental of £900 a year is derived. Mr. Nairn was a member of the Patangata County Council, and chairman of the Patangata Road Board. During a visit to England he married a daughter of Mr. Thomas Wright, of Boston, Lincolnshire. His last visit to the Old Country was in. 1891, when he was accompanied by his wife and family. There he died on the 21st of July, 1894, and Mrs. Nairn, with three sons and two daughters, afterwards returned to the colony.
Old Colonist, came to New Zealand in the year 1854, at fifteen years of age. He settled in Hawke's Bay, took up land at Meanee, and in 1874 acquired “Brooklands.” Mr. Peacock was for many years sheep inspector for Hawke's Bay, was a member of the Puketapu Road Board, and other local bodies. He died in 1881, at the age of forty-two years, leaving a widow, two daughters and four sons. Mrs. Peacock is a daughter of Mr. Frank Bee, formerly of Wellington, and now of Gisborne.
was born in North Leith, Scotland, in the year 1838, and went to sea at the age of seventeen years. He followed this occupation
sometime of “Tangarewa,” Ashley-Clinton, was born in London, England, on the 6th of March, 1836, and was a son of a barrister. He came to New Zealand on account of ill-health in the early “fifties,” and was subsequently for a considerable time on Mr. Henry St. Hill's stations. At twenty-nine years of age he became proprietor of “Mototara,” near Waipukurau, and, later on, in conjunction with Mr. Ashton St. Hill, acquired a large station on the coast, of which he was manager for about nine years. In the year 1891 he took up “Tangarewa,” to the improvement of which he devoted the remaining years of his life. Mr. Price was a member of the Ashley-Clinton Road Board and other public bodies. He left a widow, six sons, and five daughters.
late of “Abbotsford,” Waipawa, was born in England on the 26th of April, 1832, and was the son of a Birmingham merchant. After receiving his education he was brought up in his father's business, and in 1855 came to New Zealand in the ship “Egmont,” and landed in Taranaki. Mr. Rathbone afterwards went to the Collingwood diggings, removed from there to Napier, and in the year 1859 settled in Waipawa. In 1860 he opened up business in the township as a general merchant, and this venture proved very successful. He subsequently took up sheep-farming with great success, and became the proprietor of several large sheep runs, including “Abbotsford,” “Tourere,” “Makotuku,” “Otanga,” and “Tikokino.” Mr. Rathbone was a member of the Hawke's Bay Provincial Council, a Justice of the Peace, and acted as local postmaster and registrar of births, deaths and marriages in the early days. He was also a member of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, was a successful breeder of stock, and exhibited largely at the annual shows. He married the second daughter of the late Mr. Henry Arrow, in the year 1869, and passed away on the 24th of December, 1904, leaving a widow, four sons, five daughters, and seven grandchildren.
was born near Montreal, Canada, in the year 1838, and is a son of the late Dr. Stebbing Revans, of Canada, and nephew of the late Mr. Samuel Revans, secretary of the first New Zealand Association and proprietor and printer of the first newspaper published in the province of Wellington
J.P., a colonist of over forty years' standing, was born on the 27th of March, 1838, and is the son of an eminent meteorologist, who held a commission in the naval service. He was educated in the Isle of Wight, and in 1860 emigrated to Australia. After a year or two in Tasmania, Mr. Saxby went to Queensland, where he assisted at the opening of a new and extensive station on the Belyando, north of the Peak Downs. In 1865 he came to New Zealand, and for a short time was sheep-farming in the South Island. He subsequently took up land in Hawke's Bay, and for thirty-three years resided in the Oero district, during which period the well-known St. Lawrence run was, under his management, converted from a wilderness into one of the best sheep runs in the province. For fourteen years Mr. Saxby was, chairman of the Oero Road Board, and for the same period a member of the Patangata County Council; and most of the roading and bridging in the Oero district, including the bridge over the Tuki Tuki river, was accomplished during his term of office. He has now retired from sheep-farming, and resides permanently in Napier. Mr. Saxby was appointed a Justice of the Peace, under the Atkinson Ministry in 1889, and takes an active part in the duties of that office, and is also a visiting justice of the Napier gaol.
sometime of “Mt. Wensley,” Taradale, was a well-known colonist, who spent almost the whole of his life in New Zealand. He was born in the year 1837 in the parish of Horsington, Somerset, England, and was a son of the late Mr. Thomas Shirley, who landed in Wellington with his family from the ship “Arab” in 1841, and leased some sections of land at the Lower Hutt. At that time it was common for all residents of the Hutt Valley to be called into barracks for protection from hostile Maoris, but Mr. Shirley was averse to yielding to them, and he and his sons carried on their farming operations under martial law, and had many narrow escapes from violence at the hands of the natives. When at length war openly broke out, the Maoris killed eleven soldiers, and one who was dangerously wounded would certainly have been a twelfth victim, but for the bravery of Mr. Shirley, senior, who ran to his assistance, and, under a hostile fire, carried him to a place of safety. After the war was over the hero of this incident continued farming at the Hutt until 1856, when he purchased land at Puketapu, near Napier, and resided there until his death in 1887, at the advanced age of eighty-six, being followed a year later by his wife, who was also eighty-six at the time of her death. Both are buried at Napier, in the family grave, which already contains four generations. Mr. T. A. Shirley, after being educated and trained to farm life, joined in Fox's “rush” to Lake Wakatipu, and for a few months kept a store at Queenstown. Going afterwards to Invercargill, he entered the employment of Messrs Morison and Law, merchants, and remained with them until 1867, when he returned to Wellington, and began farming at “Longwood,” in the Wairarapa. Three years later Mr. Shirley took Abbot's Featherson Hotel, and after a similar period there, bought the Royal Hotel in the same town. This he also conducted for three years, replacing the old building in 1874 with a fine new hotel of about forty rooms. He then retired to “Underhill,” a large private house which he had built near Featherston, but in 1880 he let this, and moved to Napier, where he bought the Masonic Hotel. Selling out of that house two years later, he bought “Korokepo,” which he farmed until 1885. Mr. Shirley afterwards lived at “Mr. Wensley,” in retirement, up to the time of his death, which took place on the 1st of September, 1899. Mrs. Shirely was also born in Somersetshire, and came to Wellington with her parents (Mr. and Mrs. Bicknell) in 1841, being then but a few months old.
was born and educated at Montrose, Scotland, where his father was an architect. He came to New Zealand, via Melbourne, in the clipper ship “Shalemar,” and landed in Napier in the year 1885. Since then he has gone through a varied experience. Taking up land on the bank of the Tutaekuri river, near Puketapu, he underwent all the difficulties and privations of a pioneer. He remembers the starting of the first bullock-sledge in the district at Poraite, and heard the rumble of the first horse-dray in Napier. When Hawke's Bay province was separated from Wellington, in 1858, he was appointed to the office of deputy-provincial auditor, which he held until the abolition of provincialism in 1876. During the disquieting times of the Maori disturbances his family lived quietly in the country, whilst he was engaged as a militiaman at the Omaranui fight, for which he holds the New Zealand medal. He ultimately succeeded in acquiring sufficient property to enable him to retire.
sometime of “Woodbank,” Herbertville, was born in Methven, Perthshire, Scotland, in the year 1835. He came to New Zealand in 1811 in the ship “Lord William Bentick,” and landed in Wellington. After residing in the Hutt for several years, he took up the “Woodbank” property at Herbertville, where he remained up to the time of his death, in April, 1899, Mr. Speedy identified himself with the advancement of the district, was instrumental in establishing a school, and was a member of road boards and school committees. Mrs. Speedy was born in the Isle of Wight, and came to New Zealand with her parents in 1855, in the ship “New Era,” and landed in Wellington. There is a family of six sons and six daughters.
one of Hawke's Bay's earliest settlers, was born at Hythe, Kent, in the year 1828, and is the third son of the late Mr. William Tiffen, of Hythe and Folkestone. He came to New Zealand in the barque “Louisa Campbell,” on his seventeenth birthday, and arrived in Wellington, via Nelson, after a voyage of 130 days. Here he awaited the arrival from New South Wales of a shipment of 758 merino ewes, to the order of Messrs J. H. Northwood and H. S. Tiffen (an elder brother), who had entered into partnership as sheep-farmers on the Ahiaruhi run of 9,000 acres in the Wairarapa Valley. Some idea of the difficulties of travelling with sheep in those days may be gained from the fact that the journey of seventy miles took eighteen days. In the following year, 1846, the adjoining Tauanui and Taratahi runs were similarly leased, and in the management of these properties Mr Tiffin found congenial employment. But the distance, from civilisation was occasionally keenly felt. Mr Tiffin has still a vivid, recollection of a journey on foot to Wellington, a distance of seventy-five miles, with a dislocated shoulder. A road over the Rimutaka ranges afterwards reduced the distance by about fifteen miles; and when Mr. Tiffen had to visit Wellington again on foot, he was able to accomplish the journey in two days each way. In 1849, with the assistance of Mr. Northwood and others, including half-a-dozen Maoris, he drove 3,000 sheep by way of the East Coast, to Pourerere, a run of 25,000 acres, which Mr. Northwood, assisted by Mr. Charles Nairn, had secured from the native owners. This journey of 140 miles occupied four weeks, the only stations en route being Pahau and Castle Point. Owing to the absence of grass, it was found necessary to take 2,000 of the sheep some miles inland to the Omakari portion of the run. There Mr. Tiffen took up his residence, and for nearly three years lived almost alone, his nearest European neighbour northward being the Rev. W. Colenso, of the Waitangi mission station, twenty-five miles distant. Five miles still further on, at the Western Spit, lived Messrs Alexander and Anketel, traders, but to the southward the nearest Europeans were at Castle Point, seventy miles away. When Mr. Tiffen was called to Wellington to give evidence at the trial for murder of William Good, he had to walk 340 miles, and carry both food and blankets with him. Yet this hardship he undertook as a welcome change, having seen but few European men, and no women, for nearly two years. In 1852, having been over five years in the employ of Messrs Northwood and Tiffen, he again walked to Wellington, this time accompanied by a Maori, by an almost unknown track through the so-called Forty-Mile bush. Hawke's Bay was at that time part of the Wellington province, and Dr. Featherston, the superintendent, being desirous of turning this track into a road, Mr. Tiffen was asked to make a report on the route, through Mr. A. Ludlam, member of the Provincial Council for Ahuriri, by which name the northern portion of the province was known. In this report it was estimated that the bush was seventy miles in extent. Mr. Tiffen then went to Australia, where he found the gold-fever raging. He joined a mounted patrol, and did escort duty between Bathurst and the Turon fields. Within a year, however, he returned to New Zealand, landed in Wellington, and thence walked to Homewood station, in Hawke's Bay, a run of 10,000 acres,
whose useful life closed on the 21st of February, 1896, was a prominent New Zealand colonist for over half a century. On the 9th of February, 1842, in company with several other surveyors, Mr. Tiffen landed at Wellington, under engagement to the New Zealand Company. He was one of the first to cross the Rimutaka Ranges to the Wairarapa. Leaving his cattle run in the Wairarapa, he journeyed overland into Hawke's Bay, taking with him a mob of sheep—the first introduced in the district—and leased a very large tract of country from the Maoris, on which he successfully carried on sheep-farming. He subsequently purchased his Greenmeadows estate. On the separation of Hawke's Bay from Wellington, Mr. Tiffen accepted the position of chief surveyor and commissioner of Crown lands, and on his resignation, some years later, was elected to the Provincial Council of Hawke's Bay. On the abolition of the provinces and the introduction of the county system, he was chosen first chairman of the Hawke's Bay County Council, and did much to put the affairs of the county on a firm footing. As chairman of the Hawke's Bay Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, and of the Children's Home, and as a liberal supporter of the High School, he exerted a beneficial influence that will be long felt. To the Children's Home particularly Mr. Tiffen was a tower of strength, and it is regarded as a monument to his energy and liberality. Speaking of the deceased gentleman, the “Hawke's Bay Herald,” in its obituary notice, said, “Even to the last he was actively engaged in trying to show by practical example how the rich lands of the Ahuriri Plains could be profitably worked as fruit farms and vineyards, while for several years he was engaged in experiments in growing beet-root sugar. Kindliness and sympathy with all who were struggling or in distress were ever his most prominent characteristics. Many a successful settler owes his start in life to the ready aid of Mr. Tiffen, and no case of genuine distress over appealed to him, and was sent empty away. Wealth came to him as the reward of his early years of hard, uphill work, but he truly held it as if in trust for others. To all religious denominations, Presbyterian, Baptist, or Roman Catholic, he was a generous friend, and his own beloved Church of England owes much to him. The fine cathedral, of which Napier was so justly proud, was made possible largely by his munificent liberality. Few knew so well how to use fortune, and none grudged him the success he achieved.” Mr. Tiffen left two brothers, a sister (Mrs. C. J. A. Haselden, of Wellington), and a number of nephews and nieces. One of the latter, Mrs. A. M. Randall, occupies the home in Tennyson Street, where Mr. Tiffen was to well known.
sometime Overseer of Roads, Sanitary Inspector, Fire Inspector, etc., for the Borough of Napier, was born in Sherburn, Yorkshire, England, in the year 1834, and was the son of the late Mr. John Waterworth. After learning the trade of a monumental mason he came to New Zealand in 1859, by the ship “Robert Small.” Mr. Waterworth landed at Lyttelton, where he stayed, for two years, and then went to New South Wales, and visited the diggings at Lambing Flat. He came back to New Zealand in the following year, and remained in Lyttelton until 1864, when he went to the West Coast goldfields, but soon returned to Lyttelton, where he was employed as foreman of works for Mr. E. G. Wright, sometime a member of the House of Representatives for Ashburton. In 1868 Mr. Waterworth went to the Thames, and for about six years was mine manager, and afterwards was foreman for Mr. John Taylor, contractor. He removed to Hawke's Bay in 1874, and became manager for the harbour contractor, and carried out the first works at the Spit. Mr. Waterworth then started in business in Napier as a monumental mason. About ten years later he left the business to his son, and took over the Provincial Hotel. He, however, soon tired of hotel life, and in 1892 was appointed Overseer of Roads, etc., for the Napier Borough Council. Mr. Waterworth took a keen interest in the work of his department. He invented a patent sewer-trap, which possesses special sanitary advantages, and the Waterworth Patent Asphalt is well known. Mr. Waterworth was president of the Fire Brigade Association, trustee of the Fire Brigade Accident Insurance Society, was a member of the committee of the Napier Bowling Club, member of the Masonic Lodge Victoria, and president of the Working Men's Club. He married, in 1858, a daughter of the late Mr. Jonas Batey, of Offerton, near Sunderland, England, and had four daughters and two sons. Mr. Waterworth died on the 8th of November, 1905.
for many years postmaster at the Spit, was born in Invergowrie, near Dundee, Scotland, in the year 1840. He is the son of the late Mr. William Wilkie, builder and stone quarry owner, was educated at the National schools and at Grigg's Academy, Perth, and was apprenticed to the sea. In 1862 he was on the coasting schooner “Geelong,” trading between Lyttelton and Dunedin. Mr. Wilkie joined the survey department of the Otago Provincial Government, and was one of the first party to traverse the almost impassable country between Queenstown and Martin's Bay in 1865. He next joined the post and telegraph department, was stationed at Roxburgh and Naseby, and lastly appointed to the Spit in 1871. In 1906 he resigned from the public service. Mr. Wilkie is a past master of the Masonic Lodge Victoria, and a past grand of the Manchester Unity of Oddfellows. He married a daughter of the Mr. T. B. Harding, of Napier, and has one daughter and seven sons.
sometime of “Wautukai,” Patangata, was born in Cambridge, England, in the year 1816, and arrived in Adelaide, Australia, in 1815. After a number of years spent on the copper fields at Burra Burra, he came to New Zealand, arriving in Wellington in 1854. Mr. Witherow then proceeded to Patangata, where he took up land and commenced farming. Subsequently he bought “Wautukai,” where he resided up to the time of his death, in January, 1900. He left a widow (who survived him for eighteen months) and a family of four sons. Mr. Witherow identified himself largely with the advancement of the district, and endured the hardships and privations of the early colonists. He served as a volunteer during the Maori war.
is six miles from Napier by road, and is a pleasant suburban district. It has a telephone office and daily mail service. Coaches run twice daily between the township and Napier. There is an hotel, a store and large stables, while the public school is two miles distant at Eskdale. Petane was seized by the Maoris in the early “sixties,” with the idea of attacking Napier. This plot, however, was frustrated by Major Fraser. Colonel Whitmore, and a force of 300 men. Dairy farming is the chief industry, whilst the township is the centre of several station districts.
Post Office Store, Petane. Mr Arnott was born in the year 1858, in Scotland, where he was brought up to the tailoring business, and served his time with his father. He came to New Zealand in 1883, by the s.s. “Waihora,” and worked at his trade in Dunedin for nine years. He then removed to the North Island, and purchased the above store, which had been established about twenty years before. A good stock of groceries and general stores is kept on hand, and the post and telegraph office is conducted on the premises. Mr Arnott is an Oddfellow, and has been a member of the Hand and Heart Lodge for many years.
Settler, “Burnside,” Petane. Mr. Milne's homestead is situated about seven miles from Napier, and consists of fifteen acres, being part of the farm of which 785 acres are let to a tenant. The homestead contains fourteen dwelling rooms. Mr Milne is a native of Scotland, where he was born in the year 1859, and came with his parents to New Zealand by the ship “Gananoque.” He subsequently, in partnership with his father and brother, acquired a sheep run at Mohaka, where he lived for some time. The partnership was afterwards dissolved, and Mr. Milne then settled at Petane. In the year 1893 he married a daughter of the late Mr. George Bowman, a well-known Napier settler, and has two sons and one daughter.
is situated nine miles north-west from Napier, in the county of Hawke's Bay, and in the electoral district of Waiapu. It has a public school, with an average attendance of forty pupils. A coach plies daily between the township and Napier, via Taradale. Mails are received and despatched daily, and there is a telephone office in the township. Church services are held every Sunday in the school-house. Puketapu is a sheep-farming district; there are several large stations in the vicinity, and the land is also suitable for agricultural farming. The notorious Maori rebel, Te Kooti, after his escape from the Chatham Islands and defeat of settlers and volunteers, camped in Puketapu, on the banks of the river, from the 18th of August to the 28th of October, 1868, when he proclaimed himself “Saviour of the People.”
was established over twenty-five years ago, and is conducted in Mr H. G. Ballantyne's store. There is a daily mail service to and from Napier.
was established in the early days of settlement. There are fifty names on the roll, and the average attendance is forty. The teachers in charge are Misses H. Andrews and K. Rudman. Mr. Herbert G. Ballantyne is the chairman of the school committee.
(F. T. Bradley, proprietor). This well-known house was built in 1885, and contains twenty bedrooms, two parlours, and a dining room capable of accommodating upwards of twenty guests. Since the early part of 1906, when the present proprietor took over the house, everything has been thoroughly renovated, and the whole business put on a first-class footing. Superior stabling is afforded, and conveyances may be hired at all times.
proprietor of the Puketapu Hotel, was born in Napier in 1871, and is the son of Mr. George Bradley, an old resident of Taradale. After leaving the Taradale School, Mr. Bradley worked at various occupations, and subsequently spent four years in the firm of Messrs Murray, Roberts and Company, at the Spit. Afterwards he was engaged by Mr. George Rymner to drive the Fernhill-Napier coach, and was later transferred to the inland Patea-Napier route. Mr. Bradley drove the latter coach for nine years, and had some exciting and trying experiences during the flood of 1897, when he had to abandon the coach and pack the mails to the journey's end. During the South African war Mr. Bradley saw sixteen months' service with the Third New Zealand Contingent. He returned to the colony in 1901, and settled at Puketitiri. While resident there he was manager of the Hawke's Bay Timber Company's mills, chairman of the local school committee, proprietor of the Puketitiri Hotel, and secretary, treasurer, and handicapper of the Puketitiri Sports Society. He is a member of the Woodthorpe Racing Club, the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, and of the Court Captain Cook Lodge of Foresters, Napier. Mr. Bradley married a daughter of Mr. A. Lennie, of Christchurch, in 1901.
Puketapu. This store is conducted by Mr H. G. Ballantyne, and is a two-storeyed wooden building, with three commodions store rooms at the rear. It is well stocked with drapery, boots and shoes, ironmongery, groceries, and general goods. A large wholesale and retail trade is carried on, and two waggons are continually on the road. Country produce, including oats, chaff, wheat and maize, is bought and sold.
J.P., was born in Manchester, England, in the year 1869, and was educated at the Glasgow High School. He arrived in New Zealand in 1886, and for five years afterwards was engaged in the firm of Messrs Robjohns, Hindmarsh and Company, at the Spit, Napier, After a two years' trip to the Old Country, Mr. Ballantyne returned to the colony, and started his present business at Puketapu. He made another trip to England and Scotland in 1902, and returned via America and Canada. Mr. Ballantyne is chairman of the Puketapu School Committee, secretary of the local branch of the Farmers' Union, postmaster and telephonist; and a member of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, and the Woodthorpe Racing Club. As a Freemason he is a member of the Blythswood Masonic Lodge, Glasgow, No. 817, S.C. He was made a Justice of the Peace in 1903.
(Nelson Brothers, proprietors; A. E. Griffiths, manager), Rissington, Puketapu. This station is situated sixteen miles from Napier, via the Wharerangi and Taradale road, and is a freehold property of 7,000 acres. About 7,000 sheep are depastured, chiefly Border-Leicester cross-breds, and the lambing averages ninety-five per cent. The stock also includes 750 head of cattle, of the polled Angus breed. A steam shearing plant has been installed, and accommodation is provided for sixteen shearers. Upwards
manager of Apley station, was born in Auckland in the year 1867, and has been employed in various large sheep station in Hawke's Bay. He was engaged as a shepherd at “Apley” in 1894, and promoted to his present position in 1901. Mr. Griffiths married a daughter of Mr. W. Reading, of Napier, in 1897, and has one son and one daughter.
Puketapu, consists of 2,315 acres, all fenced and grassed. It was the property of the late Mr. Gavin Peacock, and is now managed by his son, Mr. W. I. Peacock, on behalf of the family. About 6,500 Lincoln sheep are shorn every season, and the stock includes 100 head of cattle, and about thirty horses.
third son of the late Mr. Gavin Peacock, and manager of “Brooklands,” was born in Hawke's Bay, in the year 1869, educated at the Napier High School, and was brought up to sheep-farming. He is a first-rate cricketer and footballer, as well as a good golf and polo-player. He is a member of the Wharerangi polo team, which was “runner-up” for the senior cup at the New Zealand Tournament, held at Hastings in 1898.
Sheep-farmer, “Willow Brook,” Puketapu. Mr. Bicknell operates a freehold property of 500 acres of good agricultural and pastoral land, capable of depasturing three sheep to the acre. The farm is well stocked with a flock of Lincoln Leicester sheep, and upwards of fifty head of cattle, and the lambing averages about eighty-five per cent. Cropping is carried on to a considerable extent, the flat land being rich in quality, and capable of yielding good returns. Mr Bicknell was born at the Hutt, Wellington, in the year 1853, and in the son of Mr. John Bicknell, an old settler, who arrived in New Zealand in the late “forties,” and who settled in Puketapu, on a property adjoining “Willow Brook,” in 1856. After leaving school Mr. Bicknell commenced farming with his father, and also assisted him in the carrying business, but subsequently sold out his interest to his brother, and in 1882 bought his present property, which he has since successfully conducted. Mr. Bicknell is a director of the Hawke's Bay Farmers' Co-operative Association, steward of the Napier Park Racing Club, chairman of the Puketapu branch of the Farmers' Union, member of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, trustee of the Puketapu cemetery, and a member of the local school committee. He married a daughter of Mr. James Murray, an old colonist of Auckland, and has three sons and two daughters.
Sheep-farmer, Puketapu. Mr Codd occupies a very fine property of 369 acres of arable land, situated in a sheltered valley. About 100 acres are under crop, and the remainder is in grass. The land produces sixty bushels of oats and seventy bushels of barley to the acre; 800 Lincoln sheep are depastured, besides cattle and horses. The farm is furnished with the latest machinery and implements, including a Cambridge roller, combined threshing and traction engine, an elevator for stacking, three of Hornby's reapers and binders, two of Kersey's mowing-machines, a double-bagging chaff cutter by Andrews and Beaven, two double-furrow ploughs, sowing drill, disc and Tyne harrows, etc. Mr. Codd was born in Grainthorpe, Lincolnshire. England, in the year 1858, and is the son of a farmer. He was educated in his native place, and brought up to agricultural pursuits on his father's farm. In 1881 he came to New Zealand by the ship “Rakaia” (Captain Metealf), and landed in Wellington. Proceeding to Hawke's Bay, Mr. Codd found suitable employment with the Hon. J. D. Ormond, for over two years. He was afterwards with Mr. John Bennett and with Mr. Philip Dolbel, and closed his career as an employee with a few months in Mr. Lowmen's service. Removing to Taradale, he spent three years there as a contractor for ploughing, road metalling, carting, etc., and then, in 1890, he leased his present holding. Mr. Codd is a member of the Manchester Unity of Oddfellows, and when in Taradale was a member of the school committee. He married, in the year 1887, a niece of Mr. Philip Dolbel, and has two sons and two daughters.
Farmer and Fruit Grower. “Rangiora,” Patoka, Puketapu. Mr. Dunnage took up
Puketapu, the property of Mr. Hugh McDonald, is composed of two leasehold properties, nearly adjoining, one containing 1,133 acres, and the homestead section, 700 acres. It is situated twelve miles from Napier, on the main inland Patea road, and with the exception of about 300 acres of flat land, is all undulating country. The stock comprises 3,800 sheep, 300 of which are hoggets, and the remainder half-bred Romney-Marsh ewes, which are crossed with Border-Leicester rams. Lambing ran to eighty-seven per cent. in the year 1904, but in former years the per centage has been ninety. Upwards of 150 head of cattle are grazed, including a pure bred polled Angus bull.
was born in Rossshire, Scotland, in the year 1863, and was educated in Strathconan. He afterwards worked with his father, who was manager of the Right Hon. A. J. Balfour's estate. Mr. McDonald arrived in New Zealand in 1883, and for the first six years was engaged in the South Island. For the next thirteen years he acted as head shepherd for Messrs Studholme Brothers, Patea, and took up his present holding in 1902. Mr. McDonald is a member of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, the Dunedin, Wellington, and Hawke's Bay Kennel Clubs, the Napier Park Racing Club, the Napier Highland Society, and is a steward, of the Woodthorpe Racing Club. As a member of the Hawke's Bay Gun Club he has won a number of sweepstakes, medals, and trophies. Mr. McDonald's chief hobby is the breeding of collie dogs, in which he has been singularly successful, and at the various kennel shows held throughout New Zealand he has been a notable exhibitor and competitor, having won innumerable trophies against all comers. One of his dogs, “Makaraka Ranger,” has won twenty-three first prizes, six championships, and fourteen specials. A silver link dog collar, presented by the New Zealand Times Company to the Wellington Kennel Club, with the condition that it should be won two years in succession to become the property of a competitor, was won right out by Mr. McDonald. He is now (1906) importing two prize rough-coated collies from Mr. Thomas Stretch, a noted Lancashire breeder. Mr. McDonald has been a great helping factor to the Kennel Club of the colony, and is the founder of the Hawke's Bay Kennel Club. As a sportsman he spends a few days each year in the back country, deer-shooting, and the heads which adorn the walls of his residence are evidence of his expertness as a rifle shot. He married a daughter of Mr. T. Whittle, of Puketitiri, in May, 1903, and has one son.
Hawke's Bay, owned by Mr. Lawrence Higgins, is a fine run of 4,000 acres of mixed flat and hilly limestone country, stocked with 10,000 Lincoln sheep, 200 head of shorthorn cattle, and a few horses. The land has a considerable frontage to the Tutaekuri river. It is well watered in every part, and contains a large quantity of rich swamp soil, which is being drained and scientifically treated.
was born in Ireland in the year 1853, is a son of Mr. Francis Higgins, a farmer and stock dealer, and was educated in his native town. He came to New Zealand in 1866, by the ship “Strathallan” (Captain Paddle), and entered into business in the boot trade, at which he did very well for five or six years. He then went to Gisborne, and built the Shelbourne Hotel at Makaraka. He conducted this hotel for about four years, and then sold out to Mr. George Saunders. In 1878 Mr. Higgins took up his present property, all unimproved native land, which he has cleared, ploughed, sown in grass, and also fenced and sub-divided.
(T. E. Crosse, proprietor; William H. Roil, manager), Puketapu. This run is a freehold property of 10,800 acres, situated about twenty-seven miles from Napier, on the Puketitiri road. About 1,000 acres are covered with fern and native scrub, but the work of eradicating this nuisance is being pushed on, and when cleared the run will carry about 15,000 sheep. From 12,800 to 13,000 Romney-Marsh and Lincoln cross-breds are depastured, and upwards of 100 head of cattle. The lambing average is about eighty-five per cent. About 4,000 acres are ploughable, although undulating, the most of which is sown with turnips and oats for station use. “Patoka” is well watered, and has numerous creeks and natural springs. Shearing is carried out with the latest machinery, and accommodation is provided for eight shearers, who usually put through about 1,500 sheep a day. Six persons find constant employment, whilst all the ploughing and grubbing is done by contract. The buildings on the run include the manager's residence, an accommodation house, a wool-shed, and several stables, barns, and outbuildings.
manager of Patoka station, was born in Nelson, in the year 1852, and after leaving school was for a time in the employment of Bishop Suter. He afterwards removed to the North Island, and found work on several large sheep stations, taking up ploughing contracts, and gaining experience in agricultural and pastoral matters. In 1891 he was engaged by Mr Crosse as a shepherd, and was subsequently promoted to the managership of Kumeroa station, near Woodville,
the property of the North British and Hawke's Bay Freezing Company, Limited, was formerly owned by the late Mr. John Heslop, and worked conjointly with Omaranui station, then owned by Mr. William Heslop. A few years after the death of Mr. Heslop the estates were divided, and purchased by their present owners. Puke-tapu station is situated about eight miles from Napier, and is a fine block of grazing country. It is well improved, and there is a modern dwelling house, up-to-date outbuildings, a wool-shed and men's quarters. Upwards of 5,000 Lincoln-Leicester and Romney-Marsh cross-breds and 214 head of cattle are depastured. A large acreage of the land is plough-able, and well adapted for yielding good returns in root and other crops.
manager of Puketapu station, entered upon his present duties in January, 1906. He was born in Struan Skye, Inverness-shire, Scotland, in the year 1877, and after his schooling days worked with his father, and later gained more experience with Mr. P. McLean, of Struan Skye. Mr Mac-Leod arrived in New Zealand in 1899, and was engaged by Mr. D. Macfarlane, then manager of the Hakatara-mea station, near Waimate. Subsequently, when Mr. Macfarlane bought the Teviot station, in Central Otago, Mr. MacLeod accompanied him there, and acted as his head shepherd for eighteen months. Before coming to New Zealand Mr. MacLeod was a piper in the Skye Volunteers connected with the 4th Battalion Cameron Highlanders. During his residence in the South Island of New Zealand, he was a member of the Dunedin Gaelic Society, and was also Pipe Major of the Roxburgh Caledonian Society.
Puketapu, is the property of Mr. Richard Dolbel, and is managed by his sons, Messrs R. C. and Philip Dolbel. It is a freehold estate of 2,000 acres of good pastoral land. The whole property has been cleared of manuka scrub, ploughed, and sown with English grass, and carries a flock of 4,000 Romney-Marsh cross-breds, and 150 head of cattle. Lambing averages eighty-seven per cent, and the wool clip seventy-six bales. The homestead is a large twelve-roomed house, and is surrounded with substantial outbuildings. Mr. Dolbel has also a twenty-one years' lease of the Kai-waka station at Eskdale. This property contains 30,000 acres, and depastures 33,000 sheep and 200 head of cattle. There are upwards of eighty miles of fencing.
was born in Napier in the year 1865, and was educated in Taradale and at the Napier High School. Subsequently he spent three years on the Kaiwaka station, and has since, with the assistance of his brother, been engaged in managing Springfield station. He is a member of the Napier Park and Woodthorpe Racing Clubs. Mr. Dolbel married a daughter of Mrs. Kerry, of Napier, in 1889, and has two daughters.
was born on Springfield station, Puketapu, and was educated in Taradale, and at the Napier High School. He resides at “Redcliffe,” and in conjunction with his brother, manages the Springfield station. He is a member of the Napier Park and Woodthorpe Racing Clubs, and the Taradale Rifle Club. Mr. Dolbel married Miss Martin, of Taradale, and has two daughters and one son.
is an outlying district, thirty-eight miles north-west from Napier, in the county and electoral district of Hawke's Bay. There is a bi-weekly coach service, a post office and telephone bureau, a public school, and an hotel. Originally Puketitiri was a block of land set aside by the Government for a military settlement, at the time of the Maori war, but in the early “eighties” it was cut up for closer settlement. Formerly the greater part of the district was bush country, but a considerable portion of the district has since been cleared, and the land is sown with grass and cultivated. Saw-milling is extensively carried on in the district. The country is chiefly adapted for sheep-farming, the land being light and well watered. In 1895 stock from Puketitiri was unsaleable, but now (1906) sheep and lambs from this district realise top prices. The annual output of wool in the district is upwards of 800 bales.
Puketitiri. These mills were established in the year 1896. The machinery is of the latest, and comprises twin breaking down circular saws, three bench saws, a planing machine, two boilers, and a portable engine stationed in the bush. The Company have a lease of about 800 acres of bush country, which is honeycombed with two miles of tramway for hauling purposes, and the output of rimu, matai, and yellow pine is about 60,000 feet per month, the bulk of which is carted to Napier, teams making bi-weekly trips. Logs run to an average circumference of three feet six inches. Spring waggons, capable of carrying 1,600 feet, hauled by five-horse teams, cart the timber to its destination. Eight persons are employed.
Sheep-farmer, Puketitiri. Mr. Hartree was born in London, England, educated at Lancing, Sussex, and came to New Zealand early in the year 1870, in the ship “Alexandrina.” He spent some time on the Thames goldfields, then removed to Hawke's Bay in 1871, and shortly afterwards took up land at Wanstead, which he sold in 1888. Mr. Hartree next obtained a section of land at Ngatiwi, which he also sold, then bought a property at Patangata in 1891, and finally settled at Puke-titiri. He was chairman of the Wan-stead Road Board, and a member of
the property of Mr. C. L. Mackersey, is situated about seven miles from Puketitiri, and is a freehold estate of 7,000 acres in extent. The land is chiefly undulating, and about one-third is ploughable. The run depastures 7,500 sheep (Rom-ney-Marsh and Lincoln cross-breds) and 200 head of cattle. An up-to-date shearing plant, including six Wolseley sheep-shearing machines, and a six horse-power American white oil engine, has been installed in the capacious wool-shed. The clip averages about 120 bales. There is a large comfortable dwelling house, prettily situated, and various outbuildings. Mr. Mac-kersey uses “Hawkston” chiefly as a breeding ground for his other stations. He bought the property in 1904.
near Hastings, contains about 800 acres of land, and is used chiefly for fattening purposes, and as a dairy farm. The stock comprises 4,000 sheep and 200 milking cows.
at Te Aute, is a leasehold property of 2,000 acres, and depastures about 2,000 ewes, 2,000 lambs, and 400 head of cattle.
the proprietor of Hawkston, Turamoa, and Otiramia stations, was born in Victoria, Australia, and educated at Warrnambool. He arrived in New Zealand in 1871, and was for many years engaged with his father and brother in operating the Lake station at Waipukurau. This property they sold in 1903, and shortly afterwards, Mr. Mackersey, accompanied by his brother, took an extended trip round the world, travelled through the United States, Canada, England, France, and the Continent, and returned to the colony via the Red Sea route in 1904. Mr. Mackersey has given a great deal of his time and attention to public affairs, and has been a member of the Waipawa and Panga-tata County Councils, the Waipukurau Road Board, Hospital Board, and County Council, and is a member of the Hawke's Bay Licensing Bench, the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, the Farmers' Union, and the Hawke's Bay Jockey Club. He married a daughter of Mr. T. Bostock, of Hexham, Victoria, Australia, and has four sons and two daughters. Mr. Mackersey has a town residence in Hastings, where his family generally reside.
(Nelson Brothers, proprietors, and William J. McKeown, manager), Puketitiri. “Hukanui” contains 7,000 acres, 3,000 of which are Education reserve, and 4,000 acres freehold. The Pakaututu estate comprises 7,600 acres, all freehold property. Both these estates were unimproved virgin country up to within a few years ago. Seven thousand sheep are depastured in the winter months, and upwards of 13,000 in the summer season, the breed being chiefly Rom-ney-Marsh and Merino cross-breds. Lambing averages about eighty percent. The homestead at “Hukanui” is nearly 3,000 feet above the level of the sea. There is a modern dwelling house, a wool-shed (capable of accommodating 300 sheep in the night pens), whares, and other outbuildings. The same conveniences are also on the Pakaututu station.
manager of the Hukanui and Pakau-tutu stations, was born in Havelock North in 1872, and educated in Napier. His first experience in station life was at “Mangaohane,” Patea, where he remained for three years. In 1899 he
Puketitiri, is a leasehold property of 13,200 acres, with the exception of an eighty-five acre freehold homestead block. It is held on a twenty-one years' lease from the Government, and is mostly rough country. About 3,000 acres is bush land, and the rest, although cleared of manuka, is somewhat overrun with fern. The run is capable of carrying 4,000 sheep, and will be fully stocked in the near future. At present (1906) there are upwards of 1,600 Romney-Marsh, Lincoln, and Merino cross-breds de-pastured. The buildings include a dwelling house, a large wool-shed, and other outbuildings, and there are also commodious sheep yards and a dip.
proprietor of “Shamrock,” was born in Meanee, Hawke's Bay, in the year 1871, and was educated at the Napier High School. After two years spent in office work at Napier, he began gaining experience in sheep-farming on his uncle's station, “Hawkston,” Puketitiri, and took up his present holding in 1902. Mr Hallett is captain of the Mairi Defence Rifle Club, and a member of the Loyal Napier Lodge of Oddfellows. He married a daughter of Mr. H. Hughes, of Puketitiri, in October, 1902, and has one son.
is a health resort situated on the Ngaruroro river, near the Kaweka ranges, forty-five miles west from Napier, with which there is a weekly mail service. It is in the county and electoral district of Hawke's Bay, and is 1,698 feet above sea level. The surrounding country is celebrated for its magnificent scenery of mountains, dales, lakes, and river, with some of the finest waterfalls in New Zealand. “Gentle Annie” (3,200 feet), Mount Cameron (3,800 feet), and Kawita (4,000 feet) are easily accessible, and afford magnificent panoramic views from their summits. Game is plentiful, the lakes and rivers are well stocked with trout, and pig-hunting and deer-stalking are also obtainable. The country is devoted exclusively to sheep-farming.
formerly proprietor of the Kuripa-pango Hotel, was born in Edinburgh in the year 1830. He subsequently worked on the gold-fields in California, Australia, and New Zealand, and finally settled in the latter country. He took over the Kuripa-panga Hotel, which was destroyed by fire in 1901. Mr. Macdonald then took up sheep-farming, which he has since successfully conducted.
is a farming district ten miles from Napier, with which
Sheep-farmer, “Glenora,” Eskdale. Mr. Couper's Glenora estate consists of 1,135 acres of good land, which, with “The Ridge,” another property of 1,450 acres, depastures altogether about 3,500 sheep, and 150 head of cattle. “Glenora” is fully improved and has been in occupation for about twenty years. The homestead is on this property. Mr. Couper was born in Napier, and is a son of the late Mr. William Couper, a well-known colonist of Hawke's Bay. He was educated at the Napier Grammar School and Nelson College, and then entered the mercantile office of Messrs J. G. Kinross and Company, with whom he remained two years. After a short stay on his father's property, Mr. Couper purchased “Glenora.” In public matters he has done much for the welfare of the district and benefit of the settlers. Mr. Couper married a daughter of the late Mr. J. Le Lue-sine, and has three sons and four daughters.
is an outlying district twenty-nine miles north from Napier, on the main Taupo road to Auckland. There is a weekly coach service, and also telephone connection. The Taupo road is a favourite thoroughfare for motorists, though hilly it is hard, and generally in good condition. Pohui is a favourite stopping place for tourists and travellers, as it is ideally situated, and offers many attractions to the sight-seer. There is an hotel, a public school, a hall, and a store, and Church services are held once a month in the hall.
(C. S. Corlett, proprietor), Pohui. This popular summer resort is situated twenty-nine miles from Napier, on the main Taupo road. The present commodious building was erected in 1899, and contains over thirty bedrooms, a drawing room, a smoking room, sitting rooms, and a large well-ventilated dining room. The building is of one storey, and is replete with all modern conveniences calculated to ensure the comfort of the tourist and pleasure-seeker. There is a well-stocked bar, containing the best liquors; hot and cold baths are provided, there is telephone connection with Napier, and benzoline is kept in stock for motor cars. The hotel is healthily situated on the banks of the lake, and offers a most comfortable retreat to invalids, tourists, sportsmen, and those who care for a quiet place to spend a vacation. Delightful views can be obtained from the summits of the surrounding hills, including a view of Napier, the Kidnappers, and the ocean. There is some delightful bush country in close proximity to the hotel, where ferns of every variety can be obtained. Excellent trout and perch abound in the lake and creek, and, in the season, pigeons, pheasants, quail, hares, rabbits, wild pigs, and cattle afford plenty of sport for the huntsman. The terms are moderate, and every attention is paid to the requirements and comfort of guests. Drives in the surrounding country can be arranged for.
Farmer, Glengarry station, Pohui. Mr. Car-michael was born in Argyleshire, Scotland, in the year 1811, and came with his mother to New Zealand in 1863, landing in Southland. Shortly after their arrival he started farming, and was the first settler to take up land north of Winton. For a number of years he carried on successful farming operations at Wallace, Toitoi, and at Eastburne Park, near Riverton. Seeing the great capabilities of sheep-farming in Hawke's Bay, Mr Car-michael, in 1888, acquired his present station, which consists of 5,700 acres, now much improved and laid down in English grasses, and on which about 6,000 sheep, 100 head of cattle, and thirty horses are grazed. There are about fifty miles of fencing, and the property is sub-divided into paddocks. Mr. Carmichael married in 1877, and has one son and one daughter.
is a small township situated forty-three miles north-east from Napier, on the main road to Wairoa. There is a weekly mail service and a post and telegraph office, a public school, one hotel, and a store. Near the township there is a large Maori pa, with a resident native clergyman. The surrounding country is nearly all native land. In December, 1868, seven white settlers were massacred at Mohaka by the Maoris, under Te Kooti, and again in April, 1869, an engagement took place in which a large number of Europeans were wounded and killed.
Runholder, Arapawanui. This well-known and muchrespected early colonist has had a varied and interesting career, and the story of his life shows how industry and enterprise, tempered by good judgment, must make headway in spite of many difficulties. He was born in the year 1825, in the Island of Lewis-with-Harris, Outer Hebrides, was educated in his native island, and at an early age followed a seafaring life. For twelve years he voyaged round the world, and experienced many hardships, including shipwreck. On the occasion of the wreck of the “Mary Florence,” off the coast of Africa, where seven of the ship's company, including the captain's wife, were drowned, Mr. McKinnon was one of those who were rescued after a period of four months, and taken to Aden. He then joined the service of the East India Company. Later on, he was for two years on a Mississippi river steamer. In 1854 he left Dundee for Melbourne, as mate of the ship “Kossuth,” and came to New Zealand as the mate of the brig “Kirkwood,” with which he severed his connection at Wairoa, to take command of the schooner “Wave,” owned by Messrs Hamlin Brothers. Shortly afterwards he was appointed pilot for the port of Napier, being the first to hold that position, and in that capacity took the first steamer, the p.s. “Wonga-wonga,” into the harbour, and also brought the first English ship to her anchorage in the roadstead. After two years as pilot, Mr. McKinnon had the ferry at Clive for about four years. In 1863 he settled at Arapawanui. His property is situated close to the sea, and contains 5,000 acres, on which 9,000 cross-bred sheep and 100 head of cattle are depastured. In the year 1848 Mr. McKinnon, then a young sailor of twenty-three years, returned to his native isle, and married Miss McIver, of Stornaway, little dreaming that fifty years afterwards he and his bride, at the head of four generations, would be celebrating their golden wedding in New Zealand (then almost unheard of), surrounded by a stalwart family. Of their family of eleven, five sons and four daughters survive, and of these two sons and three daughters are married. Mr. McKinnon was a member of the Napier Harbour Board, and a member of the first County Council of Wairoa.
Settler, Waikare. Mr. Tait's farm consists of 4,000 acres, on which 6,200 cross-bred sheep and 200 head of cattle find good pasturage, besides about fifteen horses. The station was taken up in the “sixties” by the late Mr. James Tait, who was one of the earliest settlers in the district. The subject of this notice was born in the year 1870, and in due course became manager of the estate.
is situated on the Wairoa river, about seventy-five miles north-east from Napier, and is in the county of Wairoa and the electoral district of Waiapu. A steamer plies between Napier and Wairoa, and from the latter place to Turiroa, three and a-half miles, there is a coach road. The nearest telegraph office is at Wairoa, and there is a weekly mail service between Napier and the township. The local store has a telephone connection with Wairoa. Lake Waikare-Moana is thirty miles distant, and good fishing and shooting can be obtained in the adjacent river and district.
Settler, Turiroa. Mr. McKinnon's homestead is situated on a farm of 100 acres, in conjunction with which he conducts Kaihunahuna station, a run of 4,000 acres, stocked with 3,500 cross-bred sheep, and forty head of cattle. The proprietor is the second son of Mr. John McKinnon, a well-known and highly-esteemed settler of Arapawanui. He was born at Clive in the year 1861, and was educated at the Napier Grammar School. Mr. McKinnon was brought up to farming, and acquired his present property in 1888. He married a daughter of Mr. J. Davis, of Wairoa, and has two sons.
is situated in the county of the same name, eighty miles north-east from Napier by road, and forty miles by sea. The town is built on the western bank of the Wairoa river, which is navigable for small craft. The surrounding country is chiefly native land of a rough and broken nature, but provides good grazing for stock. There is a weekly mail by steamer, and also a telegraph station, and post, money order, and savings bank offices. The “Wairoa Guardian” is the local paper. There is a weekly coach service between Napier and Wairoa, leaving Napier on Tuesdays, and Wairoa on Thursdays, and also a bi-weekly coach service to Gisborne. The river Wairoa separates the township from North Clyde, and is spanned by a large iron and steel cylinder bridge, having a draw span in the centre. The river is very deep in places, and navigable for many miles for small steamers and light craft. Wairoa posses a library, three churches—Anglican, Presbyterian and Catholic—two public halls, a court-house, a school, a Caledonian Society, a Foresters' Lodge, and racing, cycling, and bowling clubs. The Morere Hot Springs are situated near Wairoa, and are well worth a visit.
. The population of the town district is 750, and the capital value of property is £60,000, on which there is a general rate of ¾d in the pound. The unimproved value is £28,000. Members of the Board for the year 1905–6 are: Messrs J. Corkill (chairman), J. Mullins, P. Wilson, V. Winter, and Dr. Somerville. Town Clerk, etc., Mr. J. W. Sargisson. The Board meets on the first Monday in each month, and is elected biennially.
Chairman of the Clyde Town Board, member of the Wairoa Harbour Board, and formerly its chairman, is one of the most progressive and energetic men in the district. He was a warm supporter of the river improvement scheme, and it is mainly due to his efforts that active steps were taken in the matter. He was born in the Isle of Man, where he was educated, and was apprenticed for three years to a joiner and cabinet-maker. He left his native land for New Zealand in 1884, and for some time worked as a journeyman in Dunedin. After removing to the North Island he worked at New Plymouth for Mr. Fowler, builder, and afterwards with Messrs Weir and Sellar, of Hastings, and with most of the large builders in Napier. He afterwards went to Wairoa, and established himself in business as a cabinet-maker, ironmonger, etc., in conjunction with Mr. P. Wilson, who retired from the firm in 1889. Mr. Corkill takes a lively interest in all public matters. He is band-master of the Wairoa Band, which he organised many years ago. Mr. Corkill is married; and has two children.
. This Board manages the affairs of the port of Wairoa at Clyde, in the county of Wairoa. There is communication with Napier, forty miles distant, by means of small steamers. The depth of water is from seven to nine feet at high tide, and the board's revenue is derived from pilotage, port charges, and a harbour improvement rate. Over 3,000 bales of wool are shipped from Wairoa during the season, and the s.s. “Tangaroa” makes frequent trips to and from Napier. The present members of the Board are: Messrs A. Sinclair (chairman), W. Moloney, J. Corkill, G. Britnell, T. J. Tunks, A. Knight, and John Davey. Secretary, Mr. J. Scott. Pilot, Mr. David Jones. Some years ago the Board had a Bill passed through Parliament to enable it to borrow £5,000 for river conservation
J.P., member of the Wairoa Harbour Board, was for several years a member of the Wairoa County Council, was chairman of the council when the Wairoa bridge was completed, and in his official capacity declared it open for traffic in the year 1887. He has also been chairman of the Harbour Board, and was a member of the old Town Board and other public bodies. He was born in Queen's County, Ireland, in 1840, is the son of Mr. James Moloney, and was educated and brought up to farming in his native county. Mr. Moloney left the Old Land in 1860 for Melbourne, and spent four years on the New South Wales gold-field, and two years on the Otago and Westland fields. He settled in Wairoa in the year 1866, on a farm near his present holding, and had the misfortune to be turned off in 1869 by Te Kooti. He then joined the Wairoa Rifles, and was present at the Lake Waikare-Moana skirmishes. In 1872 Mr. Moloney started business as a storekeeper in Wairoa, where he has been very successful. He has taken an active interest in public and social matters generally, and was one of the founders of the Roman Catholic Church in Wairoa.
member of the Wairoa Harbour Board, resides in Frasertown, and was one of the first to take up land in the Waikare-Moana district. He was born in Warwickshire, England, in the early “fifties,” came to New Zealand with his parents by the ship “Northumberland,” in the year 1861, and was educated at Prince Albert College. In 1870 he left Auckland for Wairoa, and after spending five years in commercial pursuits, he acquired property at Waikare-Moana. As county councillor, chairman of school, licensing, library, and church committees, etc., Mr. Tunks has taken an active part in public matters, and is highly esteemed throughout the district.
was incorporated under the Counties Act in the year 1876, with Mr. George Burton as its first chairman. The council meets at Clyde, the county town, on the second Friday in each month, and members are elected triennially. The boundaries are: on the north by a line from the Paritu Bluff to the mouth of the Ruakituri river, and from the Ruakituri to its source; on the west by the Whakatane and East Taupo counties; on the south by the Taupo road and the Pakuratahi block; and on the east by the sea coast. The Wairoa County has an area of 1,887 square miles; a population of 1,773; the capital value is £1,384,645; unimproved value, £915,554; total area of land under cultivation, 330,904 acres; cattle, 12,435; sheep, 536,913; rates collected, £3,494; licenses, tolls, rents, and other sources, £263; rates, ¾d in the pound, with special rates in various parts of the county. The members of the council are: Messrs Alexander Sinclair (chairman), C. C. P. Brandon, W. T. Briggs, George Britnell, E. R. Dampney, Joseph Powdrell, D. E. O'Neil, R. B. Sim, and William Tait; Clerk, etc., Mr. William F. Shaw.
member of the Wairoa County Council, is also a member of the Wairoa Harbour Board. He was formerly chairman of the Clyde Town Board, held that position for some time, and did much for the advancement of the Wairoa district. He was born in Buckinghamshire, England, went to Australia in 1864 with his parents, and for some years resided in Victoria. Brought up to commercial pursuits, Mr. Britnell eventually started business in Creswick, Victoria, which he carried on successfully for many years. In 1899 he came to New Zealand, and took up land in the Taranaki district, where he remained until commencing business in Wairoa in 1893. After settling in Wairoa Mr. Britnell married one of the oldest residents in the district, a lady who had not only lived there, but had been in business in the place throughout the troublous times of
has been a member of the Wairoa County Council almost since its inception, and was for several years its chairman. He was born in Cheshire, England, and is the third son of the late Mr. Thomas Powdrell, of Barhill Farm. Mr. Powdrell was educated at Malpas Grammar School, and came to New Zealand in 1861, at the age of twenty years, by the ship “Indiana.” He acquired a farm at Kereru, remained there for six years, and then settled in Wairoa on an excellent farm of 2,353 acres of freehold land, now known as Turiroa station, and stocked with 200 head of cattle, about twenty horses, and 3,500 crossbred sheep. Mr. Powdrell has been a member of the Wairoa Harbour Board, and of the Wairoa Hospital Committee, is vice-president of the Wairoa Rifle Club, and has been a Justice of the Peace since 1888.
formerly a member of the Wairoa County Council, was born in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, in the year 1852, and is the eldest son of Mr. Adam Brown, of Bennan. Thornhill. He was educated at Marlborough College, was engaged for some time in scientific farming in Ross-shire and Inverness-shire, and in 1880 came to New Zealand. In the following year Mr. Brown purchased “Whakaki,” a fine property of 14,000 acres, all sown in English grass, on which are depastured 18,000 cross-bred sheep and 500 head of cattle. He also owns a special stud farm of 140 acres, where he runs a stud flock of Lincoln sheep, besides horses and cattle. Mr. Brown has on several occasions been elected to the Wairoa Harbour Board, and is a member of the school committee, the Gisborne Hunt Club, and the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society. He married a daughter of the late Mr. John Hunter, C.E., of London, and has one son and one daughter.
sometime a member of the Wairoa County Council, was born in Mahia in the year 1851, educated at public schools, and brought up to pastoral life. At Taupo he had four years' experience under Mr. Bold, of the Telegraph Department, and for a while he worked on the estate of the late Mr. William Heslop, of Puketapu. In the year 1880 he acquired the Huramua station, a property of upwards of 2,000 acres. Mr. Carroll was a member of the Wairoa Harbour Board for a number of years, and was also secretary and vice-president of the Wairoa Jockey Club. He died in February, 1905.
formerly a member of the Wairoa County Council, resides at “Springhill,” a run of 4,600 acres, stocked with 5,000 cross-bred sheep, 200 head of cattle, and twenty horses. He also owns a property of 655 acres, situated near Eltham, Taranaki, which is leased to dairy farmers. Mr. McRae was born in the year 1855, in Ross-shire, Scotland, where he was educated and brought up to farming. He came to New Zealand in 1882, and for seven years managed a sheep run for Mr. Hunter Brown. He then took a trip to Australia, and on his return speculated successfully in property; he next visited Europe, and on his return to New Zealand purchased his present property. He takes a general interest in public and social matters.
formerly a member of the Wairoa County Council and Wairoa Harbour Board, was born in Tasmania. He came to New Zealand in the year 1864, landing at Napier, and is a son of the late Mr. Stephen Stacey, a well-known military settler. He began business as a butcher at Frasertown, in 1883, and was subsequently joined by his brother, the business now being carried on under the style of Stacey Brothers. Mr. Stacey has done much in public matters; and while a member of the Wairoa County Council and Harbour Board strongly supported the scheme for improving the river. He is a member of the Frasertown School Committee, and has been connected with the Church of England for many years. Mr. Stacey married, in 1890, a daughter of the late Mr. Gosnell, a well-known and respected settler.
is situated at Clyde, the county town of Wairoa, and is of particular service to an extensive district, which, on account of its distance from Napier and Gisborne, would otherwise be without public provision for the proper treatment of accidents and other cases of human suffering. The new building was opened on the 8th of March, 1905, and is a large one-storeyed wooden building, situated on an elevated site at the back of the township, facing the Napier road. There are four wards in the hospital, containing over twenty beds, also an operating room, a waiting room, a sitting room, and a library; the whole premises are lit with acetylene gas. Mr. Joseph Stone acts as custodian, and Mrs. Stone is matron.
is a very old wooden building, divided into three class rooms. The classes include infants, besides the usual standards. The number of scholars on the roll is 171, and the average attendance is 140. The head-master is Mr. John Bowie, B.A., who is assisted by Miss H. M. Samson, and two pupil teachers.
B.A., Headmaster of the Wairoa District School, was born in Otago in December, 1871, and was educated at the Tokomairiro High School and the Otago Boys' High School. After serving as a pupil teacher at Kaitangata, he studied at the Otago University, where he took the first section of his B.A. degree, and completed his degree as an extra mural student of Canterbury College, whilst teaching at Hastings, Hawke's Bay. After four years as second assistant master at the Hastings High School, he was appointed head-master at Mataman, and promoted to his present charge in July, 1904. Mr. Bowie married a daughter of Mr. A. T. Box, of Matamau, in 1901, and has one son and two daughters.
Wairoa. This is one of the oldest churches in Wairoa, and was erected with money collected during the lifetime of Father Regnier. The building is of wood, and has seating accommodation for 100 persons. A good choir is led by Mr. Cosgrove, and Mrs. Cosgrove and Miss Douglas act as organists.
Priest-in-charge of the Roman Catholic Parish at Wairoa, has a large district, and holds services at frequent intervals at Frasertown, Paki-paki, Tamaki, and Tiniroto. He was born in Brittany, France, and was educated at Nantes, Chateaubriant, and Ancenis. He then went to Dundalk, in Ireland, where he joined the Society of Mary, and was ordained sub-deacon at Armagh in the year 1881. He returned to France where he was prefect for two years at St. Joseph's College, Montlucon, and then went to Barcelona, in Spain. After completing his studies in theology, he was ordained priest at Lyons, France, in 1884, and came to New Zealand in the same year. Father Lepretre was first stationed at Jerusalem, near Wanganui, where he learned the Maori language, and was afterwards in charge of the Hawke's Bay and Wairarapa Maori districts. He built the Maori Church at Te Ore Ore, near Masterton, and removed to Wairoa as first resident priest in 1894, and built the presbytery there.
(Mr. Joseph Corkill, band-master), Wairoa. This band has a creditable musical record, but it has something else as well in its list of achievements. It is probably the only band in the colony with a record ride to its credit. In behalf of himself and his fellow-April, 1896, Mr. Swan (then Mayor of Napier) invited the band to attend and assist at Napier in a demonstration in aid of the Brunner Relief Fund. The invitation was cordially responded to by Mr. Corkill, on behalf of himself and his fellow-bandsmen, but when the time arrived to take steamer from Wairoa to Napier, the Wairoa bar was in what was then its too frequent condition of impassableness. The visit to Napier had, therefore, to be abandoned, or undertaken on horseback overland, a distance of seventy-five miles. In view of all the circumstances, Mr. Corkill and his corps of instrumentalists determined to face the latter alternative, and they set out in the evening to accomplish their long journey by night. The novelty of the undertaking and the object in view inspirited the party, and as there was bright moonlight to help them on their way, they anticipated no
was established about thirty years ago, and has a rapidly increasing circulation in Wairoa. Frasertown, Turiroa, Waikare-Moana, Maru Maru, Nuhaka, Morere, Mahia, Mohaka, Waikare, and Petane, and is a splendid medium for advertising throughout the district.
proprietor of the “Wairoa Guardian,” is a native of Darwen, Lancashire, England, where he was educated, and trained in the leading offices in Darwen and Manchester. He came to New Zealand in the year 1886, and settled in Wairoa in 1895. In addition to the newspaper and printing business, Mr. Timperley has a high-class stationery department, and receives shipments of all the latest books, music, etc., by every steamer. Photographs and paintings of the beautiful Wairoa scenery are also obtainable at his establishment.
M.B., M.S. (Edin.), Physican and Surgeon, Wairoa, Hawke's Bay.
Aerated Water and Cordial Manufacturer, Wairoa. This business was established several years ago by Mr. Samuel Boyd, and acquired by the present proprietor in 1901. The output comprises hop ale, orange champagne, kola champagne, lemonade, ginger ale, ginger beer, and soda water; also such cordials as raspberry, cloves, peppermint, lime juice squash, and pine apple syrup. A most up-to-date plant of machinery has been installed, including a Bennett and Foster's soda water machine, a Ryland's bottle rack and turnover, a Shipman's engine, and a brewing furnace capable of treating sixty galons. The premises are large and well adapted for the requirements of the business, and are situated on the north side of the Wairoa river. The proprietor supplies all the licensed houses in the district extending from Maru Maru to Mohaka, and his aerated waters and cordials are also in great demand by the residents of Wairoa and the surrounding country. Mr. Coker was born in Napier in the year 1878, and was educated at the local district school. Subsequently for a number of years he was employed as steward on the s.s. “Tangaroa,” and the s.s. “Te Kapu,” running between Napier and Wairoa. Mr. Coker is a member of the Napier Lodge of Oddfellows. He married a daughter of Mr. T. B. Bax, of Wairoa, in February, 1903.
plant is at present (1906) leased to Mr. T. McGregor, of Gisborne. Mr. Hector McGregor, a son of the lessee, is acting as manager. The factory was opened on the 12th of October, 1903, and is a wooden building containing boiler and engine rooms, a separator and churning room, and two chilling chambers. An up-to-date plant has been installed, including a twelve horse-power Niven's boiler, an eight horse-power Brown and May engine, a ton and a-half British Linde freezer, a 440 gallon Alpha-Laval separator, a Sabroe cream elevator, Anderson's pasteuriser, Holben and Kirk's vats and weighing cans, and a six hundredweight Topliss churn. The floor is of concrete throughout, and the place is kept scrupulously neat and clean. About 600 gallons of milk and 50 gallons of cream are received per day throughout the season. The factory closes down from the end of May to the beginning of September.
manager of the Wairoa Dairy Factory, was born in Christchurch in the year 1883, and was educated in Stratford, Taranaki. Subsequently he gained an insight in the dairying industry at his father's factory, “Kia Ora,” Gisborne, and was appointed to his present position on the 1st of March, 1905. In Gisborne, Mr. McGregor was
Hairdresser, Wairoa. Mr. Bax was born in the year 1850, in London, England, where he was educated. For nineteen years he was at sea, trading between the Colonies, India, and the Old Country. He came to New Zealand in 1879, as first mate of the barque “Nancy,” and decided to settle in the Colony. Having had considerable experience in hospital work in India, Mr. Bax obtained a position in the Wellington Hospital, and afterwards joined the staff of the Blenheim Hospital. He then went to Hawke's Bay, and kept several hotels in the district, and was eventually appointed warder in the Wairoa Hospital. He subsequently resigned that position, and established himself in business at Wairoa as a hair-dresser, and has since conducted a successful business. Mr. Bax is well-known throughout the colonies as a professional club-swinger, and in 1897 he defeated the Queensland champion, J. Griffiths. Mr. Bax is married, and has one son and two daughters.
(Peter Crarer, proprietor). Wairoa, This well-known hostelry is situated on the bank of the Wairoa River, and is within a few minutes' walk of the township. The “Ferry” is probably the oldest hotel in the district. It contains sixteen rooms, exclusive of dining, sitting, and drawing rooms, and is comfortably furnished throughout. The house is conveniently situated on the main road to the lake, where fine shooting, boating, etc., may be obtained.
proprietor of the Ferry Hotel, is a native of Perthshire, Scotland, and came to New Zealand with his parents in the ship “Rangoon,” in the year 1863, landing at Napier. He was educated at Waipukurau, and was afterwards for some time farming with his father. He first commenced hotel-keeping at Tahoraiti, near Dannevirke, where he had the Tamaki Hotel for four years, and eventually took over the Ferry Hotel. Mr. Crarer takes a great interest in all local matters, and is well known and respected in the district.
(Arthur Poyzer, proprietor), Wairoa. This fine hotel was established by the present proprietor in 1877. Situated close to the wharf, it is convenient for travellers and visitors to Wairoa, and Mr. Poyzer has a good connection with the travelling public and settlers in the district. The Wairoa Hotel, which is beautifully furnished, contains twenty-five rooms, including a large dining-room, a sitting-room, billiard-room, etc. From the balcony a fine view of the surrounding country is obtained, and as the house is directly opposite the river, shooting and boating are within easy reach of those seeking pleasure in that direction.
proprietor of the Wairoa Hotel, is a native of Leicestershire, England, and was educated in his native town. He came to New Zealand in the year 1863, landed in Auckland by the ship “Gertrude,” and was for some time in the employment of Sir George Grey and Bishop Selwyn. He then settled in Hampden, for two years kept the Tikokino Hotel, and afterwards established the Wairoa Hotel. Mr. Poyzer has devoted a good deal of time to public matters, and was for many years chairman of the harbour and town boards. He has also been connected with the school committee, and has done much for the welfare of the district. Mr. Poyzer is married, and has two sons and four daughters.
Plumber, Painter, and Paperhanger, Wairoa. The business was established by Mr. Johansen in the year 1878. Most of the plumbing and painting work in the district has been carried out by him. A large stock of tinware and material necessary for carrying on a good business is kept on the premises. Mr. Johansen is a native of Norway, and came to New Zealand with his parents in 1873, in the ship “Hovding,” landing at Napier. He learned his trade with Mr. Nash, of Waipawa, and was also with Mr. Abrahams of that town for seven years. In 1878 Mr. Johansen removed to Wairoa, and shortly afterwards established his present business. As a member of the Order of
. Blacksmith and Wheelwright, Wairoa. Mr. Pothan was born in Canterbury, and was educated in Hokitika. He first worked in Christchurch, and then in Ahaura, on the West Coast. He was subsequently in business with his brother at Taradale, before settling in Wairoa, where he has since conducted a successful business.
(T. R. Lees and H. B. Mountfort), General Merchants, Stock and Station Agents, Wool and Produce Brokers, Wholesale Wine and Spirit Merchants, Auctioneers, and Land and Estate Agents. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand, Wairoa; P.O. Box, 28. Agents for Sun fire Office, Australian Alliance Assurance Company (fire and marine), Norwich and London Accident Insurance Association, and Citizen's Life Assurance Company, Ltd. Agents for Cooper's sheep dip, Tiratu Saw-milling Company, Horton's nurseries, New Zealand Portland Cement Company, Gardner's oil engines, Cooper's sheep-shearing machines, Cooper and Duncan's colonial drills, ploughs, harrows, etc., Noxon mowers, rakes and harrows, Andrews and Beaven's chaffcutters, etc., Donald's wire-strainers, Donald's woolpress. Perfect separators. Perfect churns, cans, etc., Plano harvesting machinery, and Wilkinson's S.F. ploughs and scoeps. This rising business was opened in July, 1905, and the returns have been beyond all expectations. The building is situated just over the Wairoa Bridge, on the north side, and is a large sixty feet by sixty feet store, with splendid office accommodation. A half acre of ground has recently been purchased on the Wairoa side of the river, on which it is intended to erect a large bulk store. The firm's saleyards cover an area of two acres, and can accommodate 500 head of cattle and 3,000 sheep. Sales are held fortnightly at Wairoa, and monthly at Nuhaka. It is the only business of its kind in the district, and is complete in every detail. Lees and Mountfort are extensive purchasers of station clips, and agricultural produce of all kinds.
of the firm of Lees and Mountfort, was born near Birmingham, England, in the year 1872, and was educated at the Wolverhampton grammar school. He arrived in New Zealand in 1892, and for many years was engaged by the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Company, in Christchurch, Napier, and Dannevirke.
of the firm of Lees and Mountfort, was born in Christchurch, in 1872, and is a son of Mr. C. W. Mountfort, a well known surveyor and civil engineer and an old resident of Christchurch. Mr. Mountfort was educated at the Napier High School, and was subsequently on the staff of Messrs Murray, Roberts and Co. for eighteen years.
(Hawke's Bay Motor Company, Limited, proprietors; Peter Cram, manager), Wairoa. These well-known stables were established by Mr. Peter Cram, and subsequently taken over by the present company, Mr. Cram's services being retained as manager. The stables contain ten stalls and two loose boxes, with an accommodation paddock for fifty horses. Traps and saddle-horses can always be obtained by the travelling public. The company's coaches carry most of the passengers overland to Napier and Gisborne.
manager of the Wairoa Livery and Bait Stables, was born in Scotland, and came to New Zealand at nine years of age, in the ship “Timaru.” For many years he was farming on the Henley estate, near Dunedin, and eventually settled at Wairoa. Mr. Cram is married and has two children.
Sheep-farmer, Frasertown and Riverslea, Wairoa. Mr. Goldstone was born in Suffolk. England, and is a son of the late Mr. James Goldstone, formerly in the Guards. He was educated at New-market, Cambridge, and entered the 12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales' Own) in the year 1851. Shortly afterwards he went to South Africa to take part in the Kaffir war, under Sir Harry Smith, and saw about eight months' active service there and in Basutoland. At the battle of Berrier the troops under Sir George Cathcart were formed in a square for eight hours, repeatedly charged by the enemy, who were finally repulsed, and
(Messrs Chambers Brothers, proprietors; Mr. Murdoch Mackay, manager), Wairoa. This well-known station consists of about 18,000 acres of first-class sheep country; about 24,000 cross-bred sheep and 800 head of cattle are grazed on the property, which is one of the finest in the Wairoa district. Twelve persons are constantly employed, and, in the shearing season, as many as twenty shearers are engaged. Mr. Mackay has had considerable experience in sheep farming, and under his care the estate has been brought to its present state of perfection.
manager of the Kiwi Estate, was born in Hawke's Bay, and brought up to pastoral pursuits on Mr. McHardy's run at Blackhead. He was afterwards with Mr. Johnston of Tamumu. He then managed the Putere station for Messrs Murray, Roberts and Company for twelve years, and took up his present position in the year 1895. Mr. Mackay is married, and has four sons and one daughter.
is situated on the East Coast, between Napier and Wairoa, and consists of 5,000 acres of freehold and 5,000 acres of leasehold native lands. It was taken up in the “sixties” by Messrs Gordon and Finlayson, but passed into the possession of the McKinnon family, and was subsequently taken over by Mr. Donald McKinnon. The stock includes 12,000 cross-bred sheep and 100 head of cattle, and about 200 bales of wool are annually sent to market.
proprietor of Moeangiangi station, is the third son of Mr. John McKinnon, and was born in the year 1863, at Arapawanui. Educated at the Napier Grammar School, he was brought up to station life, and managed his father's station for a few years before removing to Moeangiangi.
is situated in the county of Wairoa, at the junction of the Waiau and Wairoa rivers. It lies on the main road to Gisborne, is about four miles from Wairoa, seventy-six miles by road from Napier, and sixty-seven from Gisborne. There is a weekly communication by post with both Napier and Gisborne. The township possesses a recreation ground, where the annual show of the Wairoa Agricultural and Pastoral Association and athletic sports of all kinds are held. The local tennis club has its courts in these grounds. There is a church, two stores, and an excellent hotel in the township.
was formed in the year 1902, and has a membership of twenty-seven. Officers for 1905 are: President, Mr. J. Powdrell; Vice-President, Mr. S. Twigg; Captain, Mr. P. Chapman; Vice-Captain, Mr. T. Powdrell. Matches are held four times a year for donated trophies, and the club also engages in matches with other rifle clubs in Hawke's Bay. A large silver cup and
Frasertown.
Head-master of the Frasertown Public School, was born in November, 1878, at Hokitika, and is a son of Mr. Richard Soundy, head-master of the Dannevirke North School. He was educated, partly under his father at the Meanee public school, and afterwards at the local Boy's High School, subsequently serving as a pupil teacher under his father. He was then admitted to the training college, and twelve months later was transferred to the main school as a junior master. His ability as a teacher, and steady application to his duties gained for him speedy promotion; he became second assistant master of the school, and in 1905 received his present appointment. Mr. Soundy was a member of the Napier Guards, of which for some years he was an efficient marksman, and from a corporal he was transferred to the captaincy of the Napier City Defence Cadets. He takes a keen interest in athletics, and for some time was coach to the Clive Ladies' Hockey Club. He is further referred to as Captain and Adjutant of the No. 2 Battalion of the Wellington Defence Cadets.
(Albert E. Beckett, proprietor), Frasertown. The first hotel in Frasertown was built in the early “seventies” by Mr. Thomas Beckett, who conducted it for many years. The present well-appointed hostelry was erected in 1901, and is a two-storeyed wooden building, fitted with all modern conveniences. The appointments and furnishings throughout are such as one rarely finds in an hotel outside a city. A wide balcony runs round the entire front of the building, the bedrooms overlooking which are fitted with French casement doors. The hotel has three entrances from the main street, and a concrete footpath has been formed all round the front of the building. The bar is stocked with the best brands of ales, liquors, spirits, and wines, special attention being paid to this department by the host in person. The dining room is capable of seating sixty guests, whilst the cuisine is of a very high standard, and the attendance excellent. This department is under the personal supervision of Mrs. Beckett, who spares no pains in attending to and satisfying the wants of tourists and the general public. There are eight bedrooms (exclusive of those in use by the household) and each room is well and comfortably furnished. There is also a billiard room, a commercial room, and several sitting rooms. The Frasertown Hotel is a most popular house of call, and Mr. Beckett is always on hand to attend to the wants of his many friends and customers. Pleasure seekers and tourists, fond of sport, hill climbing, or unsurpassed scenery, will experience pleasure in visiting this district, and can rest assured that everything possible will be done for their comfort and enjoyment.
proprietor of the Frasertown Hotel, is a native of the district, and has been connected with the hotel nearly all his life. Mr. Beckett is treasurer of the Wairoa Agricultural and Pastoral Association, the Acclimatisation Society, and the Dog Trial Club; and is a member of the Frasertown Rifle Club, Racing Club, Tennis, Athletic, and Cricket Clubs.
is a property of 4,600 acres, of which 2,000 are freehold, and 2,400 Education reserve. It carries 5,000 cross-bred sheep and eighty head of cattle. The homestead stands on the river bank. “Riverina” is owned by Mr. Colin Munro, and his sons, Messrs W. C. and Duncan Munro.
the proprietor of “Riverina,” was born in the year 1826, in Ross-shire, Scotland, where he was educated, and brought up to farming. He went to Australia in 1853, by the ship “Ida,” and managed a large station on the Murray river for twelve years. In 1869 he came to New Zealand, and purchased a farm in South Canterbury. This he worked for ten years, and then removed to Hawke's Bay, and settled on a run of 55,000 acres on the Taupo road. There he remained for ten years, and then acquired his present property.
was born in the year 1855, in Victoria, Australia, where he was educated, and afterwards accompanied his parents to New Zealand. He was a member of the Wairoa County Council for six years, and takes a keen interest in local affairs.
was born in the year 1886, in Victoria, Australia. He came to New Zealand with his parents, and was educated in this Colony.
Sheep-farmer, “Burnside,” Frasertown. Mr. Taylor operates a run of 950 acres, chiefly freehold property, about 100 acres of which is ploughable, and capable of yielding good root crops, oats, etc. 2,200 sheep are depastured, the majority of which are Lincoln cross-breds, with a sprinkling of Leicester cross-breds. Lambing averages about eighty-two per cent; the stock also includes 150 head of shorthorn cross-bred cattle. “Burnside” is situated four miles off the main road, and the homestead lies in a valley at the foot of the surrounding hills. Mr. Taylor was born in Wiltshire, England, in the year 1836, and came out to New Zealand in 1855, in the ship “Serge,” and landed in Wellington. In conjunction with others he chartered a small sailing boat, and went to Canterbury, and was for some time afterwards engaged in shepherding at Culverden. He first took up land on his own account on the banks of the Selwyn river, but later acted as manager for Mr. Owen, at Waimakiriri. Subsequently Mr. Taylor farmed at Rangitata, in partnership with the Rev. R. R. Bradley, also at Alford Forest, near Ashburton, and on the banks of the Ashburton river. He took up his present property in 1885. While in Canterbury he served on various road boards and other bodies, and is at present (1906) a member of the committee of the Wairoa Agricultural and Pastoral Association, and an annual exhibitor. Mr. Taylor married Miss Bradley, a niece of the Rev. R. R. Bradley, and has six sons and three daughters.
in the county of Wairoa, is situated eleven miles from Wairoa, on the Tiniroto-Gisborne road. It was originally a military settlement, 110 veterans of the Maori war having been settled in the district, but at present (1966) the bulk of the property is native land. There is a store at Opoiti, two and a-half miles from the Maru Maru Hotel, which is also the local post office. The settlers in the district have a private telephone connecting with Frasertown. There is a weekly mail service between Napier and Gisborne. The wonderful Maru Maru caves are situated about two miles distant.
Maru Maru, Hawke's Bay, is a freehold property of 6,600 acres, chiefly rugged country, about 600 acres of which are ploughable and capable of producing root crops. The winter stock comprises about 7,000 Merino-Lincoln and Romney-Marsh cross-breds, while in the summer months upwards of 10,000 (including lambs) are depastured. There are also 100 head of cattle on the run. The property is well watered, being bounded considerably by the Makaretu and Mangapoiki rivers. The homestead is pleasantly situated in a forest of huge fir trees, and the dwelling house is a large two-storeyed modern wooden building. There is also a cottage and several good outbuildings.
of “Mangapoiki,” was born on Khuranaki station, near Napier, and after finishing his schooling assisted his father on the home station, where he remained for a number of years. He took up his present property in the year 1885, where he has since resided. Mr. Couper has taken but little part in public affairs, but is a large shareholder in the Wairoa Dairy Factory and the Gisborne and Napier Freezing Works.
is situated on the Wairoa river. It consists of 5,630 acres, bounded on two sides by the Mangaruhe and Wairoa rivers, and on the third by the Ruakituri station. It is stocked with 5,500 crossbred sheep, the annual yield of which averages 100 bales of wool. The land, being of papa formation, is excellent for sheep carrying.
managing owner of Mangaruhe station, is the
Sheep-farmer, Maru Maru. Mr. Perkins is an old settler, and was, born in Wellington. He resided at the Hutt for over thirty years, during which time he worked an extensive saw-mill in that valley. He removed to Wairoa in the year 1888, purchased a station of 2,500 acres, and also established a general store, which he conducted for several years. Mr. Perkins subsequently removed to Maru Maru, where he has since successfully carried on sheep-farming. In public matters he has been closely connected with the various local bodies both at the Hutt and Wairoa. He was a member of the Hutt County Council for several years, and held the position of chairman for some time. On leaving the district for Wairoa the residents showed their appreciation of his services by presenting him with a handsome gold watch and illuminated address. In Wairoa he was a member of the local school committee, and secretary of the Wairoa Brass Band. Mr. Perkins is married and has two children.
is an outlying district situated twenty-five miles north from Wairoa, and is rugged land, suitable only for sheep and cattle farming. It was at Ruakituri that the Maori warrior Te Kooti escaped, on the 8th of August, 1868, from the New Zealand troops, though wounded in the foot during the fight of that day. The Te Reinga Falls, at the junction of the Hangaroa and Ruakituri rivers is one of the sights of the district. There is a bridle track to Waikare-Moana, and a weekly mail service to Napier and Gisborne. The local store has a telephone connection with Frasertown. Good trout fishing can be obtained in the neighbouring streams.
Sheep-farmer, Ruakituri, Hawke's Bay. Mr. Boothman has a run of 3,000 acres on a twenty-one year's lease, with the option of renewal. When first taken up it was nearly all bush land, but by dint of hard work and perseverance, the property has been converted into a desirable sheep run. The land is chiefly rugged, with the exception of 200 acres of river flat on the banks of the Ruakituri and Wairoa rivers, which is specially adapted for root and other crops. The stock comprises about 3,500 sheep (Lincoln and Romney-Marsh cross-breds) and thirty head of cattle, but when fully cleared the run will be capable of carrying two and a-half sheep to the acre, besides a much larger mob of cattle. The property is exceptionally well watered, there being upwards of four miles of river frontage. Mr. Boothman was born in Bradford, Yorkshire, England, and came out to New Zealand in the year 1893. He found employment with Mr. W. Douglas at Tuhanga for one year, and worked at various other stations in Hawke's Bay. He then decided to operate on his own account, and secured his present property in 1895. In 1904–5 Mr. Boothman took a trip to the Old Country, accompanied by his sister, and experienced great pleasure in revisiting
is situated ninety-six miles north-east from Napier, in the county of Wairoa, within the electoral district of Waiapu. There is a telephone office in the township, which has a weekly mail service with Napier and Gisborne. The means of conveyance from Napier is by steamer to Wairoa, and thence by road to Nuhaka. Waikokopu, five and a-half miles distant, is the deep water port of the township, and it is anticipated that in a few years' time a substantial wharf will be erected and freezing works established in the district. There is a sufficient depth of water at Waikokopu to float vessels of the largest tonnage. The local post office is also situated at Waikokopu. The most important industry in Nuhaka is that of dairy factory in the settlement. The famous Morere Hot Springs are situated only five miles distant from Nuhaka.
(A. F. Neilson, manager), Nuhaka. Established in 1901. The building is of wood, and contains a butter room, a separator room, boiler and engine rooms, two cooling chambers, an office, and a salt room. The plant includes de Laval separators and pastuerisers, a Linde British freezer, a Brown and May's engine and boiler, two direct expansion vats, a Topliss' butter worker and churn, a steam turbine tester, a Chambers' milk hoist, Holben and Kirk's receiving cans and vats, Lister's skim milk pump, and de Laval coolers. The building is floored throughout with concrete, on the gravitation principle, and a Tangy's steam water pump is also in use, summer months about 1,700 gallons of milk per day is received, and in the early winter up to 700 gallons per day. The factory closes down from May until August. The industry is controlled by a Company. Mr. R. Ewan Jefferson is chairman of directors.
manager of the Nuhaka Dairy Factory, was born in Greytown, Wairarapa, in the year 1880, and after attending school was engaged in farming with his father for four years. After a year spent in the Cardiff Dairy Factory, near Stratford, Taranaki, and a season with the Eltham-Co-operative Company, he was appointed
Nuhaka, Hawke's Bay, is a freehold property owned by Mr. George Walker, and leased to Mr. R. E. Jefferson. It contains 6,700 acres, about 2,000 acres of which is flat land, and the rest undulating, suitable for sheep and cattle. The winter stock comprises 12,000 Lincoln cross-breds, which in the summer season, including lambs, is increased to 17,000. Sheep-shearing machinery is used, and the wool-shed is stocked with an up-to-date plant. Dairying is also carried on, about 500 cows being stocked in the summer months, and 700 in winter. Wai station supplies the local dairy factory daily with the product of 250 cows. Various small creeks and the Nuhaka river run through the property, which is one of the most desirable in the district.
of Wai station, Nuhaka, is the son of Mr. Robert Jefferson, of Cumberland, England (a breeder of shorthorn cattle), and was born in Preston House, Whitehaven, England, in the year 1874. He was educated at the Downton Agricultural College, Hampshire, where he gained a diploma for practical knowledge in agriculture. Mr. Jefferson came out to New Zealand in 1893, and for nine months afterwards was engaged on Mr. H. Troutbeck's Galatea station, forty-five miles from Rotorua. He was subsequently appointed manager of Mr. G. E. G. Richardson's estate, at Nuhaka, and took up his present lease in April, 1905. Mr. Jefferson is president of the Wairoa Agricultural, and Pastoral Association, was a member of the Wairoa County Council, is chairman of directors of the Nuhaka Dairy Factory, and is a director of the Hawke's Bay Farmers' Co-operative Association. He married a daughter of Mr. Alfred Howes Eastwood, Auckland, in February, 1901, and has one daughter.
Sheep-farmer, Nuhaka. Mr. Walker was born at Whangawehi, and was educated at the Napier High School. He subsequently studied for a surveyor, and passed his examination in 1884. He followed his profession for ten years at Napier,
. The Mahia Peninsula, at which there is a village of the same name, is in the county of Wairoa. Its distance from Clyde, the county town of Wairoa, is thirty miles, and it lies 106 miles to the north-east of Napier. A steamer plies once a month from Napier. The country is extremely rugged, but is suitable for sheep-farming.
Mahia, is situated about 100 miles north-east of Napier, and is one of the many station properties owned by the Ormond family in Hawke's Bay. It comprises 20,000 acres of tableland and hills, partly in bush, the balance being laid down in English grasses, and well-watered. About 19,000 cross-bred Lincolns, with a few head of cattle and horses, are depastured on the run. The average clip of wool is about ten pounds per fleece, equal to a total output of 400 bales, which are shipped from Mahia to Napier. There is a comfortable homestead, with woolsheds and accommodation whares, and a number of permanent station hands are employed.
Runholder, and proprietor of “Whangawehi,” is the eldest son of the Hon. J. D. Ormond, M.L.C., who is referred to in this volume as a superintendent of Hawke's Bay. Mr. G. C. Ormond was born at Napier, and was educated at the Napier Grammar School and Wellington College, during the head-mastership of Mr. Kenneth Wilson, one of the first principals of the College. He afterwards went to England, and returned to New Zealand in 1883. He then began his experience in sheep-farming on the Hon. J. D. Ormond's Paremata station, Tologa Bay, where he remained two years, and in the year 1885 he acquired “Whangawehi.” Mr. Ormond was a member of the Wairoa County Council, and is president of the Wairoa Racing Club.
. This township lies to the south-west of Napier, from which it is distant three miles, and is in the county and electoral district of Hawke's Bay. Mails are despatched and received twice daily to and from Napier, there is also telephone connection, and an hourly coach service between the township and Napier. The Napier Park Racing Club's fine course, covering ninety-five acres, is situated at Green-meadows, where meetings are held three times a year, in March June, and October. There are several orchards and vineries in the vicinity, and the wine made there is sold all over the colony. Green-meadows is largely composed of suburban residences of people engaged in business in Napier. There is a church, a post-office, two stores, one hotel, and a fine bowling green.
Greenmeadows, is conducted in the store of Mr. George Boggs. There is a telephone bureau, and a money order and savings bank department. Mails are despatched and received twice daily to and from Napier. Mr. George Boggs, who is further referred to as proprietor of the Post Office Store, is postmaster in charge.
(W. A. and E. J. P. Colwill), The People's Store, Greenmeadows. Established in the year 1892 by Mr. Charles Goddard, this business was acquired by the present proprietors in February, 1905. The building is of wood, two storeys in height, and is situated on the corner of Guppy's road and the main Taradale road. The shop is roomy and well-lighted, and large store and bulk rooms are situated at the rear; the stock carried includes general merchandise of all descriptions. A large trade is done in country produce, and there is also a wood and coal yard in connection with the business. Messrs Colwill Brothers run an express service between Taradale and Napier, and employ a special van for the removal of furniture and household goods.
of the firm of Colwill Brothers, was born in Bodmin, Cornwall, England, in 1875, and four years later accompanied his parents to New Zealand in the ship “Marvel,” landing in Auckland. After attending school in the Waikato, he removed to Hawke's Bay, and for fourteen years was employed by Mr. Henry Nesbit, of Napier. After two years' experience as manager of a provision store for Mr. Charles Thompson, of Napier, he aquired his present business. Mr. Colwill is a member of the Green-meadows Bowling Club, the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, a life member of the Napier City Band, and a member of the Napier Orchestral Society. He married a daughter of the late Mr. Fred Parsons, of Clive, in 1899, and has one son and two daughters.
of the firm of Colwill Brothers, was born in Auckland in the year 1879. After attending school in the Waikato and at Hastings, he was employed as a carter for many years by Napier merchants, and subsequently by Mr. Charles Goddard. Mr. Colwill, on account of his long experience of country trade, attends to all the outside work of the firm
(George Boggs, proprietor), Greenmeadows. This store was established in the year 1894, and acquired by the present proprietor in 1905. A large business is done in general merchandise and country produce, and the stock is varied and suitable for the requirements of the district. Mr. Boggs is the local agent for the United Insurance Company, the Weekly Press,” the Auckland “Weekly News,” the “Canterbury Times,” and the daily newspapers. He was born and educated in Napier, where he gained experience in his business. After a time spent in the employment of Mr. H. G. Ballantyne, he acquired his present business. Mr. Boggs is a member of the committee of the Greenmeadows Bowling Club.
is almost a suburb of Napier, from which it is only five miles distant, and with which it has hourly communication by coach. It is situated within the county and electoral district of Hawke's Bay. Mails are received and despatched twice daily, and there is a telephone office in the township. The chief industries are dairying, market gardening, and fruit farming, the products being disposed of in the Napier and Hastings markets. Taradale is all flat country, and possesses good roads for cycling and motoring. In the early days it was the scene of a notable engagement between the Maoris and the white settlers. Taradale has three churches, a public school with an average attendance of 150 pupils, a library, two fraternal societies, a rifle club, a glee club, an hotel, and several stores. The capital value of the township is £88,722, and the unimproved value is £52,141. Taradale is governed by a town board.
at Taradale is conducted in the store of Mr. R. M. Glenny. There is also a telegraph office, a telephone bureau, and a money order and savings bank department. Mails are despatched and received twice daily to and from Napier, daily to Puketapu, and weekly to Kuripapango. Mr. Robert M. Glenny is officer-in-charge.
corner of Meanee Road and Taradale Main Road. The original hostelry, which was built in the very early days, and had been considerably added to from time to time, was burnt down in May, 1904. The present commodious building was erected immediately after the fire, and presents an imposing appearance. Built of brick, two storeys in height, with a cement facing, and iron ladder fire escapes leading from every room upstairs, the present building is as safe from fire as the ingenuity of the contractor could make it. There are two entrances, one from each street, and the whole front is laid down with a concrete footpath. There is a comfortable commercial room, two private parlours, and the dining room is capable of seating thirty guests. On the first floor there are fourteen single and double bedrooms, tastefully furnished and scrupulously
sometime proprietor of the Taradale Hotel, took possession in October, 1903. He was born and educated in Christchurch, and is the son of Mr. John Fitzwilliam, an early settler in Canterbury. He was for many years engaged in the building trade in Nelson, and erected some of the most important buildings in that city. Mr. Fitzwilliam is a member of the Napier Park Racing Club, the Greenmeadows Bowling Club, and is vice-president of the Taradale Rifle Club. He married a daughter of the late Mr. Benjamin Crisp, one of the earliest colonists in Nelson, and has three sons.
Veterinary Shoeing Forge, General Blacksmith, and Carriage and Implement Works, Meanee Road, Taradale. This business was acquired by the present proprietor in April, 1904. Buggies, carts, drags, and other vehicles are manufactured, while the repairing of agricultural machinery is a speciality. There are two forges, and three men are constantly employed. Mr. McDonald was born in Lovell's Flat, Otago, in the year 1880, and received his education at the Hindon public school. He served a four years' apprenticeship with Messrs Bryce Brothers, of Milton, Otago, and afterwards worked at his trade in Dunedin, Gore, and Hindon. Mr. McDonald is a member of the Greenmeadows Bowling Club, and the Court Bruce Lodge of Foresters, Milton, Otago.
J.P., Orchardist, Taradale and Papakura, Hawke's Bay. Mr. Waterhouse has two orchards, and attends to both with the assistance of his four sons, The one at Taradale is the original holding, on which the homestead is situated. Its area is eight and a half acres, and there are four hot-houses for grapes, and one for tomatoes, the total area under glass being nearly 4,000 square feet. Large quantities of table grapes are raised every year, and, besides supplying the local markets, Mr. Waterhouse forwards supplies to both the Wellington and Taranaki districts. The Papakura property comprises thirty acres, of which about five acres are occupied by a great variety of fruit trees, the major portion being cropped with oats, maize, potatoes, carrots, mangolds, melons, etc. Both places are in excellent order. Mr. Waterhouse was born in Burwash, Sussex, England, in the year 1843, where he had a large experience, and came to New Zealand in 1874, by the ship “Bebington.” landing at Napier. In the following year he established himself at Taradale. Mr. Waterhouse has been in various ways connected with local matters; he has been a member of the Taradale Town Board and School Committee, of which latter body he was secretary for two years, and chairman for one year, For a few years he was clerk to the Meanee Road Board, and for over fifteen years clerk to the Taradale River Board. He was appointed a Justice of the Peace in 1893.
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Sheep-farmer, Nga Taihira. Mr. Bennett was born at Puketapu in 1867, and is the eldest son of Mr. John Bennett, of Newstead. He was educated at the Napier High School and Wellington College, brought up to pastoral pursuits by his father, and latterly has been managing a property of 163 acres. Mr. Bennett grazes a flock of about 1,000 Lincoln sheep. He is a member of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, and is much interested in sporting affairs, including football, golf, etc. Mr. Bennett is a member of the famous
Farmer, “Waiohiki,” Taradale. “Waiohiki,” is a freehold property of 500 acres of good grazing land, and is stocked with upwards of 400 head of cattle. The buildings include a fine modern residence of ten rooms, pleasantly situated on a rise overlooking the main road. “Pakowha,” Hastings, another property belonging to Mr. Tareha, is a dairy farm of ninety acres, accommodating upwards of seventy cows, and is worked on the shares principle. He also owns the Kaiwaka station, at Pohui, of 37,000 acres, which he was leased to Mr. G. P. Donnelly. Mr. Tareha was born in the Taradale district in the year 1871, and is a son of the late chief Tareha Moananui. He received his education at the Meanee Mission School and Te Aute College, and subsequently started farming. Mr. Tareha is a member of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, the Napier Golf Club, and the Scinde Masonic Lodge, Napier No. 5, N.Z.C. In 1903 he won the New Zealand Golf Championship, and in 1905 annexed the Manawatu Championship, and is the owner of several medals, trophies, and cups, won in football, bicycling, boxing, and other athletic pastimes. During the Jubilee celebrations of 1897 Mr. Tareha went Home as a sergeant-major, and later, attended the Coronation ceremonies as captain of the Maori Contingent. He is the owner of four racehorses, and drives a six horse-power Wolseley motor car. He married a daughter of Mr. T. Brightwell, of Woodville, in 1898, and has two sons. Mrs. Tareha won the Hawke's Bay Golf Championship in 1902.
is situated on the Tutaekuri river, one and a half miles from the coast, and five miles from Napier, with which it is connected by coach. The township has a post office, one hotel, public and private schools, a Roman Catholic Church, and a dairy factory Meanee is the head-quarters of the Roman Catholic Mission and Seminary, in the grounds of which vine culture and wine making are carried on. The surrounding districts are very rich in grazing lands, and at one time were subject to occasional floods, but large sums of money have been spent in raising the banks of the river, and now, this danger has been reduced to a minimum. There is splendid artesian water in the district that will rise to thirty feet above the surface of the ground in pipes, good cycling roads, and the drive from Napier is a very enjoyable one. Dairy farming, market gardening, and fruit growing are the chief industries.
is a large wooden building, divided into two class rooms. The annual examination, which is held in August, has always been most satisfactory in its results, and several of the scholars have taken advantage of secondary education by passing standard VI. before reaching a certain age, which has entitled them to two years' free schooling at the Napier High School. There are sixty-eight scholars on the roll, with an average attendance of fifty-six. Mr. Edward Bissell, junior, is head-master, and is assisted by Miss Agnes Christy.
junior, was born at Pokowhai, Clive, in the year 1875, and received his education and studied as a pupil teacher in his native town. Subsequently he acted as relieving teacher under the Hawke's Bay Education Board, studied at the Training School in Napier, and was later appointed head-master at Puketitiri, where he remained for thirteen months. Mr. Bissell, who holds a D2 certificate, entered upon his present duties in 1902. In athletics he has taken a prominent part; he was captain of the Hawke's Bay representative football team for five seasons, and played at different times for the Clive, Ahuriri, and Suburbs football clubs. He is a member of the Scinde Cricket Club, coach of the Huia Hockey Team (Meanee), a member of the Greenmeadows Bowling Club, and was a member of the Napier Guards. He is a member of the Court Redcliffe Lodge of Foresters, Taradale. Mr. Bissell married a daughter of the late Mr. R. M. Nicoll, of Meanee, in 1902.
. The Roman Catholic Mission at Meanee was founded in the year 1858, by the Very Rev. Father Regnier, S.M. Eight years previously he had with the assistance of the Rev. Father Lampila, S.M., and two lay brothers, Basil and Florentin, established the first Catholic mission in the Ahuriri Plains, at Poukawa, on the banks of the river Ngaruroro. The Maori chief of the district gave them a few acres of land, which the two lay brothers cultivated, and on which they built a hut or whare, and afterwards a somewhat more comfortable dwelling, in a position less exposed to the inundations of the river. In 1851 Father Lampila left Poukawa to establish a mission on the banks of the Upper Wanganui, and Father Regnier
In 1889 the districts entrusted to the Marist Fathers in New Zealand were canonically erected into a religious province, and the house of Meanee was made the Novitiate and Scholasticate; that is, a house of probation for those who wish to join the society, and of study for aspirants to the priesthood who have already completed their classical course of studies. The Very Rev. Dr. Pestre, S.M., who had been for many years professor of Theology in France, Ireland, and America, was appointed first Superior and Master of Novices. The classes opened in February, 1890, with three or four students, but the number gradually increased to fifteen or sixteen, and additions were made to the building in 1892 and 1896. The completed house presents an imposing appearance, and is a fine two-storeyed building with two long wings. On one side, on the ground floor, are situated the parlour, dining room, and kitchen, with other necessary offices; above these are bed-rooms, a small oratory, a dormitory, and bathrooms. On the ground floor of the left wing, and surrounded by a beautiful verandah, are the study and recreation halls, and above these are a large oratory, and another dormitory. The centre of the building is occupied by the professors' rooms. In front is a beautifully-laid-out flower garden, while on each side and behind are an orchard, a vegetable garden, and vineyard. The average number of students is fourteen or fifteen, and since the foundation of the institution, in 1890, twenty-six priests have been educated and ordained within its walls.
Meanee, was founded by Father Regnier, and was originally built in 1863, the present fine structure taking its place in 1893. The church, which was built at a cost of £1,300, is of Gothic style, and is capable of seating 300 worshippers. Adjacent is the Convent of St. Joseph, originally intended for the education of Maori children, but afterwards changed into an establishment for the education of European children. It is presided over by the Rev. Mother Aloysius, and three sisters of the Order of St. Joseph, from Sydney. There is an attendance of 112 pupils, who can also receive instruction in the higher branches of education. The school is annually inspected by the Government inspector, whose reports are of a satisfactory character.
sometime of St. Mary's Church, Meanee, is a native of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, studied at the Royal Grand Ducal Gymnasium, in that city, and was ordained at Treves in 1859. After ministering in France, England, Ireland, and America, he came to New Zealand in 1869, where he has laboured in several parts of the Colony. He took over the charge of St. Mary's in 1895, but subsequently retired, and has since resided in Napier.
is a prosperous township in a thriving district, on the south side of the Ngaruroro river, six and a half miles southwest from Napier, and is connected by a bridge with the railway station at Farndon, on the opposite side of the river. It is situated in the county of Hawke's Bay, and is one of the earliest settlements of the province. In the early days trading boats called at East Clive, and before the frozen mutton industry was established many boiling-down factories carried on their operations in the district. Clive has at several times suffered from severe floods, notably the flood of 1897, in which ten men from Napier lost their lives in attempting to rescue the flooded-out settlers. To commemorate this deed of heroism a handsome monument has been erected on the Marine Parade, Napier. There is a large public school at Clive, one hotel, several churches, Oddfellows' and Foresters' Lodges, several athletic clubs, and a beautiful park twenty acres in extent. Dairy farming, market gardening, wool scouring and fellmongering are the chief industries of the district.
Clive. Mr. J. B. Illingworth, the proprietor, established this business in the year 1890, since when it has grown into an important industry. About 200 bales of wool are treated annually, the business undertaken is chiefly on commission; although in 1905 Mr. Illingworth bought 100 bales on his own account, which he treated, and subquently disposed of at a good price in the London market. There are two artesian wells on the property, which give a plentiful supply of water to an up-to-date improved patent scouring box, in which the wool is washed; also a strainer, a reservoir, and a Taylor and Bremmer wool press.
The works, which are situated on the banks of the Ngaruroro river, have a drying ground of half an acre of land.
is a native of Halifax, Yorkshire, England. He came to New Zealand in the ship “Roslyn Castle,” arriving in Port Chalmers in 1871. He remained for six years in Dunedin, where he was employed as a wool classer by Messrs Murray, Roberts and Company, and other large wool brokers. He then, in conjunction with Mr. Andrew Hepburn, established wool scouring works and a fellmongery in Pleasant Valley, near Palmerston South. He subsequently sold out, however, and in 1876 settled in Hawke's Bay. Mr. Illingworth, as an expert, is engaged each season in classifying Messrs W. J. and A. F. Douglas' “Te Mahanga” and Lake station clips, which are the largest and most important in Hawke's Bay. He has been a member of the Clive School Committee, and has done much to promote the welfare of the district. Mr. Illingworth married a daughter of Mr. Argue, of Belfast, Ireland, and has, surviving, a family of two daughters, both of whom are married.
Wool-Scourers and Fellmongers, Wha
of the firm of Messrs R. Tucker and Company, was born and educated in Auckland, and learned his present business in Hawke's Bay. He is an expert on everything appertaining to wool, and has been engaged on several occasions to classify the “Marac-kakaho” clip. Mr. Tucker is a member of the Havelock School Committee, and the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society.
of the firm of Messrs R. Tucker and Company, is the son of the late Mr. Edward Tucker, an old colonist, who arrived in New Zealand in the barque “William Bryant” in 1841. He was educated in Auckland, and for many years afterwards was engaged in station work in Hawkes Bay. He is a member of the Mangateretere School Committee, and the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society. Mr. Tucker married a daughter of Mr. Edward Howse, of Puketapu. This lady passed away in 1893, leaving a family of five sons and four daughter.
Sausage Casing Works, Clive (Charles F. Hansen, manager). Head Office, Pearl Street, New York, U.S.A. This business was established by Mr. John Rothe, of Wellington, in the year 1892. The runners are obtained from the North British and Tomoana Freezing Works, and the Napier Abattoirs, and after being treated are shipped in barrels to New York. The yearly output is about 120,000 Ibs, of easings. There are four artesian wells eighteen large vats in the works, and sixteen persons are employed during the season.
was born in Denmark, in 1859, and spent his early manhood in seafaring life. He made his first trip to New Zealand in 1881, and for eight years afterwards was engaged in the coastal trade as second mate on Mr. J. H. Vautier's vessels. Mr. Hansen gained his experience in factory work with Mr. John Rothe, and in 1894 when the present company bought the plant, he was installed as manager of the works. He is a member of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, and is a Freemason and Oddfellow of many years' standing. Mr. Hansen married a daughter of the late Mr. W. Krause, of Napier, in 1889, and has three sons and one daughter.
General Store and Post Office, West Clive. This business was established in the year 1866, by Mr. J. Bray, and taken over by Mr. Thornton in 1888. The store contains a large and varied stock of general goods, and a considerable trade with the settlers in the sur
Clive, was established in the year 1880, by the present proprietor, Mr. C. H. Alley, who recognised the growing need for barrels by the various freezing and other companies in the district. The timber used in construction comes from Oringi, near Danne-virke, and is peculiarly suitable for the requirements of the trade. Barrels of all sizes are turned out as required, and the work is first class in quality. The machinery, which is up-to-date in every respect, includes a crozing and head-cutting machine, a cross-cut saw and stave joiner, and planing and hoop-flaring machines. The whole is driven by an eight horse-power Tangye engine, and the staff are capable of turning out 100 barrels a day. The coopery manufactures for the North British and Hawke's Bay Freezing Works, Messrs Nelson Brothers, and Messrs Bowron and Butcher.
proprietor of the Farndon Coopery, was born in Queen's County, Ireland, in 1846; came to New Zealand in the ship “Constance,” and arrived in Wellington in 1862. Subsequently he went to Hawke's Bay, where he was employed by Messrs Nelson Brothers, but afterwards left their employment in order to establish himself in business as a contractor, an occupation he followed for many years. After a time spent in Fardon as a timber merchant and coal dealer, he branched out in his present enterprise. Mr. Alley served in the Colonial Defence Force in 1864, under Major Whitmore and Captain Anderson, and in the volunteers under Captain Gordon, at the taking of the Omaranui pa in 1866. He has been a member of the Clive school and licensing committees and the road board. He married Miss Margaret Odlum, of Auck-land, in 1868, and has four sons and five daughters.
Cape Kidnappers, Clive, is the property of Captain T. E. Gordon, and is managed by his son, Mr. F. L. Gordon. The property is freehold, and consists of 13,314 acres of hilly and undulating country, the portion at Cape Kidnappers being chiefly gullies, ravines, and rough, broken country. “Clifton” carries 19,000 half-bred Romney-Marsh sheep, of which 10,500 are breeding ewes, and the lambing average is about eighty per cent. There are also 1,450 head of cattle, and upwards of 100 horses on the property. The wool clip, which averages about 400 bales, is shipped direct to the Home market, and the best prices are realised. There, are two homesteads on the estate, both modern buildings, one facing the sea, and the other on the banks of the Maraetotara river. Four generations of the Gordons have already resided at “Clifton.”
manager of Chifton station, was born in Napier, and received his education at the United Services College, Westward Ho, Devonshire, England. He returned to New Zealand in the year 1884, and took up his residence at “Clifton,” the property of his father. Mr. Gordon is a member of the Hastings Polo Club, the Hawke's Bay Jockey Clúb, and the Napier Park Racing Club, and has been a member of the Hawke's Bay County Council, the Clive River Board and Road Board, and the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society. He married a daughter of Mr. Thomas Turner, of “Engsleigh,” Havelock, and has one son and one daughter.
(Patterson, Mossman, and Company, proprietors; Mr. James S. Russell, manager), Clive. This property of 600 acres contains some of the best land in the district, is splendidly watered, and capable of raising enormous crops. Two hundred and fifty head of cattle are depastured, including eighty milking cows. The milking is done on the shares principle, and the product supplied daily to Messrs W. Stock and Company's creamery, Napier. There are also a number of sheep and horses on the property, grass being plentiful all the year round. About fifty acres are cropped annually, maize and barley doing exceedingly well, whilst a paddock of lucerne during the year 1906 was reaped three times. The farm is well fenced, and well managed, and is one of the best paying properties in the district. Situated on the property are several dwelling houses and substantial up-to-date outbuildings. The cow shed, which is well appointed, has thirty-six stalls.
manager of the Fardon Dairy Farm, entered upon his present duties in September, 1904. He was born in Auckland in the year 1868, and was educated in the Waikato. Subsequently he spent fourteen years on sheep stations in Hawke's Bay, where he gained experience in agricultural and pastoral matters. Mr. Russell is an energetic manager, and thoroughly competent to carry out the duties which he has undertaken.
Situated on the Heretaunga Plain, about twelve miles south of Napier, Hastings is one of the most thriving inland towns in the North Island of New Zealand, with an assured prosperous future as the population of the colony increases. The Havelock hills slope down almost to the borough boundary on the east, while forty miles away the lofty Ruahines present a serrated horizon, leaving Hastings with “ample scope and verge enough,” to expand in all directions.
The early history of Hastings is fraught with interest. In 1864 or 1865, the Heretaunga block, a portion of which now constitutes the borough of Hastings, was first leased from the natives by Messrs Thomas Tanner and William Rich. This block comprised that portion of the plains between the Ngaruroro river and what was then known as the Waitio creek, but which has now become the ordinary bed of the Ngaruroro, owing to the great floods of 1867 causing the river to alter its course from one side of the block to the other. After the lease had been in force for some years, the lessees formed a syndicate of twelve persons (who became commonly known in Hawke's Bay as the “Twelve Apostles”), and purchased the freehold from the natives. Among those admitted into this partnership were Messrs Gordon Hill, J. N. Williams, J. D. Ormond, A. H. Russell, W. R. Russell and the Rev. Samuel (afterwards Archdeacon) Williams. It has been said that these early settlers acquired their property for the proverbial song, and, if the thirty shillings an acre they paid for it be compared with the present value of land in Hastings, the statement would seem to have
Shortly after this, the idea of carrying the railway through the district was mooted, and in the year 1873 Mr. F. Hicks cut up a hundred acres into town lots. The first business place was started in a small two-roomed building on the present Union Bank corner, in which Mr. Hicks opened a store and post office. Mr. F. Sutton bought a site and erected the Railway Hotel, which has since been rebuilt in brick. On the 17th of April, 1897, the Ngaruroro river burst the embankments—that had stood for twenty years—near Ray's Hill, and occasioned the loss of several lives, and great loss in stock and property to the settlers in the low-lying district. The River Board, subsidised by the Hastings Borough Council, have erected new protective works on the Hastings side of the river. Under the impetus given to the district by the advent of the railway, the town gradually grew and prospered, the swamps were drained, population increased, places of business sprang up, and Hastings grew from its unpromising beginning into a busy borough, the centre of a flourishing agricultural, pastoral, fruit, and vine-growing country.
The Heretaunga riding was formerly included in the Hawke's Bay county, and was governed by a road board, responsible to the county council. This body existed for several years, until, towards the end of 1883, Hastings was constituted a town district, and the first meeting of the town board was held on the 4th of February, 1884. The town further progressed, and was formed into a borough in 1886.
The first school was established in the old Masonic Hall, which is now used as a private school for infants. The building was erected and the school maintained by private subscriptions, supplemented by a Government subsidy. This was continued until the present system of education came into operation. When Mr. Thomas Tanner sold that portion of his property known as East Hastings, he reserved a site, which he presented for the erection of a school house and residence, and upon these grounds the present large schools stand.
Hastings has a daily evening newspaper, “The Hastings Standard;” three banks, namely, the Bank of New Zealand, the Union Bank, and the Bank of New South Wales; several public buildings, a drill hall, a theatre, Masonic hall, public library, a large number of fine business premises, and several handsome private residences. There are four churches—Anglican, Roman Catholic, Wesleyan, and Presbyterian. Hastings' industries include a sash-and-door factory, a coach factory, an agricultural implement factory, wool-scouring works, a bacon-curing establishment, a brewery, and a butter factory. There are also two extensive freezing works near the town, that of Messrs Nelson Brothers, established in the year 1880, and the works of Messrs Borthwick, and Son, Limited, opened in 1906. Accommodation is provided in Hastings by six hotels and a number of private boarding houses. The racecourse of the Hawke's Bay Jockey Club is situated near the centre of the borough, and is one of the best appointed and most up-to-date in the colony. It possesses an artificial lake, overhung with willows, a
Fruit growing has become an important industry in the district, and hops are also cultivated. Besides the famous Frimley orchards, which support a large canning factory, there are extensive vineyards at Te Mata. The Hawke's Bay Fruit Growers' Company, which deal largely in the products of the orchards and vineyards, has its head-quarters in Hastings.
was constituted in the year 1886, and the first meeting of the Council was held on the 20th of October, in the same year. The local governing body, prior to that date, was a town board, which had jurisdiction for about three years. The first Mayor who held office was Mr. Robert Wellwood, who was followed successively by Messrs George Ellis. C. A. Fitzroy, W. F. Burnett, W. Lane. W. Y. Dennett, and T. J. Thompson. The borough has an area of 5,710 acres, the largest area of any borough in the colony, and the population is 4,594. A general rate of ⅙ in the £, is struck on the annual value, which is £54,000; and there is also a special rate of 7d, in the. There are two loans; one of £25,000 for drainage and sewerage works, and another of £2,500 for the erection of an abattoir. The town is well lighted by forty-eight street lamps, supplied with gas from local works, which are owned and controlled by the Napier Gas Company. The drainage works were constructed at a cost of £25,000; the main sewer, which is of brick and concrete, is three miles long, with a total fall of twenty feet, and discharges into the Ngaruroro river. A good, water supply is obtained from artesian wells, and the borough has good roads. Hastings has a “Carnegie” library, and a municipal abattoir. Members of the Council for the year 1906: Mr. T. J. Thompson (Mayor); and Messrs W. C. Maddison, George Ellis, Charles Cunnold, R. Brathwaite, F. C. Tipping, A, A. George, James Collins, W. H. Smith, and J. Beatson.
who was elected to office in April, 1906, has been a member of the Borough Council since the year 1898. He was born in 1855, in Londonderry, Ireland, where he was educated and brought up to farm work. In 1874 Mr. Thompson came to New Zealand, and landed at Napier. He afterwards established himself in business in Hastings, and is' now senior partner in the firm of Thompson Brothers. Mr. Thompson was chairman of the Havelock School Committee, and is a member of the Hastings Lodge of Freemasons.
member of the Hastings Borough Council, was born in London, England, came to New Zealand in the year 1864, by the ship “Queen of the Deep,” and landed at Auckland. Proceeding shortly afterwards to Napier, he first entered the service of one of the banks for a short time, then went on to a station, and managed “Riverslea” for about four years. He afterwards acquired Eskdale station, where for four years he was engaged in sheep-farming. Mr. Brathwaite then sold his run, and became associated in the business of Messrs Williams and Kettle for about two years. After severing his connection with that firm he started his present agency business, in conjunction with Mr. F. C. Tipping, but this partnership was subsequently dissolved. He is secretary to the Hastings Building Society, and has been for many years registrar of births, deaths, and marriages, and vice-president of the Athenaeum. Mr. Brathwaite took part in the fight of Omaranui in 1866, where he was slightly wounded, and was promoted to the rank of sergeant. He afterwards joined the cavalry, in which he attained the rank of lieutenant, and was engaged against the natives after the Poverty Bay and Mohaka masacres.
was elected a member of the Hastings Borough Council in April, 1905. He was born in Nottinghamshire, England, on the 20th of April, 1835, and at ten years of age went to South Australia. Mr. Collins arrived in New Zealand in the year 1854, and took up land at Patangata, where he successfully farmed a property for many years. He now (1906) lives, in retirement in Hastings.
was elected to the Hastings Borough Council in April, 1905. He was born at Ipswich, Suffolk, England, in July, 1867, and was educated at the North Gate Collegiate School. Mr. Cunnold was employed in the building trade in his native town for some years, and emigrated to New Zealand in 1891. He joined the Auckland staff of the proprietors of the well known Beale Sewing Machine, and in 1892 was transferred as agent to Hawke's Bay. Ten years later he acquired the firm's interest in the province, and has since conducted, the business on his own account, importing his machines direct from the manufacturers. Mr. Cunnold has been a member of the Order of Oddfellows for thirteen years, and he is a prominent member of the Wesleyan Church.
a member of the Hastings Borough Council, was a member of the first council, was elected second mayor of Hastings, and filled the mayoral chair live times subsequently.
was first elected to the Hastings Borough Council in the year 1900, and has held a seat continuously since. He was born on the 20th of April, 1854, at Thaives Inn, Holborn Hill, England, where his family for four generations have been, and still are, printers, his grandfather being the inventor of the present-day style of envelopes. Mr. George emigrated with his parents to New Zealand in 1864, and landed in Dunedin. He resided in Otago for nearly twenty years, and during that time learned lithographing with his father, and letter-press printing in the “Otago Daily Times” Office. He also for a time attended, in Dunedin, the night school conducted by Mr. (now Sir) Robert Stout. Mr. George visited the Dunstan and Gabriel's Gully diggings in 1876, and was the first printer in Tapanui, Otago, having in 1878 taken a plant there from Lawrence, for Messrs Mooney and Quin, whose paper, the “Courier,” he printed for several years. The machinery was conveyed on a dray, and the journey of thirty-two miles took three days to accomplish. Early in the “eighties” Mr. George went to Gisborne, where he was for a time manager of the “Standard,” and, later on, removed to Napier, where he became successively jobbing foreman and printer of the “Evening News.” In 1885 Mr. George settled in Hastings, and in 1887 he issued the first paper in the township, a “daily,” known as the “Hastings Star,” which ran for some years; he subsequently became editor and publisher of the “New Zealand Bulletin.” Mr. George is a member, and one of the founders of the Hastings Band, of which he was conductor for several years. He also helped to form the Hastings Fire Brigade, was for fourteen years its secretary and lieutenant, and as a delegate to the Fire Brigades' Association has attended conferences, in various parts of the colony. Mr. George was a member of the Dunedin Naval Brigade in 1870, was for a time trumpeter of the Dunedin Hussars, and was one of the first mounted volunteers to enlist for service at the time of the Parihaka affair.
who has been a member of the Hastings Borough Council since 1895, was born on the 3rd of February, 1852, in Lincolnshire, England. He came to New Zealand with his parents at an early age, received a public and private school education, and was brought up to the retail trade in Christchurch. He removed to Hastings in 1877, and became manager for Messrs E. Beck and Company, whose business he subsequently took over, and conducted on his own account.
member of the Hastings Borough Council, was born in Northumberland, England, and is a son of the late Mr. Thomas Eustace Smith, of Newcastle. He was educated at Harrow, and was afterwards articled to Messrs Price. Waterhouse and Company, of London, with whom he remained for three years. Mr. Smith came to New Zealand in 1878, and settled in Napier. He was for some time employed on “Hedgelay,” the property of the late Captain Carr, from whom he subsequently leaded the estate. Mr. Smith has taken great interest in public matters, and has been connected with a large number of local bodies during his residence in Hawke's Bay. He married a daughter of Mr. T. Tanner, of Riverslea, and has three daughters and three sons.
was elected to the Hastings Borough Council in April, 1905. He was born in the County of Dublin, Ireland, in the year 1846, and came to New Zealand in the “fifties.” For nearly thirty years he farmed in the Kaiapoi district, and in 1890 removed to Hawke's Bay, where he has since successfully conducted business as a provision merchant.
who has been town clerk of Hastings since the formation of the Borough in 1886, was formerly clerk of the Town Board from its inception in 1883.
was founded in the year 1886, with Mr. S. T. Tong as its first captain. The brigade has always been an efficient one, and is subsidised by the Borough Council to the extent of seventy-five pounds a year. The station is a two-storeyed wooden building, situated in Eastbourne
Captain of the Hastings Volunteer Fire Brigade, was born in Saxony, Germany, on the 29th of June, 1861, was educated by private tutors, and came to New Zealand at fourteen years of age. He settled in Napier, where he, learned the building trade under Mr. J. Renouf, and afterwards worked as a journeyman for a few years in Auckland and other parts of the Colony. In 1882 Mr. Brausch removed to Hastings, where, after working as a journeyman for ten years, he started in business on his own account as a builder and contractor. He has since conducted a successful business, and has erected many important buildings. Mr. Brausch was a member of the Hastings Rifles, and has been a member of the Ancient Order of Foresters for many years.
First Foreman of the Hastings Volunteer Fire Brigade, first joined the brigade at its formation, in 1886. Three years later he resigned, and went to Australia, where he formed and for some time was captain of a similar corps at Woodonga, Victoria. In the year 1893 he returned to Hastings, rejoined the Brigade, and was soon afterwards appointed first lieutenant. Mr. Keith went to South Africa in 1902, and on his return to New Zealand, two years later, was elected to his present position. He was born at Dufïtown, Banfïshire, Scotland, in 1863, and came to New Zealand at eleven years of age. He afterwards learned carpentry at Havelock, and for many years subsequently worked as a journeyman. Later, he conducted business on his own account for about eight months at Hastings, and in 1995 entered into partnership with Mr. Styles. Mr. Keith is a member of the Orange Lodge, and of the Ancient Order of Foresters.
was appointed Chief Engineer of the Hastings Volunteer Fire Brigade, in the year 1899. He has made a special
was established in the year 1903, and stands on a section of five and a-half acres on the northern boundary of the borough. It is a brick building with concrete foundations, and contains a slaughter room and two cooling rooms, and all the modern improvements. The killing is done by contract, the number of carcases put through in the year 1904, were: cattle, 821; calves, 48; sheep, 5,749; lambs, 556; pigs, 326.
M.R.C.V.S., Government Inspector of Meat at Hastings, and Manager of the Municipal Abattoir, emigrated to New Zealand in December, 1899, under engagement to the New Zealand Government. He was stationed successively at Timaru and Christchurch, before receiving his present appointment in 1904. Mr. Rait was born at Anerley, Surrey, England, on the 3rd of September, 1876, and is the second son of a former merchant in India. He was educated at the University College, London, where he matriculated, and then entered the Royal Veterinary College, where he graduated M.R.C.V.S., with honours, in 1899. Mr. Rait first visited New Zealand in the early “nineties,” when he gained some experience in colonial farm life. He is married and has three children.
formerly a member of the Hastings Borough Council, was born in Lowestoft. England, and came to New Zealand in the year 1865, by the ship “Liverpool,” He landed at Auckland, and for a short time after his arrival was engaged in gum-digging. In 1866 he went to Napier, and then visited the Thames in the early days of the field. Two years later Mr. Beecroft returned to Napier, and was appointed salesman and manager to Messrs Kinross and Company, merchants, and remained with the firm for eight years. In 1877 Mr. Beecroft removed to Hastings, and purchased the Railway Hotel. Subsequently he established and conducted for many years one of the largest and most complete livery stables in Hawke's Bay. During the visit of the viceregal party to Hastings. His Excellency the Governor specially complimented Mr. Beecroft on the style of his laundaus and general turnout on that occasion. He also took first prize at the Palmerston Agricultural and Pastoral Show, for four years in succession, for the best pair of carriage horses. Mr. Beecroft owns the Lucknow estate at Havelock, on which he has built a residence known as “Dilkhoosha.” He has been a successful breeder of Shropshire sheep, and has won first and champion prizes with his exhibits at the local agricultural and pastoral shows. Mr Beecroft took part in all matters associated with the advancement of Hastings, was a member of the Heretaunga Road Board until the district was taken over by the County Council, and was a member of the Hastings Borough Council in 1894. He is a Freemason, was lodge secretary for two years, and claims to be the father of the Foresters in Hawke's Bay, having called the first meeting of the Order, at Napier in 1871.
first entered the Hastings Borough Council in the year 1898, in the following year was elected Mayor, and has five times since occupied the civic chair. He was born in Hobart, Tasmania on the 4th of October, 1845, and spent some years on the Victorian gold-fields. In the early “sixties” he took part in the rush to the Otago diggings, and, later, joined the A troop of the Colonial Defence Force, under Captain Lassier, and proceeded to Hawke's Bay, where he was stationed at Peka Peka, and other military posts. Soon afterwards Mr. Dennett enlisted in the Napier militia, saw active service at Omaranui, and in other engagements, and for some years subsequently was a member of the Napier Rifles. He was afterwards engaged in survey work on the coast between Napier and Gisborne, and then started a cab service between Napier and the Spit. He then took over, the Central Hotel in Napier, and was afterwards manager of the Masonic Hotel. He subsequently engaged in hotel-keeping at Havelock North, and, later, in Hasting, where he built the Albert Hotel, and then conducted the Carlton Club Hotel. Mr. Dennett finally established himself as an auctioneer, financial, insurance, land, and general commission agent, and has been appointed agent for the State Fire Insurance, and is Registrar of Electors. He is a life Governor of the Napier Hospital, has been for many years a member of the Hawke's Bay United Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, a director of the Hawke's Bay and Star-Bowkett Building Societies, a trustee of various Friendly Societies, a trustee of the Hastings Technical School, and a
was a member of the Hastings Borough Council at its inception, and was Mayor for four years. During his term of office a system of surface drainage, involving an expenditure of £5,000 was undertaken. Mr. Fitz-Roy was born in Norfolk, England, and was educated at Eton and Cambridge. He went to Australia in the year 1867, afterwards came to New Zealand, and took up land in Canterbury, where he was engaged in sheep-farming for twelve years. Mr. Fitz-Roy then removed to the North Island, has since resided on his property, “Ringstead,” near Hastings, and has taken an active part in public affairs. For several years he represented Selwyn in the House of Representatives. He was one of the first members of the Selwyn County Council, has been a member of the Hawke's Bay Education Board, was a member of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board for some considerable time, is a member of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, and has taken an active part in acclimatisation work. Mr. Fitz-Roy married Miss Beetham, of the Hutt, and has two sons and two daughters.
J.P., formerly a member of the Borough Council of Hastings, is a grandson of the late Colonel James Hughes, who fought at the Battle of Waterloo, and settled afterwards in Victoria. Mr. Hughes was born in Fitzroy, Melbourne, in the year 1850, and was brought up by his grandfather, who articled him to a firm of architects. Not liking the profession, he entered the service of Mr. W. S. Cox, pork butcher, Bourke Street, Melbourne, with whom he served for five years as an apprentice. After serving his time he went to the Spring Creek “rush” for a short time, when he joined a meat preserving factory, in which he was employed for five years. In 1868 he came to New Zealand, landing at Dunedin, but continued his journey to Oamaru, where he found employment in the meat preserving works for two years. He then started business for himself, and about three years after wards made arrangements to proceed to Melbourne by the ill-fated “Tararua,” but owing to some changes in his plans he had to forego his intended journey, and came to Wellington, a fortunate change for him, as the “Tararua” was lost with nearly all hands. In Wellington he entered the service of Mr. Gear, remained with him three years, and in 1883 removed to Hastings, and started a business which he afterwards sold to Messrs Nelson Brothers, Mr. Hughes then proceeded to Masterton, where he bought an old-established business, which he carried on for three years, then returned to Hastings in 1894, Mr. Hughes has been fortunate in his speculations, and is the owner of considerable house property in Hastings. He takes a keen interest in politics, and has been a strong supporter of the Ballance Government and its successors. He is a member of the Hibernian and Druid societies, and was formerly a member of the licensing committee. In Masterton he was a member of the borough council, after defeating a candidate who had been member for fourteen years. Mr. Hughes was first returned to the Hastings Borough Council in 1886, and re-elected an 1895. He married the daughter of Mr. John Bridgeman, of Knockfinney, Ballingarry, County Limerick, Ireland, and has an only son.
J.P., formerly a member of the Hastings Borough Council, was born in Cape Bretón, Nova Scotia, in the year 1843. He left that Colony with his father and family for New Zealand, in 1859, by the barque “Ellen Lewis” (330 tons), and landed in Auckland in 1860. He worked for nearly fourteen years in the Auckland province, engaged in carpentering, bridge and ship-building, bush-felling, pit-sawing, and other pursuits, a considerable portion of this time being spent at Waipu, Omaha, and Whangarci. In 1873 Mr. McLeod removed to Gisborne, and was engaged in building the first Masonic Hotel in that town. In the following year he settled in Hawke's Bay, where for a number of years he was engaged in house and bridge-building. He erected Mr. Sydney Johnston's beautiful residence at Takapan, and at Waipukurau—where he resided for six years—he built the Angliean Church, town hall, and other buildings, and also Mr. Bridge's flour mill at Onga Onga. In 1881 he removed to Hastings, where he was engaged in the house building trade, and in 1887, in conjunction with Mr. Knight, started a saw-mill at Tahoraite, which was carried on for about four years, during which time he was a member of the Dannevirke Road Board and School Committee. Returning to Hastings in 1891, he started in business in 1893 as a timber merchant, and purchased the Makotuku saw-mill, which was burnt down early in 1896, but was re-erected at Waikopiro in the same year. Mr. McLeod was elected to the first Hastings Borough Council in 1887, retired in 1888, was reelected in 1892, and retired in 1895. In 1878 he married Miss Isabella Coghill, of Bower, Caithness, Scotland, and has, surviving, one son.
formerly a member of the Hastings Borough Council, has been connected with local politics for many years. He was a member of the old town board, and was a member of the school committee for fifteen years. Mr. Tong was born in Falmouth, England, where he was educated and
formerly a member of the Hastings Borough Council, has been connected with local affairs for many years. He was chairman of the old town board before the town wss formed into a borough, a member of the borough council at its incpetion, having been the first mayor, and filled the civie chair for three years in succession. Mr. Wellwood has been an energetic supporter of all progressive movements for the welfare of the town, such as drainage, and the formation of streets and footpaths. He was born in Ireland, and came to Wellington in the ship “Queen of the Avon,” in the year 1859. He subsequently visited the Otago and Hokitika diggings, and then removed to Hawke's Bay, where for two years he managed Mr. J. William's estate. He then took up the land on which he resided until he acquired his present property in 1887, which consists of 450 acres of good pastoral country. Mr. Wellwood devotes his chief attention to grazing and stock-dealing. He has been connected with the local Masonic lodge for many years, and has held office as W.M. Mr. Wellwood has been twice married, and has nine children.
was erected in the year 1896, and is a wooden building, situated at the corner of Station Street and Queen Street. It contains a general public room, a mail and operating room, the Government Life and Accident Insurance, and the money order and savings bank departments. The telephone exchange is in a separate building. Mr. S. F. Haszard is postmaster.
was opened in the year 1874. The station buildings contain the usual offices and appointments; there is a fine asphalt platform, and also considerable yard accommodation. Mr. C. A. Heald is the stationmaster-in-charge.
was established as a primary school, and the secondary department was not introduced until the year 1905. Mr. W. O. McLeod, the first master, conducted it for many years, and was succeeded in 1883 by Mr. J. A. Smith, the present headmaster. The school buildings stand on a section of five and a-half acres, situated at the corner of Southampton Street and Karamu Road, which was given by Mr. Thomas Tanner. The larger building contains five lofty, and well-lighted rooms, and the smaller, which includes the infants' and secondary departments, three rooms. The school possesses an excellent workshop, and the large playground is asphalted. There are 700 scholars on the roll, and the average attendance is 620. The school has always done excellent work, and obtained good results at the annual examinations. The head-master is assisted by a staff of four male assistants, five female assistants, and five pupil teachers.
B.A., was born in Manchester, England, on the 2nd of March, 1858, and is the youngest son of a flour miller. He was educated and served as a pupil teacher in the Manchester schools, and then proceeded to the Durham Training College. In 1879 he emigrated to New Zealand, and in the following year joined the service of the Education Department as first assistant master in the Napier Boys' High School. He was subsequently appointed head-master of the Port Ahuriri school, and in 1883. He is a member of the Hastings Bowling Club, and a past master of the Masonic fraternity.
First Assistant Master of the Hastings District High School, was born at Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England, on the 13th December, 1874, and is the son of Mr. T. G. Hudson, accountant, of Christchurch. He came to New Zealand with his parents at an early age, and was educated at the East Christchurch public school, where he also served as a pupil entered the Christchurch Normal School, for additionl training as a teacher, and during the following year was engaged as a relieving master in and about Christchurch. Early in 1897 Mr. Hudson was appointed to relieve the first assistant master of the Hastings district public school, was
Third Assistant Master of the Hastings District High School, was born at Riccarton, near Christchurch, on the 26th of June, 1884. For some years he attended the public schools in Canterbury, and in 1896 removed to Napier, where at the district school in the following year he won a scholarship, and was dux of the school. He proceeded to the Napier Boys' High School, eighteen months later became a pupil teacher in the Port Ahuriri public school, and afterwards served for two years at the Meanee school, where he obtained the D Certificate, with special mention in science. Mr. Jones was then appointed assistant master of the Waipukurau school, and received his present appointment in April, 1906.
Master of the Secondary Department of the Hastings District High School, was born at Croydon, England, in the year 1874, and came to New Zealand in 1876. He was educated primarily at public schools, gained a scholarship, and was for three years subsequently at the Rangiora District High School. In 1899 Mr. Pegler became a pupil teacher under the North Canterbury Board, a few years later matriculated, and gained the D certificate, and was then for one year at the Christchurch Normal Training School, and at Canterbury College. In June, 1897, he was appointed second assistant master at Kaiapoi, and afterwards became first assistant master at the Greymouth District High School. Mr. Pegler was subsequently headmaster of the Cobden school, whence he succeeded to his present appointment.
Frederick Street, Hastings, was opened on the 24th of August, 1903. It is a wooden building, well ventilated and lighted, and has accommodation for about 120 pupils. There is also a fine playground, three acres in extent. 135 scholars are on the roll, and the average attendance is 120. The school has always done excellent work, and obtained good results at the annual examinations.
was appointed head-master of the Mahora District School at its inception in 1903. He was born at Bristol, England, on the 14th of September, 1876, and came out to New Zealand with his parents at four years of age. He was educated partly at the Normal School, Christchurch, where he gained a scholarship, and at the Boys' High School. Mr. Chaplin was then appointed pupil teacher in the Richmond school, and afterwards served the usual term
situated about four miles south-east from Hastings, was first opened in the early “nineties.” It is a wooden building, standing on a section of one acre, and contains one large classroom and two proches; there is also a teacher's residence of five rooms on the property. The roll number is fifty, and the average attendance forty-three. Excellent results have been obtained at the annual examinations.
Head-master of the Pukahu public school, was born at Porirua, Wellington, on the 12th of December, 1877, and was educated at the Hawke's Bay public schools. He won a Board-of-Education scholarship in 1891 and became a pupil teacher in the Taradale school. In 1897 Mr. McCutcheon obtained the E certificate, and in the following year was promoted as assistant master of the school. In January, 1904, he obtained the D certificate, and now holds a D2 qualification. For years he attended the technical classes established by the Hawke's Bay Board of Education. He accepted his present appointment in 1903. For three years he was a member of the Napier Rifles, and on the occasion of the Duke of York's visit to New Zealand, the commanded a squad of cadets that took part in the military display in Christchurch. Mr. McCutcheon acts as postmaster and mail carrier for the district.
(William Gray, B.A., principal), Karamu Road, Hastings. The primary object of this school is to provide a thorough English public school education; the course includes preparation for Matriculation, Medical Preliminary, and Civil Service examinations. The school is situated in a very healthy part of Hastings, and is one of the best in the Hawke's Bay province. It was established in the year 1882 by Mr. W. Rainbow, and subsequently acquired by the present proprietor. The house is a fine twostoreyed building, and is admirably adapted for its purpose. The cubicles are spacious and healthy, and arranged on the collegiate principle of the Old Country. The main schoolroom is sixty feet by twenty feet in dimensions, and is well lighted. Every convenience has been provided, including inside and outside lavatories and bathrooms. The grounds are one of the features of the place, and comprise in all about six acres, including tennis courts, cricket and football grounds, and gardens, which afford ample scope for physical recreation; there is also a workshop, where the boys are given a thorough technical training. The staff includes Mr. W. Gray, B.A. (principal), Mr. S. Harvey, M.A. (first assistant master), teachers. The fees for boarders are fifty guineas per annum, which includes stationery, laundry, etc.
B.A., Principal of the Heretaunga Boarding and
was established by Miss Hodge in the year 1895, and from its commencement her object has been to train her pupils, not only in the usual school routine, but in technical work also, and in physical culture, with the result that—although strictly mental subjects are in no way neglected—the girls are enthusiastic workers at carpentry, carving, cooking, and laundry work, drawing (both model and free-hand), painting and decorative designing, music, singing, elocution, needlework in all its branches—including both chart and practical dress-making—fencing, gymnastics, calisthnics and drill, dancing, and both flower and vegetable gardening. The grounds are five acres in extent, and the pupils find abundant exercise in playing hockey and tennis, and in practising for the athletic and swimming sports. The staff consists entirely of trained teachers, including holders of University degrees and foreign diplomas, and pupils are prepared for the matriculation and civil service examinations, if their parents so desire. The Kindergarten is thoroughly up to date, both in its teaching staff and appliances, and, besides being a popular institution, the result of its training is very noticeable when the children enter the regular school classes. The health of the school is exceptionally good, no doubt owing to the well-aired class-rooms, and the fact that the equability of the Hawke's Bay climate permits classses being held in the open air during most days in the year.
at Hastings, is situated in King Street, on a section two acres in extent, and is a wooden building with seating accommodation for 250 persons. There is an excellent Sunday school in connection with the church.
Vicar of St. Matthew's Anglican Church, was born in India, completed his education in England, and in the year 1876 came to New Zealand. He was stationed in Otago for fourteen years, in January, 1890, became curate at Hastings, and was afterwards appointed vicar.
Hastings, is situated at the corner of Market Street and Lyndon Road. The original church was replaced by the present building in the year 1906, the foundation stone being laid by the Rt. Hon. R. J. Seddon, late Premier of New Zealand. It is a wooden building with a concrete foundation and tiled roof, and has a large square tower with a tall spire. The old church, which is now used as a Sunday school, occupies with the manse a half-acre section on the opposite corner, and is a wooden building with seating accommodation for about 250 persons.
is a beautiful building, erected in the year 1895, by Dean Smyth, at a cost of £3,300. It is of Gothic architecture, and has a noble spire, and a peal of bells equal to any in New Zealand. The interior of the church is artistic and well finished, and has seating accommodation for about 600 persons. The original church, which is now the boys' school, was erected by the late Father Regnier in 1880. Adjoining the church is the convent, a handome building, erected by Dean Smyth in 1901, at a cost of about £2,000; and the schools of the Sisters of St. Joseph, with about 250 pupils, who receive instruction in all the branches of education, including music, painting, and art needlework. The church and presbytery are surrounded by charmingly-laid-out grounds.
was born in Limerick, Ireland, educated at the Limerick Seminary, and completed his theological studies at St. Mary's Marist College, Belley, Province of Ain, in France. He was ordained priest at St. Mary's, Dundalk, Ireland, in the year 1878, and immediately afterwards went to America, as a professor in the Jefferson College, near New Orleans, Louisiana. Subsequently Dean Smyth went on a mission for two years, and then took atrip Home in 1884. In 1885 he came to New Zealand, and was placed in charge of the Roman Catholic Church at Hastings, Through Catholic Church at Hastings. Through his efforts the sum of £3,300 was raised to build the Church of the Sacred Heart. In addition to services at Hastings, Dean Smyth holds fortnightly services at Clive, where he also procured the erection of a fine church.
has a trongtage to Heretaunga Street, and stands on a section of half an acre. The building is of wood, and has seating accommodation for 200 persons. In connection with the church there is a Young Men's Hall. The Rev. Tinsley is the minister-in-charge.
No. 73, N.Z.C., Hastings, was founded in the year 1878, with Mr. Batham as its first Worshipful Master. The hall of the lodge is situated in Market Street, and has seating accommodation for about 140. The membership of the lodge is about fifty, and meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month. The officers are: Mr. J. B. Elms-Hird, W.M.; Mr. G. H. Russell, S.W.; Mr. J. W. Bates, J.W.; Mr. A. Weaver, S.D.; Mr. G. D. Love, J.D.; Mr. Matthew Johnson, I.G.; and Mr. Thomas Morgan, secretary.
Worshipful Master of Lodge Heretaunga, No. 73, N.Z.C., was initiated in his present lodge in the year 1889, and after passing through all the chairs was installed in office in June, 1905. He is also a member of Court Sir Henry Havelock No. 5841, of the Ancient Order of Foresters, and was a member and chairman of the Mahora School Committee. Mr. Elms-Hird was born in Auckland on the 16th of March, 1861, and is a son of a soldier of the 57th Regiment. He was educated in the Wairoa, and was employed for seven years on Mr. W. A. Cooper's station, near Hastings. In
Past Master of Lodge Heretaunga, No. 73, N.Z.C., joined the lodge in the early “nineties,” passed through all the chairs, and held office as Worshipufl Master for two years. He was born on the 1st of May, 1849, in Hertfordshire, England, where he was educated at the public schools, and afterwards learned gardening. He subsequently followed his trade at Cambridge, Waltham Abbey, and various other places, before emigrating to New Zealand. He settled in Hastings, subsequently started in business on his own account as a builder, and in 1893 accepted his present position as overseer for the Hastings Borough Council. Mr. Cook has been secretary of the Hastings Public School (now the Hastings District High School) for fourteen years, and for six years was a member of the school committee. He is a member of the Ancient Order of Foresters, was for thirteen years secretary of Court Heretaunga, No. 6,556, was secretary of the Hastings Horticultural Society, and is now chairman of the Heretaunga Fruitgrowers' Union, Hastings; and also the proprietor of one of the most upto-date fruit farms in Hawke's Bay. Mr. Cook is married, and has three sons and two daughters. His eldest son is further referred to as managing partner of Messrs A. F. Cook and Company.
No. 12, fo the Protestant Alliance Friendly Society of Australasia, was founded in the year 1883, under the auspices of Messrs J. Adamson, George Scott, and others. There is a membership of about thirty-five, and meetings are held once a month in the Fire Brigade Hall. Officers for the year 1906: Mr. L. Anderson, W.M.; Mr. F. Hastings, D.M.; Mr. A. Rogers, secretary; and Mr. Mouldey, treasurer.
Worshipful Master of the Star of Hastings Lodge, has been connected with the Protestant Alliance Friendly Society of Australasia for upwards of ten years, and has passed through all the chair in the Order. He is first lieutenant and secretary of the Hastings Fire Brigade, of which he has been a member since its inception, is a member of the Ancient Order of Foresters, and the Hastings Football Club. Mr. Anderson is a native of the Shetland Islands, and was born in September, 1866. He emigrated to New Zealand with his parents in January, 1875, was educated at the Havelock public school, and afterwards worked as a cabinet-maker for some years in Napier. Later on he was employed at the building trade, and is now (1906) foreman for Mr. H. H. Campbell, a builder, of Hastings. Mr. Anderson is married and has two sons.
one of the founders of the Star of Hastings Lodge, No. 12, of the Protestant Alliance of Australasia, held office as secretary from its inception until the year 1905, and has passed through all the chairs. He was born on the 21st of June, 1859, on Beeson's Island, at Coromandel, and is a son of one of the early settlers of Auckland. Mr. Adamson was educated at the Auckland Grammar School, worked for a time in timber mills, and subsequently went to sea for two years. In 1877, however, he settled in Napier, where he was first employed by Mr. R. Holt, and afterwards worked for a few years at the building trade. He removed to Hastings in 1883, and in 1904 started in business on his own account, which he has since successfully conducted. Mr. Adamson was one of the pioneer bee farmers in the Hawke's Bay province, and in one year the product of his apiary amounted to four and a-half tons of honey. He is a member of the management committee of the Presbyterian Church; and he was formerly connected for some time with a Napier Volunteer Corps.
was founded in the year 1892, mainly through the efforts of Mr. H. A. Russell. The grounds are situated near Stortford Lodge, on the Hastings borough boundary, and are twenty-five acres in extent. Practice meetings are held every Saturday, and the club has a membership of about twenty-five. Officers for the year 1906: sir William R. Russell, president; Mr. George Hunter, vice-president; Mr. H. A. Russell, captain; Mr. E. J. Watt, secretary.
was founded in the year 1889, with Mr. Henry Mason chief among its promoters. The club's kennels are situated at Te Aute, and the hounds number fifteen couples. Hares are plentiful, and the field extends from the Sherenden station to Takapau. There is a membership of eighty, and the officers for the year 1906 are: Mr. R. D. D. McLean, president; Mr. H. A. Russell, master of the hounds; Mr. A. Groom, huntsman; and Mr. W. J. Stratton, secretary.
Captain of the Hawke's Bay Polo Club and Master of the Hounds for the Hawke's Bay Hunt Club, is the eldest surviving son of Sir William Russell, and was born at “Flaxmere” homestead on the 29th of January, 1871. He was educated at Wellington College, and Bradfield College, near Reading, England, at which latter institution he remained for six years. Mr. Russell returned to New Zealand in 1890; he has since assisted his father in the management of his estates, and is now (1906) in charge of the Sherenden station, where he resides. Mr. Russell married Miss Eva Nelson, daughter of Mr. William Nelson, and has one son and two daughters.
was established in the year 1894, with Mr. George Ellis as its first president. There is a membership of sixty-two, and the annual fee is two guineas. The green covers an area of three quarters of an acre, and is well appointed. Officers for the year 1906–07: Mr. D. O'Reilly, president; Mr. L. J. Bull, secretary; and Mr. James Reynolds, treasurer.
was founded in the year 1905, by Messrs Hobbs, Beuth, Maddison, Floyd, and others. It has a membership of nearly fifty, and is composed of three teams. One of these teams plays on Wednesday afternoon, and the other two on Saturday. Practices are held daily throughout the
was established as a private institution in 1904, and in the following year was constituted an official body, and affiliated to the New Zealand Referees' Association. Its duties consist of the appointing of referees for football matches, and adjudicating on questions or matters relating to refereeing. In the fulfilment of these duties the Hastings Association has proved itself an efficient body. Members for the year 1906: Messrs C. Stubbs (Chairman), Pegler (honorary secretary and trasurer), Smart and Catherall.
Chairman of the Hastings Referees' Association, was born in Derbyshire, England, in 1873, and came to New Zealand in the following year, with his parents. He was educated at the Christchurch Normal school, and was afterwards brought up as an engineer, chiefly with Messrs A. Jones and Son, of Waipukurau and Hastings, with whom he worked for fourteen years, and rose to the position of foreman smith. In March, 1904, he established himself in business in Heretaunga Street, bu two years later he sold out to Messrs A. Jones and Son, by whom he has since been employed. Mr. Stubbs was for about seven years foreman of the Hastings Fire Brigade.
was appointed head-caretaker of the Hawke's Bay Jockey Club's racecourse in the year 1884. He was born near Glengarrow, County Cork, Ireland, on the 1st of June, 1855, and is a son of a farmer. Mr. Coughlan was educated at the National schools, and in the year 1880 emigrated to Australia. Shortly afterwards he came to New Zealand, and landed in Wellington, where he worked for a short time with Messrs Murray, Roberts, and Company. For four years subsequently he acted as coachman to the late Mr. Murray at Napier, and in 1884 received his present appointment. Mr. Coughlan married Miss Roberts, of County Cork, Ireland, in 1885, and has four sons and two daughters.
was formed with the object of improving the breeding and classification of poultry, pigeons, and canaries, to hold periodical shows when considered desirable, and to act in cooperation with other clubs for the furtherance of these objects. An annual exhibition is held in the Drill Hall in August and there have been as many as 800 exhibits at one time. Officers for the year 1906: Mr. C. L. Mackersey, president; Mr. R. Smith, secretary; and Mr. W. Hart, treasurer.
Secretary of the Hastings Poultry, Pigeon, and Canary Association, was born at Dover, England, in the year 1873, and came to New Zealand with his parents in April, 1874. He was educated at Ormondville, brought up to the sawmilling trade, and for a time worked in partnershp with his father at the Rata saw-mills. Mr. Smith was engaged for several years in the dairying industry, first as assistant, and afterwards as manager of a dairy factory, and was also employed at the Government Dairy School at Waverley. In 1905 he was appointed manager of the Hastings timber years of Messrs Manson and Company, sawmillers, of Tikokino. Mr. Smith is a member of the Ormondville Tent of Rechabites.
was established many years ago, and has a membership of twenty-six persons. It is equipped with a full set of brass instruments, including one E flat cornet, two B flat solo cornets, three repiano cornets, two second cornets, two third cornets, four tenor horns, two baritones, one euphonium, three trombones, two E flat basses, two B flat basses, oen side drum, and one bass drum. Practices are held twice weekly in the drill shed, and open-air concerts are occasionally given at the racecourse. In the year 1902 the Band (under the conductorship of Mr. S. K. Knight) won a second-class band contest, and on the same occasion carried off first prizes for the quartette, the B flat cornet, and the solo horn; and at the contest held at Palmerston North in the following year the Band took third place among the first class competitors, although playing five men short. Officers for the year 1906: Mr. P. W. Tombs, band-master; Mr. J. A. Pothan, first lieutenant; Mr. George, second lientenant; Mr. Grubb, third lieutenant; and Mr. Russell, secretary.
Band-master of the Hastings Town Band, was born in Birmingham, England, on the 8th of March, 1879. He was educated at the Birmingham schools and at the Technical School at Bablake, in Coventry; and in January, 1893, came to New Zealand. Mr. Tombs settled at Palmerston North, where for a time he was employed as a clerk. and then established himself as a music teacher. Later on he became a partner in the firm of Messrs Tombs and Grubb, cabinet-makers and furniture warehousemen of Palmerston North and Hastings. Mr. Tombs showed musical ability at an early age, and while yet a lad could play several musical instruments, including the piano, organ, violin, viola, trombone, and euphonium, and was also assistant organist at a town church. While at Palmerston North, Mr. Tombs was organist and choir-master at St. Patrick's Chruch, and a member of various musical societies. He was a member of the New Zealand Band that toured England in 1903. Mr. Tombs is a Freemason, and a member of the Ancient Order of Druids.
First Lieutenant of the Hastings Town Band, was born at Charleston, Nelson, on the 30th of November, 1869. He was educated at a public school, and a private church school
formerly hand-master of the Hastings Town Band, has been associated with musical matters all is life. As a lad he was a chorister of St. Jude's Church, Bradford, Yorkshire, England, and took part in many large musical festivals in connection with the Anglican Church. Mr. Knight was born in Yorkshire, England, on the 24th of July, 1862, and is the youngest son of a Bradford wool stapler. He was educated at the Bradford Grammar School, and brought up to his father's business. In the year 1879 he came to New Zealand, where he first lived-for a short time at Oamaru, with the late Mr. John Barraclough, who had formerly been an apprentice in his father's warehouse, and was then employed by Messrs Finlinson and Company, fellmongers, of Kakanui. Ten years later Mr. Knight opened a canning factory at Dunback, and eighteen months later sold out and removed to the North Island. He afterwards bought a butcher's business in Petone, which he disposed of in 1895, and took up his residence in Hastings. For about nine years he conducted a fellmongery and wool-scouring business, and in 1904 established himself as a boot and shoe imperter. Shortly after coming to New Zealand Mr. Knight joined the Oamaru Garrison Band, subsequently established the Kakanui Band, of which he was also for some time conductor, and was for a time choir-master of the Anglican Church at Maheno. Later on he sucessfully conducted the Petone Band and the Hastings Town Band, and proved himself a capable and efficient band-master. Mr. Knight is a member of the Masonic fratenity, and the Independent Order of Oddfellows, and takes a keen interest in bowling and football. He married Miss Margaret Watson, of Kakanui, in 1887, and has four sons and one daughter, His eldest son matriculated and passed the junior civil service and the medical preliminary examinations, at the Napier Boys' High School, at fifteen years of age.
Hastings, is a substantial wooden building on a concrete foundation, and contains the Court room, the Magistrate's office, a general public room, and a waiting room. It was created in 1891, the Court having been held for some years previously in the reading room of the Athenaeum. Fortnightly sittings are held; Mr. Brabant is stipendiary magistrate.
Barrister and Solicitor, Hastings. Mr. Ebbett is a son of Mr. James Ebbett, a well-known settler of Hastings, and was born in the year 1872. He was educated at Hastings, and at the High School, Napier, subsequently studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1896. Mr. Ebbett was a member of the Hastings Borough Council for four years.
L.R.C.P. (London), F.R.C.S. (England), Physician and Surgeon, Hastings, Dr. Nairn was born at Wellington, studied at St. Thomas' Hospital, London, and returned to New Zealand in 1893.
M.R.C.V.S., Veterinary and Canine Surgeon, Hastings, Mr. Brodie was born in the year 1876, in Plumstead, Kent, England, and was educated at Greenwich, King's College, London, and at the Royal Veterinary College, London, where he graduated M.R.C.V.S., in July, 1899. For about six months subsequently Mr. Brodie was engaged in private pracvice in the south of England, and was then appointed veterinary surgeon to Messrs Tillings, Limited, of London. While in their employment he had the veterinary care of 6000 horses, for a period of four years. Mr. Brodie came to New Zealand in the year 1901, under engagement as organising secretary and veterinary surgeon to the Hawke's Bay Farmers' Union, and two years later resigned in order to start in practice on his own account. On severing his connection with the Hawke's Bay Farmer's Union he was presented with a valuable testimonial and set of instruments. Mr. Brodie is honorary veterinary surgeon to the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, and the Hawke's Bay Kennel Club.
T., Veterinary Surgeon, Hastings. Mr. Danvers is a native of Surrey, England, and a descendant of one of the oldest and most prominent English families, the founder of which, Rolande D'Envers, came over with William the Conqueror, by whom he was endowed with large estates at Calvert. His father, Mr. Frederick Samuel Danvers, belonged to the old East India Company's service, and his brother, Mr. Frederick Charles Danvers, is a resident general in the Indian service. Mr.
Surgeon Dentist, corner of Heretunga Strreet and Station Street, Hastings. This practice was established in the year 1902 by Mr. H. D. Crump. The premises are situated on the first floor of a wooden building, and include dental and operating rooms, fitted up with the latest appliances, and furnished with careful attention to every detail; there is also a well-appointed reception room, with a lady in attendance. Mr. Crump is a son of the Rev. John Crump, and was born at New Plymouth. He was educated privately, and afterwards studied music with a view to taking it up as a profession. He subsequently changed his plans, however, studied law for a time in Palmerston North, and was then apprenticed to Messrs J. W. Tatton and Son, dentists, of Nelson. In 1901 Mr. Crump qualified by examination, and in the following year settled in Hastings, and estabished his present practice. While in Nelson he was for four years examiner in music to the Nelson Education Board, and still continues to take a keen interest in musical matters. Mr. Crump is conductor of the Hastings Wesleyan Choir, and the Hastings Choral Society.
Pharmaceutical Chemist and Optician, Heretaunga Street, Hasting. This business was established by Mr. Tyerman, and acquired by the present proprietor in the year 1900. The premises consist of a two-storeyed building, which contains a large pharmacy, fitted up with handsome glass cases, containing a heavy stock of drugs, chemists sundries, proprietary medicines, and toilet requisites. The proprietor also carries a well-assorted stock of photographic requisites, and a dark room has been fitted up for the use of customers. Four assistants are employed in the business. Mr. Bates was born on the 2nd of April, 1872, at Akaroa, Canterbury, and was educated at the Christchurch Boys' High School. He was afterwards apprenticed to Mr. W. P. Townend, Christchurch, and subsequently held an appointment for two years as dispenser at the Christchurch Hospital. Mr. Bates finally settled in Hastings, where he has since conducted a successful business. He is president of the Hastings Photographic Society, and is a member of the Hastings Bowling Club.
Chemist and Druggist, Hastings. Mr. Gillespie is a son of Mr. John Gillespie, contractor, of Palmerston, Otago.
He was born in the year 1873, educated at the George Street school, Dunedin, and entered the wholesale drug store of Messrs Sainsbury, Ellisdon and Company, of Rattray Street. He afterwards went to the retail establishment of Mr. E. S. Ellisdon, in Princes Street, where he remained for about five years, and gained a thorough knowledge of the trade. When Mr. Ellisdon sold out to Mr. J. A. Carrighan, Mr. Gillspie continued as assistant, and on the death of his principal he carried on the business for the executors for about a year. After a short engagement with Mr. Dutton, chemist, of Dunedin, he took a trip round the Colony, and in 1896 became manager of Dr. Neil's Botanic Dispensary, in Naiper. He subsequently removed to Hastings, where he has since conducted his present business.
in Hastings, was established in the year 1881. The premises consist of a fine two-storeyed wooden building, situated in Heretaunga Street. It is built of kauri timber throughout, and contains a banking chamber, the manager's room, a strong room, and the manager's residence.
Anetioneer, Land, Estate, and General Commission Agent, and House Furnisher, Queen Street and Heretaunga Street. Hastings. This business was established in November, 1904, by the present proprietor. The auction mart is a wooden building, eighty fect square, and public sales are held regularly on Saturdays, and also as required. The furniture warehouse in Heretaunga Street measures about thirty feet by ninety feet, carries a large stock of general hosue furnishings, and is in charge of an experienced manager. Mr. McGlashan was born in the year 1874, at Farndon, Hawke's Bay, where he was educated. He was afterwards for fifteen years in the employment of Mr. Montague Lascelles, of Napier, and became chief clerk and assistant auctioneer. He subsequently resigned this position in order to establish his present business in Hastings. Mr. McGlashan is a member of the Clive Lodge of Oddfellows, of which he has been secretary for ten years.
A., Accountant, Hastings. Mr. Fraser was born in Tunbridge, England, was educated at Haileybury College, Hertford, and afterwards spent two years in teaching in France, Germany, and Spain. He came to New Zealand in the year 1886, landed at Timaru, and followed commercial pursuits for three years, during which period he pursned his studies and matriculated, and obtained a D Certificate. He removed to Hastings in 1890, and assisted in the school of Mrs. Rainbow, until taking it over in 1892 on his own account. Mr. Fraser subsequently disposed of the school to Mr. W. Gray, and entered into business as an accountant.
Architect, Heretaunga Street, Hastings. Mr. Sollitt was born in Yorkshire, England, on the 19th of January, 1834. He was educated in his native place, and was brought up as an architect. He subsequently carried on business as a general contractor for many years in Kent, and in the year 1879 came to New Zealand by the ship “Lady Jocelyn,” landing at Lyttelton on December 9th. Mr. Sollitt was employed in contracting work for about seven years in Christchurch, and in 1890 established himself as an architect in Hastings, where he has since practised his profession. He has designed many of the largest residential and commercial houses in and around the district. Mr. Sollitt is married, and has a family of three sons and two daughters; two of his sons are in business under the style of Messrs Sollitt Brothers, contractors, of Palmerston North.
Baker, Confectioner, Pastry-cook and Caterer, Heretaunga Street, Hastings. This business was established in 1898, by the present proprietor, who is well and favourably known as an experienced tradesman. The premises are large and commodious, and consist of a small goods shop and bakery, which occupy a site near the Carlton Club Hotel. An extensive retail trade is conducted, and there is a large daily output of bread. Ten persons are employed,
Brewer, Wine and Spirit Merchant, Aerated Water and Cordial Manufactuer, Burton Brewery, Hastings. Established, 1881. Telephone 12. Bankers, Bank of New South Wales. The brewery has all the latest appliances for the manufacture of beer and cordials. Water is obtained, through a four-inch pipe, from a well 271 feet in depth. The analysis of the water shows its chemical qualities to be specilly adapted for the manufacture of beverages. Six men are employed in the brewery, which is a fine three-storeyed building, and all the plant is arranged on the gravitation principle. The cellar is large and cool, and the bottling department is constructed of brick, ensuring an even temperature. The ales produced at this brewery are of a high character, delicate to the palate, and for brilliancy and flavour leave nothing to be desired. They have been awarded several prizes, and the leading hotels have them on tap. Mr. Newbigin was born at Ryton Grange, Newcastle-on-Tyne, England, and came to New Zealand at an early age. Shortly after his arrival he was employed at Swan's Brewery, Napier, where he was brewer for several years, and was altogether connected with that establishment for twenty-one years. He then decided to start business on his own account, and purchased the freehold buildings and plant of the Hastings Brewery. Since he took possession his output has increased threefold. Mr. Newbigin has been president of the Hastings Bowling Club.
Builder and Contractor. Hastings. This business was established in the year 1895, and a large number of buildings in and around Hastings have since been erected by Mr. Campbell. Among these may be mentioned: the Drill Hall, the Hastings Club, the Farmers' Co-operative Stores, the Technical School, and the residences of Messrs H. Campbell (Poukawa), H. M. Saunders (Kopua), C. F. Wilson (Hatuma), T. H. Lowry (Okawa), W. Shrimpton (Matapiro), Lowry-North (Puketapu), W. A. Beecroft (Havelock North), and the Presbyterian Church at Havelock North. Mr. Campbell was born in Ross-shire, Scotland, on the 25th of August, 1854, and is a son of a sea captain. He was educated and brought up to the building trade in his native shire, and came to New Zealand in the year 1871. Mr. Camphell worked at his trade for twelve years in Christchurch, and then removed to Blenheim, where he remained for fifteen years. In 1893 he settled in Hastings, and two years later started in business on his own account. Mr. Camphell is an office bearer and one of the Sunday school teachers of the Presbyterian Church. He married the eldest daughter of Mr. Wemyss, of Blenheim, in 1882, and has two sons and one daughter.
Builder and Contractor, Karamu Road, Hastings, Mr. Johnston was born at Bolton, Lancashire, England, on the 23rd of December, 1874, and was educated and brought up as a joiner in his native place. He afterwards learned the building trade, and was employed on the Midland Railway for a considerable time. Mr. Johnston came to New Zealand in 1901, and soon after landing established his present business in Hastings, which gives employment to six journeymen. He has gained the reputation of being an efficient and reliable tradesman, and has successfully undertaken various large building contracts. Mr. Johnston takes a keen interest in physical culture, and as a youth went through two army courses of training in England. He is a member of the Wesleyan Church choir and of the Hastings Cricket Club.
Builders, and Contractors, Hastings. This business was established in the year 1892, by Messrs A. A. and R. Stanley, the present proprietors, and it is now (1906) one of the largest and most prosperous in Hawke's Bay. Among the buildings erected by the firm may be mentioned Mr. Holdworth's residence (“Swathmore”) at Havelock, the Commercial Hotel at Woodville, Mr. John Tosswill's residence, the buildings on the Maraekakaho, Green Hill, Sherenden, and Twyford stations, and a large number of private residences and business houses. About twenty-five persons are employed by the firm.
senior partner in the firm of Messrs Stanley Brothers, was born on the Isle of Wight, in April, 1861, and is the eldest son of Mr. Thomas Stanley, of Hastings. He was educated in the Old Country, and in 1874 came to New Zealand, and settled in Napier, where he completed his apprenticeship to the building trade. When only seventeen years of age Mr. Stanley started in business on his own account, and was subsequently joined by his brother in partnership. He is one of the promoters and a member of the Hastings Lodge of Oddfellows, and a life member of the Hastings Fire Brigade.
junior partner in the firm of Messrs Stanley Brothers, was born in Kent, England, in 1872, and is the fourth son of Mr. Thomas Stanley. He arrived in New Zealand in the year 1874, was educated at public schools in Hawke's Bay, and afterwards learned the building trade with his father and eldest brother. He continued to work with them until 1892, when he joined the latter in partnership. Mr. Stanley is a member of the Hastings Fire Brigade, and an officer of the Hastings Lodge of the Protestant Alliance. He is married and has four children.
was established by the late Mr. George Faulkner in the year 1877, and was acquired by Mr. Pothan in 1899. The premises are situated in Market Street, and consist of a two-storeyed wooden building, which has been enlarged from time to time, as the growth of the business required it. At the rear of the main building there is a large show-room, twenty feet by thirty-two feet, and considerable yard accommodation. The manufacturing plant is modern and up to date in every respect, and is driven by a powerful gas engine. The workshop contains five forges and anvils, and, in addition to coach-building, a large amount of implement making and repairing, horse-shoeing, and general blacksmithing work is executed. Waggons, drays, lorries, dog-carts, buggies, sulkies, and bradlies are turned out in large numbers, and coaches and brakes are also built. Mr. Pothan is sole agent for the Massey-Harris farm implements, twine, and oil.
Coach-builder and Bieycle Manufacturer, Queen Street, Hastings. Telephone, No. 9. Bankers, Bank of New South Wales. Private residence, Havelock. Established, 1888. The workshop is one of the most complete in Hawke's Bay. There is a large show-room, with a number of beautifully-finished vehicles on view. The workshops and smithies are large, and are fitted with the latest labour-saving machinery and tools, including an eight-horse power steam engine; the painting-room, to which the vehicles are raised by a steam lift, is sixty-six feet by thirty-three feet, and the whole premises occupy a floor space of 11,000 feet. Mr. Symonds employs sixteen men in his business, including painters, upholsterers, smiths, and body-builders. The manufacture of laundaus and highclass vehicles is a specialty. The buggies, waggonettes, cabs, and hansomes turned out from this establishment reflect the greatest credit on the proprietor. Mr. Symonds is a native of London, England, where he was brought up to the ironmongery business. He came to Auckland in the year 1862, by the ship “Matilda Wattenbach,” and spent twenty-five years at Kaipara, where he was engaged as a boat-builder and shipwright. In 1888 he remove to Hastings, and established his present business, which has since assumed such large proportions, and to which he has added bicycle manufacturing. During his residence at Kaipara Mr. Symonds was a member of the school committee and road board. He is married and has three sons.
Directors: Messrs C. A. Fitz-Roy, Davis Canning, Thomas Percival, J. C. Main, Ambrose Wellwood, James Ebbett, A. Masters, J. Reston, J. Wall, F. Cook, Thomas Crosse, Hugh Campbell, and Sir. William Russell. The factory is situated at Stortford Lodge, Hastings; it was originally established by Mr. W. Stock, and was subsequently acquired by the present company. It is a large wooden building, of one storey, and contains three freezing chambers, one churning and buttermaking room, two separating rooms, and the engine room; the latter is fitted with a nine horse-power Tangye engine, and a twenty horse-power boiler. The plant is efficient and up to date in every respect. and the annual output is a large one. The company has established a creamery on the Havelock sidie of the town for the convenience of farmers living in that locality, the product of which is taken daily to the main factory. There are sixty-six suppliers, and the average monthly output of the factory is 20,000lbs. of butter. The greater part of this finds a ready local market, the remainder being stored for winter consumption. The “Heretaunga” brand of butter has become a favourite in the market, and always maintains its reputation in competitions.
manager of the Heretaunga Co-operative Dairy Factory, was born at Fernside, Canterbury, on the 19th of June, 1877, and is the third son of Mr. Richard Meredith, who for twelve years represented Ashley in the House of Representatives. He was educated by his father, who was at that time master of a public school in North Canterbury, and in 1895 he took up a position in the Stirling Cheese Factory. Two years later he accepted a position is the Canterbury Central Dairy Company, Limited, Addington, and was then butterman in the Cheltenham Dairy Factory for two years and six months before receiving his present appointment. Mr. Meredith is a member of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, and a member of the Order of Orangemen. He married Miss Tait, of Hastings, and has one daughter.
Painter, Paperhanger and House Decorator, Avenue Road, Hastings. Mr. Burden established his present business in the year 1897, has now a large connection, and gives constant employment to five men. Among his many painting contracts may be mentioned that of the Presbyterian Church, the Havelock churches, the Bank of New South Wales, the Council chambers, Mr. W. C. Maddison's business premises, and Mr. A. H. Russel's private residence, “Twyford.” Mr. private residence, “Twyford.” Mr. Burden was born in Kent, England, was educated at the Cloth-workers' Grammar School, at Sutton Valence, and was brought up as a decorative
Draper, Mercer, and Clothier, Heretaunga Street, Hastings. This business is conducted in centrally-situated premises. The stock is large, and embraces all the newest goods; and all classes are carefully catered for by the management. Ten persons are employed by the proprietor. Mr. Johnson was born at Whistlecock, Northumberland, England, in July, 1871, his father for some years being manager of the Consett ironworks, in Durham. He was educated at Pendrith Castle, in the North of England, and came to New Zealand in 1881, his father having preceded him under contract to work the iron-sand deposits in Taranaki. Mr. Johson began his commercial career as a news-boy in Dunedin in 1882. He soon made his way, however, and was afterwards employed for seven years by Mr. Robert Brown, draper, of Dunedin. He subsequently worked for Messrs A. and T. Inglis, of Dunedin, and then removed to Napier, under engagement to Messrs Blythe and Company. He afterwards opened a branch for the same firm at Hastings, and after successfully conducting it for several years went into business on his own account in a small way, has gradually forged ahead, and has since taken over his old firm's premises.
Draper, Clothier, Grocer and Provision Merchant, Hastings. Telephone, No. 7. Bankers, Union Bank of Australia. Established, 1884. This business is one of the largest and oldest establishments in Hastings. The drapery business is carried on in a handsome building situated in the busiest part of the town, the windows of which are rendered attractive with a large display of the latest goods, imported direct from the manufacturers in Great Britain. The interior of the shop is tastefully fitted up, special attention being paid to lighting. The stock is new and up to date, and is divided respectively into fancy, dress, and Manchester, mercery, and clothing departments. The grocery and general store, including a crockery and ironmongery department, is domiciled in a separate buildings. The business is now conducted by Mr. G. F. Roach, a son of the founder.
Mr. G. H. Roach, founder of the above business, was born at Richmond, London, England, and received his education at the Birmingham Grammar School. On completing his education he returned to London, and was for some considerable time with the well-known firm of Messrs Shoolhread and Company of Tottenham Court Road, wholesale and retail drapers. Mr. Roach went to Australia in the year 1857, in the ship “Red Jacket,” and entered the employment of Messrs Alston and Brown, of Melbourne. In 1862 he came to New Zealand. and settled in Dunedin, where he was for six years in business on his own account. He subsequently removed to Christchurch, where he was in business until accepting an appointment as traveller for Messrs Harcourt and Company of Wellington, with whom he remained for ten years. He then settled in Hawke's Bay, where he established the business now (1907) conducted by his son. Mr. Roach is married, and has four sons and three daughters.
Mercer and Tailor, Heretaunga Street. Hastings. This business was establishe in December, 1905, by the present proprietor. The premises occupy a good, central position, and consist of two tailoring departments, and a general shop with a handsome plate-glass show-window. A large stock of the best tailoring materials and mercery goods is carried, and five persons are constantly employed, including a first class tailor. Mr. White was born in Hastings in 1879, was educated at the local District High School, and then entered the employment of Mr. H. K. Thompson, of Hastings. He subsequently worked for Messrs Burnett and Company, and later on for Mr. Ridgway, and then went to Wanganui, where he had two and a half years' experience at his business. Then he proceeded to Wellington, where he was employed for one year and six months by the Union Clothing Company. He next followed sheep-station life for two years, but returned to his trade as first assistant and traveller to Mr. Matthew Johnson, of Hastings, which position he afterwards resigned in order to start in business on his own account. Mr. White is a member of the Hastings Football and Hockey Clubs, the Hawke's Bay Jockey Club, was for some years a member of the Hastings Rifles, and was at one time a sergeant in the Wanganui Guards.
Hair-dresser and Tobacconist, Heretaunga Street, Hastings. This business was originally established by Mr. W. Vickers, and was taken over by the present proprietor in 1905. The building contains a saloon, suitably fitted up, and a shop which carries a large and varied stock. A first-class hair-dresser is employed. Mr. Brandon was born in Limerick, Ireland, on the 3rd of February, 1876, and came to New Zealand at an early age. He was educated
Hairdresser and Tobacconist, Heretanuga Street, Hastings. This business was established by Mr. Donovan in April, 1905. The premises consist of a wooden building, and contain a shop, with a fine show window, and a hair-dressing saloon. The shop carries a large stock of cigars, tobacco, pipes, and fancy goods, and the hair-dressing, saloon is suitably fitted up. Mr. Donovan was born in the year 1874, at Meanee, where he was educated at the Mission school. For many years afterwards he was employed as a jockey, in which capacity he travelled throughout the Australisian colonies. For three years subsequently Mr. Donovan worked as a contract painter, and then learned the hairdressing trade. He was employed successively by Mr. Adam King, Mr. Vickers, and Mr. A. Hyde, and then started in business on his own account. Mr. Donovan has been a member of the Hastings Fire Brigade for about eight years, part of which time he was secretary, and a foreman; and he is also a member of various social and athletic clubs. He is a member of the Roman Catholic Church, and a member of the Church choir.
(J. D. Rivers, properietor), corner of Heretunga Street and Karamu Road, Hastings. The Carlton Club Hotel is one of the finest and best known hostelries in the province of Hawke's Bay. It is built on modern principles, with the view of obtaining the greatest amount of comfort, convenience, and sanitary efficiency. The ground floor is approached from either thoroughiare, and contains a commodious commercial room, comfortably furnished with writing tables, and every convenience for the transaction of business: a large, handsome, and well-appointed dining room (a most popular place for luncheon), capable of seating eighty guests; a first-class billiard room, fitted with one of Burroughs and Watts prize tables; a number of comfortable card rooms and sitting rooms; public and private bars, supplied with choice wines, liquors, and cigars, for which the Carlton Club Hotel has maintained a good reputation; an efficient office, fitted with a large safe for the convenience of guests; a lavatory, with hot and cold water service; and the quarters of the Heretaunga Club. The latter are luxuriously furnished, and include a billiard room, a reading room, a writing room, a sitting room, and a club room. At the rear of the building there is a large and well-appointed kitchen, a scullery, a storeroom, a laundry, and offices. A number of sample rooms, conveniently fitted up, adjoin the hotel. The upstarirs portion of the house is reached by a fine staircase, and is devoted to bedrooms and private sitting rooms, which are furnished with the greatest luxury and good taste. There is also a handsome drawing room, and a travellers' writing room. Numerous bathrooms and lavatories for ladies and gentlemen respectively, are conveniently placed throuhout the building, and every precaution has been taken for escape in case of fire. The hotel is lighted all through with incandescent gas light, the main entrances are fitted with large incandescent are lamps, and the rooms are
the popular proprietor of the Carlton Club Hotel, was born in Wellington on the 5th of June, 1864. He was educated at the Thorndon public school, under Mr. Mowhray, and was afterwards employed for about five years by Mr. McKenzie, as a drover in the Manawatu district. Mr. Rivers subsequently gained considerable experience in the fellmongery trade in Wellington, Hawke's Bay, and Gisborne, and was then employed as barman by Mr. Jull, at Hastings. Five years later he took up a similar position in the Albert Hotel, Hastings, which hotel he afterwards acquired, and conducted on his own account. He then disposed of this house, and took over the Carlton Club Hotel, which he has since successfully conducted. Mr. Rivers is married and has one son and two daughters. He is further referred to as Quarter-master Sergeant of the Hawke's Bay Mounted Rifles.
(Daniel O'Reilly, proprietor), corner of Heretaunga and Railway Streets, Hastings. Telephone, 190. Bankers, Bank of New South Wales. This hotel is a large two-storeyed building, situated in the centre of the town, and near the railway station, post office, and other public buildings. It contains on the upper floor about thirty bedrooms, a ladies' drawing-room, and a number of private sitting-room, all furnished in first-class style. On the ground floor is the dining-room (capable of accommodating ninety guests), commercial and billiard rooms, and six sitting-rooms. The house is much resorted to by country settlers, tourists and the g eneral travelling public. The whole domestic arrangements are under the immediatel supervision of Mrs. O'Reilly.
proprietor of the Hastings Hotel, is a native of Cork, Ireland, and came to New Zealand in the year 1878, by the ship “City of Auckland,” which was wrecked on the Otaki beach. Mr. O'Reilly lost all his possession. and was conveyed with other passengers to Napier by the Government steamer “Hinemoa.” He energetically set to work to make the best of bad fortune, and obtained agricultural employment, at which he continued for six years. He removed to Hastings in 1885, started a boot and shoe shop, and carried on that business successfully for three years, when he sold it to the Egmont Boot Factory Company, of New Plymouth. Mr. O'Reilly then opened a drapery business, which he disposed of three years
. (A. J. Ellingham, proprietor), corner of Heretaunga Street and Market Street, Hastings. This hotel has been established for many years, and was acquired by the present proprietor in 1901. The building is a two-storeyed one, of wood and iron, with a balcony. The ground floor contains three sitting rooms, a dining room, a billiard room, a large double bar and two tap rooms, a kitchen and other offices. The first floor includes seventeen comfortable bedrooms, a well furnished sitting room, a bathroom with hot and cold water laid on, and a lavatory. An excellent table is kept, and only the best of liquors are stocked. There is also large stabling accommodation. The business is under the personal supervision of Mr. and Mrs. Ellingham, who exercise scrupulous care in attending to the needs and wishes of their guests. The Pacific Hotel is shortly (1906) to be rebuilt in brick.
proprietor of the Pacific Hotel, was born at Te Aute on the 29th of April, 1865, and is a son of a private in the 56th Regiment. He was educated at Te Aute College, and after assisting his father for a time, was employed as a jockey for many years. His successful record as a jockey is mentioned in the book entitled, “Men of Mark in the World of Sport in New Zealand.” Mr. Ellingham is a member of the Hastings Jockey Club, hunt, bowling, football, and cricket clubs, and is a member of the Agricultural and Pastoral Society, and the Star-Bowkett Building Society. He married Miss Britten, of Waipawa, and has three sons and one daughter.
situated in Heretaunga Road, was established in the year 1890, by Mr. William Stock, and acquired by the present proprietor in 1904. It is a two-storeyed wooden building, with a fine balcony and a verandah. The ground floor contains several sitting rooms, a large commercial room, a billiard room, and a dining room capable of seating about fifty guests. The upper floor includes fifteen bedrooms, a bathroom with hot and cold water laid on, and a convenient lavatory. The house is well furnished throughout, an excellent table is kept, and the bar is stocked with the best brands of liquors. The comfort and convenience of guests and travellers is the proprietor's first consideration. There are good stables in connection with the establishment, which contain fourteen loose boxes.
proprietor of the Stortford Lodge Hotel, was born in the Wairarapa district on the 23rd of August, 1872, and was educated in the Greytown North public school. He was apprenticed to the
Heretaunga Street, Hastings. This Cafe was established in the year 1901, in premises opposite the Carlton Club Hotel, and was removed to its present site in June, 1985. It is conducted in a handsome wooden building of two storeys, with a fine veranda and two plateglass windows. A large double shop, thirty feet wide, occpies the fore part of the premises, behind which is situated a dining room, twenty-six feet by twenty-seven feet, which has accommodation for over eighty guests. Afternoon tea and lunch is also provided upstairs in a nice room, twenty-six feet by twenty-seven feet, which opens out on to the balcony. There is also a large cloak room, lavatory, etc., for ladies. The rooms are well appointed, and furnished in excellent style, a good table is kept, and about twelve persons are constantly employed, including a chief cook and a head baker. The shop carries a stock of small goods and fruit.
proprietor of the Imperial Cafe, was born at Patangata, Hawke's Bay, on the 4th of July, 1876, and is the son of Mr. H. H. Bone, proppritor of the Patangata Hotel and store. He was educated at public schools, and at fifteen years of age joined the staff of the Waipawa Post and Telegraph Office, where he was employed for two years. For six years subsequently Mr. Bone was employed as a general assistant in Messrs Bihby Brothers' store at Waipawa, and then removed to Hastings, where he found employment successively at the grocery and drapery trades, before starting in business on his own account. Mr. Bone is a member of the Hastings Bowling Club and of the Hastings Lodge of Oddfellows. He married Miss M. Moore in 1904, and has one son.
Dining and Afternoon Tea-rooms, and Fruit and Confectionery business, Station Street, Hastings, was established by the present proprietor in the year 1904. The premises occupy an excellent site close to the railway station; a large shop occupies the whole of the fore part of the building and carries a varied stock of fruits, sweets, and confectonery; behind this are the dining and afternoon tea rooms, which are well furnished and arranged; an excellent table is kept, and six persons are employed. Mr. Christensen is also the proprietor of a nursery of about five acres, situated on Heretaunga Road. It has two hot houses, and grows a splendid assortment of trees, shrubs, pot plants, and flowers.
proprietor, was born in Denmark on the 30th of November, 1863. He was educated at public schools, and was brought up as a nurseryman. Mr. Christensen emigrated to New Zealand in 1881, and for sixteen years was employed as head gardener for Mr. William Nelson of Tomoana. He subsequently established a nursery, in conjuction with which he carries on the business of the Trocadero. Mr. Christensen is married, and has two sons and one daughter.
Ironmonger, Hastings. This business was founded in the year 1885 by Mr. W. F. Burnett. Five years later it was taken over by Messsrs Bennett and Bone; in 1896 Mr. Bennett retired, and Mr. Bone was joined by Mr. W. C. Holroyd, the firm then being known as Bone and Holroyd. In 1900 the partnership was dissolved, and Mr. Bone has since conducted the business on his own account. During recent years the business has rapidly gone ahead, and extensive additions have been made to the premises, including a fine paper-hanging department. A large stock of general ironmongery is kept. Mr. Bone was born in London, England, in May, 1869, and came to New Zealand at an early age. He was educated at public schools, and was afterwards apprenticed to the ironmongery trade with Messrs Ruddock and Fryer.
Agricultural Implement Makers and Importers, and General Blacksmiths, Heretaunga Road, Hastings. This business was established many years ago, and was conducted for several years by Messrs Doney Brothers. Then it was acquired by Mr. George Purves, and was finally taken over by the present proprietor. In 1903 a showroom was added to the premises, and this was enlarged in 1905 owing to the increasing business. The firm are agents for the Noxon mowers, rakes, dises, cultivators, and drills; the Keystone, Thomas, and Manitoba hay loaders and stackers; and for Messrs Cooper and Duncan's various implements; a large and successful trade is conducted in all its branches.
senior partner in the firm of Messrs A. F. Cook and Company, was born in cambridge, England, in the year 1872, and is the eldest son of Mr. F. Cook, overseer for the Hastings Borough Council. He came to New Zealand with his parents at two years of age, and after receiving a public school education, was apprenticed to Mr. George Purves, with whom he remained for about nine years, until taking over the business on his own account. Mr. Cook is a member of the management committee and session clerk of the Presbyterian Church, and has been secretary and treasurer of the Sunday school for nearly twenty years. He is an enthusiastic temperance advocate, and was for six years a member of the Hastings Rifles. Mr. Cook married Miss Christina Wemyss, of Blenheim, and has three sons.
Wholesale and Retail Ironmongers, Hastings. Head-quarters, Napier. The Hastings branch of this firm was founded in the year 1887. The premises are situated in a large section near the railway line, and consist of a commodious two-storeyd wood and iron building. The retail department is situated on the ground floor, and carries a variety of general ironmongery; the first floor is devoted to bulk stock; and at the rear of the building there is a plumbing and tinsmithing department. The business is conducted on the most systematic lines; and a large trade is done in both town and country districts. Messrs Henry Williams and Sons, Limited, are further referred to under Napier.
Manager of the Hastings branch of the business of Messrs William and Sons, Limited, was born in Napier on the 15th of October, 1877, and is a son of an old colonist, who for many years conducted business in that town as a watchmaker. He was educated in Wanganui and Hastings, and in May, 1892 entered the employment of Messrs Williams and Sons, Limited, as an apprentice in the Hastings branch of the business. He subsequently became first shop assistant, and in January, 1901, received his present appointment. Mr. Roberston was a member of the Hastings Rifles.
(Harry Arthur Symonds, proprietor), Cycle and Motor-Car Depot, Station Street, Hastings. This business was founded in the year 1899, in Queen Street, by the present proprietor, and was removed to its present site in August, 1902. The premises are large and well appointed, and contain a showroom, in which is displayed a varied stock of bicycles, “F.N.” Motor cycles, and accessories, a large workshop thoroughly equipped with all necessary plant and machinery, and a garage. Three men are constantly employed, and repairing work is undertaken. Mr. Symonds was born at Kaipara, Auckland, on the 25th of February, 1871, and is the second son of Mr. William Symonds, a well-known builder. He was educated at his native place, and then assisted in his father's business. In the year 1888 he accompanied his parents to Hastings, where, after working in conjunction with his father for about ten years, he established his present business. Mr. Symonds was for some years a member of the Hastings Fire Brigade and the Hastings Town Band.
were acquired by the present proprietor in the year 1903. The premises are of brick, and contain the general shop and show room, and the workshop. Both apartments are well appointed, and have a complete stock of fittings, machinery, and implements. A special cycle and motor cycle, known as the “Hawke's Bay Special,” are manufactured on the premises, and are well built, light, and
the proprietor, was born in Welington, on the 24th of April, 1882. He was educated at public schools in Wanganui, and learned his trade with Messrs Cole and Donnelly, of Hawera, and Mr. Parsons, and Messrs Turner and Company, of Wanganui. Mr. Sinclair also worked for a time with a large firm in New Plymouth, and in 1903 settled in Hastings. For three years he was employed as foreman by Messrs Edmundson and Company, took over the business in 1903 and removed into more central premises.
Saddlers and Harness makers, Heretaunga Street, Hastings. This business was established in June, 1905. The premises contain a show-room, with a fine plate-glass window, and the workshop is fitted up with the best and most-up-to-date appliances. A considerable stock of manufactured, and imported materials is kept on hand, and the workshop is kept constantly busy in manufacturing and repairing. The firm have a good reputation for sound and reliable workmanship.
of the firm of Messrs Horne and Elliott, was born on the Mt. Erin station, Hawke's Bay, on the 3rd of October, 1878, and, after passing through the public school course, was apprenticed to the saddlery trade. For thirteen years continuosly he was employed by Mr. Bethell, of Hastings, and then started in business on his own account. Mr. Horne is a member of the Hastings Town Band, and a member of the Order of Oddfellows.
of the firm of Messrs Horne and elliott, was born in the year 1884 in Hastings. He was educated at public schools, and subsequently learned the saddlery trade under Mr. Bethell, by whom he was employed for six years, before joining Mr. Horne in partnership.
Boot and Shoe Importer, Heretaunga Street, Hastings. This business was established in the year 1904, by the present proprietor, who carries a heavy-stock of imported and colonical made boots and shoes. A large business is conducted, and five persons are constantly employed. Mr. Knight is further referred to as a former bandmaster of the Hastings Town Band.
Riverslea Wool Scouring Works, Hastings. This well-known business was established by Mr. Weaver in 1889 at Clive, but, owing to the disastrous floods of 1897, which destroyed the whole of the plant and buildings, it was removed to Hastings, where all the necessary buildings for an extensive trade were erected. The main building is of wood and iron, eighty feet by sixty-eight feet, and contains scouring rooms, a wool-sorting and baling department, and a boiler room and engine house, containing a twelve horse-power boiler and an eight horse-power engine. The scouring-room is fitted with a wool scouring and washing apparatus, patented by Mr. Weaver throughout the colonies, and acknowledged by experts to be superior to that of any other apparatus in use as regards rapidity, satisfactory results, and saving of labour and simplicity in working; there is also a new up-to-date patent extractor by Broadbent and Sons, Limited. The wool after being passed through the machinery is spread on the drying ground, then brought in and baled for the London market. Mr. Weaver was born in Kent, England, where he was educated. he came to New Zealand by the ship “Hudson,” in the year 1874, landed at Napier, and learned his trade with the late Mr. C. Mitchell, of Clive. He was in charge of various wool scouring works in Hawke's Bay until starting his own at Clive, where, by energy and perseverance, he had one of the finest businesses of the kind in the province. Mr. Weaver is, however, rapidly rebuilding his trade. He is a Freemason and a member of the Order of Foresters. His present residence is all that was saved from the Clive property, and was conveyed in sections thirteen miles, and reerected where it now stands. Mr. Weaver is married, and has four sons and five daughters. He is assisted at the works by his two eldest sons.
are described in a lengthy article on page 385 of this volume.
Chief engineer and Works Manager of the Hastings Freezing Works, was born at Waipukurau, in September, 1856, and is the fifth son of the late Mr. John Harding, of Mt. Vernon, who is further referred to as an old colonist. He was educated at the Wellington College, and started work at the Vulcan Foundry in Napier. In the year 1888 he entered the employment of Messrs Nelson Brothers, on the engineering staff in the Waipukurau branch, whence he proceeded, on the removal of the plant, to Hornby, Canterbury. Two years later Mr. Harding was appointed to take charge of Messrs Wardell Brothers' electric plant in Christchurch. He subsequently received his present appointment, and in this capacity, superintended the erection of the Hastings Freezing Works. Mr. Harding is married
the centre of the fruit industry in Haweke's Bay, is situated about two miles from Hastings. The district of Hawke's Bay is pre-eminently suited for fruit growing, and in the neighbourhood of Hastings the land is extremely rich in quality, and being also of a sandy nature, is very suitable for fruit culture. Although occasionally late frosts are to be met with in the spring, arrangemnts have been made in the Frimley Orchard by which notice is given automatically when the temperature goes below a certain point. The district is peculiarly suited for stone fruits, peaches, apricots, and plums, but all fruits seem to grow well in Hawke's Bay. The Frimley Orchard is a mile long, and there are about eight rows of peach trees, extending its whole length. Mr. J. N. Williams originally planted a large area of peach trees, and he allowed any person who was interested in orchards to purchase a certain area of the peach orchard. Planting of fruit trees is still (1907) going on to a large extent, and Mr. Williams established a canning factory in the year 1904, close to the orchard. The buildings and plant have since been considerably extended, and there may be seen at the factory at the present time thousands of tins of preserved fruits and jams. The output of the factory is not confined to fruits and jams, but in the neighbourhood tomatoes are grown by the acre, and they are canned for consumption throughout the colony. Many acres of green peas are also grown, and these are put on the market in the most palatable form. The fruit from Frimley is sent to practically all parts of the southern end of the North Island. Every morning vast quantities are sent away by train, and not only is the fruit sent from Frimley Orchard, but fruit growers in the Hastings district have formed an association for the better distribution of their fruit, and they all send away fruit by train. The fruit industry in Hawke's Bay is one of the industries which the subdivision of land forces upon the attention of those who hold small areas, and probably no other form of land cultivation will give a larger yield per acre than the cultivation of fruit.
(Thomas Horton, proprietor), Frimley, Hastings. Head-quarters, Premier Nurseries, Pahiatua. The Hawke's Bay Nurseries are situated on the famous Frimley estate, and are near the Frimley Orchards and Canning Factory. Although recently established, this nursery is one of the largest in New Zealand, and consists of nearly forty acres of rich level land. In August, 1905, it was a bare ploughed paddock, but within a year twenty acres had been laid out as a nursery. All kinds of fruit trees, of the best varieties, including oranges, lemons, peaches, nectarines, plums, pears, quinces, and nuts of all kinds are grown in large quantities; also long-keeping varieties of apples, suitable for exporting purposes. There are also gooseberries of the best L.P. varieties, and currants (black, white, and red). Every description of hedge, shelter, and forest trees, including eucalyptus or gums, abies of many different kinds, acacias or wattles, and Oriental planes for avenu and street planting, are grown. The nursery contains about 250,000 pines of different species, 75,000 cupressus macrocarpas, and specimen trees in great variety. About 200,000 young trees of the robinia pseudo-acacia species, commonly called false or thorny acacia, have been planted. This tree bears a beautiful white westeria-like flower in November, and is a durable and valuable timber for posts and for wheelwright's work. Posts made from this
manager of the Hawke's Bay Nurseries, was born in England, in the year 1871. He came to New Zealand in the year 1892, and found employment in various nurseries for some time. Subsequently he was engaged by Mr. Thomas Horton, as nursery foreman at the Premier Nurseries, Pahiatua, and held that position until taking up the management of the Hawke's Bay Nurseries. Under the able supervision of Mr. Tomlinson these nurseries promise to be among the foremost in the colony, and a visit paid to them at any time of the year will prove both pleasant and interesting.
(A. A. George, proprietor), Karamu Road, Hastings. These works which were established some years ago by the present proprietor, contain a complete and up-to-date plant. All kinds of printing work are undertaken, including billheads, circulars, memos, cards, and booklets, and Mr. George has won a well-deserved reputation for neat and skilful work. The “New Zealand Bulletin.” a weekly journal, edited and published by him, is also issued from the office. It has a wide circulation, and the reputation of being an influential advocate and a fearless critic, and many valuable reforms advocated in the paper are now coming into force. Mr. Percy George, son of the proprietor, is foreman of the jobbing department. Miss Effie George is accountant and canvasser, and Miss Winnie George is supervisor of the bookbinding department.
Bookseller, Stationor, and News-agent, Heretaunga Street. Hastings. This business was founded in the year 1885 by Mr. R. F. Smythe, under the management of the present proprietor. In 1893 the premises were totally destroyed by fire, and it was then conducted in temporary premises in Station Street for about three months. During this time Mr. Bowler took over the business on his own account, and afterwards removed it to the present premises, which were specially erected for the purpose. The shop measures twenty feet by sixty feet, and is splendidly lighted by a large skylight. It is well appointed, and carries a large and well-selected stock of current literature, periodicals, and newspapers. The proprietor is also agent for the British and Foreign Bible Society. Mr. Bowler was born in the Wairau Valley, Marlborough, in September, 1865. He was educated in Wellington, and brought up to commercial life. He was afterwards for three years employed as a bookseller in Wellington, and then removed to Hastings as manager for Mr. Smythe, subsequently taking over the business on his own account. Mr. Bowler married Miss Longstaff, of Yorkshire, England, in the year 1889, and has one son and two daughters.
Booksellers, and Stationers, Fancy Goods and Music Dealers, Heretaunga Street, Hastings. This business was founded in the year 1880 by Mr. John Chadwick, and was acquired by the late Mr. Edwin Hall in 1902. He conducted it up to the time of his death in 1904, when the management was taken over by his son, Mr. J. Edwin Hall. The premises have a fine frontage to Heretaunga Street, and are fitted throughout with every convenience for the arrangement and display of a large and well selected stock. A great variety of books of all kinds, popular periodicals, stationery, and kindred requisites in great variety, together with music and other subsidiary lines, are always kept in stock. Mr. Hall is agent for the Dresden Piano Company and the Wertheim Sewing Machine.
manager of the business of Messrs Hall and Son, was born in the Old Country in the year 1877, and is the youngest son of the late Mr. Edwin Hall. He was educated at Woodville, where he was afterwards brought up to the drapery trade. He then started in business on his own account at Mangaweka, on the main trunk line, and after some years of successful business he sold out in order to take up the management of his father's business. Mr. Hall is a member of the Hastings Bowling Club and the Hastings hockey and tennis clubs.
Watchmaker and Jeweller, Station Street, Hastings. This business was established in the year 1889, by the present proprietor. The premises consist of a shop, with a plate-glass front, and a work-room behind, and a large and well-assorted stock of watches, jewellery, silver plate, and optical goods, is displayed. Mr. McCorkindale has also a branch business at Feilding, which is managed by his eldest son. He was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and came
Karamu Road, Hastings. These stables were established in the year 1901, by the present proprietor, Mr. B. C. McCormick. They occupy a large section, and are well arranged and efficient. A large amount of capital has been expended in thoroughly stocking the establishment with a variety of vehicles; and waggonettes, drags, braadleys, and dog-carts, and a large number of well-trained horses are always on hire. The travelling public can always rely upon getting an up-to-date and reliable turn-out at the Albert Stables. The conveyance of passengers to race meetings, showgrounds, etc., is also undertaken. Mr. McCormick personally superintends the management of the stables, and is assisted by experienced stablemen. He is more fully referred to in connection with the Hawke's Bay Mounted Rifles.
(Graham Brothers, proprietors), Heretaunga Street. Hastings. These stables are reputed to be amongst the best in the province. They were established by the present senior partner in March, 1902, and at first adjoined the Pacific Hotel; but the prosperity that the business instantly met with soon entailed an extension of the premises, and the present site was bought, and stables specially built. The building is a long brick one with iron roof, and extends from the road—to which it has a fine frontage—to the back boundary of the section. It is particularly well appointed, and contains twenty-three, stalls and four loose boxes. Fourteen horses are constantly on hand, and the vehicles comprise two large drags, two waggonettes, one single brake, three buggies, four gigs, one dog cart, one laundau, and one hearse. The Premier stables are largely patronised by all classes, as the public has the utmost confidence in the management's methods. Throughout the season a coach service is maintained between the town and Frimley orchards.
the senior partner, was born on the 10th of July, 1872, in Napier. After receiving a public school education, he worked for some years at Mr. Beccroft's stables at Hastings; he was afterwards employed for a time as a shepherd on Te Mahanga station, and then he established his present business. Mr. Graham is a Forester, and a member of the Fire Brigade and the Bowling Club. His father, who died some years ago, was formerly a farmer at Puketapu.
(Charles Hart, proprietor), Market Street, Hastings. These stables were established in the year 1900, by Mr. Gooseman, and taken over by the present proprietor in September, 1905. The building is of one storey, in wood, with an asphalt floor, is conveniently appointed, and contains thirty-five stalls and loose boxes. Two double and one single brake, three buggist, one landau, five gigs, and twenty first-class horses are employed in the business. Patrons may rely upon obtaining a thoroughly good turn-out at Tattersall's; prices are reasonable, and civility and attention are shown to customers. A feature of the business is the breaking in of young horses to saddle and bridle. At the back of the premises there is a large sale yard, capable of accommodating 200 horses, and horse sales are held there every month.
proprietor of Tattersall's Stables, was born at Southbride, Canterbury, in July, 1873. He was educated at public schools in Canterbury and Hawke's Bay, and was afterwards employed at farming. In 1897 he became driver of the Napier-Hastings coach, which he subsequently bought, and ran on his own account for about six years, before acquiring his present business. Mr. Hart conducts a weekly coach service with Mangawhare, thirty-three miles distant from Hastings, which he was the first to institute.
Traction Engine and Steam Threshing Mill Plant Propritors, Karamu Road, Hastings. This firm was established in Janary, 1906. The plant includes a first-class powerful traction engine, a large chaffcutter, an up-to-date wood-sawing machine, and a complete grain-threshing plant. Messrs Newrick Brothers are good and reliable workmen, and conduct a successful business
senior partner in the firm of Messrs Newrick Brothers, was born at Havelock North on the 22nd of May. 1883. He was educated at the Havelock North public school, and has since been employed at his present business.
General Carrier and Produce Dealer, Threshing Mill and Traction Engine Proprietor, Station Street, Hastings. This business was established in the year 1903, by the present proprietor. The plant includes a threshing mill, a chaff-cutter, a hay and straw bailer, a powerful compound Fowler engine, and heavy road hauling apparatus. Mr. Tottenham has erected a large storage shed in Southampton Street, which is connected with the railway line by a private siding, and he has also storage capacity in Station Street. He deals largely in the purchase of standing crops, which he reaps and threshes. Mr. Tottenham was born on the Glenfarm estate, Country Leitrim, Ireland, and is the fourth son of the late Colonel A. L. Tottenham, for sixteen years a member of the British House of Commons, After passing through a preparatory course, he entered the naval training ship “Britannia.” and two years later went to sea in the “Alexandra,” of the Mediterranean Squadron, then under the command of the Duke of Edinburgh. In 1891 Mr. Tottenham returned to Ireland, and then emigrated to New Zealand, where he remained for three years, part of which time he was emplyed by Sir William Russell, on “Flaxmere.” He subsequently returned to the Old Land, and for seven years conducted business as a land agent; Lord Francis Hope's estate being among those he administered. In 1903 he again came to New Zealand, and estblished his present business. Mr. Tottenham married Miss Emilia Gaussen, eldest daughter of Captain Gaussen, of “Brookman's Park,” Hertfordshire, England, in 1897, and has three sons and two daughters. In 1905 Captain Gaussen died, and early in the following year Mr. and Mrs. Tottenham returned Home to take possession of their inheritance. Mr. Tottenham still retains his commercial interests in the Colony.
Timber, Coal, and Firewood Merchant, and Saw-miller, Hastings. Head-quarters, Napier. The Hastings branch of this business was established by Mr. Holt in October, 1897, with a view to providing a more convenient centre for his increasing trade on the Heretaunga plain. The premises face the railway line, and extend from Heretaunga Street to Eastbourne Street. The plant includes planing and sawing machinery, which is kept constantly at work. Large supplies of timber, firewood, and New Zealand and Australian coal are kept on hand, and a considerable number of men are employed.
manager of the Hastings branch, is the eldest son of Mr. Robert Holt, the proprietor, and was born in Napier in the year 1864. He was educated at the Napier Grammar School, and has since been associated with his father in business. For some years he was assistant manager of the Napier business, and on the opening of a branch at Hastings he was appointed to his present position. Mr. Holt is the proprietor of a sawmill at Puketitiri, and in this capacity employs a large number of men. He is director of the Starr-Bowkett Building Society, and is a member of various local committees in Hastings.
(Samuel Manson, J. T. Tuck, R. S. Tuck, and D. J. McLeod, proprietors), Timber Merchants and Saw-millers. Timber Yards, Market Street, Hastings. Mills at Tikokino. This business was established in the year 1899. The timber yards of the firm occupy a section almost opposite the railway station, andpossess a large storage house and an office. A very large stock of seasoned timber is always kept on hand. The yard is used as the distributing depot for the firm's extensive local trade, and several persons are employed. The mills of Messrs Manson and Company are referred to in the Tikokino section.
junior partner in the firm of Messrs Manson and Company, was born at Meanee, on the 13th of September, 1867. He was educated at public schools, and was brought up to farming at Onga Onga. Mr. McLeod retained his connection with the farming industry until 1899, when he sold his interests in order to take up a partnership in the firm of Messrs Manson and Company. For about three years subsequently he worked at the mill at Tikokino, and in 1902 he opened mills on behalf of the firm at herekino and Whangape in the north of Auckland district. These two mills dealt only with Kauri timber, their total output being 28,000 feet per day. Mr. McLeod subsequently disposed of them to the Mitechelson Timber Company, and remained at the mills for twelve months as manager for the new proprietors. He then returned to Hawke's Bay, and has since been managing the firm's town interests at Hastings. While in Whangape Mr. McLeod was a member of the Farmers' Union, and the school committee, and was captain of a cricket club; he is now a member of the Hastings cricket club. Mr. McLeod is married, and has one son and one daughter.
Farmer, “Dilkusha,” Paki Paki, Hastings. Dilkusha Farm was formerly part of the Longlands estate, and consists of 465 acres of level land, a large portion of which is rich agricultural land, and the remainder lighter soil of good grazing quality. The farm winters over 1,800 sheep, and in the warmer months of the year the flock often numbers over 3,000. About eighty acres of rye grass seed are cut annually and prairie grass seed, oats, and lucerne, are also grown. Mr. Baker was born in England, on the 23rd of April. 1880, and is the son of a captain in the Imperial Army, who assisted in the defence of Ladysmith. He was educated partly at Bishop Cotton's
Farmer, “The Poplars,” Hastings. “The Poplars” is a farm composed of two blocks, of 100 acres and 300 acres respectively. The former, on which the homestead stands, is situated in the Mahora district, and consists of rich agricultural land. The latter block, which was originally part of the Longlands, estate, is chiefly good grazing country. The farm is devoted to sheep grazing principally, but a considerable quantity of rye grass is grown for seed. About 1,600 sheep and forty head of cattle are depastured. Mr. Bridgman was born in Cornwall, England, on the 11th of June, 1863, and came to New Zealand in the ship “Famenoth,” in September, 1879. He started work at Cambridge, in the Waikato district, and subsequently was engaged for several years as a sheep drover in the Auckland, Hawke's Bay, and Taranaki provinces, in conjunction with which he carried on sheep farming. In the year 1898 he bought the smaller portion of “The Poplars,” and combined farming in his own interests with the work of buying sheep for a local freezing company. Mr. Bridgma subsequently acquired the remainder of his property, which he has since successfully conducted. He is a member of the committee of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, and has been a member of the Order of Oddfellows for many year Mr Bridgman married the third daughter of Mr. R. Meredith, sometime member of the House of Representatives, in 1904, and has one daughter.
Farmer, Oatlands Farm, Hastings. Oatlands Farm is situated in the Pukahu disttict, about three miles distant from Hastings, and is held in lease by Mr. W. H. Davey. It consists of 217 acres of rich level land, and about 800 breeding ewes and a small herd of cattle are depastured. A large number of lambs ar e also fattened annually, and barley, oats, and grass seed are grown. The farm has a comfortable homestead, which is approached through a fine avenue of trees. Mr. Davey was born in Tavistock, Devonshire, England, in September, 1856, and was brought up to farming. In the year 1879 he came to New Zealand, and for some time was employed on various stations. He subsequently took up land at Puketapu, where he successfully engaged in fruit-farming for fifteen years, before taking up his present farm. Mr. Davey is married, and has five sons and four daughters.
Farmer, Paki Paki, Hastings. Mr. Elliot farms a property of 200 acres, which was formerly a part of the Longlands estate, and is composed chiefly of rich agricultural and grazing land. It is all in first-class working condition, and is highly improved. From twelve to fourteen hundred sheep and lambs are carried during the season. Mr. Elliot is a native of Berwick-on-Tweed, Northumberland, England, where he was educated and brought up to farming. He emigrated to New Zealand in the year 1884, and subsequently for seven years managed Mr. Thomas Tanner's stations at Havelock and Petane, before taking up his present property. Mr. Elliot is a member of the committee of the Agricultural and Pastoral Society, and a member of the Hastings Farmers' Union.
the property of Sir William R. Russell, is situated within three miles of Hastings, and consists of 1,700 acres of good level country, suitable for agricultural purposes and sheep grazing. 7,000 Lincoln sheep are depastured on the property, over 200 acres are down in grain, and about 150 in various crops. The wool-shed has accommodation for about twelve shearers, and all the latest necessary agricultural implements are to be found on the property, including a traction-engine and threshing-machine. A great portion of the land was originally flax swamp, and extensive drainage operations have been carried out, over forty miles of surface drains having been cut.
Hastings, consists of 772 acres of rich agricultural and pastoral land. It was formerly a portion of the Longlands estate, and was acquired by its present proprietor in the year 1905. The property is situated about three miles south-west from Hastings, and is divided into about eighteen paddocks. It is well drained and has an ample supply of good water. “Iron Gate” carries a permanent flock of about 4,000 sheep, and 150 head of cattle; about 290 acres are devoted annually to the cultivation of grass and clover seed.
proprietor of the Iron Gate Farm, was born in Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland, on the 5th of January, 1853, and was brought up to farm life in the Old Country. At twenty years of age he came to New Zealand, and settled in Canterbury, where he was employed for several years on Mr. G. G. Russell's “Otipua” estate at Timaru. He then removed to Hastings, where he entered the employment of Mr. Thomas Tanner, and eight years later was appointed manager of Mr. Tanner's estate. After holding this position for about eight years, he resigned in order to take up the management of “Longlands,” for the
(W. A. Cooper, proprietor). “Kahuranaki” is situated on the south bank of the Tuki Tuki river, about thirteen miles south of Hastings, and was taken up in the year 1854, by the late Mr. William Cooper. It then comprised 13,000 acres of rugged virgin country, but under the successful management of Mr. Cooper the bush and scrub were gradually cleared, and it then became one of the best sheep runs in Hawke's Bay. Under the will of its orignal owner, however, the estate was cut up in 1897, and 3,000 acres, including the homestead, fell to Mr. W. A. Cooper's share. “Kohinurakau” is situated seven miles from Hastings, and on it Mr. W. A. Cooper's beautiful residence is situated. It comprises about 3,000 acres, and, like “Kahuranaki,” is chiefly hilly and undulating country. About 12,000 sheep and 600 head of cattle are depastured on the two estates.
proprietor of Kahuranaki and Kohinurakau stations, was born in Hawke's Bay on the third of December, 1850, received his education in Wellington, Napier, and Havelock North, and was then brought up to sheep farming life on “Kahuranaki.” For nearly twenty years he managed the estate for his father, and subsequently for the executors, and since 1897 has farmed on his own account. Mr Cooper resided for many years at the old homestead, and then built his present residence, which is a fine twostoryed building, surrounded by lawns and well-laid out flower gardens. Mr. Cooper was for some years a member of the Hawke's Bay County Council. He is married, and has three sons and six daughters.
Settler, Hastings. Mr. Monteith resided at Woodville for about a quarter of a century, but subsequently removed to Hastings. He was a member of the first borough council of Woodville, and was formerly a member of the old town board for many years. Mr. Monteith was born in Melbourne, Australia, in the year 1848, and was educated and brought up to farming pursuits in Victoria and Queensland. In the last-named Colony he was for five years on his father's station. He came to New Zealand in 1868, was in business for a few years on the Otago gold-fields, and then moved northwards to establish the first store in Woodville, in partnership with Mr. Fountaine. Some years ago Mr. Monteith acquired a property, situated on the line of railway between Woodville and Pahiatua, consisting of 1,100 acres of rich land, stocked with 2,500 Lincoln sheep and 100 head of cattle. He married a daughter of Mr. Edwin Hall, of Pahiatua, and has three sons and two daughters.
Farmer, Hastings. Mr. Watt's fine property comprises 132 acres of very rich agricultural land, conveniently subdivided into paddocks. The ewe flock numbers 650, and 500 to 600 lambs are sent annually to the freezing works, and about the same number of fat sheep. About thirty acres are cut annually for rye grass seed, and about thirty acres of rape is grown. Mr. Watts was born in Wellington, on the 24th of July, 1848, and is the son of the late Mr. William Watts, who landed in Wellington from the ship “Arab” in the year 1841. After leaving school he was employed at farm and bush work for seven years in Wellington, and in 1868 he went to Southlad, where he was for three years engaged in general farm and station work. Mr. Watts afterwards went to Australia, and found employment for five months at shearing in New South Wales and Victoria, and returned to Southand in 1872. During the next twelve months he worked at shearing and general farm work in various parts of the South Island, travelling from Invercargill to Picton on horseback. In 1873 he removed to Hawke's Bay, for seven years followed station life, and in 1880 settled in Hastings, and started farming on his own account; he was also engaged at the same time in dealing and droving for many years all through the North Island. Mr. Watts has been a member of the Agricultural and Pastoral Society for many years.
of “Stoneycroft,” Hastings, is an old colonist of over fifty years' standing. He was born in County Cork, Ireland, came to New Zealand in the “Lady Nugent,” in the year 1850, and for two years resided at Lyttelton. He then removed to the North Island, and for eighteen years was manager of the well-known Heaton Park estate, in the Rangitikei district, the property of the late Hon. W. B. Rhodes. Owing chiefly to the native troubles, Mr, Beamish disposed of a property he owned near Marton, and removed with his family to Hastings. He became manager of the Okawa estate
of Riverslea, Hastings, was born in the Old Country in the year 1838, and landed in Wellington in the year 1842, by the ship “Clifton.” He received his education in Wellington and was afterwards employed as a stockman by the late Mr. Hunter for about sixteen years. He was engaged in rough pioneering work, and at an early age drove a mob of cattle from Wellington round the then unroaded sea coast, to Mr. Hunter's station at Porangahau. For three years subsequently Mr. Bird worked on Pourerere station for Mr. Charles Nairn, and then took up his present farm of 600 acres at Wallingford, which he for many years successfully conducted. This farm is now (1906) managed by his eldest son, and Mr. Bird lives in retirement at Riverslea, where he holds a valuable little farm of seventy-two acres. He was for a time a member of the Wallingford school committee, and was a member of the Hastings Farmers' Union and the Agricultural and Pastoral Society. Mr. Bird married Miss Mary Nelson, sister of Sergeant-Major Nelson, of Napier, in 1881, and has three sons and three daughters.
was born at New Ross, County Wexford, Ireland, on the 7th of May, 1847, and is a son of Mr. Timothy Cullen, a farmer. He was educated in his native place, where he learned the bakery trade, which he subsequently followed in Waterford, Dublin, Tipperary, and Carriganshore. At ninteen years of age he embarked for New Zealand, and landed on the 21st of October, 1874, at the Spit, Napier. For some time he was employed at various occupations, then worked as a day labourer in the Corporation service, and later as a storeman for Mr. Kinross, at the Spit. In 1875 he was and employed by Mr. Close, of Napier, and later on took up a position as a baker in Hastings and Havelock North. Mr. Cullen subsequently became head cook on the Maraekakaho
sometime proprietor of the business of Hall and Son, of Hastings, was born at malton, Yorkshire, England, in the year 1839, and was a brother of Mr. Charles Hall, member of the House of Representatives for Waipawa. He was educated in his native place, afterwards engaged in farming, and emigrated to New Zealand in the early “eighties.” For some years Mr. Hall farmed at Woodville, where he subsequently established himself in business as a bookseller and stationer. he afterwards sold out and settled in Hastings, where he successfully conducted a similar business, until his death in August, 1904.
is a pretty little country township, situated on the lower slopes of a range of high hills, fourteen miles south from Napier, and about three miles east of Hastings. At one time it was of considerable importance as the chief stopping place on the main road between Napier and the south. A fine township sprang up, but on the construction of the railway, the traffic upon which it almost solely depended was diverted, and the township declined. Within recent years, however, Havelock North has received a considerable impetus, due to the fact that it is being recognised as a popular residental suburb of Hastings. It is one of the healthiest townships in Hawke's Bay, has a splendid, bracing climate, good drainage, an abundance of water from artesian and limestone springs, and the roads are good and level for miles. Fruit-growing and sheep, cattle, dairy and agricultural farming are the chief industries; there are also extensive private vineyards, and a Government experimental station, which is one of the most successful in the colony. Brick-making is also carried on, and there are potteries, wool-scouring works, nurseries, and a butter factory in the township. Havelock has a public school, a post office, with telegraph and money order departments and a telephone bureau, three churches, and one hotel. A mail and passenger coach plies between Havelock North and Hastings.
stands on a section of three acres. It is a substantial wooden building, containing two class-rooms, with accommodation for about 150 pupils. There is a roll number of 150, and the average attendance is 125. The staff consists of the head-master, an assistant mistress, and two pupil teachers. Excellent results have always been obtained at the annual examinations. Mr. R. B. Holmes joined the Hawke's Bay Education Board's service in 1885, when he was appointed head-master of the Havelock North public school.
(John Rich, proprietor), Havelock North. This business was established in the year 1897 by the present proprietor. The premises consist of a one-storeyed wooden building, containing a shop and a private residence. The shop has a fine vate residence. The shop has a fine verandah and two plate-glass show windows, and is fitted up in a convenient and up-to-date manner. A large, imported stock of drapery, ladies' and gentlemen's clothing, mercery, hoisery, dress goods, underclothing, footware, and crockery, is carried. A large trade is conducted, and a two-horse van, which carries a well-assorted stock, plies the district regularly for a distance of forty miles. A delivery cart is also employed.
was born in North Devon, England, on the 20th of March, 1862, was educated at the Barnstaple Wesleyan school, and afterwards learned the drapery trade under Messrs John Hopper and Gould Brothers of Barnstaple. He was then employed by Messrs J. Rotherham and Company, of London, and soon afterwards opened up on his own account at Braunton, where he conducted a successful business for about three years. Mr. Rich subsequently sold out to advantage, and went to Tasmania, where he first engaged in farming for a short time, then conducted a store on the Scotsdale railway, about twenty miles from Launceston, and later for eighteen months managed and edited a newspaper in Launceston. He subsequently joined the “New Australia” expedition, under Mr. Lane, and left in the ship “Royal Tar” for Paraguay, South America. The expedition failing, however, he returned to England, and established himself in business. Three years later he sold out and emigrated to New Zealand, landing at Napier. Soon afterwards Mr. Rich removed to Havelock, where he has since successfully conducted his present business. While resident in Tasmania Mr. Rich took an active part in public affairs, but during his residence in New Zealand he has not associated himself with any form of public life. Mr. Rich married a Tasmanian lady, Esther Marion, only daughter of Mr. John Barrett, and has six children. Mrs. Rich accompanied her husband on his travels to Paraguay and England. The eldest daughter gained both a National and a Board of Education scholarship in one year. Mr. Rich is the proprietor of the Karoola Orchard and Poultry Farm, which is elsewhere referred to.
(Mrs. M. McLean, proprietress), Havelock North. This old-established hotel was acquied by the present proprietress in the year 1900. It is a two-storeyed wooden building, and contains about twenty well-furnished rooms. On the ground floor there is a large commercial room, several cosy sitting rooms, a commodious dining room, and a convenient bar; and there are twelve
proprietress of the Exchange Hotel, is a native of Scotland, and came to New Zealand in the year 1897. For three years she conducted the Occidental Hotel in Napier, before taking over the “Exchange” in 1900.
Provision Merchant and General Storekeeper, corner of the Middle Road and East Coast Road, Havelock North. The original premises of this business were replaced in 1899 by the present handsome two-storeyed wooden build-which contains a shop, an office, storeroom, and a large private residence. At the rear of this, facing the East Coast Road, there are also large grain and produce sheds, conveniently built for the loading and discharging of delivery vans. The shop is excellently fitted up and appointed, and has three fine plate-glass windows, in which there is an attractive display of goods. A heavy stock of groceries, hardware, leather goods, footware, drapery, stationery, crockery, and grain and produce is carried. Mr. Evans is agent for the Hawke's Bay daily papers, and the leading New Zealand “weeklies.” Three persons are kept constantly employed, and daily deliveries are made throughout the district. Mr. Evans was born at Leeds, Yorkshire, England, in October, 1876, and in the son of a building contractor.
Provision Merchants and General Storekeepers, Havelock North. This old-established business was acquired by the present proprietors in October, 1904. The premises consist of a large two-storeyed wooden building, a private residence, and large storage sheds. The ground floor carries a heavy stock, comprising groceries, ironmongery, crockery, produce, farming utensils, saddlery, drapery, footware, and chafi, bran, and grain. The dressmaking department is conducted on the first floor, and the premises throughout are well-appointed. Five tradesmen are employed in the business, and an extensive wholesale and retail trade is conducted. Two delivery carts are kept constantly employed.
senior partner in the firm of Messrs Runciman Brothers, was born in Dunedin on the 16th of September, 1874, and is the son of an old identity of Otago. He was educated in Dunedin, was afterwards employed for six years in the office of a wholesale merchant, and then removed to the North Island. For seven years subsequently he conducted a general store at Marton, and was afterwards employed as a commercial traveller at Wanganui. Mr. Runciman then became manager of a general store at Pipiriki, and later at Onga Onga, before acquiring his present business, which he has since conducted in partnership with his brother.
Orchardist and Fruiterer, Havelock and Hastings. Mr. Guthrie started his orchard in the year 1872, and has two places of eighteen and eight acres respectively under cultivation, and well stocked with apple trees, plum trees, lemons, oranges, grapes, red and black currants, etc. He established the Hastings shop in 1895, which is under the capable management of his daughter, and is supplied with fruit daily from the orchard. Mr. Guthrie was born in Scotland, where he learned gardening. In 1861 he went to Rockhampton, Queensland, came to New Zealand eight years later, and worked at his trade in Auckland for three years. He then removed to Hawke's Bay, and purchased his present property. Mr. Guthrie is married, and has eight children.
(John Goddard, proprietor), Havelock North. These nurseries are twenty-four acres in extent. They are without doubt one of the attractions of Hawke's Bay, and strangers to the district should not fail to pay them a visit. Mr. Goddard has had years of experience, and has worked hard to bring the nurseries to their present state of perfection. There are a great many varieties of chrysanthemums, camellias, daphnes, English and Dutch bulbs, and over 250 different classes of roses. The orchard is many acres in extent, and contains a large selection of apples, pears, cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, prunes, currants, mulberries, figs, medlars, lemons, etc. Mr. Goddard is a very successful grape grower, and his vineries contain over twenty different kinds. His practice in growing grapes indoors differs in some material points from the generally-accepted standard, and undoubtedly his success demonstrates the soundness of his arguments. These nurseries were visited in 1893 by the Governor of New Zealand and Lady Glasgow, while staying at “Flaxmere,” and they expressed themselves as highly gratified to find horticulture in such a forward state in the neighbourhood, and congratulated Mr. Goddard on his success in grape culture. Black Hamburgh is the leading kind grown in the vinery, but a number of other varieties are grown successfully, such as Gros Colmn, Foster's Seedling, Ferdinand de Lesseps, Madresfied Court, Muscat of Alexandria, and other muscats; late and early varieties are represented, and are in the fullest vigour of health and bearing. Close by is an outdoor vineyard, the vines showing vigourous health and growth. In the immediate vicinity of the packing and plant sheds, and other offices, are the miscellaneous flowering shrub and ornamental plant
the proprietor, was born in Lancaster, England, where he learned gardening. He came to New Zealand in the ship “Flying Foam,” in the year 1864, landed in Auckland, and was for four years with Mr. C. W. Wren, the wellknown nurseryman of Remuera. He removed to Hawke's Bay in 1871, was employed as head gardenr by Mr. Chambers and other, and eventually started his present business in 1873. Mr. Goddard was the founder of the Loyal Hastings Lodge of Oddfellows (M. U.). He is married, and has tow sons and tow daughters.
(John Rich, proprietor), Havelock North. This orchard embraces thiry-one acres of fine fruit-growing land, is situated within two miles of Havelock North, and adjoins the Government vineyard. It contains 2,000 fruit trees, including apples, peaches, and pears. There is a magnificent collection of dessert and cooking apples of every variety, which include such well-known kinds as “Jonathan,” “Dougherty,” “Springdale,” “Rome Beauty,” and “Sturmer.” The orchard is clear of all pests and blights, and the trees are pictures of health and vigour. A poultry farm, on up-to-date lines, is conducted in connection with the orchard, which is used as a fowl run.
Farmer, Paki Paki, Havelock North. Mr. Brown's property consists of 150 acres of rich level land, capable of carrying eight sheep to the acre all the year round. It is now (1906) stocked with 1,000 sheep and sixty head of cattle. A considerable amount of general stock dealing is also conducted. Mr. Brown was born near Horsham, Sussex, England, on the 6th of January, 1843. He was educated partly at a private school at Little Berkhamstead, Hertfordshire, and partly at Eton, and subsequently pursued his studies on the Continent.
Farmer and Cattle Dealer, Havelock North. Mr. Hill was born in Bristol, England, in the year 1863, and came with his parents to New Zealand, landing at Auckland in 1864. His father, Mr. James Hill, proceeded to Waiuku, where he took up a small property, and was largely engaged in the flax industry. Mr. Hill was educated at Waiuku, and was engaged with Mr. Edward Constable for seven years, one of the largest farmers and oldest settlers in the district. About 1884 he went to Hawera, Taranaki, which was then a rising district, and was for some time head shepherd for Messrs Hammond Brothers of Rangitikei, remaining with them for three years. He then determined to start on his own account, and successfully speculated and dealt in sheep and cattle for some years. He subsequently became manager of the Pohokura station, which was afterwards cut up for closer settlement, and then removed to Havelock North, where he has since conducted a successful business.
lies twelve miles south-west from Napier, and six miles west from Hastings, on the bank of the Ngaruroro river. The past office is conducted in the local store, and is supplied with telephone and money order conveniences. The Maraekakaho coach passes through the distict, and there is also a daily coach service between the township and Hastings and Napier. There is some first class land in the vicinity, which is devoted to grain growing and sheep farming, and of the former good yields are obtained. On the other side of the river is situated a Maori pa, which contains some modern dwelling houses, and a large church where services are held weekly. The roads around the district are maintained in good order, and are greatly used by cyclists and motorists.
(Winter H. Fuszard, proprietor), Fernhill. This hotel was built in the early “eighties,” and acquired by the present proprietor in July, 1904. It is a twostoreyed wooden building, and contains three sitting rooms, a dining room capable of seating eighteen guests, a billiard room with a full size Burroughs and Watt billiard table, and several single and double bedrooms. The bar is well stocked with the best brands of spirits, liquors,
proprietor of the Fernhill Hotel, was born in Jersey, Channel Islands, in the year 1869, and came to New Zealand as a child, with his parents, in the ship “Queen of the North,” landing in Napier. He was subsequently engaged for fifteen years in the Criterion Hotel, Napier, and gained further experience in the same lusiness in Hastings, before acquiring the Fernhill Hotel.
Runholder, Ngapuke (The Hills). This run contains 2,600 acres of good pastoral land, and carries 6,000 crossbred sheep and about 100 head of cattle. Mr. Broughton is a successful breeder of good racing stock, among which may be mentionel “Forest Rose,” “Rangipuinhu,” “Titike,” “First Blood,” “Rakahoe,” and others, Some years ago he disposed of his stud to Mr. Richardson, of Napier. Mr. Broughton is a native of Wanganui, where he was born in the year 1857, educated in this native school at Pakowhai, and at Mr. Reardon's school in Napier, and was brought up to agricultural pursuits. He married a daughter of the well-known Bay of Plenty chief, Tuhoe, and has four sons and three danghters.
(George Prior Donnelly, proprietor). This station is situated about eleven miles from Napier, and also includeds the Ngatarawa property a few miles further on. The area of “Crissoge” is about 9,000 aeres, and 20,000 Lincoln sheep are depastured. There are also 500 head of short-horn cattle (Bate's blood) and sixty horses, incuding the famous sire “Gold Reef.”
“Waimarama” is situated on the coast south of the Kidnappers, twentyfour miles by water from Napier, and about three hours' drive from Hastings. It comprises 17,000 acres, all limestone downs, and carries 30,000 Lincoln sheep. There are also 1,800 short-horn cattle, and about seventy horses.
comprises about 17,000 acres of freehold and a few thousand acres of leasehold, and is stocked with 23,000 first-cross Lincoln and merino sheep.
“Ohurukura,” about thirty miles from Napier on the Taupo Road, is another of Mr. Donnelly's runs. It consists of 26,000 acres of freehold and leasehold country, and carries 16,000 Lincoln-merino sheep, 300 head of cattle, and twenty-five horses.
“Rukawa” is a small property which also belongs to Mr. Donnelly, and contains 2,000 aeres of superior totara and matai forest. On this there are 500 short-horn steers. Besides the fore-go-ing runs, Mr. Donnelly has numerous smaller properties, some of them as far away as the Rangitikei and Manawatu districts.
proprietor of the above estates, manages them personally. He is a breeder and owner of a very large number of valuable animals, and has always been a keen sportman, having ridden and owned some of the most noted cross-country horses in the Colony, and won many races both on the flat and over country. In passing judgment on the imported sire, “Gold Reef,” the property of Mr. Donnelly, the “Hawke's Bay Herald” said: “As he stood for inspection, covering a lot of ground without the slightest bit of ground without the slightest bit of lumber showing, with perfect feet, he presented himself as the beau ideal of a recehorse and sire. Handsome he should be too, for no horse in the world possesses a better pedigree, and certainly no horse with a more fashionable pedigree, or one more likely to make a successful sire, has ever left England.” “Following up the Turf,” as did his forefathers, is a hobby with Mr. Donnelly, and he spares neither trouble nor expense to keep himself in the front rank as a breeder. As early as the year 1864 he was a member of the Auckland Cavalry, and rode his first race at Tamaki in the Garrison Hunt Steeplechase.
Mr. Donnelly is a son of Mr. Patrick Donnelly, a landed proprietor of County Tipperary, Ireland, and was born at “Brittus,” an old family
residence, which had belonged to the Langleys, his mother's side of the family, she being the daughter of Mr. John Prior, a large landed proprietor
(Thomas Henry Lowry, proprietor), Napier. This station is one of the finest properties in the neighbourhood of Napier, and includes a small property named “Dartmoor,” on the opposite side of the Tutaekuri River. The total area is 20,000 acres, and the handsome homestead is surrounded by beautiful grounds. 35,000 Lincoln sheep and lambs are shorn anually, and the herd of shorthorn cattle numbers 550, many of them being exceptionally valuable animals. Of the eighty horses at “Okawa,” many are pure bred from blood mares and sires. Of these there are the favourite sires “St. Conon” and “Dotterel,” and “Lady Helen” and “Woodthorpe,” besides the mare “Bijon.” Mr. Lowry breeds pedigree shorthorn bulls for sale, and has some of the finest animals in the Colony. There is a large demand for his Lincoln rams, and his stock of breeding ewes numbers over 300. In sheep and cattle particularly Mr. Lowry has been a successful prize-taker for many years, as was his father, who was generally credited with being the first in the district to introduce good breeds of cattle, horses, and sheep.
Mr. T. H. Lowry, proprietor of the Okawa station, was born on the estate in the year 1865. He was educated at Christ's College, Canterbury, and afterwards at the Royal Agricultural College, England, and later at Jesus College, Cambridge. He distinguished himself on the football fields of both colleges, and continued to sustain his reputation in this respect after his return to New Zealand. Mr. Lowry is a member of the committee of the Acclimatisation Society, a steward of the Hawke's Bay Jockey Club, a member of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural Society, and a director of the North British and Hawke's Bay Freezing Company, Limited. In 1897 he married the daughter of the late Mr. James Watt, of Napier.
sometime proprietor of Okawa station, came to New Zealand in the early “fifties,” and acquired the Okawa estate and other properties in the district. He was gifted with the faculty of inspiring confidence in the natives, and his son is now reaping the reward of his father's enterprise and foresight.
is a farming district situated twenty-seven miles south from Napier, on the main south railway line, and is included in the Hawke's Bay electoral and licensing district. Mails are received and despatched several times daily, and there is a railway station and refreshment rooms, a post, telegraph, and telephone office, one hotel, and a store. Te Aute College is about four, miles from the railway station, but within a very short distance from the next station on the line—Pukehou. The roads running through the district are in good order, and are much used by cyclists and motorists. Te Aute valley is surrounded by low limestone hills, and overlooks what, until recent years, was a swamp. By systematic draining the swamp has disappeared, with the exception of a lake (Poukawa), on which good duck shooting can be obtained. In the place of what was once a swamp there may now be seen paddock after paddock of richly-grassed land, clumps of trees, herds of cattle, flocks of sheep—the whole presenting a picture of pastoral beauty hardly to be surpassed anywhere in New Zealand.
is situated on the line of the Napier-Wellington railway, thirty-two miles from the former town, and is surrounded by picturesque hills, and rich agricultural land.
Principal of Te Aute College, comes of a Yorkshire family, long settled in Surrey, and was born in North London in 1844. He received his early education in a private school, but, before proceeding to India, he spent two years at Highbury College, where he gained a first-class certificate from the Committee on Council on Education. In 1864 he went out to India, under the Church Missionary Society, to engage in the work of vernacular education in the Telugu country. After passing his language examinations, he took charge of a Vernacular Institution at Masulipatam, where Christian students were trained and sent out as teachers to the mission village schools. Later on, for some time the supervision of these schools was added to his other duties. His last year in India was spent at Ellore, where he succeeded in restoring to its normal condition the Church Missionary Society's High School for Mohammedans and high-caste Hindus, which had been decimated by the admission, on principle, of two non-caste Christian students. After eleven years spent in India, Mr. Thornton came to New Zealand in 1875, and was for two years Rector of the Oamaru Grammar School. In 1878 he was appointed to Te Aute, where he has since laboured for the race he loves so well. Mr. Thornton is honorary secretary of the Te Aute College Students' Association, and a lay member of the Napier Cathedral Chapter.
Assistant Master at Te Aute College, was born in Christchurch, in the year 1881, and is a son of the Rov. T. A. Cato, of Opotiki, Bay of Plenty. Mr.
was born at Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, on the 17th of January, 1822. He came to New Zealand with his father (afterwards the Venerable Archdeacon H. Williams) in August, 1823, in the ship “Brampton.” The Rev. H. Williams, with his family, settled in the Bay of Islands, as a minister of the Church Missionary Society. Here Samuel Williams passed his boyhood, being educated at a school for the children of missionaries, under the superintendence of his uncle, the Rev. W. Williams (afterwards first Bishop of Waiapu). Later on Samuel Williams joined Bishop Selwyn at St. John's College, Auckland, and there received his theological training, preparatory to taking holy orders. After being personally instructed by the Bishop and his chaplain, the Rev. W. C. Cotton, he was ordained deacon in 1846. By this time he had become the head of the native department at St. John's. Not long after his ordination, he was sent on a special mission to Otaki, where he made the acquaintance of the West Coast natives. Soon after his return to Auckland, the Bishop received a petition from the Otaki Maoris, praying that the Archdeacon might be sent to take up his residence amongst them. Accordingly, in 1847, he removed to Otaki, to take charge of the mission work on the West Coast from Wellington to Rangitikei. At Otaki he established schools for the Maoris, and, under his direction and close superintendence—every beam being placed in position under his supervision—the Maoris erected the commodious and picturesque native Church, which still stands, and serves as a monument to the interest which the early converts to Christianity manifested in the Church of their adoption. At this period the Archdeacon was instrumental in bringing about an amicable state of relations between the Government and the natives, and in thus enabling the former to purchase land on equitable terms. For his services in this connection he received the thanks of the Government of New Zealand. In 1852 Sir George Grey foresaw that ere long a considerable number of settlers would be taking up land in Hawke's Bay, and he feared this would take place before the Maoris were sufficiently enlightened to give them peaceable occupation. Accordingly he was anxious to find some one qualified to take up the position of mediator between the two races. He had known the Archdeacon previously, and he invited him to accept the position. As an inducement he offered, on behalf of the Government, to give a grant of 4,000 acres for educational purposes, at the same time making no secret of the fact that his own object was political rather than educational. Thus it happened, that in 1853 the Archdeacon made a preliminary visit to Hawke's Bay. This was the year in which he was ordained priest. In the following year, with the consent of Bishop Sel-
wyn, and the Mission authorities, he finally left Otaki, and settled at Te Aute. Unwilling as he was to relinquish the good work on the West Coast, where there existed a flourishing system of schools, and where his labours were deeply appreciated by the Maoris, he nevertheless saw it to be his duty to comply with what he regarded as a providential call. The story of his canoe journey up the Manawatu river, his settlement in Te Aute, and his work in the district is too long to be related here. He occupied a unique position, and he occupied it nobly. In troublous times, amidst conflicting race interests, with serious collisions impending, he stood for years between the two races, consulted by both, trusted by both. Hampered on the Maori side by misconceptions—not always groundless—as to Government motives and Government policy, and on the English side by ignorance of the Maori mind and character, and of the best methods of dealing with the lands of a high-souled though barbarous people, he yet, by his unflinching courage, his indomitable energy, and his Christian integrity, so informed the minds of the Maoris, and so counselled the local authorities, that he succeeded in not only preventing a struggle, but when at length an armed demonstration was made—not indeed by Hawke's Bay natives, but by fanatics from outside —it was Samuel Williams who saved Napier. The whole trouble lay in the irregular system of land purchase by the Government, a system which so perplexed and irritated the Maoris, that, on several occasions, had it not been for the Archdeacon's intimate acquaintance with their language, their mind, and their policy, this irritation would have resulted in open hostilities. Nor was it in the neighbourhood of Napier alone that his commanding influence was exerted with peaceful results. It was personally exercised in Gisborne, and on the East Coast, where his efforts as a mediator between the two races, together with his influence over the Maoris, again prevented bloodshed, and furthered the cause of law and order. From the East Coast his name and fame spread inland to Taupo and the Waikato, until at length “Te Wiremu” became known far and wide as the champion of justice and equitable dealing, the apostle of peace and good-will, the guide, philosopher, and friend both of the Maori and the Pakeha. At this time the Archdeacon was the only clergyman in Hawke's Bay, and it was his practice to minister as far as possible to the spiritual needs of both Maoris and Europeans. Later on, when provision had been made for the support of clergymen for the English settlers, the Archdeacon's labours were more especially directed to the Maoris. He felt that the natives had the first claim to his services, and that his own talents in regard to his knowledge of the people and their language seemed to point to the Maoris as his special charge. Moreover, the Maoris and their cause had been left to him as a legacy, so to speak, by his father. Meanwhile the English settlers were not unmindful of what the Maori missionary had done for them. As a mark of their appreciation of his services, they subscribed liberally to the various endowments which he founded for Church purposes. But the Archdeacon's services to the State were not allowed to interfere with his own special work, for the Church Missionary work was prosecuted far and wide, with the result that considerable numbers of the Maoris embraced the
B.A., Te Aute, Missionary in charge of the Hawke's Bay Maori Mission, was born in the Bay of Islands, in the year 1860, and is a son of Ex-Judge Williams, of the Native Land Court of New Zealand. Mr. Williams received his elementary education at the Church of England Grammar School, Auckland, and, later, studied at St. John's College, Cambridge, England, and at Ridley Hall Theological College, Cambridge. He took his Bachelor of Arts degree at St. John's College in 1883, and was ordained by the Bishop of Lichfield in 1881. From 1884 to 1886 he occupied the position of Curate of St. Luke's, Wolverhamp-ton, after which he returned to the Colony. For a time he assisted the Venerable Archdeacon Samuel Williams, and was later appointed to succeed him. Mr. Williams is honorary secretary of the New Zealand Mission Trust Board, organising secretary of the Maori Mission Fund for the diocese of Waiapu; and sub-treasurer of the Maori Mission Board for the diocese of Waiapu. His labours take him all over Hawke's Bay, and as far north as Taupo, besides which he assists in the religious instruction at Te Aute College. He married a daughter of the late Mr. Leslie Thomson, of Canterbury, in 1893, and has three sons and one daughter.
(Henry Carlson, proprietor), Te Aute. These mills were established in the year 1903, and now (1906) have 1,200 acres of bush to work upon. The principal timbers cut are totara, white pine, and matai, which, when dressed, find a ready market in Hastings, Napier, Wellington, and Christchurch. The mill and yards cover about three acres, and the machinery comprises one traction engine; four driving engines, including a log hauler and steam winch; a portable and stationary engine, each of sixteen horsepower; twin circular saws, five feet six inches in circumference; and a planing and moulding machine. The output averages 11,000 feet per day, and the mill finds employment for thirty-three persons, all of whom reside in the vicinity. About 100 head of fine oxen and fifteen horses are kept for haulage purposes. The main office is situated at the mill, with Mr. Charles Rosser in charge.
proprietor of Te Aute Saw-mills, was born in Carlshamn, Sweden, in 1844, and for many years followed a seafaring life. He came to New Zealand in 1876, in the ship “Shakespeare.” landing in Wellington, and after being engaged in saw-milling in Palmerston North, he started in business as a bridge contractor. Mr. Carlson built the Manawatu bridge at Kaitoke, the Waipawa and Waipukurau traffic bridges, the Tamumu, and other substantial
bridges in Hawke's Bay and Mana-watu. In 1890 he started the Timber Bay saw-mill, near Dannevirke, and afterwards owned and operated similar
manager and clerk of the Te Aute Saw-mills, was born in Waimea, Nelson, in the year 1870, and received his present appointment in 1903. In 1896 he married a daughter of Mr. James Davey, of Dannevirke, and has one son and one daughter.
Farmer, Te Aute. Mr. Priest operates two properties; one of 300 acres, situated at Te Aute. on which he resides, and another of 640 acres in the Argyle settlement. The combined stock comprises 1,600 Leicester cross-breds, and upwards of 150 head of cattle. The home farm is used chiefly for dairying purposes, and carries a herd of seventy milking cows. It is provided with a separator, and up-to-date butter-making machinery, and the product is disposed of to Te Aute College and various sheep stations in the neighbourhood. Mr. Priest was born in the Shetland Islands, Scotland, in the year 1863. He came to New Zealand in 1878, in the ship “City of Auckland,” which ran ashore and broke up on the Otaki beach, near Foxton. Mr. Priest subsequently removed to Hawke's Bay, and found employment with Mr. Donald McDonald, at Puka-hu, with whom he remained for three years. Afterwards he was employed by Mr. George Beamish, on “Wahna,” Maraekakaho, and by the Venerable Archdeacon Williams, at Te Aute. In 1896 Mr. Priest started farming and dairying on his own account, and has been most successful in his undertakings. Owing to the pressure of business he has taken little part in public matters, but is a director of the Kai-kora North Saleyards Company. Mr. Priest married a daughter of Mr. Benjamin Ebbett, and has a family of two sons and one daughter.
the property of Mr. Maurice Mason, is a freehold estate of 4,000 acres of undulating country, and depastures two sheep to the acre, chiefly of the Romney-Marsh Lincoln breed, though some of the flock are pure-bred Romneys. Lambing averages about eighty per cent. There are also 400 head of short-horn and Hereford short-horn cross-bred cattle on the property. The Hawke's Bay Hunt Club's kennels are located at “Taheke,” and many good runs have been had over the station and surrounding country. There is a fine modern dwelling house, pleasantly situated, and several substantial outbuildings, including a wool shed stocked with six stands of Wolseley sheep-shearing machines.
was born in the Hutt, Wellington, in the year 1857, and received his education at the Wan-ganui College. He has resided at “Taheke” since 1876. Mr. Mason has been a director of the Hawke's Bay Farmers' Co-operative Company since its inception, and is a member of the Agricultural and Pastroal Society, the Hawke's Bay Hunt Club, and the Hastings and Hawke's Bay social clubs. He married a daughter of Mr. J. Skerman, of Palmerston North, in 1885, and has two sons and four daughters.
“Te Onepu,” Te Aute, the property of Mr. M. E. Groome, is a freehold estate of 1,030 acres, with a leasehold of 300 acres of native land. The bulk of it has been sown in grass, but a little cropping is done for home use. The winter stock comprises 3,000 breeding ewes, almost pure-bred English Leicesters, and the lambing averages ninety-five per cent. As many as 4,500 sheep have been carried in the summer months, and about 1,000 lambs are disposed of each season. Upwards of 100 head of cattle are grazed. There are six stands of Wolseley machines in the wool shed, and in the same building accommodation is provided for 1,000 sheep in the night pens. The “Te Onepu” clip is exported to the English markets. There is a modern dwelling house, surrounded by an orchard, and a tastefully-arranged garden on the property.
J.P., was born in Shropshire, England, in the year 1843, and received his education at Whitchurch Grammar School, and later, with the idea of entering the navy, he studied at Portsmouth. In company with Mr. John Harland, a brother of Sir Edward Harland, of Belfast, Mr. Groome left England in
Sheep-farmer, Pukehou, Te Aute. Mr. Williams is the only surviving son of the late Venerable Archdeacon Williams, and was born at Te Aute in the year 1856. He received his education in Wellington and Auckland. Mr. Williams takes an interest in his late father's stations, and is a member of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society. He married a daughter of the Rev. Mr. Puokey, of Kaitaia.
is situated in Patangata county, thirty-six miles from Napier on the Wellington line of railway. Mails are received and despatched four times daily, and there are the usual postal and telegraphic facilities. The district is devoted to farming, and there are several large sheep stations between Kaikora and the sea coast. Some of these stations are (1906) being surveyed by the Government, with the intention of cutting them up for closer settlement. The railway station is often a scene of great activity, as several thousands of sheep are frequently trucked from Kaikora North to other stations, or to the various freezing works. The local school has ninety scholars on the roll, with an average attendance of eighty-one. There are Anglican, Presbyterian, and Metodist churches at Kaikora North, also a public hall, stores, hotel, and a sheep-dip manufactory. The climate is warm, dry, and exceptionally healthy; there are good roads in the district, and good shooting and fishing can be obtained about seven miles distant.
. The annual rateable value of property in the town district is £2,091, on which a general rate of one shilling in the £ is levied. There are 112 ratepayers and a population of 268. Meetings of the Board are hold on the first Friday in each month. Members of the Board for the year 1907: Messrs Albert Knight (chairman), James Clark, George Clark, William White, and A. V. Collins. Mr. J. C. Taylor is clerk of the Board.
Chairman of the Kaikora North Town Board, was elected a member in September, 1904.
who is a member of the Kaikora North Town Board, is a native of Hampshire, England. After receiving his education, he followed various commercial pursuits. He came to New Zealand in the year 1879, landed at Napier, and was engaged in farming at Ta-mumu until 1882, when he established himself in business as a general storekeeper in Kaikora. Mr. Clark is married, and has two sons and two daughters.
the first chairman of the Kaikora Town Board, is a native of Kirkcudbright, Scotland. After receiving his education, he followed various commercial pursuits in Glasgow for five years. He came to New Zealand in the year 1859, landed at Auckland, and shortly afterwards removed to Napier. Mr. Clark was in the Hawke's Bay militia until 1863, when he went to Waipawa. He then took up his present property of 400 acres, and has been farming in the district ever since. In public matters he has always promoted the welfare of the township. He is a member of the Patangata Road Board, of which he has been chairman on several occasions, and is chairman of the school committee. He has been an Oddfellow for over twenty-five years. Mr. Clark married a daughter of the late Mr. John Stephen, one of Napier's old settlers, and has nine children.
(P. Scrimgeour, proprietor), Kaikora North. This hotel was first established about the year 1876, by Mr. A. Mundle. It was subsequently burnt down, and was rebuilt by Mr. John Pettit. It was again rebuilt in 1894 by Mr. F. Rob-johns, was afterwards acquired by the Napier Brewing Company, and then taken over by the present proprietor in 1901. The hotel has two entrances from the street, and on the ground floor there are two sitting rooms, a private sitting room, several bedrooms, and a dining room, capable of accommodating twenty guests. On the first floor are seven bedrooms, a bathroom, and a comfortable sitting room, and the whole building is provided with fire escapes. The hotel is comfortably furnished throughout, and every attention is paid to the wants of guests. It is a popular house of call for country residents, the tariff is moderate, and the cuisin moderate, and the cuisine good, and the bar is supplied with the best wines and liquors.
General Storekeeper and Provision Merchant, Kaikora North. Agent for the South British Insurance Company. Mr. Clark established his business in 1882, and it is one of the most flourishing in the district. An extensive stock of goods of all kinds is kept. Mr. Clark is further referred to as a member of the Kaikora North Town Board.
Farmer, Kaikora North. Mr. Evans was born in Llansaintffraid, Montgomeryshire, North Wales, and was brought up to farming pursuits. He came to New Zealand in the ship “Queen of the Mersey,” in 1863, removed to Hawke's Bay, and shortly afterwards entered the employment of the late Mr. H. S. Tiffen, of “Homewood,” with whom he remained for ten years. In 1873 he purchased his farm of 665 acres, on which he resides, and has made con-
Sheep-farmer, “Milbouirne,” Kaikora North. Mr. Hastie operates a freehold property of 600 acres, of first-class pastoral land, chiefly undulating country, of which 500 acres are ploughable. “Mil-bourne” carries two sheep to the acre, of Lincoln-Leicester breed, and provides good grazing for upwards of 100 head of short-horn cattle. The lambing averages 100 per cent. A small amount of cropping is also carried on, chiefly for home use. “Milbourne” is up-to-date in every respect, is situated three and a quarter miles from the Kaikora North post office, and contains one of the finest dwelling houses in the district. Mr. Hastie is a native of County Down, Ireland, and emigrated to Australia in 1854, in the ship “Red Jacket.” He visited the goldfields for a short time, but subsequently devoted his attention to sheep-farming and station life. In 1876 Mr. Hastie came to New Zealand in the ship “Alhambra,” landing in Nelson. He then went to Hawke's Bay, where he was appointed manager of “Milbourne,” the property of Messrs Stokes Brothers, a position he retained until the estate was acquired by the Government for closer settlement. When manager of the original Milbourne station, Mr. Hastie exhibited specimens of wool at the Paris Exposition and the New Zealand and South Seas Exhibition, for which he received three handsome certificates of award. When the property was divided Mr. Hastie secured the original homestead block, where he has since resided. He has been a member of the Ruataniwha Road Board, and is a mem-ber of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, the Farmers' Union, the Hunt Club, the Jockey Club, and the Hastings Club. He married a daughter of Mr. B. Hall, of Ballarat, Australia, in 1877.
Farmer, Kaikora North. Mr. Knight was one of the earliest settlers to take up land in the district. His estate consists of
Sheep-farmer, “Llanilo,” Kaikora North. Mr. Nilsson was born in Eketahuna, in the year 1879, and was educated in the local school. After spending a short time on his father's farm, he moved farther afield in order to gain more experience. He was for some time employed in grass seeding on Bank's Peninsula, and then travelled the Waikato and Wanganui distriets in quest of land. After a nine months pleasure trip to Australia he returned to New Zealand, and found work in the Wairarapa. In 1903. when the Milbourne estate was cup up by the Government for closer settlement, Mr. Nilsson entered an application for, and was successful in gaining his present property under a lease in perpetuity. “Llanillo” consists of 994 acres, about 600 acres of which are ploughale, and splendid crops of oats, rape, and turnips have been obtained. The stock inclades 1,500 Romney-Marsh cross-bred sheep and 140 head of shorthorn cattle. Lambing averages about eighty percent. A stream runs through the property, and there is a comfortable dwelling house and several substantial outbuilding.
Sheep-farmer, Kaikora North. Mr. Small was born in Devonshire, England, afterwards went to sea, and was trading for several years in the Indian Ocean. He came to New Zealand in the year 1865, and was engaged in farming pursuits for three years in the South Island. He then removed to the North Island, took up his present farm of 1,070 acres in 1873, and has since considerably improved the place, which is now one of the best grazing runs in the district. It carries a flock of about 3,000 sheep and 100 head of cattle and horses. There is a splendid wool-shed on the property, in which shearing is carried out on a new plan of Mr. Small's. Mr. Small takes a great interest in the welfare of the district, and has been connceted with the local road board and school committee. He
Sheep-farmer, “The Park,” Kailora North. Mr. Tod's property consists of 1,242 acres, and carries 3,000 sheep and fifty-one head of cattle. “The Park” was originally a protion of the Homewood estate, and since its purchase by Mr. Tod, considerable improvements have been effected, including the building of a pretty homestead, and the planting of ornamental and shelter trees. Mr. Tod was born in Fifeshire, Scotland, where he was educated and brought up to commercial pursuits, and was for some years subsequently in an bank. He came to New Zealand in a bank. He came to New Zealand in the ship “Rangoon,” in 1864, and landed at Napier, where he followed landed at Napier, where he followed commercial pursuits until taking up his present property over twenty-five years ago. Mr. Tod was a member of the Napier Volunteers, and was present at the engagement at Omaranui. He was chairman of the first Patangata Road Board, and was a member of the old school committee during the days of the Provincial Government. He is married, and has three sons and one daughter.
lies forty-three miles south from Napier, and is seven miles from the railway station at Kaikora North, with which it is connected by coach. It has one hotel, a store, a post office, and telephone bureau, and there is a bi-weekly mail service. The Elsthorpe station, a large property in the district was cut up by the Government for closer settlement in the year 1896, and the settlers who were fortunate in securing sections have prospered amazingly, and speak in glowing terms of the richness of the land, and the splendid facilities offered for sheep farming. Elsthorpe, one of the Government townships in Patangata county, has a post office and telephone bureau, an accommodation house, two stores, and a public school with thirty-two pupils on the roll. Tamumu, another district in the same county, has a bi-weekly coach service, a school, post office, and a library. The roads are suitable for cycling and motoring, as the streams are bridged, and the grades easy of ascent. Good trout fishing is to be obtained in the Tuki Tuki river, and hares are abundant in the surounding country.
his its head-quarters at Waipkurau, and was incorporated in the year 1885. The county is bounded to wards the south by the Wairarapa, and Weber county, on the north-west and north by the Waipawa and Hawke's Bay counties, and on the east by the sea. The total area is 652 square miles, and there is a population of 2,376. All rates are levied on the capital value, which amounts to £2,745,656, and the annual total amounts to £7,230. The county is well roaded throughout, and Wanstead is the largest township within its boundary. Members of the Council for the year 1906: Messers William White (chairman). George Hunter, D. H. Potts, L. H. McHardy, S. McNutt, C. H. St. Hill. J. G. Speedy, A. M. Williams, and H. B. Williams.
Chairman of the Patangata County Council, has been connected with that body since its formation. He was born in the
Clerk Treasurer, Road Overseer, and Rate Collector of the Patangata County Council since its formation, was born in London, England, in the year 1855. He was educated partly at the Highgate Grammar School, and afterwards studied in Germany and France. Subsequently for six years he was a member of the London Stock Exchange, and in 1879 came to New Zealand. He took up land in Hawke's Bay, where he was for several years engaged in sheep farming, and in 1885 accepted his present appointment.
who was a member of the Patangata Road Board for many years, is a native of Kent, England, and was brought up to farming on his father's farm. He came to New Zealand in the ship “Oriental,” in the year 1841, and was engaged, in pioneer work. He took up his present property in the rough state, but it has since been greatly improved, and depastures about 2,3000 sheep. Mr. Watts was one of the earliest settlers in Hawke's Bay, and the first to erect a homestead in the district. He has all the latest agricultural machinery, including steam-threshers, convenient sheds for storing grain, shearing, etc. Mr. Watts is married, and has eight sons and two daughters.
(H. H. Bone, proprietor), Patangata. This hotel was acquired by the present proprietor in 1905. It is a two-storeyed wooden building, and has a verandah round two sides. On the ground floor is a dining-room capable of seating thirty-two guests, a commercial room, a sitting room, a bar, and bar parlour. A wide stairway off a roomy passage leads to the first floor, on which there are eight comfortable bedrooms, a private sitting room, bathroom, and lavatory. There are two fire escapes leading from the upper floor to the street. The bar is stocked with a choice assortment of ales, liquors, wines, and spirits, and only the best quality is kept in stock. The hotel is up-to-date in every particular, is well furnished throughout, and the comfort of guests is the first and last thought of the genial proprietor. The cuisine is excellent, and is superintended by Mrs. Bone, who also looks
(H. H. Bone, proprietor). This store contains a large stock of groceries, draperies, ironmongery, crockery, and general merchandise. The local post office, and telephone bureau is operated by the proprietor, in conjunction with the hotel and store.
Sheep-farmer, “Kahuru,” Elsthorpe, Patangata. Mr. Buchanan is the son of Mr. John Buchanan, a former member of the House of Representatives for Napier, and was born in Hampshire, England, in the year 1837. He came to New Zealand with his parents, in 1861, from Sydney Australia, in the ship “Montezuma,” and landed in Napier. The family settled at Elsthorpe station, a property which Mr. Buchanan managed for his father until the run was acquired by the Government in 1896, and cut up for closer settlement. He subsequently acquired “Kahuru,” which is a portion of the original Elsthorpe estate.
(F. J. Tiffen, proprietor), Patangata. This fine property comprises 5,951 acres of freehold land. Originally the station was much larger, but in recent years several blocks have been sold or leased. “Elmshill” is chiefly undulating country, and is well watered by the Makara stream, the Tuki Tuki, Mungarara, and Wharemati rivers, and dams. There are 700 acres of rich peat land, containing six miles of drains, and exceptional crops of rape have been grown in this valley, while for fattening purposes it is the finest land on the property. It was originally a huge swamp, but by systematic draining it has become a very valuable piece of land. There are also 364 acres of native bush, which contains some splendid totara, white pine, and matai. The stock on “Elmshill” comprise 11,977 Lincoln-Leicester cross-bred sheep—of which 6,000 are ewes—and lambing averages eighty-five per cent. English Leicester rams are also bred on the station. There are in addition 650 head of shorthorn—and upwards of thirty horses. A comfortable dwelling house is pleasantly situated on a rise, and the woolshed contains sixteen shearing stands and has accommodation for 900 sheep in the night pens. There are also four whares, stables, a store, and a concrete dip. A lake covering sixty-two acres, provides splendid duck shooting.
manager of “Elmshill,” is the fourth son of Mr. F. J. Tiffen, and was born on the station. He was educated at Nelson College, and at Warwick House School, Christchurch, and then returned to “Elmshill,” where he has since resided. Mr. Tiffen is a trustee of the Elsthorpe Domain. In duck shooting he has proved himself to be an exceptionally good shot, having bagged sixty-eight in one day. He is also an enthusiastic motorist.
Sheep-farmer, “Kippo,” Tamumu, Patangata. Mr. Fleming's estate, “Kippo,” is a freehold property of 526 acres, chiefly flat land, about seventy-five acres of which are annually laid down in oats, rape, and root crops. He carries a winter stock of 1,700 Romney Marsh-Lincoln cross-breds, 1,200 of which are breeding ewes; the lambing averages about ninety per cent, althongh in past years it has reached over 100 per cent. There are also upwards of sixty head of short-horn cattle and twenty horses on the farm. The dwelling house is pleasantly situated on a rise, and is a modern structure containing thirteen large rooms. Mr. Fleming was born in the parish of Kingsbarns, Fifeshire, Scotland, on the 2nd of October, 1844, was educated at the adjoining city of St. Andrews, and was brought up to an agricultural and pastoral life. He left Scotland for New Zealand in September, 1863, in the White Star Line sailing ship “Ulcoath,” and arrived in Auckland on the 20th of January, 1864, subsequently sailing in the same vessel for Port Chalmers. After two months spent on the Gabriels' Gully gold-fields in Otago, Mr. Fleming went to Hawke's Bay, found employment on Captain Russell's Tutaekuri station, and from there went to Auckland, as manager of Mr. Kennedy's property. He then joined a survey party in the Waikato, two months later returned to Hawke's Bay, and was engaged by Mr. David Fleming at Wanstead, where he remained until January, 1866. Subsequently Mr. Fleming was for eight years and five months at Kaitoke, in the seventy-mile bush, as manager for Mr. A. Grant, and one year at Leslie
Farmer, “Glentui,” Tamumu, Patangata. Mr. Kittow's property, “Glentui,” consists of 1,800 acres of freehold land, chiefly undulating country. About 3,600 Lincoln and English-Leicester cross-bred sheep are depastured, 1,500 of which are breeding ewes, and the lambing averages eighty per cent. There are also over 100 head of short-horn cattle, and a number of horses on the property. Some good crops of oats have been grown, also rape, and root crops. The wool-shed, containing four stands of Wolseley sheep-shearing machines, driven by a Brown and May oil engine, is a commodious and substantial building, and there are also stables, grain loft, implement shed, and whares on the property. There are also three dwelling houses the whole being surrounded with a veritable forest of huge blue gum and fir trees. Mr. Kittow was born in Cornwall, England, in March, 1839, and was brought up to farming and cattle dealing. He came to New Zealand in the ship “Helen Dinney,” and landed in Napier, in 1873. He first found work on the railway, and after wards with Mr. J. N. Williams at “Frimley” and “Apley.” Subsequently he spent many years in dairy-farming in Puketapu, Meanee, and Clive, and later took up some land at Waima, near Omahu, where he was engaged in dairying for nearly twenty years. Mr. Kittow was the first to establish a cream separator plant in Hawke's Bay. In 1809 he bought his present property, where he has since resided. He has been a member of the Meanee, Taradale, and Clive School Committees, has been a member of the Patangata Road Board since 1900, and is also a member of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society. Mr. Kittow married a daughter of Mr. Thomas Tucker of Cornwall, England, and has three sons and one daughter.
Farmer, Patanata. Mr. Limpus was born in Liverpool, England, in the year 1831, and brought up in London. At an early age he took to a seafaring life, and served for ten years in boats trading to India, and was afterwards for three years in the Trinity Light service in the Kentish Knock Lightship. In September, 1856, he left England for Melbourne, in the ship “Prince of the Seas,” and landed in the latter place on the 19th of December, of the same year, after an ex
Sheep-farmer, Lone Hand Farm, Elsthorpe, Patangata. Lone Hand Farm is a portion of the original Elsthorpe station, and comprises 600 acres of land, held on a lease in perpetuity. The farm is chiefly undulating country, and is well watered. There are 1,500 sheep, of the Romney Marsh-Border Leicester breed, of which 550 are breeding ewes, and the lambing has everaged eighty-six per cent. About thirty-five head of short-horn cattle and a number of horses are also depastured. There is a fine modern residence, a large wool shed and other substantial buildings on the property. Mr. Pepper was born in Lincolnshire, England, in the year 1863, and was brought up to an agricultural and pastoral life. He arrived in New Zealand in 1884, and subsequently, in conjunction with his brother, operated a traction engine and threshing mill in the Hastings district for sixteen years, and later, secured his present property. Mr. Pepper has been a member of the Patangata Road Board and the local school committee, and is a member of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society. In 1905 he took a trip to the Old Country, finally returning to the Colony. Mr. Pepper married a daughter of Mrs. Cocks, of Hasting, in 1892, and has one son and six daughters.
“The Oaks” (D. M. Gollan, proprietor), Tamumu, Patangata. “The Oaks” is a leasehold property of 2,000 acres of hilly country, and contains some rich patches of land. Sheep to the number of 4,000 of the Lincoln-Romney cross, are depastured, 2,500 of which are breeding ewes; and the lambing averages ninety-five per cent. A herd of 100 head of cattle also find good grazing on the run. A small on, chiefly for home use. There is a fine two-storeyed homestead on the property, also several substantial outbuilding, sheep yards, dip and other conveniences.
proprietor of “The Oaks,” was bron in Linlithgowshire, Scotland, in the year 1812, came to New Zealand, accompanied by his parents, in the ship “Philip Laing,” and arrived in Wellington on Christmas Day, 1856.
(F. J. Witherow, proprietor), Patangata. This is a freehold property of 700 acres, nearly half of which is flat land, capamble of vielding good crops of oats and rape. The property when first taken up was covered with native bush, and over run with native bush, and overrun with wild pigs, a fact hard to realise at the present time, all the land being in a high state of cultivation. The stock number about 1,500 pure-bred Lincoln sheep, of which 600 are breeding ewes, and the lambing average ninety per cent. There are also about forty head of short-horn cattle and a dozen horses on the farm. A twelve-roomed homestead is also pleasantly situated, and there are also a number of substantial outbuildings, sheep yards, and other conveniences. Mr. Frederick John Witherow, proprietor of “Wautukai,” is a son of the late Mr. Joseph Witherow, who is referred to as an old colonist.
(which in the Maori languagem means “smoky” or “steaming water”), is the chief town in the county of Waipawa, and is situated on the northern bank of the Waipawa river, thirty-nine miles south by rail from Napier. On the southern bank of the river there is the Maori settlement of Tapairu, well laid out with several fine dwellings, and which is the home of a considerable population of native people. The surrounding country, once dense bush, is now cleared, and there is no evidence of timber milling except a timber yard, which is used as a distributing depot for timber obtained many miles away. Waipawa is the centre of a large pastoral district, and is surrounded by sheep runs. The land is chiefly undulanting, and of first-class quality. The township of Waipawa has several good buildings, inclding post, telegraph, money order, and Government offices, churches, and an excellent public and private schools, a convent, three hotels, and a brewery. A newspaper is published three times a week; the Magistrate's Court sits fortnightly; and there is a rifle crops, a fire brigade, and athletic and social clubs. Stock sales are held monthly, and the half holiday is held on Wednesday. Good trout fishing is to be obtained in the Waipawa river.
was formed in January, 1884. The town area is about 500 acres in extent, and was formerly part of a road district. There is a population of 680. Two of the main thorughfares in the town are county roads, and these are supervised, and the rates thereon collected by the Town Board, on behalf of the County Council. The Board also collects the county rate and the county Charitable Aid and Hospital levy of one-ninth of a penny in the pound on the capital value. The unimproved value is £43,044, and the capital value is £86,207. A general rate of 3d in the pound is levied on
Chairman of the Waipawa Town Board, was born in London, England, in the year 1869, and came to New Zealand at the age of five years. Subsequently he was in business as an hotelkeeper. Mr. Limbrick has since been engaged in the valuation, purchase, and sale of hotel property, in conjunction with which he carries on business as a furniture importer.
has been a member of the Waipawa Town Board since the year 1896. He was born at Waipawa in the year 1870, and is a son of the late Mr. William Rathbone, one of the early settlers of Hawke's Bay. Mr. Rathbone was educated at the Napier Boys' High School, and afterwards studied farming at the Lincoln Agricultural College, Canterbury. He joined his father in business in 1891. Mr. Rath-bone is a member of the Waipawa County Racing Club, the Waipawa Lawn Tennis, Cricket, Football, and Bowling Clubs, the Loyal Abbotstord Lodge of Oddfellows, and was captain of the Waipawa Rifle Volunteer Corps. Mr. Rathbone is married, and has four children.
sometime a member of the Waipawa Town Board, was one of its progressive members, and a warm supporter of all matters tending to advance the town and district. He was born in London, England, where he was educated, and brought up as a painter and paper hanger by his father. He came to New Zealand in the year 1873, by the ship “Schiehallion,” landed at Napier, and shortly afterwards removed to Waipawa, where he worked as journeyman for Mr. H. J. Baker until 1876. In 1879 he established the business now (1907) conducted by Mrs Abrahams. Mr. Abrahams was a member of the local school committee, and was one of the founders of the fire brigade, of which he was lieutenant, until he retired after eleven years' service. As a member of the Oddfellows he held office as Past Provincial Grand Master. Mr. Abrahams died some time ago.
has jurisdiction over a stretch of country extending from Dannevirke on the south to Te Aute on the north, and from the Ruahine Range on the west to the boundary of the Patangata county on the east. The capital value of the county is £3,033,761. Rates, however, are levied on the unimproved value, which is £1,972,521. There is a general rate of ¾ in the pound over road board areas, and 1 ½d in the pound on out-lying districts. The council offices are situated in the Court-house at Waipawa, and the council meets on the first Wednesday in each month. Members for the year 1906: Messrs A. E. Jull (Chairman), A. W. Cook, C. R. Baines, O. Erickson, L. McKay, W. R. McLeod, G. E. Merrikin, H. M. Ries, and F. G. Cowper.
. of the Waipawa County Council, in which he represents Ormondville Riding, was born in the year 1844 in Widdington, Essex, England, where he was educated and brought up to farming. He came to New Zealand in 1876, by the ship “Hudson,” went to Hawke's Bay, where he became a railway contractor, and made many of the cuttings on the line between Te Aute and Waipawa, and between Takapau and Ormondville. After about five years of this work, Mr. Baines settled on his present farm at Papatu, known as “Prospect Farm,” which consists of 700 acres of good land, and is stocked with 1,570 cross-bred sheep and fifty head of cattle. Mr. Baines is also engaged in the timber trade, as agent for Mr. McLeod, of Hastings. He is an old member of the Ormondville Road Roard, a moving spirit in agricultural shows and other kindred objects, and a member and trustee of the Ancient Order of Foresters. Mr.
J.P., who represents the Takapau riding on the Waipawa County Council, was first elected in 1892, and excepting the term 1902–04 has held a seat continuously since, and has attended every council meeting during that period. He was born in Oxfordshire, England, on the 22nd of April, 1866, and came to New Zealand as a lad. He was educated at public schools, and afterwards learned farming. For two years subsequently he was employed in a general store in Pahiatua, and in 1888 established a general provision store at Ashley-Clinton, which he has since successfully conducted. Mr. Cook has also a farm of 900 acres, which carries an average flock of nearly 2,000 sheep, and he also owns considerable property in Takapau. He is a member of the Farmers' Union, and the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, and was a member of the local school committee for twelve years, the chief part of which time he was chairman. Mr. Cook is married, and has two sons.
who represents the Hampden riding on the Waipawa County Council, is further referred to as a sheep-farmer.
J.P., was appointed clerk to the Waipawa County Council in the year 1901. He was born at the Thames, Auckland, in January, 1871, was educated at the Woodville public school, and afterwards settled near Woodville, and engaged in farming. In 1898 he was appointed road overseer to the Waipawa County Council, and three years later received his present appointment. Mr. Murray is agent for the Public Trust department in Waipawa. He takes a keen interest in the social life of the district, was for several years chairman of the library committee, and is a member of other local bodies. Mr. Murray is married, and has two sons and one daughter.
Engineer for the Waipawa County Council, is a native of Ireland. He came to New Zealand by the ship “Chili,” in the year 1862, landed at Dunedin, and was for some time on the gold-fields. He removed to the North Island during the native troubles, joined the 3rd Waikato Militia, and served through the Waikato war. Mr. Gilmour afterwards went to Hawke's Bay, and was for many years connected with the Napier breweries. For about eighteen months he kept the Pacific Hotel at Havelock, and after a few years at farming in the Seventy-Mile Bush, received his present appointment. He is owner of several properties in Hawke's Bay, and has a good farm of 615 acres in the Mangatoro Valley. Mr. Gilmour is also engineer to the Waipawa Road Board, the North Ruataniwha Road Board, the Takapau Road Board, and the Waipawa Town Board. He is married and has eight children.
who represented the Woodville Riding in the Waipawa County Council, was born in County Antrim, Ireland, in the year 1856. At the age of five years he came with his parents to New Zealand, and was educated at Napier. In 1883 he settled at Woodville, on a farm of 100 acres. Mr. McCormick is married and has seven sons.
formerly a member of the Waipawa County Council, held a seat in the council continuously for many years. He was born in the year 1831, at Portsea, Hampshire, England, where he was educated. In 1852 he sailed for Australia, by the ship “Kent,” and after spending about two years at Bendigo and other gold-fields, came to New Zealand, and found employment on a run at Te Ore Ore, in the Wairarapa. He was subsequently for a number of years on the Hon. J. D. Ormond's Walling-ford station, and then in conjunction with his two brothers, purchased a station; but the speculation was, however, unfortunate. Mr. Redward was next at Taupo, then conducted a farm at Havelock North for a year, and was afterwards for some years at Porangahau. In 1874 he settled at Norsewood, and conducted a butchery business till the year 1880, when he moved to Ormondville. He was a member of the school committee for some time and treasurer of the local Tent of Rechabites. Mr. Redward married a daughter of Mr. Mortensen, in 1875, and has seven sons and two daughters.
. This fine hospital was opened in the year 1880, and a new wing was added in 1895. The building, which is a handsome structure of wood, situated on a rise commanding a fine view of the surrounding country, is furnished with all the most modern medical appliances. There are twenty-eight beds in the medical ward, nine in the surgical ward, eight in the women's ward, and nine in the fever ward.
Waipawa, was established in 1874, by Father Regnier, For many years services were held in the district only once in three months, but as time went on, and population increased, more frequent services were held; and in the year 1880 the first resident priest was appointed. He erected the parish residence, and Father Dawson, who subsequently became priest in charge, built the present church. The church and presbytery stand on a section of one acre. The former is a substantial wooden building, with seating accommodation for about 270 persons, and possesses a good pipe organ. It has also a large metal church bell, weighing three and a half hundredweight, which was specially made for the church in Dublin, The presbytery is a handsome two-storeyed building, and contains seven rooms. The day school, situated in Church Street, is built on a section of three acres in extent, which was presented by Mr. Sydney Johnston, of Takapau. It is a wooden building, with accommodation for about 130 scholars, was opened in 1895, and has a roll number of about seventy pupils. The Waipawa parish of the Catholic Church is an extensive one, and includes not only St. Patrick's Church, but churches at Takapau, Ormondville, Waipukurau, and Wallingford. The day school and Sunday School are conducted by five sisters, and supervised by the resident priest.
was born on the 13th of July, 1870, in County Down, Ireland, and is the son of an officer in the Royal Irish Constabulary. He was educated at St. Patrick's school, in Maynooth, was ordained in March, 1897, and shortly afterwards came to
was established about thirty years ago, and has a membership of twenty. It is equipped with complete brass instruments, including four cornets, three tenor horns, one flugel horn, three basses, one trombone, two baritones, one euphonium, one soprano cornet, and two drums. The officers are: Messrs J. Cosgrove (band-master), J. W. J. Reid (secretary). Regular and frequent practices are held, and the band holds an excellent reputation.
was appointed Band-master of the Waipawa Brass Band in the year 1905. He first joined the band at twelve years of age, and has been more or less continuously connected with it ever since. Mr. Cosgrove successfully took part in the band contests at Wellington in 1901, at Wanganui in 1902, at Masterton in 1903, and at Woodville in 1904. He was born in Napier, on the 29th of February, 1872, and was educated at the public school and the Marist Brothers' school. He was then apprenticed to the paper-hanging and house-decorating trade, under Mr. C. Nash, of Waipawa, in whose employment he remained for thirteen years. Mr. Cosgrove afterwards went to Masterton, where he worked for Messrs Coindine and Whitaker for six months, and was subsequently employed by Mr. Albert Lawrence, of Woodville. Later, he returned to Waipawa, entered into partnership with Mr. T. Malloy, and has since conducted a successful business under the style of Messrs Cosgrove and Malloy.
was appointed Secretary of the Waipawa Brass Band in October, 1905. He was born in Dunedin, in the year 1875, and was educated at the Invercargill public school. He afterwards learned the tailoring trade at Invercargill, where for many years he worked as a journeyman. In the year 1903 Mr. Reid settled in Waipawa, and started in business on his own account. Six months later he entered into partnership with Mr. A. Parkin, and the business has since been conducted under the style of Messrs Reid and Parkin.
M.B., C.M. (Edinburgh), Physician and Surgeon, Waipawa. Dr. Reed is a son of the late Mr. G. M. Reed, a well-known journalist of Auckland. He was born
M.D., L.R.C.S. (Edinburgh), Member of the British Medical Association and Brigade-Surgeon-Lieutenant-Colonel New Zealand Military Forces, “The Pines,” Waipawa. Dr. Todd is a son of the late Mr. William Todd, of County Tyrone, Ireland, was born near Castlederg, and educated at a private school at Omagh. He afterwards studied medicine, and obtained his diplomas in 1862 and 1863. Dr. Todd came to New Zealand in the year 1864 by the ship “Rangoon,” and landed at Napier. Shortly after his arrival he received the appointment of assistant surgeon to the Colonial Defence Force, Military Settlers, and Napier Militia, and at the same time was attached to the Imperial Forces as assistant surgeon to the 12th and 14th Regiments, then stationed at the Waipawa Stockade. Dr. Todd shortly afterwards began a practice in Waipawa. In 1869 he received the appointment of district coroner. He has now (1906) given up active practice, occasionally acting in consultations with other members of the profession. Dr. Todd is public vaccinator of the district, is president of the principal social clubs, and is a Master Mason, and one of the originators of Lodge Waipawa, and treasurer since its formation. Dr. Todd married Miss Arrow, in 1875, and has three daughters and one son.
Waipawa (Mr. W. G. Downes, Branch Manager).
Manager of the Bank of New Zealand at Waipawa, is the youngest son of the late Mr. Thomas William Downes, formerly sheriff of the Province of Marlborough, and was born in Kensington, London, England. He came to New Zealand with his parents in the year 1857, and was educated at Dunedin, where he joined the service of the Bank of New South Wales in 1873. Three years later Mr. Downes joined the Bank of New Zealand as teller, and in 1884 was appointed manager of the branch at Waipukurau. Eleven years later he took charge of the present branch at Waipawa. Mr. Downes has at various times been a member of several local and public bodies, as a Freemason he is a Past Master, is Fellow of the Society of Accountants and Auditors of England, a life member of the Bankers' Institute, and a member of the committee of the Waipawa County Permanent Building and Investment Society, with which he has been connected since its inception in 1884.
Baker and Confectioner, Waipawa. Mr. McIntyre has been established in business for many years, and has a good connection with the residents of Waipawa and district. Three persons are employed in the shop and bake-house, and one man with the delivery cart. Mr. McIntyre is a native of Auckland. He learned the bakery trade with Mr. Ashmore, of Kaikora North, and Mr. Robertson, of Waipawa, and bought his present business in the year 1890. Mr. McIntyre keeps a good stock of groceries, and is also the mail contractor between Waipawa and Tikokino.
Tailors and Outfitters, Waipawa. This business was established in the year 1903. The premises were specially built for the purpose, and consist of a twostoreyed wooden building. The first floor, and a portion of the ground floor, are used as workrooms, in which eight tradesmen are kept constantly employed. The whole of the forepart of the ground floor forms the front shop, and carries a large stock of tweeds, worsteds, serges, tailors' trimmings, and an excellent variety of mercery goods.
(William Pellow, proprietor), Waipawa. This hotel ws first established many years ago as the Settlers' Arms Hotel, was afterwards re-built, and has since been known under its present name. It is a fine two-storeyed wooden building, with a balcony, is well fitted up, and furnished throughout with excellent taste. It contains six sitting rooms, a large commercial room, a handsome billiard room, and two dining rooms, and there are also twentyfive comfortable bedrooms. The bar is stocked with the best wines and spirits, and an excellent table is kept. The Commercial Hotel is a popular place of stay for travellers and others.
proprietor of the Commercial Hotel, was born on the 14th of November, 1854, in Pool, Cornwall, England, where he was educated. For some years afterwards he was employed as a miner, and in 1875 came to New Zealand. For nearly twenty years Mr. Pellow was employed in the Government railway service, and subsequently for some years acted as night watchman in Waipawa. He then became manager of an hotel at Patangata, was afterwards proprietor of the Te Aute hotel. and in August, 1900, acquired the Commercial Hotel. Mr. Pellow is married, and has four sons and six daughters.
(P. J. Griffin, proprietor), Waipawa. This hotel was conducted for many years by Mr. Limbrick, and was acquired by the present proprietor in 1902. It is a large two-storeyed wooden building with a balcony, and is a valuable property, embracing, besides the hotel, two adjoining cottages and a large stable, and has been built on an excellent plan. The rooms are large and well lighted, furnished with excellent taste, and every precaution has been taken for escape in case of fire. The ground floor contains a dining room with accommodation for sixty guests, a conveniently-appointed commercial room, three comfortable sitting rooms, and a billiard room. The first floor contains about twenty comfortably-furnished bedrooms, and a bathroom with hot and cold water. An excellent table is kept, the tariff is moderate, and the bar is stocked with the best brands of wines, spirits, and cordials. Mr. and Mrs. Griffin personally superintend the management of the hotel, and are assisted by a competent staff of six persons.
proprietor of the Imperial Hotel, was born in March, 1875, at Birrtown, King's County, Ireland, where he was educated. He afterwards learned the bakery trade, and emigrated to New Zealand, in October, 1899. He was employed for some time by Mr. E. Sullivan, of the Terminus Hotel, in Wellington, and also found employment in the “Thistle” and “Empire” Hotels. In 1902 he removed to Hawke's Bay, and became proprietor of the Imperial Hotel. Mr. Griffin takes an interest in the social affairs of the town, and is a liberal supporter of athletic sports. He is married, and has one son.
Boot and Shoe Importer, and Cycle Agent, Great North Road, Waipawa. This business, which has been established for some years, was acquired by the present proprietor in July, 1903. A large stock of imported foot-wear, and massey-Harris and Red Bird bicycles
Butcher, Waipawa. Mr. Britten, who is an old colonist, was born in Wiltshire, England, in the year 1836. He came to New Zealand in 1856, by the ship “Westminister,” and obtained an engagement on Mr. Matthew's station, Palliser Bay, where he remained for two years. He was next employed on the Government survey in Wellington, where he was engaged in cutting a line from Kaiwarrawarra to Porirua Bay. After working for some time on street formation in Wellington, he removed to Napier in 1858, and was employed for four years on Mr. Collin's station “Tamumu,” now owned by Mr. Johnston. In 1862 Mr. Britten went to the newly-discovered gold fields in Otago, but not meeting with his expectations, he returned to Hawke's Bay, and started his present Hawke's Bay, and started his present business at Waipawa, where he has purchased some fine properties. Mr. Britten has taken no active part in political or social matters, but is a member of the local racing club. He is married, and has four daughters and one son.
Waipawa, was named after the late Mr. William Abbot, who took it up many years ago. It was afterwards held by the late Mr. James Collins, and then acquired by the late Mr. William Rathbone. “Abbotsford” consists of 7,300 acres of first-class hills, lime-stone-country. Some of the hills rise to a considerable height, and one, known as the Rabbit Hill, serves as a land mark for many miles around. The land is eminently suitable for agricultural and pastoral purposes, and will carryequal to two and a half sheep to the acre. The property is in a high state of improvement, is sub-divided into fifty paddocks and blocks, all permanently watered, and has a number of shelter plantations. A permanent flock numbering about 13,000, chiefly of the Lincoln breed, and about three hundred head of short-horn cattle are depastured. The homestead is pleasantly situated, and is surrounded by well laid out gardens, orchard, and lawns.
manager of “Abbotsford,” is the second son of the late Mr. William Rathbone, and was born at Waipawa on the 12th of December, 1871. He was educated at the Waipawa public school, and the Napier Boys' High School, and subsequently went to the Lincoln Agricultural College, Canterbury, where he remined for eighteen months. In 1892 he returned to “Abbotsford,” and a few years later took over the mangement of the property. Mr. Rathbone is a member of the Waipawa Road Board, and the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, and as an Odd-fellow has taken all the degrees in the Abbotsford Lodge. He married the third daughter of the late Mr. James Shand, of Christchurch, in 1900, and has one son.
“Fairfield,” Onga Onga, the property of Mr. H. N. Watson, is the homestead block of the original Fairfield estate, which was first taken up by Mr. Fannin, and afterwards acquired by Mr. H. H. Bridge, who cut it up in the year 1900. Mr. Watson operates 2,566 acres of freehold land, all flat, which is admirably suited for agricultural purposes. Oats, wheat, turnips, and rape are cropped, the former yielding on an average fifty-five bushels to the acre. There are stud flocks on the property of Romney Marsh, English Leicester, and Border Leicester sheep. The winter flock comprises 4,000 sheep, of which 2,000 are breeding ewes, and the lambing in 1905 averaged 110 per cent. There is also a small pedigree herd of registered short-horn cattle. Draught horses are bred on the estate, and occasionally exhibited with considerable success.
B.A., proprietor of “Fairfield,” was born in Mexico in the year 1863, and was educated at Charterhouse and
Sheep-farmer, Waipawa. Mr. Rathbone is the third son of the late Mr. William Rathbone, and was born in Waipawa, on the 11th of September, 1873. He was educated at the local public school, and then proceeded to the Lincoln Agricultural College, in Canterbury, where for two years he studied theoretical and practical farming. He then returned to Waipawa, and for some years has helped in superintending the working of the Hampden, Tourere, and part of the Abbotsford runs. Mr. Rathbone is a member of the Waipawa racing, cricket, football, tennis, and golf clubs, and of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, and was for some time a member of the Waipawa Fire Brigade and of the Waipawa Rifles.
Ruataniwha, the property of Mr. Harry T. F. Carlyon, is a portion of the original Fairfield estate, and was acquired by the present proprietor in 1903. It is situated about six miles from Waipawa, on the Onga Onga Road, and is a freehold property of 764 acres, all flat land. About two and a-half sheep to the acre are depastured in the winter season, the breed being pure Romney-Marsh, and in addition there is a purebred stud flock of Southdowns. The property has carried 4,000 sheep in the summer season, while the lambing average in 1905 was over 100 per cent. About 200 acres are laid down with oats and rape, the former yielding an average of forty bushels to the acre. Many improvements have been effected, including the erection of a fine dwelling house, a wool-shed, fitted with four stands of Cooper's machines, driven by a Fairbank's engine, a granary, an implement shed, and necessary fencing. Another freehold property of 600 acres, at Takapau, is conducted by Mr. Carlyon, in conjunction with “Rotoparera.”
was born in Kent, England, in the year 1872, and is the son of Colonel T. F. Carlyon, of the 1st West Riding Regiment, Yorkshire. He was educated for the Army, but in 1893 came to New Zealand, and spent two years as a cadet on Gwavas station, the property of his cousin. Subsequently he took up land at Takapau, and afterwards bought the Highfield estate, Kirwee, Canterbury, where he resided for two years. He then sold out, and went for a trip to the Old Country. On his return to the Colony, he took up his present property. Mr. Carlyon is a member of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, Farmers' Union, the Hawke's Bay Hunt Club, the Waipawa, Takapau, and Waipukurau Racing Clubs, and the Hawke's Bay and Napier social clubs. He married a daughter of Mr. T. H. Wilson, of Hazel Oak Park, Bishop's Waltham, Hampshire, in October, 1896, and has two sons and one daughter.
“Waimarino,” Ruataniwha, the property of Messrs A. W. Skerman and A. J. Bodevin, is a freehold estate of 1,400 acres, all flat arable land. It was acquired by the present proprietors in February, 1901, and was formerly a portion of Mr. H. H. Bridge's Fairfield estate. The land is well suited for cropping oats, barley, rape, and turnips, and is used largely as a fattening ground for lambs, and also for the breeding of rams, The winter stock comprises 2,000 breeding ewes, and 600 dry sheep, including a Romney Marsh stud flock; the lambing averages about ninety-five per cent. There are also upwards of sixty head of short-horn cattle on the property. About £2,000 has been spent on “Waimarino” in improvements, which included the building of a modern dwelling house (supplied with hot and cold water), a septic tank, a grain shed, and wool shed, stock yards, and sheep yards, draught horse stable, hack stable, men's whare, and about four miles of fencing. Messrs Skerman and Bodevin also conduct Rawhiti station, at Puketapu, in conjunction with “Waimarino.” This is a freehold property of over 2,000 acres, on which are stocked 2,000 breeding ewes, 800 dry sheep, 200 head of bullocks, and about forty cows.
was born in Waltham Abbey, Sussex, England, in the year 1862, and received his education at Bedford Grammar School, Bedfordshire. He came to New Zealand in 1877, accompanied by his parents, in the ship “Himalaya.” The family took up land in the Bunnythorpe district, on the line between Palmerston and Wanganui, where Mr. Skerman remained for five years, after which he farmed in the Pohangina district, and near Palmerston North. Mr. Skerman is a member of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, the Farmers' Union, is chairman of directors of the Onga Onga Butter Factory (an industry he
is a prosperous settlement, situated about seven miles from Waipawa, and lies partly on the Tikokino Plain. It was formerly a portion of the Milbourne estate, a property of 30,000 acres, which was acquired by the Government in 1903 for closer settlement. The soil is rich, and capable of yielding large crops of oats on the flat land, of which there are several thousand acres, while the undulating country depastures two sheep to the acre. There is a school and post office in the township, and a daily mail service.
was established on the 17th of July, 1905. It is a wooden building, with accommodation for about seventy-five children, and is well lighted and ventilated throughout. The classes range from the infants to the fifth standard, and the annual examination is held in July. There are twenty-three scholars on the roll, and the average attendance is 21.28. Mr. G. Norman is head-master.
was appointed head-master of the Argyle East Public School in March, 1906. He was born in Newcastle, Australia, in the year 1882, and was educated at Newcastle College, where he subsequently became a teacher. Mr. Norman came to New Zealand in 1904, and was appointed master of the Rakauroa school, near Gisborne, where he remained for one year, before taking up his present duties. In Australia Mr. Norman distinguished himself in cricket and other athletic pastimes.
Farmer, Argyle. Tikokino. Mr. Baird operates a property of 800 acres, all flat land, a portion of the Milbourne estate, which he acquired by ballot, and holds a lease in perpetuity. He also holds a leasehold property of 200 acres at Tikokino. About 880 Romney Marsh crossbred sheep and a number of cattle are depastured, and from 300 ewes the lambing average is ninety per cent. Cropping is carried on to a large extent on the flat land, and some splendid crops of oats have been threshed. Mr. Baird was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, on the first of April, 1860, and was brought up to an agricultural and pastoral life. He went to Queensland, Australia, in the year 1886, and spent seventeen years in Brisbane and Charters Towers, in the baking business. In 1903 he came to New Zealand, chiefly on account of his health. Mr. Baird married a daughter of Mr. Robert Halliday, of Dumfries-shire, Scotland, in 1905.
(H. Beyers. proprietor), Argyle, Hawke's Bay. Postal address, Waipawa; Telegraphic address, “Brow,” Waipawa. Bankers, Bank of Australasia. The Brow Poultry Farm is situated about seven miles from Waipawa, on the main road between that town and the village of Hampden, and is 600 feet above sea level. As suggested by its name it has a commanding view of the surrounding country. The position of the farm is particularly well adapted for poultry raising, as the ground is intersected by numerous steep gullies, which afford excellent shelter against heavy storms of wind and rain. The soil is a dark loam, over a limestone sub-soil, which gives the birds a massive frame with plenty of strong bone. This land also contains fossilised shells, and here and there the ground is literally covered with the best poultry grit. In suitable places trees have been planted in order to provide shade and shelter. Many of the pens are provided with an unfailing supply of fresh spring water, and others are supplied with a water trough, specially made for the farm. These facts, in conjunction with the high elevation and pure air, make the Brow Poultry Farm an ideal spot for breeding strong, healthy, vigorous birds. The birds, with the exception of a few in special pens, are run on the colony system, each house standing in about six acres of land. This gives the birds ample room, and allows them to pick up the insects and seeds. The buildings in which the stock are housed are all on sledges, and can be moved on to fresh ground when necessary. The sides of the houses are made of the best timber, cut from the bush on the farm, the flooring and doors are tongued and grooved, and the roof is of corrugated iron over wood sarking. Each house is fitted with a window, perches, and nesting boxes, and thirty cubic feet are allowed to each bird; altogether there are about forty colony houses on the farm. It is the aim of the proprietor to supply two kinds of stock; one for utility, and the other for show purposes. There are at present four varieties of birds on the farm, viz., Black Orpingtons, Buff Orpingtons, Silver-Laced Wyandottes, and White Leghorns. Taking them in the order named, the special or best show pen is headed by a magnificent cockerel, imported from Mr. Frank Bloomer, the premier English, breeder. This bird took first prize at the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society's Autumn show in 1905. The utility Black Orpingtons are specially selected as layers, the sire of the pullets being a prize winner at Gisborne, Wellington, and Palmerston North. The pen of White Leghorns was imported from Mr. van Dresser, the noted American breeder. Four kinds of incubators are used on the farm, namely: the “Des Moines,” “Prairie State,” “Cypher,” and “Victory,” the whole being enclosed in a house specially built for that purpose. At present (1906) there are about 600 laying hens of various breeds on the farm, and about the same number of cockerels; and, in the season, sittings of eggs are in great demand from all over the Colony. Catalogues, post free, are sent on application, which contain descriptive articles, views of the farm, and a chapter of useful hints to poultry breeders.
(H. Beyers, proprietor). This property consists of 1,000 acres, held on a lease in perpetuity. It is the homestead portion of the original Milbourne estate,
proprietor of the Brow Sheep Farm, was born near Cape Town, South Africa, and after receiving his education was for three and a half years a member of the 1st Life Guards in England. He subsequently commanded a troop in the Matabele Campaign, in 1894 went to India and Australia, and returned to the Cape in the year 1898. Mr. Beyers served throughout the South African war as Permit Officer in the Western Province. He arrived in New Zealand in March, 1903. Mr. Beyers is a steward of the Waipawa Racing Club, a member of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, chairman of the Argyle East School Committee, vice-president of several athletic clubs, and a member of the Hastings and Waipawa social clubs. In 1899, in the Orange Free State, South Africa, he married a daughter of Dr. Kidd, of Armagh, Ireland, and has three daughters.
Farmer, Argyle, Tikokino. Mr. Douglas was born in Inverness-shire, Scotland, in the year 1849, and was brought up to an agricultural and pastoral life. He came to New Zealand in 1873, in the ship “Old England,” and landed in Wellington. His first engagement was with the Hon. H. R. Russell. at Waipukurau, who employed him as a shepherd for ten years, after which he spent eighteen months on Mr. Johnston's property in the same district. Mr. Douglas then went to “Gwavas,” where he remained for twenty-three years, during which time he took up 634 acres of land at Wakarara. This he farms in conjunction with his property at Tikokino, the latter being a 100 acre section, held on a lease in perpetuity. The stock aggregates 1,100 Romney-Lincoln cross-breds, of which 600 are breeding ewes; and the lambing averages about eighty-five per cent. There are also a number of cattle on the Wakarara property. Mr. Douglas married, in Wellington, in 1873, Miss Catherine Garson, who came from England with him as a shipmate in the same vessel, and there are five sons and two daughters.
Sheep-farmer, “Allansdale,” Argyle, Tikokino. Mr. McKay has a fine property of 840 acres of flat land, which was formerly a portion of the Milbourne estate. It was acquired by ballot in 1903, since when numerous improvements have been carried out. The winter stock comprises 2,000 Romney Marsh-Lincoln cross-bred sheep, of which 600 are breeding ewes, and the lambing averages ninety-five per cent. About 200 acres are cropped annually with Algerian oats—which have yielded sixty-six and three-quarter bushels to the acre—and about 160 acres are annually laid down in turnips. A fine house of ten rooms has been erected, lit throughout with acetylene gas, and provided with a high-pressure water supply, and a good drainage system. There is also a large combined woolshed, granary, and implement shed. The wool-shed is stocked with four stands of Wolseley sheep-shearing machines, and the granary will hold 1,500 bags of oats. Upwards of six miles of fencing have been erected. A leasehold property, carrying 1,000 sheep, is worked in conjunction with “Allansdale.” Mr. McKay was born in the north of Ireland in the year 1855, and was brought up to a sheep-farming life. He came to New Zealand in 1878, in the ship “Mataura,” and landed in Napier. For twenty years he was employed on the Mount Vernon station, Waipukurau, now known as the Lindsay settlement. Mr. McKay is a member of the Waipawa County Council, is chairman of the Tikokino branch of the Farmers' Union, and a member of the Hawke's
Farmer, Argyle, Mr. Oliver's property consists of 390 acres of undulating land, held on a lease in perpetuity, and was acquired by ballot in 1903. It is stocked with Lincoln-Leicester crossbred sheep, and upwards of sixty head of short-horn cattle. A little cropping is carried on, chiefly in rape, turnips, and root crops. Mr. Oliver has planted an orchard, and devotes much attention to fruit growing. He was born in Napier in the year 1855, and was the second white child born in Hawke's Bay, his parents having arrived in Napier in 1854. He attended Marshall's Grammar School in Napier, and subsequently engaged in station work. Mr. Oliver has acted as manager of several of the large Hawke's Bay stations, and has also held other important positions in the district. He is a member of the Hawke's Bay. Agricultural and Pastoral Society, and the Argyle School Committee. Mr. Oliver married a daughter of Mr. Keys, of Napier, in 1880, and has four sons and seven daughters.
O., Farmer, Argyle, Tikokino. Mr. Roach farms a property of 132 acres, held on a lease in perpetuity. He depastures 300 Romney Marsh-Lincoln cross-bred ewes, and twenty head of cattle. Oats have yielded forty bushels to the acre. Mr. Roach is elsewhere referred to as proprietor of the Post Office Store, Tikokino.
(R. W. and H. Spring), Farmers, Argyle. Messrs Spring Brothers cultivate two adjoining properties, aggregating 918 acres, acquired on a lease in perpetuity from the Government. One property of 640 acres was taken up in 1903, and the other section, of 278 acres, was acquired from Mr. Ernest Nelson, in January, 1906. The land is flat, and very suitable for cropping purposes. In the season of 1905 about 250 acres were sown with oats, and yielded ninety-five bushels to the acre. Wheat, in the same season, averaged fifty-two bushels. The stock comprises 1,500 Romney Marsh cross-bred sheep. Three four-horse teams are kept constantly employed, engaged in breaking up land for cropping and fattening purposes. About one hundred acres of artificial feed is grown annually.
“Te Reinga” and “Sebastopol,” Argyle, the properties of Mr. Eustace Lane, consist of 1,243 acres, and are a portion of the original Milbourne and Te Reinga estates, which were cut up for closer settlement in 1903. These properties are held on a lease in perpetuity, are undulating country, and contain some remarkable limestone caves, which are objects of great interest to people visiting the district. All the land is ploughed, and sown with English grass seed, turnips, and kale, and carries upwards of 2,000 sheep. The flock consists of Corriedales, and the lambing average is eighty per cent. There are also upwards of 150 head of chiefly polled Angus cattle on the property. A homstead and several outbuildings have been erected, and many other improvements effected since the property was acquired in January, 1904.
is the eighth son of the late Mr. John Lane, a well-known Warwickshire farmer, of Broom Court, Warwickshire, England, his mother being a daughter of Mr. Samuel Walker, copper founder, of Birmingham, He was born in Warwickshire, educated at King's School, in his native shire, and afterwards spent three years in the London office of a large Birmingham mercantile firm. He went to Australia in 1890, and proceeded to the head of the Murchison river, in Western Australia, where he was engaged as a cadet for five years on a sheep station. This place at that time was the scene of a big gold “rush.” Subsequently he joined Mr. Lee-Steere and
formerly known as Hampden, is an agricultural and pastoral district, fifty-two miles south-west from Napier, and thirteen miles from the nearest railway station (Waipawa), and was first settled in the year 1863. In the early days sittings of the court were held at Hampden, but were subsequently transferred to Waipawa. The railway line from Napier to Wellington was originally intended to run through the township, and many sttlers availed themselves of the opportunity of the proposed advancement of the district to purchase holdings at Hampden. The railway route was, however, subsequently changed. In the district are several large sheep stations, which run back as far as the foot of the Ruahine Mountains. The land around Tikokino is nearly all flat, rich in quality, and capable of producing large crops and good feed for sheep. Saw-milling is also carried on in the district. In the township there is a combined post and money order office, with a savings bank and telephone bureau, and mails are depatched and received daily by a coach service to Waipawa. The school has an average attendance of ninety-three scholars. There is a church, a lodge of Oddfellows, and several athletic clubs in the township.
is also a combined money order office, savings bank, telegraph office, and telephone bureau. Mails are received and despatched daily. Mr. E. O. Roach is the officer-in-charge.
(E. O. Roach, proprietor), Tikokino. This store was established by Mr. W. Austin many years ago, and acquired by the present proprietor in September, 1902. The shop i sixty feet by twenty five feet, and there are several large bulk stores in the rear. A large stock of drapery, clothing, hardware, groccries, drugs, boots and shoes, saddlery, stationery, and other general merchandise is kept on hand, and the requirements of the district are well catered for. Country produce is bought and sold on a large scale. Mr. Roach is agent for the New Zealand State Fire Insurance Office, Sun Fire Insurance Company, Horton's Nursery, Hastings Fruitgrowers' Association, Pahiatua Seed Company, and for the “Weekly Press,” Canterbury Times,” “Auckland Weekly News,” “New Zealand Mail,” “Hawke's Bay Herald,” and the “Waipawa Mail.”
proprietor of the Post Office Store; was born in Christchurch in the year 1871, and is a son of Mr. G. H. Roach of Hastings. He was educated in Wellington and Wanganui, and then joined his father's business in Hastings. Subsequently, in partnership with his brother, he opened a store at Porangahau, where he remained for six years, after which he returned to Hastings and managed the main business for twelve months, while his father was on a trip to England. Mr. Roach is a member of the Ruataniwha Road Board, and the Farmers' Union, is secretary and vice-president of the Tikokino Cricket Club, a member of the Tikokino Tennis Club, and a member of the Order of Oddfellows. He has a small farming property in Argyle. Mr. Roach married a daughter of Mr. W. Ellingham, of Takapau, in 1901, and has two daughters.
Sawmillers and Timber Merchants, Tikokino: Mills at Tikokino and Attic; Yards at Waipawa and Hastings; Head Office, Tikokino. The Gwavas mill was established in November, 1904, and is one of the largest and most up-to-date saw-mills in Hawke's Bay. The timber treated is cut from the Gwavas property, and comprises totara, matai, and white pine. There are over four miles of tramway leading from the mill to the bush, over which a converted traction engine hauls the heavy logs. The mill contains twin circular saws with a forty-five feet bench, a twenty-seven horse power engine, with a thirty-five horse power boiler, a Gamman patent breast bench with cone feed, a fourside planing and moulding machine, and a large turning lathe. Thirty-eight persons are employed, and the average output is 10,000 feet of timber per day. The Attic, or Top Mill, is situated about seven miles from Tikokino, and was established in the year 1901. The machinery, which is driven by a ten horse-power Hornby engine and a 12 horse-power Marshall engine, comprises an Atlas planing and moulding machine, twin circular saws, and fire-wood saws. The latest improvements have been installed, including a ripping bench, feeding gear, and sawdust elevators. Rimu, matai, totara, and white and red pine are the timbers cut, and there is a tramway extending for nearly two miles into the bush. The average output is about 8,000 feet per day, but the mill is capable of working up to 10,000 feet. Sixteen bullocks and a number of horses are kept for haulage purposes. Dressed timber and mouldings are always in stock. This firm, having timber yards in Hastings and Waipawa, finds regular employment for about sixty-three persons.
was born in Lyttelton, Canterbury, in the year 1848. His parents, who were among the first colonists of Nelson, subsequently settled on Banks' Peninsula. Mr. Manson, at an early age, evinced an aptitude for machinery, and was for many years engaged in engine driving
J.P., “Glencoss,” Tikokino, was born in Portobello, Edinburgh, Scotland, in the year 1834, and is one of the original Canterbury pilgrims, as is also his wife, Mr. Buchanan came to New Zealand in the year 1850, in the ship “Castle Eden,” and landed in Lyttelton. For a short period he farmed the section he had acquired before leaving England, and ws the original owner of the Triangle, Christchurch, which he let to the first Superintendent of Canterbury for the modest rental of £5 a year. Subsequently Mr. Buchanan went to Australia on the outbreak of the gold “rush,” but not meeting with much success he returned to farming in Canterbury. In 1865 he took horses and cattle overland from Christchurch to Hokitika, West Coast. In 1866 he again visited Australia, but in the following year returned to the colony, and after spending a few months in Napier, settled at Tikokino, where he has since resided. Mr. Buchanan, who took an active part in the Maori war, has interested himself largely in public affairs, and has done a great deal for the welfare and advancement of the district. He is chairman of the Domain Board and Cemetery Committee, and has been a member of the Waipawa Licensing Committee, the Ruataniwha Road Board, and the Anglican Synod, and was chairman of the local branch of the Farmers' Union. He married, in 1859, the only daughter of the late Mr. George Allen (a Canterbury pilgrim, who came out to New Zealand in the ship “Charlotte Jane”), and has, surviving, four sons and five daughters. Mr. Buchanan has a sheep farm at Blackburn, of 500 acres, freehold property, on which he depastures about 1,750 Romney Marsh-Lincoln cross-bred sheep, and over 100 head of cattle. His family also hold, on a lease in perpetuity, two of the Argyle sections. One of the sons has a property at Mangatera, and another son has a farm in the Lindsay setttlement.
Tikokino, the property of Mr. A. S. G. Carlyon, is one of the most important sheep runs in Hawke's Bay, and is noted for its stock. It is a freehold property of 25,000 acres of hilly and undulating country. “Gwavas” carries a winter stock of 21,800 Romney Marsh crossbreds, 11,000 of which are breeding ewes, and the lambing averages about eighty per cent. Some of the first polled Angus cattle bred in Hawke's Bay were raised on this sation. The present herd numbers 800, including a stud herd of fifty-eight. Upwards of fifty horses are in constant use, and permanent employment is provided for twenty-five persons, this number being augmented to about sixty-five during the shearing season. The wool-shed, which has recently been enlarged, contains an hydraulic wool-press, and is fitted with twenty stands of Burgon and Wolseley sheep-shearing machines, the whole being driven by a six horse-power Marshall traction engine. Adjacent to the wool sheds are large circular sheep yards, capable of holding upwards of 3000 sheep. These yards are up to date in every respect, and are fitted with patent gates and other conveniences. There are about twenty buildings on the property, including several dwelling houses. A small portion of the land covered with native bush, is being carefully preserved, while upwards of 20,000 trees have been planted in order to provide shelter for stock. The main homestead is a magnificent two-storeyed wooden building, with a high tower or cupola in the centre, and is furnished with a degree of elegance and comfort rarely to be found in a residence outside a metropolis. The surrounding grounds, hot houses, and flower beds are stocked with choice blooms, rare plants, and shrubs, the whole being carefully attended to by experienced gardeners.
J.P., was born at the Lower Hutt, Wellington, on the 31st of
“Spring Vale,” Tikokino, the property of Mr. Jonathan Holden, is a freehold estate of 7,000 acres, with 3,000 acres of leasehold native land. The property is hilly, and contains considerable native bush, which is being cleared. The winter stock comprises 11,000 Lincoln-Romney Marsh cross-bred sheep, of which 5,000 are breeding ewes, and the lambing averages eighty-five per cent. In the summer season upwards of 14,000 sheep and lambs are depastured, and there are also 350 head of short-horn cattle on the property. A fine two-storeyed modern dwelling house has been erected, from which a good view of the surrounding country is obtained. The wool-shed has twelve shearing stands, and provides accommodation for 500 sheep in the night pens.
Mr.Jonathan Holden was born in Manchester, England, and is a son of an old colonist. He arrived in New Zealand in the year 1859, in the ship “Kinnaird,” was educated at Marshall's Grammar School, Napier, and then assisted his father on the Spring Vale station, where he has since resided. Mr. Holden is chairman of the North Ruataniwha Road Board, a director of the Onga Onga Butter Factory, and a member of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, and the Farmers' Union.
“Wharetoka.” Tikokino, the property of Mr. Thomas Nestor, is a freehold estate of 2,200 acres, of which about 1,800 acres are ploughable. The land is chiefly undulating, and free from native bush. In the winter months about 3,700 Romney Marsh-Lincoln cross-bred sheep are stocked, of which 1,600 are breeding ewes: and in the summer season over 4,000 sheep and lambs are depastured. Lambing averages between eighty-seven and ninety per cent. Only a small quantity of wool is sold in the Napier market, the bulk of it being shipped to the English market. About 194 head of polled Angus cattle are depastured on the property. “Wharetoka” is bounded on one side by the Manganuka river, which affords excellent facilities for the watering of stock. The homestead is pleasantly situated on a rise, and is sheltered by huge trees. There are also several commodious out-buildings. Mr. Thomas Nestor, formerly of Pahiatua, took up his present property on the 1st of November, 1905.
is an outlying settlement ten miles south-west from Waipawa, with which it has a bi-weekly coach service. Two large estates in the district, “Forest Gate” and “Mount Vermon,” which were cut up for closer, settlement in 1902 and 1905 respectively, have added greatly to the increased prosperity and population of the district. Sheepfarming, grain cropping and dairy farming are the chief industries. To encourage the latter a large creamery has been erected, and is stocked with an up-to-date plant of the latest machinery. The roads in the district are good, which enables settlers to convey produce without much expense into Waipawa or Waipukurau, the nearest towns on the railway line. There are large stock and sheep yards in the township, where monthly sales are held by the Associated Napier stock auctioneers. The church, in which the various denominations hold their services, was built and given by Mr. H. H. Bridge. The settlement has one hotel, two stores, a coach factory, and a flour mill, and there is a recreation ground, two asphalt tennis courts, a cricket pitch, and a football ground. The school, which is a large wooden building, and divided into two class rooms, has seventy-seven scholars on the roll. The business of the post and telephone bureau is conducted at one of the local stores. To the west of Onga Onga are the Ruahine Mountains, a splendid sight on a clear, fine day, especially in the winter time, when the tops are capped with snow.
Builders, Contractors, Plumbers, Painters, and House Decorators, Onga Onga. This business was established in the year 1878, by Mr. E. P. Coles, one of the oldest residents of the district, and was taken over by his sons in 1905. From a small concern, the firm has grown to one of considerable importance, chiefly through the thorough manner
Mr.William Edward Coles, senior partner in the firm of Messrs Coles Brothers, is a son of Mr. E. P. Coles, and was born in Hampshire, England, in the year 1863. He came to New Zealand with his parents in 1878, in the ship “Columbus,” and landed in Auckland, thence transhipping in the “Southern Cross” for Napier. Mr. Coles served his apprenticeship to the building trade with his father, and afterwards gained further experience with Mr. Robert Holt, of Napier. He has since resided in Onga Onga. Mr. Coles is a member of the Builders' Union, Treasurer of the Onga Onga Sports Club, and a member of the local school committee. He married Miss M. F. O'Neill, in 1888, and has two sons and six daughters.
(George Staunton, proprietor), Onga Onga. This hotel was built in September, 1899, and is a two-storeyed wooden building with two balconies. On the ground floor are two parlours, a dining room capable of seating fifteen guests, and the bar, which is stocked with the best wines, spirits, and liquors. On the first floor there are ten bedrooms, all comfortably furnished. Horses and traps can be hired, while stables and paddocks are adjacent to the hotel. The bi-daily coach to Waipawa stops at the Sandford hotel.
proprietor of the Sandford Hotel, was born in Papakura, Auckland, and is a son of the late Mr. R. J. Staunton, Auckland. After receiving his education Mr. Staunton removed to Hawke's Bay in 1890, and for a number of years was engaged in contracting. He then took over the Sandford Hotel in July, 1898. Mr. Staunton is a member of the Agricultural and Pastoral Society, the Waipawa and Waipukarau Racing Clubs, is vice-president of the Onga Onga Sports, Tennis, and Football Clubs, and a member of the Waipawa Bowling Club. He married a daughter of Mr. George Pilcher, of Clive, and has one daughter.
Farmer, Onga Onga. This old colonist was born in Wellington in the year 1843, his parents having arrived in the colony the previous year, in the ship “Lady Nugent.” After attending the Catholic school and Mrs. Buxton's school at Te Aro, Mr. Beachen went to the Wairarapa, where he was employed for seven years on Mr. C. A. Vallance's estate. In 1863 he removed to Hawke's Bay, and spent some time on Pourerere station, after which he took part in the Thames gold “rush.” Mr. Beachen finally returned to Hawke's Bay, and settled at Onga Onga, where he has since resided. He is a member of the Farmers' Union, and the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, and has given much time and attention to road board and school committee work, and everything appertaining to the advancement of the district. He married, in 1873, a daughter of Mr. William Liddle, of Waipawa, and has six sons and nine daughters. Mr. Beachen farms 242 acres of freehold, and 498 acres of leasehold, of the original Forest
Farmer, Onga Onga. Mr. Bowling holds 296 acres of land in the Lindsay settlement, which he drew by ballot in April, 1905. The land is flat, well watered, and sheltered, and capable of yielding good grain crops. About 600 Romney Marsh-Lincoln cross-bred sheep and fifteen head of cattle are depastured, and the lambing averages 100 per cent. Upwards of 300 chains of fencing have been erected, and other improvements have been installed. Mr. Bowling was born in 1879, in Kaiapoi, Canterbury, where he was educated, and afterwards gained experience on his father's farm. Subsequently, in partnership with his brother, he was engaged in dairy farming for two years in Levin, Manawatu, and was afterwards sheep-farming on his own account in the Feilding district. Mr. Bowling is a member of the Onga Onga Sports Club, and captain of the local football club.
Farmer, Onga Onga. Mr. Fleming has 750 acres of land held on a lease in perpetuity, a portion of the original Mount Vernon estate. The land is all flat, and carries a good depth of fair soil on a shingly bottom. His stock includes 450 breeding ewes and 600 ewe lambs, nearly pure-bred Romneys. Mr. Fleming also carries on a stock dealing business, and in one year bought and sold upwards of 6,000 sheep and 400 head of cattle. He has greatly improved his property, which he took up in April, 1905, having built a dwelling house, wool-shed, stable, trap shed, and sheep yards, and erected over three miles of fencing. In order to provide shelter for his stock he has planted 1,000 pines and other trees. Mr. Fleming was born in Sheffield, Canterbury, in 1871, and is a son of Mr. R. G. Fleming, an old colonist of over forty years' standing. After leaving school he worked on Mr. G. Fleming's station, on Banks' Peninsula, and afterwards was employed in droving for the Islington Freezing Works. Subsequently he managed two runs—“Waimaru,” and “Oririe Island,” in Marlborough, where he remained for seven years. After buying and disposing of farms in Waverley, Patea, Waikato, and Palmerston North, he settled on his present property. Mr. Fleming married a daughter of Mr. John Mills, of “Brightlands,” Pelorous Sounds, in 1896, and has a family of four sons and one daughter.
Farmer, “Fairview,” Onga Onga. Mr. Freemantle owns 375 acres of freehold property, formerly a portion of the Fairfield estate, situated on the main road from Waipawa to Onga Onga, about one mile from the latter township. About thirty acres are cropped, and twenty-five milking cows, and 500 Lincoln cross-bred sheep, are depastured. Lambing averages about eighty five per cent. Many improvements have been effected since the property was acquired, including the erection of a substantial dwelling house, a number of outbuildings, and about three miles of fencing. Mr. Freemantle was born in Stockbridge, Hampshire, England, in June, 1850, and came to New Zealand in 1873, in the ship “Inverhernie,” landing in Napier. He was employed for a year on Mr. F. M. Chapman's station at Poukawa, after which, for a time, he settled at Clive, where he experienced the hardships and privations of the early settlers. While there he bought a section at Makaretu, for which he paid ten shilings an acre, on the deferred-payment system, and expended £2 an acre on bush felling. At the same time he accepted a situation on Mr. Wellwood's farm in Hastings, and afterwards on Mr. W. Couper's station at Havelock, in order to gain the necessary capital to start farming on his own account. He finally removed to Makaretu in 1890, bought another section, and resided there for ten years, when he acquired his present holding. Mr. Freemantle is a member of the Farmers' Union, a director of the Onga Onga Butter Factory, and an Oddfellow of thirty years' standing. He married, in England, a daughter of Mr. Thomas Petty, of Southampton, and has, surviving, three sons and three daughters.
Farmer, “Fir Grove,” Onga Onga. Mr. Ingley farms a property of 900 acres, in the Lindsay settlement, which he acquired by ballot in April, 1905. He depastures 1,200 Romney Marsh-Lincoln cross-bred sheep, a stud flock of 200 Lincoln pure-bred ewes, fifty Shropshire pure-bred ewes, and upwards of fifty head of short-horn cattle. About 300 acres are laid down in oats and turnips, and good crops are realised. The land is flat, and well-watered by the Waipawa river on one boundary, and on the other by an artesian supply laid down at a cost of £250. The property is also well sheltered by a belt of fir trees. A nine-roomed house, a large wool-shed and stables have been built, and sheep yards, a dip, and upwards of four miles of fencing have been constructed. Mr. Ingley was born in the Wairarapa, in the year 1885, and is the son of Mr. Joseph Ingley, of Napier. He was educated in Dannevirke, and afterwards entered the Government postal service in that town; two and a half years later he resigned, and settled on his present holding.
Farmer, “Forest Gate,” Onga Onga. Mr. Mackie's property, which is the original homestead block of the Forest Gate estate, contains 844 acres of flat land and rolling downs. Mixed farming is carried on, about 300 acres being laid down annually in grain and root
Onga Onga, the property of Mr. William C. Pettit, comprises 1,000 acres of freehold, all good sheep country. The land was first taken up in 1879, by Mr. J. Pettit, of Dannevirke, who resided on the property for a number of years. Originally it was all heavy bush country, which, with the exception of a few acres, has since been cleared, and sown in grass. About 2,000 Romney Marsh-Lincoln cross-breds are depastured, of which 500 are breeding ewes, and 250 ewe lambs; there are also upwards of 100 head of short-horn cattle on the property. Lambing averages eighty-seven per cent., though in some seasons over 100 per cent. has been obtained. The buildings comprise a modern dwelling house, a capacious wool shed, a granary, stables, and whares. Sheep yards, stock yards, a dip, and other conveniences have been installed.
was born in Te Aute in 1876, and was educated at Waipawa and Kaikora North. He subsequently studied for two years at the Lincoln Agricultural College, Canterbury. After spending a number of years on “Merivale,” he took charge of the property for his father in 1905. Mr. Pettit is a member of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, and is a member of the committee of the Onga Onga Sports Club. He married a daughter of Mr. Lachlan McKay, of Tikokino, in June, 1905.
Sheep-Farmer, Onga Onga. Mr. Muhleisen was born in the year 1860, in Victoria, Australia, and at an early age came to New Zealand, where he was educated. He was trained as a wool classer, and subsequently followed his profession in various parts of the Australian colonies. He then took over the Albion Hotel, Napier, which he conducted for some time. He sold this property, however, in 1906, and has since devoted his attention to sheep-farming. Mr. Muhleison, during his residence in Napier, was closely connected with almost every athletic body in the town, and rendered good service in several secretarial posts.
Farmer, “Riverview,” Onga Onga. Mr. Rice acquired his property of 395 acres by ballot, in April, 1905, and subsequently refused an offer of £500 on his bargain. At the time of the ballot this section was one of the most desirable offered, as it contained all the buildings, stock yards, and other improvements necessary to a farm. The land is of good quality, the bulk of it having been sown with grass seed before the ballot. It is bounded on one side by the Waipawa river, and well sheltered by a mile and a half of fir trees. Since acquiring the property Mr. Rice has planted seventeen chains of shelter trees, and erected over five miles of fencing. The stock, in 1906, comprised 200 three-quarter-bred Lincoln ewes, 200 three-quarter-bred Romneys, 450 Romney Marsh-Lincoln cross-bred lambs, two Shropshire, four Romney
Farmer, “Finchley,” Onga Onga. Mr. Rood's property consists of 896 acres of the original Mount Vernon estate, which he holds on a lease in perpetuity. The property was drawn in the ballot by Mr. George Cossar, and was acquired by the present proprietor in 1905. All the improvements on “Finchley” have been installed by Mr. Rood, and comprise a seven roomed dwelling house, a dairy, store, sheep yards, woolshed, and six miles of fencing. The dairy contains a separator plant, the product of which is disposed of in the district. The land is flat, and of a good quality, considerable cropping of oats and turnips is carried on, and excellent yields have been obtained. The stock comprises about 700 Romney Marsh-Lincoln ewes, 370 English Leicester hoggets, forty head of cows and young cattle, and fourteen horses. Mr. Rood was born in London, England, in the year 1819, and was educated at the London University. He came to New Zealand as carpenter of the ship “Weymouth,” in 1873, and spent the first five years after his arrival on Messrs Beetham Brothers' Brancepeth station, near Masterton. He was afterwards a shepherd on White Rock and Te Apiti stations, on the East Coast, and on “Mount Vernon,” until it was cut up by the Government in 1905. Mr. Rood is a member of the Farmers' Union, and the Agricultural and Pastoral Society, a member of the Onga Onga School Committee, and a member of the committee of the Sports Club. As a Freemason he is a Past Master of Lodge Abercorn (Waipawa), No. 30, N.Z.C.; an honorary life member of the Grand Masonic Lodge of New Zealand, and a Forester of many years' standing. Mr. Rood married the eldest daughter of Mr. Peter Swenson, of Norsewood, in 1883, and has two sons and four daughters.
the property of Mrs. L. M. Rhodes, was originally taken up by the late Mr. Rhodes, who was at one time a member of the Hawke's Bay Provincial Council,' The station comprises 7,000 acres of freehold, mostly undulating country, but all ploughable, and good healthy sheep land. The stock comprises 5,000 Romney Marsh pure and cross-breds, of which 4,000 are breeding ewes, and 1,000 ewe lambs. Up to 9,000 sheep have been carried, and when fully improved the property will be able to carry two sheep to the acre; 300 head of cattle are also depastured. In 1904 “Spring Hill” wool realised the top price in the Napier market. Two teams of horses are employed, and a considerable area has been laid under cultivation. Many improvements have been installed during the present management, including additions to the dwelling house, the erection of a large grain shed, men's whare, and Maori quarters, and upwards of five miles of fencing.
manager of Spring Hill station, was born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, in 1881, and received his education at Queen's College, Melbourne, the School of Mines, Ballarat, and at the Hawkesbury Agricultural College, New South Wales. At the latter college he was dux for the years 1901 and 1902. In September, 1903, he came to New Zealand, and started as a cadet at “Spring Hill,” subsequently taking over the management of the property in October, 1905. Mr. Rhodes is a member of the Farmers' Union, and the Waipawa Racing Club, and is vice-president of the Onga Onga Sports Club.
Farmer, “Wattle Grove,” Onga Onga. Mr. Waldrom operates 784 acres of land in the Lindsay settlement, which he drew by ballot in April, 1905, on a lease in perpetuity. The land is all flat, well sheltered, and suitable for agricultural purposes. Mr. Waldrom's stock comprises 850 Romney Marsh-Lincoln cross-bred sheep (of which 630 are breeding ewes), and upwards of twenty-five head of cattle. He has erected a cottage, wool-shed, sheep yards, and three miles of fencing. Mr. Waldrom
Sheep-farmer, Onga Onga. Mr. Walker was born in Insch, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, on the 22nd of March, 1818, and was brought up to sheep-farming. He came to New Zealand in 1869, under contract to Mr. T. P. Russell, of “Woburn,” Waipukurau, in the ship “Asterope,” and landed in Wellington on the 10th of October of that year. He at once proceeded to “Woburn” where he remained for two years and a half. Mr. Walker was subsequently employed on the Mangatoro, Arlington, and Burnside stations, after which he took up bush land at Blackburn, which he farmed for eighteen years. When the Fairfield estate was cut up by Mr. H. H. Bridge, in 1900, Mr. Walker bought his present holding of 520 acres, on which he depastures 1,000 sheep, mostly pure-bred Lincolns, and the lambing has averaged 100 per cent. Mr. Walker has improved his property to a considerable extent, having planted 3,000 trees, and erected several miles of fencing; besides which he has built a modern dwelling house, a wool shed, and a trap shed and stable. He is a member of the Farmers' Union, but takes no part in public affairs. He married a daughter of Mr. Robert Elliott, of County Cavan, Ireland, in July, 1874. Mrs. Walker arrived in New Zealand in 1872, in the ship “Ballarat,” landing in Napier.
Farmer, “Bellevue,” Onga Onga. Mr. Wilson operates 684 acres of land, of which 606 acres are held on a lease in perpetuity, and seventy-eight acres, on which the dwelling house stands, on a seven years' lease, with a right to purchase. The whole is a portion of the original Mount Vernon estate, which was cut up for closer settlement in April, 1905. The country is undulating, but all ploughable, and is stocked with 1,000 Romney Marsh cross-bred sheep, and upwards of fifty head of cattle. When fully improved the farm will carry two sheep to the acre, and being well sheltered, offers splendid facilities for good lambing averages. Turnips and kale are grown for fattening purposes. Mr. Wilson was born in Lakeview Coole, County Westmeath, Ireland, in the year 1864, and was brought up to farming. He arrived in New Zealand in 1889, and engaged in cropping on the Mount Vernon and Milbourne estates—now known as the Lindsay and Argyle settlements—where he remained until the properties were cut up. He then secured his present holding by ballot, with the exception of the homestead block, which Mr. Harding reserved for him as he had been a tenant for ten years. Mr. Wilson is a member of the Farmers' Union, the Waipawa Racing Club, and the Onga Onga Sports Club, and has taken a great interest in football. In addition to farming he carries on a large dealing business. Mr. Wilson married a daughter of Mr. D. McIntyre, Oban, Argyleshire, Scotland, in 1889, and has two sons and two daughters.
the centre of a large sheep-raising country, is a township situated on the main line of railway, five miles south from Waipawa, and forty-four miles south by rail from Napier, in the county of Waipawa. The site of the township was originally held by Maoris, and there are still to be seen relics of the settlement, including an old pa. The first settlers were Messrs Purvis and H. R. Russell, who arrived in the early “fifties,” and they were followed by Messrs John Harding, Captain Newman, Donald Gollan, James Evison, James Main, George Winlove, John Sharpin, John Evans, Hugh Roberts, A. Jones, Peter Gow, and John Palmer. Mr. H. R. Russell took up a large area of virgin country, which he successfully farmed for many years. He laid out the township, and built an hotel, and he gave land for many public purposes. In the early days, when wheat was grown more largely, flour-milling was carried on in the locality, and, subsequently, saw-milling and flax-milling flourished for a time. Boiling down works were originally conducted in conjunction with sheep grazing, but, later, Messrs Nelson Brothers
was constituted in November, 1905, the township having formerly been a part of the district governed by the Waipukurau Road Board. The area of the township is 975 acres; the unimproved value, £30,910; and the capital value £74,059. A general rate of 2d in the pound, which produces £257 a year, is levied on the unimproved value. Since the inception of the Board many improvements have been effected, and a scheme for the proper lighting of the town is (1906) under consideration. Mr. W. A. Chambers has been chairman of the Board from its inception.
Mr.William Ashton Chambers, Chairman of the Waipukurau Town Board, was born in Cheshire, England, on the 22nd of June, 1865, was educated at the Manchester Grammar School, and was subsequently brought up as a carpenter. He came to New Zealand in the year 1884, and soon afterwards settled at Waipukurau, where he carries on a large business as a builder, timber merchant, architect, and ironmonger, and gives constant employment to twelve men. He also carries on farming in conjunction with his business. Mr. Chambers is a member of the Waipawa County Council, the Waipawa Hospital Board, a steward of the Waipukurau Jockey Club, and a member of the Waipukurau football and cricket clubs. In connection with cricket he was one of the winners of the Hunter Shield. As an Oddfellow he is a Past Provincial Grand Master, and is First Principal of the Royal Arch Chapter of Freemasons.
Mr.Cecil Whiting Seymour, member of the Waipukurau Town Board, was born on the 28th of January, 1869, in Oxfordshire, England, where he was educated and brought up to the grocery trade. He came to New Zealand in 1886, was first employed for about sixteen months as manager of a grocery store at Pukekohe, in the Auckland province, and afterwards travelled for a time in the interests of Messrs E. Porter and Company. In 1891 he removed to Hawke's Bay, where he was employed by Mr. Peter Gow for fourteen years, chiefly as manager of the railway refreshment rooms, which he took over, in the early part of 1905, on his own account. In the same year Mr. Seymour
is a handsome wooden structure in the centre of the town, and has the postmaster's private residence attached.
formerly Postmaster at Waipukurau, was born at Alderney, Channel Islands, in the year 1856, where he was educated, and afterwards entered the post and telegraph service, where he remained for six years. In 1877 Mr. Le Cocq went to St. Kitts, West Indies, but returned to England after six months. He came to New Zealand in 1878, and entered the post and telegraph service at Wellington in 1879. Two years later he was appointed postmaster at Duntroon, Otago, was transferred two years afterwards to Takapau, Hawke's Bay, and five years later was appointed to Waipukurau. He is now postmaster at Picton. Mr. Le Cocq is an enthusiastic cricketer, was a member of the Waipawa-Patangata Counties Cricket Club, and was vice-president, of the Waipukurau Junior Football Club. He possesses musical talent, and during its existence was secretary to the Waipukurau Orchestral Union. As a Freemason, Mr. Le Cocq is a Past Grand Deacon of the Grand Lodge of New Zealand
Auctioneers, Land, Estate, and General Commission Agents, Main Street, Waipukurau. This business was established in 1903, by Mr. G. W. L. Mackay. Adjoining the offices are a large yard, and a commodious sale room. General sales are held every Saturday afternoon.
sole proprietor of the business, was born in Nelson in the year 1869, and is a son of a well-known sheep farmer of the Nelson province. He was educated at Nelson College, and at seventeen years of age went to Australia, where he was employed for some years in mining and sheep-farming. He took part in the South African war, as a sergeant-major in the 5th Westralian Contingent, was for eighteen months at the front, and then returned to Australia, proceeding almost immediately to New Zealand. Mr. Mackay was for five years a member of the Victorian militia. He is a steward of the Waipukurau Racing Club.
Land and Estate Agent, Ruataniwha Street, Waipukurau. This business was established in 1906, by Mr. Tipping, who does a considerable business as a licensed land broker. He was born at Leeston, Canterbury, on the 2nd of July, 1877, and is the eldest son of Mr. James Tipping, of Waipukurau. He was educated at Waipukurau, and for four years followed the teaching profession at Kumeroa. Mr. Tipping then resigned in order to take up farming, which he followed for some years successively at Pahiatua, Makuri, Dannevirke, Wairarapa, and other places, before establishing his present business. He is a member of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society and the Farmers' Union. Mr. Tipping married a daughter of Mr. Howse, of AshleyClinton, and has one daughter.
Builder and Contractor, Waipukurau. This business was established many years ago by the late Mr. George Winlove, and at his death was taken over by his son. A speciality is made of the construction of sale yards, and among those erected by Mr. Winlove may be mentioned the Waipukurau, Stortford Lodge, and Onga Onga sale yards. Many fine buildings have also been erected by him, including the residence of Mr. Henry Gaisford, of Oringi. Fifteen men are employed in the business. Mr. Winlove was born on the 6th of February, 1872, at Waipukurau, where he was educated, and afterwards learned his trade with his father. He takes a keen interest in the social life of the district, and is a
Coal, Firewood and Timber Merchant, and Machinery Agent, Waipukurau. This business was established by Mr. C. W. Mitchell in the year 1896, and was acquired by the present proprietor in 1906. It is conducted in a wooden building, sixty-eight feet by thirty-five feet, and is situated near the railway line. There is a complete wood-sawing plant, consisting of an eight horse-power Rushton and Proctor engine, a large sawing bench, with circular and ripping saws, a specially constructed concrete store for the storage of lime, and a large yard where drain-pipes, prepared timber, coal, and firewood are stocked. Mr. Sampson is agent for Messrs Massey Harris, Willoughby and Company (Dannevirke), Donald and Sons (Masterton), the Kitson light, Pitner low-pressure lamps, Fairbanks, Morse and Company's oil engines, pumps, and windmills, W. T. Turnbull's oils, vulcanite sanded roofing, and American quick-dry varnish. Second-hand machinery is bought and sold. Mr. Sampson was born in Liverpool, England, on the 7th of May, 1872, and is the second son of Mr. Thomas Edward Sampson, a stipendiary magistrate, and coroner of that city. He was educated at Denston College, Staffordshire, and at Taylor's Grammar School, Great Crosby, and then went to sea in the merchant service. After seven years' experience in large ocean going vessels, during which period he gained a chief officer's certificate, he resigned in 1898, in order to settle in New Zealand. For a time he was employed at sheep station work at “Leslie Hills,” Canterbury, afterwards held an appointment in the tourist department of the Government service, and then removed to Hawke's Bay. He was subsequently employed for five years on the Mount Herbert estate at Waipukurau, and then managed farms in the Wairarapa and Dannevirke districts. Later he became travelling representative for Messrs Willoughby and Company, of Dannevirke, before acquiring his present business. Mr. Sampson is married and has two sons.
(Robert Coneys, proprietor), Waipukurau. This
Engineer, Wheelwright, Coach-builder, Farrier, Blacksmith, and Ironmonger, Ruataniwha Street, Waipukurau. This business was established by Messrs A. Jones and Sons, in the year 1865, and acquired by the present proprietor in 1905. The premises, which are of of wood and iron, have a frontage of 100 feet, cover a wide area, and include engineering, coach-building, wheelwright, blacksmith, and ironmongery departments. A large number of coaches, waggons, drays, and lighter carriages are built, equal in workmanship and finish to those turned out from the best factories in
Storekeeper and General Provision Merchant, Waipukurau. Agent for the National Fire Insurance and Liverpool and London and Globe Insurance Companies. Mr. Mitchell's husiness was one of the first established at Waipukurau, and is conducted in a wooden building, well-stocked with merchandise. Mr. Mitchell has a considerable interest in the firm of Wilding and Company, of Makotuku, and acts as their agent at Waipukurau. He was born in Scotland, and was educated in Aberdeen. For six years he was in the office of a law advocate, before coming to New Zealand, by the ship “Auckland,” in the year 1879. Mr. Mitchell landed in Otago, and was for some years in the employ of the Agricultural Company, of Dunedin, as accountant on several of their properties. In 1882 he removed to the North Island, and served in a similar capacity for Messrs Murray, Roberts and Company, on their stations at Clive Grange, Tautane, Akitio, and Aohanga. He next received a position as accountant with Messrs Wilding and Company, sawmillers, and eventually, in conjunction with Mr. J. Scholes, took over the above store and a saw-mill at Makotuku.
(McHardy Brothers, proprietors), Waipukurau. This valuable property consists of about 22,000 acres of first-class grazing country, and is situated sixty miles south from Napier. There is a permanent ewe flock of 30,000, and about 3,000 head of cattle are also depastured. The run is well-watered and sub-divided, and equipped with all necessary buildings.
of Blackhead station, was born in Napier on the 20th of June, 1863, and is the eldest son of the late Mr. Alexander McHardy. He was educated at the Napier Boys' High School and Nelson College, and, at the death of his father, took over Blackhead station, in conjunction with his brother. Mr. McHardy is a member of the Patangata County Council, the Hawke's Bay United Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, the Waipawa Hospital Board, the Tamumu Road Board and other local bodies. He married a daughter of Mr. Alexander McKenzie, of Gisborne, and has two sons and four daughters.
(Spencer Herbert Gollan, proprietor), Waipukurau. This estate consists of 30,000 acres of first-class grazing land, and is situated about four miles from Waipukurau. The property carries 45,000 sheep and about 750 head of cattle, and employs a permanent staff of twenty-five men. Mr. Gollan has the reputation of being a breeder of thoroughbred horses, several of which have given a good account of themselves on the colonial and English turf. The following horses were at one time on the station:—Miss Dargon, Tiraillerie (dam of Tirant d'Eau
Mr. L. De Pelichet, manager of the Mangatarata Estate, was born in Taranaki, and was educated in Napier and Wellington Colleges. He has had considerable experience on various stations in Hawke's Bay, and was appointed
was born in the year 1838, at John o' Groat's, Scotland, and came to New Zealand in 1862, by the ship “Royal Charlie.” During the Waikato war he was employed in bridge-building and cutting timber. In 1861 he went to the West Coast gold-fields, but not meeting with the success he anticipated, returned to Auckland, where he was engaged in saw-milling. Later Mr. Gow went to Hastings, where he remained for about two years. He removed to Waipukurau about the year 1869, and was employed in the bush, where the present township now stands, and afterwards started a saw-mill of his own at Hampden. He then received a contract from the Government to cut railway bridge timber required for the line between Waipukurau and Pukipuki. Mr. Gow afterwards sold out his saw-mill, and in 1875 bought the Tavistock Hotel, with forty-seven acres of land adjoining the township; this he sold in 1899, took a trip through America and the Old Land, returned to New Zealand, and settled in Waipukurau. Mr. Gow is chairman of the Waipukurau Road Board, of which he has been a member for a number of years, and is also chairman of the Waipukurau school committee.
formerly senior partner in the firm of Messrs A. Jones and Sons, Coach-builders, etc., was born in Forfarshire, Scotland, and learned his trade in the neighbourhood of Dundee. He came to New Zealand in the year 1865, by the ship “Berar,” and landed at Wellington, under an engagement to the late Hon. H. R. Russell, of Hawke's Bay, with whom he remained for about two years. He started in business on his own account in Waipukurau, as a coach-builder. Mr. Jones was a constant exhibitor at the agricultural and pastoral shows in Hawke's Bay, and won a reputation for superior workmanship. He has won seventy-three first-class certificates, fifteen silver medals, and one twenty-five guinea cup, besides other trophies. He invented a large number of improvements in agricultural implements of various kinds, and is the maker of the first locally-made plough and disc harrow; he also invented the Giant wire-strainer, which has proved such a boon to fencers. Mr. Jones subsequently disposed of his business to Mr. W. H. Booth. He has been chairman of the Waipukurau school committee, has been a member of the Waipukurau Road Board for several years, an elder of the Waipukurau Presbyterian Church for over twenty years, and is a past chief ruler of the Rechabite tent. He was also superintendent of St. Andrew's Sunday school for eight years; is president of the Christian Endeavour Society, in connection with St. Andrew's Church, and of the Public Library Trustees. Mr Jones married in 1859, and has, surviving, two sons and seven daughters; his eldest son, William, carries on a large business at Hastings, as a coach-builder.
who for many years resided at Waipukurau, and who was one of the oldest residents of the district, was born in Snettisham, Norfolk, England, and was brought up to the building trade. He came to New Zealand in 1858, for some time worked at his trade in Auckland, and in the early “sixties” removed to Waipukurau, where he conducted a successful business as a builder until his death in February, 1906. Mr. Winlove was married, and left a family of one son and three daughters.
is an outlying district in the county of Patangata, twelve miles south-west from Waipukurau, and sixty miles from Napier. It is devoted solely to sheep farming, and there are several large stations in the district. The Porangahau mail coach passes through Wanstead daily. The township has one hotel, a school, a public hall, and a post and telegraph office, with telephone connection with Waipukurau.
(William Storah, proprietor), Wanstead. This hotel is a commodious two-storeyed wooden building, and contains eleven bedrooms, two parlours, and a clean, comfortable dining room. The cuisine is good, while the liquors are of excellent quality. Mrs. Storah attends to all the domestic arrangements.
proprietor of the Wanstead Hotel, was born in Limerick, Ireland, in the year 1844, and came to New Zealand at four years of age, accompanied by his parents. On the voyage the crew mutinied, and in order to get another crew the ship put into Hobart, and afterwards into Auckland, finally landing her passengers in Wellington. The Storah family first lived at The Hutt, but afterwards settled in Wellington,
Wanstead, was taken up by the late Mr. David S. Fleming, in the year 1863, and comprises 6,000 acres, of which 3,000 are freehold, and the remainder leasehold native land. When taken up the country was in its virgin state, but it is now one of the finest properties in Hawke's Bay. The winter stock comprises 9,500 Romney Marsh-Lincoln cross-breds (of which 4,000 are breeding ewes), a stud flock of 400 pure-bred Lincolns, a herd of 500 head of polled Angus cattle, 100 horses (including thirty brood mares), and the stallion “Cock o' the North.” There are two homesteads on the property, also a wool-shed, stocked with eight stands of Smoko sheep-shearing machines, a large granary, stables, and several other out-buildings.
was born at “Flemington” in 1876, and is the eldest son of the late Mr. D. S. Fleming. He received his education in Waipukurau and Wanganui, after which he returned to the station,
(W. Sanders, proprietor); Robert Johnstone, manager), Wanstead. This valuable freehold property was acquired by Mr. Sanders in the year 1879, and contains nearly 15,000 acres of good grazing country. The winter stock comprises 26,000 Corriedale Merino-Lincoln cross-breds, and a herd of 800 head of polled Angus cattle. There is also a stud flock of Lincolns, numbering 300. As many as 35,000 sheep have been carried in the summer season. Lambing averages about ninety per cent. The wool is invariably sent direct to the Home market. The wool-shed, a large up-to-date building, 112 feet long by 40 feet wide, is fitted with sixteen stands of Wolseley shearing machines, driven by an eight horse-power Hornsby engine. Upwards of 100 miles of fencing have been erected. The homestead is a two-storeyed house, sheltered from the wind by large plantations of pines, blue gums, and other trees.
who is a nephew of Mr. W. Sanders, was appointed manager of the Motuotaraia station in 1879. He was born in Lockerbie, Dumfrieshire, Scotland, came to New Zealand in 1871, in the ship “E. P. Bouverie,” and landed in Port Chalmers. Mr. Johnstone was with his uncles, Messrs W. and J. Sanders, on their Kyeburn station, where he remained until the property was sold. He was then for a time with Mr. Watson Shannon, and was afterwards manager of “Conical Hills,” Tapanui, before taking up his present duties.
which means in Maori, “mad winds,” so called from the prevalence of heavy westerly gales, is situated on the seacoast, in the county of Patangata, and lies seventy-four miles southwest from Napier. From Waipukurau, the nearest township on the railway line, there is a tri-weekly coach service, which runs through Wanstead and Wallingford, twenty-eight miles in all; a very enjoyable drive in the summer months, the scenery en route being picturesque in places. The country is rugged and hilly, and suitable only for sheep farming, and there are several large sheep stations in the district. Close to the township is situated a large Maori pa, where the natives are mostly well to do, and own large blocks of land in the district, which are leased to Europeans. A small coastal steamer plies between the settlement and Napier, and is a source of great convenience to the district, as it enables settlers to ship wool and other products direct to Napier, without having to undertake the long and expensive journey by road to the railway line. Porangahau has a post office and a telephone bureau, with money order and savings bank departments. There is an Anglican church with a resident minister, and a public school. There are also various athletic bodies in the township, and a racecourse, where a meeting is held yearly, generally on Boxing Day.
(F. H. Roach, proprietor). This business was established in the year 1891, and taken over by the present proprietor in 1896. A large stock of drapery, groceries, crockery, ironmongery, boots and shoes, saddlery, fancy goods, and everything suitable for the requirements of the district, is carried. Country produce is bought and sold. In conjunction with the store there is a billiard room, fitted with a full-sized Alcock's table.
J.P., proprietor of the Porangahau General Store, and Registrar of Births, Deaths, and Marriages, was born in Levuka, Fiji, in 1869, and is a son of Mr. G. H. Roach, of Hastings. He was educated in Wellington and Wanganui, and afterwards joined the firm of Messrs Ruddock and Fryer, ironmongers, Napier. Subsequently he was with Messrs Common, Shelton and Company, of Gisborne, and travelled for the ironmongery firm of Messrs E. Porter and Company, of Auckland. Mr. Roach is a member of the local school committee, vice-president of the Porangahau Football Club, a member of the Porangahau Racing Club, and as a Freemason is a member of Lodge Heretaunga, No. 73, N.Z.C. He married a daughter of Mr. E. L. Ingpen, of Napier, in 1896, and has two sons and one daughter.
(Frank White, manager), Porangahau. This property was taken up in the early days by the late Mr. John White, and consists of 3,000 acres of freehold land, and 20,000 acres of leasehold. It is practically all hilly and rugged country, but there are some rich flats on the freehold portion of the estate, on which good crops of oats, rape, and turnips are grown. The stock comprises 26,000 Romney Marsh-Lin-colns (including 8,000 breeding ewes), 1,500 polled Angus and short-horn cross-bred cattle, and upwards of sixty horses. Lambing averages eighty-eight per cent. The property is well watered, and well fenced, and excellent shelter is provided for the stock. The woolshed is fitted with fourteen stands of Wolseley machines, and accommodation is provided for 1,400 sheep in the night pens. There are numerous other outbuildings, also a two-storeyed house for the accommodation of the men employed on the station. The homestead, a new palatial residence, replete with all modern conveniences, situated on a rise, and surrounded by trees, lawns, and well-kept flower beds, commands a magnificent view of the coast line and the sea.
manager of Braeburn station, was born in Porangahau, in the year 1877, and received his education at the Napier Boys' High School and the Wanganui College. After spending two and a half years with Messrs Levin and Company in Wellington, he returned to Porangahau, and subsequently took over the management of his late father's estate.
is a sheep-farming district in the county of Patangata, eighty-six miles south-west from Napier. There is a triweekly coach service from Danne-virke, or the railway line can be reached through Porangahau and Wallingford. Wimbleton is six miles from the coast, on the banks of the Wainui river, and was at one time all dense bush country. The land is now mostly cleared, and is developing into good sheep and cattle country. Wimbleton has an hotel, a store, post and telegraph office, and a telephone bureau.
Sheep-farmer, Lake Farm, Wimbleton. Mr. Sargent was born in Lincolnshire, England, in the year 1839, and was brought up to farming. He came to New Zealand in 1874, in the ship “Pearl Clarence,” and landed in Napier. For many years he was engaged in pit sawing at “Oakburn” and Wimbleton, and was employed as a bullock driver by Mr. Price,. at Whangaehu station. Mr. Sargent took up Lake Farm in July, 1886. In 1905, accompanied by his wife, he took a trip to the Home land, and visited the scenes of his early life. He is a member of the Farmers' Uni
the property of Mr. Thomas C. Hales, contains two adjacent holdings, one of 1,200 odd acres, and the other of 490 acres; all educational reserve, held on a long lease. At one time the farm was all dense bush, but during recent years this has been cleared, and it is now good hilly sheep country. About 4,300 Lincoln cross-breds are wintered, including 1,200 breeding ewes (their lambing average being 100 per cent.), and upwards of 150 head of mixed short-horn cattle. Many improvements have been effected since the property was taken up, including fencing, the erection of a homestead, a wool-shed, with six stands for shearing, a three-roomed whare, a stable, a cow shed, sheep and stock yards, and two sheep dips.
proprietor of Wimbleton Farm, was born in the Wairarapa, in the year 1858, and is a son of the late Mr. Thomas Hales, an old colonist of that district. He was educated privately, and afterwards gained his first lessons in farming with Mr. J. Morrison, an old settler of the same district. In the early “seventies” he removed to Hawke's Bay, and was for many years engaged in contracting and fencing
is situated on the sea coast, eighty-nine miles south from Napier, and is in the county of Patangata, in the provincial district of Hawke's Bay. The township was formerly known as Wainui, after the river running through the settlement, but was subsequently re-named Hebertville, in honour of Mr. Herbert, a very old settler, who gave the land for the local school and post office. Dannevirke is the nearest township on the railway line, from which there is a tri-weekly coach service, passing through Weber and Wimbleton, a total distance of fifty miles. Small coastal steamers ply from Napier and Wellington, and facilitate the shipping of wool from large sheep stations in the district. There is one hotel, a post office, and a public hall in the township.
(H. W. White, proprietor), Herbertville. “Arataura” comprises 4,500 acres, of which 1,000 acres are freehold property, and the remainder native land, held on a lease. It is strictly a sheep and cattle run, being hilly, but well-watered and sheltered, and is situated three miles from the sea coast, at an altitude of 1,000 feet above the level of the sea. The winter stock comprises 6,100 Romney Marsh-Lincoln cross-breds, and 500 head of polled Angus and short-horn cattle. Lambing averages about 100 per cent. In the summer season as many as 9,000 sheep have been depastured. There are two homesteads on the property, and a large wool shed, eighty feet long, is fitted with four Wolseley sheep-shearing machines. Spacious stock and sheep vards and other improvements have been erected within recent years.
proprietor of “Arataura,” is the eldest son of the late Mr. John White. He was born in Porangahau, in November, 1872, and received his education at the Napier Boys' High School. Subsequently he was for three years with the firm of Messrs Levin and Company, merchants, of Wellington, after which he returned to his late father's station, “Oakburn.” He took up his present property in June, 1899. Mr. White is a member of the Farmers' Union, the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, and the Hawke's Bay Gun Club, and is vice-president of the Porangahau Racing Club and Football Club. He married a daughter of the late Mr. Edward Bibby, of Waipawa, in July, 1899, and has two sons and three daughters.
J.P., Sheep-farmer, Farnham, Herbertville. Mr. Herbert was born in Wellington, in the year 1845, his father, Mr. Joseph Herbert, being one of the old pioneer settlers. He was educated at Wellington, and at ten years of age accompanied his parents to Hawke's Bay, where he subsequently, in conjunction with his brothers, took up a large tract of land, 3,000 acres of which is now good grass country, capable of carrying 6,000 sheep. When first taken up, the land was covered with thick bush and fern, but with the indomitable energy which distinguished the early settlers, a house was soon built by the brothers themselves, the bush was cleared, laid down in grass and fenced into paddocks. About 1878 the township of Herbertville was founded, and now has a population of about 150, with a store and post office. Mr. Herbert, who is hospitable and popular, has always identified himself with local matters, and was for many years a member of the Porangahau Road
(estate of the late Mr. Graham Speedy; Manager, W. H. Speedy), Herbertville. “Wood-bank” is a freehold property of 3,000 acres, of hilly sheep country, well-watered and sheltered, and situated about three miles west from Herbert-ville. It carries a winter stock of 6,000 Romney Marsh-Lincoln crossbreds, including 2,200 breeding ewes, and 400 head of short-horn cattle. Lambing averages ninety-five per cent. The wool-shed is stocked with six stands of Wolseley shearing machines, and there is a granary, stables, stock and sheep yards, and a dip. The homestead is pleasantly situated on a rise, surrounded by large trees, while in the foreground there is a well-kept lawn, tennis court, and numerous flower beds.
manager of “Woodbank,” was born in the year 1869, at Herbertville, and was educated there and at Wellington College. He is a member of the Farmers' Union, the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, and a member of the Committee of the Herbertville Cricket Club.
is a farming settlement in Waipawa county, situated on the railway line, forty-eight miles south-west from Napier. It was formerly the property of an absentee landlord, who worked it with a few shepherds, and was acquired by the Government for closer settlement in the year 1900. Mixed farming is carried on in the district, and many thousand acres have been laid down in permanent English grasses. The township has a public school, and a post office with a telephone bureau.
Farmer and Contractor, Hatuma. Mr. Jensen secured part of his present property at the Government ballot in 1900, when the Hatuma estate was cut up for closer settlement. In 1906 he added a fine section, making up a total area of 484 acres. The land is nearly all level, and of first-class quality, suitable for both agriculture and pasturage. The winter stock comprises 1,400 sheep, and 2,000 are carred in the summer months. About sixty head of cattle are also depastured, and 100 acres are annually sown in crops. In addition to farming and dealing in live stock, Mr. Jensen does a considerable amount of contracting, including bush-felling and fencing, and employs a large number of men. He was born in Denmark in August, 1869, came to New Zealand in 1875, and was educated at the Norsewood public school. Mr. Jensen was subsequently for several years on his father's farm, and was afterwards engaged in farming and contracting in the Dannevirke and East Coast districts, in conjunction with his brothers, before taking up his present property. He is a member of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society and the Farmers' Union. Mr. Jensen is married, and has three sons and three daughters.
is situated in the Hatuma settlement, four miles from Takapau. It comprises about 880 acres, and is held under a lease in perpetuity tenure. It is composed largely of undulating and hilly country, and about 400 acres are ploughable. The flock varies between 1,700 and 2,800, according to the season, and about 100 head of cattle are also depastured. About forty acres are annually placed under crop.
proprietor of Kowhainui farm, was born at Kimbolton, Huntingdonshire, England, in November, 1869. He was educated at Charterhouse, and for some years was employed as an accountant in London. At twenty-one years of age he came to New Zealand, and was employed for several years by Messrs Harry and Stuart Bridge, first as a cadet on “Ashcott,” and latterly as manager of their farm at Woodville. Mr. Wilson secured his present holding at the Hatuma ballot in 1901. He is a member of the local branch of the Farmers' Union.
(which means i
is situated in the north-west portion of the Takapau district, and is one of the finest sheep stations in the Hawke's Bay province. It was first taken up in the “fifties” by the late Mr. John A'Deane, after whose birthplace it was named. “Ashcott” was originally about 16,000 acres in extent, but recent sales have reduced the area. The land is highly adapted for both pasturage and agriculture, and is chiefly flat and undulating, with a little hilly country. In the summer months the stock aggregates 18,000 sheep and 800 head of cattle. The property is in a high state of improvement, and shelter is provided by numerous plantations. There is a fine homestead on the estate, a large wool-shed, and a number of well-equipped outbuildings. About twelve men are constantly employed. A number of well-known race horses have been trained at “Ashcott,” including “Flirt,” “Coastguard,” “Beauford,” “Doris,” “Duffer,” “Stanley,” “Pushful,” and “Sleepwell.”
owner of “Ashcott,” is the eldest son of the late Mr. John A'Deane, and was born on “Ashcott” on the 21st of March, 1865. As a lad he went to England, and was educated at Hailebury, and afterwards at Cambridge, where he graduated B.A., in 1886. He then returned to New Zealand to take over the management of “Ashcott,” but soon afterwards went back to the Old Country, and was for two years in a solicitor's office at Furnval's Inn, London. On the death of his father, in 1889, Mr. A'Deane finally returned to the Colony, and has since been engaged in the management of his estate. In his university days at Cambridge he was prominent as an oarsman, cricketer, and footballer, in 1886 went on tour with the University representative football team, and shortly after his final return to the Colony played as a Hawke's Bay representative in cricket. Mr. A'Deane was the principal promoter of the Ruataniwha Polo Team, was for some years deputy master of the Hawke's Bay Hunt Club, and is president of the Takapau Racing Club. He also takes a keen interest in racing matters, and is a successful breeder of racehorses. He married Miss Margaret M. Robertson, daughter of Mr. James Stewart Robertson (late of Kilwinning, Ayrshire, Scotland), in 1900, and has two daughters.
(W. E. Downing, proprietor), Takapau. This farm was originally part of the Burnside station, and was acquired by the present proprietor in the year 1898. It consists of 600 acres of excellent grazing land, and carries 1,300 sheep and sixty head of cattle. Many improvements have been effected on the property.
proprietor of “Belleview,” was born in Mechanic's Bay, Auckland, on the 21st of January, 1861, and was educated at private schools. For about eight years he resided at Kaiwaka, Auckland, and was subsequently engaged in farming in the Waikato for about five years. He then removed to Hawke's Bay, where he found employment for some years at general farm work in the Takapau district, before acquiring his present property. Mr. Downing is a member of the local branch of the Farmers' Union.
comprises 1,350 acres of first-class grazing land. It was first leased from the Maoris, by the late Mr. Thomas Hobson. Messrs Nelson Brothers then acquired the freehold of an extensive stretch of country embracing this area, and when the block was cut up the portion now known as “Brookwood” was bought by Mr. H. H. Russell, from whom it is held under lease by Mr. M. Paulsen. Included in the area is a Maori reserve of about 350 acres. Much of “Brookwood” is of an undulating and hilly nature, but there is also a considerable proportion of good, flat, arable land. Mr. Paulsen has also two freehold farms, one of 680 acres, and the other of 710 acres. The former, which is known as “Waitangi,” adjoins “Brookwood,” and was formerly a part of Messrs Nelson Brothers' property. It is chiefly rolling hills, and suitable for both agricultural and pastoral farming. The latter, a portion of the Burnside station, is flat land, of first-class quality, and embraces about 110
proprietor of Brookwood station, was born in Denmark, on the 24th of November, 1858, was educated at German and Danish schools, and afterwards gained some early experience of farm life in his native country. At sixteen years of age he emigrated to New Zealand, landed at Napier, and was employed for two years at road making, and as a bullock-driver, on the East Coast. He subsequently found employment on the St. Lawrence station, where he remained for eighteen years, latterly as foreman, and, in 1896, resigned this position in order to take up his present property. On leaving “St. Lawrence” he was presented with a valuable marble clock by the employees of the station. Mr. Paulsen is chairman of the Takapau Road Board, and of the Takapau School Committee, and is a member of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, and the local branch of the Farmers' Union. He is married, and has one son and two daughters. His son, at twelve years of age, passed the sixth standard, five months later won an Education Board scholarship as a pupil of the Dannevirke District High School, and in 1905 carried off a Queen's scholarship.
Sheep-farmer, “Te Ngache,” Takapau. Mr. Davies' farm consists of 552 acres of excellent grazing country. The property is chiefly of an undulating and hilly nature, with about twenty acres of ploughable land. It carries between 1,500 and 1,700 sheep, and about 120 head of cattle. “Te Ngache” (formerly part of the Takapau estate) was for many years held by Messrs Nelson Brothers, and the first portion was purchased by its present proprietor in the year 1895. Mr. Davies was born at Hororata, Canterbury, on the 16th of August, 1869, and is the second son of Mr. Rees Davies, an early Canterbury settler. He was educated at the local public school, and was brought up to farming under his father. In 1892 he removed to Hawke's Bay, and found employment for three years on the Mangawhare station, before taking up his present farm. Mr. Davies is a member of the Takapau Road Board, the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, and the Farmers' Union. He is married, and has two sons and one daughter.
Farmer, Takapau. Mr. Jackson took up his present property in October, 1904. It was originally a part of the Burnside station, and comprises 700 acres of good level land, a large portion of which is river deposit. The property is highly improved, and is divided into 100 acre paddocks by good sheepproof fences. About 1,000 sheep and twenty-five head of cattle are depastured, and 200 acres are annually laid under cultivation, principally in oats, turnips, and rape. There is a comfortable residence and efficient out-buildings on the property. Mr. Jackson was born at Greytown, Wairarapa, on the 22nd of July, 1860, and is the eldest son of Mr. Thomas Jackson, an old colonist of Kumeroa. His mother was also an old colonist, and one of the first white women born in Wellington. After he was educated, Mr. Jackson applied himself to farming on his father's property, and in 1882 settled near Woodville, will his brothers, and successfully engaged in bush contracting and farming for many years. He subsequently farmed for fourteen years on his own account in the Kumeroa district, whence he removed, in 1904, to his present farm at Takapau. He is a member of the Farmers' Union. Mr. Jackson married the eldest daughter of the late Mr. Thomas Heard, of Christchurch, in 1891, and has one son and three daughters.
Farmer, Takapau. Mr. Janett's property consists of 380 acres of good agricultural and grazing land, situated about five miles from Takapau, and was acquired at the Hatuma ballot. The average flock is about 800, but in the summer months as many as 1,400 sheep and lambs are carried; and thirty head of cattle are also depastured. About thirty acres are annually
“Mangapohio” and “Lime Terrace,” in the Takapau and Makaretu districts respectively, are two fine sheep runs, owned and worked in conjunction by Mr. J. J. Connor. The former was once part of the Burnside station, is 987 acres in area, carries 2,000 sheep, over 100 head of cattle, and twenty horses, and has a fine residence. “Lime Terrace” was first taken up by Mr. Connor in the year 1887, when it was principally virgin bush. The work of improving it has been carried on systematically, and the area is now in excellent pastoral condition. It comprises 1,130 acres, and carries an average flock of nearly 3,000 sheep.
proprietor of “Mangapohio” and “Lime Terrace,” was born on the 12th of August, 1860, in County Kerry, Ireland, where he was educated, and brought up to farming. In 1876 he came to New Zealand, and settled in Hawke's Bay. For some time he was employed in general farm work and contract fencing, chiefly in the Waipawa and Waipukurau districts, and for seven years afterwards managed a farm at Makaretu. In 1887 he took up “Lime Terrace,” and in 1901 he purchased “Mangapohio.” Mr. Connor is a member of the Takapau Road Board, the Farmers' Union, and the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, and was for some years a member of the Takapau School Committee. He married a daughter of Mr. Finlay Morrison, of Makaretu.
Runholder, Takapau. Mr. Potts conducts a sheep-run of 3,500 acres, in partnership with Mr. William Nelson, of Tomoana. The land is held under Maori lease, is fair pastoral country, and carries about 6,000 sheep and 300 head of cattle. It is highly improved, and the wool-sheds are up-to-date in every particular. Mr. Potts was born at Croydon, Surrey, England, in May, 1852, and came to New Zealand as a lad. He was educated at Christ's College, Christ-church, and afterwards learned farming. For some years subsequently Mr. Potts had charge of various large stations in South Canterbury, chiefly for the late Mr. Michael Studholme, and then removed to Hawke's Bay in the year 1882. For five years he managed a large station at Patea, for Mr. Birch, and for ten years subsequently managed three sheep stations in southern Hawke's Bay, including “Takapau,” for Mr. William Nelson. He took up his present property, in partnership with his former employer, in 1898. Mr. Potts is a member of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, the Dannevirke Jockey Club, and the local branch of the Farmers' Union, of which he was for some time chairman; he was also for some years a member of the Takapau Road Board.
is situated about four miles from Takapau, and is composed of 1,883 acres of the Burnside run, and 400 acres of “Ashcott.” The former block was acquired in 1897, and the latter in 1906, and is all freehold property. It is arable country of excellent quality, and is highly adapted for both grazing and agricultural purposes. “Taniwha” carries about 3,600 sheep and 200 head of cattle, and about 150 acres are annually laid down in crops, chiefly turnips and rape. There is a fine homestead on the property.
proprietor of “Taniwha,” was born at Wainui, on the 8th of July, 1871, and is the fourth son of the late Mr. William Speedy. After receiving his education at public schools and at Wellington College, he returned to his father's farm for two years, and then went to the Wairarapa. Subsequently he was engaged in farming for some time in Canterbury, chiefly in the Ashburton, Rakaia, and Selwyn districts, and then returned to Hawke's Bay. For about four and a half years he was employed on the Pourere and Blackhead stations, afterwards for a few months was employed by the Hawke's Bay Rabbit Board, and then took up a portion of his present property. Mr. Speedy is a member of the Tokapau Road Board, the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, the Farmers' Union, and various racing and sporting clubs. He married Miss Bailey, of Waipukuran, and has three children.
(J. A. McLeod, proprietor), Takapau. This farm was formerly the homestead portion of the Tasma estate. It embraces nearly six hundred acres of land, and carries about 700 sheep and a few head of cattle. There is also a considerable amount of flax on the property, and a flax-mill, which employs twenty-five persons, is constantly at work there. “Tasma,” named after the novelist of that name, was formerly part of the Burnside station, and was purchased by Mr. A. Seifert in 1903. The block comprised 3,455 acres of grazing country, and was kept intact, under the management of Mr. J. A. McLeod, for nearly three years. During that time it carried a permanent flock of about 4,000 sheep, but in the summer months more than twice that number were depastured. In the year 1906, however, Tasma estate was subdivided, and sold in small blocks.
proprietor of Tasma Farm, was born and educated in Canterbury, and was employed for many years as a shepherd in the Amuri district. Later on he removed to the North Island, for twelve months managed a flax-mill in the Manawatu district, and in 1903 took up the management of the Tasma estate for his brother-in-law. Mr. A. Seifert. Mr. McLeod is a member of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, the Waipukurau Jockey Club, and the local branch of the Farmers' Union, and is captain of the Taknpau Golf Club. He is married and has two daughters.
at Takapau, was first established on Mr. Sydney Johnston's station, and was subsequently moved to its present site. There are two fields of flax in connection with the mill, and these are worked alternately. A large quantity of raw material is also bought from neighbouring farms. The plant is a first-class one, and is driven by a twelve horse-power portable engine. Twenty-sis persons are constantly employed, and the average weekly output is about six tons of fibre.
who conducts the Tasma Flaxmill in partnership with Mr. J. A. McLeod, was born at North Loburn, Canterbury, in the year 1880, was educated at public schools, and brought up to farming. At seventeen years of age he began work in a Southland flaxmill, subsequently was employed for a time at flaxmilling in the Rangitikei district, and in 1906 entered into partnership with his brother-in-law, Mr. McLeod, in the Tasma mill. Mr. Seifert is a member of the local golf club. He is married and has one daughter.
sometime of Takapau, was born on the 29th of November, 1834, in Leicestershire, England, where he was educated and brought up to farming. He emigrated to New Zealand in the ship “Ganges,” in October, 1863, and was engaged for seven years in contracting in Auckland. Mr. Hobson then removed to Hawke's Bay, was employed for a short time on Oakbourne station, at Porangahau, and then settled at Waipawa, where he worked for the late Mr. William Rath bone. Later, he farmed on his own account, and for some years carried on business as a land, stock, and general commission agent. Mr. Hobson then took up land at Ashley-Clinton, but soon afterwards sold out and settled at Takapau, where he acquired about 2,200 acres of Maori leasehold. He died in 1890, leaving a widow, six sons, and one daughter. Mrs. Hobson has since successfully conducted the farm with the assistance of her sons, and has now 1,100 acres, with a flock of 1,750 sheep. Her eldest son is a station manager in the province of Wellington; her second son manages the farm in Takapau, the third is a builder in Wanganui, the fourth and fifth are farming on their own account, and the youngest is a chemist in Wellington. Her only daughter married Mr. Hosking, of Ormondville.
which Maori legend gives as the settling place of the first Maoris who came to New Zealand in the canoe Arawa, twenty generations ago, is sixty-one miles south-west from Napier, in the county of Waipawa. It lies at the foot of Park's Peak, the highest point of the Ruahine Ranges, and mountaineering parties take their departure from Makaretu. It was at Makaretu that on the 25th of November, 1868, eighteen Maori rebels, and on the 3rd of December thirty-seven rebels, all under Te Kooti, were killed. Hares are plentiful in the district, and good fishing can be obtained. Dairying, sheep-farming, and saw-milling are the chief industries. In the township there are two churches, a public school, and a good boarding house, and the business of the post, telegraph, and money order office is conducted at the general store. There is a tri-weekly mail-coach service with Takapau.
Ashcott, Makaretu. This mill was first established near Takapau in the year 1902, and was removed to its present site in 1904. It is fitted with a complete plant of the most up-to-date machinery, driven by an eighteen horse-power Marshall and Sons' portable engine. The output is about 8,000 feet of timber per day. Totara, matai, rimu, and white pine are dealt with, and the best market prices are realised. About twenty-six men are employed, and timber rights are held over sufficient bush to keep the mill in full operation for about five years.
proprietor of Cohr's Saw-mill, was born in Denmark, in January, 1866, and was educated at Fredericia, in his native country. He emigrated to New Zealand in 1891, and was for a few years engaged in contract work in connection with saw-mills at Palmers-ton Nortb. In 1897 he paid a visit to Denmark, and in the following year returned to New Zealand. Subsequently he engaged in turn-milling, later, became part proprietor of various saw-mills, and has since worked entirely on his own account. Mr. Cohr is a member of the Hawke's Bay Saw-millers' Association. He is married and has one daughter.
Sheep-farmers, Makaretu. Messrs Inglis Brothers acquired their present property of 2,200 acres in the year 1887. It was then Government leasehold, but has since been converted into freehold. The land is chiefly hilly and undulating, and is highly suitable for sheep grazing. About 3,500 sheep and 150 head of cattle are depastured on the run; and four persons are constantly employed. Mr. A. J. Inglis also holds in lease a property of 602 acres at Onga Onga (part of the Forest Gate estate), which carries about 1,000 sheep and thirty head of cattle. This latter place is chiefly used for growing turnips and grain, for which it is very suitable. Four persons are also employed there.
senior partner of the firm of Messrs Inglis Brothers, was born in Takapau, on the 20th of January, 1868. He was educated at the Hampden public school, and was afterwards for several years on his father's farm. At nineteen years of age he acquired his present property in conjunction with his brother. Mr. Inglis is a member of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, and the Makaretu School Committee, and is a member of the committee of the Hawke's Bay branch of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
of the firm of Messrs liglis Brothers, was born in the year 1872, at Hampden, where he was educated. He was afterwards brought up on his father's farm, and at fifteen years of age, joined his brother in partnership. Mr. Inglis is a member of the Hawke's Bay branch of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and is a member of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society.
“Paraetotara”was originally native property, and in the “seventies” was cut up, with adjacent properties, to form a Danish settlement. It was at first divided into small dairy farms, but these were afterwards amalgamated and formed into sheep-runs. The portion now known as “Paractotara,” was subsequently acquired by Mr. Ross, and bought by its present proprietor in the year 1900. It comprises 3,300 acres, of which about 1,500 acres are flat, the rest being undulating and hilly country. The land is of first-class quality, and about 8,000 sheep, and 600 head of cattle are depastured. In the summer months as many as 14,000 sheep are carried, and between 4,000 and 7,000 sheep are annually frozen and exported. Twenty persons are constantly employed on the estate. There is a fine two-storryed residence on the property, sheltered by a surrounding belt of trees. The out-buildings, including a large wool-shed, are well fitted up, and the homestead and stables are lighted with acetylene gas.
proprietor of “Paraetotara,” is the third son of Mr. N. E. Beamish, of “Stoneycroft,” Hastings. He was born at Turakina on the 10th of January, 1866, and was educated at the Napier Grammar School, and at Warwick House and Christ's College, Christchurch. He afterwards learned sheep-farming, was for some years on his father's station at Whana Whana, and then took up an area of 20,000 acres at Mohaka. This property was then capable of carrying only 6,000 sheep, but it was so improved by Mr. Beamish that when he sold it, six years later, it carried over 13,000 cross-bred sheep, and 300 head of cattle. Mr. Beamish was the principal promoter, and for three years chairman of directors, of the Onga Onga Butter Factory, was for three years chairman of the Onga Onga branch of the Farmers' Union, and has also been a member of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, the school committee, and other local bodies. Mr. Beamish married Miss Margaret Mary Allan, of Wairoa, in 1897.
is a rising township in the centre of a dairying and grazing district, sixty-six miles by rail south-west from Napier, in the county of Waipawa. In 1876 a special settlement, comprising 2,600 acres, was made, and later on other similar Government sub-divisions were effected. Ormondville was named after the Hon. J. D. Ormond, M.L.C., who at one time owned large estates in the district. The country is very broken, and is rugged and mountainous. A deep gorge traverses the district north of the township, and is spanned by a large steel railway bridge. Saw-milling was at one time carried on near the township, but dairy-farming is now the principal industry, and sheep and cattle grazing is also carried on. Ormondville has a court-house, a public school, two churches, a public library, one hotel, a public hall, various places of business, and a sports ground. The business of the post and telegraph office is conducted at the railway station. Ormondville, owing to its high altitude, is a favourite summer resort.
has jurisdiction over a narrow area extending along the railway line from Ormondville to Makotuku, and embracing the two townships. The population of the Ormondville Town District is 413, and that of the outlying district, 775. A general rate of 2£½d in the £ is levied on the unimproved value, and this produces an annual revenue of about £70. The Board are trustees of the cemetery, which is situated outside the town area. The offices of the Board are situated in Ormondville, and meetings are held monthly. Mr. Job Packer is chairman of the Board.
Chairman of the Ormondville Town Board, was born in
member of the Ormondville Town Board, was born in London, England, in the year 1856. He received his education there, and at fourteen years of age went to a brother in Ontario, Canada, with whom he learned the bakery trade. Returning to England soon afterwards, he came to New Zealand, whence he went to Melbourne, where he remained a year, and then came back to the Colony. Ho worked at Napier for about eighteen months, and in 1877 settled in Ormondville. Mr. Skinner has for many years been a member of the school committee, and is a past grand of the Independent Order of Oddfellows. He is married, and has five daughters and four sons.
J.P., was Chairman of the Ormondville Town Board from its inception in 1886 until 1898, and has been a Juctice of the Peace since the former year. He is chairman also of the Domain Board and of the Cemetery Board, and is a member of the Hawke's Bay Land Board. Mr. Groom was born in Dartford, Kent, England, in the year 1846, and was educated in his native place and at the Church of England School in London. He subsequently served an apprenticeship to the milling trade with an uncle, and in 1874 came to New Zealand, by the ship “Winchester.” Landing at Napier, he went inland to Waipawa, where he remained until 1876, when he settled in Ormondville, and started one of the first stores there. Mr. Groom is also chairman of the Library Committee, and for many years has been chairman of the Ormondville School Committee. He is a Freemason and a trustee of the Oddfellows, in which society he has passed through all the chairs. For a number of years he was a member of the Waipawa County Council, and has taken the greatest interest in public matters generally. He married a daughter of the late Mr. Charles Beale, of London, and has six children.
formerly a member of the Ormondville Town Board, represented the Makotuku Riding, and was for some time a member of the local school committee. Mr. Davis was also the popular host of the Makotuku Hotel. He was born and educated in Auckland, where he learned the blacksmith's trade, and on the completion of his apprenticeship, left for Taradale, where for three years be worked for Mr. Robertson, and was for some time with Mr. Lawten. Mr. Davis commenced business on his own account first in Taradale, and in 1889 removed to Makotuku. He married a daughter of the late Mr. W. Burton, of Taradale, and has two sons and two daughters.
formerly a member of the Ormondville Town Board, is a native of Shropshire, England, where he was born in 1845. Educated at Sheffield, he was apprenticed to the butchering trade, and came to this Colony in 1864, by the ship “Portland.” Landing in Auckland at the time of the Maori war, Mr. Shuker joined Major Jackson's Forest Rangers, and afterwards served on the West Coast under the gallant Von Tempsky. He received the New Zealand war medal, and a grant of land at Rangiaowhia. Mr. Shuker visited various parts of Australia, and, returning to New Zealand, settled in Ormondville in 1882. He married the second daughter of Mr. James Beard, of Marton, and has two daughters and one son.
at Ormondville, is situated about one mile from the township, on the Norse-wood Road, and was established in the year 1899 by the present proprietor, Mr. Niels Nikolaison. Originally the factory had only a capacity of 300 gallons, and the plant was driven by a one-horse power portable engine; but from time to time it has been enlarged, and is now a fine building on concrete foundations, and contains an up-to-date plant, which is driven by an eight horse-power stationary engine. There are twenty-six suppliers, three persons are employed, and in the summer months the output amounts to 550 lbs. of butter per day. Of this amount about 1,000 lbs. a week are sold locally, under the brand “Alpha,” and the balance is sent to the English markets, bearing the brand “N.N. 735”; in both cases the highest market prices are realised.
proprietor of the Alpha Dairy Factory, was born in Denmark, on the 8th of January, 1863, and came to New Zealand at the age of twelve years. He was afterwards employed for several years in bush work, chiefly in connection with saw-mills, and afterwards settled at Ormondville. Mr. Nikolaison subsequently turned his attention to dairy farming. His property consists of 600 acres, in two blocks, on which he depastures 1,200 sheep, 120 head of cattle, and a dairy herd of sixty cows. Mr. Nikolaison has been a member of the Ormondville School Committee for about ten years, four years of which he was chairman, and is a member of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, and the National Dairy Association. He is married, and has two sons and three daughters.
General Storekeeper, Ormondville. Mr. Sugden took over his present business in March, 1906, having previously conducted it since the year 1902, in partnership with his father, under the style of Messrs Sugden and Son. The building is a substantial one with a commodious billiard room at the rear. A large stock of general merchandise is kept, and a good trade is done in the surrounding district. Mr. Sugden also conducts a large boarding house in conjunction with his business. He was born at Ross, Westland, in 1868, and was educated at Hokitika. He was afterwards employed for some years in the butchery trade on the West Coast, in Christchurch, and in Auckland, and then removed to Hawke's Bay. For four years Mr. Sugden conducted the Beaconsfield Hotel, at Mokotuku, and for three years subsequently was engaged in dairy farming at Norsewood, before taking up his present business.
is a prosperous dairy-farming settlement, seventy miles south-west from Napier, in the county of Waipawa, and is situated between the Ruahine Ranges and Ormondville, the nearest railway town, from which it is four miles distant. It is an old Scandinavian and Danish settlement, and was founded many years ago. At one time saw-milling was largely carried on in the district, but the bush has now almost entirely disappeared, and dairy farming and grazing are the principal industries. The land is excellent, the roads in the district are good, and game is abundant in the neighbourhood. Norsewood has a large and prosperous co-operative dairy factory, with several creameries, a post, telegraph, and money order office, a public school, a public library, a town hall, several churches, two hotels, and various places of business. There is a daily coach service with Ormondville.
was established in the year 1873, and was rebuilt in 1880. It stands on a section two acres in extent, and is a large and well-constructed wooden building, containing three commodious class-rooms. The school has seating accommodation for nearly 300 children. The play-ground is enclosed by pine trees, and has a good shelter shed, and there is a cricket ground in the adjoining section. There are about 200 names on the roll, the average attendance is 174, and the examination results have been consistently good. The staff consists of the head-master, an assistant master, the infant mistress and two pupil-teachers. There is a cadet corps in connection with the school.
M.A., Headmaster of the Norsewood Public School, was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is the son of a civil emgineer.
was established in the year 1897, with Mr. John O'Hara (who has been chairman of directors from its inception) as its principal promotor. The factory is owned by 140 shareholders, and the paid up capital is £2,400, on which an annual dividend of 6 per cent. is paid. There are two creameries in connection with the factory, one at Ngamoko, and the other at Makotuku, each having twenty-five suppliers. The main factory is a fine building, with walls and floor of concrete. The engine room, which is detached from the main building, is fitted with an eight horsepower Tangye engine, a Luke's boiler of sixteen horse-power, and a one-ton freezer. The plant includes two 440 gallon Alpha de Laval separators, two 350 gallon cream vats, and two churns, one of which has a capacity of 1,000 lbs. There is also a Sabroe cream elevator. The grounds are spacious, and a crescent-shaped drive admits of entrance and exit without the inconvenience of turning. The main factory has about fifty suppliers, and the annual output is 100 tons of butter, two-thirds of which are exported in bulk, and one-third disposed of locally. The butter is of excellent quality, and realises the best market prices.
Chairman of Directors of the Norsewood Co-operative Dairy Factory, was horn and educated in County Antrim, Ireland. He canto to New Zealand in the year 1878, and eventually took up land in Hawke's Bay from the Government, the deferred-payment system. Mr. O'Hara has had many varied experiences as a back-blocks settler, and underwent many hardships incidental thereto. He successfully organised the Norsewood Dairy Company at a time when there were six private creameries in active operation in the district, and has been chairman of directors from its inception. Mr. O'Hara was for five years a member of the Norsewood Road Board, three years of which he was chairman, was chairman of the Farmers' Union for four years, a member of the Norsewood School Committee for two years, and is chairman of the Ngamoko School Committee.
(M. J. Johansen, proprietor), Norsewood. This hotel has been established for many years, and is a two-storeyed wooden building. The ground floor contains a well-furnished dining room (capable of seating twenty-five guests), a good billiard room, three comfortable sitting rooms, and the bar, which is stocked with the best brands of wines, spirits, and cordials. On the first floor there is a private sitting room and twelve comfortable bedrooms. The house is well-furnished throughout, a good table is kept, and the domestic arrangements, and the comforts of lady guests are attended to by Mrs. Johansen. There are excellent stables in connection with the hotel, and reliable horses and vehicles can be hired.
proprietor of the Crown Hotel, was born in Norway, in October, 1866, and is the son of a manufacturer in Hamar, near Chriatiania. He was educated partly in his native country, in 1877 emigrated to New Zealand, and completed his education in Palmerston North. He afterwards gained experience in. printing and carpentry, and then turned his attention to sawmilling. For about twenty years he was engaged in this industry, as a saw-mill contractor in various parts of
(David Howison Grant and Thomas Hugh Barclay), General Blacksmiths and Wheel wrights, Norsewood.
partner in the firm of Grant and Barclay, was born in the West of England, in the year 1874, and was educated in his native place. He served his apprenticeship with Messrs Webb Brothers, of Mortlake, Surrey, and afterwards cams to New Zealand. After working at Ashburton for some time, he moved northwards to Danne-virke and Takapau, and eventually established his present business. Subsequently Mr. Grant entered the firm, what it assumed its present title. Mr. Barclay is a past chief ranger of the Ancient Order of Foresters, and takes a general interest in all local affairs.
was formed in the year 1993, by Messrs Anderson and Collett. Later Mr. Collett withdrew from the firm, and Mr. D. H. Grant then entered into partnership with Mr. L. Anderson. The Company's mill is situated at Ngamoko, in the neighbourhood of Norsewood, and is fitted with a first-class plant, including a fourteen horse-power Rushton-Proctor portable engine. Rimu alone is cut, and, when in full work, the mill employs about twenty-six persons, and turns out 8,000 feet of sawn timber per day.
was born on the 12th of October, 1866, at Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. He afterwards removed to Schelde, of which town his father was mayor for eighteen years. He was educated at a college in Odense, Denmark, afterwards served for three years in the German Army, and then applied himself to the dairying industry in Denmark, where he received a thorough training at some of the leading factories. In 1891 he came to New Zealand, for about twelve months found employment in manual work, and then established the first dairy factory in Norsewood, in partnership with Mr. Christensen. This factory he managed for eighteen months, and then sold his interest to Mr. Henry Smith. Later, Mr. Anderson started dairy farming, subsequently leased his farm, and for several years carted for saw-mills, having at one time as many as three teams on the road. He then started saw-milling on his own account, and in 1903 established his present mill. He also conducts a farm of over 200 acres in conjunction with his business. Mr. Anderson was for a time a member of the Norsewood Road Board. He is married, and has three sons and one daughter.
Saw-miller, Norsewood. Mr. Parsons holds cutting rights over a reserve of 300 acres of bush, chiefly rimu and red birch. The mill is fitted up with the most up-to-date machinery, driven by a ten horsepower portable engine. Ten men are employed, and the daily output is about 5,000 feet of timber. Mr. Parsons was born in August, 1861, at Akaroa, Canterbury, where his father carried on saw-milling for many years. He was educated in his native place, and afterwards learned saw-milling. Mr. Parsons then found employment at Oxford, in North Canterbury, and afterwards at Palmerston North for a few years, and subsequently removed to Hawke's Bay. Later, he was employed in saw-milling at Masterton and Eketahuna, and in 1895 settled in Norsewood, where he has since been engaged in the same industry. Mr. Parsons is a member of the Hawke's Bay Saw-millers' Association, and the Norsewood School Committee. He is married, and has three sons, one of whom is a pupil-teacher in the local school.
“Tewiti“consists of 1,400 acres of native leasehold, and was taken up by its present proprietor, Mr. J. D. Gollan, in the year 1887. It comprises both flat and undulating country, and is highly suitable for grazing purposes. About 2,000 sheep and thirty head of cattle are depastured. Nearly 100 acres are annually sown in turnips, of which good crops are obtained. Three hundred acres of native bush are preserved, and provide excellent shelter. There is a fine residence, and efficient wool-sheds, stables, and various outbuildings on the property. Mr. Gollan has also a valuable freehold farm of 920 acres in the Wimbleton district, which he acquired in 1902. This property is of first-class quality, and carries about 2,000 sheep and 200 head of cattle.
proprietor of “Tewiti,” was born in Scotland, on the 24th of August, 1841, and is a son of the late Mr. Kenneth Gollan, who farmed for about twenty years at Tamumu. He was educated in the Old Country, and came to New Zealand in the ship “Philip Laing,” in 1857. For fourteen years he was employed by his uncle, the late Mr. Donald Gollan, on a large station at Waipukurau. Mr. Gollan then conducted a station for sixteen years at Wallingford, in partnership with Mr. Drower, and in 1887 acquired his present property. He is married, and has two sons and four daughters.
Sheep-farmer, and Stock-dealer, Norsewood. Mr. Williams farms a property of 300 acres of good grazing land, which is stocked with about 200 sheep and 100 head of cattle. He has also a fine property of 500 acres in the
is situated sixty-eight miles south by rail from Napier, in the county of Waipawa, and is the centre of a dairy-farming and saw-milling district. Brick-making and sheep and cattle-farming are also carried on. Makotuku has a church, a public school, a public hall, two hotels, a creamery, and various places of business. The post, telegraph, and money order office is conducted at the railway station. The roads in the district are good.
(C. C. Smith, Proprietor), Makotuku. This property was acquired by the present proprietor in the year 1897. It lies between the Manga-tewainui river and the Manga-tewaiti river, and comprises 1,485 acres of first-class undulating country. Most of the heavy bush has been felled, and the land cleared, and the property is altogether in an advanced state of improvement. The winter flock comprises 2,800 sheep, but in the summer months about 4,500 are carried, and 200 head of cattle. There is a fine modern residence, and efficient out-buildings have been built on the property.
J.P., proprietor of “Blairgowrie,” is the eldest son of the Hon. W. C. Smith. He was born at Waipukurau, on the 16th of January, 1875, and was educated at public schools, and at Wanganui College, where he won the bronse medal presented by the Royal Humane Society of Australasia. He then turned his attention to farming, and was for three years on Messrs Williamson Brothers' station, at Waituna West, in the Rangitikei district, and then found employment successively on Mr. Sydney Johnston's estate at Takapau, and Mr. S. Franklin's sheep-station at Weber, before acquiring his present property. Mr. Smith is a member of the local branch of the Farmers' Union, and he has been Chairman of the Makotuku School Committee for two years. In 1898 he married Miss Brabazon and has three sons.
a thriving town in southern Hawke's Bay, and the centre of a large saw-milling district in the Forty-mile Bush, is situated on the Napier-Wellington railway, seventy-nine miles south from Napier, in the county of Waipawa. About the year 1870 a movement was made by the Government of New Zealand to induce immigration from Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. Special land was set apart for such settlers, and on the 16th of September, 1872, the first immigrants arrived at Napier, in the ships “Hoveling,” and “Ballarat.” They consisted of twenty-two families—fourteen Danish, and eight Norwegian and Swedish families,—and they proceeded, to Dannevirke, named after the old fortification at Schleswig, which the Danes lost to Germany in 1864. Sections of forty acres, at £1 per acre, had been surveyed, and for years these settlers endured many hardships and privations. For a time the Government provided work at road-making at about five shillings a day, and the first piece of road so made extended from the Tapuata, stream towards the Tahoraite clerring, and then back towards Piripiri and Matamau. Subsequently the settlers were employed at splitting railway sleepers for the Government at £⅓ per sleeper, less 3d royalty. During this time rows of sleepers, two miles long, and from ten to twelve feet high, were to be seen on the roadside, from which fact the settlement came to be known as “Sleepertown.” About the year 1886, the first saw-mills in the district, those of Messrs H. McKenzie, Henderson, and Wratt were started, and houses of pit-sawn timber began to replace the log and slab huts with which the pioneer settlers had had to be content. The great forests, of which Dannevirke was the centre, were composed of the finest milling bush, and in a few years over twenty mills were at work within a few miles of the township. This industry went ahead with great rapidity, communication with the outside world was facilitated ty the formation of metalled roads and the construction of the railway, and Dannevirke gradually developed into a town of considerable importance. Although dairy-farming and sheep and cattle grazing have largely taken the place of saw-milling, some of the mills are still working, and give employment to a great number of men. The land is of excellent quality, the roads are good, and trout fishing can be obtained in the neighbourhood. Dannevirke has a large dairy factory, an aerated water and cordial factory, a sash and door factory, brick and tile works, a coach-building establishment, and various other industries., The Government departments in the town consist of the post and telegraph office, a money order office, and telephone bureau, the courthouse, and the police-station, and there are also three banks—the Bank of New Zealand, the Bank of New South Wales, and the Union Bank of Australia. There are two newspapers, the “Advocate,” and the “Press,” and five churches, including a Lutheran church; there is also a Salvation Army barracks. Dannevirke has two large public schools, a high school, and a technical school, an efficient fire brigade, and two public halls. The various trades and callings are fully represented, and a large business is done in the wholesale as well as in the retail houses. The borough has five hotels, a public hospital, and a fine railway station.
was constituted in the year 1892, but formerly it had been governed by a town board. The first Mayor of the borough was Mr. A. McKay, and he was followed successively by Messrs W. Henderson, N. McPhee, J. Drummond, A. L. Gordon, H. M. Ries (who again holds office), and J. J. Patterson. The area of the borough is 1,222 acres, the total number of ratepayers is 560, and the population is 3,509. There are 720 dwellings in the borough, and the rateable properties are 1,520, with a total annual value of £30,000.
J.P., was first elected to the Mayoral chair in 1903, was re-elected unopposed in the following year, and at the close of his second term was presented with a gold watch and chain by the burgesses of Dannevirke. He was returned in April, 1906, at a contested election, with a large majority, and during his administration many important works, including the completion of the drainage works, the hospital, the abattoir, and the municipalisation of the gas works have been undertaken. Mr. Ries was born in the year 1860, in the province of Schleswig, Denmark. He received a sound preliminary education, and soon afterwards entered one of the public schools as a teacher. Later on, however, he decided upon the Church as his future calling, and with this object in view, studied German, Latin, and Greek, and subsequently went through a five years' course of study at a school of divinity in his native province. His intention was to take up mission work in India, but failing health caused him to change his plans, and in 1886 he accepted a call from the little newly-formed Danish settlement at Norse-wood, twelve miles from Dannevirke. Mr. Ries came to New Zealand, was ordained in September, 1887, and then began his ministry. In the following year, however, owing chiefly to a disastrous fire which destroyed the township, he found that the settlement was quite unable to raise the necessary funds to support a minister; so, on his own suggestion, it was agreed that he should become honorary minister, and enter into commercial life. In 1890 he visited his native land, and brought out to New Zealand a party of others, including his mother and three sisters. Settling again at Norse wood, Mr. Ries erected on his own property the first butter factory in Hawke's Bay, which for about six months subsequently was under his sole management. It was afterwards replaced by an up-to-date concern with modern implements and machinery. About this time Mr. Ries began to import vehicles, a prisk demand for which had been created by the dairying industry. In 1895 two ministers arrived from Denmark, and Mr. Ries, relieved from his clerical duties in Norsewood, removed to Dannevirke, where he established his present business under the style of Messrs Ries and Sons. Notwithstanding his busy public and commercial life, Mr. Ries has always found considerable time to devote to religious work; he serves his own people in Dannevirke without stipend, and also frequently preaches in other pulpits in the town. As president of the Evangelical Lutheran Emanuel Convention of New Zealand and Queensland, he visited the latter State, where he preached in the various Lutheran Churches. Mr. Ries is a staunch liberal, a strong supporter of the present Government, and a vigorous advocate of no license. He is a member of the Hawke's Bay United Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, the Waipawa County Council, the Hawke's Bay Education Board, the local Licensing Bench, a member of the Executive of the Hawke's Bay District Lodge of Foresters, chairman of the local Technical Institute, one of the Governors of the Dannevirke, High School, and a member of the Cemetery Board. Mr. Ries is also chairman of the Dannevirke Hospital Board, was one of the chief organisers of the movement to erect a local hospital, and did a great deal towards raising the necessary funds.
who was first elected to the Dannevirke Borough Council in 1905, was born at Napier in the year 1866. Soon afterwards the family removed to Gisborne, where Mr. Clayton's father, a builder by trade, was a member of the first borough council, and for years an officer in the fire brigade. Mr. Clayton was educated in the Gisborne public school, was afterwards for two years in an interpreter's office— where he gained a knowledge of the Maori language— and subsequently found employment in an auctioneer and stock agent's business. Later on he joined the staff of Mr. Joe Leonard's branch drapery business in Gisborne, and three years afterwards entered the employment of Mr. William Adair. Messrs Graham, Pitt, and Bennett, of Gisborne, were his next employers, and in 1889 he went to Wellington, where he joined the staff of Messrs Hallenstein Brothers, of the New Zealand Clothing Factory. He was soon afterwards appointed first assistant in the firm's Napier branch, and in 1893 was transferred as manager of the Dannevirke branch. Mr. Clayton was for some time captain of the athletic and cycling club, is an Oddfellow of many years' standing, a member of the committee of management of the Presbyterian Church, and one of the founders and first secretary of the Dannevirke Volunteer Fire Brigade. He ismarried, and has one son and two daughters.
was elected a member of the Dannevirke Borough Council in April, 1905. He was born in Dundee, Scotland, on the 22nd of November, 1875, was educated at various public schools, and brought up to the engineering profession, under his father, in his native city. In the year 1896 he came to New Zealand, under engagement to Mr. John Drummond, of Dannevirke. On the 30th of July, 1901, he purchased his employer's business, and has since conducted a large and increasing trade on his own account. The premises are situated on Miller's Road, and are well adapted for the trade. Six persons are kept constantly employed at general smithing, iron and brass founding, and engineering; and the business is largely patronised by both town and country residents. Mr. Davidson is a member of the local lodge of Oddfellows. He is married and has two sons.
was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in the year 1854, and is a son of Mr. David Drummond, of that city. He was educated in Perthshire, and in 1866 came to New Zealand with his parents, by the ship “King of Italy.” Landing at Auckland, the family soon afterwards settled in Hawke's Bay, where Mr. Drummond was apprenticed to one of the leading engineers. In 1892 the firm of Tinline, and Drummond was formed, and soon afterwards Mr. Drummond bought out his partner, and for seven years conducted a large engineering and general smithing business on his own account. In 1901 he sold the goodwill of his business to Mr. J. C. Davidson, and entered into partnership with Mr. John Calder, under the style of Messrs Calder and Drummond. Whilst devoting himself diligently to business, Mr. Drummond has given a good deal of time to public affairs. He was a member of the Taradale Road Board, and River Conservation Board, was for many years a member of the Meanee Road Board, of which he was chairman for a term, and a member of the Taradale Town Board. Since settling in Dannevirke he has been a member of the Waipawa County Council, and has been connected with the Borough as both councillor and mayor, having occupied the mayoral chair from 1897 to May, 1902. Mr. Drummond has taken much interest in militarv matters, and is a good shot. Besides winning seven medals and a large number of trophies at Christchurch in 1884, he gained fifth place for the Carbine belt; he was sergeant in the F Battery at Napier, was for a time captain of the Dannevirke Rifles, and is Lieutenant-Colonel commanding the 5th Wellington Battalion. In 1883 he married Miss McLeod, of “Woodside,” Onga Onga, and has five sons and two daughters. Mr. Drummond, who was one of the team that represented New Zealand at Bisley, in 1904 and 1905, is one of the leading shots of the Colony; and his second son, Mr. John Drummond, is a medical student at the Edinburgh University, where he has distinguished himself in several classes.
who was elected to the Dannevirke Borough Council in April, 1905, was born at Meanee, near Napier, on the 7th of June, 1868. He was educated at public and private schools, and afterwards learned the coach-building trade under the late Mr. George Faulkner, of Napier, with whom he remained for eighteen years, latterly as foreman. In March, 1903, he resigned this position in order to start business in Dannevirke in partnership with Mr. Frame, which business has since become widely known as a prosperous and progressive concern. Mr. Johnstone was for some time a member of the fire brigade and the fire police in Napier, is a member of the Presbyterian Church, and a Past District Chief Ranger in the Order of Foresters. He is married, and has two sons and two daughters.
who has been a member of the Dannevirke Borough Council since the year 1902, was born in the Rangitikei district in 1860, and was employed for some time in farming work in the Wairarapa, Feilding, Wanganui, and
j.P., was elected a member of the Dannevirke Borough Council on the 2nd of May, 1906. He was born in Ireland in the year 1861, and was brought up to farming. Subsequently for five years he managed an estate in one of the southern counties, and in 1881 went to Australia, where he worked for a time on a large cattle station in the North of Queensland. He was then appointed manager of the State Farm, near Sydney, and six years later came to New Zealand. Mr. Newett first took up a farm at Tolago Bay, in the Gisborne district, which he worked for three years, and in 1895 settled in Dannevirke. For a time he managed a farm for Messrs Baddley and Henderson, and later on started a commission agency business, which he has since successfully conducted. He was made a Justice of the Peace in 1906. Mr. Newett is married, and Mrs. Newett is the proprietress of a stationery and fancy goods business in High Street.
member of the Dannevirke Borough Council, and Agent for the Public Trustee at Dannevirke, was born in Culvain, near Tain, Ross-shire, Scotland, in the year 1852, and is a son of Mr. Donald Rose, farmer. On leaving school, he was with his father on their farm until about twenty years of age, when he came to New Zealand in the ship “Peter Denney.” Mr. Rose landed at Port Chalmers, found employment as a shepherd at Cromwell, and was subsequently for about five years on the estate of the the Hon. Matthew Holmes, at Lee Stream, near Outram. He removed to the North Island in 1878, and engaged in the meat trade at Taradale until 1886, when he settled in Dannevirke. Since that time he has been Government valuator. In 1897 the duties of the Public Trust Office were added, and for many years he has been in business as a land and financial agent. Mr. Rose was a member of the Dannevirke School Committee for a few years, and was elected to the Borough Council in 1807. He married the daughter of Mr. Henry Howard, of Taradale, in 1880, and has five daughters and two sons.
was elected a member of the Dannevirke Borough Council in April, 1905. He was born at Waihola, Otago, on the 22nd of April, 1866, and was educated at public schools in Dunedin.
was appointed Town Clerk of Dannevirke in October, 1903. He was born in Wellington in 1861, was educated at public schools, and then joined the staff of the Government printing office, where he remained for two years. He then entered the employment of Messrs Turnbull and Company, and subsequently resigned that position to take up the teaching profession. For many years Mr. Magnusson was in the service of the Wellington Education Board, and in 1898 was appointed assistant town clerk of Masterton. Later, he established himself in business as a general commission agent, and subsequently received his present appointment. He is also secretary and treasurer of the Dannevirke Domain Board, and was for some time a member of the Masterton Borough Council. Mr. Magnusson is married, and has two sons and three daughters.
was established in the year 1895 by Messrs H. Drinkwater and J. Gilberd, with a membership of eighteen. It is an active and efficient brigade, and put up an excellent record at the competitive tests in Dunedin in 1905. The main fire brigade station is situated in High Street, and is a wooden building of one storey; the main fire-bell is situated opposite the station on a steel frame work. The plant includes 2,000 feet of hose, two reels, ladders, etc., and there is a good high-pressure water supply in all parts of the town.
Captain of the Dannevirke Fire Brigade, was born on the 10th of July, 1851, at Oxford, England. He was left an orphan at an early age, and was educated at an orphan school. In 1874 he emigrated to New Zealand, and for fifteen years was employed by Messrs Knight Brothers, of Hastings. Mr. Drinkwater started in business on his own account in 1890, as a carrying contractor in Dannevirke. At that time he had only one cart, which he drove himself, but he gradually worked up a connection, and now employs two lorries, two expresses, and several other vehicles, and is assisted by his sons. He is also agent for the New Zealand Express Company. Mr. Drinkwater was for seven years a member of the Dannevirke Borough Council, and he has been twice through the chairs in the local lodge of Oddfellows. He married, in 1874, Miss Sarah Franklin, and has nine sons and six daughters.
a former Mayor of Dannevirke, was born on the Waipori goldfields, Otago, in the year 1869, and was the son of a ship-builder. He was educated at public schools in Oamaru, and afterwards learned the cabinet-making trade in the North Island. In 1886 he established himself in business in Dannevirke, and for many years conducted a successful business as a cabinet-maker and furniture manufacturer, under the style of Messrs A. L. Gordon and Company. Mr. Gordon died in the year 1905, and left a widow and four children.
who was Mayor of Dannevirke in the second year of the borough's existence, was born in Sunderland, Durham, England, in the year 1852, and is a son of Mr. John Henderson, an early colonist, who came to New Zealand by the ship “Evening Star” in 1858. He was educated at Auckland and Otahuhu, and afterwards entered into farming pursuits with his brother, Mr. Matthew Henderson, in the Manawatu district, where they started a sawmill, and after a successful period transferred their interests to Dannevirke. Mr. Henderson subsequently devoted himself once more to farming; but the project for lighting the town of Dannevirke with gas offered at once fresh scope for his energy and capital, and he established the Dannevirke gas works. He was a member of the Road Board, and subsequently of the Town Board, and was
the first Mayor of Dannevirke, was born in Pictou. Nova Scotia, in the year 1820, his father having been a builder and farmer from Sutherlandshire, Scotland. He was educated in his native town, and learned the trade of a stonemason and builder. In 1853 he went to Melbourne, Australia, where he carried on building operations until 1865, when he came to New Zealand, in order to erect, in conjunction with Mr. McKenzie, the large wharf at Mokomoko, near Invercargill, at a cost of £30,000. Mr. MacKay was successful in this undertaking, and was afterwards appointed Government inspector for the Panmure bridge, near Auckland, the new Post Office and the Supreme Court, Auckland. He then removed to New South Wales, where he was employed by Messrs Ames Brothers to supervise the construction of the railway between Muswellbrook and Murruranda. In 1873 Mr. MacKay returned to New Zealand to inspect, for Messrs Brogden and Sons, the bridge on the Picton-Blenheim line. He then went to New Plymouth to manage the construction of the line between Sentry Hill and Inglewood for the contractors, Messrs Henderson and Davies. His next move was to Napier, to superintend the construction of the groins in the harbour. Mr. MacKay then entered on bridge building on his own account, his first contract being at Clive, over the Ngaruroro River, and he was subsequently employed as inspector of the railway under construction between Woodville and Matamau. In 1883 Mr. MacKay settled in Dannevirke. He has been a member of the Road Board and the Town Board, and on the formation of the borough was elected first mayor, and was again elected for two subsequent terms. Mr. MacKay was also chairman of the School Committee for several years, was a member of the Domain Board, and was elected to the Licensing Committee at the head of the poll in his own district. He is also an elder of the Presbyterian Church, in which he takes very great interest. In the year 1850 Mr. MacKay married Miss Janet Murray, of Easttown, Nova Scotia, and has an only daughter— Mrs. S. W. Luxford, of Awapuni.
who occupied the Mayoral Chair during the year 1905–1906, was born at Collingwood, Melbourne, Australia, on the 6th of January, 1857, and is the only surviving son of Mr. Thomas Patterson. He was educated at the Ballarat public school, Grenville College, and the Ballarat School of Mines, and at the latter institution gained a certificate as a duly qualified mining survevor. He then went to Melbourne University, and in 1874 came to New Zealand, under engagement to the Education Department of the Provincial Government. For some time he was an assistant-master of the Christchurch Normal School, and from 1882 to 1889 was head-master of the Woolston Public School. During this period he studied at Canterbury College, and in 1884 gained his B.A. degree. Mr. Patterson is also a proficient shorthand writer, and, while in Melbourne, was for a time a reporter on the staff of the Melbourne “Herald.” In 1889 he resigned his position as head-master of the Woolston School, and after living for a time in Auckland, settled in Palmerston North, where, in 1896, he gained his law degree. Shortly afterwards he removed to Dannevirke, and has since conducted a successful practice. Mr. Patterson holds the Kensington art master's certificate, and an advanced tonic sol-fa certificate. For six years continuously he has represented the Dannevirke district on the Hawke's Bay Education Board, and in fraternal matters is a Freemason and an Oddfellow. Mr. Patterson is married, and has three sons and three daughters. His eldest son is a medical practitioner, the second is in a banking institution, and the third is a matriculated student following his legal studies.
formerly a member of the Dannevirke Borough Council, was born at Crewe, Cheshire, England, in the year 1864. He is a son of the late Mr. Samuel Baddeley, was educated at the Napier Trust School, and was apprenticed at the Railway Workshops at Napier. In 1885 Mr. Baddeley took over the Railway Hotel in Dannevirke, and conducted it for about ten or twelve years, when he sold out and began sheep-farming on an excellent property near Dannevirke. He eventually took over the Junction Hotel, which he has since successfully conducted. Mr. Baddeley was one of the senior members of the old Town Board, and was for several years a member of the Dannevirke Borough Council. He has also been treasurer and vice-president of the Dannevirke Jockey Club, treasurer and president of the Foresters Lodge, and for six years, was treasurer of the Masonic Lodge. Mr. Baddeley married the third daughter of Mr. A. B. Jackson, of Port Awanui, in 1898.
formerly a member of the Dannevirke Borough Council, was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in the year 1862. He is a son of Mr. Alexander Calder, and was educated and apprenticed to the building trade in his native town. In 1885 he sailed for New Zealand by the s.s. “Aorangi,” and landed in Dunedin, where he carried on building and contracting operations for seven or eight years. He then left for the North Island, and finally settled at Dannevirke in 1893. Mr. Calder then established himself in business as a builder and contractor. A great many shops at Dannevirke were built by him, and the Bank of New Zealand was erected from his plans. Subsequently in conjunction with Mr. J. Drummond, he entered into business as an ironmonger, cabinet-maker, etc., under the style of Calder and Drummond. Mr. Calder is a Forester, and has always been ready to assist in movements for the welfare of the town and district. In 1890 he married a daughter of Mr. J. Potter, saw-miller, of Balelutha, Otago, and has two daughters and one son.
formerly a member of the Dannevirke Borough Council, is a son of Mr. Henry Carlson, of Dannevirke. He was born in the year 1865, at Carlshamon, Sweden, where he was partly educated. He came to New Zealand with his parents in 1876, and finished his education at Palmerston North. His time has been largely occupied in bridge building, in company with his father; but he has also for several years managed his father's saw-mill at Tanaki. Mr. Carlson was a member of the first Borough Council in Dannevirke, and prior to that date was a member of the Town Board. He has also been a member of the local school committee. He married a daughter of Mr. B. Amundsen, of Maharahara, in 1888, and has two daughters and two sons.
formerly a member of the Dannevirke Borough Council, was born in Sunderland, Durham, England, in the year 1848, and is a son of the late Mr. John Henderson, of Dannevirke. He came to New Zealand in 1858, by the ship “Evening Star,” landed at Auckland, and was educated at Auckland, Mangere, and Otahuhu. Mr. Henderson worked on his father's farm at Mangere until 1867, when he went to Canterbury, and entered the employment of the late Mr. Marmaduke Dixon at Eyrewell station, Eyreton. Leaving Canterbury for the North Island, Mr. Henderson joined forces with his brother, Mr. William Henderson, and Mr. George Wratt, sawmillers, near Feilding. In 1883, after working out the bush in the Manawatu district, the firm moved its head-quarters to Dannevirke, and some years later Mr. Greenaway took the place of the two retiring partners. Mr. Henderson was for some years a member of the Dannevirke Road Board, and was chairman of the first Town Board of Dannevirke. He is vestryman of St. John the Baptist's Church, and takes an interest in all local matters. In 1876 he married a daughter of Mr. P. Rossiter, of Oxford, Canterbury, and has three daughters and four sons.
formerly a member of the Dannevirke Borough Council, was born in Nelson in the year 1850, and is a son of Mr. George Wratt, who arrived in Nelson by the ship “Clifford,” in the year 1842. He was educated at Blenheim, and brought up to useful work, and at twenty-one years of age struck out for himself. He went to Canterbury, engaged in contract work in the Oxford district, and after five years' experience removed to the Manawatu district, and went into saw-milling at Halcombe. Mr. Wratt remained there for five years, and in 1883 removed to Dannevirke, where he continued until 1888, when he retired from business to settle down to farming, and looking after his town properties. He was elected to the Dannevirke Road Board in 1884, and was chairman for five years. Mr. Wratt was a member of the Dannevirke Town Board during almost the whole of its existence, and when it was succeeded by the Borough Council he was elected to a seat in the latter, was for many years a member, and gave his warm support to the water supply scheme for the borough. He has also been a member of the County Council. As a Freemason Mr. Wratt is a past master of Lodge Rawhiti, No. 66, N.Z.C.
Secretary of the Dannevirke Public Hospital, is a well-known local auditor and accountant, carrying on business in Station Street. Mr. Paterson was born at Tillicoultry, Scotland, in 1873. He was educated for the teaching profession, at which, he spent several years, but at an early age he left the Old Country, on account of ill-health, and went to Queensland, where he was employed for some time as storeman in a wholesale produce business. In 1892 he came to New Zealand, and soon afterwards took up the position of accountant to Messrs Jones and Sons, engineers, of Waipukurau, in which firm he subsequently became a partner. Later on, after the firm changed hands, he had a few years' experience in sheepstation life, and then returned to mercantile pursuits, as accountant in the Dannevirke office of the Hawke's Bay Saw-millers' Association. He resigned this post to become accountant to the Hawke's Bay Woollen Mills, and on the cessation of these works he started in business on his own account in Dannevirke.
was established in the year 1903, and for two years was conducted as a secondary department of the Dannevirke South School. In December, 1905, however, it was constituted a separate institution, under its present title, and was conducted in the Presbyterian Sunday School during the erection of the new District High School. There is a roll number of seventy pupils, and the average attendance is sixty. The institution is under the control of nine governors, of whom Mr. J. J. Patterson is chairman, and the Rev. Alexander Grant is secretary.
M.A., Head-master of the Dannevirke High School, was born in Dunedin in August, 1866. He was educated at public schools, and at twenty-two years of age passed the teachers' entrance examination, and proceeded to the Dunedin Normal School. Two years later he was appointed master of a country school, and in 1893 became head-master of Upper Junction School, near Dunedin, where he remained for ten years. During that time he attended the Otago University, where he graduated B.A. in 1899, and M.A. in the following year. In 1903 Mr. Simmers was appointed to his present position.
is a wooden building containing four large class rooms and a smaller apartment, and has accommodation for about 400 pupils. The average attendance is about 350, and there are two cadet corps in connection with the school. There is a large playground, part of which is asphalted. The staff consists of the head-master, two assistant masters, three assistant mistresses, and three pupil teachers.
Headmaster of the Dannevirke North School, was born in Berkshire, England, and was educated at a training college. He subsequently came to New Zealand, and served successively under the Canterbury Board of Education and the Westland Board of Education, and then removed to Hawke's Bay, where he received his present appointment.
was established in the year 1900, with about 120 names on the roll. In 1902 it was created a district high school, but three years later the secondary portion was removed, and the school returned to its former status. The building has been twice enlarged and has accommodation for about 370 pupils. The playground is two acres and a quarter in extent, and is partly asphalted. There are about 400 scholars on the roll, and the average attendance is 340. Mr. George Harvey is head-master.
situated about two miles east of Dannevirke, was opened on the 16th of July, 1906, and is a handsome wooden building containing two classrooms, with accommodation for about eighty pupils. A porch is attached to the building, and there are the usual outhouses, and a playground two acres in extent. The number of pupils on the roll is about eighty, with an average attendance of sixty.
Head-master of the Tepapakuku Public School, was born in Gisborne, on the 28th of February, 3880, and is the son of a Gisborne architect. After passing successfully through the primary and secondary schools in his native town, he was appointed a pupil teacher, and served an apprenticeship of four years at the Gisborne primary school. Subsequently he became relieving master, and was successively first-assistant master of the Gisborne and Port Ahuriri public schools, and head-master of the Waipawa, Ormondville, and other public schools. Mr. Quigley had charge of the district school at Weber before receiving his present appointment.
is situated about five miles north-west from Dannevirke, and was established in January, 1896, with thirty-five scholars on the roll. With the settlement of the surrounding country, however, the number of scholars has risen to eighty, with an average attendance of sixty. The school is a wooden building of one large room, and has accommodation for nearly 100 pupils. The school reserve comprises eight acres, of which
Head-master of the Umutaoroa Public School, was born in Belfast, Ireland, on the 22nd of September, 1870, and after receiving some primary tuition, came to New Zealand with his parents at the age of ten years. For some time he attended school at Blueskin, under his father—who taught under the Otago Board of Education for many years—and then went to Canterbury College, where he matriculated in 1888. In 1891 Mr. Ferguson was appointed master of a school at Castlecliff, near Wanganui, and afterwards taught for twelve months as an assistant at Warwick House School, Christchurch. He was then appointed head-master of Bradfield School, near Lincoln, and in 1902 received his present appointment. Mr. Ferguson is a warm supporter of prohibition, and for some years has, in conjunction with Mr. McLellan, edited “Liberty,” the local organ of the No License League. He has been a Freemason for many years, and holds office as senior deacon in the Dannevirke Lodge.
Dannevirke, is situated in High Street, and was built in the year 1888. It is of Gothic architecture, and has accommodation for nearly 300 persons. The glebe is seven and a quarter acres in extent, on which there is also a Sunday school and a fine vicarage.
Vicar in charge of St. John's Church, Dannevirke, was born in England, and came to New Zealand in 1863. He was educated at St. John's College, Auckland, and the New Zealand University, where he graduated.
in Dannevirke, is situated on the corner of High Street and Swinburne Street, on a site of half an acre, and was erected in the year 1887. It is a handsome wooden building of Gothic architecture, and has seating accommodation for about 200 persons. There is a Sunday school in connection with the church, capable of seating over 200 scholars. The manse, which was built in 1900, is a fine residence, standing on a section of half an acre, at the corner of Queen Street and Victoria Avenue. The Dannevirke charge includes Kiritaki, Matamau, Umutaoroa, Waitahora, and Ngapaeruru, and services are regularly conducted in these districts.
Pastor of Knox Presbyterian Church, was born in Inverness-shire, Scotland, in the year 1846. He was educated in the Free Church of Scotland, and passed through the arts and divinity course in the Aberdeen University. He afterwards laboured for six years in North Ronaldshay, Orkney, and in 1883 came to New Zealand. For seventeen years he had charge of the parish of Waipukurau, and in 1900 received a call to his present church. Mr. Grant is a member of the Hawke's Bay Education Board, and is honorary secretary of the Dannevirke High School Board.
Dannevirke. The district of Dannevirke was constituted a separate and independent parish late in the year 1897, with the late Rev. William McGrath as first resident priest. He was succeeded by the Rev. T. Cahill, and on his removal, in 1901, the parish remained without a rector until the appointement, in 1905, of the Rev. Daniel O'shea. The church formerly stood at the north end of Dannevirke, but in 1900 was removed to its present central site in Alardice Street by the Rev. W. Cahill. It is a wooden building, and has accommodation for about 400 persons. Cousiderable alterations and improvements were made in the year 1906, including the erection of a fine belfry, fitted with a bell specially imported from Dublin. The church has a considerable membership, and there is also a Sunday school, with a roll number of fifty scholars.
was born in the County of Limerick, Ireland, in the year 1863, and went through his theological course at Maynooth for the diocese of Limerick, to which he is still affiliated. In 1889 he was ordained priest, and in 1890 went to Australia, where he was engaged in missionary work in Gippsland, under Dr. Corbett, Bishop of Sale. In 1895, however, he returned to Ireland, to recruit his health, which had given way under the strain of missionary life in Australia. He then accepted a curacy under Dr. Scanlon, of Salt Lake City, in the State of Utah, U.S.A., and a few years later, his health having again failed, he came to New Zealand, and took up wrk in the Archdiocese of Wellington. For a time he held a curacy at Waipawa, held a similar position at Hawera, and then returned to Hawke's Bay, in order to take charge of the Waipawa parish, which he successfully administered for four years. Failing health again caused him to resign, and in 1902 he returned to Taranaki to take charge of the then newly-formed parish of Eltham, a much smaller district. The work there, however, told severely on him, and a year later he was forced to relinquish the position, and to travel for nearly two years in Australia. Having partially succeeded in again building up his constitution, he returned to New Zealand in 1905, when he received his present appointment.
N.Z.C. This lodge was founded in the year 1890 by Messrs H. G. Shannon, Rev. E. Robertshawe, F. G. Cowper, Charles Baddeley, Thomas Baddeley, Charles Scarfe, and others. Meetings were first held in a hall connected with the Anglican Church, and subsequently in the Town Hall. The lodge later on acquired a valuable property, comprising half an acre, in High Street, on which a commodious lodge room has been erected. Mr. G. Wratt was the first worshipful master to hold office in the new lodge room. The lodge has a membership of fifty-five, and meetings are held on the Thursday nearest full moon in each month. Officers for the year 1906–7:— Messrs D. McLennan, W.M.; W. Haines, l.P.M.: R. N. Blakiston, S.W.; A. Crnickshank, J.W.; W. Dobson, Treasurer; M. Morgan. Secretary; Rev. E. Robertshawe, P.M., F.G.C., Chaplain.
J.P., formerly secretary of Lodge Rawhiti, was born at Tolago Bay. Gisborne, and was for some years connected with various businesses on the East Coast. In May, 1902, he became accountant for Mr. W. Rose, of Dannevirke, and subsequently joined the firm of Messrs A. L. Gordon and Company in a similar capacity. Mr. Dobson is a member of the council of the Dannevirke Chamber of Commerce, and as interim secretary took an active part in the resuscitation of the institution. He also holds a commission as a Justice of the Peace.
No. 28. of the United Ancient Order of Druids, was founded in January, 1903, with Messrs J.T. Channon, C. L. Thomsen, J. H. Rediern, and S. T. Smith among its principal promoters. The first roll contained about thirty names, but the membership has since increased to 110. The sick and funeral found shows a credit balance of £200. Meetings are held on alternate Thursdays in the Oddfellows' Hall, and officers are elected half yearly. The officers are: Arch Druid, Mr. S. T. Smith; Vice-Arch Druid. Mr. T. Falconer; Treasurer, Mr. J. Crist; Secretary, Mr. E. Evernden.
Arch Druid, and formerly secretary of the Ruahine Lodge, No. 28, was born in London, England, on the 2nd of December, 1872, and is the seventh son of Mr. David Smith, and a nephew of the Hon. W. C. Smith, of Waipukurau. He was educated at private schools in Kent and Sussex, and in 1889 went to Australia. He landed in Tasmania, was employed for about three years by Messrs Ellis and Sons, of Greenponds, and in 1892 came to New Zealand. He then found employment with Messrs Cobbe and Darragh, Feilding, and in 1893 settled in Dannevirke, where he subsequently studied for the ministry. He was for some time stationed as a home missionary at Ormond, Herbertvile, Fordell, and Kimbolton, and then resigned in order to return to commercial life. For two years he managed the grocery department of the D.C.A., for sixteen months managed the D.S.C., and in May, 1905, established his present business, which he has since successfully conducted. Mr. Smith has been a member of the Order of Druids since the establishment of the local lodge, of which he was secretary for three years. He is a staunch prohibitionist, and was for twelve months president of the No License League; and he is also an elder of the local Presbyterian Church, and superintendent of the Sunday school. Mr. Smith is married, and has three sons and one daughter.
Dannevirke, was established in the year 1905, with Mr. James Young as its principal promoter. The club plays under the rules of the English Association, and has a membership of thirty seniors and twelve juniors. Practices are held on the Recreation Ground, and matches are played with various clubs. Meetings of the club are held in the Oddfellows' Hall, and meetings of the committee in the Masonic Hotel. Officers for the year 1907: President. Mr. H. M. Ries; Vice-presidents. Messrs A. Paul, G. H. Gordon Liovd, R. N. Blakiston, Thomas Lindsay Buick, and Dr. F. Reid Mackav; Captain. Mr. James Young; Honorary Secretary, Mr. McKeever; and there is a committee of five.
who is a keen and enthusiastic association footballer, was the founder of the above club. He was its vice-captain in 1905, and was elected captain in 1906. Mr. Young is also connected with the local jockey club, and is a member of the Palmerston North Agricultural and Pastoral Society.
. The racecourse of the club is situated at Tamaki, on the Woodville Road, about one mile from Dannevirke, the ground being held under Maori lease. A grand stand has been erected, with seating accommodation for 500 spectators, and it is fitted up in the most modern style, with a full complement of offices, including a ladies' lavatory and cloakroom, which is under the care of a lady attendant. Two meetings are held each season, for two days on each occasion. The meetings are wellattended, and the total turnover is a large one. There is a membership of 110. Officers for the year 1907:
Secretary of the Dannevirke Jockey Club, was born at Maidstone, Kent, England, in July, 1852, and was educated at Clifton House School, under the Rev. J. T. Cooke, M.A. He afterwards followed farming in the Old Country for many years, and in 1885 came to New Zealand, and landed in Wellington. Mr. Freeman settled at Ashhurst, near palmerston North, where for some years he conducted a general store and a land agency business, and was secretary of the Ashhurst Racing Club. Later, he removed to Dannevirke, where he has since conducted a successful business as a land and general commission agent, in Station Street. He is agent for the Ocean Accident and Guarantee Corporation Limited, and various other companies. Mr. Freeman is married, and has three sons and six daughters.
was established in the year 1896, with Messrs Bickford, Ransom, Soundy, and Bamford among its principal promoters. The object of the society is to promote the study and practies of horticulture in its various branches, and to improve the produce and industrial resources of the district. Shows are held annually in the Drill hall, and are largely attended. The exhibits include flowers, fruit, vegetables, dairy and farm produce, and home industries. The society has a membership of eighty, and the annual subscription is five shillings. Officers for the year 1997: President, Mr. G. J. E. Bickford; Vice-presidents. Messrs W. F. Knight and H. A. Bamford; Treasurer, Mr. E. A. Ransom; and Secretary, Mr. A. E. Green.
Secretary of the Dannevirke Horticultural and Industrial Society, was born in London, England, on the 24th of February, 1869, and is a son of the late Mr. W. J. Green, a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects. He was educated at Brighton College, and in 1892 went to Tasmania. He then came to New Zealand, for four years was employed as an accountant in Palmerston North, and in 1899 settled in Dannevirke, where he has since conducted a successful business as a land agent, and as an importer of the “Orion Estate” brand of Ceylon Tea. Mr. Green is a member of the Chamber of Commerce.
Teacher of Music, High Street, Dannevirke. Mr. Lawson was born at Stirling, Otago, on the 18th of January, 1876, and after receiving his education at the local public school, turned his attention to the study of music. At ten years of age he took up the study of the violin, subsequently mastered the piano and mandoline, and at eighteen years of age established himself as a music teacher in his native town, where he conducted a small orchestra. In 1898 he removed to the North Island, practised for a time successively in Masterton, Patea, and other places, and in 1903 settled in Dannevirke, where he conducted a book-seller's and stationer's business in conjunction with the practice of his profession. He subsequently found it necessary to remove to larger premises, and in 1904 took over his present shop, with his teaching rooms at the rear. He then took into partnership his brother, who manages the book-selling business and music depot. As a music teacher Mr. Lawson has been very successful, and has about sixty pupils, some of whom have gained distinction. A violin pupil, of twelve years of age, gained the highest percentage of points in Great Britain and the Australasian colonies at the Trinity College examination of 1905, and at the same examination a second pupil, who had had but sixteen months' tuition, passed the senior pianoforte test. For a short time Mr. Lawson conducted an amateur dramatic and musical society, which gave several successful public performances.
was established in the year 1888, with Mr. William Haines as its principal promoter, and with the object of encouraging local musical talent. Mr. Benjamin Cosgrove was the first bandmaster, but he was early succeeded by Mr. William Haines, who has since
Secretary of the Dannevirke Brass Band, joined the band as a member in the year 1896, and was appointed secretary two years pater. He was born on the 8th of July, 1876, at Southport, Lancashire, England, came to New Zealand with his parents at an early age, and was educated at Ashhurst. He was afterwards brought up to the building trade, and served an apprenticeship in his father's firm— Messrs Rimmer and Craven builders and contractors. Mr. Craven subsequently removed to Dannevirke, where he worked at his trade for six years with Mr. J. W. Duley, then started on his own account, and has since conducted a successful business as a builder and contractor. He gives constant employment to seven persons, and has carried out various large contracts, including the crection of Benzie's Hotel, the “Advocate” Office, Ruahine Club, several other large business premises, various private residences, and additions to the Club Hotel. Mr. Craven was one of the promoters and is a member of the Dannevirke Cycling Club, a member of the Dannevirke Jockey Club, and of the Independent Order of Oddfellows, and is Junior Deacon in the local lodge of Freemasons. He married Miss Mary Amundsen, a daughter of one of the pioneers of Dannevirke, in 1899, and has two daughters and one son.
Band-master of the Dannevirke Brass Band, was born on the 28th of November, 1862, in London, England, where he was educated, and brought up to the brick-making trade, under his father. In 1876 he came to New Zealand with his parents, and subsequently established a brickkiln in Christchurch, in conjunction with his father. Twelve months later Messrs Haines removed to Timaru, where they followed their trade for four years, and then went to Ashburton, where they were engaged in brick-making for a similar period. In 1886, however, they settled in Dannevirke, where they conduct one of the largest brick-kilns in the province. It is of the Hoffmann type, and has a capacity of 8,000 bricks perday. Mr. Haines was for three and a half years a member of the Dannevirke Borough Council, is a Past Master of the Dannevirke Lodge of Oddfellows, of which he was one of the promoters; and is a Past Master of the local lodge of Freemasons, of which he has been a member since 1893. He first studied music in 1881, gradually mastered the various instruments, and is now able to take the place of any member of the band who may be absent. Mr. Haines holds the Royal Humane Society's medal for conspicuous bravery in saving life. He is married, and has two sons and four daughters.
was established in the year 1903, as the Boys' Institute Band, with Messrs Fry, Collett, Wilson, and Drinkwater among its principal promoters. Soon afterwards, however, it became the Fire Brigade Band, and in January, 1906, was entirely re-organised under its present title, with Mr. C. R. James as band-master. The band is equipped with complete brass instruments, including four basses, two euphoniums, three trombones, two baritones, four horns, two flugel horns, one soprano, a full set of cornets, and two drums. There is a membership of about twenty-five, and practice meetings are held in the Technical Building in Allardice Street. Lieutenant Fry and Mr. Collett, who is secretary, are the other officers of the band.
Band-master of the Citizen's Band, first joined the Wellington Naval Band in 1877, as cornet player, and when under the new regulations it was converted into the Garrison Band he became the repiano cornet player. Subsequently Mr. James was deputy conductor of the Hibernian Band for two years, and later, when that Band was re-organised under the leadership of Mr. Charles Jenkins, he held a similar position for five years. Subsequently he conducted the Mitcheltown Band for nine years, during which time it successfully took part in a number of contests; and he also gave instruction to the Thorndon Band. Mr. James was born in Christchurch in August, 1861, and was educated in Wellington, under Mr. Holmes, of Te Aro School. For a short time afterwards he was variously employed, and subsequently learned the paper-hanging trade, which he has since continuously followed. He is a member of the Order of Odlfellows. Mr. James is married, and has two sons. He is further referred to as a paper-hanger and house decorator.
Veterinary Surgeon, High Street, Dannevirke. Mr. Jenkins was born in England on the 24th of June, 1874, and is the second son of Mr. Edward Jenkins, late member for Dundee, and author of “Ginx's Baby.” He was educated at St. Paul's School, London, and holds a certificate from the College of Preceptors, London. He afterwards proceeded to Hollesley Bay Agricultural College, where he applied himself for two years to veterinary and agricultural science, taking a high place in the examination. In 1894 he came to New Zealand, and after gaining colonial experience at farm life in the Manawatu for three years, he went to Monte Video, in charge of a shipment of live stock. Returning to the colony shortly afterwards, he took up land, and started farming on his own account. In 1904, however, he decided to follow his profession for a livelihood, and, with this purpose in view, returned to England, in order to familiarise himself with the latest improvements in veterinary methods. In 1905 he returned to New Zealand, settled in Dannevirke, and has since conducted a successful practice. Mr. Jenkins has a number of testimonials from eminent surgeons. In 1899 he married Miss Louisa Batchelor, second daughter of Mr. J. O. Batchelor, of Palmerston North, and has one son and one daughter.
Dannevirke. This branch was opened in the year 1891. In 1895 the present fine and commodious building was
manager of the Bank of New South Wales at Dannevirke, was born in London, England, in the year 1864, and is the eldest son, of the late Mr. Alexander Paul, who died in Wellington many years ago. He was educated at the Presbyterian school, and at Mr. Mowbray's private school. Mr. Paul joined the staff of the Bank of New South Wales at Wellington, in 1879. His first move was to Wanganui as ledger-keeper, thence he was transferred to Christchurch as bill-clerk, to Timaru as accountant, and then back to Wellington as accountant, in which position he was well and favourably known. Mr. Paul takes an interest in all matters bearing upon the welfare of the district, and is both a cricketer and a bowler. In 1895 he married the daughter of the Hev. John Meniuos, of Otakaia, Otago.
at Dannevirke, was opened in the year 1892 by Mr. Campbell Thomson. The premises consist of a substantial two-storeyed building, with a manager's residence. Mr. G. J. E. Bickford is manager.
was appointed manager of the Bank of New Zealand, at Dannevirke, in the year 1896. He was born in Plymouth, England, in 1865, was educated at the Corporation and Park Grammar Schools, Plymouth, passed the competitive examinations, and joined the Naval Bank as a junior in 1878. Mr. Bickford was in the service of the Bank for over ten years, and was in charge of the Plympton and other agencies. Ho came to New Zealand in 1891, landed in Auckland, and entered the Bank of New Zealand, Soon afterwards to was transferred to the Otahuhu agency, and three years later was appointed to Ohinemuri as accountant, where he remained until he received his present appointment. Mr. Bickford is a vestryman of St. John the Baptist's Church, is secretary of the
was first established in August, 1901, with Messrs Ransom, Henderson, Gordon, Collett, Webber, Potts, Parker, Ashcroft, Neagle, Wylie, and Ries among its principal promoters. Two years later, however, it was allowed to drop out of existence, but was resuscitated in October, 1904, under the presidency of Mr. E. A. Ransom. There is a membership of sixty. Officers for the year 1907: Mr. E. A. Ransom, president; Messrs G. E. Bickford and W. T. Irvine, vice-presidents; Mr. W. A. Ryan, secretary and treasurer; and there is a committee of seven.
Chairman of the Dannevirke Chamber of Commerce, was born at the Lower Hutt, Wellington, on the 19th of March, 1868, and is a son of the late Mr. John Robert Ransom. He was educated at public schools, and was employed successively at various trades. He subsequently learned the saddlery trade under Mr. W. Wiggins, of Wellington, for whom he became, in 1888, branch manager at Dannevirke. Twelve months later Mr. Ransom took over the business on his own account, and has since successfully conducted it. Mr. Ransom has always taken a keen interest in the public and social life of Dannevirke. He was one of the members of the first Borough Council, of which he is still a member, and has been a member of the Board of Governors of the Dannevirke High School since its foundation. He is also treasurer and an elder of the Presbyterian Church, treasurer of the Dannevirke Horticultural Society, and a member of the bowling and tennis clubs. He married Miss Sondergaard, and has one son and two daughters. Mr. Hansom's private residence, known as “Rose-court,” stands on a fine site of two and three-quarter acres in Upper Queen Street, and is one of the prettiest villas in Dannevirke.
General Commission Agent, Station Street, Dannevirke. This business was established by Messrs H. Chadwick and Company, in 1903, and acquired by the present proprietor in 1905. The premises contain a large office and a stock and sample room, there is also a large bulk store, and six persons are employed. Mr. Gurr is agent for the State Fire, Life, and Accident Insurance Department, live stock, general insurance, fidelity guarantees, and public risk insurances, Kop's ales and stout, Frimley and Te Mata wines, International Harvester Company of America, Wolseley sheep-shearing machinery, Nelson, Moate and Company's teas, W. Dimock's bacon, C. Treve thick's brushware, Hamilton and Guy's pickles, sauces and cordials, Vacuum Oil Company's calf emulsion, H. J. Jones and Son's sporting materials, the Scott Motor Car Company, and numerous other agencies, hesides doing an extensive land agency business. Mr. Gurr was born at Launceston, Tasmania, on the 5th of March, 1865, and is a son of a former rector of the Invercargill High School, who was subsequently a Board of Education inspector. He was educated at Varkside University, Adelaide, entered the service of the New Zealand Government Life Insurance department in 1883, as a cadet in Invercargill, and, Inter, was removed to Wellington. In 1893 he accepted an engagement as superintendent for the Mutual Life Association; subsequently he returned to the service of the Government Life department, before establishing his present business. As an athlete Mr. Gurr has won a large number of trophies, has put up some record performances as a runner, for several years being quarter and half mile champion for New Zealand, and at golf is an ex-champion. Throughout the Colony Mr. Norman Gurr is well known as a good all round athlete, besides holding a very high position in insurance and agency business, having obtained very good records. In 1895 he married Miss Eily Ringwood, of Auckland, and has one daughter.
Land, Finance, Insurance, General Commission Agent, and Auctioneer, High Street, Dannevirke. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. Mr. Rose, who is also Government valuer and agent for the Public Trustee, established his business in the year 1890. His thorough knowledge of the district, and especially of land values, is of very great assistance to him. Mr. Rose is further referred to in connection with the Borough Council, of which he is a useful member.
Architects, High Street, Dannevirke. Mr. Sholto Douglas Lamb, junior partner in the firm, was born in Napier on the 5th of September, 1880, and is the youngest son of the late Mr. Robert Lamb, F.R.S.B.A., for many years a well-known architect of Hawke's Bay. He was educated at public and private schools in Napier, and then went into his father's office. Three years later, however, in 1896, his father died, and Mr. Lamb then joined Mr. C. A. Vantier's staff. In 1902 he entered the employment of Mr. W. P. Finch, and eighteen months later joined that gentleman in partnership, in order to establish an office in Dannevirke, under the present style. Mr. W. P. Finch, the senior partner, who conducts a separate practice on his own account in Napier, is fully referred to under the Hawke's Bay Education Board.
Architect, Tamaki Chambers, Ward Street, Danne virke. Mr. Jenssen was born on the 23rd of April, 1869, at Trondhjem, Norway. He was educated at the Cathedral College in his native town, and for some time subsequently attended the Technical College, where he qualified as an architect. In 1886 he came to New Zealand, where his father, who was a civil engineer, had settled. Mr. Jenssen was for a time in the employ of the Government telegraph department, then established himself in business on his own account as a builder in the Manawatu, and obtained a practical insight of building construction and a full knowledge of the use of New Zealand timbers. In 1896 he removed to Dannevirke, where he has since followed his profession as an architect. Among the buildings that he has designed may be mentioned the Dannevirke Hospital, the Abattoir, the Ruahine Club, Edkin's private college, several hotels, and a large number of private residences. Mr. Jenssen also conducts an insurance agency business in conjunction with his profession.
Baker, Pastrycook, Confectioner, and Caterer, High Street, Dannevirke. This business was acquired by the present proprietor in April, 1906. The premises, which stand nearly opposite Binzie's Hotel, comprise a good shop, at the rear of which is a dwelling house, a large bake-house, with two ovens capable of holding 580 loaves, storage sheds, cart house, and stables. A speciality is made of bermaline bread. Two carts are kept constantly employed, and nearly 4,000 loaves of bread are disposed of weekly. A large trade is done in small goods, and catering is also undertaken. Mr. Pateman was born in January, 1877, in Christchurch, where he was partly educated. He afterwards went to England, and finished his education at Hobb Hil School, Stalybridge, Lancashire, and was then for a short time in the postal service. He subsequently returned to New Zealand, learned the bakery trade, and was employed for about twelve years by Messrs Chamberlain Brothers, of Greytown, first as a journeyman, and latterly as manager of their bakery and flour-milling business. In 1905 he established a bakery, in partnership with Mr. Evernden, at Masterton, and a year later, after working up a good business, the partners sold out to considerable advantage, and removed to Dannevirke. The partnership was soon afterwards dissolved, and the businpss has since been carried on by Mr. Pateman. While resident in the Wairarapa, Mr. Pateman was a member of several lodges, a member of the Masterton Racing Club, the Masterton Fire Brigade, and the Bowling Club.
Builders and Contractors, Dannevirke. This business was established in the year 1887, by Mr. C. H. Christiansen, who subsequently took his four sons into partnership. Among the many contracts carried out by the firm may be mentioned the buildings erected for Messrs Campbell Thompson, Gordon Lloyd, Greenaway, Gamman, Hart-gill. Guy, Patterson, Neagle, Snell, and H. M. Blakiston. Plans, specifications, and estimates are given on all classes of building and joinery work.
senior partner in the firm of Messrs C. H. Christiansen and Sons, was born in Germany, on the 29th of October, 1842, was brought up to the building trade under his father, and subsequently for three years conducted a business on his own account in his native land. He then came to New Zealand, and landed at Napier, whence after working as a journeyman for fifteen years, he removed, in 1887, to Dannevirke where he has since conducted a successful business. Mr. Christiansen is married, and has four sons and two daughters.
Builder and Contractor, Dannevirke. Mr. Fairhurst has carried out contracts in various parts of the Wellington
Builder and Contractor, Dannevirke. Mr. Scott's premises are situated on the railway line, near the intersection of High Street, and include an office, a workshop, storage sheds, and a large timber yard, which carries a valuable stork of timber. Mr. Scott has erected a number of the chief buildings in Dannevirke, among which may be mentioned the court house, and the municipal abattoir, the business premises of Messrs F. C. Farrow and Company, Morgan and Company, Mr. Thomas Bain, Mr. William Rose, and the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, Limited, the Coffee Palace, Jeffery's pharmacy, the private school of Mr. Edkin, and the private residence of Mr. W. E. Andrews. Mr. Scott was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in the year 1858, and is the son of a builder. He came to New Zealand in the early “sixties,” in the ship “D. G. Fleming,” was educated at public and private schools in Christchurch, and afterwards learned the building trade. He entered the employment of Mr. Daniel Reese as secretary, afterwards became assistant manager, and remained with him for fourteen years. He was subsequently employed for three years by Mr. Stocks, builder and railway contractor, Christchurch. In 1895 he removed to the North Island, and settled in Dannevirke, where he has since conducted a large and prosperous business. Mr. Scott is married, and has two sons and two daughters.
Coach-builders, Wheelwrights, Blacksmiths, Farriers, and Undertakers, High Street, and Gordon Street, Danne-virke. This business was first established by the present proprietors in Miller's Road, but it was subsequently removed to its present site. The premises consist of a large one-storeyed wooden building, and the various departments are fitted up with the latest and most efficient machinery for turning out first-class work, including various mechanical contrivances invented by the proprietor for facilitating work. A specialty is made of coach-building, and a large number of vehicles are turned out annually. An extensive business is conducted, and ten persons are constantly employed.
senior partner in the firm of Messrs Anderson and Sons, was born at Clatt, Aber-deenshire, Scotland, on the 27th of June, 1831. He was educated at the parochial school in the village of Clatt, and learned the coach-building trade under his father, with whom he worked for many years. In 1851 he came to New Zealand, in the ship “Fatima,” and landed at Lyttelton on the 28th of December, after a voyage of 104 days. For six months Mr. Anderson was employed on stations in Hurunui, and was then employed as a builder in Lyttelton. In the year 1852 he went to the Victorian gold-fields, where he remained for two years. He then returned to New Zealand, and soon afterwards established himself in the building trade in Christchurch. In 1864 he settled in Timaru and at Pleasant Point, where he followed his trade as a coach-builder and black-smith for twenty years. While resident in South Canterbury Mr. Anderson wrote various poems of local interest.
Aerated Water and Cordial Manufacturers, Importers of machinery, acids, drugs, corks, etc., Tennyson Street, Danne-virke. This business is a branch of Mr. Plowman's Napier business. It was established by Mr. Mitchell, and was taken over by Mr. Plowman, in conjunction with Mr. McCormick, in the year 1903; Mr. McCormick subsequently withdrew from the firm, leaving Messrs Plowman and Son sole proprietors. The factory occupies an area of a quarter of an acre, is a large wooden building, and turns out about 600 dozen bottles of aerated water per month. Nearly all the hotels, restaurants, tea-rooms, and shops in the district are supplied from the factory.
manager of the factory, was born on the 6th of July, 1881, at Napier, where he was educated at the Marist Brothers' School. He then entered the employ of Messrs Plowman and Son (then Gifford, Plowman and Company), as an assistant in the Port Ahuriri factory, where he worked for ten years, latterly as foreman. On the withdrawal of Mr. McCormick, in January, 1906, he was made manager of the firm's Dannevirke branch. Mr. Mooney is married, and has one son.
is situated at Umutaoroa, five miles from Dannevirke. It was established in the year 1897 by a private syndicate, and was formed into a co-operative concern in 1900. Since that date the output of the factory has increased rapidly, several additions have been made to the buildings, and the property is now valued at about £3,500. The factory is built of wood, on concrete foundations, and contains four departments, the curing department being a detached building, specially erected for the purpose. The machinery is up-to-date in every respect, and is driven by an eight horse-power Brown and May engine, with a fourteen horse-power boiler. The factory has a capacity of one and a half tons per day, and the annual output is 130 tons of cheese and twenty tons of butter. The product, which bears the registered brand “Dannevirke,” is shipped to the Home markets, and realises the best prices. There are thirty-two suppliers and thirty-five sharcholders. Mr. H. Graham is chairman of directors.
Chairman of Directors of the Dannevirke Co-operative Dairy Factory, was one of the original directors, and from its inception has been one of its largest suppliers. He was born in Lyttelton on the 16th of September, 1858, and is the son of a contractor, who come to New Zealand by the ship “Sir George Pollock.” Mr. Graham was educated at the Lyttelton Anglican school, was afterwards engaged in general manual work for several years, and finally joined the railway service as a shunter. At eighteen years of age he was transferred to Brunner, where he worked for six years, and was there at the time of the Brunner colliery disaster. He was then transferred to Christchurch, and twelve months later to Napier, where he worked in the shunting yard till May, 1900, when he severed his connection with the department in order to take up his present farm near Mangatera, Dannevirke. This property consists of 150 acres of excellent land, is situated on the main road, and is devoted to dairying. The dairy is conducted in the most systematic style; and is one of the finest in the district; and water is laid on to both dairy and residence by means of piping attached to an hydraulic ram. In May, 1906, Mr. Graham leased his farm to his two sons, and settled in Dannevirke. He has been a member of the Order of Oddfellows for over thirty years, and is a Past Grand Master of the Lyttelton Lodge; for nine years he was a member of the Lyttelton Fire Brigade, in connection with which he holds a long-service certificate. He is a skilful wood turner, and holds a gold medal, awarded as first prize for faney turning in wood, bone, and ivory, at the Greymouth Show of 1893–4. He also takes a keen interest in coins, and has one of the finest collections in the colony. Mr. Graham was one on the volunteers that took part in the settlement of the Parihaka trouble.
one of the Directors of the Dannevirke Co-operative Dairy Factory, was born at Longford, Ireland, in the year 1853. He was educated at a private school, and gained some experience in farming in his native place. In 1864 he came to New Zealand, in the ship “Armstrong,” and landed in Auckland, where for six months he found employment as a blacksmith. He afterwards worked for two years on a farm at Mangere, and as a carter for a short time at Epsom, and then for two years tried his luck on the Thames goldfields. Later on the found work in connection with sawmills on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula, and then worked successively at railway construction between Farndon and Hastings, at bridge building on the Ruataniwha Plains, at bush-felling and milling work on Blackhead station, at Takapau, Kopu, and also at Matamau. In 1886 he took up land at Umutaoroa where he settled in 1894. His farm consists of 204 acres of good land, and is devoted to dairying. A herd of sixty-four cows is depastured. Mr. Beatty is married, and has four sons and two daughters.
was appointed manager of the Dannevirke Co-operative Factory in the year 1904. He was born in Southland, in 1867, was educated at the Edendale public school, and was afterwards engaged in farming for about nine years. He learned his present business at Aparima, near Riyerton, and at Edendale; afterwards managed a factory for three years at Woodlands, in Southland, and then accepted an appointment as manager of the Weber Factory, in Hawke's Bay, whence he succeeded his brother in his present position.
Painter, Paper-hanger, and House Decorator, High Street, Dannevirke. This business was established by the present proprietor. The premises have a fine frontage to High Street, and behind the shop there is a large workshop. A good stock of imported materials, including oils, colours, paper-hangings, and other decorative requisites is carried. Mr. James has undertaken many important contracts, employs six men, and has an excellent reputation for reliable workmanship. He is further referred to as band-master of the Dannevirke Citizen's Band.
Painter, Paper-hunger, and Sign-writer, Miller's Road, Dannevirke. This business was established in High Street in the year 1903, by the present proprietor, and was subsequently removed to its present site. The premises, which were specially erected by Mr. James, contain a larire well-lighted shop, suitably fitted up, and a private residence. A heavy stock of paints, paper-hangings at the latest designs, and decorators' materials is carried. Mr. James conducts a large and increasing business, and gives constant employment to twelve men. He was born on the 5th of April, 1874, and is the fourth son of Mr. John James, an old settler of Nelson. He was educated at the Nelson public schools, and afterwards apprenticed to the painting trade, under Mr. Frank Payne, of Blenheim. He then started in business on his own account in Blenheim, and two years later was joined in partnership by Mr. Ernest Freeth. Mr. James subsequently sold his interests to his partner, and in 1903 removed to Dannevirke. He is a member of the North School Committee, and the Donne-virke Jockey Club, and has passed through several chairs in the local lodge of Druids. Mr. James is married, and has two sons and two daughters.
Painter, Papper-hanger. Sign-writer, and House Decorator, High Street, Dannovirke. Mr. Nash's business is the oldest painting and signvriting biwinses in Danne-virke. His premises comprise a shop with a store-room and work-rooms at the rear, and a large and varied stock of wall papers, paints, oils, glass, and picture framings is carried. Mr. Nash gives constant employment to a large staff of workmen, and his work is well known for its style and finish. He was born at East London, South Africa, on the 29th of December, 1862, was educated partly at Southgate, Middlesex, England, and came to New Zealand in 1874. He completed his education at Auckland, subsequently learned his trade with his brothers in
Tailors, Mercers, Clothiers, and Boot Importers, High Street, Dannevirke. This company opened the business conducted under the style of the Bradford Woollen Company in the year 1903, and sold out to the present proprietor, Mr. E. A. Simson, in 1905. The premises consist of the ground floor of a large two-storeyed wooden building, measuring forty feet by about ninety feet, and comprise a well-fitted up shop, a large packing room, a cutting room, and a workroom. Mr. Simson imports largely, and carries a well-assorted stock of ladies' and gentlemen's tailoring materials, mercery, gentlemen's ready-made clothing, ladies' underclothing and footwear. Seven persons are employed in the business, and the cutting and litting departments are superintended by the proprietor.
proprietor, was born at New Plymouth, Taranaki, on the 31st of January, 1858. He was educated at various public schools, and learned the tailoring trade under Mr. Dee, of Nelson, and afterwards worked as a journeyman in various parts of Australasia, and in South Africa and San Francisco. He subsequently returned to New Zealand, and was employed for a time as a journeyman in Wellington, where, later, he opened a business on his own account in Willis Street. He subsequently sold out in order to go to Sydney, but shortly afterwards returned to the colony, and was employed for a short time in Wellington, before settling in Dannevirke. Mr. Simson has seven sons and two daughters.
Tailor, High Street, Dannevirke. Mr. Etz established his present business in Janunry, 1905, in conjunction with Mr. Hjersman, under the style of Messrs Hjersman and Etz. Three months later, however, Mr. Hjersman withdrew from the firm, and Mr. Etz has since conducted the business on his own account. The premises, which stand nearly opposite the Masonic Hotel, comprise three well-lighted apartments, namely, a largo general shop, a commodious work-room, and a well-appointed fitting room. Mr. Etz carries a large stock of the best English tailoring materials, has gained a reputation as a first-class tailor, and employs fourteen persons. He was born on the 15th of September, 1875, at Frovi, Sweden, where he was educated, and afterwards apprenticed to the tailoring trade under his father. As a youth he served for two years in the Swedish army. For some years subsequently he travelled considerably in England, Scotland, Scandinavia, and Germany, in order to gain further experience at his trade, and for some time attended the cutting academies in Germany and in London. Later, for five years, Mr. Etz followed his trade in England, chiefly as a journeyman with Messrs Hawkes and Company, of Piccadilly, London. He came to New Zealand in September, 1904, and shortly afterwards settled in Dannevirke. Mr. Etz is a member of the Dannevirke Bowling and Golf Clubs.
Drapers and Clothiers, High Street, Dannevirke. This business was established by the Te Aro House Company, of Wellington, and after passing through several hands was bought by Mr. E. Lloyd, in May, 1901. The premises, which had formerly been of wood, were then replaced by the present handsome brick building, which measures forty-five feet by seventy-five feet, and is lighted by large plate glass windows, and several skylights. The front portion of the building is divided into two fine shops, which contain the drapery, clothing, millinery, Manchester, fancy, hosiery and glove, dress, and haberdashery departments; and immediately at the rear is an office, a very fine show-room, and the dress-making department. Mr. Lloyd is a large importer, and keeps a heavy and well-selected stock of the best goods, which are retailed at most reasonable prices. He employs twenty-three persons, and each department is under the management of an experienced and courteous assistant.
of the firm of Messrs E. Lloyd and Company, was born in Shropshire, England, on the 27th of July, 1864. He was educated at Duytheur Grammar School, Montgomeryshire, and at “Wesley College, Sheffield, and was brought up to the drapery trade under Messrs Marshall and Snellgrove, of London, and Wool-wright and Company, of Liverpool, being manager of the silk department in the latter firm for three years. In the year 1893 he came to New Zealand, and for eleven years conducted, in partnership with a cousin, a grocery, wine, and spirit business at Invercargill and Gore. He sold out in 1904, and then bought his present business. Mr. Lloyd was the founder of the Magpie Harriers of London, and was for a time captain of the Golden Eagle Harriers in Liverpool. While resident in Otago he was a member of
Dannevirke. Head-quarters, Dunedin. This branch business occupies a handsome two-storeyed brick building in High Street, and is fitted up in excellent style. The shop carries a well-assorted stock of clothing, mercery, and foot-wear, and four persons are employed. Mr. H. J. Clayton, the manager, is referred to as a member of the Dannevirke Borough Council.
Wood and Coal Merchants, Swinburne Street, Dannevirke. This business was established by the present proprietors in the year 1903. The premises consist of a wooden building, comprising an office, store-room, and stables; and there is also a large yard. Timber is bought in the district, and cut up for firewood on the premises by a special sawing plant, and the coal is purchased in large quantities in Wellington. Three carts are kept fully employed, and the firm transact a large business.
of the firm of Messrs Gibb Brothers, was born at Taieri Beach, Otago, on the 20th of July, 1883, and after receiving a public school education was brought up to farm life in his native place, where he resided until 1898. He then removed to Umutaoroa, Dannevirke, where he followed farming until establishing his present business in conjunction with his brother. Mr. Gibb takes a keen interest in cricket, and is a member of a local club.
Cabinetmaker, Upholsterer, and Picture Framer, High Street, Dannevirke. This business was established by the present proprietor in August, 1905. The premises consist of a fine showroom well-fitted up with a large stock of furniture and cabinet-ware, a workshop, and a private residence. Articles of first-class quality are manufactured, and two men are constantly employed. Mr. Beaver was born in County Tyrone, Ireland, on the 16th of November, 1878. He came to New Zealand at an early age, was educated at public schools, and learned the cabinet-making trade with Mr. F. E. Cook, of. Auckland. He afterwards found employment in the D.S.C., Auckland, for some time, and then removed to Dannevirke, where he has since resided. For over three years he was employed in Messrs Calder and Drummond's factory, and for six months in Messrs Gordon and Channon's factory, before establishing his present business. Mr. Beaver takes a keen interest in cycling matters, and is a member of the committee of the Dannevirke Cycling Club. In 1905 he married Miss Thompson, the eldest daughter of the late Captain Thompson, sometime harbour-master of Gisborne.
Furniture Manufacturers, and Upholsterers, High Street, Dannevirke. This business was founded in the year
a partner in the firm of Messrs Gordon, Channon and Company, is a brother of the late Mr. A. L. Gordon, and was born at Oamaru, on the 13th of February, 1883. He was educated at the Mangatainoka Public School, near Pahiatua, as a lad entered the employ of his brother, who was then in the ironmongery trade, and continued to work for him until the formation of the firm of Messrs Gordon, Channon and Company. Mr. Gordon has' given considerable attention to military matters, and was for some time captain of the Dannevirke Cadets. He is an enthusiastic footballer, and is also a member of the local lodge of Oddfellows.
of the firm of Messrs Gordon, Channon and Company, was born on the 24th of February, 1863, and is the eldest son of Mr. J. T. Channon, one of the original Albertland settlers. He was educated at the Pahi public school, and afterwards apprenticed to the cabinet-making trade, under Messrs Garlick and Cranwell (now Messrs Tonson, Garlick and Company), of Auckland, a large firm of cabinetmakers and furniture manufacturers. On the completion of his indentures, five years later, he went to Australia, where he was employed successively by Messrs Rock and Company and Messrs Falshaw Brothers, of Melbourne, Subsequently he entered the employment of Messrs Williams Brothers, of Hobart, with whom he remained for two years. He then returned to New Zealand, and found employment with Messrs A. L. Gordon, and Company, of Dannevirke, where for about twelve years he was foreman of the cabinet-making department, and had at one time about twenty journeymen under his control. Whilst in Auckland Mr. Channon took an active interest in military matters, and was for several years a member of the Newton Rifles, in which he held the rank of sergeant. In 1903 he joined the local lodge of Druids, and was elected Arch-Druid of the lodge in December, 1905. Mr. Channon married Miss Melrose, a daughter of the first schoolmaster at Panmure, Auckland, and has one son and three daughters.
Hair-dresser and Tobacconist, High Street, Dannevirke. This business was established by Mr. T. Bates, and, after passing through various hands, was subsequently acquired by the present proprietor in July, 1903. The premises are situated opposite Station Street, and are well-fitted up. The saloon is up-to-date in every respect, and the shop carries a general stock of tobacco, pipes, and fancy goods. Mr. Hooper was born on the 10th of May, 1871, at Napier, where his father conducted a hair-dressing business for thirty years. He was educated at the public schools in Napier, Meanee College, and the Napier Boys' High School, and then served his time to his present trade with his father. Later on he opened a business in Palmerston North for Mr. Jubal Fleming, which he managed for a time, and on returning to Napier he started in business on his own account. In 1896, however, he sold out, in order to visit the Auckland gold-fields, but soon afterwards returned to Napier, and for some time conducted a business in Emerson Street. He subsequently removed to Dannevirke, where he worked as a journeyman for eighteen months, and then bought his present business. Mr. Hooper is a member of the Napier Lodge of Druids, the Dannevirke Jockey Club, the Dannevirke Bowling Club and the Excelsior Football Club. He is married and has two sons and one daughter.
(J. Halligan, proprietor), Dannevirke. This hotel, one of the finest in the province of Hawke's Bay, was built by Mr. Matthew Henderson in the year 1890. Two years later it was bought by Messrs Neal and Close, the present proprietors, who in 1903 made extensive additions at a cost of about £2,000. It is a large two-storeyed wooden building, standing on a concrete foundation, and has an extensive frontage to the railway line. On two sides of the building there is a verandah and a balcony, and from the latter a fine view of the town is obtainable. There are three entrances to the hotel, and the two floors are connected by a wide stairway at each end of the building. On the ground floor there is a commodious commercial room, a
proprietor of the Club Hotel, was born at Armagh, Ireland, in February, 1854, and at an early age went to Australia, and was educated and learned the drapery trade in Melbourne. Later, he came to New Zealand, and was employed by Mr. John Hall, a West Coast merchant, for thirteen years. He then opened a business on his own account at Ross, which he conducted for some years, and in 1895 took over the Club Hotel. Mr. Halligan owns a valuable farm, at Oringi, which he works in conjunction with his hotel. He is a member of several social bodies, is married and has four sons and one daughter.
(C. A. Jensen, proprietor), Mangatera. This hotel is situated on the railway line at Mangatera, about one and three-quarter miles from the Dannevirke Post Office. It was first built in the year 1889 by Mr. Lawritz Triis and was then only a small building of one storey. It was subsequently burned down, afterwards rebuilt, and in 1896 was taken over by Mr. T. H. Limirick, who added a second storey. On his retirement the hotel passed through various hands, and in June, 1904, was purchased by Mr. Jensen, the present proprietor. The hotel stands on a section of one acre, presents a fine appearance, and has both a balcony and a verandah. The ground floor contains three comfortable sitting rooms, a dining room capable of seating about twenty guests, the bar, kitchen, and other apartments. The first floor contains twelve comfortable bedrooms, a lavatory, and a bathroom. The best of wines and liquors are stocked, an excellent table is kept, and guests receive every attention. Mr. Jensen is assisted by a staff of four persons.
proprietor of the Mangatera Hotel, was born in Denmark, on the 9th of July, 1865, came to New Zealand with his parents at the age of ten years, and settled at Norscwood. He was educated at the Norsewood public school, and was afterwards engaged in general work for about ten years. For several years subsequently he successfully conducted the Crown Hotel, afterwards acquired the Junction Hotel, Norsewood, and three months later sold out in order to take over the Mangatera Hotel. Mr. Jensen is a Freemason, a member of the Dannevirke Jockey Club, and was for some years connected with the Order of Oddfellows. He is married, and has four sons and one daughter.
Ironmongers, Cabinet-makers, Upholsterers, and General House Furnishers, High Street, Dannevirke. This business, which is now one of the most important commercial concerns in Dannevirke, was established in the year 1901. The premises consist of a commodious two-storeyed brick building, with a total floor space of 5,000 square feet. There is a thirty-three feet frontage to High Street, with two large plate-glass show windows, in which there is a fine display of goods; and a very large stock of manufactured and imported goods is carried. The firm are direct importers of house furnishings, furniture, crockery, carpets, linoleums, curtains, etc., and both in these and their own manufactures they are able to offer the most reasonable prices. The shop is largely patronised, and the business employs ten persons. The factory is a separate establishment, two storeys in height, situated in Allardice Street. It is fitted up with a fine plant, and gives employment to sixteen persons. Furniture of all descriptions, sash and doors, turnery, cabinet-ware, and butter boxes are manufactured.
(A. O. Menefy, proprietor), corner of Allardice Street and High Street, Dannevirke. This business was established in the year 1903, and acquired by the present proprietor in 1906. The premises consist of a fine shop, with large work-rooms at the rear. A varied stock of goods in plumbing, gas-fitting, and allied lines
the proprietor, was born in 1865, in New South Wales. At an early age he went to the Old Country, was educated and brought up to the plumbing trade in London, and, after the expirafion of a six years' apprenticeship, worked for some years in London as a journeyman. In 1897 he returned to New South Wales, where he worked for a time on his own account, and for a short period for the Welsbach Company in Sydney. In 1902 he came to New Zealand, was first employed as a journ yman in Dannevirke, and afterwards carried on farming at Weber. He was subsequently employed by Messrs Collet and Sons, before taking over his present business. Mr. Menefy is married, and has two sons and one daughter.
(John McDonald, proprietor), Corner of Queen Street and Stairs Street, Dannevirke. This business was established by Mr. John McDonald in October, 1904. The section consists of a quarter of an acre, and the smithy is a substantial building of wood and iron, to which a coach building department has been added. The proprietor is well-known for reliable workmanship, a large and increasing trade is conducted, and two persons are constantly employed.
was born in Hamiltons, Otago, in the year 1873, and after attending the public schools at Hamiltons and Dunedin, he served a four years' apprenticeship to his trade in Palmerston South. He afterwards worked for a short time in Chertsey, Canterbury, and then found employment at Patangata, Hawke's Bay. Shortly afterwards Mr. McDonald removed to Dannevirke, where he was employed for nearly nine years by Mr. Thorburn. He then went to Weber, subsequently returned to Dannevirke, found employment with Mr. J. C. Davidson, and twelve months later established his present business. Mr. McDonald is a member of the committee of the Catholic Church, a member of the Order of Oddfellows, and of the Dannevirke Cycling and Athletic Club.
Saddler, Harness-maker, and Manufacturer of Horse Covers, High Street, Dannevirke. This business was established by Mr. Richardson in the year 1901, and acquired by the present proprietor in February, 1906. The premises consist of a fine shop and stock room, with a large work-shop at the rear. A good stock of the various lines is kept, most of it being manufactured on the premises, and the remainder is imported direct from the manufacturers. The workmanship is good, the best quality of material is used, and the prices are on a most reasonable scale. Three tradesmen are constantly employed in the business, and a good turnover is done. Mr. Johnston was born on the 5th of September, 1871, at Berwick-on-Tweed, Northumberland, England, where he was educated. He afterwards served an apprenticeship to his trade under Mr. Bissett, of Dundee, and in 1892 came to New Zealand. For a short time he lived with his uncle, the proprietor of Allandale Farm, Governor's Bay, Canterbury, and for three years thereafter was employed in the saddlery department of the Farmers' Co-operative Stores, Christchurch. In October, 1895, he went to South Africa, where, in various large centres, including Cape Town, Durban, and Johannes-burgh, he continuously followed his trade. During this period he held some responsible positions, and was for a time manager of a large business at Paarl, with a staff of eighteen under him. He also took a keen interest in various South African agricultural and pastoral shows, and gained ten first prizes and one second prize for samples of his workmanship exhibited. Mr. Johnston then returned to England, worked for a short time successively with Messrs McNaughton and Rankin, of Glasgow, and for Messrs Newton and Company, of New-castle-on-Tyne, and then went to America. He found employment in New York and Michigan, and, later, managed a business in London, Canada, for one year, during which time he took a first prize for a double set of harness at the Toronto Agricultural and Pastoral Show. He then accepted a position in Detroit, where he was engaged chiefly in the manufacture
Saddler, Harness Maker and Cycle Dealer, High Street, Dannevirke. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. This business was established in the year 1891. The shop is a large one, with two entrances and a fine window. A good stock of cycles is maintained, including Humbers and many other good makes. Mr. Neagle was born in Napier, and is the son of Mr. Richard Neagle, of Taradale. He was educated chiefly at Meanee College, and afterwards served an apprenticeship with Mr. John McVay, saddler, of Napier. On the conclusion of his apprenticeship, he took a trip round the Colony, but returned to Hawke's Bay, and started on his own account in Dannevirke. When in Taradale Mr. Neagle was a member of the representative football team, and holds the rank of Past Chief Ruler in the Ancient Order of Foresters.
Importer and Manufacturer of Saddlery, Bicycles, Motor Cycles, and Motor Cars, High Street, Dannevirke. This large and prosperous business was founded by Mr. Wiggins, of Wellington, in the year 1888. In 1889, however, it was acquired by Mr. Ransom, who had previously conducted it as manager for Mr. Wiggins. The premises have been several times removed, and in 1902 Mr. Ransom bought a valuable site of an eighth of an acre in High Street, and erected the present commodious and handsome shop. The building is of brick, with a second storey extending back about forty feet, and measures thirty-one feet by 150 feet. The show-room, which has fine plate glass windows, is thirty-one feet by forty feet, and carries a splendid stock of general saddlery, bicycles and accessories. To the rear of this, divided from it by a glass partition, are the general office, the packing room, and the saddlery workshop, which are fitted up in the latest and most convenient manner. The first floor is used as the sail-making and horse-cover manufacturing department and bulk store room. The cycle and motor car building and repairing shop is a detached building, constructed on up-to-date lines, and replete with the most modern appliances. About fifteen persons are employed in the Dannevirke business. In 1902 Mr. Ransom opened a branch business in Norsewood, and in 1905 he also established a branch at Feilding. These branches have proved very successful, and a large trade is conducted.
Vehicle and Harness Importers, High Street North, Dannevirke. This business was established in the year 1895, by the present proprietors, who have since conducted a successful and increasing trade. The premises consist of a commodious carriage house, showrooms, and offices. Frequent direct importations are made, and a fine stock of vehicles of every description is kept. The stock of harness, which is an extensive one, is imported direct from the manufacturers at Walsall, near Birmingham, England. Kaiapoi rugs are also kept in stock. Messrs Ries and Sons are also horse dealers, and usually have on hand a number of carriage horses and light hacks. Three saddlers and harness-makers are constantly employed on the premises.
Butchers, Barraud Street, Dannevirke. This business was established by the present proprietors in June, 1901. The premises consist of a fine brick building, on a concrete foundation, and were specially erected for the firm. The shop is large and scrupulously clean, and at the back there is a private office, a manufacturing room (fitted up with a gas engine and other appliances), and a curing room. There is also an asphalted yard, and a cartshed at the rear. The supply of meat is bought locally. A good and increasing trade is maintained, and three persons are constantly employed.
senior partner in the firm of Messrs Brighouse and Pawson, was born at Havelock North on the 2nd of August, 1874. He was educated at Waipawa, and brought up to the butchery trade, under Mr. Rasmussen, at Dannevirke. For nine years subsequently he was employed by Mr. McPherson, and also worked for a short time for Mr. James Allardice, before establishing his present successful business in conjunction with Mr. Pawson. Mr. Brighouse also conducts two dairy farms—one of seventy acres of first-class land at Oringi, and another of one hundred acres at Mangatera—in conjunction with his business. He also deals considerably in live stock. Mr. Brighouse is a member of the local Anglican Church, and is also connected with the Dannevirke Lodge of Oddfellows. He married Miss Bessie Green, of Porangahau, and has three sons and three daughters.
of the firm of Messrs Brighouse and Pawson, was born on the 1st of January, 1860, at Davauchelles Bay, Banks' Peninsula, Canterbury, where he was educated. At sixteen years of age he removed with his parents to Feilding, where he was employed in bush felling for five years. In 1883 he went to Dannevirke, and found employment under Messrs Henderson and Wratt. For some years subsequently he was engaged in the delivery of logs by contract to the saw-mills, and he then took up farming. His property consists of about 500 acres of excellent land, part of the Umutaoroa block, on which mixed farming is carried on. About 300 sheep are depastured, and a small herd of cattle. Mr. Pawson also deals in stock. He is married, and has two sons and one daughter.
Butcher, Corner of High Street and Allardice Street, Dannevirke. This business was established in the year 1901 by the present proprietor. The shop, which is a brick building, measures twenty-seven feet by sixty-five feet, and is lined with imitation tiles. It has two handsome marble-topped counters, is well and conveniently appointed, and kept scrupulously clean. The Central Butchery, which stands nearly opposite Benzie's Hotel, is also owned by Mr. Snell, who bought it from Mr. Mawhinnay, of Palmerston North. It is also a first-class shop and well managed. Mr. Snell himself buys all the live stock, supplies only the best meat, and does a large turnover. Thirteen persons are constantly employed in the business, and delivery is made by four carts. Mr. Snell was born on the 10th of October, 1864, in Penzance, Cornwall, England, where he was partly educated, and at the age of 12 years came to New Zealand with his parents, landing in Lyttelton. For a short time subsequently he attended the Leeston public school, and then learned the butchery trade. He afterwards worked as a journeyman in Wellington and Bulls. In 1897 he took over a business at Bulls, which he conducted on his own account; and three years later settled in Dannevirke, where he has since conducted a successful trade. Mr. Snell is a Freemason and a member of the Order of Oddfellows, A.C.; is vice-president of the Dannevirke Athletic Club, chairman of the Dannevirke branch of the Referees' Association, and official starter at local athletic meetings. He is married and has two daughters.
Bookseller, Stationer, and News Agent, Corner of Ward Street and High Street, Dannevirke. This business was established in the year 1893, by the present proprietor, who in 1903 erected the present two-storeyed building, which has a frontage to High Street of seventy-five feet, and to Ward Street of ninety-nine feet. The premises comprise on the ground floor, Mr. Bain's shop, forty-one feet by eighty-two feet, with general and private offices, packing room, and conveniences. Adjoining, in the same block of buildings, there are three large shops occupied by tenants. In Ward Street there is a public entrance with a staircase to the upper floor. This floor contains a suite of offices, dentist's rooms, lavatory, and general conveniences. The interior fittings of the main shop were specially designed from the drawings of the architect, and comprise handsome carved wood dust-proof counters, glass book-cases, and an ornamental centre table: and the shelving, which is arranged on both sides of the walls, has been specially made and spaced to hold the
Printer and Bookbinder, High Street, Dannevirke. This business was established by the present proprietor in the year 1898. The printing room is fitted up with a gas engine, and a new and up-to-date printing plant, and first-class work is turned out. A great variety of printing, including booklets, bill-heads, memoranda forms, envelopes, sale notices, Xmas cards, and artistic work of all kinds is turned out. Mr. McKenzie's work has an excellent reputation and his prices are reasonable. Two persons are constantly employed in the business. “Liberty,” the local organ of the No License League, is printed on the premises; and a fair amount of book-binding is also effected. Mr. McKenzie was born in the Lower Hutt, Wellington, in the year 1869, was educated at Wanganui, and learned the printing trade on the staff of the “Manawatu Standard.” He subsequently found employment successively in the office of the “Opunake Courier,” the “Egmomt Settler,” and the “Inglewood Record,” and for eighteen months owned and conducted the “Egmont Post.” He afterwards sold out, was then engaged to print the “Carterton Leader,” and resigned this position in order to settle in Dannevirke. Mr. McKenzie has been secretary for five years of the South School Committee, was for some years a member of a volunteer corps, is a Past Grand in the Order of Oddfellows, a Freemason, a member of the Ancient Order of Druids, and an office bearer in the local Wesleyan Church. He is married, and has three sons and two daughters.
—better known as the D.C.A.—corner of High Street and Station Street, Dannevirke. This business was established in the year 1899, when the “Corner Store” and the business of Messrs Baddeley Brothers were amalgamated, and conducted for a time on the co-operative principle. Subsequently the share list was closed, and the association converted into a private company, with the following directors: Messrs W. F. Knight (chairman), J. Hindmarsh, Charles Baddeley, C. R. Baines, F. J. Knight, and P. Ashcroft. The business continued to be conducted in the separate establishments, but in 1902 the present fine premises were erocted. The building—the front portion of which is of wood, two storeys in height, and the rear three storeys, built in brick,—measures fifty-eight feet by 120 feet. The fore part of the ground floor is divided into two large shops, which comprise the grocery, ironmongery, crockery, clothing, merecery, Manchester, boots and shoes and fancy departments; and at the rear are the general offices, the manager's private office, and the electrical generating room. On the first floor there are extensive furniture show-rooms, handsomely furnished tea rooms, millinery, underclothing and dressmaking departments, and a fine
manager of the Dannevirke Co-operative Association, was born at Norse-wood, on the 12th of August, 1881, and is the eldest son of Mr. A. B. Thomsen. He was educated at the Norsewood public school, where he won an Education Board scholarship, and at twelve years of age proceeded to the Napier Boys' High School. At the close of his second year he won a provincial scholarship, and twelve months later matriculated. Mr. Thomsen then became a clerk in Messrs Godfrey, McPhee and Company's “Corner Store,” and continued in the same position when the business was taken over by the D.C.A. Soon afterwards he was promoted as accountant, then as confidential secretary, and was subsequently appointed manager. Mr. Thomsen is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, is a member of the committee of the Dannevirke Athletic and Cycling Club, and a member of other social organisations. He married Miss Edith Hunter, of Dannevirke, in the year 1905.
(Messrs Copeland and Myers, proprietors), High Street, Dannevirke. These stores were established by the present proprietors on the 20th of June, 1906. The premises consist of a wooden building of one storey, and contain a shop, with an office and store-room at the rear. The shop is well fitted up, and carries a considerable stock of general groceries. The proprietors devote their whole attention to the interests of the business, and a very large turnover is done.
of the firm of Messrs Copeland and Myers, was born on the 17th of November, 1884, in Lithnania, Russia, where he was partly educated. In the year 1895 he went to England, where he completed his education. He was then apprenticed to the drapery trade at Newcastle-on-Tyne, where he remained for seven years. Subsequently he came to New Zealand, and settled in Dannevirke, where he joined Mr. Copeland in partnership. Mr. Myers takes a keen interest in chess, and gained a high reputation as a player in well-known clubs in the North of England. In 1904 he won the Bainbridge Challenge Trophy, competed for by about thirty players from the Newcastle-on-Tyne Young Men's Christian Association, of which he was a member; and shortly afterwards carried off the Newcastle “Weekly Chronicle's” Silver Knight trophy, valued at fifty guineas, which was competed for by about 250 persons.
occupy a section of two acres between High Street and Denmark Street, with the main entrance from Denmark Street. They were established in the year 1898 by Mr. William Henderson, from whom they were purchased, in 1905, by the Dannevirke Gas Syndicate. There are two gasometers, capable of holding 35,000 cubic feet of gas, and forty gas cookers, ten gas engines, and 250 private houses are supplied. The Company have secured a contract for the erection and lighting of all Borough lamps. There are in the town about three miles of four inch mains, and a large mileage of gas pipes of smaller gauge. The total output of gas from the works is 8,000,000 cubic feet. The company also do a large amount of gas-fitting, have a coal depot for all classes of coal, are sole agents in the Dannevirke district for the National gas engine and producer plant, and for the Blocklight. The works are under the management of Mr. Charles J. Johnston.
formerly manager and engineer of the Dannevirke Gas Company, was born at Invercargill, in January,
Livery and Bait Stable Proprietor, Barraud Street, Dannevirke. This business was established by the present proprietor, in January, 1894. The premises consist of commodious stables, up-to-date in every respect, containing over fifty stalls and loose boxes, and accommodation for vehicles. Five coaches, two 'busses, a waggonette, a landau, two waggons, three double buggies, and a large number of single buggies and gigs are employed in the business; and Mr. Mills is assisted by a staff of twelve experienced persons. Mr. Mills also holds the Government Weber-Herbertville mail contract, and in conjunction with his business farms 140 acres of good grazing land. He was born in England in the year 1867, and came to New Zealand with his parents at the age of four years. He was educated at the Woodville public school, was afterwards brought up to farm work, and gained a thorough knowledge of driving and training horses. For many years he was employed on Mr. Thomas Hunter's station, at Porangahau, and on Mr. F. G. Cowper's property, near Danne-virke, before establishing his present business. Mr. Mills is a member of the Dannevirke Jockey Club, the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, and the local Lodge of Foresters. He is married, and has two sons and one daughter.
(G. A. Gamman, W. A. Gamman, and H. M. Simmonds, proprietors), Sawmillers, Timber and Coal Merchants, Dannevirke. Messrs G. A. Gamman first started business as proprietors of a mill at Kumeroa, gradually extended their operations, and now (1907) conduct four mills, situated respectively at Makotuku, Matamau, and Piripiri. The mills at Makotuku are situated at Smith's siding, and are fitted with first-class machinery. One is driven by a thirty horse-power engine, and the other by two portable twenty horse-power engines. They employ seventy persons, and cut about 18,000 feet of timber daily. The Matamau mill is driven by a twenty-five horse-power stationary engine, and turns out 9,000 feet of sawn timber daily, employing thirty persons. The mill at Piripiri is a re-cutting, planing, and moulding concern, possessing four planes and a complete plant of the latest moulding machinery, and employs about sixteen persons. The timbers cut are chiefly totara, rimu, white pine, and matai, which find a ready market. At Palmerston North the firm have established a large sash and door factory, which is fitted with the latest machinery, and employs fifteen persons. The firm also hold cutting rights over 6,000 acres in the King Country. Besides a large local and New Zealand trade, Messrs Gamman and Company export largely to Australia.
one of the oldest of the Dannevirke settlers, was born on the 23rd of December, 1846, in Cumberland, England. In the year 1863 he went to Victoria, Australia, where he found employment at farm work for a year, and in 1865 came to New Zealand, and settled in Hawke's Bay. For twelve months he was in charge of Captain Hunter's stables in Napier, afterwards worked for a time at Porangahau, Tahoraiti, and Hatuma, working in the latter place for Mr. Purvis Russell. Mr. Allardice returned to Napier, joined the Armed Constabulary, and took part in the
who was one of Auckland's early colonists, was born in the year 1823, in Sunderland, Durham. England, where his father was a brick and tile manufacturer. Educated in his native town. Mr. Henderson worked with his father until 1858, when he left England for New Zealand, by the ship “Evening Star” (Captain Ewen), and took up land in the vicinity of Auckland, Mangere, and Otahuhu. He was employed by the late Captain Walmsley and the late Mr. William Buckland, and in 1867 removed to Canterbury, where he occupied a farm for many years. After his sons settled in Dannevirke, Mr. Henderson disposed of his farm, and removed to Hawke's Bay, where he took contracts for cutting timber, etc. In 1892 he retired with a competence. Mr. Henderson was married, and had five sons and two daughters. He died some time ago.
was born in the year 1850, in Christiania, Norway, where he was educated and served his time to the saddlery and upholstery trades. He came to New Zealand in 1873, by the ship “Hovding,” was employed on Colonel Lambert's farm, and also worked on the railway for some time, before starting in business as a general storekeeper in Norsewood. This business he subsequently disposed of, and settled at Dannevirke. While a resident of Norsewood, Mr. Thomsen was mail contractor between Ormondville and Norsewood for four years, was a member for many years of the Norsewood Road Board, and was also a member of the Norsewood School Committee. He is married, and has four sons and one daughter.
named after the first surveyor of the township, is situated in the county of Waipawa, 104 miles south-west from Napier, and twenty-five miles from Dannevirke, on the coach route to Hebertville. The country is rugged, largely mountainous in character, and is occupied chiefly with extensive grazing runs. Sheep and cattle rearing are the chief industries, and there is also a dairy factory. There is beautiful scenery in the neighbourhood, and the Akitio Falls may be reached on borseback. Good shooting and game of all kinds can be obtained. Weber has one hotel, a post and telegraph office, with other Government departments, a public school, a church, and a hall. There is a tri-weekly mail-coach service with Dannevirke and the coast.
is a wood and iron building, with two good class-rooms and a teacher's residence attached. There is also a large play-ground. The roll number is forty-six, and there is an average attendance of forty-one. Miss Lambert was the first teacher in charge, and she was followed successively by Miss Sutherland, Miss Brabazon, Mr. Quigley, and the present master. Miss E. M. Brewer is mistress.
was appointed master of the Weber Public School in July, 1906. He was born at Wairoa, Hawke's Bay, in December. 1878, and is the sixth son of Mr. George Mayo. He was educated at the Wairoa Public School, where he afterwards served as a pupil teacher for five years. Mr. Mayo then spent a year at the Napier Training College, and subsequently taught in turn at Portland Island, Tiniroto, Morere Hot Springs, and other places in the Hawke's Bay province. Mr. Mayo holds an E3 certificate, and has also a partial D.
(W. S. Harvey, proprietor), Weber. This hotel is a fine two-storeyed wooden building, recently erected to the special design of the present proprietor, to replace the old house that was destroyed by fire in 1906. A verandah and a balcony extend across the front of the building, which contains over thirty rooms. On the ground floor there are three comfortable sitting rooms, a fine commercial room, two large well-appointed dining rooms, and a well-stocked bar. The first floor contains two sitting rooms, about twenty comfortable bedrooms, lavatories, and a fine bathroom, with hot and cold water laid on. The service and attention shown to travellers are everything that could
proprietor of the Royal Oak Hotel, was born in Argyleshire, Scotland, in June, 1865, and was brought up to farm life. He emigrated to New Zealand in the year 1887, and was employed for about four years on Messrs Armstrong's sheep station at Akitio. Mr. Harvey subsequently found employment on various other runs for several years, and then bought a small sheep farm at Weber. This he successfully farmed on his own account before acquiring the Royal Oak Hotel, in April, 1902.
is situated ninety-five miles from Napier, and 105 miles from Wellington, on the main line of railway, and is three miles distant from the Manawatu Gorge. It was formerly a part of the Seventy-mile Bush, but is now a prosperous dairying settlement, with thriving industries established. Woodville is also an important central railway junction, as it connects the East and West Coast railroads. The country south of Woodville is flat for some miles, but on all other sides the hills rise close to the town. The country, however, is of excellent quality, sheep and cattle farming, and dairying are carried on extensively, and a little cropping is also done. The town has a fine climate, a splendid water supply, and there is magnificent scenery in the district. Woodville has a number of industries that must help to assure its prosperity. It has freezing works, a bacon factory, a fellmongery, a dairy factory and creamery, a brewery, and there are also Government creasoting works. The town is well laid out, and its buildings include churches, public schools, Government offices, the railway station, the Borough Council Chambers, a Magistrate's Court, hotels, a branch bank, a newspaper office (with a tri-weekly issue), and numerous shops and stores. There is also a public swimming bath, and there are seventy acres of reserves, including a recreation ground, and a square with a band rotunda. The best trout fishing in the North Island is obtained at Woodville, and the roads in the district are good for cycling.
Woodville was constituted a borough in the year 1887, and has a population of 1,100. A general rate of 3£⅝d in the £ is levied on the unimproved value. The rateable value of property is £97,273, and the annual revenue is £1,911. The town has a high-pressure water supply of 110 lbs. to the square inch, and a reservoir and eight miles of mains. Complete drainage and sewerage systems, by gravitation and septic tank respectively, are shortly (1907) to be inaugurated, at a cost of £10,000; and municipal gas works, costing £7,000 are now nearing completion. There is a good fire brigade, equipped with a Shand-Mason manual engine, 1,200 feet of hose, and four hydrants. In January, 1904, the Council took over the local library and reading room. The Alexandra Hall, a fine building erected as a memorial of the Coronation of King Edward VII., is also the property of the Council. Members of the council for the year 1907: Messrs Hubert Burnett (Mayor), F. Brook, T. Hartstone, H. P. Horne, A. E. Lawrence, D. G. McKibbin, J. Motley, J. A. Nicholas, G. H. Redwood, and R. Shaw (Councillors). The town clerk is Mr. W. G. Crawford.
was first elected to the Woodville Borough Council in the year 1903, and was re-elected in 1905. He was born in Forfarshire, Scotland, in January, 1873, and is the second son of Mr. D. M. Horne, of Woodville. He came to New Zealand with his parents at five years of age, and was educated at the Waipukurau, and Woodville public schools. He afterwards decided to follow the trade of a coach builder, and was then apprenticed to the trade at Palmerston North. Four years later he entered his father's employment as manager of the coach-building department of the latter's Woodville business. In 1901 Mr. Horne became a partner in the firm of Horne and Riley, which took over the business on the retirement of his father. In 1903 he became sole proprietor,
of the Woodville Borough Council, was born in the year 1857, in County Down, Ireland, where he was educated, and apprenticed to the drapery business. He afterwards went to London, England, and was for four years with the well known wholesale firm of Copestake, Lindsay, Crampton and Company. In 1884 Mr. McKibbin sailed for Melbourne in the s.s. “Austral,” and landed a few days before she sank in Sydney Harbour. He then came to New Zealand, and entered the employment of Messrs Sargood, Son, and Ewen, and remained with them until 1887. He then removed to Woodville, and established his present business. Mr. McKibbin did well from the start, and four years later moved into larger premises, adjoining the original shop, which has since been used as a grocery store. For several years he was a member of the Woodville School Committee, and is a member of the Woodville Agricultural and Pastoral Society. He married a daughter of Mr. John Elliott, of County Armagh, Ireland, in 1887.
J.P., formerly Mayor of Woodville, is a well-known aerated water and cordial manufacturer, and an old resident of the district. He was born in Lincolnshire, England, in the year 1854, and is the son of the late Mr. Robert Motley. He was educated at Boston, in his native county, and was after wards apprenticed to a shoemaker. At eighteen years of age, however, he enlisted in the 52nd Regiment of Infantry. Three years later, after having been quartered in Ireland, Malta, Gibraltar, and England, he purchased his discharge, and came to New Zealand by the ship “Countess of Kintore.” Mr. Motley landed at Napier, joined the provincial police force, and was transferred to the service of the General Government on the abolition of the provinces. In 1880 he was appointed officer-in-charge of the police, post and telegraph offices, in which he remained about four years. Leaving the force in 1886, he took the management of the Woodville Cheese Factory, but the venture, like many others at that time, fared badly, and a year later he purchased the aerated water and cordial factory of Mr. Charles Birss, which he greatly improved, and has since conducted with success. Mr. Motley also owns 192 acres in the Hall Special Settlement, which has been cleared and grassed for fruit culture and general farming. He has been secretary of the Woodville School Committee, Cottage Hospital Committee, and Oddfellows' Lodge. In 1877 he married Miss Ellen Wainwright, of Brighton, England, who died thirteen years later; in 1890 he married Miss Helena Lucy, of Cork, Ireland, and has nine children.
Town Clerk and Treasurer to the Borough of Woodville, is a native of Glasgow, where he was born in the year 1836. His father, the late Mr. John Crawford, was a well-known manufacturer of that city. He received his education principally at the Andersonian Institute, and after finishing his term there decided to enter mercantile life in London. The following twenty years were spent in that city in positions of trust and responsibility. He was with the large firm of Peter Robinson and Company, of Oxford Street, for a number of years, and subsequently was twenty years with Messrs Dean and Company. In 1874 he came to New Zealand in the ship “Winchester,” and landed in Napier, where he found employment for about twelve months at the “Herald” office as accountant. He was next appointed master of the Kaikora school. Three years later he was appointed head-master of the Woodville school, where he remained eight years, then retired to establish himself in a general store in Woodville, which business he followed for seven years. He was a member of the Town Board for some years, and in the latter part of 1894 was appointed town clerk. In 1860 Mr. Crawford married a daughter of the late Mr. A. Andrews, of London, England, and has, surviving, four sons and five daughters.
who occupied a seat on the Woodville Borough Council for about nine years, was born in Warrington, Lancashire, England, in the year 1860, and is a son of Mr. W. N. Grinlinton, of Napier. He was educated at Easingwold, Yorkshire, and came with his parents to New Zealand by the ship “Winchester,” in 1874. On arrival in Napier he was apprenticed to Messrs Langley and Newman, cabinetmakers, and four years later, when eighteen years of age, took up a bush farm near Woodville, which he still holds. In 1883 Mr. Grinlinton began business in Woodville as a cabinet-maker, and after a successful run of fourteen years, decided to extend his business so as to include general storekeeping. He has generally lent his aid to all progressive objects, has been an active member of the fire brigade since its institution in 1884, and was captain for some time. He is a past master of
formerly a member of the Woodville Borough Council, was born in Konigsberg, Prussia, in the year 1856, and was educated in Riga, Russia, where he spent about eight years in a drapery and fancy goods store. In 1883 he went to St. Louis, U.S.A., and six months later to London, England, and came to New Zealand by the s.s. “Bombay,” in 1884. After four years in business as a draper at Woodville, Mr. Sandel purchased the “Star Hotel,” which he conducted for three years. He then entered into the grain and produce trade for a few months, after which he bought the Club Hotel, and conducted it for two years. In 1894 he purchased the Masonic Hotel, which he afterwards sold, and he subsequently established a business in Woodville as a grocer, ironmonger, etc. Mr. Sandel was a Past Master of Lodge Ruahine, No. 80, N.Z.C., and a member of the Jockey Club, Agricultural and Pastoral Society, Library Committee, and other institutions.
J.P., formerly a member of the Woodville Borough Council, is a well-known nurseryman. He was born at St. Cyrus, Kincardineshire, Scotland, in the year 1852, educated in Aberdeen-shire, and brought up as a gardener. At twenty-one years of age he went to Canada, where he worked at his calling until 1880, when he returned to England, preparatory to leaving for New Zealand, by the ship “City of Sparta.” Landing at Port Chalmers, Mr. Taylor was for a year on Mr. A. McLean's estate at Waitaki North, then moved northwards to “Clive Grange,” Hawke's Bay, where he worked for nearly five years, after which he started on his own account as a nurseryman in Woodville. Mr. Taylor was for many years a member of the Woodville Borough Council, and was a member of the old Town Board, the Licensing, Library, and School Committees. At the election of 1896 he stood as an independent candidate for the House of Representatives against Mr. O'Meara.
was constituted in the year 1901, and has its head-quarters at Woodville. Members for the year 1907: Messrs John Harris (chairman), W. H. Nelson, J. H. Morgan, D. Hughes, G. J. Goldfinch, J. Moorby, R. Patterson, and P. H. Lynch; meetings are held in the council office on the first Thursday in each month. The County is divided into four ridings, namely Woodville, Mangaatua, Maharahara, and Kumeroa. The unimproved value is £444,140, and there is a capital value of £713,886. The county of Woodville has a population of about 2,000. There is a general rate of 1£⅛d in the £ on the unimproved value, and a number of special rates. The roads within the county are metalled and kept in good order.
J.P., chairman of the Woodville County Council since the year 1905, has been a member of the council since its inception in the year 1901. He was born at Calstock, Cornwall, England, in 1857, and in the following year was brought to New Zealand by his parents in the ship “Harewood.” He was educated
was appointed clerk to the Woodville County Council in June, 1906. He was born in Masterton in June, 1883, and received a good public school education. He then entered the employment of Messrs MeKibbin and Company, merchants, Woodville, and subsequently became accountant to the firm, a position he still retains. Mr. Hutchins is a member of the Battalion Band, a member of the choir of the Woodville Presbyterian Church, and has also been a member of the local volunteer corps, fire brigade, and other local bodies.
Inspector of Stock for Woodville, Pahiatu, Patangata, and Waipawa, was born in Caithness, Scotland, and educated at Wick. He came to New Zealand with his parents in the year 1858, by the ship “Ashburton,” and landed at Wellington. For a number of years he was a shepherd in the Wairarapa, and was afterwards for a while in the Forty-Mile Bush. In 1882 he joined the Government Stock Department, was appointed rabbit agent in the Wairarapa district, and continued in that capacity until 1891, when he received his present appointment. Mr. Harvey is a member of the Masonic body, but unattached. He married a daughter of the late Mr. William Welch, of Taita, Hutt, and has three daughters and one son.
Woodville, occupies a prominent position in the main street, opposite the Post Office. The buildings are commodious, and contain six large, well-lighted classrooms. The head-master, Mr. Andrew Stevenson, is assisted by a staff of three assistants, five pupil-teachers, and two probationers. The average attendance is 321, out of a total roll number of 395.
Headmaster of the Woodville Public School, was born in the year 1865 in Dunedin, and is a son of the late Mr. Robert Stevenson, an early settler. He was educated in Westland, where he served his pupil-teacher's course and entered the service of the Canterbury Education Board in 1887. Prior to receiving his present appointment, in 1891, he filled the position of head-master of the Rakaia school for four years. Mr. Stevenson was captain of the Woodville Rifles, and was subsequently promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel of the 5th Battalion of Wellington Rifles.
was formed about the year 1888, and has a membership of twenty-seven.
Band-master of the Woodville Brass Band, was born in the year 1864, in London, England, where he was educated. At fourteen years of age he came to New Zealand, and went to Napier, where he learned the trade of a sign-writer and decorator. He was instructed in music by Mr. Bell, bandmaster of the 65th Regiment. Prior to his appointment in 1891, as conductor of the Woodville Band, Mr. Lawrence was band-sergeant under Band-master J. Chicken, at Waipawa, and afterwards under Band-master Curwen, at Woodville.
M.B., F. R. C. S. (Edin.), Woodville. Dr. Mules was born at Brightwater, Nelson, in July, 1876, and is the second surviving son of the Right Rev. Charles Oliver Mules, Bishop of Nelson. He was educated at Nelson College, where he matriculated, and then studied for two years at the Otago University. In February, 1899, he went to Edinburgh, where he passed his final examinations in the year 1902, and immediately accepted an appointment as house surgeon of the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, under Dr. MacGillivray. Subsequently for three months he held the position of house physician to the Edinburgh Royal Maternity Hospital, under Dr. Barbour, and then engaged for some time in locum-tenens work. In July, 1903, he passed the M. D. clinical examination, and in the following year was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons. Dr. Mules then returned to New Zealand as ship surgeon of the “Kumara,” and was afterwards for some time medical examiner to an insurance office for the North Auckland district. Dr. Mules subsequently settled in Woodville, where he took over the practice formerly conducted by Dr. Dawson.
Pharmaceutical Chemist and Optician, Vogel Street, Woodville. The pharmacy is completely stocked with toilet requisites, perfumery, patent medicines, pure drugs and chemicals. A feature of this establishment is the dispensing of physicians' prescriptions and family recipes, in which the purest drugs are used. Mr. Leigh was born in the year 1881, at Havelock North, and, after passing through the local public school, was apprenticed to his profession under Mr. W. J. Tyerman, in Hastings. During his term of apprenticeship he studied under the Rev. A. White, M. A., B. Sc., F. L. S., B. D. In April, 1901, he passed his final examination, and was registered as a duly-qualified chemist. For one year subsequently Mr. Leigh was employed in Mr. A. J. Williams' pharmacy in Napier, and during that time taught chemistry and botany at the technical school. He then bought his present business. In December, 1906, he started a branch pharmacy at Hastings, which has been a very successful venture. Mr. Leigh is a member of the vestry in the local Anglican Church.
Woodville, was opened in the year 1882, by Mr. G. H. Sinclair, and the building has since been considerably enlarged. Mr. Sinclair was succeeded successively by Mr. J. Guillum Scott; Mr. William Cook, Mr. Charles Smith, and Mr. C. H. Mitford; the latter being the present manager.
Land and Estate Agents, McLean Street, Woodville. This business was established in the year 1902 by Mr. Latham, who in 1904 was joined in partnership by Mr. A. H. Dillon, who subsequently became sole proprietor. The business transacted by the firm extends over the whole of the province, and also into the Wellington district, and consists chiefly of the purchase and sale of sheep runs and dairy farms. In 1905 sales of over £210,000 worth of property were effected.
of the firm of Messrs Latham and Company, is the third son of Mr. Alfred Dillon, M. H. R. for Hawke's Bay, and was born at Patangata in July, 1871. He was educated at public schools, and afterwards learned farming. Later, he took up a sheep farm of 600 acres at Elsthorpe, which he successfully farmed for some time, and then settled at Woodville. Mr. Dillon is a member of the committee of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, and the Woodville Jockey Club, and is vice-president of the Woodville Football and Swimming Clubs. He is married and has two daughters.
Land, Estate, and General Commission Agent, Woodville. Mr. Murray established his present business in the year 1905. He was born at the Thames, Auckland, in the year 1871, and was educated at private and public schools. He afterwards learned farming, and for many years subsequently farmed on his own account, and for some time also in partnership with his brother, Mr. Martin Murray, now (1907) clerk of the Waipawa County Council. Mr. Murray farms a fine property of 300 acres at Maharahara. He takes a keen interest in public affairs, and is a member of the Agricultural and Pastoral Society, the Woodville Jockey Club, and the Woodville Borough Council. Mr. Murray is also a Justice of the Peace.
Auctioneer, Land, Estate, Financial and Stock Agent, Valuer, etc., McLean Street,
Authorised an Licensed Surveyor, Land Valuer. Finance, Insurance and General Agent, McLean Street. Woodville. Bankers. Bank of New Zealand, Woodville, and Union Bank of Australia, Wellington. Mr. Wilson was born at Turakina in the year 1861, and is a son of the late Captain Wilson, who shortly afterwards removed with his family to Gisborne, where, with the exception of Mr. J. G. Wilson, they all fell victims to the murderous work of Te Kooti and his followers. Captain Wilson and three of his children were killed at once, but Mrs. Wilson, though fatally wounded, was able to crawl away to some hiding place, where she was found and tended as well as was possible by her surviving son, a little boy of seven, who, in the excitement of the moment, had been allowed by his would-be-murderers to escape to the bush, where he wandered about throughout the night. Mrs. Wilson was removed to Napier, where a few days subsequently, she succumbed to her injuries. The young survivor was then placed under the care of his grandparents in London, England, where he was partly educated at the North London Collegiate School, and on his return to New Zealand he attended the Napier Grammar School. Joining the Survey Department in 1878, Mr. Wilson was articled to Mr. Walter Hallett, Government Surveyor, and for the following fifteen years was engaged in the survey of the Hawke's Bay and Gisborne districts. He afterwards joined the East Coast Hussars, Heretaunga Light Horse, etc., and is one of the best shots in the Colony. He has held the Wairarapa Championship and Challenge Shield, and for several years he was in the final fifty for the Colonial Championship, averaging about the tenth man.
Aerated Water and Cordial Manufacturer, Bowen Street. Woodville. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. Mr. Motley's factory is fitted up with the newest type of machinery, which is driven by a steam-engine. His general and special lines of manufacture, which are delivered all round the district, include lemonade, soda-water, ginger-ale, champage-cider, raspberryade, football-punch, orange-champagne, and all kinds of syrups. Mr. Motley is referred to elsewhere as a member of the Woodville Borough Council.
Builder and Contractor, Woodville. Mr. Cross was born in Leicester, England, in the year 1851, and was educated and apprenticed to the building trade in his native town. In 1874 he came to New Zealand by the ship “Asia,” and landed at Port Chalmers. He worked at his trade in Otago and Southland for eight or nine years, and after two years in Canterbury, and a somewhat shorter period in Wellington, settled at Woodville in 1886. As a borough councillor for about three years Mr. Cross has taken a part in public affairs. He is an Oddfellow of many years' standing and has been through the chairs, and is a member of the Woodville Rifle Club. Mr. Cross is married, and has one son and one daughter.
Draper, Grocer, and Ironmonger, Vogel Street. Woodville. P. O. Box 16. Bankers. Bank of New Zealand. This business is one of the largest in Woodville. The shops are extensive and well stocked, with good show and millinery rooms at the back of the main building. Nearly all the stock is imported direct from European and American markets. A good trade is done with the farmers in the surrounding districts. Mr. McKibbin is further referred to as a member of the Woodville Borough Council.
Cabinet-maker and Undertaker, Vogel Street, Woodville. Mr. Grinlinton established his present business in the year 1809. The building, the joint property of Messrs Grinlinton and Harding, is a large two-storeyed one, and the portion used by the former comprises a large show-room, a workshop, and a store-room. Mr. Grinlinton keeps a large and well-arranged stock of manufactured and imported furniture of all kinds, the goods made and sold are of the best quality, and the prices are reasonable. He was born in Yorkshire, England, in August. 1873, and was brought to New Zealand by his parents as an infant. He received a good general education in Napier, was subsequently employed by Mr. M. D. Spriggs for about eighteen months, and then settled in Woodville, where, for twelve years, he found employment with his brother as a cabinet-maker and undertaker. Mr. Grinlinton is captain of the Woodville Fire Brigade, with which he has been connected for many years, and is manager of the Woodville Junior Football Club.
Hair-dresser, Tobacconist, and Billiard-Saloon Proprietor, Vogel Street, Woodville. This business was established by Mr. A. G. Riches, and acquired by the present proprietor in April, 1906. The premises consist of a convenient shop, which carries a considerable stock of first-class goods, a hair-dressing saloon containing two chairs, and a large billiard room, furnished with one of Aleoek's best tables. Mr. Bly was born at Feilding, in January, 1881, and is a son of a farmer. He was educated at the Feilding and Pahiatua public schools, and then learned the hair-dressing trade. Subsequently he found employment for two years in the grocery business, and then returned to his trade. In 1901 he entered the employment of Mr. Riches, of Woodville, with whom he remained until taking over the business on his own account. Mr. Bly is Chief Ranger in the local lodge of Foresters, a member of the Woodville District Jockey Club, the Cage Birds, Pigeon, and Poultry Association, and the Woodville Fire Brigade. He takes a keen interest in football, is a member of the sports committee of the Woodville Football Club, and in the year 1905 played wing-forward in the junior representative team.
Cycle Engineer, Vogel Street, Woodville. This business was established in the year 1901, by the present proprietor. The premises consist of a large two-storeyed wooden building, well fitted up and appointed. A fine stock of “Raleigh” and “Rover” bicycles, and other makes of a cheaper grade, is displayed in the show-room, and the workshop has ample space and facilities for the mechanical operations. The proprietor is a qualified engineer and an expert cycle repairer, and a specialty is made of repairing. Mr. Harding was born in Woodville, in August, 1878, and shortly after leaving school was apprenticed to the engineering trade, to which he closely applied himself for several years, and gained a first-class certificate. He is a “representative” footballer, is Quarter-Master Sergeant in the 5th Wellington Battalion, and is a member of the local Rechabite Lodge, and the Wesleyan Church.
Saddler and Harness Maker, Vogel Street, Woodville. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. Branch at Mangatainoka. Mr. Loader established his saddlery business in the year 1885 in premises on the Masterton Road, and about six years later removed to the present site. The premises have a frontage of thirty feet, and the stock is of excellent quality. Every description of saddlery and harness is manufactured by Mr. Loader, and horse covers are a specialty with him. The Mangatainoka branch is in charge of Mr. Reid, and both establishments are well patronised with an extensive town and country connection. Mr. Loader was born in London, England, in 1866, and came to New Zealand in 1871, with his parents, who settled in
(J. H. and W. Dean, proprietors), Woodville. This fellmongery is situated on the bank of the Mangaatua stream, on the south side of Woodville. It was established in the year 1892 by Mr. Raybone, and after passing through several hands, was taken over by the present proprietors in 1901. The works are situated on a site of two acres, and consist of a large two storeyed wooden building, divided into various departments. In front of the building is a well-construeted drying stage, which provides accommodation for two bales of wool. During the busy season six persons are employed, and a large amount of prepared and greasy wool, pelts, and hides are exported. Messrs Dean Brothers are also proprietors of a fellmongery at Masterton.
senior partner in the firm of Messrs Dean Brothers, was born in the Wellington province in the year 1879, and was educated at Wanganui. He afterwards learned the fellmongery trade, found employment in various parts of Hawke's Bay, and in 1901 joined his brother in partnership. Mr. Dean is a member of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society, the Woodville Lodge of the Order of Forestors, and the Woodville Jockey and Football Clubs.
junior partner in the firm of Messrs Dean Brothers, was born in Foxton in the year 1881, and was educated at Wanganui public schools. For five years afterwards he worked for his father, who conducted a fellmongery at Palmerston North, and later was employed for a time at the Aramoho Freezing Works before joining his brother in partnership. Mr. Dean is a member of the Order of Foresters, and the Woodville Football Club.
. General Merchants, Vogel Street, Woodville. This business was carried on for many years by Messrs Monteith and Company, and was taken over by the present proprietors in the year 1903. The premises consist of a large two-storeyed wooden building, with a commodious dwelling house attached, and stands on a section with a frentage to two streets. There is a large retail department, with two show-windows. It is fitted up with two counters, which extend the whole length of the shop. At the rear and on the first floor are large store rooms, which carry a heavy stock of bulk stores. Messrs Watson and Company keep a well-assorted stock of general merchandise, prices are moderate, and a good steady trade is conducted throughout the town and district. Deliveries are made daily, and six persons are constantly employed.
of the firm of Messrs Watson and Company, was born at Port Ahuriri in January, 1878. He was educated at the Havelock North public school, and for some years subsequently assisted in his father's store. Later, on the death of his father, he managed the store for about four years, and then in 1903 settled in Woodville. Mr. Watson is married and has one daughter.
(R. E. Grinlinton). General Storekeepers and House Furnishers, Vogel Street, Woodville. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand, Private residence. Ross Street. Mr. Grinlinton's business premises are large and well-appointed, and the stock, much of which is imported direct, is very extensive. Mr. Grinlinton is referred to
near Woodville, the property of Messrs Nelson Brothers, is a first-class farm of 400 acres, most of which is rich, flat land, and the remainder rolling and hilly country. It is highly improved, well-fenced and subdivided, and laid down in good English grasses. About 250 sheep are depastured, and about seventy cows are milked daily.
was born in the year 1873 at Dunsandel. Canterbury, where he was educated and brought up to farming. At eighteen years of age he went to Waddington. where he farmed chiefly on his own account till October, 1903, when he bought a farm of 874 acres at Matahiwi. This he worked for two years, then sold out, and settled at Woodville. Mr. Nelson is a member of the Woodville Agricultural and Pastoral Association and the Farmers' Union.
was born at Dunsandel on the 9th of November, 1882, was educated in his native place, and worked for some years on his father's farm at Waddington. In 1905 he took up his present property in conjunction with his brother.
was born in the year 1844 in For “a” shire, Scotland, where he was educated and apprenticed to the blacksmith's trade. He entered into business on his own account at March of Lunon Bank, and continued there for eight years. In 1878 he came to New Zealand, by the ship “City of Auckland,” which was afterwards wrecked at Otaki on the pasage out. Mr. Horne was for four years in the employment of Mr. Jones, of Waipukurau, and then settled at Woodville and established himself in business as a wheelwright and general blacksmith, which he conducted successfully for many years. He then retired in favour of his son, Mr. Henry Horne, and now (1907) resides on his farm at Ballance. Mr. Horne has taken an active part in public affairs, was a member of the borough council, and for fifteen years was a member of the school committee. As a member of the Independent Order of Rechabites he was superintendent of the Juvenile Tent, was treasurer of the Presbyterian Church from its establishment in Woodville, was a trustee of the public library and a director of the Woodville Building Society. At the local agricultural shows he has carried off the chief prizes against all comers. Mr. Horne has had four daughters and eight sons.
sometime member of the House of Representatives for Pahiatua, was born in Melbourne, Australia, in the year 1856, and is a son of the late Mr. James O'Meara. He was educated at the Melbourne Model School and at St. Francis and St. Augustine's Schools, came to New Zealand in 1868, and settled in Queenstown, where he entered the Post and Telegraph Department, and remained in the service for about fourteen years. Mr. O'Meara first took an active interest in politics when he was chairman of the Lake County Council, which position he held for three years, and for eight years was a member of the Queenstown Borough Council. He contested the Wakatipu seat in 1893, against Mr. Fraser, and the late Hon. W. J. M. Larnach, and was second on the poll. Mr. O'Meara afterwards removed to Hawke's Bay, and three years later stood for Pahiatua, in
(which means in Maori, “long breath”) is a farming district in the county of Woodville, situated 115 miles south from Napier, and nine miles from Woodville, with which it is connected by a good coach road. The township has one hotel, a store, and a public school. The surrounding country consists of both flat and rugged country, there are large sheep and cattle runs in the district, and dairying is also carried on. Good trout fishing can be obtained in the neighbourhood.
Storekeeper, Kumeroa. Mr. Cosgrove was born in Napier, and after receiving his education was with Messrs Alexander Brown and E. Bibby, of Waipawa, for ten years. He removed to Wairoa in 1893, where he managed Mrs. Parker's store. He subsequently removed to Kumeroa, and started his present business. Mr. Cosgrove, while resident in Wairoa, took considerable interest in local matters, was secretary of the Wairoa school committee and an active member of the Debating Society. He was one of the originators of the Dramatic Club, and was choirmaster of St. Peter's Church. Mr. Cosgrove married a daughter of the late Mr. Robert White, a well-known settler.
J.P., Sheep-farmer, Kumeroa. Mr. Fountaine was born in Buckinghamshire, England, in the year 1842, and is the son of Mr. T. F. Fountaine, farmer, of Stoke-Hammond. He was educated at Banbury, Oxfordshire, and brought up to farming by his father. In 1861 he went to Queensland, by the ship “Wanatah,” followed various occupations, and travelled the country from the Gulf of Carpentaria to Melbourne. In 1871 Mr. Fountaine came to New Zealand, landed in Wellington, and worked for some time in Hawke's Bay, on one of the stations of the Hon. J. D. Ormond. Later on he went to Norsewood, and worked on the main road opening up the bush district. In 1874, in conjunction with Mr. J. H. Monteith, he contracted for the construction of the road between Woodville and the Manawatu river. In March, 1876, they opened the first store in Woodville, and continued in partnership until June, 1884, when Mr. Fountaine retired. In the following March he went Home for a twelve months' visit, on his return to New Zealand took up a run of 1,075 acres, at Otawhao, and finally settled at Kumeroa. Mr. Fountaine was chairman of the Woodville Road Board for many years, a member of the Waipawa County Council for three years, a member of the Kumeroa Road Board, and has also served on other local bodies.
The provincial district of Wellington is bounded towards the north by the Auckland district; towards the east by the Hawke's Bay district, to the sea; thence by the sea to the Patea river on the West Coast; and thence bounded towards the west by the Taranaki district. The area contained within these limits is about 6,810,958 acres. It lies between the parallels of 39 degrees and 41 degrees 30 minutes south latitude; its greatest length north and south is about 180 miles, and its mean width east and west about sixty miles. The province is divided into two well-defined parts by a mountain range, which forms part of the backbone of the North Island. At its northern end this range—there known by the name of Ruahine, and averaging a height of about 4,000 feet — divides Wellington from Hawke's Bay; but after passing the point where it is intersected by the Manawatu river, the range takes the name of Tararua for many miles, until, at forty miles from the termination on the shores of Cook Strait, it divides into two main ranges, known respectively under the general names of Rimutaka and Tararua, both ranges averaging from 2,500 feet to 3,500 feet in height, the highest point being 5,154 feet. Parallel to the main range, and divided from it by the Wairarapa plain and the undulating country to the north, is a series of ranges at a few miles inland
Inland of this coastal plain, at varying distances from the sea, the country gradually rises to a mean height of about 1,500 feet to 1,800 feet, and becomes a good deal broken in character. It was originally forest-ciad almost throughout. It is much cut up by rivers and streams flowing from the interior to the sea, of which the principal, commencing from the north, are the Waitotara, the Wanganui, the Wangaehu, the Rangitikei, the Oroua, the Pohangina, and the Manawatu, the last of which, after leaving the gorge in the Ruahine ranges, runs through level land to its mouth in Cook Strait. This broken country is everywhere composed of papa, or marly formation, which takes grass excellently, and promises to be a large sheep-carrying district.
At about fifteen miles south of the volcanic peaks of Ruapehu mountain, the papa country terminates in a fairly well-marked escarpment, giving place to a more level and undulating country formed of volcanic matter, the greater portion of which is forest-clad, though on the southeast, east, and west sides of that mountain there are open grassy plains suited to pastoral pursuits.
To the eastward of the main range formed by the Rimutaka and Tararua ranges is the great depression known at its southern end as the Wairarapa plain, which gradually rises northwards from the lake of that name into wooded, somewhat broken country, at a distance of some forty-five miles from the sea. Thence the country falls again slightly to the Upper Manawatu river, the depression in this part being marked by the extensive flats in the neighbourhood of Pahiatua, and by the shallow valleys of the Mangahao, Mangatainoko, and Tiraumea rivers and their branches. For thirty miles from the sea this valley is mostly open, with patches of forest here and there, but becomes more plentifully wooded at the base of the Rimutaka and Tararua ranges. The quality of the soil varies from light and stony on the Wairarapa plains to rich papa country as the northern end is approached. The southern part of this country is watered by the Ruamahanga river and its tributaries. Generally the district is a pastoral one, though agriculture is also pursued successfully. The neighbourhood of the Puketoi ranges is in many places composed of limestone, and promises to become a very rich pastoral district, which should support a considerable population. In the forks formed by the Tararua and Rimutaka ranges the Hutt river takes its rise, and runs in a southerly direction through an undulating or level country, and finally falls into the harbour at Wellington. The valley contains fine land, which is held, chiefly, in small holdings.
About 3,000,000 acres of the land in the district is forest-clad: Waimarino, 750,000 acres; 300,000 acres drained by the Turakina, Mangamahu and Wangaehu; 230,000 acres on the west side of the Wanganui river; 100,000 acres in the Pohangina valley; 175,000 acres on the eastern slopes of the Tararuas; 50,000 acres to the east of the Puketoi range; and then there are the forests near the Wairarapa lake and Lake Taupo, not to mention smaller areas of bush land.
Wellington has at least four extensive areas worthy of being termed plains: the Wairarapa plain, which contains about 200,000 acres, much
Of Wellington's rivers, the most noteworthy are the Wanganui, Manawatu, Rangitikei, Hautapu, Waitotara, Wangaehu, Turakina, Heretaunga (vulgarised into the Hutt), Ruamahanga, Pahaoa, Aohanga, and Akitio.
The only really large lake in the district is the Wairarapa, near the south end of the Wairarapa valley, between the Haurangi and Rimutaka ranges.
As to harbours and ports, Wellington is not so well supplied in this respect as some other parts of the colony; but what is lost in number is made up in a great measure by the excellence of the chief haven —Port Nicholson—which, from the position it occupies, at the meeting-point, as it were, of the coastal traffic of both Islands, and from its sheltered position and depth of water, may be considered one of the most convenient harbours in the world. The Wanganui river, which has been considerably improved by artificial means, is the second port in the district, and has a considerable trade with coastal steamers. The Patea and Manawatu rivers are also used by coastal steamers, whilst several other inlets along the shore afford shelter and stopping places, according to the direction of the wind. The extension of railways along both coasts has, in a large measure, done away with the inconveniences arising from lack of harbours.
Some of the finest original scenery in the provincial district has been quite destroyed or much disfigured by the bush-felling indispensable to the progress of settlement, or the construction of railways. This applies especially to the Forty-mile bush and the Manawatu Gorge. Still, much remains of the country's original loveliness, and the wise laws
It may be said that no part of New Zealand has developed more in recent years than the provincial district of Wellington. Latterly there has been greater progress in the North Island than in the Middle Island, and in the North Island Wellington has advanced more than any other of its sister provinces, though Auckland has kept close up to it. Of the essential fact there are many proofs. When a new country or any still partially undeveloped portion of a new country is in a specially progressive period of its history, the males of the population will as a rule be found to exceed the females in number. This is due to conditions inseparable from an early stage of colonisation, or from a period of exceptional industrial activity in a yet unsettled, or only partially settled, district. When nature has been adapted to man's purposes, and a place has been brought to an average level of industrial productiveness and civilisation, any inequality there may be in the numbers of the sexes generally shows a considerable majority on the side of the women. Indeed, the excess of bachelors over spinsters in a colony, or in any part of a colony, may safely be taken as a proof of the industrial stage it has reached or is passing through; and this test, applied to Wellington, shows that its colonising energy must, latterly, have been greater than that of any other part of New Zealand. Of this there is proof in the following table, which shows the excess of bachelors over spinsters in seven out of nine provincial districts at three successive quinquennial periods. The figures are:
It may be of some interest to note that at the same periods Canterbury and Otago had more spinsters than bachelors, in the following proportions:
But there are other facts which illustrate the very exceptional relative progress which has recently been made by Wellington. The province is, in the main, pastoral, though it has other rich industrial resources, such as general agriculture, dairying, flax and timber. As a pastoral district, it is generally classed in conjunction with Taranaki, and vice versa. This, indeed, is invariably done in connection with the Dominion's sheep returns, and in this classification, the bulk of the sheep country belongs to Wellington However, the Wellington-West Coast sheep district—that is, Wellington and Taranaki—does not hold the first place as a sheep area in New Zealand. Both the Canterbury-Kaikoura and the Napier-Gisborne districts are ahead of it in this connection; but in both these pastoral provinces the country has from the first been more adaptable to the practical purposes of settlement than Wellington. This may be said also of Otago; but latterly Wellington has surpassed every other district in the Dominion in the great industry of breeding sheep for wool, and for the frozen meat trade.
The facts are thus in controvertibly set forth in plain figures:
Here we see that to the total increase in the flocks of the whole Dominion for the year 1906–7, Wellington contributes more than four-sevenths. Nor is this rate of
But of course there are other sources of wealth, though the pastoral industry is the most important, as compared with a little over 100,000 acres under crop, there are (approximately) 3,000,000 acres in sown grasses; and, in addition to the sheep already enumerated, there are about 400,000 head of horned cattle, 56,000 horses, and 46,000 pigs. Both the soil and the climate are well adapted for dairying, and creameries and butter factories are increasing year by year. In April, 1906, the butter and cheese factories in operation numbered fifty-one, and the value of their output in 1905 was £616,773. Then, the five meat freezing works in operation in April, 1906, had turned out produce to the value of £1,275,803 in 1905, and had paid wages amounting to £90,667, In April, 1906, the province had forty-one flaxmills, and the value of their output in 1905 was £189,000, and the wages paid was £91,000; while the persons employed-numbered 1,039. Of saw-mills and sash and door factories the province had ninety-eight in April, 1906; and these establishments employed 1,611 persons, who received wages amounting to £183,821. An approximately accurate summary of the other industries carried on in the provincial district of Wellington would have to include ham and bacon curing establishments, 3; fish-curing works, 3; grain-mills, 8; bread and confectionery works, including baking and biscuit manufactories, 192; breweries, 25; aerated-water factories, 35; condiment factories, 10; soap and candle works, 10; cooperages, 6; gasworks, 11; brick, tile, and pottery works, 31; plumbing and tinware factories, 99; iron and brass foundries, 55; printing offices, 71; basket and perambulator factories, 7; coachbuilding and painting works, 230; cycle factories, 66; saddlery and harness factories, 73; tanning and fellmongering establishments, 29; sail and oilskin factories, 9; furniture and cabinetmaking, 99; tailoring establishments, 182; dressmaking and millinery, 233; shirt-making, 11; boot and shoe factories, 91.
Other similar facts and figures might be adduced in this connection, but those which have been given will supply a fairly adequate idea of the resources and the industrial activities of the 179,868 persons who (approximately) constitute the population of the provincial district of Wellington. and though, humanly, the future history of the district may “hold in it darkness and sorrow,” it must, not less, hold also sunshine and joy. It cannot be otherwise, with its fine climate, healthy and mild yet invigorating, and with the large amount of stimulating and wealth-yielding pioneer work that has yet to be done in the province. Of its seven million acres of land, about three million acres are yet under bush. It has, indeed, been well said by a competent authority that “the Wellington land district contains within its borders a greater quantity of good land than any other in the North Island, very little, except the mountain-tops, being unfitted for use, while some of it is very superior quality, suited for the growth of the productions of every temperate climate. As much of it is still forest-clad, settlers must look forward to having to make their farms by felling and burning the bush before
There are eighteen postal districts in the Dominion, and though the Wellington district is not the most populous of these, its inhabitants are, apparently, the most prudential, to judge by the business of the post office savings banks. The total number of deposits made in the whole Dominion during 1906 was 593,764, covering a value of £7,907,154; to which Wellington contributed 147,407 deposits, and £1,650,385 in value. Then, of Wellington's share in the trade of the whole Dominion, an excellent idea is obtained from the customs and other revenue collected at the various ports by the Customs Department. For the year that ended on the 31st of March, 1907, the figures were:
In this comparison Auckland makes a good second, but nevertheless Wellington keeps her pride of place with comfort.
One fact—and not a satisfactory one either—must not be overlooked in connection with the provincial district: this is the number of its towns, and the relatively large number of persons who live in them. The population of the city of Wellington and its suburbs amounts to 63,807; and sixteen boroughs and towns throughout the province have amongst them a population of 46,160 persons; namely, Palmerston North, 10,250; Wanganui, 8,200; Petone, 5,900; Masterton, 5,000; Lower Hutt, 3,400; Feilding, 2,975; Car terton, 1,400; Pahiatua, 1,380; Foxton, 1,330; Marton, 1,275; Levin, 1,265; Greytown, 1,130; Eketahuna, 700; Featherston, 670; Hunterville, 645; and Martinborough, 640. Thus, of a total population of 179,868 for the province, 109,927 souls lead a town life, with only 70,000 in the rural districts. It will be well when this proportion is reversed, and no doubt it will be changed by degrees, as the closer settlement of the land progresses under enlightened conditions. But definite and well-maintained action is needed in this connection, for though the position of the Dominion as a whole is unsatisfactory in this matter, Wellington's is less satisfactory than that of the Dominion as a whole; for while the rural population for the whole Dominion (464,304) is 40,000 in excess of its urban population (424,072), Wellington's urban population exceeds its rural population by 70,000 souls. To reverse this state of things the intelligence of the province is bound to apply itself, and the measure of its success will be the measure of the districts' increased prosperity.
It is, however, an old but perpetually new truth, that man does not live by bread alone; weights and measures, customs duties andbank balances, flocks and herds, or fields and factories are not the only tests of a country's happiness or of its place in the scale of humanity and civilisation. Sir William Jones rightly asks, and nobly answers, the vital question that presents itself in this connection:
And towards the attainment of this high human, social and political ideal, Wellington works not unworthily in conjunction with the rest of the Dominion, by means of colleges and schools, churches and public libraries. The province has two education districts, one named Wellington, and the other Wanganui. The capital has a university college, as well as a technical school, a school of art, and high schools for boys and girls; and Wanganui has a collegiate school for boys, and a girl's college; then between them the two education districts have about 350 primary public schools, which are attended by about 30,000 children. As to churches, here is a table which sets out the numerical facts concerning Wellington by itself and in comparison with the other divisions of the Dominion:
The value and the amount of educational work done in Wellington, and elsewhere throughout the Dominion, by means of public libraries, mechanics' institutes, and other literary and scientific institutions, can hardly be set out in the terms of computation. It is, however, in the main, co-operative with that of the schools, colleges, and churches, and may, perhaps, be approximately appraised by figures such as these:
Notwithstanding its industrial energy, and other strenuous material activities, Wellington, as a province, does not neglect the cultivation of a taste for the beautiful in its people. Of this, ample and interesting evidence is found in the number of the public domains, which are to be met with here and there throughout the province. These often are in the loveliest localities—localities favoured by Nature, as Nature, goddess-like, has from time immemorial favoured New Zealand with immortal grace and beauty and grandeur. and to these qualities in those of the public domains which possess them man has, not unsuccessfully, added the little touches that humanise without destroying Nature's own primary characteristics. Of the four large provinces of New Zealand, Wellington has the largest area in public domains; namely, 36,971 acres in forty-five domains; Canterbury, thirty-five domains containing
Thus these things stand at present, and they show a material advance upon the things recorded in the first volume of the Cyclopedia of New Zealand ten years ago. But of men, then the best known in Wellington and throughout New Zealand, a different tale has to be told. The greatest of them all, Sir George Grey (page 31, volume 1), the father of New Zealand's political Liberalism, and the first effective introducer of the idealistic social spirit into the Dominion's polities—died in London on the 20th of September, 1898; and Sir Julius Vogel (page 60, vol. 1)— hardly less notable on the materialistic side of public affairs, died, also in London, on March 13th, 1899. Of other men of note who have since passed away, Sir Francis Dillon Bell (page 112, vol. 1) died on July 15th, 1898; Sir Edward Stafford (page 58, vol. 1) on February 14th, 1901; Sir John McKenzie (page 46, vol. 1) on the 6th of August, 1901; Hon. W. Rolleston (page 79, vol. 1) February 8, 1903; Sir George Whitimore (page 78, vol. 1), March 16th, 1903; Hon. W. C. Walker (page 1493, vol. 1) January 5th, 1904; Sir Alfred Cadman (page 45, vol. 1) who had become Speaker of the Legislative Council, died on March 23rd, 1905; the Right Honourable Richard John Seddon (page 40, vol. 1) who had been Premier from the 1st of May, 1893, died on the 10th of June, 1906; and Sir John Hall (page 63, vol. 1) on the 25th of June, 1907.
It may be observed that Sir Robert Stout (page 64, vol 1) became Chief Justice of New Zealand on the 22nd of June, 1899; and that the Earl of Glasgow was succeeded in the Governorship of the Dominion, by the Earl of Ranfurly on the 10th of August, 1897, and that Lord Plunket succeeded Lord Ranfurly on the 20th of June, 1904. The Hon. W. P. Reeves (page 43, vol. 1) who was appointed the Dominion's Agent-General in London, on January 10th, 1906, became its first High Commissioner in London on June 14th, 1905.
On the death of Mr. Seddon—Sir Joseph Ward (page 47, vol. 1) being then absent in England—the Hon. W. Hall-Jones (page 1493, vol. 1) became Premier, and held office till the 6th of August, 1906, when Sir Joseph Ward formed a new Ministry, which is still in power, and is composed of the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Ward, Prime Minister, Colonial Treasurer, Post master-General, Commissioner of Electric Telegraphs, Minister of Defence, and Minister of Industries and Commerce; the Hon. William Hall-Jones, Minister for Railways and Minister for Public Works; the Hon. James Carroll, Native Minister and Minister of Stamp Duties; the Hon. James McGowan, Minister of Justice, Minister of Mines, and Minister of Immigration; the Hon. John George Findlay, M.L.C., Attorney-General and Colonial Secretary; the Hon. John Andrew Millar, Minister of Trade and Customs, Minister of Labour, and Minister of Marine; the Hon. Robert McNab, Minister of Lands and Minister for Agriculture; and the Hon. George Fowlds, Minister of Education and Minister of Public Health.
The Hon. C. C. Bowen (page 74, vol. 1) is Speaker of the Legislative Council, and the Hon. A. B. Guinness (page 105, vol. 1) Speaker of the House of Representatives.
The present members for Wellington in the Legislative Council are the Hon. W. E. Collins, Hon. J. G. Findlay, Hon. H. Gilmer, Hon. J. E. Jenkinson, Hon. C. J. Johnston, Hon. R. A. Loughnan, Hon. C. M. Luke, Hon. T. K. Macdonald, and Hon. John Rigg.
In the House of Representatives Mr. J. G. W. Aitken represents Wellington East; W. H. P. Barber, Newtown; W. H. Field, Otaki; F. M. B. Fisher, Wellington Central; A. W. Hogg, Masterton; J. M. Hornsby, Wairarapa; C. H. Izard, Wellington North; F. Y. Lethbridge, Oroua; A. E. Remington, Rangitikei; R. B. Ross, Pahiatua; J. Stevens, Manawatu; T. M. Wilford, Hutt; and W. T. Wood, Palmerston.
On the 12th of June, 1907, in the House of Representatives, Sir Joseph Ward, the Premier, moved— “that this House respectfully requests that His Majesty the King may be graciously pleased to take such steps as he may consider neccessary in order that the designation of New Zealand be changed from the “Colony of New Zealand;” to the “Dominion of New Zealand;” and that a respectful address he presented to His Excellency the Governor requesting him to transmit this resolution for submission to His Majesty.” Fifty members voted for, and fifteen against this motion, which was, therefore, carried; and a similar resolution was affirmed in the Legislative Council on the 16th of the same month. New Zealand was proclaimed a Dominion on September 20th, 1907, and ceased to be a colony, which had first become its designation on the 3rd of May, 1841.
More might be said, but need not be said, as to the state of Wellington in the year 1907, considered by itself or in comparison with the other provincial districts of New Zealand. What has here been written is founded absolutely on facts, and the facts show that the province of Wellington, like the rest of the Dominion, is in a state of sound prosperity and wholesome progressiveness—so much so that, from the higher foregrounds of the present time, one may, without being a prophet, discern through far-stretching vistas of futurity, still more golden days, and eras of maturer greatness, for the people of this happy land.
Wanganui is situated on the north bank of the noble river from which it takes its name, and about four miles from the sea. It is 151 miles north from Wellington, and 102 miles by water, and is the depot and port for a large extent of agricultural and pastoral country. The borough is surrounded by the Waitotara County, and the town gives its name to the electoral district of which it forms the larger part.
In the early days the settlement was the scene of numerous conflicts and troubles with the Maoris. The first attempt at settlement was made in 1840 by the New Zealand Land Company, whose right the Maoris disputed; and for several years the colonists were subjected to frequent disturbances and persecutions. In 1847 a severe skirmish took place at St. John's Bush, when both sides suffered a number of casualties. From that time, however, the rebellion gradually died out, and the settlement has since steadily advanced.
The municipality of Wanganui was constituted in 1872, and its government by the Borough Council has been creditably conducted. The Wanganui Harbour Board, another important public body, controls all matters pertaining to the port, and has jurisdiction to the limit of tidal water, fourteen miles from the mouth of the river. The Waitotara and Wanganui County Councils have their head-quarters in the town. Other public bodies are the Hospital Board, the Wanganui Board of Education, Board of Governors of the Wanganui Girls' College, and the Trust Board of the Wanganui Collegiate School.
The more important educational institutions of Wanganui are the District High School, Queen's Park School, the Technical School, Wanganui Girls' College, Wanganui Collegiate School, and the Convent High School. The religious denominations are represented by the Anglican, Roman
Five recreation grounds, aggregating sixty acres in area, are maintained by the corporation. In the Moutoa Gardens, situated on the river bank, are a statue of the late Hon. John Ballance and a monument erected to the memory of the Friendly Natives who defeated the Hauhaus at Moutoa Island. Queen's Park occupies a central position, and is the site of the famous Rutland Stockade. Within its borders is a monument to the soldiers who fell in the Maori war. Cook's Gardens are situated on St. John's Hill; in Victoria Park, in the same locality, and in the Recreation Grounds, near the racecourse, most of the cricket and football matches are played.
The Borough Council has also under its control the municipal abattoirs, opera house, gas works, and swimming baths, while electric tramways have been authorised. The town possesses a splendid water supply, there is good drainage, and the streets and footpaths are maintained in excellent order.
Wanganui is an important commercial and industrial centre, the large commercial institutions doing business throughout the Dominion are represented there, and the chief industries include meat freezing and preserving works, an iron pipe manufactory, sash and door, and furniture establishments, a biscuit and confectionery factory, soap works, engineering and coach building establishments, and breweries. The five banks doing business in New Zealand are each represented in the town. There are two papers, the “Wanganui Chronicle,” a morning daily, and the “Wanganui Herald,” which is published every evening. These journals, which are each of eight pages, and are well conducted, date from 1856 and 1867 respectively.
As a desirable place of residence, a health resort, and the starting point of excursions which have earned for Wanganui the name of the Bingen of the New Zealand Rhine, the town is noted. For the river traffic specially-designed steamers were built in England, and the first river boat started running in 1891. Considerable outlay in removing snags and otherwise preparing the way for the light-draught river vessels was involved. For several years communication was maintained only as far as Pipiriki, sixty miles up the river. The traffic has steadily increased, and in 1907 fully a dozen steamers and launches were engaged in it. For the convenience of visitors a large hotel, containing 100 rooms, was built at Pipiriki. Successful attempts were then made to render the upper reaches of the river navigable, with the result that the boats now ply as far as Taumarunui, sixty miles from Pipiriki, where a large floating house boat is moored for the accommodation of tourists.
Wanganui has participated in the general increase of the population of New Zealand. At the census of 1901 the borough proper contained 7,329 inhabitants. This number had increased to 8,175 at the census of 1906. At the same date, within the borough boundaries, there were 1,618 houses, of which only ninety-two were unoccupied. The suburbs of Wanganui are considerably populated. On the south, across the river, and within the county of Wanganui are Durietown and Taylorville, whose inhabitants numbered 351 and eighty-two respectively. At the Heads the Maori suburb of Castleclif had 380. Three miles up the river is the thriving settlement of Aramoho, with its 1,018 inhabitants. To the north-east, St. John's Hill, partly in the Brunswick and partly in the Westmere riding of the County of Waitotara, contains an additional 361. There are also Gonville and vicinity, with 490, and Mosstown and Springvale with 180 and 169 more. These numbers show a total of 3,031 for the above suburbs, which, added to the number of residents in the borough, brings the total population of Wanganui up to 11,206
Member of the House of Representatives for Wanganui, was returned at the General Election of December 1905, when he contested the seat with Mr. A. D. Willis, the former member and Government nominee, and three other candidates, and represents the Liberal interest. Mr. Hogan was born in the year 1874 in Wanganui, where he was educated. At nineteen years of age he entered the Railway service at the Eastown Workshops, where he was employed for eleven years as a machinist, and resigned this position in order to become a candidate for the House of Representatives. As a volunteer he had nine years' service, and resigned a lieutenant's commission prior to the election. Mr. Hogan is further referred to as a member of the firm of Messrs. Holloway, Hogan and Caddy Limited.
was incorporated in the year 1872. Its area is 1000 acres, and it contains 1900 rateable properties. The rateable value is £84,000, on which 2s. 5d. in the £ is levied, producing an annual rate of £10,150. In addition to the rate revenue the Council receives revenue from its reserves to the amount of £1700 per annum. Included in these reserves are 250 acres within the Borough, and 2000 acres at Mangawhero. The municipal offices, erected in 1881, are located in St. Hill Street, and adjoining is the Opera House, also the property of the ratepayers. The latter was built in 1899, at a cost of £5000, and is the only theatre in the town. It has seating accommodation for 1000, and is lighted by both electricity and gas.
On April 1st, 1902, the Corporation purchased the plant of the Wanganui Gas Company, Limited, originally established about 1878. The works are situated on a borough reserve in Taupo Quay. In October, 1905, a fine building in brick was built in Ridgway Street, and contains the offices and showrooms for the gas department. The three gasometers are capable of holding 315,000 cuble feet of gas. Throughout the district there are twenty miles of mains, and 1,750 consumers. The price charged is 5s. net per 1000 feet for lighting, and 4s. 9d. net for cooking and heating purposes.
These are provided by the Municipality on the river bank, and consist of a large basin, with hot and cold baths also on the premises. A caretaker is in charge.
The Volunteer Fire Brigade is supported by an annual subsidy of £300. The principal station is in St. Hill Street, near the Opera House and Council Chambers. The Brigade is under the command of Captain George Spriggens.
A gravitation scheme has been satisfactorily installed throughout the borough at a total cost of £60,000. The main source is eighteen miles distant, a dam having been constructed beside the Okehu Stream. Although this is usually sufficient, a subsidiary supply is obtained from Virginia Lake, on St. John's Hill. The water from the latter alone gives a pressure of forty-five to sixty pounds to the square inch in the town mains, and when this is added to the larger supply the pressure rises to 110 to 130 pounds to the square inch.
The outfall is into the sea through the Wanganui river.
The loans raised for municipal purposes are: a consolidated loan of £55,000, a water-works loan of £70,000, a street improvement and drainage loan amounting to £27,500, a municipal opera house loan of £4000, gas loans of £55,000, and a tramway loan of £40,000; total £251,500.
Voting in favour of an electric service for Wanganui was carried on 28th November, 1906. The intention is to construct about six miles of track, commencing at the gasworks, Taupo Quay, via Victoria Avenue, Glasgow Street and the River Bank to Aramoho, together with two branch lines. The power-house will adjoin the gasworks, and coke will be largely used. The estimated cost of construction and equipment is £40,000.
The Borough Council acts as a Queen's Park Domain Board. The local Museum, a Band Rotunda and Band Room, and a Tennis Court are among the attractions in the Park. Another Borough Reserve is Cook's Gardens, which may be entered from St. Hill, Nixon, and Ridgway Streets, and from Maria Place. A very fine observatory, owned by the local Astronomical Society, occupies an elevated part of these gardens. The Moutoa Gardens, originally intended for a Market Square, are on the River Bank near the Court House. Victoria Park about twenty acres in extent, on St. John's Hill, within the borough, is well planted and sheltered, and mostly used for football and other sports.
The members of the Council for the year 1907 are: Mr. C. E. Mackay (Mayor), Messrs. T. H. Battle, G. Carson, F. A. Harkness, A. Harris, E. N. Liffiton, J. T. Muir, C. W. Poynter, H. A. Purser, and G. Spriggens. The principal officers are: Messrs. G. Murch (town clerk), A. Gilmour (engineer), and G. D. Stone (gas manager).
was also Mayor in 1906. He was first elected to the Borough Council in November, 1905. In 1904 Mr. Mackay was elected a member of the Mataongaonga
member of the Wanganui Borough Council, has represented the borough for several years on the Sanitation Works, Water Supply, Gasworks, and Tramway Committees. He is also a member and officer of the Fire Brigade.
a member of the Wanganui Borough Council, has been well-known in Wanganui since he purchased the “Wanganui Chronicle” in 1874. He served as a member of the House of Representatives for Wanganui, having been returned at the general election of 1896. Mr Carson is a member of the Public Baths, Reserves, Sanitation and Tramways Committees. He is also chairman of the Board of Governors of the Wanganui Girls' College, and a member of the Education Board.
was first elected a member of the Wanganui Borough Council in the year 1906, and was re-elected in April, 1907. He is a member of the Public Baths. Water Supply, Suburbs, and Tramways committees. Mr Harris came to New Zealand in the year 1877, and had experience in farming and flax-milling before settling in Wanganui.
was elected a member of the Wanganui Borough Council in 1897, and serves on the Reserves, Sanitation, Gasworks, Works, and Suburbs Committees.
the senior member of the Wanganui Borough Council, was first elected in the year 1888, and he serves on the Reserves, Finance, and Suburbs Committees.
member of the Wanganui Borough Council, occupies a seat on the Finance, Public Baths, Sanitation, Gasworks, and Opera House committees.
member of the Wanganui Borough Council, occupies a seat on the Finance, Reserves, Opera House, Water Supply, Works, and Tramways committees.
was elected in April, 1907, to the Wanganui Borough Council. He was born in Nelson, and entered the employ of Mr A. D. Willis, in Wanganui. In 1897 he was promoted to the position of manager of the firm. His father was the late Mr John Poynter, an old Nelson colonist, politician, and Resident Magistrate, who is referred to on page 81–2 of Volume 5 of this work.
a member of the Wanganui Borough Council, serves on the Opera House. Water Supply, Gasworks, and Works Committees. He has served in various positions with the local Fire Brigade.
was a member of the Wanganui Borough Council for eight years, took an active part on the Waterworks, Opera House, and other committees, and holds office as one of the Sinking Fund Commissioners. He also served for four years as a member of the Wanganui Harbour Board. Mr. Griffiths was born in London, England, came to New Zealand in 1867, and has since resided in the Wellington Provincial District. Further reference to Mr Griffiths appears as manager of Messrs. W. and G. Turn-bull's local branch.
was constituted in January, 1877, and has control over an area which extends from the Heads to a point sixteen miles up the Wanganui River. The Board has a handsome revenue, which is steadily on the increase. For the year ending December 31st, 1886, the total income was £3,521; ten years later it was £6,048, and for the year ending 1906 it had increased to £9,046. Besides this revenue the Board had a substantial balance of £4,122 from the previous year, making a total of £13,168. Among the principal items of expenditure may be noted £2,995 for dredging and snagging, £2,546 for internal training wall, £2,020 interest and sinking fund, £973 for pontoons, and £681 for the tug “Mas-cotte.” Originally the Board borrowed £60,000 at 6 per cent on its debentures in London. In June, 1904, this loan fell due, and was paid off by an accumulated sinking fund of £30,000, and a similar amount obtained from the National Bank of New Zealand. The Wanganui Harbour Board Act of 1905 authorised the Board to borrow £30,000 to pay off the bank, and an additional £30,000 for harbour improvements. Good wharfage accommodation is maintained at the town and Heads wharves, which are valued at £10,000. The dredge is kept busy dredging the flats between the town wharves and the Heads at Castlecliff. The average depth of water at the wharves is from thirteen
at the corner of Victoria Avenue and Ridgway Street, is a handsome two-storeyed brick building with a square clock tower. The entire building is used for the accommodation of the post, telegraph, and money order and savings bank departments; the ground floor contains the postal department, and the upper floor the telegraph and telephone department. The exchange has 680 subscribers—the fifth largest in the colony—and about seventeen borough connections. The office is a first grade chief post office; there is a staff of 105 persons under the chief postmaster, and 106 sub-offices. The cable under Cook Straits, connecting the South Island at Wakapuaka, is worked from this office. The cable, though laid in the year 1877, is, owing to the sandy nature of the marine bed, as sound as when laid.
was appointed Chief Postmaster at Wanganui in the year 1902. He was born at Napier, where he was educated, and entered the service of the Post Office as a cadet in 1873. Some years later he was transferred to Christchurch, where he remained for seventeen years. He held various positions, including those of accountant, chief clerk, and subsequently inspector, before receiving his present appointment.
extends from Shannon to Mokau, and from the sea coast to Lake Taupo. In 1898 Wanganui became the head-quarters of the police district, which comprises thirty-four stations. Inspector Edward Wilson, formerly of Greymouth, is in charge. The staff includes five sergeants, and sixty-three constables and detectives.
forms part of the Wel-lington-Napier-New Plymouth section, and extends from Foxton to Woodville, from Palmerston North to New Plymouth, and to all branches, including the Main Trunk line as far as Mata-roa. The Eastown workshops at Aramoho are controlled by the Locomotive Engineer at Petone. The offices of the traffic department at Wanganui are at the railway station, Taupo Quay. Mr Walter Stringle-man is District Traffic Manager, and Mr C. H. Biss, District Engineer. 400 persons are employed in the Traffic branch; 270 in the Maintenance branch, and 175 at the Eastown Workshops.
is a new two-storeyed wooden building with a tiled roof. The first floor is occupied by the departmental staff, and the ground floor contains the ticket office and public lobby, ladies' and gentlemen's waiting rooms, stationmaster's office, traffic inspector's office, and luggage and porters' rooms. The office of the district engineer and his staff is in a separate building. There is also a goods department and a large wharf and shed. The station staff number forty-five permanent, and thirty casual wharf hands. Eleven trains arrive and depart daily. Mr Joseph Smith is Stationmaster-in-charge, and has served on the staff of the New Zealand Railways since the year 1875.
controls the administration of the district Hospital. Members for the year 1907:—Messrs. W. Ritchie (chairman), T. H. Battle, T. B. Williams, J. F. Sicely, C. G. Russell, C. J. Wray, E. E. Fletcher, R. K. Simpson, J. Duncan, B. P. Lethbridge, and J. Georgetti. Mr A. C. Ritchie is secretary and treasurer.
occupies a healthy site of thirty acres, about a mile outside the borough boundary, on the road to Castlecliff. The main brick building is a modern one, constructed on the pavilion principle. In the year 1903 the late Mr Seddon opened the Queen Victoria Ward; this is also built of brick, contains twenty beds, and was erected by public subscription, supplemented by a Government subsidy. The Nurses' Home was opened in 1904, and consists of a wood and Marseilles tiles building, with accommodation for the matron, nurses, probationers of the hospital, and servants of the home. During the year ended March, 1907, 631 patients had been under treatment. Dr. Thomas Fergus is house surgeon, and Miss C. McKenny is matron.
M.B., Ch.B., who was appointed house surgeon of the Wanganui Hospital in 1907, is the eldest son of Mr R. Fergus, of Dunedin. He was born in Dunedin in the year 1881, and was educated at the Otago Boys' High School, and the Otago University, where he graduated in 1905. Dr. Fergus was assistant in a private practice for twelve months, in the South Wairarapa district, and in 1906 was assistant house-surgeon of the Wellington Public Hospital, before receiving his present appointment.
is governed by a Board of Trustees; members for the year 1907 are:—The Right Rev. the Bishop of Wellington (chairman), Dr.G.E. Anson, and Messrs. A. G. Bignell, G. Marshall, and J. W. Marshall. Mr. S. W. Adams is secretary. The Board has its offices in Wanganui Chambers, Victoria Avenue.
is probably the largest residential college in the Dominion of New Zealand, and stands on a site bounded by Victoria Avenue, Ingestre, London, and Purnell Streets, granted by the Crown in the early days as an endowment for an Anglican school. The college building stands on a portion of the Victoria Avenue frontage, and has accommodation for 150 boarders. There are very large grounds, fives courts, tennis courts, swimming bath, etc. At the private chapel in the college grounds services are regularly held. In June, 1907, the number of pupils in attendance was 186, and of these 143 were in residence. The Head-master, Mr W. Empson, B.A., is supported by eleven assistant masters, most of whom are University graduates.
B.A., Headmaster of the Wanganui Collegiate School, has occupied his position since 1888, and was previously one of the staff for five years.
consists of:—Messrs. F. Pirani (Chairman), F. M. Spurdle, A. Fraser, D. H. Guthrie, J. Smith, G. H. Bennett, E. Dixon, F. Purnell, and W. C. Cargill. Mr W. J. Carson is secretary. The offices of the Board are at the office of the Wanganui Education Board, Nixon Street, Wanganui.
was established in 1891, and stands on an extensive site in Liverpool Street. It is a handsome two-storeyed building, to which considerable brick additions have been made. The total number of girls in attendance, including boarders, is about 150. Miss M. I. Fraser, M.A., is Lady Principal, and has held the position since the year 1894. She is assisted by six assistant mistresses, two teachers of music, and three visiting teachers.
was established in the year 1901, prior to which date it was known as the Wanganui Boys' School. It occupies a fine site on Victoria Avenue, and has a playground of five acres and a half, part of the celebrated Industrial School estate. The building is of wood and iron, and consists of seven well-ventilated class-rooms, a chemical laboratory, and a workshop fitted with tools and benches. The Head-master, Mr James Aitken, B.A., is supported by a staff of seven certificated teachers and two pupil teachers.
has jurisdiction over a district which comprises the Counties of Wanganui, Waitotara, Hawera, Patea, Waimarino, Rangitikei, Oroua, Kai-ranga, Kiwitea, Pohangina, and Mana-watu. The members of the Board for the year 1907 are:—Messrs. F. Pirani (chairman), W. C. Cargill, F. M. Spurdle, A. Fraser, D. H. Guthrie, J. Smith, G. H. Bennett, E. Dixon, and F. Purnell. The officers are:—Messrs. G. D. Braik, M.A. (chief inspector), J. Milne, M.A., and T. B. Strong, M.A., B.Sc. (inspectors), W. J. Carson (secretary and treasurer), W. H. Swanger (accountant), R. Brown (dairy instructor), J. Grant,
Secretary and Treasurer of the Wanganui Education Board, is also Secretary of the Board of Governors of the Wanganui Girls' College.
was founded by the Wanganui Education Board in the year 1892, and stands on a central site at the corner of Victoria Avenue and Guyton Street. The original building was erected with funds granted by the Education Department, subsidised by the Education Board. In 1906 extensive alterations and additions were made; an office, library, and engineering workrooms were built, and the science room was thoroughly equipped with all modern appliances. The institution is supported by capita-tion, fees from students, and scholarships and donations from several public bodies. Members of the Technical School Committee for the year 1907:—Messrs. F. M. Spurdle (chairman), G. Carson, A. M. McLeod, R. W. Green, J. Graham, G. Spriggens, R. Hughes, and the Rev. E. Drake. Mr G. D. Braik, M.A., Chief Inspector of the Education Board, is Superintendent, and Mr A. Varney the Director.
A.C.P., Director of the Wanganui Technical School, was appointed to that position in the year 1905. He was born in Belper, Derbyshire, England, where he received his primary education. In 1891 he attended Saltley College, Birmingham, and afterwards went to Leeds, where he became a teacher. There he served thirteen years under the Leeds Education Board, the last two years being at Cockburn Higher Grade and Technical School. Mr. Varney had charge also of large evening schools, and was on the staff of the Leeds Pupil Teachers' College as an art teacher in prospective geometry and design. In 1904 he came to New Zealand, and landed in Auckland. He served five months as relieving teacher under the Auckland Board of Education, and was then appointed to the staff of the secondary classes of the Wanganui District High School, and had charge of evening science classes at the Technical School. Six months later he was appointed director. In 1895 Mr Varney married a daughter of the Rev. L. E. Ellis, a retired Primitive Methodist minister of Alfredton, Derbyshire, England, and has one daughter.
adjoins the reserve after which it is named, and consists of a boys' school, and a girls' and infants' school. The number on the roll of the school is 695. The original building is of brick and wood, and contains seven class-rooms and lobbies. A new brick building will afford five additional class-rooms, and there is to be a fine central hall for assembly purposes, measuring 106 feet by 50 feet. The headmaster at Queen's Park School is assisted by nine certificated teachers and four pupil teachers. The Gonville side school, attached to the Queen's Park School, is under the care of one of the assistants, and has a roll of forty-four.
Head-master of Queen's Park School, was for seven years first assistant-master at the Hawera District High School, before receiving his present appointment in 1905.
stands on a central site of one acre in Victoria Avenue, Wanganui. The church was built in 1866, and has since been considerably enlarged. The vicarage stands on a site of half an acre in another part of Victoria Avenue.
occupies a site in Victoria Avenue. It was built in the year 1870, and is a fine structure, with a handsome spire. There is a large Sunday school in connection with the church. The Rev. R. M. Ry-burn, M.A., is resident minister.
M.A., Minister of St. Paul's Presbyterian Church, Wanganui, took charge of the parish in the year 1897. He was formerly minister of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Gisborne, and further reference to his career will be found on page 975 of the Auckland Volume of the Cyclopedia of New Zealand.
Wanganui, was erected by the late Very Rev. Dean Kirk, S.M., in 1877, and occupies a site in Victoria Avenue. It is a handsome building, with seating accommodation for 1400 persons. There is a Convent, with a community of twenty-seven sisters of the Order of St. Joseph of Nazareth. To the convent a high school for young ladies is attached, which is attended by 100 scholars, including forty boarders; and there is a division for boys, with about thirty-five scholars. The property of the Roman Catholic Church in Wanganui also includes a two-storeyed building, used partly as an orphanage and partly as a parish school (with about 120 scholars), a mixed infants' school
S.M., Priest in charge of the Catholic Parish of Wanganui, was born near Dungamon, County Tyrone, Ireland, and was educated partly in France, and partly at St. Mary's Church, Dun-dalk, where he was ordained priest in the year 1878. On his arrival in New Zealand, in 1879, he was appointed curate to the late Very Rev. Father Forest, parish priest of Napier, and it was during his stay at Napier that the enlargement of the Marist Brothers' schools was effected, mainly through his efforts. In 1880 Dean Grogan was appointed to the charge of the district of Hawera, which then included the whole of the coast from Wanganui to New Plymouth. He remained there for four years, and during that time he paid off £760 of debt, built two churches and a presbytery, enlarged the church at Hawera, and secured land in six different districts for future church purposes. In the year 1884 Dean Grogan succeeded Father Forest as Parish Priest of Napier, and as one church was not sufficient for the wants of his congregation, one of his first efforts was to purchase the site on which the beautiful church of St. Patrick's now stands, as well as a site for a new presbytery. Soon the second Catholic Church in Napier was erected at a cost of considerably over £6,000, including the price of site. Dean Grogan again enlarged the Marist Brothers' schools, as well as those of the Sisters. At that time the Wairoa district was part of the parish of Napier, and there also Dean Grogan enlarged and lined the church, secured the site of the present presbytery, and handed £210 to Father Lepretre on his taking charge of that part of the parish. Dean Gro-gan's last work in Napier was the building of a new convent for the Sisters of the Mission, a fine two-storeyed building. In 1902, after being stationed for nineteen years in Napier, Dean Grogan visited America and Europe, where he spent twelve months amongst his relations and old schoolmates. On his return, in February, 1903, he was appointed to the charge of the parish of Wanganui, where he has already erected a fine school at Aramoho, and has completed another new church (St. Joseph's) in this same suburb. This handsome church, capable of seating 400 worshippers, which was solemnly dedicated by His Grace Archbishop Redwood on September 1st, 1907, is, in design, workmanship, and finish, a masterpiece, and a credit to the Catholics of Wanganui.
stands on a site of one acre and a half, with frontages to Victoria Avenue and Wicksteed Street. The building is of wood and iron, and has seating accommodation for 500 persons, and there is a fine pipe organ. The Sunday school will accommodate 200 children. Besides these buildings, there are three houses, including the parsonage, also erected on the site. There is a large and flourishing Young Men's Institute in connection with the church. Services are held at Gonville, Kaitoke, and the surrounding district.
was appointed to the Trinity Methodist Church, Wanganui, in the year 1904. He was trained at Three Kings College, Auckland, and was stationed in various parts of the Dominion before receiving his present charge.
is one of the best-known social organisations in Wanganui, and has had a successful career, is well managed, and has a large membership. It was founded in the year 1896 by the Rev. George Bond, of Trinity Wesleyan Church, and the Institute meets every evening for the pur-pose of debates, recreation, and physical culture.
has been in existence for some years, having been founded in 1888. Officers for the year 1907:—Mr W. Empson (patron), Mr G. Spriggins (president), Messrs G. R. Simpson, H. F. Tilley, and J. C. Wesney (vice-presidents, A. W. Mountfort (treasurer), W. Hall (secretary), and a committee consisting of one representative from each club. There are a number of clubs affiliated with the Union, besides three sub-unions, namely—Rangi-tikei, Awarua, and Primary Schools. The Union is one of the oldest on the Coast, under the New Zealand Union; it controls all Rugby football in the Wanganui district, holds five competitions during each season in addition to a primary school competition. Representatives from the Union have played against the British, New South Wales and Australian teams in Great Britain, Australia, and the Dominion.
claims to be the oldest institution of its kind on the West Coast of the North Island, and was founded in the year 1848. The racecourse, which is held by trustees (for whom Mr F. Moffatt is secretary), is regarded as one of the sights of the town. It is situated in Ingestre Street, is surrounded with a fine ring of shelter trees, and embraces an artificial lake,
was founded in 1889 to replace the old Agricultural and Pastoral Society. The Summer Show is held in November, and the attendance is invariably large. There is a membership of 850. Officers for the year 1907:—Mr J. H. Nixon (president), Mr Selby Morton (secretary), and five vice-presidents.
Secretary of the Wanganui Agricultural Association, was born in the year 1867, in Turakina, where he was educated at the Rev. J. Ross' College, and later studied accountancy under Mr William Alexander, Wanganui. In 1899 he was appointed secretary to the Agricultural Association.
Piano and Music Importer, Ridgway Street, Wanganui. This business was established in the early “nineties,” by Mr Gilbert, who had previously practised as a piano tuner, which practice he still conducts in conjunction with his business. The premises consist of a commodious showroom, a shop, an office, and a storeroom. A valuable stock is maintained of the best pianos, music, Edison phonographs and records, and Stirling records, as well as a large variety of musical instruments, and the most up-to-date publications in musical literature. Mr Gilbert is a direct importer, and keeps his stock thoroughly up-to-date. He was born at Brighton, England, in the year 1848. He came to New Zealand, with his parents, in the ship “Simla,” in 1852, and settled in Taranaki until the Maori war broke out, when they removed to Nelson. Mr Gilbert was educated in Nelson, and apprenticed to the cabinetmaking trade. Subsequently he followed his trade in Melbourne, and also thoroughly mastered the art of piano-tuning. In 1880 he returned to New Zealand, and practised as a piano-tuner on the East Coast, with his head-quarters at Wanganui, until taking over his present business. Mr Gilbert is a member of the bowling club, and has served on the school committee. He is married, and has three sons and three daughters.
are situated in Market Square, near the Moutoa Gardens. The building is of wood and iron, and contains complete accommodation for the various sittings of the Supreme, District, and Magistrate's Courts. Three sittings of the Supreme Court are held in the year, the District Court sits quarterly, and there are weekly sittings of the Magistrate's Court. The latter Court sits twice a week for civil business, and daily for police court work and criminal business. The Stipendiary Magistrate, Mr R. L. Stanford, also acts as Registrar of the Supreme Court. Mr C. A. Burton, Clerk of the Magistrate's Court, is Deputy-Registrar and Sheriff, Clerk of the Licensing Committee, and Clerk of the District Court. A District Court is held by Judge Haselden quarterly.
M.R.C.S. (Eng.), L.R.C.P. (Edin), L.M. and L.S.A. (Lon.). Dr. Hatherly has been practising in Wanganui since 1893. He studied his profession at the Westminster Hospital, and after-wards at Paris. Having filled the offices of house surgeon to the Westminster Hospital and the Derbyshire Infirmary, he settled in Nottingham until 1893, when he left England for New Zealand by the s.s. “Southern Cross.” He was for six years one of the visiting surgeons of the Wanganui Hospital, is honorary surgeon to the Wanganui Hockey Club, and surgeon to the Gaol. He takes a keen interest in music, being for several years past president of the Wanganui Liedertafel, and is an active and well-known member of the Chess and Bowling Clubs.
M.R.C.V.S., Veterinary Surgeon, Victoria Avenue, Wanganui. Mr Edgar was born in Daventry, Northamptonshire, England, in the year 1868, and is a brother to Dr. Edgar, of Napier. He was educated at Daventry Grammar School, afterwards spent six years on his uncle's farm, and then studied for his profession at the Royal Dicks Veterinary College, Edinburgh, where he graduated M.R.C.V.S. in the year 1895. Mr Edgar then practised for some time in different parts of England. In 1897 he entered the service of the Cape Government, and remained in South Africa for nearly two years. He returned to England in 1898, and was for a time with Mr C. H. Golledge, Sherborne, Dorset. Subsequently he accepted an appointment under the New Zealand Government, and in 1899 came to the Dominion. During the South African Boer war he went with the 4th Contingent, and on returning was appointed by the Government to examine remounts for the later contingents. In 1902 Mr Edgar settled in Wanganui, and, in conjunction with his present practice, is a temporary veterinary officer to the Government. He is also veterinary officer to the Wanganui Jockey Club and the Agricultural Association of Manawatu and Wanganui. In 1900 Mr Edgar married Miss Maud Thompson, third daughter of Mr Arthur Rayne Thompson, Bedford, England. Mrs. Edgar died in September, 1904, at Crow-borough, Sussex, England.
Surgeon Dentist, Ingestre Street, Wanganui. Mr. Greenwood was born in the year 1863, and is the second son of Mr John Greenwood, who for many years practised in the Wanganui district, and is now living in retirement in Nelson. He was educated at public schools and college, afterwards studied his profession under his father, and at seventeen years of age became a qualified dentist. For some years he practised with his father in Wanganui, and then started on his own account in New Plymouth, where he remained for about twelve months. In 1890 Mr. Greenwood went to England and America to gain further experience, and on his return to New Zealand took over his father's practice. The apartments consist of a surgery, with up-to-date appliances, and a waiting room and workrooms. A qualified assistant and a nurse are in attendance. Mr Greenwood takes a keen interest in local affairs, is a member of the Rowing Club, the Savage Club, the Golf Club, and the local lodge of Freemasons. He married Miss Clara Dickson, of Auckland, and has two sons and two daughters.
(W. A. Prowse, proprietor),
proprietor of the London Dental Company, was born in New Zealand, and educated at the Auckland University College. He graduated in dentistry under Dr. W. E. Thomas, of Auckland. Mr Prowse is a keen angler, is a member of the Acclimatisation Society and the Lieder-tafel Society.
Wanganui, is situated in Victoria Avenue, where the branch has been established for many years. The building is a substantial two-storeyed one, and contains a banking chamber, a manager's room and residence. Mr J. C. Campbell, the manager, is assisted by a full staff of officers.
Waniganui, was opened in the year 1870. The building, in Ridgway Street, was erected about 1877. It consists of two storeys, in wood and iron, and contains a banking chamber, a manager's room, and residence. Mr William M. Smith, who has been manager since 1905, has a staff of eight officers.
occupies a corner site in Victoria Avenue, at the intersection of Taupo Quay. The branch was opened in 1902. Mr Samuel John Gordon is manager.
has been represented in Wanganui since the year 1862. The branch is domiciled in a brick building in Victoria Avenue. It contains a banking chamber, manager's room, strong room, and has accommodation for officers of the bank. Mr George Innes, junr., is manager, and is assisted by a staff of thirteen officers.
Wanganui, occupies an imposing site in Ridgway Street. The building is of brick, and contains a banking chamber and a manager's room. The manager, Mr John Cutfield, who is supported by a strong staff, has been in charge of the bank at Wanganui for many years.
Head Office, Auckland, Wanganui Branch, Victoria Avenue, Wanganui, Branch Manager, Mr Joseph Wesney. This well-known company has been represented in Wanganui since the year 1866. Its business in the district was conducted as an agency till the year 1876, when a resident manager was placed in charge of a branch office. The premises consist of a wood and iron building, on the ground floor of which are the public and private offices of the branch; the other apartments on the ground floor and the whole of the first floor being occupied by tenants. The staff includes the manager and four officers, and the district worked from the branch office includes the country between the Rangitikei and Patea rivers, and inland as far as settlement extends.
was appointed manager of the New Zealand Insurance Company's branch at Wanganui in the year 1903. He was born in Invercargill, where he was educated, and was afterwards for four years in a law office. He then entered the service of the New Zealand Insurance Company, and twelve years later was transferred to Brisbane, Queensland, as assistant accountant. Eighteen months afterwards he returned to New Zealand, and was stationed at the Wellington office as chief clerk for twelve years before receiving his present appointment. Mr Wesney takes a keen interest in football, is vice-president of the local Rugby Football Union, and a member of the selection committee. In 1889 he married a daughter of the late Mr James Hagar, architect, of Westland, and has two sons and two daughters.
(H. H. Thompson), Insurance Agents, Victoria Avenue, Wanganui. This business was established in the year 1905 by Messrs. Gatenby and Thompson, and conducted by them until 1907, when Mr. Gatenby retired from the firm. The offices are domiciled on the ground floor of a brick building, and include public and private rooms. Mr Thompson acts as District Manager for the Citizen's Life Assurance Company, Limited, the Norwich and
of the firm of Gatenby and Thompson, was born at Harapepe, Waikato, Auckland, was educated and trained as a pupil teacher in the Auckland district, and was afterwards for a time in the service of the Auckland Board of Education. He then joined the staff of the Ocean Accident Insurance Company, by whom he was employed for six months, and for three years subsequently was in the service of the New Zealand Accident Insurance Company, for whom he opened a branch at Wanganui. Later, he resigned this position, in order to enter his present business. Mr. Thompson is a member of several local clubs.
Valuators, Land, Stock, and Station Agents, Victoria Avenue, Wanganui. This business was established in the year 1900, by Mr W. M. Ashton, the present proprietor, who had formerly been a farmer for over thirty years. The firm have agents in all parts of the Dominion, and a large number of properties constantly pass through their hands. The offices are modern, and consist of public and private offices. A number of travellers are constantly employed by the firm.
principal of the firm of Messrs. W. M. Ashton and Company, was born in Lyttelton in the year 1856, and is the eldest son of the late Mr George Ashton, a pioneer Canterbury settler. He was educated in the public schools, and afterwards farmed for some years with his father in Little Akaloa. Subsequently, he bought 1000 acres in Decanter Bay, Bank's Peninsula, which he occupied for twelve years. In 1892 he sold out, removed to the North Island, and bought Kaiwhatu station, a property of 2000 acres in the Tokomaru West district. This he successfully conducted as a sheep farm for six years; then subdivided it into three farms, which he sold at satisfactory prices, and after some time spent in the Wanganui district, he established his present business. Mr Ashton is a member of the Agricultural and Pastoral Society, the Jockey Club, the Bowling Club, and the local lodge of Freemasons. He is married, and has two sons and two daughters.
(G. Bond and C. E. H. Newcombe), Typewriters' Agents and Mechanics, Ridgway Street, Wanganui. This firm was founded in July. 1907. The premises, which are situated in Rutland's Buildings, comprise a spacious public office, a private office, and a large mechanie's room. The firm are local agents for Messrs. Yerex, Barker, and Finlay, and the Yost and Underwood typewriters. They do a large business as repairing and
is the second son of the Rev. George Bond, a prominent Wesleyan minister, and was born in the year 1882, in Onehunga. He was educated at the District High School and the Wanganui College, and afterwards gained commercial experience as a clerk in the Loan and Mercantile Agency Company. Subsequently he was transferred to the Wellington office, and, after two and a half years there, he resigned to take charge of Mr M. F. Bourke's office in Napier. Later he joined Mr Newcombe in partnership in Wanganui. Mr Bond is a well-known elocutionist, and has rendered valuable services on the public platform.
was born in Wanganui in the year 1886, and was educated at the Wanganui College. He entered the office of the Mutual Life Association, and five years later resigned in order to accept a position in the firm of Mesrs. Yerex, Barker, and Finlay, of Wellington, After one year's experience there, he left to enter into business on his own account in Wanganui, as a typewriter salesman and mechanic, in which he was afterwards joined by Mr G. Bond. Mr Newcombe has always taken a keen interest in athletics and the Dramatic Society, and is an amateur actor. He is also a member of the Liedertafel Society.
(F. G. Shury, proprietor), 38 Victoria Avenue, Wanganui. This business was established in the year 1903 by Mrs Brown, and was acquired by the present proprietor in 1906. It is regarded as one of the best agencies of its kind in the district, and a large business is conducted.
was born in Dunedin in the year 1863, and was educated at Barrett's School, and at Christ's College, Christchurch. After spending six years in the service of the Union Bank, he went to England, and was employed for two years by Mr William Whitely, the Universal Provider. In 1888 he went to Australia, where he spent twelve years, and then returned to New Zealand. He was the promoter and prospector of the celebrated Barrytown Flat, near Greymouth, and spent some years on the West Coast engaged in mining and dredging. During this time, in conjunction with Mr C. J. Swan, he invented a filter for purifying the feed water for steam boilers. He started a land and commission agent's business in Wangaui, which he still conducts in conjunction with the labour agency. Mr Shury was married in August, 1905.
Auctioneers, Produce Merchants, Land, Estate, Financial and General Commission Agents, Victoria Avenue, Wanganui. This firm was established in the year 1906, by Messrs. Holloway and Hogan, as land and financial agents, the firm's premises being then lower down Victoria Avenue. In January, 1907, it was converted into a limited liability company, with three directors. The present premises are large and commodious, and contain a fine auction room, three private offices, and one public office. Regular weekly sales are conducted by Mr Holloway. As estate agents, also, the firm have a good connection, and their business is rapidly increasing.
of Messrs. Holloway, Hogan, and Caddy, Limited, was born in Muriwai, Hawke's Bay, in the year 1870. He was educated at the State school, and was engaged in various occupations before joining the staff of the “Patea Press,” and later the “Wanganui Chronicle.” He subsequently held the position of sub-editor of the “Hawera Star” for two years, and then bought the “Patea Press,” which he owned and edited for three years and a half. He then sold out, removed to Wanganui, and accepted a position on the “Herald,” which he resigned in 1905. In the following year Mr Holloway entered into partnership with Messrs. J. T. Hogan, M. H. R., and H. G. Caddy. He was closely identified
M.H.R., is fully noticed elsewhere in this volume, as member of the House of Representatives for Wanganui.
was born In Wanganui in the year 1876. He was educated at the Wanganui High School, and at sixteen years of age entered the Aramoho Freezing Company as accountant, where he was employed for seven years. He was then appointed chief accountant to Messrs. Gilberd and Sons, soap manufacturers, and held this position until joining his present firm as a director. Mr Caddy is a member of the Agricultural Association, the Amateur Athletic Club, the Orchestral Society, and is secretary of the Trinity Young Men's Institute.
Land, Estate, Manufacturers' and General Commission Agents, 24 Victoria Avenue, Wanganui. This business was established in the year 1907. The firm have on their books a large number of good farm properties for sale and lease, also town and suburban residences, and business houses.
Mr H. J. H. Pickering, of the firm of Messrs Otterson and Pickering, was born at Havelock, Marlborough, and is the second son of Mr William Pickering. He was educated at the Blenheim and Havelock public schools, and afterwards spent a short time in his father's coaching business between Blenheim and Havelock. He subsequently was employed as a clerk in the firm of Messrs. Fell Bros., Blenheim, and after some time spent in Wellington, removed to Wanganui to join Mr Otterson. Mr Pickering is a member of the cricket club, football, and other clubs. He is married, and has one son.
(R. G. M. Park and A. W. C. Mountfort), Land, Financial, and Commission Agents, Native Agents, and Interpreters, 76 Ridgway Street (opposite the Post Office), Wanganui. This business was formerly conducted by Mr Park, in conjunction with Mete Kingi, who has since retired. The firm is an enterprising one, and is well known throughout the district.
was educated at Te Aute College, and at St. Patrick's and Victoria Colleges, Wellington. After some experience of Country life, he joined the Te Uriwera Commission as an interpreter, and was afterwards a Native Agent in Hawke's Bay. Subsequently he was employed at the head offices of the Lands and Survey Department and the Tourist and Health Resorts Department, in Wellington. Mr Park went to South Africa with the Tenth Contingent, and on his return rejoined the Survey Department. Later he was transferred to the Tourist Department, but retired to contest the Eastern Maori electorate at the general election of 1905.
was born at Greymouth, educated at Wanganui Collegiate School, matriculated, and attended Canterbury University College, Christchurch. After two years in the Christchurch Post Office he removed to Wanganui. On resigning from the post office he was for some years in a legal office before joining the firm of Messrs. Park, Mountfort and Company. Mr Mountfort takes an active interest in athletic sports and local matters, and has been treasurer of the Wanganui Rugby Union for some years. He is also connected in different capacities with various other athletic bodies and societies in Wanganui.
(G. W. Phillips and J. Greaves), Land and Estate Agents and Native Interpreters, Maria Place, Wanganui. This business was established by Mr Phillips, who was joined by Mr Greaves in 1907. The firm have one of the chief land agencies in the town, and do a successful business both in town and country properties.
of the firm of Messrs. Phillips and Greaves, was born in Parnell, Auckland, in the year 1872, and is a son of Mr G. W. S. Phillips, a Native school teacher, and a brother of Mr Frank Phillips, Native Interpreter to the Legislative Council. Mr Phillips was educated by his father and at St. Stephen's School, Parnell, and afterwards farmed for some years in the Bay of Islands and in the Waikato. He subsequently had a varied commercial
of the firm of Messrs. Phillips and Greaves, was born in the year 1858, in Yorkshire, England, where he was educated and brought up as a stonemason. He came to New Zealand in 1879, and for a time was employed in Feilding. In 1884 he established a business in Wanganui, which he still conducts in conjunction with the land and estate agency. Mr Greaves is a member of the Anglican Church, and a member of the local lodge of Foresters., He is married, and has four children.
Land and Estate Agent, Ridgway Street, Wanganui. This business was established in the year 1906. The offices are well furnished, and the staff consists of two travellers. There is a good selection of town, suburban, and country properties on the books. Mr Read is local agent for the Phoenix Assurance Company. He was born in the year 1882, and was educated at the public schools, Wellington. He afterwards farmed for about five years in the Wanganui district before starting business on his own account as a land and estate agent. Mr Read is a member of the Agricultural Association. He is married, and has one daughter.
Land, Estate, and Commission Agent, Ridgway Street, Wanganui Branch at Dannevirke (Saunders and Hall). This business was established by Mr Saunders in the year 1900. The purchase and sale of properties, both large and small, in town, suburbs, and country, is carried on, and a motor car is placed at the disposal of clients desiring to inspect properties. Mr Saunders was born in Wanganui, was educated at the Wanganui Collegiate School, and was afterwards for two years on the staff of the Bank of Australasia. He then became a partner in the firm of Lewis and Company, in which he remained for two years, and later removed to Dannevirke, where he carried on business under the style of Saunders and Hall. Mr Saunders finally returned to Wanganui, where he established his present business, leaving the Dannevirke branch under the management of Mr A. P. Hall.
(T. B. R. Dix and E. Allman-Marchant), Civil Engineers and Surveyors, Ridgway Street, Wanganui. This business was first established by Mr Dix in 1902, and the present offices consist of two large rooms on the first floor of premises in Ridgway Street. Mr Dix was joined in partnership by Mr Allman-Marchant in the year 1906. The firm have a branch office in Raetihi, and the entire staff consist of twelve persons.
of the firm of Messrs. Dix and Marchant, was born in Melbourne, Australia, in the year 1876. He was educated in Wellington, afterwards joined the staff of the United Press Association, and two years later was articled to Mr Joseph Anderson, civil engineer and surveyor, Wellington. At the end of his apprenticeship he entered the employment of Messrs. Richardson, Reardon, O'Donahoo, and Seaton, civil engineers and surveyors, Wellington. He resigned this position in 1898 to take charge of the engineering and survey departments of Messrs. John Reid and Sons, Dunedin, where he was engaged in the duplication and extension of the Roslyn tramway lines, and represented the same firm on the goldfields and throughout Otago. He subsequently returned to Wellington under engagement to Mr O'Donahoo, and in 1902 resigned to start business on his own account in Wanganui. Mr Dix is a member of the Astronomical Society, the Chamber of Commerce, the Liedertafel Society, and the Orchestral Society, and is interested in athletics, having won a reputation as a crosscountry runner.
of the firm of Messrs. Dix and Marchant, was born in Wellington, in the year 1880, and is the fourth son of Mr J. W. Allman-Marchant, late Surveyor-General of the Dominion. He was educated at public schools, the Boys' High School, Christchurch, and the Wellington College. In 1898 he joined the Government Survey Department, and was employed on the Wellington district office and field staff as assistant surveyor until he resigned in 1906 to join Mr Dix in Wanganui.
B.Sc., Surveyor and Civil Engineer, Ridgway Street, Wanganui. This practice was formerly conducted by Messrs. Atkins and Bacon, and was taken over by the present proprietor in 1907. Mr Muir was born in Christchurch, in the year 1875, and is a son of Mr N. C. Muir, clerk to the Amuri County Council, North Canterbury. He was educated at the Christchurch Boys' High School and Canterbury College, where he graduated B.Sc. in 1896. He entered the service of the Government Survey Department, and spent about four years on the West Coast. In 1902 he went to South Africa, where he had four years' valuable experience in civil engineering and surveying in Cape Colony and the Transvaal. Mr Muir returned to New Zealand in 1907, and soon afterwards settled in Wanganui.
Builder and Contractor, Maria Place, Wanganui. Mr Burton started business in the year 1902, with a partner, and has gradually made a good connection. He has erected many buildings in Wanganui, including Mr Sergeant's fine house in Bell Street. Mr Burton was born in Yorkshire, England, in the year 1877, and is a son of Mr Robert Burton, a mechanical engineer, of Masterton. He was educated in England, came to New Zealand in 1884, and was apprenticed to the building trade in Masterton, under Mr Daniel, a large contractor and timber merchant. He subsequently travelled all over the Dominion as a journeyman before establishing his present business in Wanganui. Mr Burton is married, and has two children.
Builder and Contractor, Alexander Street, Wanganui. Mr Coles was born in Droxford, near Portsmouth, England, in the year 1865, and is a son of Mr E. P. Coles, a well-known builder of Hawke's Bay, whose portrait appears on page 511 of this volume. He was educated in his native town, and learned the building trade. He came to New Zealand with his parents in 1878, by the ship “Columbus,” and served a full apprenticeship under his father at Napier. He subsequently worked for a time in partnership with his brothers at Onga Onga, before starting on his own account at Ormondville. In 1900 he removed to Wanganui, and established his present business, which gives employment to twelve journeymen. Mr. Coles is married, and has two sons.
Builder and Contractor, Ingestre Street, Wanganui. This business was founded in the year 1899. The premises consist of a convenient office, and a large workshop, which carries a full plant of woodworking machinery, driven by a twelve-horse power Campbell gas engine. A number of well-known residences and offices in Wanganui have been built by Mr Sims, who employs twenty persons in his business. Mr Sims was born in the year 1868, in Napier, where he was educated at public and private schools, and spent four years at the grocery trade, under Messrs. Neal and Close. He then learned the building trade with Mr Robert Holt, by whom he was employed for seven years. Mr Sims subsequently travelled over the Dominion, and gained further experience in his trade. He worked for Mr D. Reece, Christchurch, as foreman in the erection of the Belfast
Cordial Manufacturers, Wanganui, Napier, Hastings, and Christchurch. This business was first established in Napier in 1904, and met with such success that branches were established in Christchurch, Hastings, and Wanganui. A great variety of beverages is made, and they are manufactured only from the purest herbs and ginger.
was born in the year 1881, in Kaiapoi, Canterbury, where he was educated. He afterwards worked for some time at the Kaiapoi Woollen Mills and the Belfast Freezing Works. In 1902 Mr Barden left with the Eighth Contingent for service in the South African Boer war, and on his return was employed by Messrs. Simmonds and Osborne, cordial manufacturers, Wellington, until establishing his present business in conjunction with Mr Long. Mr Barden is married, and has two sons.
(J. G. Swan, G. H. Swan, and W. R. Tuck), Brewers, Malsters, Bottlers, and Malt Vinegar Manufacturers, St. Hill Street, Wanganui. This firm is the largest of its kind in Wanganui, and does a large business throughout the Dominion. It was established in the early “sixties,” by Mr J. Bennie, who conducted it for over thirty-five years, and was taken over by the present proprietors in 1900. The brewery is a three-storeyed wooden building, where sixteen persons are constantly employed. The bottling and malt vinegar factory is a two-storeyed building, situated on the corner of Ridgway Street and Wilson Street, and there eight persons are employed. The annual output is about 2,500 hogsheads of beer, and 200 quarter casks of malt vinegar. The firm's “Ferro-Stout,” which is known for its invigorating and refreshing qualities, is brewed in Wanganui, and, by arrangement, also in the Great Northern Brewery, Auckland.
managing director of Messrs. J. G. Swan and Company, is the eldest son of Mr G. H. Swan, a former mayor of Napier, whose notice appears on page 303 of this volume. He was born in the year 1866, in Napier, where he was educated at the Napier Grammar School, and at seventeen years of age joined his father in the Napier Brewery. In 1900 he removed to Wanganui, acquired his present business from Mr Bennie, and two years later was joined in partnership by his father.
(W. G. Herd and H. W. Dickie), Painters, Paperhangers, and House Decorators, Guyton Street, Wanganui. This business was established by Mr Herd in 1905, in Victoria Avenue, and in 1906 was removed to the present handsome premises in Guyton Street. The shop is in two divisions, with a frontage of forty feet, and there are double plate glass windows and a large verandah. The front shop and showrooms are spacious apartments, in which the latest goods are displayed to the best advantage. At the rear are the sign-writing, stock, and workrooms. The firm make a specialty of wall papers and decorative materials, imported from the best markets. A large stock is kept of the newest styles in paper-hangings, also oil-men's stores, paints, etc.
was born in Lanarkshire, Scotland, in the year 1878, and after leaving school was apprenticed to his present trade under his uncle, Mr. William Gray, with whom he worked for about nine years. In 1902 he came to New Zealand, and after spending about twelve months in Wellington, removed to Wanganui, where he worked for Messrs R. and E. Tingey, Limited, until starting on his own account. Mr Herd is secretary of the local Master Painters' Association, and trustee of the local lodge of Druids.
was born in the year 1878, at Waverley, where he was educated at the public school. He was then employed for nine years in a flour mill, subsequently removed to Wanganui, and joined Mr Herd in partnership. Mr Dickie takes an interest in social matters, and is a member of various clubs.
Draper, Milliner, Dressmaker, and Tailor, Melbourne House, Victoria Avenue, Wanganui. This business was established in the year 1898, in Victoria House, Victoria Avenue, and was conducted successfully until 1901, when the premises were destroyed by fire. The business was then carried on in a building further up Victoria Avenue. In 1905 Mr Buckrell acquired a lease of his present site, and erected the fine two-storeyed brick building now occupied. The main entrance is between two plate glass show-windows of special design, the ground floor contains the usual soft-goods departments and showrooms. The manufacturing departments are on the first floor—large airy rooms for dressmaking and tailoring—and at the rear of the main building there is good accommodation for unpacking and packing. The building is well lighted throughout. Forty persons are employed in the establishment, and the goods are imported direct from the best markets.
Tailor and Clothier, 65 River Bank, Wanganui. Late of
Merchant Tailor, Victoria Avenue, Wanganui. Mr Greenwood was born in Lancashire, England, in the year 1855, and at an early age emigrated with his parents to Victoria, Australia. After leaving school, at fourteen years of age, he spent two years in a chemist's shop, and was then apprenticed to the tailoring trade under Mr William Reece, Melbourne. He subsequently became traveller for a tailoring establishment in Ballarat. Four years later he resigned, and for about ten years conducted business on his own account in various towns. In 1876 he paid a visit, and in 1907 he came again to the Dominion, and opened his present business. Mr Greenwood is married, and has two children.
(Trustees of the late Joseph Paul), Drapers, Mercers, Clothiers, Milliners, Tailors, Dressmakers, and General Outfitters, Victoria House, Victoria Avenue, Wanganui. This well-known firm was established in the year 1879 in Taupo Quay, but owing to the increase of business Mr Paul bought the quarteracre site in the Avenue, on which the present handsome building was erected in February, 1903. It is a two-storeyed brick building with plate-glass windows. The main entrance is ornamented with tiles and mosaics, and there is a separate door leading into the clothing department. The ground floor contains the showroom, the Manchester, fancy goods, hosiery, haberdashery, and furniture departments, also the large showroom where dresses, mantles, millinery, etc., are tastefully displayed. An archway from the main shop leads into the clothing and tailoring department. At the rear of the building are the unpacking and packing rooms, with every convenience for receiving and despatching. A wide staircase leads to the first floor, where there is a reception room, and luncheon and tearooms, with seating accommodation for 100 guests. Further back on the same floor are the ladies' fitting room, cutting room, various workrooms, and two large reserve stock rooms. The building is well lighted throughout, with well-holes to light the ground floor. Messrs. Paul and Company import direct from the leading English manufacturers, and maintain a large and well-assorted stock in every department.
Trustee and Manager of Messrs. J. Paul and Company, was born in Wanganui, where he was educated. He had many years' experience in the firm of Messrs. J. Paul and Company before receiving his present appointment in 1900.
Accountant and Trustee to the firm of Messrs. J. Paul and Company, is an old and well-tried officer. He came to New Zealand, and was for many years with Mr Paul in business in Wellington and on the West Coast before joining the present firm in Wanganui.
Wood and Coal Merchant, East Town, near Wanganui. This business was established in the year 1905. The premises consist of a large store-house, with an office, 40 feet by 20 feet, and an extensive yard. A large stock of coal is kept, and a good supply of firewood. A considerable business is also done in produce and fencing materials. Mr Neilson was born in New Zealand in the year 1864, and was educated both at private and public schools. For several years he was employed with survey parties in different parts of the Dominion, and subsequently followed dairy and sheep farming in the Wanganui district for some years, before establishing his present business. Mr Neilson has always taken a keen interest in public affairs, and for twenty years has been a member of the Wanganui County Council, of which he was for seven years chairman; has been chairman of the local Road Board from its inception; is a member of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, the River Trust, the Harbour Board, the Agricultural Association, the Farmers' Union, the Caledonian Society, and the School Committee, of which he was chairman for some years. Mr Neilson is married, and has two sons and nine daughters.
Churton Street, Wanganui; Offices, St. Hill Street, near the Borough Council Chambers. This depot was established in Wanganui in the year 1907. Coal is delivered at the yard by a railway siding, and the large supply maintained is drawn from the Government mines at Westport and Greymouth. The coal is sold for cash, and is delivered to all parts of the town by a well-equipped plant. The office is connected with the telephone exchange, and also by a private wire with the depot.
Manager of the State Coal Depot at Wanganui, has been in charge since the opening of the office. He has had ten years' experience in Wanganui, and was formerly manager of the Wanganui Coal, Produce, and Carrying Company. Mr Nalder was born in Nelson, where he was educated, and entered the Customs Department, where he remained for five years before removing to Wanganui.
(R. Mathison, manager), St. Hill Street, Wanganui. This branch was established in the “eighties,” prior to which there had been an agency carried on by Mr John Rendell. The business was first conducted on Taupo Quay, but the present buildings in St Hill Street were taken over in 1902. The premises occupy a site of half an acre, and consist of a large general office, the manager's private office, a storage room, an engine room (with a four and a half-horse power gas engine), large stables, and a commodious coal and wood yard. A large stock of coal and wood is carried, including Coalbrookdale, Puponga, Mokan, and Newcastle coals; and rata, matai, and tawa wood, cut into lengths of eight inches, sixteen inches, and two feet. The Wanganui branch controls the firm's business between New Plymouth and Foxton; the coal is distributed from five ports: Wanganui, Foxton, Patea, New Plymouth, and Waitara; and there are three depots: Wanganui, Palmerston, and New Plymouth. The company has two steamers, the s.s. “Canopus,” and the s.s. “Regulus.” The latter was built specially for the Wanganui trade, and is 175 feet in length, and has a beam of twenty-nine feet, is of exceptionally light draught, and is fitted up with most efficient collier appliances.
branch manager of the Westport Coal Company, Limited, was born in Dumbarton, Scotland, in the year 1873, and is a son of the late Mr James Mathison, chief engineer of the s.s. “Hauroto.” In 1883 he came to New Zealand, with his parents, and was educated at the Albany Street School, Dunedin, and the Otago Boys' High School. He then spent some time at civil engineering under Mr L. O. Beal, of Dunedin, and in 1889 joined the service of the Westport Coal Company. After spending about nine years in Dunedin, latterly as assistant accountant, he was promoted in 1898 to the management of the Wanganui branch. Mr Mathison is a past master of the local lodge of Freemasons, and a member of the Orchestral Society, the Liedertafel Society, and the Bowling Club. He is married, and has one son and one daughter.
Hairdresser, Tobacconist, and Fancy Goods Dealer, Rutland Buildings, Ridgway Street, Wanganui. This business was established in the year 1904, and was acquired by the present proprietor in 1905. The saloon is thoroughly up-to-date, and contains three modern chairs. The shop has two show windows, the fancy goods department is on one side and the tobacconist on the other. Mr Aynsley was born near Chatham, Kent, England, where he was partly educated, and partly in New Zealand, where he landed in the year 1880. He was brought up to commercial life, and had experience in Dunedin, Christchurch, Oamaru. and Timaru. In the year 1897 he started business as a hair-dresser and tobacconist in Oamaru, and five years later settled in Wanganui.
Hair-dresser, Tobacconist, and News Agent, River Bank, Aramoho. This business was established in the year 1905. The saloon is well-appointed, and contains two up-to-date chairs. The shop carries a well-assorted stock of tobacco, cigarettes, cigars, pipes, etc., also newspapers, magazines, and stationery. Meetings of the Aramoho Draughts Club and the local lodge of the United Ancient Order of Druids are held on the premises. Mr Bridges was born in Wanganui in the year 1887, where he was educated. He learned his trade with Mr Smidt, Victoria Avenue, Wanganui, before starting on his own account at Aramoho, and has since conducted a successful business. Mr Bridges takes a keen interest in all local affairs, and is a member of several social clubs.
Hair-dresser, Tobacconist, and Photographic Dealer, Victoria Avenue, Wanganui. This business was established in the year 1902, and occupies central premises, with a fine show window. The saloon is well-equipped, and contains three of the most modern American hydraulic chairs. Mr Gilby was born in Christchurch, and was educated there and at Wanganui. He learned the hair-dressing trade, and after some years' experience started on his own account. He is agent for the Imperial Camera Company. Mr Gilby takes an
Hair-dresser and Tobacconist, Ridgway Street, Wanganui. 1904, and is conducted in a building of brick and wood. The saloon is well-appointed, and contains four of the latest American hydraulic chairs. A well-as-sorted stock of fancy and tobacconists' goods is maintained, the greatest portion of which is imported. Mr Reynolds was born in England, where he learned his trade, and afterwards worked in France and Germany. He came to New Zealand in the year 1875, and was engaged as private hair-dresser at Government House, under Sir Hercules Robinson, for about two years. Subsequently he worked in various parts of the Dominion before settling in Wanganui. As an amateur photographer he has had photos accepted by the “Auckland Weekly News” and the “Canterbury Times.”
(Mrs E. L. Mayne, proprietress), St. Hill Street, Wanganui. This establishment was founded in the year 1893, and has been conducted by the present proprietress since 1905. The situation is both pleasant and quiet, and but a few minutes' walk from the business centre. The building is of wood and iron, two storeys in height, and contains over thirty rooms, including twenty-six bedrooms, a dining-room (with accommodation for thirty guests), drawing, music, smoking, and private sitting rooms, and a fullyequipped billiard room, which is well lighted. The bath-room has a supply of hot and cold water. Albyon House has earned a reputation for comfort, the cuisine is excellent, and the tariff is moderate.
(Hunt and Martin, proprietors), Nixon Street, Wanganui. For a great number of years the premises now used as a boarding establishment were known as the Criterion Hotel, which dated from the “fifties.” The hostelry is of two storeys, the older portion of which consists of a wood and iron building, but the more modern portion is in brick. There are thirty-two bedrooms, four comfortable sitting rooms, and a fine dining room, with accommodation for about fifty guests. A first-class table is kept, the cuisine being under the care of an excellent cook, and the tariff is moderate.
(John R. Foster, proprietor), Taupo Quay, Wanganui. This well-known and popular hostelry was established in the year 1857, and is a handsome three-storeyed building of brick and wood. On the ground floor there are seven sitting-rooms, including commercial, writing, and club rooms, a handsome dining hall, with accommodation for a large number of guests, and a fine, well-lighted billiard-room, containing one of Alcock's tables. The first and second floors contain sixty-two rooms, including two sitting-rooms and lounge. The hotel is lighted throughout with electric light, and has a splendid independent supply of artesian water. There are also two extensive roofed balconies, which serve as sitting-rooms during the greater part of the year, and from which a magnificent view of the Wanganui river is obtainable. In conjunction with the hotel, the proprietor farms forty-eight acres at Sedgwick, which farm supplies butter, milk, eggs, vegetables, and fruit for the requirements of the hotel.
(H. H. Mace, proprietor), corner of Taupo Quay and St. Hill Street, Wanganui. This prominent hotel was established in the year 1890, and is a two-storeyed wooden building, containing about fifty-two rooms. A unique feature of the building is a promenade on the roof, commanding a splendid view of the river and town. On the ground floor is a large dining-room (which has accommodation for 100 guests), a sitting-room, a fine commercial room, the private office, and the public and private bars. The first floor contains the bedrooms, three private sitting-rooms, bathrooms (with hot and cold water laid on), and lavatories. The bar, which is a well-appointed apartment, is stocked with the best ales, spirits, and wines. The “Metropolitan” is well managed, every care being taken to meet the special needs and wishes of the guests, and a good table is kept.
proprietor of the Metropolitan Hotel, was born in New Plymouth in the year 1870, and is the third son of Captain Mace, a well-known farmer of New Plymouth. He was educated at the State schools, and then turned his attention to storekeeping, which he followed for five years in Inglewood and Stratford, and then started on his own account in the former town. Subsequently he sold out, and for several years was a land agent in New Plymouth. He then conducted the Bunnythorpe Hotel, near Palmerston North, and later took over the “Metropolitan.”
(J. Hodson, proprietor), Ridgway Street, Wanganui. This hotel is a fine two-storeyed brick building, with ornamental wooden facings and a balcony, and has a frontage of sixty-four
(J. Hodson, proprietor), Victoria Avenue, Wanganui. This business was established in the year 1903 by Mr. Hodson. The premises consist of a large general dining room and a private dining room for ladies; together having a seating capacity for seventy persons. By keeping a good table, and paying strict attention to patrons, the business outgrew the building. The proprietor then erected the Parkville Private Hotel, which provides more table room.
(W. R. Tuck, proprietor), Ridgway Street, Wanganui. This hostelry is one of the oldest licensed houses in the town, and was founded in the “sixties.” The present building is a two-storeyed one, and contains about fifty rooms. The house is conveniently appointed, and furnished with excellent taste. On the ground floor are four sitting rooms, a commercial room, the dining room (with accommodation for sixty guests), and the bar. The first floor contains two sitting rooms, the bedrooms, bathrooms, and lavatories. A good table is kept, and the tariff is moderate.
proprietor of the Provincial Hotel, was born in London, England, in the year 1856. He was brought up by his uncle in Liverpool, and educated at Battersea College. As a lad he kept his uncle's books, and at nineteen years of age he emigrated to New Zealand. For a time he conducted a livery stable in Nelson, and afterwards one in Wanganui. Subsequently he took over the Occidental, Newmarket, and Provincial Hotels in turn. Later, he visited England, and on his return bought the Metropolitan Hotel, which he afterwards sold, and acquired the “Provincial.” Mr Tuck is a partner in the firm of Messrs. Swan and Company, local brewers, and is the owner of considerable private property. He has always taken a keen interest in rowing, and will be remembered as Webb's backer in the rowing match for the championship of the world, at Sydney, in 1907.
(F. C. Faber, proprietor), Corner of Victoria Avenue and Ridgway Street, Wanganui). This fine hotel is one of the largest and most favourably known in the town. In 1904 it was rebuilt in brick, and is three storeys in height, with a tower. It contains about seventy rooms, is thoroughly equipped and up-to-date, and offers all the conveniences of a first-class hotel to tourists, visitors, and commercial men.
(J. S. Palmer, proprietor), Corner of Victoria Avenue and Maria Place, Wanganui. This fine hotel is well-known to tourists and travellers throughout the Dominion. The building is of wood, iron, and brick, two storeys in height, and contains about fifty rooms, including forty bedrooms, a ladies' drawing room, commercial and writing rooms, two sitting rooms, and a large and well-appointed dining hall.
proprietor of the Victoria Hotel, was born in London, England, and educated partly in that city and later in Forfarshire, Scotland. He came to New Zealand in the year 1878, settled in Christchurch, and was for twelve years in the railway service. Subsequently he was transferred to Wellington, and held a position in the General Manager's office until 1896,
(Miss Jane Doble, proprietress), Corner of Taupo Quay and Wilson Street (opposite the railway station), Wanganui. Originally the Ship Hotel for many years, in 1902 this handsome building was transformed into a modern boarding establishment, on temperance lines, under the present style. It is of wood and iron, two storeys in height, and contains thirty-nine bedrooms, sitting and smoking rooms, bathrooms (with hot and cold water service), and a commodious dining room, with accommodation for a large number of guests. The Wanganui Coffee Palace is well supported by local residents, as well as by travellers and tourists, the cuisine is good, and the tariff is very moderate.
(F. M. Spurdle and T. R. Bond), Iron and Hardware Merchants, Direct Importers, Victoria Avenue, Wanganui. This business was established in the year 1905, by Messrs. Spurdle and Bond, and is conducted in a two-storeyed brick building, which has a thirty feet frontage, and a depth of sixty feet. On the first floor of the premises there is an extensive show-room, and at the rear of the shop there is a large store. A complete stock in all lines is maintained, and special attention is given to electro-plated and other goods suitable for wedding gifts.
of the firm of Messrs. Spurdle and Bond, is a son of Mr. F. M. Spurdle, manager of the Wanganui Sash and Door Factory. He was born in Wanganui, where he was educated, and afterwards learned his trade with Messrs. J. Thain and Company. He subsequently went to London, England, where for two years he gained further experience with Messrs. J. Petrie and Sons. He then returned to New Zealand, and, in conjunction with Mr T. R. Bond, established his present business.
of the firm of Messrs. Spurdle and Bond, is a son of the Rev. George Bond, of the Methodist Church. He was born in Auckland, educated at Nelson College, and afterwards learned his business under Messrs.
Leather and Grindery Merchant, Ridgway Street, Wanganui. This business, which was established in the year 1905, is domiciled in a brick building, containing a double-fronted shop, with an office and store at the rear. Mr Coull imports the larger portion of the lines in which he deals, and conducts chiefly a wholesale business. His travellers visit the towns situated between Feilding and New Plymouth. Mr Coull was born in Scotland, where he was educated, and learned his trade. For some years subsequently he was in business on his own account in Aberdeen, and then came to New Zealand. He settled in Christchurch, where for fourteen years he managed the business of the late Mr N. Suckling. Mr Coull then removed to Wanganui, where he established his present business.
Saddler and Harness Maker, Taylorville, near Wanganui. This business was acquired in the year 1906, and is conducted in a spacious building, containing a large shop, a show-room, and a convenient workroom. A large stock of saddlery, harness, and other leather goods, horse and cow covers, oils, etc., is maintained. Most of the leather goods are manufactured on the premises by a competent staff, and the remainder are imported, together with the steel and silver fittings, direct from the English makers. Mr Coe was born in Wellington in the year 1880. He was educated at Mount Cook School, and after a varied experience he learned the saddlery trade under his father in Wanganui. In 1899 he was employed by Messrs. Young and Collins, was afterwards manager of Mr J. R. Roger's business, and later manager for Mr B. R. Price, before starting on his own account. Mr Coe is a member of the local hockey club, and represented Wanganui in competitions for seven years, and the North Island for three years. He is a member of the cycling club, and represented Wanganui at the New Zealand championship meeting in Wellington in 1897. Mr Coe is also a member of the Agricultural Association and the Wanganui Gun Club. He is married, and has one son and one daughter.
Boot and Shoe Maker and Importer, Ridgway Street, Wanganui. Mr. Thacker occupies a convenient shop, with ladies' fitting room at the rear, and maintains a good stock in all lines. He was formerly manager of Messrs. T. Dickson and Company's branch at Hawera, and when that business was sold in December, 1906, he removed to Wanganui, and started on his own account. Reference to Mr Thacker's career will be found on page 243 of this volume.
(E. A. Campbell, Chairman of Directors, and C. M. Cresswell, Secretary), Head Office, St. Hill Street, Wanganui. This company was established in the year 1892. The works are at Castlecliff, at the mouth of the Wanganui River. The annual output is from 230,000 to 250,000 sheep and lambs, and from 3,000 to 5,000 head of cattle. These supplies are drawn from the surrounding districts. The works stand on ten acres of freehold land, are built of wood and iron, with brick dividing walls, and the plant is modern and fully equipped. The slaughtering capacity is 2000 sheep per day, and the refrigerating chambers are capable of storing 40,000 carcases. Besides meat-freezing, a large trade is done in preserving, tallow refining, fell-mongery, and the manufacture of manure. Two lighters are employed to take the frozen meat from the works to the large ocean liners, which anchor about two miles from the shore. About 1,600 carcases are carried at each trip of the lighters. Besides the large export business, the company has two retail shops in Wanganui, one at Aramoho, and one at Fordell.
(T. J. C. Gurr), Indent Merchants, Manufacturers' Agents, and Manufacturers of “Malko Coffee,” Lennard's Buildings, Ridgway Street, Wanganui. This business was established in January, 1906, by the present proprietor, with one assistant; but in 1907 the staff had increased to eight persons, including two commercial travellers. The firm has numerous agencies, including the following:—W. Dimmock and Company, Limited, Austin Walsh and Company, G. Trevethick, C. McLood and Company, A. Murdoch, and Company, J. Newberry, the Motors Limited, Lipton's Teas, R. Furness and Company, and H. Hinton and Company. The famous “Malko” coffee is a prepared malted coffee, mixed with ground kola nut, and of this the firm are sole proprietors.
proprietor of the above firm, was born at Portland Bay, Victoria, Australia, and was educated at Invercargill and Wellington. After a short experience in a legal office, he joined the Wairarapa Farmers' Association
(S. Griffiths, manager), General Merchants, Taupo Quay, Wanganui. Head Office, Wellington. The office of the local branch of Messrs. W. and G. Turnbull and Company was opened in the year 1897. The building is of wood and iron, and contains a public and private office and store. There is a staff of eight persons at the Wanganui branch, and the district worked extends from Waverley to Feilding.
manager for Messrs. W. and G. Turnbull and Company, joined the firm in the year 1883. After thirteen years' travelling New Zealand from the Wellington office, Mr Griffiths opened the branch at Wanganui. He takes an active interest in local industries, and is chairman of directors of the Southern Cross Biscuit Company.
(A. H. Benefield), Aramoho Nurseries, Aramoho, near Wanganui. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. These nurseries were established in the year 1877 by Mr. W. T. Benefield, and occupy twenty acres of fertile land, through which a stream of water runs. All kinds of fruit trees of the best varieties, including Japanese and English plums, apples, etc., are grown in large quantities. The crop of apples is estimated at 40 tons for the season. The nurseries contain about 150,000 trees, including almost every variety. A specialty is made of the culture of roses, and camelias are cultivated in large quantities. Mr Benefield keeps his large stock up-to-date by frequent importations from England, Australia, and Japan, and carries off a large number of prizes of the Royal Horticultural Society of England. He exhibits at most of the North Island shows, and has won a large number of medals and trophies. There are four up-to-date glass-houses, a fine packing shed, potting sheds, an office, stables, and a residence on the property. Mr Benefield retired in 1902, and his third son has since taken over the entire management of the nurseries. Further reference to Mr W. T. Benefield's career appears on page 1353 of the Wellington volume of the Cyclopedia of New Zealand.
proprietor of the Aramoho Nurseries, was born in Wanganui in the year 1878, and was educated at the Aramoho public school. Since leaving school he has devoted his whole time to the nurseries, and has made a close study of every branch of the work. He is vice-president of the boating club, of which he was captain for a time, and is a member of the local lodge of Oddfellows. Mr Benefield married Miss Margaret Edith May Murphy, of Auckland, and has one son and four daughters.
(A. S. Laird and J. Laird), Nurserymen, Florists, and Seedsmen, Wanganui. This firm is one of the oldest in New Zealand, and was established in New Plymouth in the year 1857, by the late Mr J. Laird. Ten years later he removed to Wanganui, brought his stock with him, and planted a portion of the present Egmont Nursery. This property, situated in Glasgow Street, formerly consisted of five acres, but four acres were subsequently sold as building sites. The Egmont Nursery is used principally for the cultivation of bedding stuff, and also contains the packing sheds and offices, where all the business of both nurseries is transacted. There are three large up-to-date glass houses and the senior partner's residence (with telephone connection) on the property. The Virginian Nursery, which was taken up when the greater part of the Egmont Nursery is sold, is situated about half a mile further out, and consists of sixteen acres of rich land. All kinds of fruit trees, ornamental, and shelter trees, and shrubs are grown in large quantities. A specialty is made of the culture of roses, of which there are specimens of the best known and latest varieties; the firm import from fifty to 100 new species every year, and upward of 100,000 rose plants are annually sent to all parts of the Dominion. In connection with their nurseries, Messrs. Laird Brothers have a shop in Victoria Avenue; for many years the shop was on Taupo Quay, but was subsequently removed to the present site, and a large business is transacted in seeds, plants, flowers, etc., supplied from the firm's gardens.
senior partner, business and financial manager of the firm of Messrs. J. Laird and Son, was born in New Plymouth in the year 1857, and at an early age removed with his parents to Wanganui, where he was educated at the public schools. With the exception of a short time spent in farming on the Coast, Mr Laird has devoted his whole time to the nurseries, and in 1895 entered into partnership with his brother to take over the management, when Mr J. Laird, senr., retired from the business. Mr Laird has a farm of about 300 acres near Waverley, now managed by his sons. He is a member of the local Agricultural Association, and the bowling club. Mr Laird is married, and has four sons and two daughters.
of Messrs. Laird and Sons, is the second son of the late Mr J. Laird, and was born in New Plymouth in the year 1864. He was educated at the Rev. West's private grammar school and the local district high school, and since leaving school has been continuously engaged in the firm's nursery. On his father's retirement, in 1895, he entered into partnership with his brother. Mr Laird is a Past District President of the Order of Druids, and held the rank of Sergeant in the Wanganui City Rifles. He is married, and has three sons and one daughter.
Seed Merchant, Taupo Quay, Wanganui. Mr Sinclair established his business in 1891. The premises consist of a large two-storeyed building, containing a shop, an office, a commodious bulk storeroom, and a fine showroom. An enormous stock of seeds and plants is carried, and at the store for bulk stock, in Wilson Street, a modern seed-cleaning plant is in operation. Mr Sinclair, besides being a direct importer of seeds, conducts a farm at Brunswick, where much of his stock is produced, including the “Champion” carrot, and many other vegetable seed specialties. Eight persons are constantly employed in the business, Mr Sinclair was born at Stirling, Scotland, and has devoted all his years to the seed business. He came to New Zealand in 1882, and for some time was employed by Messrs. Nimmo and Blair, of Dunedin. He then removed to Wanganui, where he assisted the late Mr James Laird for some years before starting business on his own account. Mr Sinclair is a member of the committee of the Agricultural Association.
Aramoho, Wanganui. This business was established in the year 1891, by Messrs. Pinche and Skipworth, and was acquired by Messrs. Kendrick Brothers in 1893. The firm hold rights over about twenty acres, consisting of first-class brick-making clay. The works are thoroughly up-to-date, both in construction and machinery, and the bricks manufactured compare favourably with any in the country. The machinery is driven by an eight and a half-horse power horizontal engine, and the output is about 700,000 bricks per annum.
senior partner of the firm of Messrs. Kendrick Brothers, was born in the year 1867, near Marton, where he was educated, and learned the brick-making trade in his father's brickworks at Marton. Some years later Mr Kendrick and his brother bought these works, which they conducted for a time before taking over the Aramoho Works. Mr Kendrick takes a keen interest in music, and was for a time in the Garrison Band. He is married, and has two sons and two daughters.
of Messrs. Kendrick Brothers, was born near Marton in the year 1869, and after leaving school entered his father's brick works. In 1886 he joined his brother in partnership to take over the works formerly conducted by his father, and subsequently removed to Aramoho. Mr Kendrick for a number of years was a member of the Garrison Band, and was also a member of the school committee. He is married, and has one son and three daughters.
which stand on the old Sedgebrook estate, about half a mile from the Wanganui traffic bridge, were established in the year 1900 by Messra. Emeny and Lampitt. The premises cover an area of about two acres, and consist of two large downdraught kilns, with a combined capacity of 58,000 bricks, extensive drying sheds (capable of holding 320,000 bricks), the engine and machinery shed, an up-to-date tile-making house, measuring 100 ft. by 30 ft., and the drying sheds. The tile-making house also contains a first-class pipe-making plant, by Crabtree and Sons, of Wellington. The remainder of the plant consists of a ten-horse power engine, a fourteen-horse power tubular boiler (both by David Murray, of Wanganui), and a plastic wire cut machine, carrying thirty-two knives as well as a propeller. The average output is about 800,000 bricks per annum, but the machinery is capable of turning out 2,000,000 per annum. The firm hold rights over twenty acres of the finest brick-making material.
senior partner of the firm of Messrs. Emeny and Lampitt, was born in London in the year 1870. He came to New Zealand at an early age, and has since devoted his whole time to the brick-making trade. He spent some years at his trade in Wellington, and was afterwards employed at Masterton and Eketahuna. He subsequently returned to Wellington, but soon afterwards went up the Manawatu line to make the bricks for the Porirua Mental Hospital. In 1892 he took charge of Mr William Aitken's brick works at Okoia (six miles out of Wanganui), which he afterwards managed for Messrs. Russell and Bignell, and then entered into partnership with Mr Lampitt, and bought the works. Six years later they closed this yard, and opened their present works. Mr Emeny is a member of the Cosmopolitan Club, the Order of Druids, and the Agricultural Association. He is married, and has two daughters.
of Messrs. Emeny and Lampitt, was born in London, England, in the year 1849, his father being then in the service of the East India Company. He was educated at the Hackney Grammar School, and at fourteen years of age was apprenticed to the Bombay Shipping Company. For many years he followed a sea-faring life, chiefly in large merchantmen, trading to all parts of the world. In 1875 he left the sea at Wellington, New Zealand, and became storeman in a large warehouse. Five years later he resigned this position, and turned his attention to brick-making, later on joining his step-son in the ownership and management of the Okoia Brick Works. The firm subsequently sold out, and acquired the present Sedgebrook Brickworks. Mr Lampitt is a member of the Cosmopolitan Club, St. Mary's Club, the Irish Rifles, and the local Order of Druids. He is married, and has three children.
Process Artist, Advertising Agent, Post Card, Fancy Goods, and Stationery Importer, Victoria Avenue, Wanganui. This business was established in the Union Bank Buildings in 1904. The premises contain a photographic studio and a large showroom, with a fine display of imported gcods, including post cards, fancy goods, novelties, stationery, etc. A specialty is made of advertising novelties, lithographic work, ticket and show-card writing, process work, and the painting of advertising sheets. Mr Forrest was born in Brentford, England, in the year 1871, and came to New Zealand with his father at six years of age. He was educated in Christchurch, where he spent some time as a fancy-box maker and painter. He subsequently followed the same occupation in Wellington, and gained a knowledge of ticket and signwriting. In 1900 he removed to Wanganui, where he afterwards started his present business. Mr Forrest is a member of the Garrison Band and the Order of Druids. He is married and has one son.
(F. H. Hatherly and G. N. H. Johnson), Printers, Publishers, Bookbinders, Lithographers, and Process Engravers, Wicksteed Place, Wanganui. This business was established in the year 1901 by Mr Hatherly, who was soon afterwards joined in partnership by Mr Johnson. The business is conducted in a fine two-storeyed building, with a frontage to Wicksteed Street. This contains the shop and offices, and at the rear is a separate building containing the general printing and works department and storeroom. The firm is noted for the fine class of printing, lithographic work, and process engravings it turns out, and fifteen persons are employed in the business.
of the firm of Messrs. Hatherly and Johnson, was born in the year 1875, in Nottingham, England, where he was educated. After leaving school he spent a year in the office of the Midland Railway Company, and afterwards was for fiye years and a half in the Nottingham and Notts Bank. In the year 1897 he came to New Zealand,
of the firm of Messrs. Hatherly and Johnson, was born at Staverton, Northamptonshire, England, in the year 1874, and was educated at Pocklington, Yorkshire, and the Oxford University. For some years after leaving school he followed farming pursuits on his father's estate in England, and then emigrated to America. In the year 1899 he came to New Zealand, and, after a short time spent at Tayforth, Wanganui, joined Mr Hatherly in partnership. Mr Johnson married a daughter of Dr. Hatherly, and has two children.
(John Kernohan), General Storekeepers, corner of Guyton Street and Wicksteed Place, Wanganui. This business was established in the year 1906, and is one of the largest and most popular general stores in Wanganui. The premises occupy a large corner section (with a frontage of sixty-six feet to Guyton Street), and consist of a shop (with double plate glass windows), a convenient office, and grain and produce shed. There is also a bulk store and a stable. A large and complete stock of groceries, produce, crockery, glassware, hardware, patent medicines, etc., is always kept, a considerable part being imported direct. Mr Kernohan's business is on the cash principle. The goods are of the best quality, and are sold at reasonable prices.
was born in the year 1860, in County Antrim, Ireland, where he was educated. He afterwards served his time to the grocery trade in Belfast. In 1879 he came to Australia, worked for nine months at his trade in Sydney, and then removed to Queensland, where he remained for about six years. After a trip to Ireland, he started in business on his own account in Sydney, and two years later was appointed manager of Messrs. Water-worth and Sons, of Melbourne. In 1891 Mr Kernohan came to New Zealand, and worked for about three years with Messrs. Turrell, King, and Company, of Timaru, and later became manager of Messrs. Lowrie and Company's business in Ashburton. Subsequently he became manager for Mr J. T. Cooch, in Wanganui, and four year later he resigned to start on his own account. Mr Kernohan is married, and has two sons and one daughter.
(Wanganui Branch), Victoria Avenue, Wanganui. Head Office, Palmerston North. The above branch of this well-known company was established about the year 1894. The building occupied is of wood and iron, and contains two large double shop windows, with a verandah in front. The ground floor contains the hardware, crockery, and general stores departments, with offices at the rear. On the first floor are showrooms, and two reserve store rooms, and a full stock in all lines is maintained. A bulk store is located on Taupo Quay, where seeds, grain, general produce, and heavy lines, such as woolpacks, are kept. Goods are delivered by the Association's vehicles up to thirty-five miles inland, and twenty persons are employed. There are a large number of shareholders in the district, and an excellent turnover is done.
was appointed manager of the Wanganui branch of the United Farmers' Co-operative Association, Limited, in the year 1906. He was born at Mornington, Dunedin, but was educated in Palmerston North. On leaving school, he entered the service of the Association, served in various capacities, and finally received his present appointment.
(R. A. Dickie), Wilson Street, Wanganui. The premises consist of a three-storeyed building, in brick and wood, and contain a complete up-to-date three-sack roller plant, driven by a Tangye ten-horse power engine. The mill is kept constantly working, and gives employment to three persons. The flour—of which the brands are “Sunrise” (for bakers' sacks), and “Queen of the Pantry” (small bags)—finds a ready sale in the town and neighbourhood, and “Dickie's Flour” is quite a household word.
was born in Canada in the year 1861, and came to New Zealand at an early age. He was educated at the public school, and afterwards entered his father's flour mill, established at Waverley in the year 1875. After spending about twenty-three years there, in partnership with his brother, Mr Dickie removed to Wanganui, and built the local mill, leaving his brother to carry on the mill at Waverley. In October, 1907, the partnership existing between the brothers was dissolved, and the Wanganui Flour Mills are now carried on by Mr R. A. Dickie on his own account.
Brush Manufacturer, Ridgway Street, Wanganui. The manufacture of brushware was established in Wanganui about the year 1898, and three years later Messrs. Gilbert and Son acquired the business, which was subsequently carried
(F. McDonald, proprietor), St. Hill Street, next Opera House, Wanganui. These stables were established by Messrs. Atkinson Brothers in 1897, and were taken over by the present proprietor in 1907. The building is of wood and iron, and contains forty stalls and eight loose boxes, has accommodation for 100 horses, and considerable floor space for vehicles. There is a large plant of single gigs, waggonettes, double buggies, and brakes. The office, ladies' waiting room, groom's room, harness rooms, and storage rooms for fodder are situated in front of the building; the yards behind the stables are covered and well-drained.
was born in Hokitika, where he was educated and brought up to farming pursuits. He came to Wanganui in the year 1896, and after sheep-farming for ten years he sold out, and entered his present business.
(J. Wendelburn, and C. Wendelburn, proprietors), St. Hill Street, Wanganui. These old established stables have been conducted by the present proprietors since the year 1904. The building is of brick and iron, covers a quarter of an acre of land, and contains thirty-six stalls, fifteen loose boxes, a large storage room for fodder, and plenty of standing room for traps. There are also two men's rooms, a ladies' waiting room, harness room, and an office. The livery plant consists of fourteen vehicles, including ambulance, drags, cabs, gigs, and single and double buggies, twenty horses being regularly required. Five persons are constantly employed.
of the firm of Wendelburn Brothers, was born in Nelson, where he was educated, and brought up to the management and care of horses. He afterwards removed to Feilding, where he was engaged for ten years in the carrying business, and subsequently for two years in the livery stable business, before removing to Wanganui.
(D. K. Whyte), General Carriers, Ship and Forwarding Agents, Taupo Quay, Wanganui. This well-known business was established many years ago by Messrs. Olliver and Company, and acquired by Messrs. D. K. Whyte and Company in the year 1906. The premises consist of an office and a large storeroom. The firm does a large business in the transportation of heavy goods, and the removal of furniture, and arrangements are made to meet all steamers and trains. Four drays and vans are employed in the business.
the senior partner of Messrs. Whyte and Company, was born in the year 1867, in Dunedin, where he was educated. He gained his early business experience as a clerk in the employment of Messrs. Reid and Gray. In 1886 he entered the coal business, but, two years later, sold out his interest to join the service of the New Zealand Express Company. Twelve months later he resigned and was afterwards successively employed by the Taieri County Council and the Castle Hill Coal Company. He subsequently rejoined the New Zealand Express Company, acted for several years as store and forwarding clerk in Dunedin, and was then sent to Wanganui as manager of the branch there. This position he held until 1906, when he started in business on his own account. Mr Whyte is married, and has three children.
Watchmaker and Jeweller, Victoria Avenue, Wanganui. This business was established, and for some time conducted, by Mr Black. It was then acquired by the Jewelry Importing Company, from whom it was bought by the present proprietor in March, 1907. The premises consist of the ground floor of a wood and iron building. The shop has a handsome plate-glass window, in which is displayed a fine assortment of jewellery and other goods, and the interior is well fitted up on all sides with glazed show cases. A convenient workroom is situated behind the shop. Mr Reid is a considerable importer of various kinds of jewellery, besides watches, clocks, and other articles. He was born in Dunedin, was educated at Milton, and afterwards learned his trade with Messrs. G. and T. Young in his native city. He remained with the firm for eight years, was then employed by Messrs. Stewart, Dawson and Company for two years, and finally returned to the employ of the former firm. Six months later he left in order to become manager of the business which he afterwards acquired. Mr Reid was for some time lieutenant of the Alexandra Rifles. In 1905 he married a daughter of the late Mr R. Hayes, Inspector of Public Works, of Melbourne, and has one son.
Farmer Okoia, near Wanganui. Mr Mitchell was born in Scotland, in the year 1855, and was brought up to farming. He came to New Zealand in the year 1879, and subsequently purchased a farm at Pahiatua. He leased this
was born in the year 1831, in Forfarshire, Scotland. He came to New Zealand in the year 1855, settled at New Plymouth, and followed the nursery business for five years. He served in the Maori war during 1860 and 1865, and was awarded the New Zealand war medal. In 1867 he removed to Wanganui, and laid the foundation of the Egmont Nursery, well-known on the West Coast of the North Island. In public matters in Wanganui he took a great interest, as mayor of the borough from 1886 to 1888, and as a councillor for over fifteen years. While on the borough council he was instrumental in the purchase of Lake Westmere for the water supply. He was a member of the hospital committee, and as chairman of the Waitotara County Council had a seat on the Harbour Board. Mr Laird died at Wanganui on September 3rd, 1902.
a barquentine of 286 tons register, trades between Wanganui and Australian ports, and is owned by Messrs. A. Hatrick and Company, of Wanganui. She was built in Holland in the year 1904, is 150 feet in length, and has a beam of twenty-seven and a half feet. She is built of steel, and when loaded draws ten feet and a half of water, on a carrying capacity of 500 tons dead weight. Captain White was sent Home by the owners of the “Alexa,” and he afterwards brought her to New Zealand with a general cargo.
master of the barquentine “Alexa,” was born in the year 1867, in Timaru, where he was educated at the high school. He afterwards spent three years in his father's office, and at twenty years of age went to sea in the “Ganymede.” After serving his apprenticeship he was made second mate, and subsequently resigned to take a similar position on one of Shaw, Savill, and Albion Company's ships. He then transferred to a large steamer trading in the Black
a small sailing vessel, was built by Messrs. Lane and Brown, Whangaroa, in the year 1900. She is 150 feet in length, with a beam measurement of thirty feet, and her carrying capacity is 200,000 feet of timber and 300 tons of coal. The vessel is owned by Mr. Lane, of Totara North, and is engaged in the coal and timber trade between Australian ports and Wanganui.
master of the sailing vessel “Ururoa,” was born in Kent, England, in the year 1837, and at sixteen years of age entered the service of the Navy. He served in the Baltic Sea, and the Crimea, and returned to England on the Proclamation of Peace in 1857. He then entered the merchant service, and came to Australia, where for a time he was engaged in railway work in Victoria. Captain Bushell subsequently returned to the sea, and sailed to all parts of the world. Some years later he was engaged in the firewood and timber trade in small coastal sailers, and received his master's certificate in 1887. After a varied experience in the Eastern trade and the Island trade Captain Bushell took command of his present vessel.
is a sheep-farming settlement seven miles distant from Wanganui. It stands 122 feet above the level of the sea. The Wanganui water-works are about ten miles from the settlement on the Okehu stream. The business premises of the village comprise a store, a blacksmith's shop, and an hotel. The railway station, which is ninety-five miles from New Plymouth, is in charge of a stationmaster, who also conducts the local post and telegraph office. There is a public school, with an average attendance of thirty-five children, and services of the Presbyterian Church are held every third Sunday by the minister from Wanganui. Dairy-farming is carried on at Kai-Iwi, and there is a local creamery, but sheep-farming is the more extensive industry. At the census of 1906 the population was about 150. The settlement forms part of the Waitotara riding of the County of Waitotara, and is in the Rangitikei electorate of the provincial district of Wellington.
Sheepfarmer, Bushy Park, Kai Iwi. Mr Moore is a well-known successful breeder and exhibitor of prize stock. His father, who established the Bushy Park stud, had a similar reputation. Since the death of this gentleman, and the subsequent death of one of the sons, Bushy Park has been conducted by Mr G. F. Moore. The original stock of Hereford bulls were imported from Australia, and the cows from the Auckland Stud Company. In 1906 Mr Moore purchased the whole of Mr James Stuckey's herd of Hereford cattle, comprising ninety-four cows and heifers, twenty-seven heifer calves, and ten bull calves. He also imported the bulls “Ensign” and “Colon'st,” the former of which has never been beaten in a show ring. As an owner of racehorses Mr Moore is also known, and among his best performers may be mentioned, “Dante,” “Troubadour,” “Catapult,” “Dusky Morn,” “Armistice,” “Helen Portland,” “Fontenoy,” and “Colleen,” The following are records of Mr Moore's exhibits at various shows: at the Wanganui show, in 1904, “Sweet Simon,” “Oriana,” “Miss Penelope,” and “Carrara,” as thoroughbred horses, won respectively three firsts and a third; “Royal William,” “Royalty,” “King Billy,” and “Inspector,” as Hereford cattle, won two firsts and two seconds, while a cow and calf won the first and champion in the Hereford cow class; in the fat cattle class a first and second were also gained. At the 1905 Wanganui Show “Oriana” won the first and champion as a thoroughbred filly, “Carissima” was second, and “Helen Portland” third, while “Catapult” gained a first as a three-year-old colt; a first and second was gained with two draught horses; “Knight Errant 4th,” as a two-year old Hereford bull, won first and championship prizes, “The Trump” won another first prize, “Jasper” and “Loyal” each won seconds, and two Hereford cows got second and third; in the fat cattle class six firsts and one second were gained. At the Hawera show, in the same year, “Oriana” won first and champion prizes as a thoroughbred filly, with “Helen Portland” as second; “Knight Errant 4th”, as a Hereford bull, gained a first and championship, and a first was won in the fat cattle class. At the Palmerston Show, also in 1905, “Oriana” was again the first and champion two-year old filly, while “Helen Portland” took second place; in the fat cattle class three firsts and a champion prize were awarded. In 1906, at Masterton, “Helen Portland” took first place as a two-year old filly, and in the fat cattle class five firsts, a champion prize, one third, and a “very highly commended” card were gained. At Palmerston, in the same year, “Oriana” won the first and champion prizes as a three-year old filly; “Bancor” (imported) was first and champion as a draught stallion; among the stud cattle, “Ensign” (imported) was placed first and champion as a Hereford bull, with “Knight Errant 4th” second; in the fat cattle class a championship, nine firsts, and a second were gained. At Christchurch, in 1906, Mr Moore gained a third prize for a fat bullock. At the Wanganui show, in the same year, “Oriana”once more won first and champion honours, “Koran” was first as a two-year old colt, and “Bancor” took second prize as a draught stallion; in the Hereford stud cattle
is twenty miles north-west from Wanganui, in the electorate of Patea, and in the Waitotara riding of the County of Waitotara, and stands 264 feet above the level of the sea. The district is served by the Okehu and Nukumaru railway flag stations. The population of Maxwelltown at the census of 1906 was 317. The settlement has an hotel, two general stores, and a public school with an average attendance of twenty-five scholars. Services of the Anglican and Presbyterian Churches are held on alternate Sundays by visiting clergymen from Wanganui. There is a Maori pa and a redoubt about half a mile from the township. The business of the post and telephone bureau is conducted at the school house.
O. H., Sheep and Dairy Farmer, “Pakaraka,” Maxwelltown. Mr Mouton farms 566 acres of rich pastoral land, and depastures 1,400 sheep and 120 head of cattle throughout the year. The milking is done by machinery. There is a modern homestead on the property, built of wood and iron, containing ten rooms. Mr Mouton was born in England, and educated at Cambridge. He emigrated to New Zealand, landed in Auckland in 1894, and was employed on a farm. In 1896 he returned to England, and was subsequently engaged in tea-planting in Ceylon. Two years later he emigrated to Western Queensland, Australia, and took up a cattle station until 1900. He ultimately returned to New Zealand, and followed farming pursuits until 1905, when he settled at Maxwelltown, in partnership with Mr. Frederick J. Pearse. Mr. Mouton is married, and has two daughters.
is a farming centre on the banks of the Waitotara river, thirty feet above the level of the sea. It is 170 miles north-west by rail from Wellington, and eighty-two miles from New Plymouth. Waitotara forms part of the Waverley riding of the County of Patea. There is a local post office and telephone bureau, and mails are received and despatched three times a day. A resident constable is in charge of the local police station, and his district extends for forty miles up the river. There are five native pas in the vicinity of Waitotara, namely, Ihipuki, Kaipo, Nukumaru, Papatupu, and Pakuraki, also several Maori kaiangas, and the Weraroa redoubt, where a great fight took place at the time of the Maori war. There are two hotels, and a public school (under the care of a master and one assistant) with an average attendance of fifty-five. The population of Waitotara and vicinity at the census of 1906 was 159.
(G. Mc-Arthur, proprietor), Main Street, Waitotara. This hotel was established in the early “sixties,” and a portion of the original building still forms part of the hostelry. In the year 1902, however, it was partly rebuilt, and considerably enlarged. The building is of wood and iron, and contains twenty rooms, including ten bedrooms, four sitting rooms, a commercial room, and a cheerful dining room, which has accommodation for twenty people. At the rear of the hotel there are convenient stables, containing six stalls and eight loose boxes.
proprietor of the Waitotara Hotel, was brought up in New Zealand, and was educated at Te Aro and under Mr Holmes, of Ghuznee Street, Wellington. He was trained for commercial life, and was for two years and a half in business as a tobacconist in Lambton Quay, before taking over his present business. Mr McArthur takes a keen interest in football and all out-door sports. In 1892 he married a daughter of Mr Henry Sergeant, of Wellington, and has two daughters.
Butcher and Baker, Kaipo Street, Waitotara. This well-known business was established by Mr. Thomas Clark, father of the present proprietor, about the year 1879, and has been conducted by the latter since 1899. The premises now occupied were erected in 1892, and consist of a two-storeyed wood and iron building, which contains a large shop, an office, and a small goods room; the first floor being used as a private residence. The bakehouse is situated at the rear, and is in charge of an expert tradesman. Both meat and bread are delivered over a radius of ten miles from the township. Mr Clark was born in the year 1878, in Westland, and was brought up to his present business under his father. In 1904 he married a daughter of Mr J. Bradley, farmer, of Momahaki.
Sheep-farmer, Waitotara. Mr Coombe's property consists of 1,450 acres, of which 500 acres are level, and carries 3,000 sheep and 200 head of mixed cattle. He is the son of Mr James Coombe, of Marton, a well-known breeder of draught horses. He owns the well-known hunter, “The Duchess,” winner of fifty-four championship prizes: gold and silver medals at Hawke's Bay, the Carterton silver cup, Palmerston North cup for three successive years, and gold and silver medals at Wanganui, Hawera, and Marton. Mr Coombe acts as judge at the principal competitions in New Zealand for light horse jumping. He was born at Marton in the year 1879, and brought up to farming pursuits under his father. In 1904 he bought a farm at Gisborne, but sold the property in 1906, and settled in Waitotara. Mr Coombe is an active member of the Manawatu and West Coast Agricultural and Pastoral Association; he also acts as starter in the Wanganui Jockey Club, and several other meetings on the West Coast.
is a dairying and farming township thirty-two miles north-west by rail from Wanganui. It is in the Waverley riding of the County of Patea. The affairs of the town are managed by the Waverley Town Board. The rateable value of the district is £32,000, and an annual rate of one penny in the £ is struck. There is a domain about nineteen acres in extent, laid out in tennis courts, a bowling green, and a cycling track. Weekly stock sales are held in Waverley, and the half holiday is kept on Wednesday. The Waverley-Waitotara Racing Club holds its annual meeting in November on the local racecourse. The Churches are represented by the Anglican, Presbyterian, and Roman Catholic denominations, and services are also held in a Gospel Hall. There are branches of the Bank of New South Wales and the Bank of Australasia. The post office stands on part of the Waverley redoubt, and has fifteen sub-offices and six bureau connections. Mails are received and despatched daily. The public school—one of the oldest on the coast—has an average attendance
at Waverley occupies a site of several acres in the Main Street. The first church services were held in the early “eighties.” The Waverley parish of the Presbyterian Church includes the settlements of Kohi, Waitotara, Moturoa, and Momahaki, and fortnightly services are held at the two latter places. St. Andrew's has accommodation for 300 persons, and there is a Sunday school in connection with the church. The Rev. William White was inducted to the charge of the Waverley parish in the year 1904.
Land, Estate, Grain, Stock, and General Commission Agent, Main Street, Waverley. This business was established by Mr T. P. Fookes, and was the first of its kind in Waverley. In 1906 it was acquired by the present proprietor. Mr Wilson is agent for the National and New Zealand Fire Insurance Companies, the Government Accident Department and the Wanganui Chronicle Company, Limited. He is also agent for the Deputy Official Assignee, clerk of the Whenuakura-Waitotara and Waitotara-Momahaki Road Boards, and secretary of the Waverley branch of the New Zealand Farmers' Union, and of the Waverley Football Club. Mr Wilson was born in Wanganui, and was educated at the Waitotara public school and Wanganui College. He afterwards joined the Bank of New South Wales at Patea, was subsequently transferred to Waverley, and later to Wellington. Finally Mr Wilson left the service of the Bank in order to settle in Waverley.
(Albert Edward Dixon, proprietor). Hair-dresser, Tobacconist, and Billiard Saloon proprietor, Main Street, Waverley. This business was established in the year 1904, and in 1906 a billiard saloon, fitted with one of Alcock's tables, was added. The premises consist of a wood and iron building, which contains a shop, a hair-dressing saloon, suitably fitted up, and a billiard saloon.
(G. W. Oakenfull, proprietor), Main Street,
proprietor of the Clarendon Hotel, was born in the year 1877, at Waipawa, Hawke's Bay, where he was educated. He was brought up to hotel keeping under his father, who conducted an hotel in Waipawa for some years. Subsequently Mr Oakenfull, senior, acquired the “Clarendon” at Waverley, which he carried on for two years, when it was taken over by his son. Mr. G. W. Oakenfull is vice-president of the Waverley Football Club, and a member of the Waverley Bowling Club and Racing Club. He is also a member of the Egmont Hunt Club. In 1904 he married a daughter of Mr Henry Percy, of Waipawa, and has one son.
Seed, Produce, and Manure Merchant, Main Street, Waverley. The proprietor maintains a well-assorted stock of genuine seeds, suitable for the requirements of both farmers and gardeners. He is an importer from London of the well-known seeds of Messrs. Hurst and Son, and also buys largely in the Dominion. Mr Balfour is further referred to as an old colonist.
B., Dairy Farmer, Waverley. Mr Dalton is known as a breeder of Lincoln stud sheep, also cattle. He was born in the year 1878, in Taranaki, was educated and brought up to pastoral life under his father, until he bought his present farm in 1897. The homestead is of two storeys, and contains fourteen rooms.
is a colonist of over forty years' standing, and has long been associated with the development of local industries. He was born in Fifeshire, Scotland, afterwards came to New Zealand in the ship “Sir William Eyre,” and landed at the Bluff in the year 1863. He first settled in Southland, and afterwards became associated with South Canterbury, where he was manager of a branch of the New Zealand Meat Preserving Company—near Timaru, one of the first established in the colony—for thirteen years. In 1895 Mr Balfour left Timaru, and went to the North Island, where he was engaged in business for two years at Napier. He then removed to Waverley, with which district he has since been actively associated. While resident in South Canterbury he was for about nine years chairman of directors of the Timaru Milling Company, the first roller mill in the Dominion, and for a number of years was chairman of the Geraldine County Council, a member of the Levels Road Board, a governor of the Timaru High School, and for nine years treasurer of the Timaru Agricultural and Pastoral Association. Mr Balfour is a member and has been treasurer of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church since 1898, and is a member of the Waverley Bowling Club, in the formation of which he took an active part.
is thirty-six miles from Wanganui, and is in the Waverley riding of the County of Patea. It is a flag station, in charge of a porter, who also acts as postmaster, and has under his care the local telephone bureau. Mails are received and despatched daily. There is a district school with an average attendance of forty-nine.
M., Dairy Farmer, Whenuakura. Mr Meyer's property consists of 237 acres of rich land, on which he conducts dairying. There is a comfortable homestead, built of wood and iron, containing eight rooms, and there are also outbuildings. Mr Meyer was born in Holstein, Germany, in 1836, and brought up to farming pursuits. In 1858 he emigrated to Melbourne, Victoria, where he found employment. Four years later he cameto New Zealand, for about twenty years was employed in farm work, and subsequently became the owner of three farms, which he disposed of
is thirteen miles south-east by rail from Wanganui, 138 miles by rail from Wellington, and stands 485 feet above the level of the sea. It is in the Purua riding of the County of Wanganui. The main road from Wanganui to Hunterville runs through the township. There are three schools in the district, namely, Warrengate school (with fifty scholars), Riverton school, and the Denlair school. The business of the post and telegraph department is conducted at the railway station. The Anglican and Presbyterian Churches are represented, and there are two hotels, and a number of stores. The district consists of fine pastoral country, and the greater proportion of the settlers are engaged in sheep-farming. The population of Fordell at the census of 1906 was 229, and of Denlair forty-eight.
General Storekeeper, Fordell. This business was established by Mr Charles Budge in the year 1878, and taken over by Mr Cowie, who built new premises in 1907. A good stock of groceries, crockery, enamelware, drapery, clothing, boots and shoes, fancy goods, and farm produce is maintained. Mr. Cowie was born in the year 1860, in Scotland, where he was educated and learned his trade. In 1882 he emigrated to New Zealand, was employed for ten years as manager by Mr Budge, and in 1899 took over the business on his own account.
The municipality of Marton is situated on the Wellington — New Plymouth railway line, 116 miles north-west from Wellington, and stands 461 feet above the level of the sea. It forms part of the electoral district of Manawatu, and is in the Porewa riding of the County of Rangitikei. The town was named after Marton, Yorkshire, England, the birthplace of Captain Cook, but its original Maori name was Tutaenui. The first attempt at settlement was made in 1866, and in 1868, owing to trouble with the Maoris, a blockhouse was erected on a site now occupied by the Anglican church. The town was constituted a borough in 1879, prior to which it was governed by a town board. The population of the borough at the census of 1906 was 1,268, the outlying districts 371 additional, and there are 241 houses within the boundary. The weekly half-holiday is held on Wednesday. Besides the local public school, which is attended by about 240 children, there is a technical school, and also school districts at upper Tutaenui, Porewa, Mount View, and Mount Curl. The railway station is two miles south from the centre of the borough, the road being a continuation of Broadway, the principal street. Marton is the head-quarters of the Manawatu electorate, the Manawatu Licensing Committee, and the Rangitikei County Council. The Banks of New Zealand, Australasia, and New South Wales are represented in the town, which is the centre of a rich agricultural and pastoral district. There is first-class accommodation for tourists and commercial men, and the professions and trades are all well represented, Broadway being the principal business throughfare. There are Anglican, Presbyterian, and Methodist Churches in the borough. The town is lighted by gas from the municipal gasworks, the borough council have also established a municipal theatre in Broadway, and there is an excellent library and reading room, under the control of the council. Among the industrial concerns of Marton are flour and saw-mills and a large and well-equipped sash and door factory. Sports and pastimes are by no means overlooked, football, cricket, chess, racing, and other clubs are in active operation. In the centre of the town is a fine recreation ground, nine acres and a half in extent. Government departments in the district embrace the post and telegraph office—conducted in an imposing brick building in High Street—the Magistrate's court, and the police station. The Newspaper Press is represented by the “Rangitikei Advocate and the Manawatu Argus” (published every evening) and the “Farmers' Advocate” (published every Saturday morning). The district of Marton has some noteworthy scenic attractions, a splendid view of the undulating country may be obtained from Bonny Glen Hill, about four miles from the town. From some of the higher parts of the country lovely glimpses of Tongariro, Ruapehu, and Ngauruhoe can be obtained, while in the direction of Taranaki is the symmetrical snowy cone of Egmont, and westward the shining waters of the Tasman Sea. The town is supplied with a low pressure water supply, the source being on a section of seventy-seven acres.
which was constituted in 1879, has an area of 1,423 acres, with a population at the census of 1906 of 1,268. The capital value of property in the borough is £12,664, on which there is a general rate of 2s in the pound, a special rate of 1s 1d, a differential rate of 5d, and a library rate of 1d in the pound. In 1907 the number of rateable properties was 429, of which 320 were dwelling houses; and there are 264 ratepayers. In 1903 the council established municipal gasworks, and erected a theatre. The latter, which occupies a site at the corner of Broadway and High Street, is a building of wood and iron, and has seating accommodation for 750 persons. The Borough Council Chambers, situated in High Street, are built of wood and iron, and contain the council office, a library with about 3,000 volumes, and a public reading room, where there is a good supply of newspapers and periodicals. The drainage of Marton consists of one main drain for surface and storm waters. The water supply is drawn from two large reservoirs, situated about two miles outside the town. There is a capital recreation ground centrally situated in the borough; it consists of nine acres and a half, well laid out, and in every way fitted for athletic sports and recreation purposes. Members of the council for the year 1907:—Dr. S. Skerman (mayor), Messrs. S. J. Gibbons, A. J. Gould, H. Sutcliffe, J. McEldowney, A. Lyons, and F. G. Hilton (councillors). Mr A. H. Knigge is town clerk.
Broadway, Marton. The Marton branch of this popular firm was established in the year 1907. The premises comprise a large showroom and a convenient music room. Pianos, organs, and all kinds of
the branch manager of the Dresden Piano Company, entered the service of the company in the year 1905, when he took up his present position. He was born in the year 1878, in the Wairarapa, was educated in Masterton, and was brought up to commercial life.
LL.B. (N.Z. University), Barrister and Solicitor, Marton and Hunterville. Born 1879, in Wellington. Educated at the Mount Cook public school and the Wellington College. Matriculated 1894. Graduated LL.B. from Victoria College in 1906; firstclass honours in law, 1907.
(F. R. H. Brice, E. W. Broad, and S. Thomas, managing directors), Land and Commission Agents and Grain Merchants, High Street, Marton. This firm was incorporated in the year 1906, and took over the land agency business founded by Mr Brice in the year 1902, together with the old-established grain business known for many years under the style of Tennent Brothers. The company have their premises in High Street. In addition there are two large stores, one at the railway station (measuring one hundred feet by sixty feet), and the other in Broadway (eighty feet by forty feet), with storage capacity for about 30,000 sacks. The firm's business is of an extensive nature. All classes of agency business are undertaken, including the flotation of land and other syndicates.
one of the managing directors of the firm of Brice, Broad and Company, was born in Waverley and educated in Marton. For some years he followed farming pursuits, and, later, conducted a land agency before the establishment of the present company. He has been secretary of the Marton branch of the New Zealand Farmers' Union for four years.
also a managing director of the firm of Brice, Broad and Company, is the third son of the late Judge Broad, and was educated in Nelson. He joined the staff of the Bank of Australasia, and served for fourteen years before joining his present company.
Mr. S. Thomas, also a managing director in the above firm, is an old Rangitikei resident, and has been associated with Mr. F. R. H. Brice in his land agency business from its inception. He has followed farming pursuits in different parts of the Dominion, and the knowledge gained now stands him in good stead in the handling of farm produce and farming requisites.
Builder, Contractor, and Sash and Door Manufacturer, Marton. This business was established in the year 1877, and has one of the largest connections in Marton. In his various contracts Mr McChesney has often as many as twenty persons in his employment. The site of the premises occupied extends from Broadway to Stewart Street. In 1902 the sash and door factory was added to the business. The factory stands at the rear of the section, and carries a complete plant of wood-working machinery, driven by a thirteen and a half-horse power gas engine. Joinery work, cabinetware, and furniture are turned out in large quantities. There is also a fine two-storeyed shop, which carries a large stock of manufactured and imported furniture, and does a considerable retail trade. Mr. McChesney was born in the year 1848, in Belfast, Ireland, where he was educated and brought up to the building trade. For some years he traded on his own account in Belfast, and then went to England, where he carried on building and contracting for three years. In 1875 he came to New Zealand, and settled in Marton. Mr McChesney was for some years a member of the Borough Council, is a Freemason, a Forester, and a member of the Presbyterian Church. He is married, and has four sons and seven daughters.
Coachbuilder and Wheelwright, Broadway, Marton. This business, which is one of the oldest of its kind in the district, was acquired by the present proprietor in the year 1904. The premises consist of two apartments, a coachbuilding and repairing room, and a paint shop. All classes of vehicles, light and heavy, are made by Mr Gunn, and repairing of all kinds is also undertaken. A considerable amount of business is also done in the purchase and exchange of secondhand vehicles. He holds an agency for the A.B.C. incandescent lamp, and carries a considerable stock of accessories. Mr Gunn was born in the year 1876, in Lawrence, Otago, where he was educated at the district high school, and afterwards apprenticed to his present trade under Mr Alexander Campbell. After serving his apprenticeship he worked for some time on his father's farm, and then returned to his trade under Messrs. Matthews and Chalmers, of Lawrence. Subsequently he worked at his trade in Gore, Lawrence, Dunedin, and Waimate, and then removed to the North Island, where he was employed successively in various towns before starting business on his own account in Marton. Mr Gunn is a member of the United Ancient Order of Druids and the Rifle Club. He is married, and has one daughter.
(Rhys Jones Walters, proprietor), Marton.
(J. McHardie, proprietor), Marton Junction. This large accommodation house was opened by the present proprietor in the year 1907. It is a two-storeyed building, conveniently appointed, well-furnished, and is kept scrupulously clean. The house contains a fine commercial room near the entrance, sitting rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms (with hot and cold water laid on), and means of fire escape are provided. There is a well-kept table, and the tariff is moderate. The house is lighted by a private installation of acetylene gas. There are also stables in connection with the establishment.
proprietor of the Junction House, was born at the Hutt, Wellington, in the year 1865, and was educated at Bulls, in the Rangitikei. He then followed farming pursuits with his father, and afterwards on his own account, until he acquired the Junction House. Mr. McHardie was for two years a member of the Rongotea School Committee, and is a member of the Foresters' and Oddfellows' lodges. He is married, and has four sons and three daughters.
(T. H. Bredin, proprietor), Broadway, Marton. This business was established in the year 1882 by Mr T. H. Bredin. The present premises consist of a fine two-storeyed building, containing a large shop, with the storeroom at the rear. A very heavy stock of groceries, ironmongery, crockery, drapery, clothing, and boots and shoes is maintained. The proprietor imports direct, and is able to supply goods of the best quality at the lowest price. A number of persons are constantly employed, and a large turnover is done.
was born in the year 1855, in Londonderry, Ireland, was educated at the model school, and afterwards spent six years in a merchant's office. In 1877 he came to New Zealand, by the ship “Northampton,” and landed in Wellington. For ten months he was employed in Mr Caselberg's store in Masterton, and in 1878 started a business in Marton in partnership with Mr Moncrieff. Three years later the partnership was dissolved, and Mr Bredin has since conducted the business on his own account. He also conducts two farms (aggregating 400 acres) near the town. Mr Bredin takes a keen interest in local matters, and was for some years a member of the Marton Rifles and the local lodge of Foresters.
General Storekeeper, Baker, Confectioner and Caterer, Broadway, Marton. This business, which is one of the oldest of its kind in the district, was founded by the late Mr Charles Nicol in the year 1865, and was acquired by his son in 1895. The original bakehouse on Broadway was destroyed by fire, and has been replaced by an up-to-date establishment, with every modern convenience and appliance for making bread and confectionery. In 1902 a general store was added to the business, with an office and refreshment rooms. Mr Nicol does a large business as a grocer and baker, and his services as a caterer are much in demand. He was born in the year 1861, in Wanganui, where he was educated and brought up to the printing trade. Mr Nicol was successively employed at the “Marton Advocate” office, and in the office of the “Lyttelton Times,” Christchurch. He then learned the bakery trade with Mr George Mouldy, of Christchurch, and subsequently returned to Marton, where he joined his mother in the management of his late father's business, which he afterwards took over on his own account. Mr Nicol was a member of the Borough Council for some time, and he was also a member of the Parihaka contingent. He is a member of the Bowling Club, is a well-known clarionet player, and a member of the Orchestral Society. Mr Nicol is married, and has two sons and four daughters.
Grocer and Provision Merchant, High Street, Marton. This business was established in the year 1905, and has since considerably increased in volume. The premises occupy a corner section in the best part of the town, and a large stock of general groceries, ironmongery, crockery, brushware, etc., is carried. Delivery is made daily by cart throughout the town and district, and two persons are employed in the business. Mr Woolley was born near Picton, Marlborough, where he was educated at the public schools, and after a short time spent in farming pursuits he learned the grocery trade. He afterwards worked as a journeyman in various parts of the Dominion before starting business on his own account in Marton. Mr. Woolley is a Past Arch Druid, and takes a keen interest in the social and public affairs of the town. He is married, and has one son.
(Mrs Janet Henderson, proprietress, trading under the name of Messrs. Henderson Brothers). This well-known mill was established in the year 1864 by the late Mr. Samuel Henderson, as a stone flour mill, in a small wooden building. At his death the mill was taken over by his sons, Messrs. William and Henry Henderson, who conducted it successfully for many years. They erected the present mill, which is a fine four-storeyed building, with attached granaries capable of holding 16,000 bushels, and there is also a complete roller plant, with a capacity of three tons per day. In October, 1903, Mrs Henderson bought the mill from the executors of the late Messrs. Henderson Brothers, and the whole of the machinery has since been replaced by a modern plant, which is driven by a seventy-horse power compound condensing engine. The mill draws the whole of its wheat supplies from the surrounding district, amounting to about 10,000 sacks of grain per annum. The flour commands a ready sale.
manager of the Marton Roller Flour Mills, was born in Durham, England, in the year 1865, and was apprenticed to the flour-milling trade. In 1888 he came to New Zealand, under engagement to Messrs. Henderson Brothers, and has since had the sole control of the mill.
(H. J. Reid, G. A. Reid, and A. A. Signal, proprietors), Broadway, Marton. These stables were established many years ago, being one of the oldest establishments of the kind in the district, and acquired by the present proprietors in July, 1907. They are built of wood, and contain seventeen stalls and five loose boxes. Messrs. Reid Brothers employ five gigs, two coaches, one palace car, one waggonette, and twenty-four horses in connection with the business. Baiting accommodation is provided for a large number of horses, and reliable horses are kept for hire, together with a good plant of buggies. All trains are met at the railway station with coaches.
was born in Auckland in the year 1874. He removed to the Taranaki district at an early age, where he was employed successively at flax-milling, dairying, and horse driving. He afterwards removed to Foxton, and worked in the flaxmills. Eighteen months later he returned to Taranaki, was variously employed in Normanby, and subsequently settled in Marton. He spent about three years with Messrs. Signal Brothers, was engaged for a time as billiard marker at the Club Hotel, and billiard room proprietor, and then for two months conducted the Junction Stables, before acquiring his present business.
was born in the year 1877 in Auckland, and was educated at the local public school, and in Okaiawa, Taranaki. He was brought up to general farm
the junior partner, was born in Marton in the year 1880. After leaving school he was brought up to dairyfarming pursuits, then found employment as a drover for thirteen years, and subsequently became a member of the present firm. Mr. Signal is married, and has one child.
(Signal Brothers, proprietors), Broadway, Marton. These stables, which are among the largest on the West Coast of the North Island, were established in the year 1873, and were conducted for some years by Mr McIndoe, until they were bought by Messrs. Signal Brothers in 1906. The building is of wood, and contains forty-five stalls, seven loose boxes, convenient offices, and waiting rooms. The working plant comprises twenty horses, three coaches, one cab, one waggonette, six traps, and two buggies.
(Signal Brothers, proprietors), Broadway, Marton. These stables were bought from Messrs. Golbel Brothers in 1900 by Mr W. H. Signal, who afterwards took his brother into partnership. The building contains fifty stalls, sixteen loose boxes, offices, etc. Messrs. Signal Brothers employ eighteen horses, six traps, three coaches, one buggy, one dogcart, and one breaking-in cart in connection with their business. Four coaches run constantly between Marton and the Junction station, and the firm hold the mail contract. The firm do a large business in letting traps out on hire, and picnic parties can be supplied with large drags.
the senior partner, was born in the year 1875, at Onepuni, in the Rangitikei district, and was educated at the public schools. He then followed farming pursuits, and for some years successfully conducted a farm of 320 acres on his own account at Kimbolton, which he sold in 1900, in order to take over the West Coast Stables. Mr Signal takes a keen interest in local affairs, and is a member of the brass band and several social clubs. He is married, and has one son.
Timber Merchant, Marton. Mr Zajonskowski was born in the year 1865, in Prussia, and came to New Zealand with his parents in August, 1875. He was educated in Marton, learned the building trade under his father, and afterwards went into business in partnership with his brother. He subsequently relinquished the building trade in favour of the sawmilling and sash and door manufacturing. Mr. Zajonskowski is married, and has three children.
Timber Merchant, Marton. Mr. Zajonskowski was born in Prussia, in March, 1867, and came to New Zealand at eight years of age. He was educated at the Marton public school, and was brcught up to the building trade under his father, and afterwards joined his brother in partnership. Later, they went into the saw-milling trade, and established the present factory. Mr Zajonskowski is a member of the Lutheran Church, and of the local lodge of Druids. He is married, and has four children.
Bulls Road, Crofton, near Marton. This farm comprises about 160 acres and is one of the finest properties of its size in the district. It was originally taken up by Sir William Fox, as part of a much larger area, and was acquired by Mr J. Follett in the year 1871. It was then in a very rough state, covered with scrub, but by hard work it has been brought to a high state of improvement. The property is rich level land, and is devoted to the cultivation of crops and sheep grazing. There is a fine homestead and outbuildings on the farm.
was born in Alderney, in the Channel Islands, in the year 1850, and was brought up chiefly in Somerset, England. At seven years of age he came to New Zealand with his parents. His father was engaged as a farm hand by Sir William Fox, and the family lived for many years where Marton now stands. Mr Follett, senior, bought the present site of the township, which was cut up in 1872, and subsequently sold. Mr Follett, junior, was brought up to farming pursuits with his father, and afterwards acquired his present farm. He is one of the oldest living volunteers in the province, having joined the Rangitikei Royal Rifles in 1867, and is now a life member of that corps. He is also a member of the school committee and the Farmers' Union. Mr Follett married Miss Agnes Signal, of Marton, and has four sons.
Marton, the property of Mr W. J. Birch, situated a few miles north of Marton, is one of the finest farms in the district. It comprises 1,000 acres of rich undulating land, on the river flats, between the Rangitikei and Porewa streams, and was acquired by Mr. Birch in 1899. Since that date a portion of the hill country, bordering on the flats, has been added, and a large two-storeyed modern homestead has been erected. This commands a picturesque view of the flats and river bed, the undulating hills of the Kiwitea country, and the lofty snow-capped Ruahines. The grounds are well laid out and planted with native and imported shrubs. The farm is devoted to grazing and general farming purposes, for which it is well adapted. Mr. Birch also owns another property, known as “Erewhon,” which comprises 57,000 acres of good grazing, but high country, carrying some 32,000 sheep, managed by his adopted son, Mr. W. Caccia Birch.
J.P., was born in Oxfordshire, England, in February, 1842, and is the second son of Mr. William John Birch, Pudlicote House, Charlbury, Oxfordshire. He was educated in England, and in Germany, and then returned to England and entered the Royal Agricultural College at Cirencester, where he spent two years. In February, 1860, he emigrated to New Zealand by the ship “Wild Duck” (commanded by Captain Bishop). He settled in Hawke's Bay, where he bought sheep, and grazed them on Mr. St. Hill's property at Tuki Tuki, and for a time was manager of Mr. St. Hill's station. Mr. Birch was subsequently joined by his brother, a lieutenant of the 44th Regiment, and for some years they were engaged in operating a property in Hawke's Bay. In 1868 this property was sold and a grazing lease taken from the Maoris of a large extent of country in inland Patea, a then almost unknown country, at the head of the Rangitikei river, now known as Erewhon station. The partnership was subsequently dissolved, and Mr. Birch continued to live at “Erewhon” until 1897, since when he has lived principally in Wellington and at Thoresby Farm. Mr. Birch served as a volunteer in several expeditions during the Maori war, and holds the New Zealand war medal. He takes a keen interest in public affairs, was the promoter of the West Coast branch of the Farmers' Union, is president of the local branch, and a member of the Dominion Executive Committee of that body. He has also served on the Licensing Committee, the Agricultural and Pastoral Executive Committees, the Anglican Church management committee, school committees, and numerous other local bodies. In 1874 he married Miss Lydia Ethel Dreda Larden, daughter of the Rev. E. Larden, vicar of Earkel, Shropshire, England.
was born in Paisley, Scotland, in the year 1830, and came, with his parents, to New Zealand in the ship “Tyne,” in 1842. He subsequently learned the bakery trade in Wellington, and then removed to the Wanganui district, where for some years he carried on business. During the Maori war he baked for the troops engaged in the campaign. He afterwards left Wanganui and settled in Marton. Mr. Nicol died in the year 1884, and left a widow and a family of three sons and five daughters.
is a rising township situated in a hollow among the hills, which immediately surround it. It is a station on the Main Trunk railway line, and is sixteen miles north from Marton. The staple industry is sheep-farming, although dairy and agricultural farming are also successfully carried on. The periodical sales held in the Hunterville yards are the largest held in the district. The township is mainly composed of two principal streets, and stands near to the railway station. Hunterville has a large post and telegraph office, with savings bank and money order office, a branch of the Bank of New Zealand, a large public school, several churches, a club, public halls, and two hotels. There is a regular daily mail service with Wellington. The township is in the Ohingaiti riding of the County of Rangitikei, and the electoral district of Rangitikei. Its population at the census of 1906 was 645.
. The town district has 159 ratepayers; the rateable property amounts to £52,261, and there is a rate of one penny in the pound. The Board meets on the third Wednesday in the month. Members for the year 1907: Mr. H. Street (chairman), Messrs. R. B. Cole, W. G. Ashworth, A. S. Brooker, J. Hurley, G. W. D. Morris, and W. C. Dudding (councillors). Mr. F. Marshall is town clerk.
Chairman of the Hunterville Town Board, was elected at the head of the poll as a member of the Board at the inception, and succeeded Mr. Remmington, M.H.R., as chairman. Mr. Street was born in the year 1857, in New Plymouth, where he was educated, and apprenticed to the blacksmithing trade under his father. He afterwards took over the business on his own account, which he successfully conducted until 1891, when he sold out owing to ill-health, and acquired a farm of sixty acres near the town. Eighteen months later he bought his present business, which is now one of the best coachbuilding and smithing businesses in the district. The coachbuilding department carries a complete plant of wood-working machinery, driven by a six-horse power benzine engine; the smithing department contains three forges, and an extensive business is done, giving constant employment to nine tradesmen. Mr. Street is married, and has two children.
was elected a member of the Hunterville Town Board at its inception, and has served continuously since. He was chairman for five years of the Hunterville School Committee, and for two years was a member of the Pohangina County Council. Mr. Ashworth is lieutentant of the Hunterville Mounted Rifles (with which he has been connected since its inception), is secretary of the Hunterville Club, and senior warden in the local lodge of Freemasons. He was born in Wanganui in the year 1863, and is the son of an army officer, who had served in the Crimean campaign and Indian mutiny, and came to New Zealand with the 57th Regiment during the Maori war. He was educated at Fernflat, in the Rangitikei district, and was brought up to farming pursuits. Mr. Ashworth then bought a fine farm of 660 acres at Coal Creek, in the Pohangina county, and, after successfully conducting it for seven years, sold out and settled in Hunterville. He also owns a run of 2,200 acres in Taranaki. Mr. Ashworth is married, and has two sons and one daughter.
a member of the Hunterville Town Board since its inception, is also chairman of the Public Library Committee, a member of the Domain Board, the school committee, the Hunterville sub-committee of the Wellington Acclimatisation Society, and is senior steward in the local lodge of Freemasons. He was born in the year 1861, in County Monaghan, Ireland, where he was educated. In the year 1879 he came to New Zealand, and for four years was employed as a cadet on a sheep station in the Chatham Islands. He then removed to Auckland, where he was variously employed for nine years. Subsequently he was engaged for twelve years in a store at Moawhango, Hawke's Bay, and then joined Mr. Woolley in Hunterville to establish their present butchery business. Mr. Cole is married, and has five children.
has been a member of the Hunterville Town Board since its inception, and takes a keen interest in the local public affairs. He was born in Wellington, New Zealand, in the year 1873, and was educated at Mount Cook public school and at the
was founded in the year 1900, with a membership of fifty. The Rev. Dove was elected to the command, and was succeeded in February, 1903, by Mr. William Meldrum, who had formerly been first lieurenant. The corps from its inception has been a popular and prosperous body. It has a membership of sixty-three. The officers are Captain William Meldrum, Lieutenants W. G. Ashworth, W. Howie, F. Pleasants, Sergeant-Major J. S. Howie, and Quartermaster-Sergeant O. B. Dobbs. The members of the corps have a khaki uniform. Their rifle range is on Messrs. Simpson Brothers' estate, close to the township.
who was one of the founders of the corps, and took office at its inception as first lieutenant, is a well-known barrister and solicitor of Hunterville. He takes a prominent place in public matters, has been chairman of the School Committee, the Domain Board, the sub-committee of the New Zealand Acclimatisation Society for the Hunterville district, and a member of many other minor bodies. He was a representative cricket and football player in Auckland, is a representative player in the Wanganui Golf Club, captain of the Hunterville Cricket Club, an ex-New Zealand champion chess player, and a Past Master of the local lodge of Freemasons. Mr. Meldrum was born at Kamo, near Whangarei, North Auckland, in July, 1865. He was partly educated in Kamo, for two years at the Clifton Bank School, at St. Andrew's, Scotland, and on his return to New Zealand completed his education at the Auckland Grammar School and the University. He was then articled to Messrs. Whittaker and Russell, qualified in 1889, and after practising for about eighteen months at the Thames, settled in Hunterville, where he has established a large practice. Mr. Meldrum is also interested in farming, has a fine property of 900 acres adjoining the town, and is part owner of a sheep run of 2,500 acres in the Ohura district He is married, and has one son and one daughter.
of the Hunterville Mounted Rifles, was born near Aberdeen, Scotland, in the year 1853, and is the eldest son of a well-known pioneer farmer in the Marton district. He came to New Zealand in the ship “Westminster,” in the year 1856, and landed in Wellington. After leaving school he was employed for some time on his father's farm at Fernflat. In 1877 he bought 400 acres of land in the Rangitikei district, and on his father's death, in 1897, he came into possession of the property at Fernflat. Two years later he sold both farms, and acquired a property between Hunterville and the Rangitikei river. This farm comprises 409 acres of rich agricultural and grazing land. It carries 1,000 ewes, and 100 head of cattle, and has a fine homestead. Mr. Howie is president of the Rifle Club, a member of the Rangitikei Licensing Committee, and the Hunterville Club, and one of the managers of the local Presbyterian Church. He married Miss Elizabeth Findlay, of Marton, in 1877, and has three sons and four daughters.
of the Hunterville Mounted Rifles, has been a member of the corps since its formation, and was elected to his present rank in the year 1903. He was born near Wanganui in the year 1864, and is a son of a pioneer settler of the Wanganui district. He was educated at the public schools, brought up to farming pursuits, and assisted his father at Fernflat, near Marton, for over fourteen years. In 1889 he took up a block of 746 acres, in partnership with his brother, in the Hunterville district. The partnership was dissolved in 1899, and since then Mr. Howie has farmed 335 acres on his own account. The farm is highly improved, carries about 900 ewes and some cattle, and has a comfortable homestead. Mr. Howie is a member of the local lodge of Freemasons, and secretary of the Hunterville Rifle Club. He is married, and has four daughters.
Ladies' and Gentlemen's Tailor, Bruce Street, Hunterville. This popular business was established in the early “nineties,” and was acquired by Mr. Brunton in the year 1902. The premises consist of a large doublefronted shop, with two workrooms at the rear. Mr. Brunton is a direct importer from the best English makers, and carries a fine selection of ladies' and gentlemen's tailoring materials. He employs twenty persons, and has established a good reputation for the cut and finish of his work. Mr. Brunton was born on an emigrant ship in the Gulf of Carpentaria, in the year 1877, his parents being then on their way to New Zealand. The family settled in Oamaru, where his father followed his trade as a tailor, and afterwards removed to Masterton. Mr. Brunton, junior, left school at an early age, and learned the tailoring trade under his father. He then went to sea, and worked his passage to England on board the s.s. “Tainui.” For two years and a half he found employment at Woolwich Arsenal, and then walked from London to Liverpool, where, after many experiences, he was finally stranded. Subsequently, however, he managed, by the aid of a small remittance from his parents in New Zealand, to reach the south of England, where he again took to the sea, and eventually arrived in New Zealand. For two months he worked with his father in Masterton, then went to the goldfields at Coromandel, and soon afterwards to Auckland. After working at his trade with several of the chief firms, he removed to Wellington to fill an engagement with Messrs. Kirkaldie and Stains, which he afterwards resigned to work for Messrs. King and Muir. He then removed to Marton, was employed by Mr. J.
(H. McManaway, proprietor, corner of Bruce Street and Milne Street, Hunterville. This hotel was established in the year 1887, and is one of the oldest houses on the Main Trunk line. The original building was destroyed by fire in 1901, and the present two-storeyed wooden building was then erected. The hotel, together with the public hall, livery stables, and five shops, which belong to it, has a frontage of ten chains. The house contains sixty rooms, including a well-appointed commercial room, three parlours, two dining rooms (each with accommodation for fifty guests), two sitting rooms, bedrooms, bathroom (with hot and cold water laid on), and lavatories. The hotel is well furnished throughout, an excellent table is kept, and the bar is stocked with the best brands of liquors. The business is under the personal supervision of Mr. and Mrs. McManaway, whose first consideration is the comfort and convenience of guests and travellers.
proprietor of the Argyle Hotel, was born in Wellington in the year 1870, and was educated at the Marist Brothers school. He followed farming pursuits for many years in the Wellington district and then took over the Taratahi Hotel, Wellington. Two years later he sold out and successively conducted the Masterton Refreshment Rooms, the Club Hotel (Eketahuna), the Marquis of Normanby Hotel (Carterton), and in June, 1907, bought his present hotel. Mr. McManaway is an active supporter of racing, and is the owner of some well-known race-horses. He is married, and has three sons and one daughter.
(E. D. Hammond, proprietor), stands near the railway station, and is a large two-storeyed house. It contains twenty-six rooms, including a fine commercial room, two comfortable sitting rooms, and a large billiard room. The house is well furnished throughout, the best brands of liquors are stocked, a good table is kept, and guests are well attended to. There are also livery and bait stables in connection with the hotel.
(W. J. Rees and A. Upchurch), Plumbers and Tinsmiths, Milne Street, Hunterville. This business, the oldest of its kind in the district, was established in the year 1891 by Mr. R. H. Coltman. The premises consist of a shop, and a large workshop at the rear. A good stock of plumbers' and tinsmiths' materials is carried, and there is a complete plant for every branch of the trade. The firm employ only trained and expert tradesmen, and their work can be thoroughly relied upon.
was born in Nelson in the year 1876, and was educated in Wellington. He learned his trade with Messrs. Wilkins and Field, of Nelson, and after completing his apprenticeship went to the Wairarapa as a journeyman. He then went to Wellington, where he worked for eleven years for Messrs. Taylor, Ramsay and Company, during the last four years of which term he was foreman of their works. In 1906 he resigned to join Mr. Upchurch in their present business. He is a member of the Ancient Order of Foresters. Mr. Rees is married, and has five children.
of the firm of Messrs. Rees and Upchurch, was born in Christchurch in the year 1876, and was educated in Wellington. After leaving school he was apprenticed to the plumbing trade under Messrs. Futter and Jansen, and for fourteen years was continuously employed by that firm, for whom he was three years foreman. In 1906 he resigned to join Mr. Rees in Hunterville. He is a member of the local lodge of Foresters, and also a footballer. Mr. Upchurch is married, and has two children.
Saddler and Harness Maker, Hunterville. This old established business was acquired by the present proprietor in the year 1905. A considerable stock of manufactured and imported goods is carried, and the workshop is kept constantly busy in manufacturing and repairing. The proprietor has a good reputation for sound and reliable workmanship. Mr. Petherick was born in the year 1863, in Picton, and was educated at Richmond, Nelson. He was apprenticed to his present trade under Mr. Dempsey, of Wellington. After completing his indentures he was employed successively in Napier (with Mr. J. C. McVay), Lower Hutt, Palmerston North, Marton, and Feilding, and in 1898 removed to Hunterville, where he worked as a journeyman for some years before starting business on his own account. Mr. Petherick has always taken a prominent part in amateur dramas, athletics and volunteering, and is a member of the local lodge of Foresters, and the Anglican Church. He was for some years senior sergeant in the Manchester Rifles, Feilding, and holds a number of trophies as a marksman. Mr. Petherick is married, and has three sons.
J.P., General Storekeeper, Builder, Cabinetmaker, and Furniture Manufacturer, Milne Street, Hunterville. This business was established in the year 1887, when the town of Hunterville was in its infancy, and there is now an extensive business connection throughout the district. The large general store carries a fine stock of merchandise, including groceries, ironmongery, crockery, paints, oils, and paperhangings, and there is also a considerable display of cabinetware and furniture made at the factory. The sash and door, turning, and furniture manufacturing department, which was established in 1892, stands on the opposite side of the street. An eight-horse power oil engine drives the plant, which is up-to-date in every respect. Mr. Wilson was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, in the year 1864. After leaving school he was apprenticed to the building trade, which he followed continuously until he came to New Zealand in the year 1887. For some months he followed his trade in Marton, and then established his present business in Hunterville. In 1892 the sash and door manufacturing department was added to the business. In 1905 the building trade was given up in favour of general retail trading, in which a heavy turnover is done. Mr. Wilson was appointed to the Commission of the Peace in 1898, is registrar of electors for the Rangitikei constituency, the original trustee of the local lodge of Freemasons, and a former member of the school committee. He is married, and has two sons and two daughters.
(T. D. James, proprietor), Bruce Street, Hunterville. These fine stables are situated in a central position, contain nineteen stalls and ten loose boxes, and afford ample accommodation for all ordinary requirements as well as for country customers. The plant comprises one coach, one double buggy, and five gigs, and there are ten horses employed in connection with the stables. Mr. James personally superintends the business, and patrons may rely on receiving every attention.
was born at Spreydon, Christchurch, in the year 1872. He was educated at the public schools, and then turned his attention to general manual work, which he followed continuously until he established his present business.
situated on the Main Trunk railway line, thirty-two miles north-east from Marton, is a comparatively old settlement, originally known as “Three Log Whare.” Saw-milling and farming are the chief pursuits of the settlers, and the country is well suited for grazing purposes. The township stands on a small flat, close to the Rangitikei river bank, nearly a mile north-east from the railway station, with which it is connected by a good road. A good coach service runs between the station and the township. Mangaweka has one principal street, extending from the railway station through the township. It contains a large hotel, three boarding houses, a post office and savings bank, a public school, churches, two public halls, a public library, a local newspaper, and a branch bank.
which was founded in the year 1898, has always been a popular body and has maintained a full membership. Regular and frequent shooting competitions take place on the range at Pouhawakaroa, about a mile from the township, and the club takes part in inter-club shooting contests. Two belts and a cup are also annually competed for, the former being presented respectively by the club and Mr. James Georgetti, and the latter by Messrs. Munro and Bonnor. An annual ball is held in connection with the club. Mr. C. H. Humphrey is the captain, and there are two vicecaptains and a secretary.
of the Mangaweka Government Defence Rifle Club, has taken a keen interest in rifle shooting for many years, and is the holder of many trophies and prizes. He has won the Munro -Bonnor cup twice in succession, in 1906 won the club's belt, the Georgetti belt, a special cup presented by Mr. Bonnor, several medals, and on one occasion was successful in winning every trophy presented during the year, including the association cup.
was founded in the year 1905, through the efforts of the Pukeokahu and Mangaweka Defence Rifles. Its head-quarters are at Mangaweka, and twelve rifle clubs are affiliated to the association. The rifle range is situated two miles from the township, and is an excellent one. Shooting competitions are held on Good Friday and the following day; about £100, in prizes and trophies, are annually distributed, and teams from places as far distant as Masterton and Wanganui take part in the contests. As showing the good work of the association it is noteworthy that ten out of the first fifty at the last Trentham meeting were members of the association. Dr. Turnbull is secretary of the association, and its success is largely due to his efforts.
M.B., Ch.B., D.P.H., Mangaweka. Dr. Turnbull was born in the year 1877 in Ross-shire, Scotland, was educated at the public school, at Raining's Secondary College in Inverness, and afterwards at the Edinburgh University, where he graduated M.B., Ch.B., in 1889. For twelve months thereafter he practised in Lancashire, England, whence he removed to Lerwick, in the Shetland Islands, where he also practised for a short time. He then took a special course at the Edinburgh University, and secured his diploma as a doctor of public health. After practising for a few months in Northamptonshire he came to New Zealand, and settled in Mangaweka, where he has since conducted a successful practice. Dr. Turnbull takes a keen interest in military affairs, is a member of the local Rifle Club and secretary of the North Rangitikei Rifle Association; he is also one of the managers of the Presbyterian Church, and a member of the school committee. Dr. Turnbull is married, and has one child.
Baker and Confectioner, Broadway, Mangaweka. This business was established in the year 1907 by Mr. Mills, who has since built up a large connection. The bakehouse in connection with the business is under the charge of a competent baker. Bread is delivered throughout the Mangaweka district. A special feature of the business is catering for balls, banquets, picnics, etc. Mr. Mills was born in the year 1873 at Hopai Bay, Pelorus Sound, Marlborough. After leaving school he followed farming pursuits until 1902. He then removed to the North Island and started business as a photographer, which he conducted successfully until he established his present business. Mr. Mills is churchwarden of the local Anglican Church, a member of the cemetery trustees and the library committee, and an Oddfellow. He is married, and has one son.
(C. L. Zimmerman, proprietor), Mangaweka. This business was founded in 1900, and is now one of the largest coachbuilding, smithing and engineering establishments in the district. The present premises were built in 1907, and comprise a large smithy (with two forges), an engineering shed, and the coach-building and repairing departments. They are replete with modern machinery and tools necessary to the turning out of first-class workmanship.
proprietor of the Mangaweka Steam Carriage Works, was born in the year 1875 at Oxford, North Canterbury, where he was educated at the public schools, and brought up to the blacksmithing trade. He then went to Christchurch, and was employed for two years and a half by Messrs. Lucas Brothers, engineers and general smiths. Mr. Zimmerman then removed to the North Island, and was employed successively in the Lower Hutt, Feilding, Rongotea, Woodville, and Hunterville, up to the year 1900, when he acquired his present business. He is married, and has three sons.
(S. Dixon, proprietor), Broadway, Mangaweka. This business was established in the year 1896, and was acquired by its present owner in August, 1906. The premises comprise a large smithy, and a well-appointed carriage factory, where all kinds of vehicles are built and repaired. Five persons are constantly employed.
the proprietor of the Premier Coach and Carriage Factory, was born in the year 1870, in Wellington, New Zealand, where he was educated at the public schools and Boys' Collegiate School. He served an aprenticeship to the coachbuilding trade, under Mr. John Fitchett, of Wellington, and was afterwards employed for a time at the Hillside Workshops, Dunedin. He spent some years in Masterton, Pahiatua, and at Utiku, before acquiring his present business in Mangaweka. Mr. Dixon is a member of the domain and cemetery boards, the Wesleyan Church, and the local lodge of Oddfellows. He is married, and has two sons and one daughter.
Painter, Paperhanger, and Signwriter, Mangaweka. This business was established in the year 1902, and has a good connection; all classes of work are under taken in any part of the district. An efficient staff is constantly employed, and a full stock of paints, oils, colours, and paperhangings is maintained. Mr. McLaughlin was born in the year 1857, in County Tyrone, Ireland, where he was educated at the public school. In 1879 he came to New Zealand, found employment for some years in Canterbury, and then removed to the North Island. He worked at his trade successively in Taranaki and Wanganui, and finally settled in Mangaweka. Mr. McLaughlin is a member of the cemetery trustees. He is married, and has two children.
(J. Donn, proprietor), Broadway, Mangaweka. This business was established by Mr. James Donn in the year 1906. The premises are situated in the centre of the town, and a fine stock of ladies' and gentlemen's tailoring materials, imported direct from the English manufacturers, is carried.
was born at Caithness, Scotland, in the year 1882, and was educated and brought up to the tailoring trade in Dunbeath. He served an apprenticeship of four years with Messrs. Adam McKay and Sons, and then went to the south of Scotland, was employed by various firms, and gained certificates of merit in the
General Cash Draper, Broadway, Mangaweka. This business was established by Messrs. T. White and Company in 1900, and was acquired by Mr. Humphrey in the year 1903. The shop is a large and well-lighted one, with double plate-glass windows, and carries a large stock of ladies' and gentlemen's clothing, dress goods, haberdashery, millinery, mercery, and boots and shoes.
(J. W. Gannon, proprietor), Ladies' and Gentlemen's Tailors, Broadway, Mangaweka. The shop is centrally situated, is well-fitted up and appointed, and the best style and finish of work is turned out. The workroom, measuring thirty feet by eighteen feet, is well-lighted by three skylights and a large window. A fine selection of ladies' and gentlemen's tailoring materials is stocked, and sixteen persons are constantly employed. In June, 1907, a branch business was opened at Ohakune, north of Taihape.
the proprietor of the above business, was born in the year 1869 at Hokitika, Westland, where he was educated, and afterwards apprenticed to the tailoring trade in Reefton. In 1889 he went to Melbourne, and after working for some time there, and in the country towns, he settled in Sydney, where he started business on his own account. Subsequently he took a position as head cutter for Mr. Dixon, of Zeehan, Tasmania, and two years later again started on his own account at Strahan. In 1903 he sold out, returned to New Zealand, and acquired his present business in Mangaweka. Mr. Gannon is a widower, and has one daughter.
Hair-dresser and Tobaceonist, Broadway, Mangaweka. This business was established in 1896 by Mr. Mercer, and was acquired by Mr. Campbell in the year 1906. The shop carries a large stock of tobaccos, cigarettes, pipes, pouches, cigars, toilet requisites, and also Edison records. The hair-dressing saloon contains an up-to-date chair, and there is also a fine billiard saloon on the premises. Mr. Campbell was born in the year 1865, in Picton, where he was educated at the public school. Subsequently he followed the butchering trade, and then malt-making, before taking over his present business.
(T. Burgess, proprietor), Broadway, Mangaweka. This establishment is a two-storeyed wooden building with a verandah, and contains about twenty rooms. There are two sitting rooms, and a dining room with seating accommodation for thirty guests. A good table is kept, and the tariff is moderate. In conjunction with the boarding house Mr. Burgess conducts a fruit, confectionery, and tobacconists' business next door, and maintains a good stock of fresh fruit and confectionery, and a large variety of tobaccos and smokers' requisites.
proprietor of the City Central Boarding House, was born in the year 1880, at Inglewood, Taranaki, educated at the public school, and was brought up to farming with his father. He subsequently bought property at Kaponga, where he successfully farmed until he sold out to start his present business in Mangaweka.
Broadway, Mangaweka. This house was established as a boarding-house in 1898, was afterwards converted into an hotel, and is the only licensed house in the township. The “Langholm” stands on a section of one acre, and is a large two-storeyed wooden building. There is a detached billiard room, sample rooms, and stables in connection with the hotel. The hotel contains thirty rooms, including bedrooms, six sitting rooms, a well-appointed commercial room, and a dining room. It is well furnished throughout, and kept scrupulously clean. A first-class table is maintained, the best brands of liquors are stocked, and guests receive every care and attention.
proprietor of the Langholm Hotel, was born in the year 1870 in Courtenay, Canterbury, where he was educated. After working for some time on the Midland railway he went to Napier, where he was employed for nine years by Messrs. Griffen and Glendinning, builders and contractors. In 1903 he removed to Mangaweka, and took over the Langholm Hotel. Mr. Bonnor takes an interest in local affairs, is an Oddfellow, and a member of the rifle club. He married Miss Griffen, and has one son and one daughter.
(C. H. Clare, manager and secretary). This factory was established by Messrs. Wright and Carter, who sold out to the present company in 1904. The factory is a two-storeyed wooden building, and carries an up-to-date plant of wood-working machinery. The premises occupy a large section, and include the shop, storeroom, office, and timber yards. The shop is stocked with furniture, cabinetware, etc., of the firm's own manufacture, and a considerable retail trade is done. Sashes, doors, and all kinds of joinery work are turned out from the factory. There is a branch business at Ta hape. The firm employ twelve tradesmen, and their work has a good reputation in the district.
manager and secretary of the Mangaweka Sash and Door Factory, was born at Wootton, England, in the year 1867. He came to New Zealand at ten years of age, for many years was variously employed, and in 1897 became a director in the Mangaweka Sash and Door Company. Mr. Clare is secretary of the local lodge of Oddfellows. He is married, and has one son.
is a rising township on the main trunk railway line, fortyfive miles north from Marton Junction, with a population of 1,500. The first settlement was made in 1893 by a small number of Christchurch citizens, who took up land in what was then a wilderness, and settled themselves within half a mile of the present post office. Railway communication gave facilities to the settlement, and it is now a prosperous and progressive township. The greater part of the surrounding country is hilly, but well suited for pastoral and grazing purposes. In the early “nineties” the whole district was heavily timbered, and, as a large amount of the bush was suitable for milling, sawmills rapidly sprang up, and are still in operation. The immense amount of employment provided in this way was an important factor in the rise of Taihape, and this is now more than replaced by the farming industry. There is a considerable amount of native land in the district. The scenery in the locality is very pretty; the luxuriant native bush, covering a rugged, picturesque outline, gives a beautiful effect. Taihape is a compact town of comparatively small area, formerly within the jurisdiction of the Rangitikei County Council; it is now governed by a Borough Council. The railway passes the township, and there is a good railway station. Hautapu Street is the main thoroughfare, but there are also other streets of importance. The educational interests of the town are well provided for by a large public school (shortly to be converted into a district high school), and a technical school. The town has a fine post office, two banks, a court house, council chambers, several public halls, two large hotels, a public library and reading room, and a local daily newspaper. There are also Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian and Wesleyan churches, with resident ministers. Retail trades are well represented in Taihape by modern establishments, and there are also resident lawyers, doctors and dentists.
was constituted in the year 1906. The borough boundaries run close round the residential outskirts of the town, so that practically none of the farming area is included. The capital value of the town is £125,523, and a general rate of 1£½d in the pound, and four special rates to provide for loans are levied. The liabilities consist of £5,300, which were contracted by the county council before the forma tion of the borough, and £6,000 subsequently raised for street improvements. The streets are lighted by means of the Kitson Light, six lamps of which have been erected, and these are lit at a cost of sixpence per hour each. There is a limited system of drainage, but this is to be immediately extended, and will then comprise underground sewerage, and house-to-house connection. Members of the council for the year 1907–8: Messrs. A. Nathan (mayor), and S. Beban, W. A. Ellis, G. Bray, A. Foster, F. H. Gibbons, W. J. H. McCormick, and R. W. Smith (councillors). Mr. George Sutherland is town clerk and engineer.
J.P., was born in Wanganui in the year 1843, and is a son of the late Mr. Henry Nathan, who came to New Zealand in 1841, and for many years was closely identified with the public life of Wanganui. After leaving school Mr. Nathan went to the Otago gold diggings, and for four years followed gold-mining at Gabriel's Gully and Dunstan. In 1864 he removed to Wanganui, and served in the Maori war, first in the Forest Rangers, and later in the Cavalry, in both of which he held the rank of sergeant. In 1870 he commenced contracting, which he continuously conducted for over twenty years, and in 1891 settled in the Waimarino district, where he also carried on farming. In 1902 he sold out his various interests and settled in Taihape. Mr. Nathan takes a keen interest in all the affairs of the town, and is connected with several public bodies. He is married, and has one son and one daughter.
was elected a member of the Taihape Borough Council in 1905, and reelected at the succeeding election. He was born in the year 1872 at Goldsborough, Westland, where he was educated at the public school, and then spent five years in the post and telegraph department. He was subsequently employed in clerical work, saw-milling and general storekeeping, and opened his present store in Hautapu Street in 1901. Mr. Beban is treasurer of the Borough Council, a member of the Chamber of Commerce, the Roman Catholic Church,
is a member of the Taihape Borough Council. He is president of the football and tennis clubs, treasurer of the lodge of Freemasons, is also connected with various other social clubs, and is a keen supporter of everything for the advancement of Taihape. Mr. Gibbons was born in Wanganui in the year 1869, and was educated at the Wanganui College. He was brought up to farming pursuits, and for many years, prior to taking up the Gretna Hotel, conducted a farm of 1,000 acres in the Hunterville district. Mr. Gibbons is married, and has two children.
member of the Taihape Borough Council, has always taken an active interest in the welfare of the town, of which he was one of the first four pioneer settlers. He is secretary of the Domain Board, of which he was chairman for two years, and was also for a time chairman of the school committee. Mr. McCormick was born in County Down, Ireland, in the year 1863, and at eleven years of age came to New Zealand, in the ship “Waimate.” For a time he was employed by the firm of Messrs. Lightband, Allen, and Company (now Messrs. Skelton, Frostick and Company, Ltd.), and also in other boot factories in Christchurch. In the year 1894 he removed to Taihape, and started a small store, which he afterwards sold to Messrs. Ellis Brothers. Mr. McCormick then started business on his own account as a bootmaker and importer, and subsequently erected his present fine premises at the north end of Hautapu Street. It is a two-storeyed building and contains a shop and residence. The shop and showroom carry a large stock of boots and shoes. Mr. McCormick is a direct importer, and does a large retail trade. In 1893 he married the youngest daughter of the late Mr. R. Powrie, builder, Christchurch, and has one son and one daughter.
who has been town clerk and engineer of the Taihape Borough Council since its inception, was born in the year 1871, at Waitati, near Dunedin, where he was educated. He spent ten years in the Government Survey Department, was engaged in survey work in the Taihape district as early as 1892, and later was in charge of the local survey work for the Crown settlements. Mr. Sutherland afterwards spent five years as an inspector in the Roads Department, which position he resigned in order to practise privately as an engineer and surveyor. Subsequently he accepted his present appointment. Mr. Sutherland is married.
was first conducted in 1895 in the old town hall. A new school was erected, and, with the increase of population, it has been enlarged four times. The building contains four class-rooms, and a technical school, while the playground is five acres in extent. The Taihape school will shortly be converted into a district high school. There are 304 children on the roll, and the average attendance is 270.
Head-master of the Taihape School, was born in Wanganui in the year 1873. He was educated at Waverley and Wanganui, served his time as a pupil-teacher, and gained his E certificate and his D certificate in 1895. Mr. Thurston received his first appointment at the Mere Mere School, near Hawera, afterwards successively conducted the Fitzherbert East school, the Pihama school, and in 1902 was appointed head-master of the Taihape school. He takes a keen interest in sport, and is a member of most of the local clubs. Mr. Thurston is married, and has two children.
First Assistant Master of the Taihape Public School, was born in the year 1885, at Sandon, near Bulls. He served his time as a pupil-teacher in the Sandon, Apiti, Kelvin Grove, and Aramoho schools. After relieving for one month at Foxton, he was appointed master of the Clydesdale school, where, in 1905, he completed his D certificate, and was soon afterwards promoted to his present position. Mr. Thompson is secretary of the Awarua Rugby Union, and a member of nearly all the local sports clubs.
situated about six miles north by rail from Taihape, is a wooden building with accommodation for sixty-five pupils. The school grounds comprise three acres, two-thirds of which are plantation. The number of pupils on the roll is seventy, and the average attendance is sixty. The staff consists of the head-master and one assistant.
Head-master of the Mataroa School, was born at Foxton, in the year 1882. He was educated at the Hawera public school and the District High School, afterwards served as a pupil teacher in the Hawera and Eltham public schools, and then went as junior assistant to Foxton, where he gained his E certificate in 1903. He was then appointed master of the Kakairiki school, and received his present appointment in 1904. Mr. Lightbourne has been specially commended on the proficiency of his pupils. He is a well-known football referee, is treasurer of the local lodge of Oddfellows, and a Freemason.
Taihape, occupies a site of three-quarters of an acre in Huia Street, and was built in the year 1903, prior to which services were conducted in a public hall. The church is built of wood, and has accommodation for a congregation of 400. The presbytery, also a wooden building, is comfortably furnished, and contains eight rooms. The parish of Taihape is a very extensive one, and much praise is due to Father Lacroix for his arduous and self-sacrificing efforts. There are 700 adherents in the district, which extends for many miles north and south of Taihape. Small churches have been erected in outlying parts, and missionary work is also conducted amongst the Maoris. Services are conducted at St. Mary's every Sunday, and Father Lacroix is assisted by a resident priest.
was born in Brittany, France, in the year 1868. He was educated at Montleucon, and afterwards studied theology for five years at Montbel. He then came to New Zealand, assisted Dean McKenna for twelve months at New Plymouth, and was afterwards sent to Karioi as a missionary amongst the Maoris. He was subsequently stationed at Mangaweka, before receiving his present appointment. Father Lacroix takes an active part in social and public life, is president of the Hibernian Society, vice-president and referee of the Hockey Club, and secretary of the Taihape Brass Band.
was founded in the “nineties.” It has had as its successive conductors Mr. Arthur Williams and Mr. Fred Sparks, the latter of whom was succeeded by Mr. A. W. Terrill, the present bandmaster. The band room is situated on the recreation grounds in Tui Street, and there is a platform near the post office which is used as a band stand. There is a membership of eighteen, and the instruments include two basses, one euphonium, two baritones, four tenors, one trombone, five cornets, one clarionet, and two drums. Practices are held twice weekly, and during the summer the band gives two open-air concerts each month.
band-master of the Taihape Brass Band, was born in Victoria, and is a son of Mr. J. R. W. Terrill,
M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P. (England), Hautapu Street, Taihape. Dr. Barnett was born in the year 1880 at Leeston, Canterbury. He was educated at the Leeston public school, and the Boys' High School, Christchurch, and went through the medical course at the Otago University. He then went to England, studied at the London hospitals, and graduated in 1906. On his return to New Zealand he established his present practice. Dr. Barnett married Miss Overton, a daughter of Mr. Fred Overton, of Lakeside, Canterbury.
Chemist and Druggist, Hautapu Street, Taihape. This business was established in the year 1901 by Mr. Foster, and acquired by Mr. Cunninghame in 1907. The shop is well fitted up and the goods neatly arranged. A complete stock of proprietary medicines, drugs, toilet requisites, etc., is maintained. Mr. Cunninghame was born in Wellington in the year 1882, and was educated at the State school and the Palmerston North Collegiate School. He studied his profession under Mr. Whiteford, of Palmerston North, and Mr. Brittain, of Wellington, and passed his examination as a chemist and druggist in April, 1906. Mr. Cunninghame then took charge of Mr. Wilkinson's business in Dunedin, which position he subsequently resigned to start his present business. He has recently taken up optical work in connection with his business, and has had considerable experience in this connection. On November 13th, 1907, Mr. Cunninghame married, in Wellington, Miss Feltham. Mrs. Cunninghame is also a qualified chemist.
whose head-quarters are situated in Kuku Street, Taihape, was established in the year 1903. The object of the association is to encourage more uniformity and security in the saw-milling and timber trade, and, by providing one central office for the control of the whole output, to diminish both the cost and the risk connected with the sale and distribution of the timber. Under the able and energetic management of Mr. Carpenter, the association has proved an immense success, the output has increased from 8,000,000 feet to 30,000,000 feet, and is rapidly growing. The association controls the whole of the milling in the Waimarino district, and on the main trunk line as far as Marton. Its membership now numbers twenty-five. The association holds an agency for the Ocean Accident and Guarantee Corporation, Limited.
who was appointed manager of the Rangitikei Saw-millers' Association in March, 1903, was born in Wellington, in the year 1868, was educated at the public schools and Wellington College, and then served three years with Messrs. Luke and Sons, of Wellington. He then followed farming pursuits until the early “nineties,” since when he has been continuously engaged in connection with the saw-milling industry in the Rangitikei district. He paid special attention to the clerical and managing departments, and before receiving his present appointment was in charge of a saw-mill yard. Mr. Carpenter is secretary of the sawmillers' conference.
was established in the year 1907, and is supported by a large number of business and public men. Mr. H. D. Bennett is president, there is a general committee of seven, and meetings are held every month. Some years prior to the formation of the borough a meeting of leading citizens was held to discuss the advisability of having a Borough Council or a Town Board, as it was felt that either body would be of far greater service to the town than the County Council. It was decided at this meeting that the time was not ripe for the formation of a borough, but as a compromise a vigilance committee was organised. This body proved very useful in connection with all matters affecting the well-being of Taihape and the surrounding districts. The formation of the borough, however, in June, 1906, did away with the necessity of the vigilance committee, and the Chamber of Commerce was formed to take its place.
President of the Taihape Chamber of Commerce, takes a keen interest in the welfare and advancement of the town and district. He is a Justice of the Peace, a supporter of the No License League, and takes an interest in the settlement of Native lands. Mr. Bennett was born in the
J.P., Land, Estate, Insurance, and General Commission Agent, Tui Street, Taihape. This business was established in the year 1898 by Mr. Aldridge, when he bought Mr. John Johnson's wine and spirit business, which he conducted for some time in conjunction with a stationery and bookselling agency. In the year 1905 he sold the stationery business, and has since devoted his attention entirely to commission work. The offices are situated in a fine two-storeyed building at the corner of Hautapu and Tui Streets. Mr. Aldridge is agent for the Sun Fire Office, the New Zealand Accident Insurance Company, the public trustee, and is also the local registrar of births, deaths, and marriages. He was born in Southampton, England, in December, 1853, and emigrated to New Zealand, with his parents, in 1857. Mr. Aldridge was educated at Wanganui, and afterwards spent four years in the iron trade, under Mr. John Duthie, of Wellington. He then went to Australia, where he spent some years in general stores. On his return to New Zealand he was employed for five years with Messrs. W. D. Shaw and Company, of Wanganui, and afterwards worked in Mr. F. J. Jones' store. Subsequently for a number of years he was successively engaged in storekeeping, butchering, saw-milling, and as a mill manager, before establishing his present business. Mr. Aldridge was one of the promoters of the old Vigilance Committee and the present Chamber of Commerce, is a trustee of the local cemetery, district coroner, and the senior justice of the peace on the main trunk railway line. He is married, and has two sons and five daughters.
(C. P. W. Longdill, late Longdill and Redin), Land, Estate, Insurance, and General Commission Agents, Booksellers, and Stationers, Hautapu Street, Taihape. This business was established in the year 1906. The land agency has a large connection, the firm have local representatives in all the principal centres of the North Island, and they publish a land guide. The firm make a specialty of farm properties—grazing, dairying, and agricultural—and have a lengthy and varied list on their books, as well as residential and business properties. The bookselling and stationery business occupies a good position in the town, and carries a well-assorted stock of books, stationery, and fancy goods.
was born in the year 1866 in Parnell, Auckland. His father, Mr. Pynson Wilmott Longdill, was a gentleman of wide learning, who migrated from England to Auckland with a wife and young family at a very early age of New Zealand's history. At school Mr. C. P. W. Longdill won a prize given for the cleverest boy in the school in all round knowledge, after those who had entered for the scholarship had been drafted out. He entered the office of Mr. W. R Walker, kauri gum and general commission agent, subsequently followed sheep and cattle farming on two large stations in the Wairarapa for over five years, and acquired a practical knowledge of stock and station work. He then took up a property in Poverty Bay, but afterwards sold out. Mr. Longdill has a taste for literary work, and many letters and articles from his pen have appeared from time to time in various papers in the North Island, while several articles have also been published in American and Australian papers. He devoted over a year to writing a book upon economics, and sent the manuscript to a firm of publishers in America, but it went astray in transmittance through the post, and, unfortunately, Mr. Longdill omitted to keep a copy. Subsequently he removed to Gisborne, where he established himself as a land, indent, insurance, and general commission agent, and afterwards went to Napier and started the “Nation Builder,” a small monthly paper devoted to the free discussion of all matters affecting the welfare of the human race. This journal had a chequered career, and owing to lack of funds its publication had to be suspended. A year later Mr. Longdill established his present business in partnership with Mr. T. E. Redin, whose interest he subsequently bought out; but the latter gentleman still continues to manage the bookselling department.
(A. T. Vickers), Auctioneers, Valuators, Land, Estate, Insurance, and General Commission Agents, Grain and Produce Merchants, and House Furnishers, Hautapu Street, Taihape. This firm was established in the year 1905 by Mr. Vickers. The premises consist of two large buildings, namely, the auction room and grain store in Tui Street, and the general office and furniture showroom in Hautapu Street. Regular weekly auction sales are held, and private sales as required. The firm are cash buyers of wool, skins, hides, and tallow.
was born in the year 1878, in Hastings, Hawke's Bay, where he was educated, and brought up to the storekeeping trade under Messrs. Beck and Company.
J.P., Auctioneer, General Commission Agent, and House Furnisher, Tui Street, Taihape. Mr. Wilson, who is well known as a journalist, established his present business in the year 1907, when he sold his interest in the “Taihape Post” to a local syndicate, and retired from journalism. The premises consist of a commodious two-storeyed wood and iron building, measuring thirty-three feet by 100 feet, and contain the showroom (which carries a fine display of furniture, household furnishings, and pianos), the office, and auction mart. The first floor is used as a storeroom and mart. Mr. Wilson was born in London in the year 1853, and is a son of Mr. Robert Wilson, of the Otago Foundry, Dunedin. He came to New Zealand with his parents in 1863, landed in Dunedin, and attended Gardner's private school. in Stuart Street. He was then employed in the Otago Foundry, and for a time assisted his father. Upon his parents removing to Oamaru, in 1868, he joined the staff of the “North Otago Times,” and served an apprenticeship to the printing trade. In 1876 Mr. Wilson removed to Kaiapoi, where he established a paper known as the “North Canterbury News.” Up to 1897 he was continuously connected with newspapers, among which may be mentioned: the “Bruce Standard,” the “Waikato Gazette,” the “Waimate Times,” the “Nenthorn Recorder,” the “Bruce Herald,” the “Egmont Settler,” the Helensville Times,” the “Kaitangata Times,” the “Waitara Times,” the “Mangaweka Settler,” the “Kawhia Settler,” the “Geraldine Times,” and the “Taihape Post.” He is a director of the “Taihape Post.” In 1893 Mr. Wilson married the third daughter of the late Mr. Samuel Gibbs, of Oamaru (well-known in the political history of the Dominion), and has one daughter.
James Architect, Hautapu Street, Taihape. This practice was established in the year 1905. Mr. Doherty was born in the year 1878, at Jackson's Bay, on the West Coast of the South Island, where his father was a pioneer settler. He was educated at the local public school, the Catholic School, Reefton, and at St. Patrick's College, Wellington. He was articled to Mr. Esinhardt, of Greymouth, for four years, and then went to Hokitika, where he remained for some years. Subsequently he removed to Taihape, established his present practice, and has been appointed to supervise the local government work.
Baker and Confectioner, Hautapu Street, Taihape. This business was established in the year 1897, and was acquired by Mr. Williams in 1900. It is conducted in a wood and iron building, which contains a shop and a refreshment room. The premises include also a commodious bakehouse. The oven, which is of modern type, will conveniently hold 160 loaves, and the business is steadily increasing. Mr. Williams was born in the year 1870, in Nelson, where he was educated, and afterwards was employed in Messrs. Griffin and Son's biscuit factory. In the early “nineties” he was apprenticed to the bakery trade under Mr. Glasford, of Napier, and four years afterwards took over the management of a bakery at Hunterville. In the year 1900 he removed to Taihape, and opened his present business.
(J. A. Champion and C. Von Blaramberg), Coachbuilders and General Smiths, Hautapu Street, Taihape. This prosperous business was originally established in the year 1901, by Mr. F. Sigley, who conducted it for two years and then sold out to Mr. Champion, who, three years later, entered into partnership with Mr. Blaramberg. The premises consist of a commodious wooden building, and contain the smithy (which carries two furnaces), a large coachbuilding department, and the paint shop. The building is furnished with all the most up-to-date appliances for the trade, and four tradesmen are constantly employed.
was born in the year 1876 in Westport, and was educated at the public schools. He was apprenticed to the blacksmithing trade in Carterton, where he was employed for seven years by Mr. W. H. Franks. He then returned to Westport, and worked for two years for the Westport Harbour Board, for a similar period for the Westport Coal Company, and then bought a business on his own account. After conducting this for a few months he sold out and removed to Taihape. Mr. Champion is a member of the local lodge of Oddfellows and a member of the committee of the Athletic Club.
was born at Matarawa, Wanganui, in the year 1883, and is the third son of a Palmerston North schoolmaster. He was educated by his father, and learned the trade of a carriage builder under Mr. Adam Burgess, with whom he remained for eight years. He then conducted a business at Utiku for eighteen months, in partnership with Mr. H. Pearce. The firm afterwards removed to Palmerston North, where they entered into business in the premises formerly occupied by Mr. Felix Stratford. Fifteen months later Mr. Blaramberg purchased his partner's share, but subsequently sold out and started his present business in Taihape, where he was joined in parnership by Mr. Champion. Mr. Blaramberg takes a keen interest in military affairs, was for six years a member of the Palmerston North Guards, and for some time sergeantmajor of the public school cadets.
Furniture Warehouseman and Manufacturer, and Undertaker, Hautapu Street, Taihape. This business was established early in 1904. The premises consist of an office, a large shop, and showroom, with the workshops and timber sheds at the rear. Besides the manufacture of furniture, upholstering, polishing, and picture-framing are conducted in the workshop, and all articles are of first-class workmanship. The showroom contains a fine collection of furniture, manufactured on the premises, and also a full stock of crockery, ironmongery, bedsteads, etc. Mr. Somerville
(H. Townsend, manager), Kuku Street, Taihape. This business is a branch of the Mangaweka Sash and Door Factory, and was established in the year 1907. The premises consist of a large wooden building, and contain the office, showroom, manufacturing, polishing, upholstering, and machinery rooms. There is a complete modern plant of machinery, driven by a seven-horse power oil engine. There is a large and well-arranged stock of furniture of all kinds in the showroom.
the manager, was born in the year 1875, in Wanganui, where he was educated. He was brought up to the furniture trade, under the late Mr. Donald Ross, with whom he spent six years. He then removed to Wellington, where he was employed for four years by Messrs. Scoullar and Chisholm, and also for other firms there. Mr. Townsend was then appointed manager of the Sash and Door Factory at Mansaweka, and after some time was sent to Taihape to open and conduct the firm's branch. He is married, and has two daughters.
Hair-dresser, Tobacconist, and Billiard Saloon proprietor, Hautapu Street, Taihape. This business was established in the year 1904 by Mr. G. Phillips, and acquired by Mr. Robinson in the year 1907. The shop carries a large stock of tobacconist's wares and also Edison phonographs and records. The saloon is well fitted up, and has three modern chairs, and the billiard saloon contains two of Alcock's best tables. Mr. Robinson was born in London in the year 1870, and came to New Zealand at an early age. After leaving school he served his time in the pipe-making and silver-smithing branches of his present trade, with Mr. Arthur Partridge, of Auckland, and Mr. Joseph Rice, of Sydney. He is a member of the Poultry Association, and is also connected with various sports clubs.
(G. F. Shanley, proprietor), Hautapu Street, Taihape. This business was established in the year 1905. The shop carries a large stock of sweetmeats, confectionery, etc., and has one large show window in which the goods are displayed to the best advantage. At the rear of the shop are the refreshment rooms (with seating accommodation for forty persons), and they are neat and well-appointed. The proprietor makes some of his own confectionery, and the business is gradually increasing in response to the good articles supplied to the public.
proprietor of the Central Confectionery and Refreshment Rooms, was born in England, and came to New Zealand in the year 1891. He spent some years in Australia, and then removed to Taihape, and started his present business.
(E. A. Wakeman, proprietor), Hautapu Street, Taihape. This hotel, situated near the railway station, is a two-storeyed wooden building with a verandah and balcony, and contains thirty-five rooms. There are two public entrances from the main street, and on the ground floor there are four sitting rooms, a well-appointed commercial room, the dining room, and a large bar. The first floor contains the bedrooms, a sitting room, bathrooms, and lavatory. The house is well furnished throughout, the tariff is moderate, the table and accommodation good, and the liquors are of the best brands. Mr. and Mrs. Wakeman make the comfort and convenience of guests and travellers their first consideration. The proprietor owns a farm, comprising 100 acres, situated about three miles from the township, which supplies a large portion of the provisions for the hotel.
proprietor of Ern's Hotel, is well-known in athletic circles, and has put up some excellent records. He still takes a keen interest in athletic sports, is president and vice-president of various clubs, and a member of other local public bodies. Mr. Wakeman was born in the year 1873, at Shenley, Hertfordshire, England, where he was educated, and afterwards
(F. H. Gibbons, proprietor), Taihape, is situated at the north end of Hautapu Street, and is one of the finest houses on the Main Trunk line. It is a two storeyed wooden building, with a balcony and verandah round two sides, and contains fifty rooms. There are five comfortable sitting rooms, a commercial room, a large dining room (with accommodation for fifty guests) and on the first floor are the bedrooms, two sitting rooms, bathroom, and lavatory. The “Gretna” is conducted on first-class lines, and the comfort of guests and travellers is carefully looked after by the proprietor. A good table is kept, and only the best brands of liquors are stocked. The Royal Mail Stables, situated on the opposite side of the road, also belong to the proprietor of the hotel. They offer good accommodation for horses, and a number of vehicles are kept for hire.
proprietor of the Gretna Hotel, is elsewhere referred to as a member of the borough council.
(J. Capill, proprietor), Main Street, Taihape. This hotel has the reputation of being one of the best houses on the Main Trunk Line. It is a large two storeyed wooden building, with a balcony, and contains thirty rooms. It is comfortably furnished, and a good table is kept. The house is lighted with acetylene gas, and there is hot and cold water laid on.
proprietor of the Temperance Hotel, was born in Kaiapoi, Canterbury, in the year 1865, and after leaving school was employed for fifteen years in the Kaiapoi Mills, and for eight years in the fellmongery business. He subsequently followed fanning pursuits at Pahiatua, Wellington, until he acquired the Temperance Hotel. Mr. Capill takes a keen interest in temperance work, and has been a member of the Sons of Temperance since 1884. He is married, and has two sons.
Saddler, Harness, Cover and Collar Manufacturer and Importer, Hautapu Street, Taihape. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. P.O. Box, 37. Telephone, No. 3. This business was established in the year 1903 by Mr. Neagle. In 1904 the present premises were erected; they occupy a central site near the Bank of Australasia, opposite the Post Office, and consist of a two-storeyed building. The shop is lighted by two large plate-glass windows, and there is a fine display of harness and saddlery. Mr. Neagle has established a good reputation for the manufacture of horse-covers, collars, and harness. He is a direct importer of the best English saddlery, and keeps his stock thoroughly up-to-date by regular shipments. Mr. Neagle was born in Taradale, Hawke's Bay, in the year 1879, was educated at Taradale and at Napier, and was apprenticed to the saddlery trade under Mr. James Mills, of Napier. He was then employed by his brother in Dannevirke, where he remained for eight years, and subsequently removed to Taihape and established his present business. Mr. Neagle is a member of the Chamber of Commerce.
Bookseller and Stationer, Hautapu Street, Taihape. This business was opened by Mr. Pratt in the year 1906, and was taken over by the present proprietor in August of the same year. The shop carries a good stock of general stationery, books, newspapers, journals, sporting requisites, etc, and a specialty is made of leather balls, bags, and hockey sticks. Mr. Dashwood was born in Adelaide, Australia, in the year 1877, was educated at the Adelaide and Melbourne colleges, and for some years after leaving
Bookseller and Stationer, corner of Hautapu Street and Tui Street, Taihape. This business was established in the year 1898 by Messrs. J. P. Aldridge and Son, and was acquired by Mr. Hedges in June, 1906. The premises consist of a two-storeyed building, containing the shop and office. The shop is a commodious apartment, measuring forty feet by thirty feet, and carries a large stock of stationery, books, fancy goods, tobacconist's sundries, Bporting requisites, fishing tackle, etc. Mr. Hedges holds the agency for the leading magazines, journals, and newspapers; he is also local agent for the Dresden Piano Company, and keeps a complete stock of musical literature. He was born at Sandon, in the Manawatu district, in the year 1874, and was educated at the Main School in Timaru. He afterwards went to Feilding, where he was engaged in farming pursuits for some years, in conjunction with his brother. On the outbreak of the Boer war, he left with the First Contingent for service in South Africa, was present at many of the chief engagements of the campaign, and received a medal and four bars. He returned to New Zealand in 1901, when he joined the staff of the Public Works Department on the construction of the Main Trunk railway line, and resigned to take up his present business.
Universal Providers, Hautapu Street and Tui Street, Taihape. Branch at Ohakune. This business was established in the year 1903, at the north end of the town, and was soon afterwards removed to the present site. The premises comprise one of the largest blocks of buildings in the district, and have a long frontage to both streets. They consist of a two-storeyed wooden building, divided into three distinct parts, namely, the general store, the soft goods department, and the bakery. There are three separate entrances, the first two on Hautapu Street, and the other oneon Tui Street. The first floor contains the dressmaking department, and at the rear is a convenient suite of offices and bulk storage accommodation. The general store carries a stock of groceries, ironmongery, crockery, boots and shoes, produce, brushware, fencing, and building materials; the soft goods department—clothing, mercery, millinery, hats, dress goods, and haberdashery; and the bakery department, in addition to the making of bread and confectionery, is furnished with up-to-date tea rooms. There are also sample rooms on the premises. The firm import direct in almost all lines, and have a large turnover. They employ twenty persons, and there are carts and a five-horse brake for the town and country deliveries.
(W. A. Ellis, manager), General Storekeepers, Taihape. The Taihape branch of this business was established in 1895, when the firm purchased a small business conducted by Messrs. Jackson and McCormick. Three years later, owing to the increase of business, the old shop was replaced by the present building, which has a frontage to the main street. The premises consist of a large retail shop, offices, millinery department, furniture room, bulk storerooms, and grain sheds. The firm are direct importers, and a heavy stock of groceries, drapery, ironmongery, crockery, produce, heavy iron goods, fencing materials, and grain is carried. Twelve persons are employed in the business. Messrs. Ellis Brothers have created a feeling of confidence and respect that will ensure the continued success of the business.
manager of the Taihape branch of Messrs. Ellis Brothers, was born near Southampton, England, was educated at Eagle House College, Tottenham, and was then apprenticed to the ironmongery trade in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, where he spent four years. He followed his trade for three years in Swansea, South Wales, and in 1882 came to New Zealand, where he joined his brothers, who
General Storekeepers, Hautapu Street, Taihape. This business was opened in the year 1905. The premises consist of a large shop, an office, and a storeroom. A large and well-assorted stock of general groceries, ironmongery, etc., is maintained; three persons are employed by the firm, and a good business is done throughout the town and district.
senior partner of Messrs. McLennan Brothers, was born in Wellington in the year 1877, and after leaving school gained experience in the storekeeping trade. Subsequently he conducted a store for some time at Rangiwahia, and in 1897 he removed to Taihape to start a business there. Two years later he sold this business and went to South Africa with the Third Contingent. On his return he started his present business, in which he was subsequently joined by his brother. Mr. McLennan has been a member of the Borough Council, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Sports Club. He is married, and has two sons.
which is named after a pioneer settler. Mr. James Bulls, is a prosperous township, forty miles south-east from Wanganui, in the Rangitoto riding of the county of Rangitikei. The nearest railway station—four miles away—is Great-ford, near Marton, on the main line, and coaches ply regularly to meet every train. The township is the centre of a very extensive and rich farming district, the land being of a level and undulating character, and mixed farming (grazing, cropping, and dairying) is the chief industry. Flax-milling is also carried on in the district. Bulls has one principal street, and possesses a fine post-office, two banks, a district high school, several churches, a public hall, and two hotels, while the various business firms are well represented. There are good cycle roads in the vicinity, and pheasant, wild duck, and quail shooting, also trout fishing, can be obtained. Bulls is governed by a town board, established in the year 1873; there are 170 rateable properties, and 130 ratepayers in the district. The population at the census of 1906 was 492.
has its head-quarters at Sanson, near Bulls. The country covers a large area of farming country, for the most part undulating and level. It is bounded on the north and north west by the Rangitikei river, on the south-west by the ocean and the Foxton borough, and on the south-east and east by the Manawatu and Oroua rivers. The country has good roads and bridges, and there is a tramway line which connects Bulls with the main Palmerston-Foxton line at Himatangi, six miles from Foxton. The total length of this line is twenty-four miles, and there are two engines, ballast and cargo trucks, and passenger carriages. The trams run on four days a week, and have proved of incalculable benefit to the farming community. The total debt of the county amounts to £51,662, and the rates consist of a general rate of £¼d in the £ and a number of special rates. Members for the year 1907:—Messrs. J. G. Wilson (chairman), George Kendall, Thomas Masters, R. B. McKenzie, W. E. Barber, John Dalton, and J. Henson.
who succeeded Mr. Fred Purnell as clerk and treasurer to the Manawatu County Council in the year 1907, was born in New Plymouth in July, 1882. After leaving school he entered the office of Mr. Walter Rutherford, agent for the public trustee and clerk to the Kairanga County Council, Palmerston North. He remained there for eight years, gained a thorough knowledge of general accountancy, and was admitted as a member of the New Zealand Institute of Accountants. In January, 1907, he was appointed acting-clerk to the Manawatu County Council, and soon afterwards received his permanent appointment. Mr. Drew is a member of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association and the lodge of Oddfellows.
has been chairman of the Bulls Town Board since 1903, and was first elected a member in 1901. He is a member of the Feilding Agricultural and Pastoral Association, the Bulls Jockey Club, the local lodge of Freemasons (of which he is secretary), and a member and trustee of the Order of Oddfellows. Mr. Walker was born in the year 1872, in Bulls, where he was educated and brought up to the black-smithing trade, under his father. He was afterwards engaged in contracting for several years, and in 1897 entered into partnership with Mr. T. F. Nolan to take over his present stables, but subsequently bought his partner out. Mr. Walker is married, and has two children.
which stands on the north side of the town, is a wooden building containing four class rooms. There is accommodation for 200 pupils, and the number on the roll is 130, which for the year 1907 resulted in an average attendance of about 115. The playground is an extensive one, and there is a well-kept garden, cultivated by the children in connection with their lessons in elementary agriculture. The staff of the school consists of the Rector, a special male assistant, an assistant mistress, and a pupil teacher. The secondary work is at present carried on in a room of the main school, but a detached building for secondary and technical purposes is shortly to be erected on the same ground. This is to contain a class room, a science and technical room, and a room for instruction in cookery, and will cost £400.
Rector of the Bulls District High School, is a son of the late Rev. J. H. Gray, a Wesleyan minister. He was born at Broad Bay, on the Otago Peninsula, in the year 1863, was educated at the public schools, and for some years followed journalism. In 1887 he adopted the teaching profession, and has served successively under the South Canterbury, the Southland, and the Wanganui Education Boards. Subsequently for four years he was head-master at Colyton, near Feilding, and in 1907 was promoted to his present position. Mr. Gray has decided musical ability, which is always willingly placed at the disposal of his school, the church, or any other deserving institution, and in this sphere of labour he is ably assisted by his estimable wife.
(G. H. Hathaway, proprietor), was established in the year 1906 by Mr. Hathaway. The business is conducted in a substantial wooden building, containing three apartments, namely, the storeroom, the manufacturing room, and the bottling and washing shed. All varieties of cordials
proprietor of the Bulls Cordial Factory, was born in the year 1871, in Blenheim, Marlborough, where he was educated, and for some years followed flaxmllling, cabinet-making, and carpentering in Marl-borough, Foxton, and Bulls. He then held a position in the Hawera Brewery, where he remained for some years, latterly as manager. He subsequently managed a cordial factory at Eltham for some months, before establishing his present business. Mr. Hathaway is married, and has one daughter.
. (E. Morse, proprietor), Sanson, near Bulls. The original building of this old-established hotel was destroyed by fire in the year 1907, and was replaced by a substantial two-storeyed modern building, containing twenty rooms. The whole house is well furnished, and affords first-class accommodation for visitors.
proprietor of the Junction Hotel, was born in Nelson in the year 1862, and is a son of Major N. G. Morse, who was a member of the House of Representatives in New Zealand. He was educated at Nelson and Wanganui, and afterwards followed farming pursuits for a short time. He then had some years' experience of commercial life, and in 1904 took over the Junction Hotel. Mr. Morse is married, and has one son.
(F. Rhodes, proprietor), Bulls. This popular hotel is a substantial two-storeyed wooden building, and contains about twenty-two rooms. There are two entrances, the private one, from High Street, leading into a fine hall, from which a broad staircase leads to the first floor. The ground floor contains a commercial room, the dining room (capable of seating fifty guests), two sitting rooms, a large billiard room, and a double bar. The second floor is composed of well furnished bedrooms, a sitting room, a bathroom (with hot and cold water laid on), lavatories, etc. At the rear of the hotel are the stables. The table and accommodation are good, and the liquors are of the best brands.
proprietor of the Rangitikei Hotel, was born at Drury. Auckland, in the year 1862, and is a son of a Waikato runholder, who, in the days of the Maori war, supplied the troops with stores. He was educated at the Drury public school, and the Auckland Grammar School, and afterwards entered the service of the Bank of New Zealand at Hamilton. Subsequently he resigned and followed farming pursuits with his father in the Waikato for six years. In 1898 he settled in Gisborne, where he had been farming and contracting for a time, and was engaged by Messrs. Williams and Kettle as stock agent and yards-man until 1906, when he resigned to take over the Rangitikei Hotel, Bulls. Mr. Rhodes takes a keen interest in local public affairs, is a member of the Bulls Town Board, a member of the Cricket, Football, and Jockey Clubs, and is a Past Arch Druid. He married Miss Green, of Gisborne, in 1891, and has two sons and five daughters.
Butcher, High Street, Bulls. This business was established many years ago, and was taken over by Mr. Home in the year 1904. The premises include a shop, a sausage-making room, small goods room, and storeroom, and are lighted by electricity. The machinery is up-to-date, and is driven by a three-horse power oil engine. Three men are constantly employed, and there is a cart delivery. Mr. Home was born in Blenheim, Marlborough, in the year 1868, and was brought up to the painting trade. He subsequently turned his attention to racing matters, for twenty-five years was a trainer and rider both in New Zealand and Australia, and he is stil interested in racing. Mr. Home is a member of the local school committee, and is a Freemason and an Oddfellow. He is married, and has three sons and two daughters.
General Storekeeper, Bulls. This business was established by the present proprietor in the year 1900. It is conducted in premises occupying a large corner section opposite the Bank of New Zealand, and carries a fine stock of general merchandise, including groceries, ironmongery, crockery, drapery, clothing, and fancy goods. The business is well conducted, the prices are moderate, and a good turn-over is maintained. Mr. Wearne was born in the year 1859, in St. Just, Cornwall, England, where he was educated and brought up to the drapery and clothing trade. He subsequently emigrated to New Zealand, and opened his present business in Bulls. Mr. Wearne is a local preacher in the Methodist Church, and is secretary of the school committee. He is married, and has two sons and one daughter.
General Carrier and Contractor, Bulls. Mr. Nolan carries on an extensive business as a contractor and carter, and employs six teams of horses in connection with the business. The stables are situated in High Street, at the rear of the old Criterion Hotel, and contain twenty-five loose boxes. Mr. Nolan was born in Wellington in the year 1875, and was educated at the Rangitikei and Manawatu public schools. For about seven years he conducted the Bulls Livery and Bail Stables, in partnership with Mr. J. E. Walker, and since the dissolution of partnership Mr. Nolan has been successfully engaged as a contractor. He is an officer of the Jockey Club, vice-president of the Football Club, a member of the Cricket Club, and for fourteen years was a member of the local lodge of Oddfellows. Mr. Nolan is married, and has one son and one daughter.
(J. E. Walker, proprietor), Bulls. This business has been established for many years. The stables contain sixty stalls, twenty-eight loose boxes, a waiting room, and an office, and there is also a large amount of yard room, and paddock accommodation. Forty horses are constantly on hand, and the vehicles comprise eight gigs and buggies, four coaches (chiefly engaged in the Bulls-Greatford service), and six heavy haulage brakes. A motor car is kept on the premises for hire, and an expert motorist is employed. In connection with the stables there is a saddlery business conducted in a well-appointed apartment on the right side of the entrance. A large and varied stock of saddlery is carried, and one experienced tradesman is employed in connection with the business.
near Bulls, on the Sanson side of the river, is a compact farm of first-class level land. It was part of the late Mr. James Bulls' original estate, and was taken up by Mr. Lambess in the year 1906. The property is divided into five paddocks, carries about 300 sheep, and is also used for fattening stock, the proprietor being a well-known dealer. There is a comfortable homestead on the farm.
was born in Wanganui in the year 1868. He was educated at the State school, and then farmed for a time with his father. On his father's death he started on his own account, and was chiefly employed as a drover, shepherd, and dealer, before taking up his present property. Mr. Lambess served in the South African Boer war with the New Zealand contingents.
is on the Wellington-Wanganui-New Plymouth line of railway, and is the centre of a large agricultural, dairying, and pastoral district. It is ninety-nine miles by rail from Wellington, twelve miles from Palmerston North, and is in the county of Oroua. The local railway station stands at an elevation of 235 feet above the level of the sea. At the census of 1906 the population of Feilding was 2,971, as against 2,298 at the census of 1901. The town is well laid out, has wide streets, and two fine squares: that in the centre, known as Manchester Square, has several enclosures planted with shrubs and flowers, and there is also a large band rotunda. The drainage of the borough is excellent; the system in operation is on the septic tank principle. The source of the water supply for the borough is at the Oroua river, and the water is brought in by gravitation to the reservoir, which has a capacity for 240,000 gallons. Twenty miles of mains have been laid, and the entire cost of construction was £27,264. The usual Government offices are represented in Fielding, The Post and Telegraph office—an imposing two-storeyed brick building, with clock tower—stands at the corner of Kimboiton Eoad and Manchester Square. The town is lighted by gas, which is supplied by the Feilding Gas Company, Limited, a private company. There are Anglican, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, and Primitive Methodist churches, and there are also two public schools. The industries of the town include timber-mills, sash and door factories, engineering and coach-building works, a brewery, and a flour-mill. Feilding has a daily evening newspaper, branches of the Banks of New Zealand, New South Wales, Australasia, and the Union, a free public library, a jockey club, and the usual athletic, social, and musical clubs and societies. Accommodation is provided in Feilding by several good hotels and private boarding-houses. As the market town of a thriving farming district Feilding is visited by large numbers of the surrounding settlers, more especially on market days, when sales are held. The Feilding Industrial, Agricultural and Pastoral Association hold a two days' show in February, in the Jockey Club's grounds at South Street. The town is surrounded by a flourishing dairy and general farming district, and among the neighbouring centres of settlement are: Cheltenham, Kiwitea, Birmingham (or Fowlers), Pemberton, Rangiwahia, Apiti, Colyton, Makino, Beaconafield (also called (Cunningham's), Waituna West, Awahuri, and Sanson. The town is named after the Hon. Colonel Feilding, who visited the Australasian colonies as a representative of the Colonists' Land and Loan Corporation, Limited; and the Manchester Block and the chief square in the town are named after the Duke of Manchester. During Colonel Feilding's visit the Manchester Block was acquired at fifteen shillings per acre. This land was obtained under very stringent conditions, which were backed up by penalties. The Corporation entered into agreement to survey, subdivide, and lay out roads throughout the block, and contracted to send 2,000 immigrants and settle them on the land before the 1st of April, 1877. The General Government agreed to provide free passages for the company's immigrants, and to employ 200 men on railway construction works. The Provincial Government of Wellington agreed that an annual grant of £2,000, to be expended in road formation, should be made. The first settlers introduced by the Corporation landed from the ship “Duke of Edinburgh” in January, 1874, and before the end of April of that year 458 persons had arrived. These early settlers started work on the site of the township, and their first employment was to build houses. The colonising company placed the men, their wives, and families on the ground free of cost, and for some time afterwards
which was constituted in 1881, has an area of 2,300 acres. Rates are levied on the unimproved value, which in 1907 amounted to £325,453. At the same time the total capital value of all properties within its boundaries amounted to £571,305. A general rate of 2d in the pound on the unimproved value, a library rate of £1/16d., a special rate of £4/5d. for water works loan, and £3/16d. for surface drainage loan are levied. The water rate is on the annual value, namely, under £12 10s., a rate of 10s., under £200, five per cent.; under £300, four per cent.; and over that sum three per cent., with concessions in special cases. The total loans, exclusive of those from the Government, are £30,000 for water supply, £6,000 for surface drainage, £900 for municipal buildings, and £1,600 for sewerage. The sum of £46,500 was expended on the water supply and drainage, and £3,370 on the abattoirs. The water supply is drawn from the Oroua river, and stored in a reservoir, capable of holding 240,000 gallons; it is distributed by means of twenty miles of mains. A complete system of removing rubbish for destruction by burning is carried out under direction of the council. About £100 per annum is granted towards the maintenance of a well-equipped volunteer Fire Brigade. The municipal chambers are situated in Kimbolton Road, and at the rear is a brick building containing a library and reading room (with 3,500 volumes exclusive of magazines), a ladies' room, public newsroom, and a large meeting room. The borough is lighed by gas supplied by a local company, which has established the necessary works and contracted with the council to maintain fifty street lights at £4 10s. 6d. each per annum. In addition to the two splendid squares, which are well kept and planted, the borough owns the Victoria Park, a beautiful recreation ground, with an area of sixteen acres. It is well laid out, and adapted for athletic sports, public functions, and recreative purposes generally. The site of the abattoirs contains eighteen acres, and provides ample paddock room for stock. In addition to these lands the corporation yards cover three-quarters of an acre, the pound enclosure two acres, and the site of the reservoir another two acres. The members of the council for 1907–08 are: Messrs. W. J. B. Trewin (mayor), J. G. Cobbe, E. Goodbehere, T. West, J. Darragh, S. W. Fitzherbert, A. Richmond, J. W. Bramwell, H. Tolley, and A. H. Atkinson (councillors). Mr. J. Rankin is town clerk and treasurer, and Mr. W. J. Roche, engineer.
was elected to the Feilding Borough Council in April, 1907. He is a nephew of the late Sir H. A. Atkinson, was born in Taranaki, and was educated in New Plymouth and at Nelson College. After five years' service in the Bank of New Zealand, he was for some time on the staff of Messrs. J. H. Cock and Company, of Nelson. He subsequently settled in the Feilding district, and for fifteen years was engaged in farming pursuits, but in 1905 he again turned his attention to mercantile life. Mr. Atkinson was a member of the Provincial Executive of the New Zealand Farmers' Union, was a member of the Kiwitea County Council for six years, and for two years was a member of the Wanganui Education Board.
who occupies a seat on the Feilding Borough Council, is a solicitor and the senior partner in the firm of Messrs. Fitzherbert and McIntyre. He was born in the Lower Hutt, Wellington, in the year 1878, is the second son of Mr. Henry Samuel Fitzherbert, stipendiary magistrate at New Plymouth, and a grandson of the late Sir William Fitzherbert, sometime Superintendent of Wellington. He was educated at private schools and at the Wanganui Collegiate School. After leaving college he spent two years on his uncle's sheep station at Mangawhare, Hawke's Bay, then spent two years and a half on the literary staff of the “New Zealand Times.” He subsequently entered the legal profession, under Messrs. Brandon, Hislop and Johnston, of Wellington, and after qualifying, in 1903, spent a short time with his brother, Mr. Lockhart Fitzherbert, then of New Plymouth. In March, 1904, he commenced his practice in Feilding, and the following year took Mr. McIntyre into partnership. Mr. Fitzherbert has always taken the keenest interest in local affairs, has been twice elected to the Borough Council, is chairman of the Park and Cemetery Committee, a member of the Works Committee, a member of the Palmerston North Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, and treasurer of the local lodge of Freemasons. For many years Mr. Fitzherbert has been a student of sociology, and he is endeavouring to develop a system possessing the principal virtues of socialism and at the same time allowing the utmost freedom to the individual. Mr. Fitzherbert is married, and has one daughter.
a member of the Feilding Borough Council since 1904, was born at sea, on board the ship “Wave of Life.” He was educated at Ackworth, Yorkshire, England, afterwards served an apprenticeship to the building trade under Mr John Hallthorp, of Leeds, and then spent eighteen months in the architectural department of the North Eastern Railway Company. In 1885 he came to New Zealand, found employment in Auckland for ten years, then removed to Feilding, and established himself as an architect, builder, and contractor, in Manchester street. Mr West is noted for his thoroughness and reliable workmanship, and among the many buildings which he has erected may be mentioned the new premises of the New Zealand Farmers' Motor Company, Limited. As a poultry fancier he is a prominent member of the Palmerston Poultry Association and a frequent prize winner. Mr West is married, and has two sons and one daughter.
is situated about one mile from the township on the south side, and was established in the year 1904. The abattoir is substantial and up-to-date in every respect, stands on a solid concrete foundation, and consists of the slaughter-house, hanging room, and yards. It has accommodation for thirty carcases of beef and 200 sheep. There are cattle yards and sheep pens adjoining, and an area of forty acres of good land provides
was born in County Down, Ireland, in October, 1875, and is the third son of Mr. William Mitchell, sheep-farmer, Colyton, near Feilding. He was educated at the High School in Belfast, and after spending two years in a mercantile office in Annsborough he assisted his father for three years in a drapery business. In 1894 he came to New Zealand with his parents, followed farming pursuits for five years at Colyton with his father, and entered the Government service in the year 1900, as assistant meat inspector at Ngahauranga, near Wellington. He subsequently served in the same capacity in the freezing works in Invercargill and Waitara, and on qualifying in February, 1903, took charge of the Lyttelton Abattoir. Two years later he received his present appointment In Feilding. Mr. Mitchell is married, and has one daughter.
has jurisdiction over a large extent of prosperous farming country, adjacent to Feilding. It was established in the year 1903 to supersede the Manchester Road Board. The area of the county is 213 square miles, and the population at the census of 1906 was 3,698. Rates are levied on the capital value; there is a general rate of £⅝d. in the pound, and also special rates.
was appointed engineer to the Oroua County Council in the year 1907, to succeed the late Mr. Charles Bray. He was born at Cambridge, Auckland, in the year 1885, and is the second son of Mr. A. B. Harding, of the Government Survey Department, Auckland, and a nephew of Mr. A. E. Harding, Ex-M.H.R. He was educated at the Thames High School and at St. John's College, Auckland, and then studied engineering under Mr. J. E. Fulton, of Wellington, with whom he spent two years. He was subsequently appointed assistant engineer to the Rangitikei County Council, under Mr. Mair. In September, 1906, he was appointed assistant engineer to the borough of Feilding, and, a few months later, borough engineer, which latter position he resigned in order to take up his present appointment.
known as C Squadron of No. 3 Battalion Wellington (Manawatu) Mounted Rifle Volunteers, was founded in the year 1901, and has its head-quarters in Feilding. The corps has always been a popular body, has kept a full membership, and is a strong and well-drilled force. It possesses some first-class marksmen, and has won many prizes and trophies. Captain Sverre Sorenson is the commanding officer, and Lieutenant B. N. Sandilands is secretary of the corps.
Commander of the Feilding Mounted Rifles, has been connected with volunteering since 1896. For nine years he was a member of the Manawatu Mounted Rifles, and in May, 1905, accepted the captaincy of his present corps. Mr. Sorenson was born in the year 1877, in Christiania, Norway, where he was educated at the Aas and Voss Colleges, and then went to sea in the merchant service. In 1893 he left his ship in New Zealand, and after spending some time with an uncle in farming, took up land on his own account and farmed successively at Palmerston North, Kiwitea, and Aorangi. In July, 1907. he joined the firm of Messrs. Young and Company, of Wellington and Feilding, as a partner, and has since devoted his time to the land agency business. Mr. Sorenson is a member of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, the Farmers' Union, the Rangitikei Club, and the local lodge of Freemasons. He married Miss McCurdy, of Wellington, and has two children.
Feilding, was established in the year 1901, and has accommodation for 180 pupils. The school started with an attendance of ninety, but the present roll number is 250, with an average attendance of 200, and as this is considerably in excess of the school accommodation about sixty pupils are taught in a separate building. The playground comprises an area of three acres, with football and cricket fields, and also gardens cultivated by the scholars. There is a cadet corps with a membership of forty-five, constituting No. 8 Company of No. 1 Battalion of the Wanganui District Cadets, with Mr. H. C. Stewart in command. There is also a football team (which has the honour of holding the local championship), and a cricket team. The head-master, Mr. H. C. Stewart, is assisted by one male teacher, and three lady assistants.
was established in the year 1901. An annual show is held in the month of February in the Jockey Club's ground at South Street. Entries are received from all parts of the district and are steadily increasing. A ram fair is held on the day following the annual show. There is a membership of about 700, and
Secretary to the Feilding Industrial, Agricultural and Pastoral Association, was born in Birmingham, England, and educated in England. After some years spent at sea and in Africa he learned the trade of a printer, and subsequently established a business in Feilding. Mr. Fisher is secretary of the local athletic club, and the Manchester Rifle Volunteers.
Teacher of the Violin, Piano, Organ, and Singing, Kimbolton Road, Feilding. Mr. Massey was born in New South Wales in the year 1868, and comes of a musical family; his father was a successful student of music, and his four brothers, besides conducting musical practices, are leading Australian organists. The eldest, Mr. Joseph Massey, is organist of St. Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney; Mr. Arthur Massey is organist of St. Clement's, Sydney; Mr. Edward Massey is organist of St. Thomas', North Shore, Sydney; and Mr. Thomas Massey is organist of Bathurst Cathedral. After receiving a good commercial education he studied music under some of the best German masters in Sydney, and gained a thorough knowledge of the theory and practice of music. For some time he practised in Sydney suburbs, where he held the position of organist at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, and in 1893 came to New Zealand and settled in Gisborne, where for fourteen years he was one of the leading teachers in the profession. He held the position of organist and choir-master for some years at St. Andrew's Church. Mr. Massey removed to Feilding in April, 1907, and in addition to his private practice has staged several operas, and is conductor of the Operatic Society and the Liedertafel. He is a prominent bowler, was the “skip” of the Champion Fours at the Northern Bowling Association's tournament in 1906, and also of the rink that held the Gisborne championship in the previous year. Mr. Massey is married, and has three sons and two daughters.
B.A., LL.B., Barrister and Solicitor, McArthur Street, Feilding. This practice was established in the year 1907. The premises are new and contain four well-furnished rooms. Mr. Graham is an expérienced lawyer, and has secured a first-class connection. He also does a large amount of work for the Maoris. Mr. R. J. Harper is managing clerk. Mr. Graham was born in Nelson in the year 1879, and is the youngest son of Mr. John Graham, M.P. He was educated at the public schools and Nelson College, and afterwards attended lectures at Victoria College, Wellington, while serving his articles with Mr. W. T. L. Travers and Mr. H. D. Bell, K.C. In 1901 he took the B.A. degree, and in 1903 graduated in law, winning highest honours in the Dominion for practice and procedure. His extra efficiency in this department was due to his experience in the Appeal and Supreme Courts with Mr. H. D. Bell, K.C., and his partner, Mr. Meyers. While in Wellington Mr. Graham took a very keen interest in debating, and had the honour of representing his college at the inter-collegiate debating contest held in Christchurch in 1902. In 1907 he removed to Feilding and established his present practice.
(A. H. Atkinson and H. Roberts, managing directors), Auctioneers and Grain Merchants, Land, Stock and General Produce Agents, Kimbolton Roád, Feilding. This business was established in 1905 by Mr. Atkinson, and the company was formed in June. 1907, when Mr. Roberts, formerly manager of the Feilding branch of the Union Bank of Australia, Limited, joined the firm. Mr. Roberts, who acts as auctioneer for the firm, holds auction sales every Friday, monthly sales of wool, skin, hides, and tallow, and stock and clearing sales as required. He also attends the annual wool sales held in Wellington, and is a member of the Wellington Wool Brokers' Association.
(J. T. Barry), Land, Estate, and Commission Agents, Central Land Agency, corner of Kimbolton Road and Stafford Street, Feilding. This business was established in the year 1902 by the present proprietor. The premises comprise a public and private office, and considerable sales of property are transacted throughout the Dominion.
was born in Hawke's Bay, where he was educated and brought up to mercantile life, and in 1899 settled in the Feilding district.
(H. P. Brown), Land and Estate Agents, Kimbolton Road, Feilding. This business was founded in October, 1907, and is represented in all the chief centres in the North Island. The firm have a large selection of properties on their lists.
was born in the year 1875, at Cambridge,
Land, Estate, and Financial Agent, Fergusson Street, Feilding. This business was established in the year 1903 by Mr. Mackay, who had for some time represented the New Zealand Government Life Insurance Department in Nelson. It has an extensive connection throughout the whole of the North Island, and also acts as agent for the Australian Widows' Fund Life Insurance Society, Limited. Mr. Mackay was born in Nelson, where he was educated and brought up to farming pursuits.
(D. H. Prior and W. O. Caldwell), Land Agents, Fergusson Street, Feilding. In 1905 Mr. Prior established the present business, and was joined by Mr. Caldwell in May, 1907. The firm transact considerable sales of property in Feilding and surrounding districts, and make a special feature of the farming lands in the Gisborne district.
was born in Feilding, where he was educated. He gained clerical experience in a legal office, and was for three years in the Bank of New South Wales before starting business on his own account.
is a practical farmer, and was for a short time in the New Zealand Government Life Insurance Department before joining the firm of Messrs. Prior and Caldwell.
(Messrs. Young, Maxwell, and Sorenson). Land, Estate, and General Agents, Feilding. Head office, Wellington. This business was established in Wellington in the year 1906, and in June of the following year the Feilding branch was opened. The firm have agencies all over the Dominion, and have a large number of stations and farms on their books. The proprietors are experienced farmers and business men, and devote their best attention to the interests of their clients.
Builder and Contractor, Kimbolton Road, Feilding. This business was established in the year 1881 by Mr. Heald, who has erected many buildings in the town, including the new post office. He has four sons in partnership with him, and also employs several tradesmen. Mr. Heald was born in Preston, Lancashire, England, in the year 1852, and is a member of a very old family which can be traced back for 700 years. His father who was also a builder, his grand father, and many other members of the family, resided in the borough of Preston, of which Mr. Heald is a Freeman. After leaving school he spent two years with Mr. Jabez Jones, architect, of Preston, and ther learned the building trade under Mr.
Builder and Contractor, Fitzroy Street, Fellding. Mr. Watts has carried on his business since the year 1878, and during that period has built numerous public and private buildings in and around Fellding. He now employs a large number of persons in connection with his business. Mr. Watts was born in Wellington in the year 1844, is one of the oldest New Zealand-born colonists, and had to contend with the difficulties experienced by the early settlers. He was educated at a small private school in Wellington, and learned the trade of a wheelwright under his brother-in-law, Mr. John Fitchett, with whom he spent four years. He then went to Picton, and spent ten years in the saw-milling industry with the late Captain Dalton, latterly as mill manager. He afterwards resigned on account of ill-health, and started business on his own account as a building contractor in Picton. After four years success ful business there he removed to the North Island, and settled in Feilding. He has served on the Borough Council, was chairman of the School Committee, and is a member of the Building Society. Mr. Watts is married, and has ten children, six of whom are public school teachers. Of the other three sons one is a foreman printer, another a painter, and the third a draper in Wellington. His daughter married Mr. Trewin, barrister and solicitor, the present Mayor of Feilding.
Builder and Contractor, Weld Street and Kimbolton Road, Feilding. Private residence, Lytton Street. This business was established in the year 1891, since when it has steadily increased, and now ranks as one of the leading building firms in the district, and employs thirty persons. The workshops contain a complete modern plant for Joinery and woodwork, and there are also a plumbers' workroom (with the latest appliances for the trade) a large office, and a stock room, which carries a heavy stock of builders' ironmongery, etc. Mr. Wilkinson has erected a large number of buildings in the Feilding district, including Sandilands' Buildings, the Land and Loan Company's offices, the Denbigh Hotel, the Union Chambers, Cathew's Buildings, the new Bank of New Zealand, and the Technical School. He was born at Preston, Lancashire, England, in the year 1859, after leaving school was employed for five years in a cotton dressing factory, and was then apprenticed to the building trade. In 1879 he came to New Zealand and settled in Feilding, worked at his trade under his uncle, Mr. F. Pope, for eleven years, and then started business on his own account. Mr. Wilkinson is a Freemason and an Oddfellow, and a member of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association and the Athletic Club. He is married, and has one son and five daughters.
Coachbuilder and Repairer, Kimbolton Road, Feilding. This business was established in 1882 by Mr. George Saywell, and was acquired by Mr. Aplin in the year 1907. The premises consist of a two-storeyed building, with a frontage of 130 feet and a depth of 160 feet, and the various departments are fitted up with the latest and most efficient machinery for turning out first-class work. An extensive business is conducted, and six persons are constantly employed. Mr. Aplin was born in Carterton, Wairarapa, in the year 1877. After leaving school he spent a short time in the grocery business, and then served an apprenticeship to the coachbuilding trade under Messrs. Robinson Brothers and Messrs. Wallace and Masson, of Carterton. He was then employed by the well-known firm of Messrs. Rouse and Hurrell, of Wellington, and in November, 1905, was sent to manage their Feilding branch, which position he held until starting business on his own acount. Mr. Aplin is a member of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, is an Oddfellow, and a member of the Orange lodge. He is married, and has two children.
Painter, Paperhanger, and House Decorator, Kimbolton Road, Feilding. This business was established by Messrs. Watson Brothers in 1891, and acquired by Mr. Amor in the year 1904. The premises are situated near the Post Office, and carry a large stock of imported paper-hangings, paints, colours, oils, picture framings, and other decorative materials. Mr. Amor conducts a large and increasing business, and gives employment to twelve persons. He was born at Doyleston, Canterbury, in the year 1866, was educated at Leeston, and served an apprenticeship of six years to the painting trade under Mr. W. Taylor, of Ranglora. He then went to the West Coast, where he conducted business in partnership with Mr. Aldridge, in Greymouth, for eighteen months, and afterwards followed his trade successively in Wellington, Petone, Shannon, Palmerston North, Hastings, and
Painter, Paperhanger, House Decorator, Signwriter and Glazier, Feilding. This business was established in the year 1902. Mr. Creighton gives constant employment to an efficient staff of workmen, and his work is well known for its style and finish. He was born in the year 1874, in County Down, Ireland, and came to New Zealand with his parents in 1880. He was educated at Kyeburn, Central Otago, where his father had taken up land, and afterwards assisted on the farm. In 1894 he removed to Takapau, Hawke's Bay, and after some time there took up an agency for the Beale Sewing Machine. He subsequently resigned this position and settled in Feilding, where he worked for Messrs. Watson Brothers until starting business on his own account. Mr. Creighton is junior warden in the local lodge of Freemasons, a member of the Orders of Oddfellows and Druids, and a Past Grand Master of the Loyal Orange Institution for the North Island. He married Miss A. Humphries, of Feilding, and has two sons and two daughters.
Ladies' and Gentlemen's Tailor, Macarthur Street, Feilding. This business was established in the year 1906. The premises are modern and well lighted, and comprise a spacious and well-stocked shop (with two large plate-glass windows), and two workrooms. The proprietor maintains a considerable stock of ladies' costume and gentlemen's tailoring materials, and has established a good name for the cut and finish of his work. Eight persons are employed in the business. Mr. Percival was born in Christchurch in the year 1872, and after leaving school was apprenticed to the tailoring trade. He followed his trade for some years in Christchurch, and then removed to Wellington, where he was employed successively by Messrs. Kirkaldie and Stains, King and Muir, and Veitch and Allan, until he established his present business in Feilding. Mr. Percival is a member of the Choral Society, the Wesleyan Church Choir, the Fire Brigade, the Agricultural and Pastoral Asociation, and the Order of Oddfellows.
Drapers, Milliners, and Clothiers, corner of Fergusson and Manchester Streets, Feilding. This business was established many years ago, and acquired by the present firm in March, 1905. The premises consist of a two-storeyed building, with plate-glass windows. The ground floor includes a large, well-lighted show room, the hosiery, fancy, haberdashery, dress, Manchester, and clothing departments, in which the stock is tastefully arranged. The first floor contains the fitting rooms, waiting rooms, dressmaking and millinery workrooms, a reserve stock room, and a suite of offices, including the proprietor's private office, which is connected by a speaking tube with the ground floor. The firm are direct importers, Messrs. John Foden and Company are their London buyers, and they import only first-class materials. They have a good country connection, and employ twelve persons in connection with their business.
was born in the year 1878 in Masterton, where he was educated. After a few years' experience in the office, and afterwards in the drapery department of the Wairarapa Farmers' Cooperative Association and then in the Napier branch of Messrs. Hallenstein Brothers, he accepted a position in the dress department, and afterwards in charge of the fancy, glove, hosiery and haberdashery departments at Messrs. James Smith and Sons, of Wellington. Four years later Mr. Sutton went to England to gain further experience in the trade, and for two years was employed successively in the Bon Marche (Brixton), Mr. F. Penberthy's (Oxford Street), and Messrs. Thomas Wallis and Company Limited (Holborn, London). He then went to Paris for a short time, and on his return to New Zealand was employed again by Messrs. J. Smith and Sons, of Wellington, and subsequently acquired his present business in Feilding.
(C. B. Aitken and T. J. Evans). Cabinet makers and Upholsterers, Kimbolton Road, Feilding. This business was established as the furniture department of the Feilding United Farmers' Co-operative Association. It was taken over in 1903 by Messrs. Aitken and Evans, who soon afterwards acquired a site, which extends from Kimbolton Road to Macarthur Street, and erected the present handsome premises. These comprise two large buildings, namely, the shop and polishing room (measuring thirty feet by 132 feet), a workshop and factory. The factory is a two-storeyed building, and contains the cabinetmaking, furniture, manufacturing, and upholstering departments. The firm have an up-to-date plant of wood-working machinery driven by a twelve-horse power gas engine. Their manufactures include furniture, cabinetware, bedding, upholstery, picture framing, and other smaller lines, and the firm are also direct importers of furniture, ironmongery, brassware, bedsteads, linoleums, bevelled-edged mirrors, toiletware, etc. The show-room, with two large plate-glass windows, carries an excellent stock of the firm's manufactured and imported goods. Messrs, Aitken and Evans make a specialty of the packing and removal of private furniture, and are entrusted with a large amount of work.
was born in Nelson in the year 1872. He was educated at Feilding, afterwards spent four years in the stationery business, and then learned his present trade under Mr. Alfred Eade, with whom he spent nine years. He was subsequently employed by the United Farmers' Co-operative Association, and in partnership with Mr. Evans manufactured on wholesale lines for the association, from which developed their present independent firm. Mr. Aitken is colour-sergeant in the Manchester Rifles, secretary of the Feilding Brass Band, treasurer of the lodge of Oddfellows, and a member of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association and the Feilding Athletic Club.
was born in the year 1875 in Feilding, where he was educated and brought up to clerical life. He served an apprenticeship to his present trade under Mr. W. G. Shearer, and then spent six years in the employment of the United Farmers' Co-operative Association, latterly in partnership with Mr. Aitken, as wholesale manufacturer for the association. Mr. Evans is treasurer of the local lodge of Foresters, and a member of the Agricultural Association.
Furniture, Sash and Door, Venetian and Roller Blind Manufacturer, Turner and Undertaker, Feilding. This business was conducted for many years by Mr. Frederick Pope, and later by Mr. Robinson, and was taken over by the present proprietor in June, 1907. The factory contains a full plant of wood-working machinery, driven by a powerful gas engine, and six persons are employed in the business. Wood work of all kinds is undertaken, and the class of work turned out does great credit to the establishment. Mr. Williamson was born in Napier in the year 1885, educated at the Feilding District School, served an apprenticeship to the building trade, and subsequently started business on his own account. He is a member of the Order of Foresters, the Beautifying Society, the Fire Brigade, and the Band.
Hair-dresser, Tobacconist and Fancy Goods Dealer. Fergusson Street, Feilding. This business was established in the year 1899 by Mr. Mercer, senior, and was taken over by his son in 1903. The building is of brick, with a verandah, two fine show windows, and a well-appointed saloon. The hair-dressing saloon is handsomely equipped with three up-to-date chairs; on one side are three plate-glass mirrors, each seven feet by five feet, and on the other is a large mirror-backed toilet counter, with heavy marble slab. A billiard saloon, which is well lighted and has two of Alcock's large tables, is conducted in connection with the business. Mr. Mercer was born in Marton, where he was educated, and learned his trade under his father. He is a member of the Orchestral Society and the Choral Society.
(S. Kirk, proprietor), corner of Fergusson Street and Macarthur Street, Feilding. This hostelry was established in the year 1905, and was acquired by the present proprietor
was born in Auckland, where he was educated. He subsequently removed to Feilding. and for thirteen years acted as mail contractor between Feilding and Colyton, before taking over the “Commercial Exchange.”
Awahuri, near Feilding, is a large two storeyed building, and contains twenty-five rooms. On the ground floor there are three sitting rooms, a dining room (with accommodation for twenty-five guests), a billiard room, and a large bar. The first floor contains the bedrooms, all of which are well-appointed apartments. There are also large stables and grazing paddocks in connection with the hotel. The best brands of wines and liquors are stocked, and an excellent table is kept. The hotel is well furnished and lighted throughout by a private installation of acetylene gas. The Endymion Hotel is situated in a prosperous farming district, nd is the stopping place for all the coaches that connect Feilding with the small outlying places.
proprietor of the Endymion Hotel, was born in Lincolnshire, England, in the year 1868, and after leaving school spent some years in the wholesale fruit business in Manchester and London. He came to New Zealand in 1892, and after spending five years on a sheep station at Bulls, went into the hotel business. He first conducted the Makuri Hotel, in the forty-mile bush, and afterwards acquired the Prince of Wales Hotel, in Wellington. In 1899 he visited England, and on his return was engaged in farming for a few years before taking over the “Endymion” in the year 1907. Mr. Crosby is a member of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, and owns a fine pair of bay ponies, which hold an unbroken record in the Palmerston show ring. He is married, and has six daughters.
(W. J. Williams, proprietor), corner of Fergusson Street and Stafford Street. Feilding. This hostelry, which is near the railway station, is a two-storeyed wood and iron building, and contains thirty rooms, including eighteen bedrooms, two sitting rooms, commercial and writing rooms, the dining room (capable of seating forty guests), and a well-furnished drawing room. In an adjacent building there are six bedrooms and a sample room. The Empire Hotel is patronised by a large number of guests, and a night porter is kept. There are good stables, with sixteen stalls and seven loose boxes.
proprietor of the Empire Hotel, was born in Harwarden, Wales, came to New Zealand in 1880, and landed in Auckland. Two years later he removed to Wellington, where he remained for sixteen years on the staff of Messrs. Levin and Company. He was afterwards proprietor of the Central Hotel, Petone, for five years. As a volunteer Mr. Williams was a member of the Wellington Navals for over sixteen years. In 1890 he became champion rifle shot of the Dominion, and was a member of the first Bisley Rifle Team from New Zealand. He is also a coursing enthusiast, has won four cups and the Blue Ribbon of the Dominion, the
(A. J. Hart, proprietor), Manchester Street, Feilding. This business was established in the year 1901 by Mr. W. E. Grantham, and was taken over by the present proprietor in June, 1906. The premises occupy a valuable site on the busiest part of the street, and consist of a two-storeyed brick building, with a frontage of thirty-three feet. A large shop occupies the fore part of the premises, behind which is situated a dining room, which is capable of seating sixty guests. Two waitresses are employed, and the dining room is open from 9 a.m. till 6 p.m., and until 10.30 p.m. on Saturdays. The rooms are well appointed, furnished in excellent style, and kept scrupulously clean. The business is under the personal supervision of Mr. and Mrs. Hart, who exercise great care in attending to the needs and wishes of their patrons. There is a detached bakehouse, office, etc. The bake house, has a large oven (capable of holding 300 loaves), a large cake and sponge mixer, and all modern appliances for the trade. Mr. Hart is also a popular caterer, and has made a good name for himself in this connection, wedding cakes being a specialty.
the proprietor of the Feilding Refreshment Rooms, was born in the year 1882 in New Plymouth, where he was educated at the Convent School, and afterwards served an apprenticeship of three years to the printing trade, and subsequently learned the bakery trade under Mr. P. Leyland. He found employment successively in Wellington, Feilding, Wanganui, Hastings, and Palmerston North, before starting in business on his own account. Mr. Hart is a member of the Fire Brigade, the Orders of Oddfellows and Druids, the Bowling Club, and the Agricultural and Pastoral Association. In the year 1894 he married Miss Webb, of Wanganui, and has one son.
(W. Dalton, proprietor). Kimbolton Road, Feilding. This business was established in the year 1902, and has since become one of the leading establishments of the kind in the district. The premises consist of a large well-appointed shop and a manufacturing room. A large stock of plumbing materials, baths, sanitary fittings, spouting, ridging, galvanised goods and brassware is carried. In the work-room there is an up-to-date plant for the manufacture of spouting. The business has a good connection, and seven tradesmen are constantly employed.
proprietor of the Feilding Plumbing Works, was born in Dalton-in-Furness, Lancashire, England, in March, 1864. After leaving school he spent two years at the plumbing trade in Manchester, and in the year 1875 came to New Zealand. He found employment for a short time with his brother in Christchurch, and then worked as a journeyman in various parts of the Dominion and Australia for some years. In 1892 he returned to New Zealand, and for ten years conducted a successful business on his own account at Stratford, Taranaki. Subsequently, on account of ill-health, he removed to Feilding, and established his present business. Mr. Dalton is a staunch protectionist, and an advocate of encouragement to local industries. He is a member of the Masonic Order, the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, and the Athletic Club. He is married, and has one son and one daughter.
Plumber, Gasfitter, Tinsmith, and Electrical Engineer, Feilding. Mr. Turner was born in the year 1878 in Edinburgh, Scotland, where he was educated and apprenticed to his present trade. After working at his trade for eleven years in Edinburgh, he came to New Zealand in 1903. For a short time he found employment in Wellington, and was then appointed manager of the plumbing department of the Feilding Gas Company, which position he resigned to start business on his own account. Mr. Turner has been entrusted with a large amount of important work in the plumbing and electrical light and bell-fitting lines, notably that connected with the Denbigh and Feilding hotels, Messrs. John Cobbe's, and Joseph Darragh's premises, and the Bank of New Zealand
Cycle Engineer and Importer, Kimbolton Road, Feilding. Branch business at Hunterville. The Feilding business was established in the year 1905. The premises, which measure twenty-one feet by seventy-five feet, comprise a large front shop and show room, and a repairing, enamelling, lathe, and fitting room. The showroom carries a large stock of Birmingham Small Arms, Royal Enfield, Red Bird, Massey-Harris, and Hans-worth bicycles, and also motor cycles (N.S.U.), which latter are sold at £50. Mr. Garrett is a direct importer, and also carries a large stock of accessories. The workrooms are fitted up with the latest appliances, and five persons are constantly employed in the business. The Hunterville branch was opened in November, 1907. Mr. Garrett was born in the year 1879 in Newton, Auckland, where he was educated, and served an apprenticeship of five years under Mr. Peter A. Smith. He then went to Christchurch, where he was employed for four years by the leading cycle, engineering, and importing firms. In 1903 he was engaged as manager of a cycle business in Walmate, South Canterbury, for Mr. S. Clark, and remained there until starting business on his own account in Feilding. Mr. Garrett is a member of the Bowling. Golf, and Tennis Clubs, and the Rangitikei Club.
(W. B. Watson and H. W. Neville), Cycle Importers, Fergusson Street, Feilding. This business was established in the year 1905 by Mr. Watson, who was joined in partnership in July, 1907, by Mr. Neville. The premises consist of a commodious shop and showroom, specially fitted up and appointed for the purpose. The firm make a fine display in their show room, of ladies', gentlemen's, and children's machines, the Birmingham Small Arms being the chief bicycle in stock. At the rear of the shop is a fine building and repairing room, and expert tradesmen are constantly employed. A large stock of accessories is kept, also Edison phonographs, and the latest records.
senior partner of Messrs, Watson and Neville, was born at Papanui, Christchurch, in the year 1879, and after leaving school spent some time in farming pursuits. He subsequently gained a thorough experience of the bicycle trade, and then started his present business in Feilding. Mr. Watson is secretary of the Baptist Church, and a member of the Ancient Order of Druids.
of the firm of Messrs. Watson and Neville, was born in London in the year 1882, was educated at Holloway High School, and afterwards spent some years in the employment of the London branch of the American Debt Collecting Agency. He then went to South Africa as sergeant of the Scot's Mounted Rifles, and three years later returned to England. In 1906 he came to New Zealand, and in the following year joined his partner in their present business. Mr. Neville is a member of the local lodge of Druids and other organisations.
Manufacturing Saddler, The Square, Feilding. Mr. Dunbar was born in Nairn, Scotland, in the year 1852, was educated at the Glasgow Normal and High Schools, and afterwards served an apprenticeship to the saddlery trade in Dundee. He came to New Zealand with his parents in 1868 by the ship “Hydaspes” (Captain Babot), and found employment as a journeyman. In the year 1870 he started business on his own account in Christchurch, which he successfully conducted for twelve years. He then sold out, and took over the Rotherfield Hotel, in Christchurch, where he remained for four years. Mr. Dunbar then removed to the West Coast, and for eighteen years conducted a large business in Reefton. In 1905 he went to Feilding and established his present business. Mr. Dunbar was for some time the Heathcote representative on the Christchurch Drainage Board, and a member of the Heathcote School Committee. While on the West Coast he was handicapper of the Westport and Reefton Jockey Clubs. Mr. Dunbar married a daughter of the late Mr. Thomas Wilson, proprietor of the Heathcote Tannery, Christchurch, and has two sons and four daughters.
Saddler and Harness Manufacturer and Importer, Kimbolton Road, Feilding. This business was established in the year 1887 by Mr. R. R. Collins, and acquired by the present proprietor in the year 1897. The premises adjoin the Post Office, and consist of a large shop (with a fine display of harness and saddlery), and a well-fitted work-room at the rear. Mr. Neill is a direct importer and manufacturer of all kinds of harness and saddlery. Expert tradesmen are employed, and the work turned out invariably gives satisfaction. Mr. Neill was born in Wellington in the year 1856, and after leaving school was apprenticed to the saddlery trade under Mr. John Clark, of Wanganui. He afterwards conducted business on his own account for some time in Wanganui and Patea, then went to Sandon, where he worked as a journeyman for fifteen years for the late Mr. Henry Sanson, and subsequently bought the business. This he conducted for five years, and then sold out and settled in Feilding. Mr. Neill is a well-known volunteer and bandsman. He served in the
(A. P. Pritchard, proprietor), Fergusson Street, Feilding. This business, which is one of the best of its kind in the district, has an exceptionally smart-looking shop, and the general cleanliness of the whole establishment is very noticeable. The shop is painted white, and has solid concrete floors, imitation tiled walls, marble counters, and contains the most up-to-date fittings and appliances, including computing scales, cash register, and American block. A well-appointed office is situated on the left hand side of the shop entrance, and at the rear is a commodious manufacturing room (thirty feet by twenty-five feet), furnished with a three and a half-horse power gas engine, a sausage machine, a large size power mincer, and a double set of boilers. There is also a brick smoke house, with hot and cold water laid on. A large yard at the back contains a four-stall stable and cartshed. Mr. Pritchard buys only the best quality of sheep and cattle, and a good trade is done in Feilding and the surrounding districts. Four persons and three carts are employed in the business.
was born in Havelock, Hawke's Bay, in the year 1874, was educated at Whangarei, and afterwards learned the butchering trade. He subsequently followed his trade in New Plymouth, Wanganui, Wellington, Palmerston North, and Feilding, before acquiring his present business in 1907. He is Visiting Bard of the local lodge of Druids. Mr. Pritchard is married, and has three children.
Family Butcher, Manchester Street, Feilding. This old and well-established business was acquired by the present proprietor in the year 1905. The premises consist of a large shop and stock room, with a workshop at the rear, which carries a machinery plant driven by a three-horse power oil engine. The business gives employment to four persons, three carts are used in the deliveries, and a large retail trade is done. Mr. Gosling was born in the year 1880, in Staffordshire, England. He was educated at St. Mary's College, in Berkshire, England, and was afterwards engaged as a dealer and butcher until 1900, when he came to New Zealand. For about eighteen months he found employment in Hawke's Bay, then went to England, and on his return, about twelve months later, acquired his present business. Mr. Gosling is married, and has two children.
which are situated at Aorangi, about one mile and a half from Feilding, on the main road to Palmerston North, are among the best known nurseries in the North Island. The nurseries comprise twenty-five acres of rich level land, and were acquired by the present proprietor in July, 1900, under a lease in perpetuity The land was then in a rough unbroken state, and it is due to the energy and enterprise of Mr. Mayo that it is now in such an advanced condition. The area is divided into six paddocks by macrocarpa and pine hedges, and sixteen acres of welldrained land are under cultivation. Twelve acres are devoted to fruit trees of the best varieties, including peaches, pears, plums, and apples. Shelter, ornamental trees, and shrubs are grown in considerable quantities, and cherries and tomatoes are also carefully cultivated, the product of the latter crop in 1906 being over five tons. Vegetables and shrubs are grown amongst the fruit trees. Seedlings and flowers are cultivated to some extent in the front part of the orchard, where there is also a large hot house. There are up-to-date packing sheds, an office, and a private residence (connected by telephone with Feilding). Fruit is sent to all parts of the province, and supplied to local fruiterers.
proprietor of the Aorangi Nurseries, was born in Bombay, Auckland, in the
(J. Weightman and Son), Awahuri, near Feilding, were established in the early “eighties” as a small fruit and vegetable garden, and from that time have steadily developed until they now rank among the finest orchards and nurseries in the Dominion. The area is fifty acres, but as yet only twenty acres are under cultivation. The nurseries are well drained, and divided by hedges into four sections, well sheltered by macrocarpas and eucalyptus trees. The orchard contains a large selection of plum trees,' pear trees, and apple trees, besides ornamental trees and shrubs. There are a great many varieties of chrysanthemums, cactus dahlias, and Japanese flowering cherries, and over 380 different classes of roses, in the cultivation of which Mr. Weightman is known throughout the Dominion. He is a prominent exhibitor in all the important shows, and is the possessor of a very large number of trophies and prizes, especially for roses, with which he is rarely beaten. There are two residences on the property, an office, and up-to-date packing sheds.
proprietor of the Sherwood Nurseries, was born in the year 1869 at Darlton, Nottinghamshire, England, and is the eldest son of Mr. Joseph Weightman, the founder of the nurseries. He came to New Zealand with his parents in 1878, and settled in Awahuri, where he completed his education. He then assisted his father in the nurseries until 1894, when he entered into partnership, and in 1899 took over the nurseries on his own account. Mr. Weightman had made a special study of his business, and has conducted it with success. He is a member of horticultural societies in various parts of the Dominion, and a member of the Feilding Agricultural and Pastoral Association. Mr. Weightman is married, and has two daughters.
General Printer, Kimbolton Road, Feilding. This business was established in the year 1898. The premises consist of a wood and iron building, containing the office, composing room, and printing room. The machinery is driven by a gas engine, and the plant is fully equipped.
Bookseller, Stationer, Fancy Goods and Music Dealer, Manchester Street, Feilding. The premises comprise a large double shop, with plate-glass windows, and an office. The stock includes all the leading English and Colonial books, newspapers, and magazines, also musical instruments, book and sheet music, fancy goods, hockey, cricket and football requisites, etc. Mr. Maclean is agent for Messrs. Collier and Company, is also a direct importer, and keeps his extensive and varied stock thoroughly up-to-date. In conjunction with the town business he conducts a book stall on the Feilding railway station. Mr. Maclean was born in Wellington in the year 1875, and was educated at the public schools. He was subsequently engaged in various pursuits until he acquired his present business in 1903. For some years Mr. Maclean was a member of the Manawatu Mounted Rifles, and served with the Seventh Contingent in the South African Boer war.
(late Milson and Coles), Bookseller, Stationer, and Fancy Goods Dealer, The Square, Feilding. This business was
Grocer and General Storekeeper, Kimbolton Road, Feilding. This business was established in the year 1905 by the late Mr. W. F. Phillips, junior, and was subsequently taken over by Mr. Phillips, senior, in the year 1906. The building is of wood, and is well adapted for the trade. A large general stock is kept, the goods are fresh and well kept, and a considerable cash business is done. Mr. Phillips was born in Warslaw, Staffordshire, England, in the year 1842, and after leaving school found employment in the Ecton copper mines, the Dale lead mines, the ironstone mines in Yorkshire, and in the railway service. In 1874 he came to New Zealand and settled in Feilding. For two years he was employed by the corporation, and then took up land on his own account between the township and Awahuri. This was then rough country in its virgin state, and Mr. Phillips had many years of hard pioneering work before a home was made. He has always taken a keen interest in the advancement of the district, and is a shareholder in various industrial undertakings. He married Miss Elizabeth Jane Moreland in the year 1870, and has three sons and four daughters.
has its headquarters in Kimbolton Road, and its works at the rear of the railway station, Beattle Street. Directors: Messrs. J. M. Richardson (chairman), A. R. Meek, C. Smith, and Dr. Fell. The company was established in the year 1897, and the streets of the town were lighted in the same year. Various additions have been made from time to time, and at present (1908) the company are contemplating making improvements and extensions to the extent of several thousand pounds. The works comprise two gasometers (capable of holding 33,000 cubic feet of gas), four sets of purifiers, besides boiler, engines, exhauster, condenser, and scrubber, together with carbonizing settings of the generator type, and the usual station meter and governor. There are about 400 consumers using gas for lighting, cooking, and power purposes.
was appointed manager and secretary of the Feilding Gas Company, Limited, in the year 1907. He was born in Manchester, England, in May, 1877, and is a son of Mr. William Healey, sanitary and gas engineer, of Timaru. He was educated at the Timaru Main School, afterwards served five years in his father's business, which, he left to take up a position with Messrs. J. Ogilvie and Company. Oamaru, and subsequently entered the service of the gas department of the Dunedin city corporation. Twelve years later he resigned his position as foreman in order to accept his present appointment. Mr. Healey is a member of the Order of Oddfellows, and the Athletic and Feilding Clubs.
(E. J. Wackrill, business manager and secretary; H. Stewart, works manager
Manager and Secretary of the New Zealand Farmers' Motor Company, Limited, was born in London, England, in the year 1871, and was educated at Wimbledon Grammar School. He then received a sound commercial training in his father's firm, Messrs. Cornwall and Wackrill, colliery agents and coal merchants, of which he was latterly one of the managers. in 1900 he came to New Zealand, and for some time was engaged in accountancy work and land agency business, prior to receiving his present appointment. Mr. Wackrill was one of the organisers of the local industrial exhibition of 1902, is a committeeman of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, and the Feilding Public Library, was for some time a member of the High School Committee, and is a keen amateur photographer.
Works Manager and Engineer of the New Zealand Farmers' Motor Company, Limited, was born in New Zealand and educated at the Wanganui College. His professional training was gained in the Dominion and in several of the larger engineering works in England.
(D. Younger, proprietor), Feilding. These stables were established in the “eighties,” and acquired by the present proprietor in 1893. They are situated at the rear of the Denbigh Hotel, and contain accommodation for 100 horses. The plant consists of six gigs, two cabs, a hearse, an ambulance waggon, and several
was born in the year 1857 in Fifeshire, Scotland, where he was educated and brought up to farming pursuits. In 1877 he came to New Zealand, and for a few years was engaged in road formation work for the private corporation that was then laying out the town of Feilding. He subsequently started in business as a general contractor, and was employed in contract work until 1893, when he acquired his present stables. Mr. Younger is a member of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association and of various local clubs. He is married, and has seven children.
(S. Daw, proprietor), near the Empire Hotel, Feilding. These stables were established many years ago, and acquired by the present proprietor in 1905. The building is of wood, is conveniently appointed, and contains eight stalls and ten loose boxes. Fifteen horses, six rubber-tyred gigs, and several double and single buggies, two coaches, and a waggonette are employed in connection with the business. A daily coach service is maintained between Feilding and Kim-bolton, and Mr. Daw holds the Royal Mail contract for this section.
was born in Devonshire, England, in the year 1837, was educated at Exeter, and in 1856 joined the King's Dragoon Guards. In the following year he went to India, served with his regiment for twelve years, chiefly as trumpeter, and in 1874 came to New Zealand. For twelve months he was employed on a sheep station in the Kakaramea district, near Wanganui, and in 1875 settled in Feilding, Mr. Daw has always taken a keen interest in musical matters; in 1880 he founded the Feilding Brass Band, and six years later the Manchester Band, of the latter of which he is still conductor.
(J. Belfit. proprietor). The Square, Feilding. These stables were established in the year 1887, and were bought by the present proprietor in October, 1900. The building is of wood, occupies a site of half an acre at the north-east corner of the Square, near the Manchester Hotel, and contains eighty-five stalls, thirteen loose boxes, and ample accommodation for vehicles. Two cabs, two buggies, one dog-cart, six gigs, and a large number of horses are employed in the business. The Manchester Stables are well patronised, and patrons may rely upon obtaining a thoroughly good turn-out. Mr. Belfit personally superintends the management of the stables, and is assisted by six stablemen.
was born at Acton, near London, in the year 1865, and came to New Zealand with his parents at nine years of age. He was educated at Feilding, where his father for many years carried on business as a contractor. After leaving school he spent a few years in the butchery trade, then carried on business for a time as a carter and general carrier, and subsequently sold out to purchase his present stables. Mr. Belfit is a member of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, and treasurer of the lodge of Oddfellows. He is married, and has one daughter.
(W. W. Andrews, proprietor), Kimbolton Road, Feilding. The premises consist of commodious stables, up-to-date in every respect, containing sixty stalls, seven loose boxes and accommodation for vehicles. The plant consists of three laudaus, one victoria, one single-hooded buggy, one double buggy, seven gigs, one rubber-tyred gig, one four-horse drag, one hearse, one ambulance van, and one breaking-in cart. A feature of the business is the breaking-in of young horses to saddle, bridle, and harness, and as many as one hundred horses are put through in a year.
was born in Ipswich, England, in the year 1868, and came to New Zealand with his parents at an early age. He was educated at Te Aute College, Hawke's Bay, and was afterwards employed for a short time in the butchery trade in Napier. He then spent twelve years in the employment of Mr. J. N. Williams, sheep-farmer, of Hastings, and for three years after this farmed on his own account in Palmerston North He subsequently acquired a property about sixteen miles from Dannevirke, and after conducting it for four years sold out to advantage and took over his present stables. Mr. Andrews is a member of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, the Order of Oddfellows, and the Feilding Club. He is married, and has one daughter.
Watchmaker and Jeweller, Manchester Street, Feilding. This business was established in Fergusson Street in 1901, but it increased so rapidly that it was found necessary to remove to larger premises, and the present building in Manchester Street was acquired in the year 1907. These premises are up-to-date in every respect, and outclass many shops in much larger towns. There is a plate-glass show window, in which the stock is neatly and conveniently arranged. The interior presents an attractive appearance, with two large show cases and counter cases, all of which are made dust-proof, with plate doors and mirror back. The ceiling is of moulded steel, artistically
(G. Bartholomew, managing director). Sawmillers, Sash and Door Manufacturers, and Timber Merchants. Kimbolton Road, Feilding. The firm also have two saw-mills at Matamau, Hawke's Bay, and hold cutting rights over a large area of good rimu bush.
was born in Scotland, and comes of a family whose name is closely associated with the timber trade; his father and three uncles were saw-mill proprietors in Queensland and New Zealand. Mr. Bartholomew has resided in Feilding since 1879, with the exception of eight years, during which time he was manager for James Campbell and Son, and engineer at Messrs. Dath, Henderson and Bartholomew's saw-mills, Brisbane, Queensland.
(J. S. Milson, proprietor), Feilding. This property comprises thirty acres at Aorangi, near Feilding. The land is of excellent quality, and is subdivided into eight paddocks. Some light cropping is done, a herd of fourteen cows is also grazed, and the milk is sent to the factory; but Mr. Milson makes poultry farming his chief industry.
was born in London, England, in the year 1865, and came to New Zealand at nine years of age. He subsequently found employment in a general store and fellmongery in Awahuri, and three years later went to Wanganui, where he was employed in the bakery trade. In 1883 he removed to Feilding, worked in some of the largest general stores (including Cobbe and Darragh's) for ten years, and then started business as a stationer and bookseller in partnership with Mr. Coles, under the style of Messrs. Milson and Coles. This business, after being successfully conducted for a number of years, was sold to Mr. Walker, and Mr. Milson took up his present farm. While in Feilding he was choir-master and a trustee of the Wesleyan Church, a member of the Choral Society and other musical bodies, the School Committee, and the Chamber of Commerce. He served in the Manchester Rifle Volunteers for sixteen years, and gained the long service medal. For nine years he was colour-sergeant of the company. Mr. Milson is married, and has three sons and two daughters.
Aorangi, near Feilding. This farm comprises ninety acres of rich level land, and is one of the finest dairying farms in the district. It is highly improved, conveniently sub-divided, and possesses fifteen acres of native bush, which, in addition to being or namental, affords effective shelter. A well-metalled road passes through the farm. There are ten paddocks, each with water running through. The cow shed has a concrete floor and a well-metalled yard, and is kept scrupulously clean; an abundant supply of artesian water being provided by means of a windmill. The milking herd number fifty, and most of the milk is disposed of to private customers in town. The remainder, about four hundred weight per day, is taken to the local factory. The farm also carries a number of horses, pigs, poultry, etc.
proprietor of the above farm, was born in England in the year 1852, and came to New Zealand at twenty-one years of age. He settled, with his brother, in the Rangitikei district, but some time afterwards took up a dairy farm at Stony Creek, which he sold out five years later in order to engage in the milk supply business in Palmerston North. After conducting several farms in the Rangitikei district he bought his present property in Feilding. Mr. Wiggins is married, and has five sons and six daughters.
is situated on the main line of the Government railway, between Palmerston North and New Plymouth, fifty-six miles from Wanganui and ninety-four miles from Wellington, and stands at an elevation of 179 feet above the level of the sea. It is in the Taonui riding of the county of Oroua, and in the electoral district of Palmerston North. At the census of 1906 the population was 377. The public school is attended by about 100 children. There is a post and telegraph office, an hotel, and several business houses in the settlement. The surrounding country consists of good dairying and agricultural land, and there are several creameries in operation. Religious services are held in the local Anglican and Methodist churches. There is splendid hare and pheasant shooting in the district.
(M. Eberhard, proprietor), Bunnythorpe. This business has been established for many years, and was acquired by the present proprietor in 1906. There is good accommodation for boarders, and the tariff is a moderate one. The wines and spirits are of the best brands, and an excellent table is kept.
proprietor of the Royal Hotel, was born in the year 1870, in Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany, where he was educated. In 1893 he left Germany for Melbourne. Australia, where for twelve months he filled the position of manager of the German Club. Having heard of better prospects in New Zealand, he left Melbourne in 1894, and came to the Dominion. He proceeded to Palmerston North, then took up some Government land at Pahiatua, and started sheep farming. When first taken up the land was in a very rough state, but was subsequently cleared and brought to a good state of caltivation by Mr. Eberhard. Ten years later he sold out his interest, and took over the Royal Hotel. In the year 1896 he married Miss Hanseyne Stenberg, daughter of an old settler, and has one son and two daughters
Palmerston North is the largest and most important inland town in the North Island. It lies eighty-seven miles north-east from Wellington, in the county of Kairanga, and is 103 feet above the level of the sea. It is the junction of three main lines of railway— the Wanganui-New Plymouth, Wellington-Manawatu, and Woodville-Na-pier, besides the short line to Foxton, which latter place may be said to be the port of Palmerston North. The population of the borough at the census of 1906 was 10,239, which showed an increase of 3,705 on the previous census of 1901. The town was constituted a borough in 1877, five years after the real beginning of settlement. Mr. G. M. Snelson, the first mayor of Palmerston North, held office from the inception of the borough until 1880, and was successively followed by Messrs, J. Linton, F. Jensen, A. Ferguson, L. J. West, S. Abrahams, R. Edwards, W. Park, W. T. Wood, H. Haydon, C. Dunk, E. O. Hurley, M. Cohen, and R. Essex.
The town is well laid out, one of its striking features being the fine Square— planted with ornamental trees and shrubs— which occupies the centre of the borough, and is surrounded by the post office, the banks, several leading hotels, the municipal council chambers, newspaper offices, and a large number of the principal shops. Among the chief industries of Palmerston North there are sash and door factories, timber yards, coach and carriage factories, flour mills, motor, cycle and engineering works, a brewery, aerated water and cordial manufactories, furniture and basket works, rope, twine, tarpaulin and oilskin factories, printing and lithographing establishments, and brick and tile works. Dairying is an important industry of the town and district, and there are a number of creameries, butter, cheese, and dried milk factories.
Palmerston North is in the Wanganui Education District, and has a district high school, primary schools, a technical school, and a Roman Catholic convent high school and primary school. There are two Anglican Churches— All Saints' and St. Peter's, St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church, two Methodist Churches, the Emmanuel Congregational Church, and two Lutheran Churches.
The post and telegraph office is a handsome building of two storeys, with a tower and a four-faced clock fitted with Westminster chimes. The telephone exchange, in the same building, has 493 subscribers. The railway station is situated in Main Street West, and at the northern end there is a concrete subway to Church Street, while at the southern end there is an overway leading to the goods sheds. There are commodious refreshment rooms at the station, and the mail trains stop some extra time for the convenience of passengers. Eighteen trains arrive and depart daily, and fifty-seven persons are employed in the regular work of the station. The sittings of the Supreme, District, and Magistrate's Courts are held in the Court House, a fine brick building in Main Street. The police station is in charge of a sergeant, who is supported by a detective, a gaoler, and seven constables.
Sports, pastimes, and recreations are well catered for in Palmerston North, and a jockey club, golf, tennis, cricket, football, bowling, and cycling clubs represent some of the social organisations. The most notable event of the year is the popular show of the Manawatu and West Coast Agricultural and Pastoral Association. The association is the most important of its kind in the North Island, and the annual show draws visitors from all parts of the Dominion. The large show grounds are within a few minutes' walk of the railway station, and the buildings
The borough is practically flat, the streets are well formed and wide, several being two chains in width, and the town is lit with gas. Good trout fishing and shooting are obtainable, and the picturesque Manawatu Gorge, four miles in length, is one of the sights of the Dominion.
Member of Parliament for Palmerston North, was first elected in the year 1902, when he defeated Mr. T. R. Hodder. He was again elected in 1905, when he won a memorable victory, defeating Mr. Fred Pirani by about 500 votes. Mr. Wood has always taken a keen interest in matters relating to public affairs and local government, was a member of the Borough Council for twenty-three years, and was mayor seven times. He is a member of the Wellington Harbour Board, representing an extensive district, including Palmerston North, Foxton, Feilding, Levin, Kairanga, Kiwitea, Pohangina, Oroua, Horowhenua, and Manawatu County; was a member of the Wanganui Education Board for three years; the first chairman of the Palmerston North High School Board of Governors, of which he is still a member; and for about fourteen years was chairman of the Campbell Street School. He has always taken a keen interest in the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, for one year was president, and is now a vice-president; for many years was president and vice-president of the Jockey Club, and is now a trustee; and has been for manyyears a member of the Licensing Committee. In the year 1880 Mr. Wood founded the first local lodge of the Manchester Unity of Oddfellows, and in 1899 was presented with a gold medal in recognition of his services; in 1883 he founded the first local lodge of Druids, was one of the promoters of the Caledonian Society, and in 1881 he was instrumental in organising the Friendly Society's Sports. Mr. Wood was born in Hobart, Tasmania, in June, 1854, and after leaving school he spent seven years at the black-smithing trade. He then came to New Zealand in the barque “Glencoe,” landed at Dunedin, and for a few years was engaged as manager under Messrs. Job Wain and Jerusalem Smith, contractors for the construction of the Port Chalmers-South railway. In 1875 he went to the West Coast and settled in Kumara, where he established himself in the blacksmithing business. While there he became personally acquainted with Mr. Seddon, and from that date until the death of the late Premier a close intimacy and warm friendship existed between them. In March, 1879, Mr. Wood removed to Palmerston North, and has since been continuously engaged in the blacksmithing business, which he established in the premises at the corner of Cuba and Rangitikei Streets. This business was conducted personally by Mr. Wood until 1900, since when he has left the practical management to his eldest son. In the year 1879 Mr. Wood married Miss Nelly Jolly, of Kumara, and has four sons and four daughters.
Palmerston North has a municipal area of 4,595 acres. The Rating Act of 1882 was adopted in 1887, and the property tax valuation was accepted as the basis for rating. In that year the total valuation of the borough, exclusive of Crown Lands and unrateable properties was £250,156. In 1906 this had increased to £1,873,900 capital value and £1,081,351 unimproved value. The Unimproved Value Act of 1896 was adopted by a poll of the ratepayers, and rates have since been levied on that basis. For the year 1906–07 there was a rate of 27/8d in the £, for general, special, and library purposes, but exclusive of water rate, the total number of rateable properties was 3,400, and there were 1,400 ratepayers. The cash assets of the borough are £18,361, and the liabilities (including loans), £135,853. Part of the loans included in this sum were raised in London: namely, £50,000 at five per cent., for which there is an accrued sinking fund of £7,461. The balance was obtained locally, namely, £10,500 at five per cent., £69,850 at four and a half per cent, (for which £411 sinking fund has accrued), and there is a Government inscribed loan of £20,357, which is to be liquidated by an annual payment of three and a half per cent, for forty-one years. In 1902 it was decided to carry out a system of drainage, at a cost of £36,000, and this was ultimately further extended, at an additional cost of £20,000. The system adopted was the septic tank principle; a large tank was built at Awapuni, three miles out of the town, and the outfall is into the Manawatu river. The water supply is drawn from the Tiritea stream; it was extended in 1906, at a cost of £26,000, by increasing the size of the mains and erecting a large dam. The original reservoir held 300,000 gallons; now the enlarged mains tap the new dam, and the reservoir is kept as a reserve. In relation to abattoirs the Council has delegated its power to the Manawatu Meat and Cold Storage Company, Limited, a company formed for the purpose of providing slaughter house accommodation and facilities for the inspection of meat. In 1900 the corporation bought the old Colonial Bank building in the Square for municipal offices, at a cost of £2,400. A substantial municipal opera house was erected in 1904 near the Square, at a cost of about £10,500, and has accommodation for 1,300 persons. The building, besides the opera house proper, contains a municipal hall, capable of seating 700 persons, and a smaller hall with accommodation for 200 persons. The Council holds its ordinary meetings on the first and third Tuesdays in each month at 7.30 p.m. The members are: Messrs. R. Essex (mayor), A. E. Bennett, C. N. Clausen, E. J. Armstrong, H. Haydon, E. R. B. Holben, S. W. Luxford, W. A. Stubbs, D. Matheson, and J. A. Nash (councillors). The leading officers are Messrs. R. N. Keeling (treasurer), W. H. Cullingwood (town clerk and returning officer), F. H. Cooke (borough solicitor), S. Jickell, A.M.I.C.E. (borough engineer), and J. Perry (sanitary inspector).
has been connected with Palmerston North for many years. He is a member of the firm of Messrs. Essex and Company, stationers, booksellers, and fancy goods dealers.
member of the Palmerston North Borough Council, is a civil engineer and surveyor. He has been connected with various public bodies.
was elected a member of the Palmerston North Borough Council in the year 1907. He was born at Thames, Auckland, brought up to the trade of a carpenter, and removed to Palmerston North in 1891. For three years he was senior partner of the firm of Messrs. Bennett and Sollitt. and subsequently became managing director of the Union Timber Company.
member of the Palmerston North Borough Council, is the Palmerston North manager of the Tiratu Saw-milling Company.
has served on the Palmerston North Borough Council since 1895. He has served on the Hospital and School Committees, County Council, Drainage Board, and other public bodies.
was elected a member of the Palmerston North Borough Council in the year 1907. He conducted a stud farm near Palmerston North until 1905, and has since resided in Palmerston North.
member of the Palmerston North Borough Council, is also the borough representative on the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board.
was elected a member of the Palmerston North Borough Council in the year 1907. He is a member and was a promoter of the Palmerston North Beautifying Society, and was President of the Palmerston North Chamber of Commerce for two years.
was first elected a member of the Palmerston North Borough Council in the year 1905, and was re-elected in 1907. He is chairman of the Palmerston North Public Library Committee, is secretary of the College Street School Committee, and has been a prominent official of the New Zealand Farmers' Union.
The central station is in Coleman Place, in the Square, and there is a sub-station at Terrace End. The central station is a two-storeyed building, containing a library, reading room, and a club room, with a caretaker's residence at the rear. The Brigade is well furnished with up-to-date appliances, and there is an ample supply of water. There is a membership of twenty-five.
Superintendent of the Palmerston North Fire Brigade, has been a member for twenty-five years. He first joined the brigade in the year 1883 as lieutenant, four years later was elected superintendent, and during his term of twenty-five years has devoted himself with untiring zeal to the interests of the fire brigade. Mr. Tingey was born in Hackney, England, in the year 1863, and came to New Zealand at an early age. He was educated in Auckland, afterwards entered the employment of Messrs. R. and E. Tingey, of Wanganui, and four years later opened the local branch. In 1905
which is the property of the municipality, is situated in Church Street East, close to the Square, and is a massive two storeyed brick building with ferroconcrete facings and concrete foundations. It was designed by Mr.F. J. Wilson, erected by Messrs. Trevor and Sons, of Wellington and Palmerston North, and was formally opened in July, 1905. The Opera House and Municipal Hall, on the ground and first floor respectively, are the principal divisions of the building; the former has accommodation for 1,300 people, and the latter for about 700. The Opera House is a model of its kind, and nothing has been spared in making it thoroughly up-to-date. The dress circle (with seating accommodation for 413 persons) is furnished with the latest pattern opera chairs, upholstered in red leather; whilst the reserved stalls are upholstered in green leather. The stage is sixty-four feet deep, with a clear space of forty-seven feet, there are nine dressing rooms, and the theatre is provided with a considerable amount of scenery. The building has several separate entrances and exits, and five functions may be conducted simultaneously and yet quite independently of one another. It is at present lighted with gas, but an installation of electric light is projected for the near future.
Manager of the Palmerston North Opera House, was born at Pleasant Point, near Timaru, in March, 1882, and at an early age removed with his parents to Palmerston North. He was educated at the Central School (afterwards known as the Campbell Street School), and then entered the office of Mr. E. O. Hurley, barrister and solicitor, for whom he afterwards became managing clerk. After studying law for six years Mr. Muller entered the theatrical profession as manager of the old Theatre Royal. He soon afterwards resigned this position to join Mr. R. S. Smythe as treasurer and assistant manager of the Rev. Charles Clark's lecturing tour, and subsequently managed the Australasian tours of other important companies, including those of “Banjo” Paterson, Madame Dolores, Harry Rickard's No. 2 Star Company, Dix's Gaiety Companies, and others, until receiving his present appointment. Mr. Muller takes a keen interest in all kinds of sport, and is secretary to the Manawatu Rugby Union, as well as being a member of various local clubs.
is situated on the main Palmerston-Ashhurst Road, about two miles from the post office. In the early days of settlement seven acres were set apart for the purposes of a cemetery, which is now under the control of the Borough Council. The grounds are well laid out with asphalted walks and flower beds, and surrounded by macrocarpa and cypress trees. There is a small section set aside, where comparatively free burial is provided, and the remainder is divided between the various religious denominations. The sexton's residence is on the north-east corner of the cemetery, on a hill, with the slope in front laid out with flowers and shrubs.
caretaker of the Palmerston North Cemetery, took up his duties in the year 1902. He was born in Geraldine, South Canterbury, in October, 1867, was educated and brought up to general manual work in Melbourne, and then returned to New Zealand. For five years he was engaged as a farm assistant at Winton, Otago, afterwards worked for seven years in Canterbury, and then removed to the North Island. Mr. Meredith followed sheep station life until he was appointed to his present position. He is married, and has two daughters.
known as C Company of No. 2 Battalion, Wellington (West Coast) Rifle Volunteers, was founded in the year 1879, with the late Mr. G. M. Snelson as its first captain. The late Mr. James Carroll was afterwards elected captain, and commanded the corps until 1891, when he was succeeded by Captain Hall, who, in his turn, was succeeded by Captain John Mounsey in 1898. In 1881 the Palmerston North Rifles were represented at Parihaka, under Sergeant James Carroll, and during the South African Boer war many members of the corps served in the war. The corps holds a high place in markmanship and military drill, and has a membership of sixty. Rifle practice is held on the Government range, and the corps takes part in all inter-corps shooting contests.
of the Palmerston North Rifles, first joined the corps as a private in 1893, and in the following year was made corporal. In 1895 he was elected sergeant, and soon afterwards rose to his present rank. He has always taken a keen interest in local volunteering, was the promoter, in 1904, of the Manawatu Rifle Association, of which he is now secretary, and is chairman and secretary of the Drill Hall and Range Trustees. Mr. Mounsey was born at Grange-over-Sands, North Lancashire, England,
the A. Squadron of No. 3 Battalion of the Wellington (Manawatu) Mounted Rifle Volunteers, was established in the year 1891. For the first few years the corps was in a very uncertain position, but since Captain Peach has been appointed to the command it has been an enthusiastic and well-trained corps. There is a full membership, and frequent shooting practices are held.
Commanding Officer of the Manawatu Mounted Rifles, was born at Melrose, Scotland, in July, 1870, and is the eldest son of Mr. Benjamin Neave Peach, a distinguished geologist, for many years on the staff of the Scotch Geological Survey. He was educated at the Edinburgh High School and the University, and graduated M.B., C.M., in the year 1895. After practising for a few years in England he came to New Zealand, and in 1900 settled in Palmerston North. Dr. Peach is honorary surgeon to the Football Club, a member of the Bowling and Polo Clubs, and the Agricultural and Pastoral Association.
the G. Company of the 2nd Battalion of the Wellington (West Coast) Rifle Volunteers, was founded in the year 1900 with a membership of seventy, and Captain F. S. Goldingham was elected to the command. Captain A. Morgan, Captain A. V. Merriman, and Captain Beale were successively in command until the election of Captain R. McMurray, in the year 1905. Twelve of its members went to the front during the South African Boer war. The present membership is about seventy. Shooting practices are regularly held, and the corps takes part in all the local shooting and military contests.
Commanding Officer of the Palmerston North Guards, first joined the volunteers as a member of the Nelson College Cadets in 1890. In the year 1892 he joined the Manchester Rifles in Feilding, and five years later removed to Palmerston North, where in the following year he joined the Palmerston North Rifles as a private, and rose to the position of sergeant. In the year 1905 he resigned from the Rifles, shortly afterwards was elected lieutenant to the Guards, and a few months later was elected captain. Mr. McMurray was born near Reefton, in February, 1875, was educated at the Nelson College, and brought up to farming pursuits near Feilding. He afterwards spent twelve months with Messrs. Horseley and Harris, of Wanganui, and in 1898 started business on his own account as a grain, produce, and general merchant in Palmerston North. The business is domiciled in a fine two-storeyed brick building at the corner of Main Street and George Street. The firm, known as McMurray and Company, Ltd., do a large business in coal, produce, machinery, building materials, etc., and employ eight persons. Mr. McMurray is a member of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, a Past Chief Ruler in the Order of Rechabites, and Worshipful Master of the Orange Lodge. He takes a very active interest in all out-door sports, having represented his district in football, cricket, and hockey representative matches. He has also won the Champion Belt and Challenge Cup of the Palmerston Guards. Mr. McMurray is married, and has two sons and four daughters.
was formed in the year 1900, chief among its promoters being Mr. Hugh Akers, with Captain George Craw first in command. The present membership is fifteen, and the corps takes a leading place among the rifle clubs of the North Island. Frequent shooting practices are held on the rifle range at Linton, and also on the Government range at Hokowhitu. In the New Zealand championship teams' match at Trentham, in 1907, the club scored seventh place, and in the same year they won Mr. Grear's valuable shield against some of the best teams in the Dominion. In other contests the club has also done capital shooting.
of the Linton Rifle Club, was born in the year 1866, at Papanui, Christchurch, where he was educated at the public school. He then went to Little Akaloa, Banks' Peninsula, where he assisted on his father's farm, and afterwards bought a property in the upper part of the bay, which is known as Chorlton. Mr. Craw subsequently sold the farm, and bought his present property at Linton. He is a member of the New Zealand Flax-millers' Association. In the year 1889 Mr. Craw married Miss Elizabeth Hunter, of Chorlton, and has two sons and three daughters.
the founder of the Linton Rifle Club, is an enthusiastic supporter of rifle shooting and the cadet movement. He was born in June, 1877, in Linton, and is the eldest son of Mr. William Akers, proprietor of the Riversdale sheep run. He was educated at the Campbell Street school, and at Mr. Kenneth Wilson's High School, Palmerston North. He then assisted his father until 1907, when he leased the sheep run on his own account, and in conjunction with it conducts another fine sheep run at Ashhurst. These two areas comprise about 8,000 acres, and carry 15,000 sheep and 1,000 head of cattle. The shearing sheds are fitted up with Wolseley machines, driven by a Hornsby oil engine.
is a handsome two-storeyed brick building, and was opened in the year 1906. The original building was removed to an adjoining section, and is used for other Government departments. The Post Office has a clock tower and a four-faced clock with Westminster chimes. The cost of the clock, £500, was defrayed by the Government and by public subscription. The ground floor of the building contains a fine public office, postmaster's room, telegraph, money order and savings bank departments, and a private box lobby with 344 boxes. There is a telephone exchange with 500 subscribers, four sub-exchanges, and twenty-three bureau connections. Within the borough there are two postal deliveries daily, and three deliveries in the Square. The staff consists of eighty persons.
who has been postmaster at Palmerston North since the year 1903, was formerly at Coromandel, and particulars of his career appear on page 898 of the Auckland volume of the Cyclopedia of New Zealand.
is a sub-office of the Wanganui district. It extends from Shannon to Ashhurst and includes Foxton. The police station is an old wooden building, with a frontage to Church Street, and provides office accommodation and quarters for some of the police. Sergeant M. D. Stagpoole has been in charge of the Palmerston North station since the year 1902. His staff consists of a detective, a gaoler, and seven constables.
manages the charitable finances of an extensive district. It levies contributions on the counties of Manawatu, Oroua, Kairanga, Pohangina, and Kiwitea, and on the boroughs of Palmerston North, Feilding, and Foxton, and the town boards of Halcombe and Rongotea. The total revenue for the year ended 31st March, 1907, was £4,430 12s 10d, of which £626 6s 11d represented voluntary contributions. The chief items of expenditure were £1,423 for drugs, furniture, bedding, provisions, and sundries; £2,133 for erection of new wards; £1,530 for salaries; £1213 for charitable aid; and £2,961 credit balance carried forward. The Board consist of twelve members, namely, two representatives from each of the county councils of Manawatu, Oroua, and Kairanga; one representative from each of the Pohangina and Kiwitea County Councils; three representatives from the borough of Palmerston North; and one representative from the boroughs of Feilding. Foxton, and Halcombe. Members for the year 1908: Messrs. J. G. Wilson (chairman), G. Kendall (Manawatu County Council), R. Essex, H. Haydon, and S. W. Luxford (Borough of Palmerston North), W. G. Pearce, and J. H. Vincent (Oroua), L. R. Bryant and C. Voss (Kairanga), F. L. Jackson (Pohangina), H. Fowler (Kiwitea), and S. W. Fitzherbert (Boroughs of Feilding and Foxton). Mr. Walter Rutherfurd is the secretary.
occupies a fine site of nineteen acres in Terrace Street, about half a mile out of the town. The main building, which is constructed of wood and iron, was erected in 1893, and considerable additions have been made from time to time. In 1907 a two-storeyed brick building was crected as a female ward. There is a home for the nurses, which was built in 1906, a ward for infections diseases, and an isolation ward. During the year ended December, 1907, 518 patients obtained admission to the hospital. The medical staff consists of Dr. A. A. Martin, Dr. G. Wilson, Dr. J. H. L. Macintire, and Dr. F. Monckton (honorary surgeon). Miss McLagan is matron.
was constituted in the year 1904. The Board of Governors consist of nine members, three of whom are appointed by ratepayers, three by the Education Board, and three by the Government.
was constituted a District High School in the year 1902, in connection with College Street Public School, and a High School, under the Secondary Schools Act, in April, 1904. The school occupies a splendid site of ten acres in Featherston Street, presented by the Palmerston North Borough Council. It is a large building of wood and iron, on concrete foundations, and contains four class-rooms, which open into a fine Assembly Hall. There are also chemical and physical laboratories and an art room. In a separate building, behind the main structure, are the woodwork and cookery rooms, and a cottage for the caretaker. The roll contains 150 names, and the average attendance is 140. The Rector, Mr. J. E. Vernon, M.A., B.Sc., is assisted by five permanent and three visiting teachers.
has been established for many years. It is a wood and iron building, with extensive playgrounds, and has the largest attendance of any school in Palmerston North. There are 647 children on the roll, with an average attendance of 527. Mr. Francis Edward Watson, the headmaster, is assisted by a staff of certificated teachers and pupil teachers.
is a wood and from building situated on a site of two acres, with a frontage to College Street. The school was founded in the year 1892. There are seven class rooms, which open into a large central hall, with a concrete floor. Three porches are attached to the building, and there are capital play-grounds surrounding the school. The number of pupils on the roll is 425, with an average attendance of 370. There is a cadet corps with sixty members in connection with the school. The head-master, Mr. David Low, is supported by five certificated teachers and three pupil teachers.
includes the large district between the Oroua river and the ranges, and also Pohangina valley. There are six churches in the parish, and six places where services are held in schools and halls. The principal church at Palmerston North, All Saints', occupies a site of one acre and a half in Church Street. The building is of wood and iron, and has accommodation for 600 persons. At the rear of the church is the vicarage, and a large schoolroom in which a Sunday school is held. St. Peter's Church occupies a site of threequarters of an acre at Terrace End, the building is of wood and iron, and has accommodation for 170 persons. The Rev. C. C. Harper, M.A., Vicar of the parish, was appointed to his present charge in the year 1900, and is assisted by three curates.
extends over a radius of seven miles, with St. Andrew's Church as the centre. St. Andrew's occupies a site of one acre in Church Street, and is a wood and iron building, with accommodation for 550 persons. The present church was built in the year 1892, to replace the smaller one now used for Sunday school work. The manse stands on part of the churcn site. The Rev. Isaac Jolly, M.A., has been resident minister at Palmerston North since the year 1901.
at Palmerston North, stands on part of a site of two acres on Broad Street. The present church was erected about the year 1888, is of wood and iron, and has seating accommodation for 400 persons. In 1905 a handsome two-storeyed brick building was erected as a Convent, in charge of ten sisters of mercy, who conduct the Girls' High School held in an adjoining building. There are about 300 pupils. The curriculum includes the higher branches of secondary education, including music and singing. The property of the Roman Catholic Church also includes the Zealandia Hall, which has accommodation for 2,000 persons; two club rooms for men, one of which is a reading room; another building reserved for games, debates, and meetings of the Hibernian Society; and a separate library for ladies. The Very Rev. P. C. Costello is priest in charge, and is assisted by the Rev. John Bowe.
took charge of the Palmerston North parish in 1905. He was born in Ireland, educated in Paris and at Prior Park, Bath, Somerset, England. Father Costello was ordained in the year 1882 in Ireland, came to New Zealand in the same year, and was stationed at Auckland. Subsequently he became administrator of the Auckland Roman Catholic Cathedral, and, later, parish priest at Parnell. After a trip to England he was stationed successively at Gisborne, Wellington, Westport, and Marton, before receiving his present charge.
is situated in Broad Street, and was founded in the year 1883. It is a commodious wooden building, with seating accommodation for about 450 persons. There is a large schoolroom adjoining the
Palmerston North, was established in June, 1901, and occupies a fine site of a quarter of anacre. It is a wood and iron building, with seating accommodation for 250 persons. In the year 1905 a schoolroom and hall were added at the rear of the church. The hall has eight class-rooms and accommodation for 200 persons. There is a Sunday school in connection with the church, with 100 scholars. The Rev. Sydney James Baker is minister in charge.
was established in the year 1903. For many years the annual exhibition had been held in connection with the Agricultural and Pastoral Association's summer meeting, and at these the greatest number of entries was 125; but since the formation of the club the exhibitions have been held under the auspices of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, as an important factor of their summer show, and the entries during the four years have increased to 350. The show building (on the right of the main entrance to the Association's grounds) is constructed of wood and iron, with up-to-date divisions, which belong to the club. Throughout the show three officials are in attendance to keep the pens scrupulously clean, to feed and water the dogs, and to give them daily exercise. The Association is financially responsible for the exhibition, and a large number of prizes are awarded each year. The club has achieved great success in the improvement of the breeding and classification of dogs. The Manawatu Kennol Club is affiliated to the New Zealand Kennel Club, and has a membership of forty-five. Mr. W. W. Jacob is president, and Mr. W. F. Durward and Mr. F. E. Watson are vice-presidents.
was founded in the year 1880, and the meetings were held on a reserve close to Palmerston North until 1903, when the club acquired a freehold property of 100 acres at Awapuni, near Palmerston North. The expenditure on the grounds, buildings, bringing in the railway, etc., amounted to £22,000. The course is one mile round, and a chain and a half broad, and inside the rail of the course proper is a grass track and an excellent ploughed track. The buildings on the grounds consist of a grand-stand capable of seating 3,000, dining rooms, stewards and secretary's offices, a pavillion, large outside stand, booth, a totalisator house, twenty loose boxes, a sand roll and twenty scraping sheds, refreshment rooms, and booths. The lawns and paddocks are beautifully laid out, and have a background of an area of native bush, with a large lake, facing the members' paddock, at the rear. Two race meetings are held annually, the Summer meeting at Christmas, for three days, and an Autumn meeting in April for two days. Stakes are given to a total of £7,500. Officers for the year 1907: Messrs. R. S. Abraham (president), D. Buick and J. H. P. Strang (vicepresidents), F. J. Nathan (hon treasurer), and J. M. Johnston (secretary.)
Teacher of Music, Cook Street, Palmerston North. Mr. Gunter was born in the year 1870 in Weymouth, Dorset, England. He was educated at private schools, commenced the study of music under Dr. Bradford, of London, with whom he spent four years, and, later, studied under Professor Mortimer, of Preston, Lancashire. In 1891 he went to Australia, and, after practising in Adelaide for two years, joined the Albu Concert Company as pianist, and toured Australia and New Zealand. Mr. Gunter finally settled in Palmerston North, where he has since conducted a successful and increasing practice. In the year 1899 he went to Melbourne, and studied under the famous Edouard Scharf, afterwards returned to Paimerston North and took up his teaching connection. In 1901 he went to Leipsic, Germany, to study under Herr Weiderbach, and thence travelled to London and took lessons from Herr Gustave Ernest, of Sydenham. He subsequently returned to New Zealand and established his present practice. Mr. Gunter is married, and has one daughter.
(J. McDonald, proprietor), Main Street West, Palmerston North. This business was established in the year 1907, and a large turnover is done in phonographs and Edison records. The premises consist of a shop and a large phonograph room, which is a popular musical resort. The business is rapidly increasing, and the proprietor keeps his stock of records thoroughly up-to-date by large and frequent importations.
was born in the year 1866 in Christchurch, where he was educated at the public schools, and afterwards trained as a mechanical engineer. Subsequently he had experience in gold-mining, farming, etc., before starting his present business. As a Rechabite he became Chief Ruler of the Star of Hauraki Tent, Mr. McDonald is married, and has two sons and two daughters.
are held in the local Court House, a substantial brick and plaster building, erected in the year 1899, to replace the former building, which was destroyed by fire in October, 1897. It contains complete accommodation for the various sittings of the Supreme Court and District Court, and possesses a Supreme Court library. Three sittings of the Supreme Court are held in the year, the District Court sits quarterly, and there are weekly sittings of the Magistrate's Court. The Stipendiary Magistrate, Mr. A. D. Thomson, also acts as Registrar of the Supreme Court. Mr. C. J. Hewlett, Clerk of the Court, is Deputy-Registrar, Sheriff, and Clerk of the Licensing Committee.
Barristers and Solicitors, Rangitikei Street, Palmerston North. The Palmerston North branch of the wellknown Wellington firm of Messrs. Bell, Gully, Bell, and Myers was established in the year 1902, with Mr. Cooper as local resident partner.
is the youngest son of Mr. G. S. Cooper, late Under-Secretary for the Colony. He was born in Wellington, in December, 1876, was educated at the Collegiate School, Wanganui, and was articled to Messrs. Skerrett and Wylie, of Wellington. He remained with this firm for six years, qualified as a solicitor in 1898, and as a barrister in the year 1900, and in 1902 joined the firm of Bell, Gully, Bell and Myers as resident partner in Palmerston North. Mr. Cooper is a member of the executive of the Chamber of Commerce, has been a steward of the Manawatu Racing Club for some years, and is also connected with athletic and social clubs. In the year 1902 Mr. Cooper married the only daughter of District Judge Haselden, and has one son.
Surgeon Dentist, The Square, Palmerston North. This practice was acquired in the year 1906, and is conducted on the second floor of a fine brick building. The apartments consist of two well-appointed surgeries, a laboratory, and a waiting room. Two assistants are employed. Mr. Burnard was born in the year 1884, in Dunedin, where he was educated. He afterwards spent four years in the service of the Bank of New Zealand, and was then apprenticed to the dental profession under Mr. J. Glendining, of Dunedin. In 1906 he gained his diploma as a qualified dentist, and soon afterwards removed to Palmerston North to manage Mr. Prowse's practice, which he subsequently purchased. Mr. Burnard is a member of the New Zealand Dental Association. He takes a keen interest in literary and social affairs, and is teacher of elocution at the local technical school.
Surgeon Dentist, Cuba Street, Palmerston North. This practice was established in the year 1907, and is conducted in part of a two-storeyed building, which contains an up-to-date surgery, a waiting room, and a workroom. Mr. Cole was born in Christchurch, where he was educated at the Cathedral School and at Christ's College. He was then apprenticed to the dentistry under Messrs. Thompson and Turrell, with whom he remained for six years, latterly as manager of their mechanical department. During this period he studied at the Dunedin University College, and, after graduating, took charge of a practice in Wellington. He afterwards conducted a successful practice for three years on his own account, on Lambton Quay, before establishing his present practice. As a volunteer Mr. Cole held the rank of first lieutenant in the Heretaunga Mounted Rifles, Wellington. He is a member of the Order of Druids, and the hockey club.
Surgeon Dentist, Church Street East, Palmerston North. Mr. Lloyd was born in Tipperary, Ireland, in the year 1863, and was educated at Pococke College, Kilkenny. In 1882 he emigrated to New Zealand, and for some years was in the railway service, latterly as a stationmaster. He resigned in the year 1888 to study dentistry, and was apprenticed to Mr. Tripe, of Palmerston North. Subsequently for about eight years he practised in Blenheim, before estab lishing his present practice. Mr. Lloyd is president of the local branch of the New Zealand Dental Association, and is also connected with local clubs.
Surgeon Dentist, George Street, Palmerston North. The apartments consist of a fine suite of rooms on the first floor of a new brick and plaster building, and contain a surgery, waiting rooms, and a workroom. An assistant is employed in the mechanical department, and a nurse is constantly in attendance. Mr. Taplin is honorary dental surgeon to the Public Hospital and the Children's Home. He was born in the year 1881 at Patea, where he was educated at the District High School, and afterwards had two years' experience in the Government Railway Department. He was subsequently articled to Mr. J. A. Taggart, dentist, of Palmerston North, with whom he spent four years, and then spent twelve months in gold filling, crown, and bridge work under Dr. T. A. Black, B.Sc. (N.Z. University), D.D.S. (U.S.A.), Wellington, before opening his present practice in Palmerston North. Mr. Taplin conducts a branch at Shannon. He is vice-president of the Palmerston North and Shannon Football Clubs, and a member of the Tennis Club.
is situated in Main Street opposite the Post Office, Palmerston North. The branch was established in the year 1901. The building is a single-storeyed one of wood and iron, and contains a banking chamber and the manager's room, and residential rooms. The staff consists of the manager, Mr. G. W. Harden, and five assistants.
in Palmerston North was opened in the year 1875, and occupies a site at the corner of the Square and Broad Street. The premises consist of a wooden building, containing a banking chamber, the manager's room, strong room, and residence. Mr. T. T. Miller is manager, and has a staff of six officers.
has been represented in Palmerston North since the year 1881. The premises occupy a site at the corner of the Square and Broad Street, and contain a banking chamber, the manager's room, and a residence. Mr. John L. Barnicoat, who has been manager of the Palmerston North branch of the Union Bank since 1893, is supported by a strong staff of officers.
occupies a site at the corner of the Square and Fitzherbert Street. It is a two-storeyed brick building, and contains a banking chamber, manager's room, and a residence. Mr. Charles Smith was appointed manager of the Bank of New Zealand in Palmerston North in the year 1907, and has a staff of twelve officers.
Coles' Buildings, the Square, Palmerston North. This branch was opened in January, 1908. The district worked from this office embraces the whole of North Wellington from Paikakariki and the North Wairarapa boundary to the southera borders of Taranaki and Auckland, and also the southern part of Hawke's Bay.
manager of the Palmerston North branch of the New Zealand State Fire Insurance Department, was born in Wellington in the year 1880, and, after completing his education, entered the office of the United Insurance Company, Ltd. After about five years there he resigned, in 1901, to serve in the South African Boer war. On returning to New Zealand he joined the National Insurance Company, and three years later entered the service of the State Fire Insurance Department.
(W. H. Lambert and Charles Sutcliffe), Land, Estate, Stock, Station, Financial, and General Commission Agents, and Hotel Brokers, Rangitikei Street, Palmerston North. This business was founded in the year 1906. The firm employ two clerks, several travellers, and have agents and correspondents in all parts of New Zealand. They deal principally with the sale of large estates, and have one of the most important connections of this kind in the North Wellington province.
was born in Dunedin in the year 1878. In 1885 he removed, with his parents, to Wellington, where he was educated, and then went to Auckland, where he was employed in clerical work for some years. Mr. Lambert joined the Second Contingent for service in the South African Boer war. Soon after his return he was appointed chief accountant in the head office of the “New Zealand Times,” Wellington, where he remained until 1905, when he removed to Palmerston North, and established his present business.
Land, Estate, and General Commission Agents, Cuba Street, Palmerston North. This firm have an extensive business connection and a large number of properties pass through their hands, especially stations and native lands, the proprietor being a licensed interpreter. The business was established in the year 1902, and developed to such an extent that the local office was enlarged in 1905, and at the same time a partner was taken in and a branch office opened in Wellington. In 1906 the partnership was dissolved, and the Wellington office placed in charge of a managing clerk. The firm have on their lists a large selection of stations, farms, timber and flax areas, business and residential sites, etc., have agents in all parts of the Dominion, and employ six travellers. They are also agents for fire and marine insurance companies.
was born in Palmerston North in March, 1880, was educated at Te Aute College, and was afterwards articled to the legal profession under Mr. Fitzherbert and Messrs. Hankins and Loughnan. A complete breakdown in health, however, compelled him to give up his profession, and some years later he established his present business. Mr. Moffatt is also one of the proprietors of the Whakatane Flax-milling Company, which has rights over 6,000 acres of flax-bearing country in the Bay of Plenty, and works two large mills. He is a member of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association and various athletic clubs. Mr. Moffat married Miss McGlone, of the West Coast.
(H. G. Bagnall and G. C. Keeble), Land, Estate, Insurance Agents, and Share-brokers, The Square, Palmerston North. This business was founded in the year 1885 by Mr. E. B. Pearce, and was acquired by the present firm in the year 1906. The firm are agents for the Royal Fire Insurance Company, the Ocean Accident Insurance Company, the Colonial Mutual Life Insurance Company, and Messrs. Baldwin and Rayward, patent agents.
was born at Edgbaston, Birmingham, England, in the year 1875, and was educated at Malvern and Uppingham College. In 1891 he came to New Zealand, and soon afterwards entered the service of the Union Bank of Australia, Limited, in which he spent several years in Wellington and Palmerston North. Mr. Bagnell is a member of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, and of the Masonic fraternity. He is married, and has two children.
was born at Longburn, near Palmerston North, was educated at the Wanganui College, and afterwards spent a short time in the service of the Bank of New Zealand. He then went to Sydney, where he was engaged in the shipping business, and on his return to New Zealand joined Messrs. Abraham and Williams, with whom he remained four years, first as auctioneer, and latterly as branch manager at Wellington. Mr. Keeble subsequently joined Mr. Bagnall in their present firm.
(T. J. Rodgers), Land, Estate, Stock, Insurance, and General Commision Agents, Main Street West and Andrew Young Street, Palmerston North. This business was formerly conducted by Messrs. George Mason and Son, and was acquired by the present proprietors in the year 1902. The premises consist of a large general business room and a private office. The firm act as agents for the Australian Temperance and General Mutual Life Society, Limited, the Royal Accident Insurance Company, and the Star safety razor.
of the firm of Messrs. Rodgers and Company, was born in the year 1876 in the Upper Hutt, Wellington, where he was educated at the public and Catholic schools. For some time afterwards he farmed in the Manawatu district, but subsequently sold out and took over his present business. He is a member of the Liedertafel Society and the Debating Society. Mr. Rodgers' father, who resides in Palmerston, was the first white child born in the Wellington province, in recognition of which he received a Crown grant.
Artist, Portrait Painter, and Engraver, Main Street West, Palmerston North. This business was established in the year 1902. Mr. Anderson is assisted by his two sisters, who devote themselves to landscape and animal painting. There is a fine display of paintings and portraits in the show-room, and considerable business is also done in engravings and prints. Mr. Anderson was born in Hawke's Bay, and was educated at the public schools and the Wellington technical school. He afterwards studied for twelve years at the Chicago Art Institute, and then travelled through England, Ireland, and Scotland, ultimately returned to New Zealand, and established his present business in Palmerston North.
Wholesale and Retail Confectioner, Main Street West, Palmerston North. This business was acquired by Mr. Grant in the year 1906. The premises consist of a shop, and a factory (a two-storeyed wooden building at the rear of the shop). The factory gives constant employment to four persons, and the trade extends from Wanganui to Dannevirke. Mr. Grant was born in the year 1856, in Geelong, Victoria, was educated at the public schools and the Melbourne Grammar School, and afterwards learned his trade under his father. He subsequently assisted his father in Ballarat, and later came to New Zealand. For four years he conducted a confectionery business in Hokitika, and subsequently, after spending a short time in Dunedin, entered into employment in Wellington. In 1879–80 he represented his employers at the Sydney Exhibition, taking the first prize for sweetmeats. He afterwards carried on business for four years at Manly Beach, then returned to New Zealand, and started business in Napier. Two years later he sold out and removed to Feilding, where he conducted a large manufacturing business for about ten years. The trade increased rapidly, and Mr. Grant removed his factory to Palmerston North in order to have a more central location. Mr. Grant is a member of the Masonic Order.
Wine, Spirit, and General Merchant, Cuba Street, Palmerston North. This business was established in December, 1907, the proprietor having acquired the bottle license formerly held by Messrs. Nash and Company, Limited. The premises are situated near the junction of Rangitikei Street, and consist of a well-appointed office, two bulk stores, and a packing room. Mr. Paterson has had a comprehensive training in commercial life in the large cities of Scotland, and has established his business on up-to-date principles. The “L.D.P. Special Whiskie” (a popular brand) is one of his important agencies, but he also imports the best brands of liquors and wines from England, Europe, and Australia. In addition, Mr. Paterson is an importer of general merchandise, earthenware, crockery, china, and dried fruits. He was born in New Zealand, and educated at the Wanganui College. He then went to England and settled in Glasgow, where for some years he studied foreign languages and commercial methods in the Academy. Mr. Paterson had also considerable commercial experience with large Glasgow firms, and then travelled through Europe. On his return to New Zealand he was associated for some time with the well-known Taranaki firm of Messrs. Gibsons, Limited, which he left to establish his present business. Mr. Paterson is a prominent bowler and a member of several local clubs.
Builders and Contractors, Palmerston North. This business was established in April, 1903, and has since steadily increased. The firm have carried out contracts in various parts of the Wellington and Hawke's Bay provinces. Among the more important of these may be mentioned the Gas Company's new premises in Broad Street, Devine's Hall, Mr. Leary's residence, Mr. Dempsey's residence in Palmerston North, Mr. Lovelock's residence in Kairanga, Messrs. Dalgety and Company's new offices in Feilding, the new Post Office at Rongotea, the racecourse buildings at Foxton, the Weber Hotel, and the Anglican Church at Weber.
senior partner in the firm of Arnott and Sons, was born in the year 1862 in Geelong, Victoria, where he was educated. He came to New Zealand in the year 1875, and was apprenticed to the building trade, under his uncle, in the firm of Messrs. Arnott and Seebrook, of Greymouth. For some years he worked at his trade successively in Greymouth, Reefton, and Westport, and in 1903 removed to Palmerston North and established his present business in partnership with five of his sons. Mr. Arnott has been a representative football player, was treasurer for six years of the Westport Labour Union, and a member of the School Committee. He is married, and has six sons and five daughters.
Builder and Contractor, Main Street West, Palmerston North. This well-known business was established in the year 1900. The premises are situated in Main Street West, and consist of a conveniently-appointed private office, and a well-fitted shop. A large stock of ironmongery, wallpapers, paints, plumbers' requisites, timber, etc., is carried. At the rear is a commodious workshop, fitted up with circular saws, planing machines,
Bricklayer and Contractor, Wood Street, Palmerston North. This business was established in the early “nineties.” The office and yards occupy part of a site of three acres in Wood Street, and twenty persons are employed in connection with the business. Among the chief buildings erected by Mr. Mouldey may be mentioned the Gas Company's offices in Broad Street, King's Chambers, in the Square, and the extension to Messrs. Dawick Brothers' buffet in Rangitikei Street. Mr. Mouldey was born at Fernside, North Canterbury, in May, 1871, and is the second son of Mr. Henry Mouldey, who came to New Zealand in the ship “Cressy.” He was brought up to the bricklaying trade under his father, and afterwards worked as a journeyman for a time in Christchurch. In the year 1890 he removed to Palmerston North, and subsequently established his present business. Mr. Mouldey is married, and has three daughters.
Carriage Builder, Wheelwright, and General Smith, Main Street, Palmerston North. This business, which is one of the largest of its kind in Palmerston North, was established by Mr. Parr, and acquired by the present proprietor in the year 1884. In 1892 the premises and stock were destroyed by fire, but Mr. Browning started afresh in Main Street, and subsequently rebuilt the old premises also, in order to cope with the increase of business. Coaches and carriages of every description are built, and a specialty is made in fitting them with rubber tyres. Mr. Browning is the sole manufacturer of Piercy and Company's patent fencing. He was born in the year 1864, in Portsmouth, England, and was educated at Lyndhurst, Hants. In 1876 he came to New Zealand with his parents, who settled at Doyleston, Canterbury. Mr. Browning was apprenticed to the coachbuilding trade at Ashburton, remained there for two years, and was then transferred to Leeston, where he worked for six years. He afterwards removed to New Plymouth, thence went to Stratford, remained there for twelve months, and finally settled in Palmerston North, where he has been very successful. Mr. Browning was a member of the Palmerston North Fire Brigade for seventeen years, a member of the Mounted Rifles for six years, and he has also served on the Borough Council. In 1884 he married Miss Johnson, and has one son and three daughters.
(John Bett and Co., Limited), Coach and Carriage Builders, Motor Car Repairers, Rangitikei Street, Palmerston North and Feilding. Bankers, Bank of Australasia. This business, which is one of the most extensive of its kind in the North Island, was established by Mr. Felix Stratford in the year 1882. Three years later Mr. John Bett (the present Managing Director) took over the business on his own account, which has since been formed into a limited liability company. The premises occupy a site of one acre, and comprise showrooms, workshops, a smithy and a coach-building factory, all thoroughly up-to-date. A large showroom occupies the front part of the buildings, and is well stocked with all descriptions of vehicles. In the engineering, smithing, and general ironworking departments (which occupy a detached building of extensive dimensions), there are two gas engines of twenty-six-horse power and thirteen-horse power respectively, six forges, and West's patent hydraulic tyre setter. An apartment on the ground floor that deserves special notice is the motor repairing and hood-making shop, which is specially appointed for the purpose. On the first floor a large stock of carriage fittings, rubber carriage tyres, harness, lamps, etc., is carried. The products of the firm are sent to most parts of
was born in Wanganui in the year 1863. He was educated in Marton, apprenticed to the coach-building trade under Messrs. McIntyre and Logan, and then worked for a time as a journeyman, until establishing the present firm. Mr. Bett takes a keen interest in social affairs, and is conductor of St. Andrew's Church choir.
(J. H. Carson), Cordial Manufacturers, Grey Street, Palmerston North. This business was established in Palmerston North in the year 1902, having formerly been carried on in Wellington since 1886. The factory (measuring forty-two feet by thirty-five feet) occupies a site in Grey Street, and contains a main storeroom, the brewing department, a special syrup room, a bottle-washing room, and the machinery department. Several persons are constantly employed, and a good business is done over a wide area.
sole proprietor of Messrs. Carson and Company, was born in Wellington in the year 1864. For many years he has been engaged in cordial manufacturing, and originally established his business in Wellington. He is a member of the Order of Foresters, and the Working Men's Club.
Manufac-turers of Sauces, Pickles, Chutneys, and Cordials, Rangitikei Street, Palmerston North. This business was established in the year 1903, and the firm have since become one of the largest of the kind in the district. The premises consist of a one-storeyed wooden building, and comprise an office, a packing room, manufacturing room, brining shed, boiling room, and a large yard. The factory is furnished with the most up-to-date machinery and appliances, and fifty tons of tomatoes and 150 gallons of Worcester sauce can be dealt with at a time. The firm are makers of tomato sauce, Worcester sauce, anchovy sauce, chutney, pickles, orange and other bitters, curry powder, quinine, sarsaparilla, ginger wine, lime juice, and raspberry vinegar, and also malt and pickling vinegar. They use only the best ingredients, and have won a number of prizes and certificates at exhibitions.
was born in England in the year 1841, came to New Zealand with the troops in 1859, and landed at Auckland. In 1861 he removed to Napier, was in active service for some years, being a witness of the Poverty Bay massacre, and subsequently went to the Australian States with the troops attendant on Governor Groom. He got his discharge late in the “sixties,” entered into business in Napier, but soon afterwards removed to Dunedin, where he was connected with the firm of Crew and Company until 1884, when he went to Australia. For some time he was connected with the leading manufacturing firms of Australia, gained a thorough knowledge of his trade, and on his return to New Zealand established his present business in conjunction with Mr. Guy.
was born in Tyrone, Ireland. In the year 1873 he went to Canada, followed farming pursuits for a time, then went into the flour-milling trade in Ontario for ten years, and subsequently spent some time in the United States, before returning to England in the year 1894. In 1904 Mr. Guy came to New Zealand, and in the following year joined Mr. Hamilton in partnership.
—Mortensen and N. P. Nielsen, proprietors), Rangitikei Street, Palmerston North. Factories at Shannon and Awahuri. This business was established in the year 1905 by private individuals, and afterwards acquired by the present company. The main factory at Shannon was established in the year 1905, and is a wooden building, with a complete up-to-date butter-making plant, driven by a twelve-horse power steam engine. This factory is supplied from two creameries, and the output is about 175 tons of butter per annum. The brand, which has won a good reputation, is the “Shannon.” The factory at Awahuri is also a wooden building, with a first-class plant for butter-making, and turns out about ninety tons per annum; the brand is “Reliance.”
the junior partner, was born in Denmark in the year 1868, and since leaving school has spent his whole time in the butter-making industry. After gaining a thorough knowledge of the trade, he managed a large butter factory for four years at Millent, in Jut land. In the year 1900 he came to New Zealand, and was successively manager of the Awahuri Dairy Factory and the Rongotea Factory, until starting business on his own account. In this he was soon afterwards joined by his present partner. Mr. Nielsen is a member of the local lodge of Freemasons.
. Picture Framer and Undertaker, The Square, Palmerston North. Established in the year 1902, the business premises consist of a large shop and showroom, with a workshop at the
(J. Osgood and G. J. Hancock), Painters, Paperhangers, Signwriters, and House Decorators, Rangitikei Street, Palmerston North. This business was established in the year 1896, and occupies large premises near Messrs. Holben and Kirk's new building. The firm import from the best markets, and always carry a large stock of paperhangings, picture framings, glass, mirrors, paints, oils, and colours. They conduct a large and increasing business, and give constant employment to twelve persons.
of Messrs. Osgood and Hancock, was born in the year 1867, in Blenheim, where he was educated and brought up to the painting trade. After serving an apprenticeship of seven years, he spent eighteen months in business on his own account in Marlborough, and then removed to the North Island. He worked for some years as a journeyman in Wanganui, and later in Palmerston North, and then joined Mr. Hancock to establish their present business. Mr. Osgood has had seven years' volunteer service in Blenheim and Wanganui, is a Past Chief Ranger in the Order of Foresters, a member of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, the Employers' Association, the Starr-Bowkett Building Society, and the Methodist Church. He is married, and has two sons.
of Messrs. Osgood and Hancock, was born in England in the year 1866, and came to New Zealand at an early age. After leaving school he was apprenticed to the painting trade under Mr. Tinney and Mr. R. Martin, of Wellington, and then settled in Palmerston North, where he was employed for seven years by Mr. Dixon, before joining his present partner. Mr. Hancock served for sixteen years as a volunteer, and rose to the rank of sergeant in the Te Aro Rifles, Wellington. He is lieutenant of the local Fire Police, a member of the Order of Foresters, the Orange Lodge, the Employers' Association, the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, and the Working Men's Club. Mr. Hancock is married, and has five sons and four daughters.
(A. Tingey, Managing Director), Oil and Colour Merchants, Broad Street, Palmerston North. The local branch of this firm was opened in the early “eighties” in the Square, and in 1890 was removed to its present position in Broad Street. The premises consist of a two-storeyed wooden building, and contain a shop, with fine plate-glass windows, an office, and workrooms. A large stock is carried in paints, oils, paper-hangings, moulding, plate and sheet glass, etc. The firm do a large business, and employ twenty persons.
Tailors and Costumiers, The Square, Palmerston North. This business was established in Main Street West in the year 1905, and removed in 1907 to the present site. The premises, which are situated in the Square next to the Scott Motor Cycle Company, are well lighted throughout for the display of a large and varied stock of colonial and imported tailoring materials and costume cloths. Style and fit are guaranteed, and the prices charged are very reasonable. Twelve persons are constantly employed in connection with the business.
was born in the year 1873 in Christchurch, was educated at the public schools, and brought up to the tailoring trade. He subsequently went to Australia, worked for a time as a journeyman in Sydney and Melbourne, and then went to South Africa, where he successfully conducted business on his own account for six years. He then returned to New Zealand, and soon after-wards started business on his own account. Mr. De Luen is a member of the Liedertafel Society.
Drapers, Clothiers, Milliners, and House Furnishers, The Square, Palmerston North. This business was founded in the year 1900 by Messrs. Watchorn and Company, and acquired by the present firm in 1907. The premises stand on the south-east corner of the Square, and consist of a large two-storeyed building, with a frontage of eighty feet, and four plate glass windows. The front portion of the building is divided into several distinct shops, which contain the drapery, clothing, millinery, Manchester, fancy, hosiery, haberdashery, boot and shoe, and furnishing deparements, and at the rear is an office and a very fine showroom. The first floor contains the dressmaking rooms, workrooms, and waiting rooms. Two highly-trained dressmakers are employed, and they are assisted by a staff of thirty-five persons. Messrs. W. F. Durward and Company Limited are direct importers in all departments, keep their stock up-to-date, and retail their goods at most reasonable prices. The staff altogether number about seventy persons. Mr. P. A. McHardy is the chairman of directors, and Mr. W. F. Durward is managing director.
Managing Director for Messrs. W. F. Durward and Company, Limited, was born in Inverness, Scotland, in the year 1873. He was educated at a Scotch grammar school, and at Barton Private College, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, England, and was then apprenticed to the drapery trade at Arbroath in his native country. He was afterwards employed in a soft goods house in Elgin, then went to Durban, in Natal, and, later, accepted an appointment as soft goods traveller for a large drapery establishment in the Transvaal. Five years afterwards he came to New Zealand, and was employed as manager of the gloves and hosiery department in Te Aro House, Wellington, for some years, and in the year 1902 removed to Palmerston North as manager of Mr. C. Smith's local branch. Soon afterwards he was appointed manager of the drapery business conducted by the United Farmers' Co-operative Association, which business was subsequently bought by the above firm. Mr. Durward is vice-president of the Manawatu Kennel Club and a member of the executive. He is married, and has one son.
Hatter, Mercer, Clothier, and Tailor, The Square, Palmerston North. This business was established in the year 1905 by the present proprietor, and it has rapidly grown to be one of the finest businesses of its kind in Palmerston North. The premises have a frontage to the Square, and a depth of seventy feet. They are well appointed, and are lighted by five skylights. The shop is fifty-five feet in depth, and has two large plate glass windows, in which the latest goods are tastefully arranged. At the rear are the office and the tailoring department. The shop carries a heavy stock of hats, caps, mercery, clothing, and boots. Mr. Mahon imports direct, and is thus able to supply the best class of goods at the lowest prices. Nine persons are employed in the business. He was born in Auckland in the year 1872, and is a son of the late Lieutenant-Colonel Mahon, for many years drill instructor to the Auckland public schools. He was educated at the Newton East school and the Auckland College and Grammar School, where his brother, Mr. Harold Mahon, B.A., holds the position of assistant master. He was afterwards employed by Messrs. W. H. Fenton and Company, of Queen Street, Auckland, and subsequently removed to Palmerston North as manager of the clothing and mercery department of Messrs. C. M. Ross and Company. This position he held for fifteen years, and in 1905 resigned to start business on his own account. Mr. Mahon is closely identified with the social life of the town, is a member of the committee of the Working Men's Club, a member of the Coursing Club, the Boxing Association, and the Manchester Unity lodge of Oddfellows. He is married, and has one son and one daughter.
(Hallenstein Brothers, Limited, proprietors), The Square, Palmerston North. The Palmerston North branch of this well-known firm was established in the year 1883. The building has a fine frontage to the main street, and three large plate glass windows are tastefully dressed. The shop carries a well-assorted stock of clothing, mercery, and foot-wear, and four persons are employed.
Manager of the Palmerston North branch of the New Zealand Clothing Factory, was born in the year 1880 in Wanganui. He was educated at Richmond, Christ-church, and at the High School, Masterton, and afterwards joined the Christchurch staff of the New Zealand Farmers' Co-operative Association, where he gained a thorough experience in all departments. He was then successively employed by the Bradford Woollen Company, in Wellington, and the New Zealand Clothing Factory, in Christchurch. Mr. Dickson was afterwards appointed to his present position in Palmerston North.
Coal and Wood Merchants, Main Street West, Palmerston North. This business was founded in June, 1906, by Mr. Shepherd, and acquired by the present firm in the year 1907. The yards occopy a quarter of an acre of land, with an office in front and a convenient loading platform at the rear. Two carts are employed in connection with the business, and orders are promptly delivered in the town and district. The principal coals stocked are State, Newcastle, and Westport, and all the coal is carefully screened before being delivered. Screenings and coke are also supplied.
was born in the year 1868 at Tua Marina, Marlborough, where he was educated and brought up to farming pursuits. On the death of his father he learned the engineering trade in connection with traction and stationary engines, and for about six years was in business on his own account, having qualified as an engineer. In the year 1901 he removed to the North Island, and subsequently entered the employment of Messrs. R. McMurray and Company, coal, wood, and general merchants. Twelve months later he was appointed engineer in Mr. Cook's cooperage, where he remained until establishing his present business. Mr. Law takes a keen interest in church work, is a local preacher and steward
Crockery and Glassware Importer, The Square, Palmerston North. This extensive business was established in the year 1900. The premises consist of a double-fronted shop with a verandah, and a large showroom at the rear, and comprise one of the largest crockery establishments in the province. A general stock of imported goods, including china and glassware is maintained. Mr. Clausen was born in Denmark, came to New Zealand with his parents in the year 1876, and settled in Palmerston North. He was brought up to the trade of a general storekeeper, and started business on his own account at Dannevirke in 1885. Mr. Clausen disposed of this business, and was farming for some time before acquiring his present business.
(N. Malcolm), The Square, Palmerston North. This business was established in the year 1889 by Mr. J. R. Montague, and was acquired by Mr. Malcolm in the year 1903. In April, 1906, the present limited liability company was formed, with Mr. Malcolm as managing director. The premises consist of a large two-storeyed building, with a frontage of forty feet, and a depth of 166 feet. The factory, at the rear, is a commodious apartment measuring forty feet by 100 feet, and contains the cabinet-making, furniture manufacturing, picture framing, and bed-making departments, There is also a workshop where upholstering is done, and an extensive yard. The showroom occupies the whole of the fore part of the building, and carries a heavy stock of furniture and household furnishings, which are attractively displayed. Besides being large manufacturers, the firm are direct importers of all household furniture Twenty persons are employed in connection with the business.
Managing Director of the Malcolm Furnishing Company Limited, was born in Scotland in the year 1862, and came to New Zealand in the year 1874. He was apprenticed to the furniture and cabinet-making trade under Messrs. North and Scoullar, of Dunedin, and eight years later left that firm and was employed for some years by a large manufacturing house in Wellington. Subsequently he was engaged at his trade in other parts of the Dominion until 1896, when he settled in Palmerston North under engagement to Mr. J. R. Montague, whom he afterwards bought out. Mr. Malcolm is a member of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association.
Furniture Dealer, The Square, Palmerston North. This business was established in the year 1882 by the present proprietor, and under progressive management it has grown from a small shop to one of the largest furniture establishments in the district. The premises, a two-storeyed building, have a fine frontage to the Square, a depth of 400 feet, and contain a fine showroom and an up-to-date office. Immediately at the rear are the manufacturing rooms, where most of the goods for the business are made, and these rooms are all fitted up with the latest appliances for the trade. There is also a storeroom for timber, so that it may be thoroughly seasoned before being used. The main wood-work factory is a large two-storeyed detached building, with a thoroughly up-to-date plant of machinery, driven by a twenty-seven-horse power Crossley gas engine, together with a reserve twelve-horse power horizontal steam engine. A large number of persons are constantly employed, and Mr. Pegden keeps a large and well-assorted stock of furniture of all kinds. He was born in July, 1857, at Bayswater, London, and was brought up to the furniture trade. He came to New Zealand in the ship “Halcione,” in the year 1870, and after working for some time in Wellington, removed to Palmerston North, where he has since continuously resided. Mr. Pegden is married, and has four sons and six daughters.
Wicker, Bamboo, and Rattan Furniture Manufacturer, Main Street, Palmerston North. This business was established in the year 1891, and has been increasing ever since. Only the best materials are used in the manufacture of furniture, and the goods find a ready market in the district. There is a showroom connected with the factory, where all kinds of furniture are displayed, and inspection is cordially invited. Eight persons are employed in connection with the business.
Hair-dresser and Tobacconist, corner of The Square and Main Street, Palmerston North. This business was established in the year 1904 by the present proprietor, and occupies a corner shop with a verandah. The saloon is fitted up with four modern chairs, and a good stock of fancy goods, tobaccos, and cigars is maintained. Mr. Davis was born in Wellington, and learned his trade under Mr. D. D. Hyde, with whom he remained for sixteen years before starting on his own account.
Hair-dresser, Tobacconist, Billiard Saloon Proprietor, and Insurance Agent, Terrace End, Palmerston North. The shop and hair-dressing department of this business were established in the year
Hair-dresser and Tobacconist, Rangitikei Street, Palmerston North. This establishment includes a fine shop and a hair-dressing saloon, with two chairs. A general stock of tobacco and fancy goods is maintained, and two persons are employed. Mr. White also holds agencies for phonographs, bicycles, cycling accessories, and sporting requisites. He was born in Queensland, Australia, in the year 1865, and came to New Zealand at an early age. He was educated at Hokitika, and was afterwards apprenticed to the hair-dressing trade under Mr. John Glasson, of Christchurch. Subsequently for a time he carried on business in Christchurch, then removed to Melbourne, and conducted a hair-dressing saloon there for about twelve months. On his return to the Dominion he spent some time in Christ-church and Hawke's Bay before establishing his present business. Mr. White is a member of the Manawatu Agricultural and Pastoral Association, the Palmerston North Coursing Club, the local lodge of Druids, and the Loyal Orange lodge.
(D. Anderson, proprietor), David Street, Palmerston North. This is one of the oldest unlicensed boarding houses in the Palmerston North district. The hotel is a two-storeyed wooden building, and contains three comfortable sitting rooms, a dining room (with seating accommodation for seventy guests), and twenty-four bedrooms. There is also hot and cold water laid on. The whole house is well furnished, and guests receive every care and attention. A good table is kept, and the tariff is moderate. Anderson's Private Hotel is situated close to the railway station, and is largely patronised by travellers.
proprietor of the Private Hotel, was born in the year 1859, in Perthshire, Scotland, where he was educated. He learned the bootmaking trade and afterwards the grocery trade. He came to New Zealand in the year 1885, and for sixteen years was a partner in the firm of Messrs. Dutson, McCly mont and Company, general storekeepers, of St. Andrews, South Canterbury. Mr. Anderson subsequently sold out, and was employed by the Marshall Proprietary Company, Limited, chemical manufacturers, Dunedin, until 1907, when he resigned in order to take up his present business. He is a member of the Masonic Order, is married, and has one child.
(Mrs. J. Tait, proprietress), Palmerston North. This hotel has recently been rebuilt in brick, and is one of the most up-to-date hotels in the town. It contains forty-two rooms, including dining, sitting, and smoking rooms, bedrooms, and four bath rooms. The best of wines, spirits, and ales are kept. The cuisine is excellent, and the tariff moderate.
Mrs. Johanna Tait, proprietress of the Clarendon Hotel, was born in Melbourne, Australia, came to New Zealand in the year 1875, and went to Dunedin with her parents. In 1882 she married Mr. William Maien Tait, of the Commercial Hotel, Blenheim. Mr. and Mrs. Tait afterwards removed to the Masonic Hotel, in the same town, where Mr. Tait subsequently died. Mrs. Tait continued to conduct the business for ten years, and then removed to Wellington, where she took over the Princess Hotel. Two years later she sold out, went to Manaia Hotel, which she carried on for five
(H. B. Tucker, proprietor), The Square, Palmerston North. The freehold of this hotel was acquired by the present proprietor in the year 1900, and it is one of the best commercial hotels in the Dominion. It contains fifty bedrooms, bathrooms, etc., a fine dining room, six private sitting and drawing rooms, a large commercial room and writing room, and twelve sample rooms. The cuisine is good, and guests receive every attention. There are also wholesale wine and spirit vaults in connection with the establishment, and all wines and spirits are obtained direct from bond. Mr. Tucker conducts a farm at Hokowhitu in conjunction with the Club Hotel.
proprietor of the Club Hotel, was born in Devonshire, England, in the year 1857. He came to New Zealand in 1880, and proceeded to the Lawrence district, where he carried on an hotel business for about six years. He then removed to Balclutha, but, owing to failing health, returned to England. Subsequently, however, he came back to New Zealand, and settled in Carterton, where he took over the Marquis of Normanby Hotel, which he retained for seven years, during which time he thoroughly renovated the premises, and established up-to-date livery stables. In 1899 he sold the freehold, and in the following year removed to Palmerston North. Mr. Tucker married Miss Caroline Langler, in 1885, and has four sons and three daughters.
(T. Childs, proprietor), Corner of the Square and Main Street, Palmerston North. This hotel is a fine two-storeyed building, within a few minutes' walk of the railway station In order to meet the demands of a growing business, it has twice been enlarged since it was taken over by the present proprietor. It has long been known to the travelling public as one of the best houses in the Manawatu district, and is repleta with all the latest conveniences. Only the best liquors are kept in stock, the cuisine is good, and the tariff is moderate.
proprietor of the Commercial Hotel, was born in London, England, in the year 1865, and came to New Zealand with his parents in 1876. He was educated at the East Christchurch School, and afterwards entered the Government service in the Telegraphic Department. He subsequently retired from the service, and then served his time to the blacksmithing trade with his brother in Christchurch. Later, he was employed by Messrs. P. and D. Duncan for two years, then went for a trip to Sydney, returned to New Zealand two years later, and took over his brother's business, which he successfully conducted for seven years. Mr. Childs finally sold out, removed to the North Island, and settled at Kaponga, where he conducted business for five years He again sold out, acquired the Albion Hotel at Patea, and finally took over the Commercial Hotel. Mr. Childs takes great interest in all kinds of sports, and has been president of various local clubs. He married Miss E. Hill, daughter of an old settler, and has five sons and two daughters.
(J. Hurley, proprietor), Main Street West, Palmerston North. This hotel was taken over by the present proprietor in the year 1905. It has recently been rebuilt, and is up-to-date in every respect. The cuisine is excellent, the tariff is moderate, and only the best wines, spirits, and ales are kept in stock. Travellers, tourists, and others may rely upon receiving the best attention.
proprietor of the Railway Hotel, was born in Cork, Ireland. He came to New Zealand in the year 1876, and landed in Wellington, where he was employed on the City Council works for eighteen months. He then proceeded to Feilding, where he worked on a farm for four years and a half and subsequently found employment on Orodown station for four years. Mr. Hurley then started farming on his own account at Kairanga, where he remained for twenty years. He finally disposed of his farm, and acquired the Railway Hotel. Whilst resident at Kairanga
(G. Searle, proprietor), Corner of the Square an a Rangitikei Street, Palmerston North. This popular hotel was taken over by the present proprietor in the year 1906. It is a two-storeyed wood and brick building, with a balcony on two sides, and contains sixty rooms. There is a private entrance from Rangitikei Street, and on the ground floor there is a well-appointed office, a commodious dining room, and two sitting rooms. The first floor contains a large sitting room (opening on to the balcony), several well-furnished bedrooms, bathrooms, and lavatories. The house is well furnished throughout, and thoroughly well conducted, every kindness and courtesy being extended to visitors by the genial proprietor.
proprietor of the Royal Hotel, has had an extensive experience of hotelkeeping in various parts of the Dominion, and was formerly for several years in the service of the Colonial Bank of New Zealand. He is referred to at length on page 1003 of the Canterbury volume of the Cyclopedia of New Zealand, and on page 1105 of the Otago volume.
(W. Cotton), Cuba Street, Palmerston North. In conjunction with the Royal Cafe Mr. Cotton also conducts a large bakery and confectionery business, and makes catering a specialty. He was born in Nelson, was educated at the Central School, Nelson, and was afterwards apprenticed to the bakery trade, under Mr. James Anstice, for two and a half years. He subsequently went to Wellington, and for nearly three years found employment with various large firms. Mr. Cotton then removed to Palmerston North, worked for twelve months with one firm, and then entered the employment of Mr. Whitehead, confectioner, with whom he remained for five and a half years. He then decided to start on his own account, and established his present business, which he has since suecesfully conducted. He was president for three years of the Palmerston North Journeymen Bakers' Union, is a member of the Palmerston North Master Bakers' Union, an Orangeman, and a member of the Orders of Druids and Oddfellows. In the year 1890 Mr. Cotton married Miss L. M. Melson, and has two daughters and one son.
(late R. S. Barry), General Ironmongers, The Square, Palmerston North. This business was established and conducted for many years by Mr. R. S. Barry, who sold out to the present firm in the year 1907. The premises have a fine frontage to the Square, with two expansive plate glass windows, in which the stock is displayed to the best advantage. The shop, which has a depth of 150 feet, carries a large stock of general ironmongery, electro-plate ware, crockery, etc. The firm make a specialty of lamps, cutlery, and brushes, of which with other lines they are direct importers. A steady cash business is done, and four persens are constantly employed.
the proprietor, was born in the year 1883 in Palmerston North. He served a number of years with Messrs. Hopwood, Dunk, and Pringle, and Messrs. Permain and Gilchrist (ironmongers), before starting business on his own account. Mr. Collinson is a member of the Masonic fraternity.
(E. R. B. Holben and W. Kirk), Dairy, Refrigerating, and Electrical Engineers, Rangitikei Street, Palmerston North. This business was established by the present proprietors in the year 1897, in small premises lower down in Rangitikei street. These were, however, destroyed by fire, and the business for a short time was conducted in temporary premises. A new building was then erected on the old site, but business increased so rapidly that Messrs. Holben and Kirk soon found it necessary to remove to larger premises higher up in the same thoroughfare. The present building measures ninety feet by 250 feet, and the workshops at the rear sixty-six feet by 160 feet. The shop contains a wide assortment of articles adapted to the use of dairy factories and farmers, and of plumbers' and tinsmiths' goods. The workshops are equipped with a thoroughly up-to-date plant of curving, punching, shearing, drilling, boring, and other machines, screw-cutting lathes, and a guillotine. Direct expansion cream vats, dairy vats, milk weighing machines, milk and cream cans of all descriptions, pasteurisers, aerators, coolers, and other articles are manufactured. Among the specialties of which Messrs. Holben and Kirk are the sole manufacturers may be mentioned the direct expansion cream vat, attemperator insulated cream vat, paraffin butter box enamelling machines, and the automatic butter box impressed printing machine. Messrs. Holben and Kirk make a specialty of the erection of factory plants in their entirety, including engines, boilers, butter workers, separators, freezing chambers, and the necessary plumbing. The butter factories and creameries are fitted up by this firm on the most modern lines, and among them may be mentioned those at Awahuri, Rongotea, Glen-Oroua, Levin, Ballance, Konini, Utiku, Taihape, Mangaweka, Masterton, Hastings, Otaki, Pohangina, Ashhurst, Bunnythorpe, Fitzherbert, Hunter-ville, Hastwells, Kairanga, Manga-onoho, Oroua Bridge, Pohonui, and many others. At their warehouse the firm keep every class of goods required by dairy farmers and factories, including Astra, Melotte, De Laval, and Reid separators, besides testers, scales, belting, and Babcock and composite test bottles. They also do all kinds of coppersmithing, sheet metal working, tinsmithing, and general plumbing, including the manufacture of baths, pipes, tanks, and sanitary goods.
Principal of the firm of Messrs. Holben and Kirk, was born in North Woolwich, England, on the 29th May, 1869. In the year 1876, in company with his parents, he left Liverpool in the ship “Camper-down,” for New Zealand. He is a member of the Palmtrston North Borough Council, and has assisted in carrying out the Palmerston North sewerage extension scheme, the £26,000 water reticulation scheme, the erection of a municipal opera house and public abattoirs, the Hoko-whitu protection works, and the straightening and deepening of the Kaiwai stream. He is also a member of the Borough Finance Committee,
of the firm of Messrs. Holben and Kirk, was born in London, England, in the year 1869, and came to New Zealand with his parents in 1872. He was educated at the State school, Wellington, and was afterwards apprenticed to the plumbing trade. In 1896 he joined Mr. Holben in partnership at Palmerston North.
Plumber, Gasfitter, and Tinsmith, George Street, Palmerston North. This business was established many years ago, and was acquired by the present proprietor in the year 1906. Four persons are constantly employed. Mr. Mey-rick was born in Wellington in the year 1868, and at an early age removed to Palmerston North. After leaving school he learned his trade under Mr. Rawlins, with whom he worked for many years as a journeyman, and latterly as foreman of the works. Mr. Meyrick takes a keen interest in athletic sports, and on one occasion won the New Zealand championship for high-jumping. For ten
(late D. and T. O'Reilly), Plumber, Tinsmith, and Gasfitter, Broad Street, Palmerston North. This business was established in the year 1900 by the present proprietor, who was joined in partnership in the year 1902 by his brother, Mr. T. O'Reilly. The latter, however, withdrew in 1907, leaving Mr. D. O'Reilly sole proprietor. The premises consist of a two-storeyed building, including a shop, a large showroom, an office, and a workroom. A complete plant has been installed for the manufacture of all kinds of tinware and other goods. Mr. O'Reilly holds certificates from the London City Guild and the Wellington Technical school, and is a thoroughly competent and reliable tradesman. He was born in County Meath, Ireland, in the year 1878, and came to New Zealand in the year 1885. He was educated at the Catholic College, Palmerston North, was employed by Messrs. Ballinger Brothers, of Wellington, for five years, and later by the Public Works Department. He subsequently returned to Palmerston North to establish his present business.
Ornamental Gate and Railing Maker, Locksmith and General Wrought-iron Worker, Rangitikei Street, Palmerston North. This business was established in the year 1905 by Messrs. Holben and Kirk, as a new departure, and was acquired by Mr. Richards in the year 1907. The premises stand at the rear of Messrs. Holben and Kirk's buildings, and are approached by a right-of-way from Rangitikei street The designing and manufacture of serviceable iron entrance gates is the principal feature of the works. Among the work which testifies to the enterprise and ability of Mr. Richards may be mentioned the gates and railings at the entrance to Messrs. Buchanan and Cohen's residences in the town. The repairing department for all classes of ironwork is also an important feature of the business, for which the most up-to-date appliances are kept. Mr. Richards was born in Montgomeryshire, Wales, in May, 1879, was educated at Wrexham, and afterwards apprenticed to his trade under Mr. F. E. Cleverly, of Devizes, Wiltshire, England. He subsequently found employment with Mr. Sterrett, ornamental gate maker and wrought-iron worker, of Wrexham, where he spent three years, chiefly as first assistant in the business. In 1905 he came to New Zealand, and was employed by the firm of Messrs. Holben and Kirk until establishing his present business. He married Miss Doggett, daughter of a well-known farmer of Palmerston North.
(late Star Cycle Company), Motor Car and Cycle Engineers and Importers, The Square, Palmerston North. Head office, Christchurch. This branch was established in Palmerston North in the year 1904. The business is conducted in a fine two-storeyed brick building, which includes a large shop (with plate glass windows), a roomy workshop, and a large yard at the rear. A two-storeyed brick garage (measuring 100 feet by 40 feet) has been erected in Rangitikei street. The firm are agents for the famous “Clement Talbot,” the “Beeston Humber,” the “Coventry Humber,” and the “Miuerva” cars, and carry a large stock of fittings for these motors. They are also agents for a number of leading bicycles, including the “Beeston Humber,” the “Swift,” “Birmingham Small Arms,” and “Eadie Star.” An extensive trade is done in the sale of cars and bicycles, and several qualified mechanics are employed in the repairing department. Over twenty motor cars and 180 bicycles were sold by the firm in 1906.
manager of Messrs. Adams', Limited, Palmerston North branch, was born in the year 1876, in Christchurch, and was educated at the East Christchurch School. He afterwards entered the firm of Adams, Limited (then the Adams Star Cycle Company), and, after gaining a thorough knowledge of all departments of the trade, spent two years in England. On his return, in 1902, he took charge of the Wanganui branch, and two years later removed to Palmerston North. Mr. Adams is a member of the Feilding-Rangitikei Cycling Club, is an enthusiastic motorist, and a keen sportsman.
(E. S. Pees and C. S. Pees), The Square, Palmerston North). Branch business at Wellington and Newtown. This firm, which now stands well to the front in the Wellington province, was established in Ghuznee Street, Wellington, in the year 1902, and the Newtown branch was opened in 1905. In November, 1906, the firm bought out the retail cycle business of Messrs. J. B. Clarkson and Company, Limited, of Palmerston North, and removed the headquarters of the firm to that town. The premises are amongst the finest in the
the managing partner, was born at Hamp-stead, London, in the year 1882, and was educated at Hornsey Grammar School. He then had two and a half years' clerical experience in a land and estate office in the West End of London, and at sixteen years of age came to New Zealand. For some time he followed farming pursuits in Taranaki and in the Waikato. He then went to Australia, but soon afterwards returned to New Zealand, and after a short time spent with Messrs. Panning and Company, land agents, of Wellington, he, in partnership with his brother, established the above business in Wellington. After acquiring the Palmerston North branch, and making it the head office, Mr. Pees removed to Palmerston North, where he has since resided.
was born in London in June, 1880, was educated at Hornsey Grammar School, and then apprenticed to the engineering trade, after which for four years he filled the position of engineering draftsman to the firm of Messrs. Haywood Bros, and Eckstein, London. In 1902 he emigrated to New Zealand, and followed farming pursuits in the Waikato until he joined his brother in their present business. He resides in Wellington, and manages the branch there.
(H. Spiller, manager), Cycle and Motor Importers. The Square, Palmerston North. This branch was established in the year 1905. The premises occupy a site near the entrance to Coleman Place, and consist of a two-storeyed building, measuring thirty feet by sixty feet. The ground floor contains the shop, the showroom, and the manager's office. The showroom carries a fine stock of bicycles, including the “Rudge Whitworth,” “New Rapid,” “Robin Hood,” “Rothwell.” and “Birmingham Small Arms” cycles. The F. N. motor cycles, a large quantity of accessories, and duplicate parts are also stocked, and repairing is done on the premises. The first floor contains the workrooms, supplied with the latest machinery and appliances for building, enamelling, and repairing. Five persons are employed in connection with the business.
Manager of Messrs. E. Reynolds and Company's Palmerston North branch, was born in Napier in May, 1886, and is a son of Lieutenant T. R. Spiller, whose portrait apears in the picture of the Waikare-Moano military expedition on page 285 of this volume. He was educated at the public schools, and then spent five years in the Napier Harbour Board's offices, before as-cepting his present appointment. Mr. Spiller was for some years secretary of the Napier Garrison Band, is solo horn player in the Palmerston North Band, and is secretary of the Palmerston North Cycling and Touring Club.
Palmerston North. Head-quarters, Wellington. The motor department of this extensive business occupies a fine building adjoining Messrs. Holben and Kirk's in Rangitikei street. It was established in the year 1906, prior to which the motor department was conducted in conjunction with the cycle business in the Square, and George street. The premises have a frontage of forty-five feet and a depth of 210 feet, and contain a fine showroom, a manufacturing, and a repairing room. The Harvey-Frost vulcanising plant, repairing and retreading
J.P., Manager of the Palmerston North branch of the Scott Motor and Cycle Company, Limited, is also chairman of directors of the company. He was born in the year 1849 at Horton Priory, Kent, England (where he resided until leaving for New Zealand in 1881), and was educated at Woodchurch and at Mr. John Clark's Grove House Academy, Folkestone. He was brought up to farming and engineering pursuits, assisted on his father's farm for some time, and subsequently started on his own account. In 1882 he came to New Zealand, settled in the Manawatu district, and bought 1,500 acres on the Foxton line, now known as “Bainesse.” In 1900 Mr. Dunk leased his farm, and soon afterwards established the well-known ironmongery business in Palmerston North, now conducted by Messrs. Permain and Gilchrist, but afterwards sold out and joined the Scott Motor and Cycle Company, Limited. He takes a keen interest in public and social affairs; he was mayor of Palmerston North, and for two years councillor, was the founder and for many years chairman of the Sluggish River Drainage Board, president of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, was chairman, secretary, and treasurer of the Oroua Bridge Public School Committee, and chairman of the Winter Show from its inception. In the volunteers he was captain of the Manawatu Mounted Rifles for twelve years, was in command of the New Zealand mounted troops at the time of the visit of the Duke and Duchess of York to Australia, had charge of the fifth Contingent in Wellington, prior to their departure for South Africa, and acted as major of the Mounted Battalion for some years. In 1874 Mr. Dunk married the daughter of the late Mr. T. A. Davenport, of Boulogne-sur Mer, France, and has one son and two daughters.
Boot and Shoe Importers and Manufacturers, The Square, Palmerston North. Head Office, Wellington. The Palmerston North branch of this well-known business was established many years ago. The premises consist of a double-fronted shop and a workroom at the rear. A large and well-assorted stock is maintained by the company, and four persons are employed.
Manager of Messrs. R. Hannah and Company, Limited, was born in the year 1876 in Wellington, where he was educated. He afterwards entered the employment of Messrs. Hannah and Company, Wellington, gained experience in all branches of the trade, and was for some time the firm's authorised customs agent in Wellington. In 1903 he was appointed to his present position. Mr. Page is a member of the finance committee of the Congregational Church, is a Past Arch in the United Ancient Order of Druids, and is also a member of the Friendly Societies' Council for the district.
Bootmaker and Saddler, Fitzherbert Street, Palmerston North. The bootmaking and repairing departments of this business were established in the year 1905, and in 1907 the adjoining shop with the saddlery business was taken over, and is in charge of an expert tradesman. A considerable stock of boots, shoes, saddlery, and accessories is carried. Mr. Rickard was born at Wairoa, Hawke's Bay, in the year 1880, was educated at Wairoa and at Napier, and afterwards spent eighteen months in the grocery trade. He then learned the bootmaking trade under Mr. R. Thorp, of Napier, and was employed by Messrs. Hannah and Company, of Hastings. He subsequently removed to Palmerston North and started business on his own account, but a year later the premises were destroyed by fire. He afterwards found employment with Mr. S. Thacker, of the Square, for two years, and then returned to the employment of Messrs. Hannah and Company until starting his present business. Mr. Rickard is a member of the Lodge of Foresters and the Orange Lodge.
Family Butcher, Main Street East, Palmerston North. This business was established in the year 1888, and was acquired by the present proprietor in the year 1906. The shop is a large one, with the latest appointments, and there is a convenient office attached with telephone (No. 25) connection. At the rear is the manufacturing room, with an up-to-date plant driven by four and a half-horse power Crossley gas engine. The shop is kept scrupulously clean, and only the best quality of meat is sold. Two carts are employed in connection with the business. Mr. Batson was born in the year 1884 in Invercargill, where he was educated at the public schools, and afterwards learned the butchery trade at Riverton, which he has almost continuously followed. For two years he was employed as a journeyman near New Plymouth, and after a brief experience in bush felling in the Rai Valley, between Marlborough and Nelson, he removed to Palmerston North and acquired his present business.
(F. Collin and F. W. Hall), Family Butchers, Terrace End, Palmerston North. This business was established by Mr. Wingate, of Longburn, and was acquired by the present proprietors in the year 1906. The premises consist of a large shop (fitted with two blocks and marbletop counters), and a manufacturing room, where the machinery is driven by a five-horse power gas engine. The firm supply only the best quality of meat, and do a large business. Two delivery carts are employed in connection with the business.
was born in Leicester, England, in the year 1879, was educated at Alderman Newton's High School, and afterwards apprenticed to the butchery trade. In October, 1904, he came to New Zealand, and was employed as a journeyman in the Levin Co-operative Butchery. Thence he removed to Palmerston North, and found employment with Messrs. Dixon Brothers until he
(R. S. Abraham, chairman, and C. F. Carter, manager), was established in June, 1906, and is now the largest meat firm in North Wellington. The abattoir and three retail shops are conducted by the firm, whose head-quarters are situated in the Square. The main shop, a two-storeyed building, occupies a site near the Bank of Australasia, and is conveniently appointed and kept scrupulously clean. At the rear is a freezing chamber (measuring eight feet by ten feet), which is furnished with a half-ton Humble Freezer, an eight-horse power gas engine, and a four-horse power boiler for supplying hot water. The first floor contains well-appointed offices. Eleven persons and five delivery carts are employed in connection with the business. The firm sell only the best meat, all of which is killed at the abattoir, and a large turnover is done.
J.P., Managing Director of the Manawatu Meat and Cold Storage Company, Limited, was born at Carterton. in the Wairarapa, in the year 1865. was educated at the public school at Foxton, and at nineteen years of age became a partner in his father's butchery business there. He remained as partner in the firm of Messrs. John Carter and Sons for seven years, and then for about eight years followed farming pursuits in conjunction with his brother on the Moutoa estate. In the year 1899 he established the Shannon Meat Company, which he conducted for five years, when he sold out to his brother, Mr. S. W. Carter, and removed to Palmerston North. In partnership with Mr. Rawstron he bought Mr. Reed's business in the Square, the firm being known as Messrs. Carter and Rawstron, and in 1906 this business was taken over by The Manawatu Meat and Cold Storage Company, Limited, in which the partners became directors. Mr. Carter is a member of the Jockey Club, the Bowling Club, and the Masonic Order. He is married, and has two children.
is situated at Awapuni, about two miles and a half from the town, and was established by the Manawatu Meat and Cold Storage Company, Limited, under arrangement with the borough council, in the year 1906. The abattoir is a substantial brick structure, up-to-date in every respect, and the men's dining rooms and the manager's and inspector's offices are in a detached building. There are spacious and efficient sheep and cattle pens, each butcher having his own division; these are covered in with silverite roofing, and have solid concrete floors. The institution has also six freezing chambers, the machinery plant for which consists of a thirty-five horse power suction gas engine and a six-ton Linde freezer. Water is laid on to all the pens and throughout the abattoir. An area of twelve acres is reserved for accommodation for cattle and sheep, and this is divided into five paddocks. At the rear of the abattoir is a two-storeyed building containing large boiling down works and bone mills. The average output of the abattoir approximates 250 cattle, 1,200 sheep, thirty-five pigs, and fifty calves per month. Eight persons are employed in the abattoir.
Indent Merchants, Dairy and General Produce Exporters, Cuba Street, Palmerston North. This well-known firm was founded in the year 1902, in Wellington, and in the following year a branch was opened in Palmerston North. In 1907 the head-quarters were removed to Woodville. The firm own the Hawke's Bay Dairy Company, which control large up-to-date butter factories at Dannevirke and Mangatafnoka, and a cheese factory at Marton, together with creameries in the surrounding districts. The company was formed by the amalgamation of the Crown Dairy Company at Woodville with the dairying interests of Messrs. Beattie, Lang and Company. The managing directors are Messrs. C. R. Beattie, J. T. Lang, and J. B. Veale, the latter of whom was for some years manager of the Crown Dairy Company. For the year 1906–07 the firm exported 700 tons of butter and seventy tons of cheese; their butter brands are “Crown” and “Eclipse,” and their brand for cheese is “Eclipse.” They also manage this United Co-operative Dairy Company's factory at Waverley, which turns out 200 tons of butter annually. Messrs. Beattie, Lang and Company are agents for the famous “Eclipse” dairy salt, and they are the sole agents in New Zealand for the well-known London firm of Messrs. Lovell and Christmas, to whom they make large consignments of produce. The firm also deal considerably in property, and have a good selection of residential and business sections, as well as country properties, on their lists.
of Messrs. Beattie, Lang and Company, was born in London in the year 1863, and came to New Zealand in 1893. Until 1899 he was engaged in dairy farming, and then took up the secretaryship of the National Dairy Association in Wellington. In 1903 he joined Mr. Lang in partnership in the present firm.
Manager of the Palmerston North branch of Messrs. Beattie, Lang and Company, was born in Ireland in the year 1862. He was educated at the Model School, in Belfast, and then had four years of commercial experience before coming to New Zealand in 1881. For two years he farmed with his brothers at Papakura, near Auckland, and then entered upon the dairying industry. For some years he was in the Pukekohe cheese factory, and in 1892 entered the service of the Government dairying division as grader and instructor. In the year 1900 he resigned to become manager, in Palmerston North, for Messrs. J. Nathan and Company, and three years later joined Mr. Beattie in the establishment of their present business. Mr. Lang is a member of the executive of the Chamber of Commerce, a member of the committee of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, and takes a keen interest in public affairs.
General Merchants, Share-brokers, and Manufacturers' Agents, Land, Estate, Shipping, Insurance, Finance, and General Commission Agents, Valuers, and Auditors, The Square, Palmerston North. This busines was established in the year 1897 by Mr. Melsop and Captain Mowlem. under the name of the Manawatu Land Agency. The land business was the chief interest of the firm until 1903, when, on the retirement of Captain Mowlem, Mr. Eliott joined
was born in Waiuku, Auckland, in December, 1864, and is the eldest son of a Maori war veteran, who came to New Zealand in the year 1849, and organised the first defence corps in Auckland, known as the Forest Rangers. He was educated at the public schools and brought up to farming pursuits, and at eighteen years of age joined the service of the Bank of New Zealand as a junior. After serving in various branches in the Dominion he was appointed teller in the Palmerston North branch in 1893, and four years later resigned to establish his present business. Mr. Mellsop is a life member of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, a member of the Manawatu Racing Club, and was a volunteer for some years. In 1893 he married Miss C. E. M. Harrison, M.A., formerly principal of the Wanganui College, who has been appointed secretary of the New Zealand branch of the Ladies' Golf Union, of England.
who was born in Wellington, in No vember, 1869, is a grandson of the late G. Eliot Eliott, secretary to the General Post Office. He was educated at the Auckland College and Grammar School, and the Auckland University, and then gained commercial experience on the clerical staff of Messrs. Alfred Buckland and Sons, of Auckland, with whom he remained for ten years. He then removed to Palmerston North, as chief clerk and accountant to Messrs. Barraud and Abraham, and eight years later resigned to join Mr. Mellsop in establishing their present business. Mr. Eliott takes a keen interest in astronomical studies, and is vice-president of the Manawatu Philosophical Society, member of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, a Freemason, and served in the O Battery of Artillery, Auckland. He is married, and has two children.
Fruit Growers and Florists, Main Street, West, Palmerston North. This business was established by Mr. Joseph Mayo in the late “sixties.” He first established orchards and nurseries at Bombay, Auckland, from there removed to Drury, and in 1891 acquired thirteen acres of valuable land about one mile from the Palmerston North post office, which is the site of the firm's present fine orchards, vineries, and flower gardens. The orchard, which is laid out with the best varieties of fruit trees, including pears, plums, apples, and peaches, is ten acres in extent, and is conducted on up-to-date principles. The cultivation of cherries is a speciality, and these trees occupy an area of one a half acres. The grape vines are cultivated in four glass houses, two measuring sixty feet by twenty-two feet, and two of smaller dimensions. They are well cared for, and have a healthy and vigorous appearance, and invariably yield excellent crops. The firm have a retail shop in Main street, where, in addition to the sale of fruit and flowers, they do a good business in bridal bouquets and memorial wreaths.
Manager for Messrs. Joseph Mayo and Sons, is the third son of Mr. Joseph Mayo, and was born at Bombay, Auckland, in the year 1879. He was educated at Drury, and has since been continuously associated with his father in the orchards and nurseries. He is a member of the Order of Oddfellows, is married, and has three children.
(F. W. Mayo, proprietor), Palmerston North. Mr. Mayo has two places of thirty and six acres respectively under cultivation, and well stocked with apple trees, plum trees, peach trees, and pear trees. The smaller area was taken up in 1900, and is now in full bearing, with fruit, shelter, and ornamental trees, shrubs, flowers, etc. There is a glass house and residence on the property. The land is level and very suitable for fruit culture.
was born in Bombay, Auckland, in the year 1869, was educated at Bombay and Drury, and afterwards assisted his father in his nursery until acquiring the Oxford Nurseries. Mr. Mayo has made a special study of the various branches of his business, and is an expert and practical gardener. He is a member of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association and the lodge of Freemasons. He is married, and has two sons and one daughter.
Bookseller and Stationer, Main Street West, Palmerston North. This business was established in the year 1903, and for a time the railway bookstall was conducted in conjunction with it. The shop carries a large stock of current literature, magazines, and newspapers, post cards, and other subsidiary lines. The stock is kept in close touch with the latest literature in British and Continental markets, Mr. Aitken was born in Nelson, in the year 1877, was educated at the Masterton public schools and the Mt. Cook school, in Wellington, and then entered the service of the New Zealand Times Company as travelling agent on the Rimutaka line. After thirteen years he transferred this position to his brothers, and settled in Palmerston North. Mr. Aitken is a member of the Order of Druids.
(G. J. Ward, proprietor), which stands at the junction of the main Palmerston North-Wellington road and the Linton District road, about nine miles from Palmerston North, was opened in the year 1904. The premises consist of a large building, containing a store, a store room, and a private residence, and detached stables. A large stock of groceries, ironmongery, crockery, brushware, drapery, clothing, boots, patent medicines, and grain and produce is carried. An extensive retail business is conducted, and delivery vans are kept constantly employed in the township and the surrounding district. In conjunction with the store there is a billiard room, fitted with one of Alcock's tables.
proprietor of the Linton Public Store, was born in the year 1875, on board the ship “Lady Jocelyn,” in which his parents emigrated to New Zealand. He was educated at Akaroa, Banks' Peninsula, and at thirteen years of age removed to Palmerston North, where he was employed by the United Farmers' Co-operative Association for about twelve months. He afterwards followed farming pursuits for a number of years, and then took up a farm on his own account at Linton, which he subsequently let to establish his present business. Mr. Ward is secretary of the Linton Sports Club, and was for some time secretary of the Farmers' Union and a member of the school committee. He is married, and has four sons and three daughters.
Grocer and General Provision Merchant, Fitz-herbert Street, Palmerston North. Telephone No. 364. The premises occupied by Mr. Stevens consist of a compact shop and storeroom, with a private residence attached. A considerable
(S. T. Tombs and F. T. Grubb), General Provision Merchants, Main Street East, Palmerston North. This business was established in the year 1902, and has since become one of the most prosperous of its kind in the town. The premises occupy a central position not far from the post office, with a frontage of thirty feet to the street, and consist of a shop (forty feet deep, with three counters), a large office, a general store, and stock rooms. The firm are direct importers of general merchandise, groceries, and household requisites, and a large and up-to-date stock is maintained. The trade is principally a cash one, and the prices are consequently low. The firm have a fine connection both in the town and suburbs, and employ six persons and two delivery vans in connection with the business. In the year 1905 a branch business was established in Hastings.
the senior partner of Messrs. Tombs and Grubb, was born in Birmingham, England, in March, 1882, and was educated at Bablick College, Coventry. In the year 1892 he came to New Zealand, found employment with the United Farmers' Co-operative Association, Palmerston North, and remained with that firm continuously for ten years, latterly as their country traveller. He subsequently took a trip abroad, and en his return to New Zealand started his present business in partnership with Mr. Grubb. Mr. Tombs is a member of the local brass band and of the orchestral society. In 1904 he married Miss Standen, of Palmerston North, and has one daughter.
. Storekeepers, Main Street East, Palmerston North. This business was established by Mr. George Woodroofe, and has since attained large proportions. Mr. Woodroofe also carries on farming in conjunction with the above. He was born in Wicklow, Ireland, in the year 1849, was educated at St. George's School, Dublin, and was afterwards apprenticed to the cabinet-making and French polishing trade in Dublin. Five years later he started in business on his own account. In 1871 Mr. Woodroofe came to New Zealand, and went to Masterton, where he joined an uncle, who had previously come out to the Dominion. For the following nine years he was engaged at bushclearing, fencing, and sheep and dairy farming, and then removed to Palmerston North, where he started in business as a cabinet-maker. This business he successfully conducted for some years, and then decided to again take up farming. Mr. Woodroofe acquired land at Hokowhitu, and established his present business at Palmerston North in conjunction with his family. For some years, also, he cut greenstone for the Maoris at Masterton and in Palmerston North. Mr. Woodroofe was the first person to advocate a school for Terrace End, and he was chiefly instrumental in establishing it. He has been a member of the Licensing Committee, of which he was chairman for two years, has been secretary of United Manawatu Lodge, No. 1721 E.C., for eighteen years; he has also held the office of secretary of the Order of Foresters for ten years, and was made a Justice of the Peace in 1905. In 1871 Mr. Woodroofe married Miss Susan Sebery, in Dublin, the daughter of a farmer in the county of Sligo, and has six sons and three daughters.
(G. Craw, proprietor), near the Linton railway station, about eight miles south from Palmerston North, was established by Mr. Craw in the year 1902. The mill originally stood on the upper side of the railway line, and was removed to its present site in the year 1904. There are 500 acres of freehold flax-bearing country connected with the mill. The premises consist of an iron building of the most up-to-date plan, and careful attention has been given to the outbuildings and men's quarters. The machinery and appliances are of modern type, and the motive power is supplied by a fourteen-horse power Marshall's compound portable engine. The mill gives employment to twenty-five persons, and there is a daily output of one ton of fibre. At Tokomaru, about three miles distant, Mr. Craw owns another mill cf a similar type and output, working a freehold block of 400 acres of vigorous flax. These two blocks, comprising 900 acres of the Makarua swamp, were purchased from the Wellington-Manawatu Railway Company in 1897, Mr. Craw being the first to take up the land. In conjunction with this flax area he has 700 acres of excellent farming country, adjoining the swamp,
situated near the Oroua Bridge, about nine miles from Palmerston North, was established by Mr. Sutherland, and was taken over in the vear 1903 by the present proprietor. The building is of wood and iron, and contains a first-class machinery plant, driven by a powerful modern engine. The mill employs twenty-five men, and the daily output is about one ton. Mr. Smith holds cutting rights over 500 acres of excellent flax country.
proprietor of the Oroua Flaxmill, was born in the year 1873. in Wairoa, Hawke's Bay, where he was educated at the public schools. He afterwards followed sheep station life for about ten years, and in 1898 turned his attention to flax-milling. In 1898 he started on his own account in the Manawatu district, worked the mill for about three years, and subsequently built his present mill at Oroua. Mr. Smith has taken a keen interest in local volunteering matters; he joined the Manawatu Mounted Rifles in the year 1898, and was promoted to the rank of sergeant-major in 1905. He is a member of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, the Employers' Association, the Racing Club, the Bowling Club, and other local clubs.
Palmerston North. This mill is situated on the railway line, about three miles north from Shannon, and is one of the largest flax-milling establishments in New Zealand. The company was incorporated in the early part of 1906, with Mr. Hope Gibbons as chairman of directors, and Mr. A. Seifert as managing director. The name of Seifert has been connected with the flax-milling industry for the past quarter century, and it is claimed that under it fifteen per cent. of the total hemp produced in the Dominion is exported. Messrs. A. and L. Seifert formed the company for operating on a scale hitherto unattempted in New Zealand. For this purpose they purchased 4,200 acres of flax swamp and 331 acres of the higher land bordering on it, stumped and cleared it, and erected their large mill, to which the name of “Miranui” (a Maori word meaning “big mill”) was given. The whole of the works were designed by Mr. Alfred Seifert, and the details carried out by Mr. J. A. Merrett, consulting engineer to the company. The main buildings are the stripping sheds, 205 feet long by seventy-four feet wide, which contain seven gables, each holding a stripping plant; and in the centre is the power house, containing two suction gas engines, capable of developing 260-horse power. The seven strippers are worked simultaneously, but any one or more of them may he stopped without interfering in any way with the work of the others. The scutching house, another commodious building, has about 8,000 feet of floor space, and is also fitted with the most modern machinery, driven by two gas engines of a combined capacity of ninety-horse power. In front of the stripping sheds are the yards, which are floored to protect the flax in wet weather, and are capable of holding 400 tons of green leaf. The mill is connected with the flax area by a light line of rails, which, when completed, will be five miles in length, and on this a five-ton locomotive with a train of trucks conveys the leaf
Managing Director of the above firm, was born in North Loburn, Canterbury, in the year 1877, and is the fourth son of Mr. John Herman Seifert. He was educated at the local public school, and afterwards followed the flaxmilling industry for some years with his father and brother. After a short interval spent in farming he joined his brothers in a flax-mill near West-port, and in 1894 joined his eldest brother, Mr. Herman Seifert, in his flax-mill near Lake Wanaka. Early in the year 1898 Mr. Seifert removed to the North Island, and in May of that year joined his brothers George and Frederick Seifert in the proprietorship of a mill at Oroua Bridge, the firm soon afterwards taking over another mill on Mr. Akers' property. The partnership was dissolved in 1899 and Mr. Alfred Seifert then started a mill on his own account on the Heaton Park estate. From that date he has been continuously engaged in the flax-milling industry. Mr. Seifert is president of the New Zealand Flax-millers' Association, is an enthusiastic golf player, and was for some time a member of the Palmerston North Young Men's Literary and Debating Society. In the year 1899 he married Miss Esther Blondell, of Winton, Southland, and has one son and one daughter.
of Messrs. A. and L. Seifert Flax-milling Company, Limited, was born in North Loburn, Canterbury. He afterwards entered the flax-milling industry in the Rangitikei district, where he operated two mills at different times, until 1902, when he sold out and went to England and America. On his return to New Zealand he bought a mill at Rangitane, near Oroua Bridge, and subsequently erected two other mills, having acquired a considerable area of flax-bearing country. Mr. Seifert still conducts two of these mills on his own account, and employs about sixty men in this connection. He takes a great interest in the hemp industry; and in 1907, with Mr. Smith, visited Queensland to inquire into the sisal industry there, and its probable effect on the flax industry in New Zealand.
(D. St. John, proprietor), Church Street, Palmerston North. The stables oscupy a site between the Club Hotel and the Opera House, and consist of a modern wooden building, conveniently appointed, with an office and ladies' waiting room. There is accommodation for a large number of horses and vehicles; the working plant comprises drags, coaches, cabs, buggies, and small traps, and only reliable and trustworthy horses are kept.
was born in Tipperary, Ireland, in the year 1861, and after leaving school came to New Zealand in 1878. For eighteen months he taught in a Roman Catholic school in Napier, which position he resigned on account of ill-health. From that time he has been chiefly engaged amongst horses, first as a cab proprietor, and later in Hastings, where he had charge of Mr. Loughlan's training stables for fourteen years. He then removed to Palmerston North, and subsequently became proprietor of Tattersall's Royal Horse Bazaar in Rangitikei Street, which he disposed of in order to take up the Dominion Stables.
Carting Contractor, “Tutupurapura,” Manawatu Street, Palmerston North. This business was established in the year 1879, and consists of agricultural and road-forming contracts, and supplying metal to the borough council. Six men, twelve horses, and nine carts are constantly employed. Mr. Lane was born in Falmouth, Cornwall, in the year 1856, was educated at the Catholic school, brought up to farming pursuits, and later learned the butchering trade. In the year 1874 he emigrated to New Zealand in the ship “Douglas,” and settled at Awapuni, near Palmerston North, where he carried on dairy farming for a few years in conjunction with Mr. Henry Waldegrave. He subsequently bought a property near the township, which he farmed in conjunction with the contracting business. Mr. Lane afterwards sold this property, and in April, 1902, acquired his present property of forty acres part of the site of the old Maori pa, on the right bank of the Manawatu river, about a mile and a half from the post office—on which dairy farming and cropping are carried on. Mr. Lane is married, and has eight sons and two daughters.
Forwarding Agent, King Street and Queen Street, Palmerston North. This business was established by Mr. Smith, and has become one of the largest inland carrying and forwarding agencies in the province. Mr. Smith has also established sample rooms, and conducts various agencies in connection with his business. He was born in Wellington in the year 1863, subsequently learned farming, and in 1886 removed to Wellington, where for fourteen years he conducted a carrying business. He then settled in Palmerston North, where he has since carried on a successful business. Mr. Smith married Miss Clark, in 1887, and has three sons and five daughters.
Watchmaker, Jeweller, and Optician, The Square, Palmerston North. This business was established in the year 1906 in Main Street, and removed in the following year to the Square. The building is of wood and iron, with a verandah and large show windows. The premises consist of a shop fitted with mirrors and plate glass show cases, in which is displayed a large stock of imported jewellery. At the rear is a sight testing room and a workshop. Mr. Bright was born in Timaru, educated in Christchurch, and learned his trade in England and Africa. In May, 1906, he returned to New Zealand and started his present business.
Watchmaker and Jeweller, The Square, Palmerston North. This old-established business was acquired by the present proprietor in the year 1898. The premises consist of a brick building, with fine plate glass show windows facing the street. The shop is suitably fitted with plate glass show cases, in which is displayed an extensive and well-assorted stock of imported goods. At the rear of the shop is a modern workshop, where engraving and all kinds of repairing are carefully executed. Mr. Mortensen learned his trade on the Continent.
Manufacturing Jeweller and Engraver, Main Street West, Palmerston North. This business was established by Mr. Richard Bright, and acquired by the present proprietor in the year 1907. The premises are conveniently appointed, and a good stock of manufactured and imported jewellery is carried; one experienced workman is employed. Mr. Mowlem was born in the year 1879, in Palmerston North, where he was educated. He was brought up to the jewellery trade under Mr. Wishart, of the Square. He was afterwards employed for about five years by Messrs. O'Connor and Tydeman, and subsequently started business with a partner in Masterton, where he remained for several years. In 1906 he sold out and removed to Palmerston North. Mr. Mowlem is a member of the Working Men's Club.
(J. Wishart), Manufacturing Jewellers, Church Street, Palmerston North This business was established in the year 1893, and is carried on in part of a brick building. The premises consist of an office and workshop, with the necessary machinery for the engraving and manufacture of jewellery. Mr. Wishart was born in Dunedin, where he was educated and learned his trade. In 1877 he removed to Palmerston North, and had several years' further experience at his trade before acquiring his present business.
(A. W. Payne), Ornamental Woodworkers and Turners, Main Street East, Palmerston North. This business is one of the best of its kind in the North Wellington district. The premises consist of the first floor of the Union Company's Timber Mill in Main street.
of the firm of Messrs. Payne and Company, was born in the year 1875, in Auckland, where he was educated, and galned a thorough knowledge of his present trade with the Kauri Timber Company. Subsequently he spent a short time on the Thames gold-fields, and then removed to Palmerston North, where he worked for some time with Mr. Montague, before starting business on his own account. Mr. Payne is a member of the Orders of Oddfellows and Foresters, and a referee of the local football clubs.
Farmer. “Karere,” Longburn, Palmerston North. Mr. Davison was born in Holbeach, Lincolnshire, England, in the year 1842. He left England in 1863, on the barque “Rose of Mont-rose,” and deserted his ship at Wellington. For a time he was employed at coal-heaving, and then worked in Stokes Valley. Subsequently Mr. Davison removed to Longburn, and took up “Karere,” where he has resided for over thirty years. When first taken up the land was covered with swamp and bush, overrun with wild pigs and wild pigeons, and infested with mosquitoes, but, with indomitable energy and perseverance, Mr. Davison cleared 332 acres, and “Karere” is now part of one of the best farming districts in New Zealand. At one time, in conjunction with Messrs. Buick and Leggins, Mr. Davison took over the Longburn Butter Factory, but the venture was, however, not successful. He also cut the first sleepers for the tramway in Wellington, on the reclamation works. In 1904 he retired from active life, and the farm is now successfully conducted by his sons. During the Maori war Mr. Davison was a member of the Militia. He married Miss Charlotte Peck, daughter of an old settler, and has four sons and six daughters.
Farmer, Stony Creek, Palmerston North. In conjunction with his farm Mr. McPhail conducts a store, the local post office, and a smithy. He is also manager of the New Zealand Farmers' Union creamery at Stony Creek. Mr. McPhall was born in the year 1864, at Brighton, Otago, where he was educated, and learned farming. In 1884 he went to the North Island, and settled in hawke's Bay, where he was engaged in farming for eight years. Subsequently he went to the Manawatu, remained there for three years, then proceeded to Palmerston North, and was appointed manager of the New Zealand Farmers' Union creamery at Stony Creek in 1894. Mr. McPhail is a member of the Stony Creek School Committee. In the year 1892 he married Miss Austin, daughter of an old settler, and has two sons and two daughters.
was born in the year 1831, at Gassnitz, Saxe-Altenborg, Germany. He was educated in the town of his birth, and apprenticed to the cabinet-making trade, which he subsequently followed in London. In the year 1858 he emigrated to New Zealand in the ship “Zealandia,” and after working at his trade for a short time he followed farming pursuits on Kaiapol Island, North Canterbury. Later he removed to North Loburn, where he took up a farm, and subsequently, in conjunction with two sons, first started the flax-milling industry at Mt. Thomas. Soon afterwards, however, the flax market declined and Mr. Seifert, senior, was chiefly engaged in farming until he retired to live in Rangiora. He married Miss Jane Brown, who came to New Zealand in the ship “William Miles,” in the year 1861.
formerly called Campbelltown, is a dairy-farming district, situated six miles from Palmerston North, and 108 miles from Wellington, and is in the county of Manawatu. The town is well laid out, with a large square in the centre, and it possesses a dairy factory, coach-building, cabinet-making, and smithing establishments, several large general stores, four churches, a public hall, a public school, good boarding-houses, and a post and telegraph office, with money order and post office savings bank. There is a resident medical practitioner, a dentist, and a chemist in Rongotea. Rongotea is governed by a town board, of which Mr. James Penney is chairman. It has a population of 350, the capital value is £34,000, and there is a general rate of Id in the pound.
has been chairman of the Rongotea Town Board since its inception, and was one of its promoters. He has been chairman of the school committee since 1901, and was one of the founders of the technical classes, is chairman of the Cemetery Trustees, lay reader in the Anglican Church, past master in the Masonic Order, an officer of the Athletic Club, and local registrar of births, deaths and marriages. Mr. Penney was born in Cornwall, England, in the year 1865, and came to New Zealand in 1874. He landed in Nelson, where he completed his education, and then served an apprenticeship to the tailoring trade under Messrs. Dee and Sons. He afterwards spent three years at his trade in Reefton, part of that time in business on his own account, and then worked as a journeyman in Wellington, Palmerston North, and Bulls, before establishing his present business in Rongotea in 1896. The premises consist of a large shop (with two windows), a stock room, a well-appointed tailoring department, and an office at the rear. A large stock of ladies' and gentlemen's tailoring materials is carried, the making of costumes being a specialty; and there is also an extensive stock of ready-made clothing and mercery. Mr. Penney is the local agent for the New Zealand Insurance Company. He is married, and has two sons and two daughters.
was established in the year 1893. A large quantity of milk is put through the factory, and the annual output is 240 tons of butter, which is wholly consigned to Messrs. Collett and Company, of Cardiff, Wales. There are fifty-eight suppliers. The factory occupies a site of half an acre in the township, and is a modern wooden building. There is a large and complete plant of machinery, driven by a fourteen-horse power Tangye engine. The factory's brands for butter are: “Makino” and “Milkmaid.” The directors of the company are: Messrs. A. C. Perry (chairman), J. Dalton, H. Ehrhorn, F. Richmond, J. Cockburn, C. Clavey, and W. Davis. Mr. J. W. Whittaker is secretary.
Manager of the Rongotea Co-operative Dairy Factory, was born in Canterbury, New Zealand, and gained his first experience at butter-making in the Tai Tapu factory. He then took charge of the Colyton creamery, near Feilding, whence he was appointed butter-maker at the Rongotea factory, and soon afterwards received his present position.
Motor and Cycle Agent, Mersey Street, Rongotea. This business was established in the year 1906. The premises consist of a large shop, a showroom, and a conveniently-appointed workroom. The showroom carries a fine stock of imported machines, including the “Birmingham Small Arms,” “Rudge-Whitworth,” “Rothwell,” “New Rapid,” “Robin Hood,” and “Reynold's Pattern, B.S.A.,” also all kinds of bicycle accessories. Mr. Persson is local agent for the F.N. make of motor cycles. He was born in the year 1882, in Rongotea, where he was educated at the public school, and afterwards followed farming pursuits for a few years. He subsequently entered the cycle trade, and soon afterwards started business on his own account. Mr. Persson is a member of the Order of Druids and Good Templars, and the Athletic Club.
—named after Sir William Fox—is one of the oldest centres in the Manawatu district, and the terminus of the Foxton-Palmerston North branch line of railway. It is situated on the banks of the Manawatu river, twenty miles west from Palmerston North and 107 north from Wellington, in the county of Manawata. Foxton is a shipping port of considerable importance. It is the outlet for a large area of agricultural country, and the coal required for the Government railways is landed there direct from Grey-mouth. At the mouth of the river good deep-sea fishing can be obtained. In clear weather peeps of the islands of the Straits and the fragmentary rocks of the sea and coast to the southwards add variety to the surroundings, while northwards stretch miles of sand, a bit of Mount Egmont, and the chains of the Ruahine and rugged Tararuas. The Moutoa swamp, with 10,000 acres of the finest flax-bearing country, which a few years ago was a desolate waste, has now twelve flax-mills at work, and this industry is going ahead with great rapidity. Mixed farming and dairy farming are also carrried on, the land is mostly undulating, with considerable stretches of level country, and some of it is well adapted for grazing and fattening purposes. The cutting up of the large estates, in which the surrounding country was almost entirely held, has given great assistance to the farming community, the Moutoa estate, in 1903. being the last block sub-divided. As a holiday resort, Foxton has superior attractions, and in this connection great things are predicted for the town. There are few parts of the west coast of the North Island so well adapted for a sea-side resort as Wharangi, at the mouth of the river, The Government set aside an area of ten acres, and surveyed and subdivided
The borough of foxton was constituted in the year 1888, and the first meeting of the council was held in the same year. The first mayor of the town was Mr. E. S. Thynne, who was followed successively by Messrs J. W. Gower, Thomas Wilson, George Nye, J. R. Stansell, Alfred Fraser, W. B. Rhodes, F. E. Jenks, Thomas Westwood, P. Hennessy, George Simpson, and B. G. Gower. The borough has an area of 1,240 acres, and the population is 1,334. There are 367 dwellings, 257 ratepayers, and 578 rateable properties. The rates consist of a general rate of is 9d in the £, a separate rate of 6d. in the £. a special rate of 3d in the £, and a library rate of 1d. in the £. The town is lighted with Kerosene lamps, and there are fifteen miles of well-kept streets in the borough. The borough has extensive reserves bringing in a substantial revenue annually. The council chambers occupy a site in the main street, and were erected in September, 1906, to take the place of the old building, which stands at the rear of the police station. The building is a commodious one of wood. The chambers, mayor's room, and town clerk's office are all well appointed, and the council chamber is large, well-lighted, and furnished with two screens for voting purposes. On the left side of the building is a library and reading room; the former is fitted with shelves, and carries 1,400 volumes, and the latter, which is furnished with reading tables, chairs, and two newspaper stands, is well supplied with daily papers and periodicals. The council chambers were erected at a cost of £1,360. Members of the council for 1907–8: Messrs. B. G. Gower (mayor), George Coley, P. J. Hennessy, F. W. Frankland, A. E. Shadbolt, S. H. Baker, G. A. Gray, S. Hickson, G. H. Stiles, and L. W. Wilson (councillors). Mr. Alfred Fraser is town clerk.
was first elected to the Foxton Borongh Council in the year 1901, and served continuously as a councillor and deputy mayor until 1905, when he was elected mayor. Mr. Gower has always taken a keen interest in the affairs of the borough: he is president of the Foxton Horticultural and Industrial Society, the Rowing, Athletic, and Tennis Clubs, a member of the Racing Club, and the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, and represents the borough in technical school matters. He was born in Nelson in November, 1864, and is the eldest son of Mr. John Wright Gower, who was the second mayor of Foxton. He was educated at the State school and at the Rev. Ross' college, at Turakina, and brought up to farming pursuits. Mr. Gower took charge, at an early age, of his father's farm in Foxton, and in 1891 took it over on his own account. This property consists of 600 acres, situated near the township, and is one of the most valuable farms in the neighbourhood, the land being rich and suitable for fattening purposes. It is well improved, upwards of 700 sheep and 250 head of cattle are permanently depastured, and a considerable amount of cropping is also done. In the year 1906 Mr. Gower married Miss Fanny Aitchison, of Yarrawanga, and has one daughter.
member of the Foxton Borough Council, is also chairman of the local school committee (of which he was for one year previously chairman and three years secretary), superintendent of the Primitive Methodist Sunday school, and a vice-president of the Foxton Horticultural and Industrial Association. Mr. Baker was born in the year 1871 in the Bay of Islands, and is the eldest son of Mr. Samuel Marsden Baker, and a grandson of the Rev. Charles Baker, Church of England missionary to the Maoris. He removed to Foxton with his parents at an early age, and after leaving school served two years in the teaching profession in the local State school, but was compelled by ill-health to resign. He then farmed for some time with his father, and finally took over the property on his own account. The farm is composed of about seventy acres of rich level land, and is situated within the borough boundary on the north-east side. It is highly improved, about eight acres are devoted to an orchard in full bearing, and there are also three vineries under glass and twenty-five colonies of bees.
was elected a member of the Foxton Borough Council in the year 1904, and is also a member of the school committee. He was born in April, 1854, in Manchester, England, and is the eldest son of Sir Edward Frankland, K.C.B. He was educated at the University College and at the London University, and afterwards entered his father's chemical research laboratory in the South Kensington Science Schools. Owing to ill-health, however, he came to New Zealand in 1875, and in the following year entered the New Zealand Civil Service, where he rose to the responsible position of Actuary to the Registry of Friendly Societies, and in 1884 to the position of Actuary of the Government Life Insurance Department and Registrar of Friendly Societies. In 1886 he was appointed Government Actuary and Statist, and in 1889 was made Commissioner of the Government Life Insurance Department. In the following year he resigned and went to England, where he was appointed Assistant Actuary of the Atlas Insurance Company. In 1893 he accepted the position of Associate Actuary of the
has occupied a seat on the Foxton Borough Council since the year 1903. He formerly served on the Bulls Town Board, has been a prominent officer of the Racing Club since 1883, and is now treasurer. Mr. Gray was born in the year 1860, in Foxton, was educated at the local public school and at the Wellington Grammar School, and afterwards assisted in his father's store. In the year 1883 Mr. Gray, senior, retired, when the son took over the store on his own account, but subsequently let it and entered the flax-milling industry. Ten years later Mr. Gray obtained a license, and converted the store building into an hotel, which he leased for six years. He afterwards conducted an hotel at Bulls for three years, and finally took possession of his own hostelry, the Post Office Hotel, which ne has since conducted with success. Mr. Gray is married, and has three sons and three daughters.
member of the Foxton Borough Council, is referred to in another article as proprietor of the Foxton Family Hotel.
has been a member of the Foxton Borough Council since the year 1903. He was born at Akaroa, Canterbury, in March, 1865, and after leaving school was brought up to farming in Duvauchelle's Bay, at the head of the Akaroa harbour. He subsequently learned the butchering trade, was employed for five years by the Gear Company in Wellington, and then started a butchery business in Foxton. This he conducted until 1906, when he sold out and acquired the Manawatu Hotel. Mr. Shadbolt is a member of the Racing Club, the Athletic and Sports Clubs, vice-president of the New Zealand Athletic Association, and a Freemason. He is married, and has one son and one daughter.
was elected to the Foxton Borough Council in the year 1907. He is chairman of the school committee, a member of the management committee of the Anglican Church, a member of the Chamber of Commerce, vice-president of the Athletic Club, a steward of the Racing Club, and a Freemason. Mr. Wilson was born in Bradford, England, in the year 1873, and went to Australia at nine years of age. He completed his education at Black Friars School, in Sydney, and then came to New Zealand. He landed at Foxton, found employment as a cabinetmaker, and later went into the flax-milling industry, in which he rose to the position of mill manager. Subsequently he found employment with Messrs. P. Hennesy and Company, storekeepers, of Foxton, and for a time was manager of their business, prior to receiving his present position. In the year 1899 Mr. Wilson marrie Miss Easton, and has two sons and one daughter.
was appointed Town Clerk of Foxton in the vear 1900. He was born in London in the year 1859, and came to New Zealand with his parents in 1864. He served three years in the plumbing
was formed in the year 1906, mainly throught the efforts of the present captain, and it is a popular and prosperous body, with a membership of forty. Regular shooting practices are held on the range, which is situated at the back of the racecourse, on the north side of the town.
was elected to the command of the Foxton Defence Rifle Club in the year 1906. He was formerly a member of the Foxton Rifle Volunteers, and subsequently rose to the rank of sergeant. Mr. Austin was born in Wellington in the year 1877, was educated at the State schools, and afterwards assisted in his father's flax-mills. He subsequently joined his brothers in the purchase of Messrs. Gamman and Company's sawmill, which they operated for eighteen months and then converted into a flax-mill. From that date he has been continuously engaged in the flax industry. Mr. Austin was a member of the Borough Council for six years, is a director of the Rope and Twine Works, a steward of the Racing Club, a successful race-horse owner, vice-president of three Athletic Clubs, and a member of the Chamber of Commerce.
occupies a valuable site of three-quarters of an acre in the centre of the town. It is a wooden building with an iron roof, has accommodation for 200 persons, and possesses a fine pipe organ. In connection with the church is a Sunday school. The vicarage, a modern seven-roomed house, is erected on a section of three acres, and another section of five acres is leased for pasturage. Services are held in connection with the church at Moutoa and Oroua Downs, and in other outlying districts.
Vicar of All Saints' Church, Foxton, was appointed in the year 1907. He was born near South-port, Lancashire, England, in June, 1876, and after leaving school spent three years at accountancy work in Liverpool. Mr. Woodward then decided to enter the Church, and after a course of theological studies was ordained deacon by the Bishop of Lincoln in the year 1902. In the same year he came to New Zealand, and settled at Palmerston North as curate to the Rev. C. C. Harper, during which time he was ordained priest Four years later he revisited England, and on his return to New Zealand was appointed to his present charge.
was founded mainly through the instrumentality of Mr. Alfred Fraser, in May, 1905. On that date a meeting of the leading business men of the town was called for the purpose of discussing the advisability of forming an organisation to guard the interests of the Port and the railway, and the commercial affairs pertaining to them. Mr. Fraser, and Mr. Nash, of Palmerston North, were the chief speakers at the meeting, and the result of the proceedings was the establishment of the present Chamber of Commerce. Besides the beneficial influence which it has exercised upon the strictly commercial affairs of the town, the Chamber of Commerce has done much in the interests of shipping. Mr. Morgan, local manager for Messrs. Levin and Company, is president, and Mr. Rae-Howard is secretary.
Auctioneers, Stock, Station, Land, Insurance, and General Commission Agents and Valuators, Main Street, Foxton. Telegraphic address: “Howard.” Telephone No. 53. P.O. Box 28. This business was established in October, 1906, as a commission agency. A year later the present commodious premises were acquired, when the auctioneering department was added to the business. The premises have a frontage of twenty-five feet with a depth of sixty feet, and comprise a spacious mart and private offices, with storage accommodation in Clyde street. Weekly sales are held on Saturday afternoons in the auction room, where there is invariably a good attendance. On the books of the land and estate department there is always a large selection of properties, including stations, farms, town sections, houses, hotels, etc. Mr. Rae-Howard is a property valuer, and also holds the following agencies:—The State Fire Insurance Office, the New Zealand Accident Insurance Company, the New York Life Insurance Company, the Live Stock General Insurance Company, the Plate Glass General Insurance Company, the Blake hydraulic ram, and the Lister cream separator.
was born in New South Wales in November, 1869, and is the fourth son of Mr. William Howard, a large grazier on the Murray River. He was educated at the Albury Grammar School, and brought up on his father's station, where, in addition to a thorough training in farming methods on a large scale, he learned wool-classing. For five years subsequently he managed his father's station in the Riverina, and then took charge of another large run on the Queensland border. Six years later, however, owing to ill-health, he was compelled to resign. In November, 1901, he came to New Zealand, and soon afterwards settled in South Canterbury, where for some years he worked in connection with one of the firm of Messrs. Guinness and Le Cren, stock and station agents. Early in 1906 he removed to the North Island, spent a short time in Wanganui
Architect, Main Street, Foxton. Mr. Rough has designed and carried out Messrs. Levin and Company's premises, the New Zealand Shipping. Company's local stores, Messrs. F. Easton's and H. Austin's private residences, and the business premises of Messrs. Perreau and Healey. He was born in the year 1882 in Invercargill, where he was educated at the State school, and was articled to his profession under Mr. Peter Walker. He subsequently spent a short time under Mr. D. B. Frame, of Napier, and then returned to Invercargill to take charge of Mr. Peter Walker's office, which he managed for one year. He was then employed by Mr. J. C. Maddison. of Christchurch, and helped to design the Exhibition buildings, prior to settling in Foxton. Mr. Rough takes a keen interest in the social life of the town, is vice-president of the Football Club, secretary of the Sports Club, and a member of the Tennis, Bowling, Cricket, and Hockey Clubs.
Tailor and Mercer, Main Street Foxton. This business was establlished in the year 1892, and is conducted in a fine shop, which carries a large stock of imported and colonial materials. Mr. Osborne is well-known for his reliable workmanship, and gives constant employment to several persons. He was born in Jersey, Channel Islands, in August, 1867, and was educated and brought up to clerical work. In 1882 he came to New Zealand and settled in Foxton, where for ten years he was employed by his brother, a draper and clothier, latterly as manager of the clothing department. Mr. Osborne has been connected with the local Primitive Methodist Church since 1883, is a trustee of the lodge of Oddfellows, and has also been a member of the Orders of Druids and Good Templars. He is married, and has two daughters.
(S. J. Hickson, proprietor), Foxton. This hotel is a large two-storeyed building, with up-to-date outbuildings and stables. On the ground floor are the dining room, several sitting rooms, a commodious billiard room, and a fine commercial room. The first floor contains two sitting rooms, the bedrooms, and bathrooms. The house is comfortably furnished throughout, a good table is kept, and the bar is stocited with the best brands of liquors.
proprietor of the Foxton Hotel, was born in the Lower Hutt, Wellington, in the year 1859, and after leaving school spent some years at farming. For eleven years subsequently he was employed as a striker in the Petone foundry, and severed his connection with the foundry to take over an hotel at Lowry Bay, near Wellington, where he remained for six months. He then engaged in farming in the Wairarapa, and, later, on the Moutoa estate, under the Assets Realisation Board, and finally turned his attention to flax-milling, the firm being known as Messrs. Hickson and Reaves. After spending about eight years in this industry he sold out and acquired the Family Hotel. Mr. Hickson is a member of the Foxton Borough Council, the Chamber of Commerce, the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, and the Masonic fraternity. He is married, and has two sons and one daughter.
(A. E. Shadbolt, proprietor), Foxton, occupies a site at the north end of the town. It is a two-storeyed building, and is complete and up-to-date in every respect. On the ground floor are a commercial room, several sitting rooms, and a large dening room; and the first floor contains the bedrooms, a large sitting room, and a bathroom. The rooms are well furnished, the table and accommodation are good, and the liquors are of the best brands.
proprietor of the Manawatu Hotel, is referred to as a member of the Foxton Borough Council.
(G. Gray, proprietor), Main Street, Foxton. This hotel is a fine two-storeyed wooden building with a verandah and balcony in front, and contains twenty rooms. The ground floor contains two comfortable sitting rooms, a well-appointed commercial room, and a large dining room. On the first floor are ten comfortable bedrooms, a sitting room, and bathrooms with hot and cold water laid on. The water supply is drawn from artesian wells. A good table is maintained, and guests receive the utmost care and courtesy.
proprietor of the Post Office Hotel, is further referred to as a member of the Foxton Borough Council.
Family Butcher, Main Street, Foxton. This business was established by Mr. A. S. Easton, senior, in the year 1874, and was acquired by his son in the year 1901. The premises consist of a large two-storeyed building, containing an extensive shop, a manufacturing room, and an up-to-date office. There are also other detached departments, with a complete machinery plant. Only the best quality of meat is kept, and four men and two carts are constantly employed in connection with the business. Mr. Easton was born in Foxton in July, 1872, and is the second son of Mr. A. S. Easton. After leaving school he was engaged in farming pursuits for some years, prior to taking over his present business. He is a member of the Racing Club, the Athletic Club, and the Order of Oddfellows. Mr. Easton is married, and has two sons and one daughter.
(G. W. Morgan, manager), Foxton. The Foxton branch of this important firm has been established for some years. The premises are situated on the river bank close to the railway station, and consist of a commodious wood and iron building, containing 19,000 feet of floor space. The dumping plant is up-to-date, and is driven by a forty-four-horse power Tangye engine. Messrs. Levin and Company, Limited, are agents for all the small river steamers and most of the cot. and cargo vessels that come up to the town. In addition to their large shipping business the firm are buyers of flax, tow, and wool.
Manager for Messrs. Levin and Company's Foxton branch, was
(L. W. Wilson, manager), General Merchants, corner of Main Street and Clyde Street, Foxton. This extensive firm is one of the oldest commercial establishments in the district, and the business was acquired by Mr. L. W. Wilson in the year 1904. The main business premises consist of a commodious wood and iron building, divided into several distinct departments. The grain and store sheds are situated in Watson street. The firm are universal providers, and are direct importers of groceries, ironmongery, furniture, crockery, and glass and brushware. Delivery is made daily by a large van and two carts throughout the town and district, and twelve persons are employed in connection with the business.
Manager of Messrs. J. A. Nash and Company, Limited, is further referred to as a member of the Foxton Borough Council.
(J. N. Symons, proprietor), situated at the Wairokino Bridge, near Foxton, is an up-to-date mill, employing about thirty persons. The flax is drawn from an area of 387 acres on the Foxton side of the river, adjoining the Moutoa flax country. Mr. Symons also holds the lease of extensive flax fields on the other side of the river.
proprietor of the Herston Flax-mill, is the second son of the late Mr. Charles Henry Symons. He was born in Foxton in October, 1863, and was educated at the local public schools and in Wellington. For many years he assisted on his father's farm, was afterwards in partnership with his brother, in farming and flax-milling, and has since been engaged in these industries on his own account. He acquired the Herston Flax-mill and a farm on the Moutoa, the latter comprising 200 acres of good cropping and grazing land. Mr. Symons was for four years a member of the Foxton Borough Council, and is a prominent official of the Jockey Club. He married the third daughter of the late Mr. T. U. Cook, of Foxton, and has four daughters.
(O. E. Austin, proprietor), Foxton. These mills, situated on the bank of the Manawatu river, were conducted for some time by Messrs. Austin Brothers, who first took possession in the year 1897. Later, Mr. O. E. Austin bought out the interests of his brothers, and now conducts the mills on his own account. Each mill is driven by a fifty-three-horse power gas producer plant, the machinery is modern, and the total output of the mills is about thirteen tons of fibre a week. The green flax is obtained from the Moutoa estate, and sixty persons are constantly employed.
is further referred to as captain of the Foxton Defence Rifle Club.
(Saunders Brothers, proprietors), on the Manawatu river near the site of the Foxton-Shannon traffic bridge, was erected in December, 1902, by its present proprietors. The mill is up-to-date in every respect, and gives employment to twenty-four persons. The greater part of the flax is drawn from an area of about eighty acres near the mill, and the output is invariably of high grade. Messrs. Saunders Brothers have erected up-to-date accommodation houses for the men, and also good storage sheds.
who is the second son of the late Mr. James Saunders, was born in Featherston. Wairarapa, in January, 1873. He was educated at the local public schools, and afterwards worked with
Rope and Twine Manufacturers, Johnston Street, Foxton. This well-known business was for many years carried on at Port Ahuriri, Napier, and was removed to Foxton in June, 1906. It was afterwards formed into a limited liability company, with Messrs. W. Jupp. O. Austin, and G. H. Stiles as directors, and W. Ross and A. Ross as managing directors. The works are situated on a fine site of six acres and a half, the building is chiefly of iron, with 20,000 square feet of floor space, and there is a detached office. The machinery is of the latest English and American make, and consists of three systems for both long and short fibre. The factory manufactures binder twine, shop twine, manilla and flax ropes and lashings, plough lines, clothes lines, and all classes of polished lines in twines and ropes.
Farmer, “Te Ngaio,” Foxton. Mr. Easton was born in the year 1840, in Peckham, London, educated at the Peckham schools, and afterwards served an apprenticeship of six years in the butchery trade, with a brother at Woolwich. In the year 1860 he went to Australia, and after a short time spent in Melbourne, came to New Zealand in the s.s. “Aldinga.” He landed in Otago, followed the gold-fields at Gabriel's, Waitahuna, and Tuapeka for some considerable time, and then went to the West Coast, where he had some further mining experience. Subsequently for five years he conducted a butchery business in Wellington, after which he removed to Foxton, where for twenty-five years he caried on a butchering business. This he sold to his son, Mr. F. S. Easton, and has since devoted his attention to farming. His present property, situated about two miles from the town, is known as “Te Ngaio.” It embraces 480 acres of excellent land, which, being hilly, commands a fine view of the district. The farm is highly improved, and is worked chiefly in fattening stock. Mr. Easton also has a property at Rongotea, comprising about 235 acres, and this is devoted to fattening stock for the Longburn Freezing Works. He took a prominent part in connection with the establishment of the Anglican Church in Foxton, of which he is now an office bearer, and for a short time served on the borough council. Mr. Easton is married, and has four sons and two daughters.
Foxton, which for many years was one of the finest farms in that part of the district, is noted for its valuable flax areas. It was originally Government land, and was taken up in the early days by Mr. Larkworthy; some years later it passed into the hands of the Assets Realisation Board, and thence, in March, 1903, to a local syndicate, composed of Messrs. John Stevens, M.P., F. S. Easton, and H. Austin. The estate then consisted of 9,012 acres of rich flats and low undulating hills of the finest grazing land. Nearly half of it, however, was covered in well-grown flax, and as the syndicate was chiefly interested in this industry, the remainder of the area was cut up and sold. From the flax land seven mills are supplied, averaging 200 tons per month per mile. The arable land consists of grazing and dairying farms, ranging from forty acres to 2,000 acres. One of the largest blocks, a fine section of 2,000 acres of rich undulating and flat country, was bought by one of the syndicate, Mr. F. S. Easton, and is now known as the Moutoa estate. The original homestead stood on this property, near the main road between Foxton and Shannon, about two miles from the former place. It is a picturesque spot, the site being elevated and surrounded by tall pines, eucalyptus, and mixed native bush. The private residence, built by the present proprietor, is a handsome building, containing among its elaborate appointments, a fine office (connected by telephone with Foxton) and a commodious billiard room. It is lighted throughout by acetylene gas. There are commodious sheep yards and a dip, also several well-appointed cottages for the employees and their families, substantial outbuildings, including grain, implement, cart, and trap sheds, a smithy, and extensive wool sheds fitted with five Wolseley shearing machines, driven by a ten-horse power gas engine. There is also a chaff-cutting and wood-sawing plant. The run carries 4,000 sheep, 300 head of cattle, and 100 horses, and about 200 acres are annually placed under crop. The Moutoa flaxmill, on the south-eastern part of the estate, is driven by a twelve-horse power engine. It turns out about twenty-five tons of fibre per month, and gives employment to twenty-five persons; the output is graded “G.F.A.Q.” Mr. Easton has also a fine private training track on this block, of over one mile, and when finally completed will be one of the best in the Dominion.
was born in Wellington in October, 1872, and is the eldest son of Mr. Augustus Spencer Easton. He was educated at the local public schools, and then assisted his father in the butchery business, which he afterwards bought and successfully conducted for some time, and in 1900 disposed of it to engage in flax-milling. He conducted mills at Himatangi and at Bulls, prior to joining Messrs. Stevens and H. Austin to take up the Moutoa estate. Mr. Easton is a member of the New Zealand Flax-millers' Association. In the year 1907 he married the second daughter of the late Mr. Robert John Burrell, of Dunedin.
which originally comprised 30,000 acres, and extended from Carnarvon to Oroua Bridge and Awahuri, was one of the finest estates in the North Island. It was cut up by the late Mr. John McLennan, and the homestead, which stands near Himatangi, was then taken up by Mr. H. Godfrey Hammond. This property comprises about 2,000 acres of rich level and undulating land, well drained, subdivided, and highly improved. It carries about 4,000 sheep and 400 cattle. The homestead is prettily situated, and surrounded with plantations of gum and pine trees. The outbuildings and shearing sheds are substantial and up-to-date. Mr. Hammond also owns another farm of 1000
is the second son of the late Mr. Henry Hammond, and was born on Waitohi Farm, Sandon, in January, 1876. He was educated at the public school, brought up to farming pursuits, and at an early age took over the management of his father's property. He subsequently acquired a property of 1,800 acres near Himatangi, in conjunction with Captain Dunk, and after successfully conducting this for six years, sold out and bought his present property. Mr. Hammond is a member of the Farmers' Union, is married, and has two sons.
on the main road between Foxton and Levin, is a fine property of about 350 acres of first-class grazing land. Originally native land, it passed through several hands, and was taken up by the present proprietor, Mr. C. H. Symons, in the year 1902. It is sub-divided, highly improved, laid down in good grasses, and is devoted chiefly to sheep and cattle grazing, carrying over 400 sheep and nearly 100 head of cattle. Turnips are cultivated, and invariably yield an excellent crop. A modern residence has been erected on the property.
was born in Foxton, in the year 1862, and is the eldest son of the late Mr. Charles Henry Symons, a pioneer settler. He was educated in Foxton, and spent some years farming, chiefly with his father. Later he was engaged in flax-milling, and for eight years was in partnership with his brother, Mr. James Symons. On the dissolution of the partnership he settled on his present farm. Mr. Symons married Miss Wallace, of Wellington.
Sheep-farmer, “Silksworth,” near Foxton. Mr. Robinson's farm, situated three miles from Foxton, consists of 1,000 acres of good land, which with another property at Himatangi is devoted to sheep and cattle grazing. “Silksworth” is highly improved, and there is a fine homestead on the property. Mr. Robinson was born near Foxton in the year 1857, and is the second son of the late Mr. Francis Robinson. He was educated at the Foxton and Wellington public schools, and at the Rev. St. Hill's College, at Kaiwara-wara. For some years he farmed with his father on the Herrington estate, which he now manages in conjunction with his brothers. He is married, and has four sons and two daughters.
Farmer, near Foxton. Mr. Robinson was born at Foxton in the year 1865, and is the third son of the late Mr. Francis Robinson. He was educated at the State school, and until 1906 was continuously employed on the Herrington estate, in the management of which he still continues to assist. In 1906 he acquired his present farm, which consists of 1,300 acres of first-class grazing land, now much improved and laid down in English grasses, and on which about 800 sheep and 100 head of cattle are depastured. Mr. Robinson married Miss Harley, of Nelson, and has three sons.
Claremont Farm, near Foxton. This fine property consists of 850 acres, and is devoted to sheep and cattle grazing. “Claremont” is a highly improved, and there is a homestead on the property situated within the borough boundary. Mr. Robinson, the fourth son of the late Mr. Francis Robinson was born in Foxton in July, 1867, and was educated at the local public school and at the Wellington College. He then spent eight years on the Herrington estate, of which he is still clerical manager, before acquiring his present property. Mr. Robinson takes a keen interest in racing matters, and is a steward of the local club. In the year 1895 he married Miss Symons, of Foxton, and has three sons.
Kariri Farm, near Foxton. Mr. Robinson was born in Foxton in the year 1870, and is the youngest son of the late Mr. Francis Robinson. He was educated at the State school and at the Wanganui Collegate School. He then returned to the Herrington estate, his late father's property, and in the year 1905 acquired the Kariri farm, a fine property of 800 acres, situated in the Foxton borough. It is grazing country, is highly improved, and carries about 700 sheep and sixty head of cattle. Mr. Robinson is a steward of the local Racing Club, and a member of other social clubs.
Dairy Farmer, Foxton. Mr. Satherley was
Moutoa, near Foxton, was taken up by the present proprietor, Dr. Wall, of Wanganui, in the year 1905. It comprises 700 acres of rich flat land, is highly improved and sub-divided, and carries about 350 cattle and 860 sheep. There is a fine homestead on the farm, and a good supply of artesian water. The property is chiefly used for fattening purposes, for which it is admirably adapted.
Manager of Dr. Wall's estate, was born in the Rangitikei district in the year 1875, and was brought up to farming pursuits, which he has since followed in various parts of the North Island. He was for seven years manager of a property near Wellington, for four years and a half was head shepherd on Mr. Gear's Te Aro station, and has also farmed on his own account.
was born in Wellington in June, 1873, and was a son of the late Mr. Robert Austin. He was educated in Foxton, and then engaged in the flax-milling industry with his father, upon whose death he carried on the flax-milling business in conjunction with his brother. Subsequently, owing to a depression in the flax trade, they engaged in saw-milling for a time, but finally returned to the flax-milling trade. Mr. Austin was one of the syndicate that took up the Moutoa estate, was a shareholder in the Foxton Rope and Twine Works, and at one time was sent to the Phillipines as a representative of the New Zealand Flax-millers' Association. He took a keen interest in the social affairs of the district, and was a member and office bearer in most of the local social and sporting clubs. In 1903 he purchased a property of 400 acres on the Shannon road, on which he erected a handsome residence. In April, 1895, Mr. Austin married Miss Ellen Hodder, and at his death in December, 1906, left one son and one daughter.
was one of the oldest settlers in the district. He came to New Zealand in the ship “Adelaide,” in the year 1840, and for some time was engaged in storekeeping with his brother in Wellington. Subsequently he settled in the Manawatu district, and was engaged in farming pursuits at Paiaka for some time. Later he took up the river trade, and for some considerable time plied between Paiaka and Wellington, with two forty-ton sailing vessels. In the year 1854 Mr. Cook settled in Foxton, and was appointed postmaster, registrar for births, deaths, and marriages, wharfinger, and also returning officer. As an hotelkeeper Mr. Cook erected the Family Hotel, and had the first licensed house in Foxton district, which he called the Adelaide Hotel. He married Te Akau, a daughter of the Chief Te Horohau, of the Ngatiraukawa tribe. Mr. Cook died in the late “nineties” at the age of eighty-one, and left a family of eleven sons and four daughters.
was born in England, in the year 1840, came to New Zealand with his parents in 1842, and settled in the Manawatu district. For a time he was part owner of the well-known York Farm, Marton, and of Killymoon Farm, at Bulls, and he later acquired the Waitohi estate, near Sandon, a fine property of 3,000 acres, where he resided until his death in September, 1907. He left a widow, three sons, and eight daughters. Mr. Hammond took a keen interest in all the affairs of the district, was a member of the Palmerston North Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, and for many years was chairman of the Manawatu County Council.
one of the pioneer colonists, was born at Lewes, Sussex, England, left for New Zealand by the ship “Oriental,” in September, 1839, and landed at Petone beach on the 31st of January, 1840. The “Oriental” was one of the first three ships despatched by the Colonisation Company, the two others being the “Aurora” and the “Adelaide.” In January, 1841, Mr. Nye accompanied Colonel Wakefield, the representative of the New Zealand Company, with an interpreter, to Taranaki, when the block of 30,000 acres on which the town of New Plymouth now stands was purchased from the Maoris, in exchange for blankets, ironmongery, guns, etc. He remained in New Plymouth for two and a half years, during which time he was connected with a whaling venture, which proved a failure. He, with four others, then walked down the coast to Waikanae, and crossed to Kapiti Island, where he joined another whaling company, with whom he remained for about eighteen months. About this time Sir George Grey had been sent out to settle the Maori disurbances, and the soldiers were employed in road-making. They completed the road from Wellington to Pahautanui, and the natives were employed under supervision of the military to continue it to Paikakariki. Mr. Nye was employed as one of the overseers at three shillings and sixpence per day. Settlement soon progressed, and Mr. Nye came to Foxton, after working a ferry boat at Porirua for about six
was born in Herefordshire, England, in September, 1826, and after leaving school was employed some time by the late Dr. Cumming, of London. He then went to sea, served some years on merchant ships trading to the East and West Indies, and at thirty years of age came to New Zealand in the ship “Mariner.” For a time he lived in Canterbury, and then removed to the Wellington province, where he farmed for ten years in the Hutt and Wairarapa districts, before settling on the Moutoa, between Foxton and Shannon. During this time he served in the Militia under Captain Cleland. The property on the Moutoa consisted of 213 acres of good level land, which was worked as a dairy and cropping farm until 1900, when it was taken over by two of his sons, and Mr. Saunders retired from the active management of his farm and resided at his home near Foxton, until his death. He was a member for some years of the school committee. He died in November, 1907, and left a widow, three sons, and four daughters. Mrs. Saunders, a daughter of the late Mr. David McHardie, of the Rangitikei, was born in Kerrimuir, Scotland, in the year 1836, and came to New Zealand by the ship “Lord William Bentick” in the year 1841. For twenty-four years she lived in the Hutt district, and was a witness of some of the exciting events of the Maori war. The eldest son is a farmer at Ngaire; the second and third (Saunders Bros.), in addition to the flax-mill at Moutoa, Foxton, have interests in the firm of Prouse and Saunders, flax and saw-millers, Mangarakau, Nelson. The eldest daughter married a son of the late Mr. Edward Kirby, senior, of Palmerston, and resides in England; the second daughter married Mr. Nicholls, a farmer of West Wanganui; and the third married Mr. David McKenzie, a machinist in the Government Railway Workshops at Petone. The youngest daughter, Miss Annie Saunders, resides with her mother at Moutoa.
who was one of the pioneer settlers of the Manawatu district, was born at Millbrook, in Cornwall, in January, 1824, and came to New Zealand in the ship “Catherine Stuart Forbes” in the year 1841. He was brought up to country pursuits, and ultimately engaged for some years in farming in the Manawatu district, in conjunction with his cousin, Mr. Henry Symons. Mr. Symons was the first person to introduce ploughing by bullocks, and in this connection he devoted much time to teaching the Maoris how to handle the plough, and to cultivate wheat and other cereals. Native troubles, however, arose, and he was compelled to abandon his holding. For many years thereafter he was associated with the late Captain William Robinson, as overseer of the Herrington estate, and he finaily purchased and settled on a property now known as “Herston.” In the year 1854 he married the eldest daughter of the Rev. James Nash. Mr. Symons died in September, 1900, in Foxton, leaving a widow and eleven children. Mrs. Symons was born in the year 1834 at Sandhurst, Kent, England, and came to New Zealand in the year 1840, with her parents.
is a sheep and dairy-farming settlement, on the Manawatu river, sixty-nine miles north by rail from Wellington. The township forms part of the Tokomaru riding of the county of Horowhenua, in the provincial district of Wellington and electorate of Manawatu. The via Moutoa.
(E. J. S. Spencer and A. R. Spencer), Builders and Contractors, Shannon. This business was founded in the year 1893 by Mr. Edmund Spencer, and was taken over by the present senior partner in 1899. The firm have erected many buildings in Shannon, including Mr. W. H. Gunning's premises, and the Presbyterian and Anglican churches. They use only the best timber, their workmanship is thoroughly reliable, and six persons are employed in connection with the business.
the senior partner, is the eldest son of Mr. Edmund Spencer, and was born in Wellington in the year 1879. After leaving school he was brought up to the building trade in Shannon, and afterwards worked as a journeyman under his father until the latter retired, when he took over the business. Mr. Spencer takes a keen interest in military matters, and during the South African Boer war he served with the Sixth Contingent. He is an able marksman, and has won the local cup twice out of three contests, his record on the last occasion being 101 points out of a possible 105. He is also a member of the Order of Druids and the tennis club. Mr. Spencer married Miss Newton, of Shannon, in the year 1907, and has one daughter.
Clothiers, Mercers, Boot and Shoe Importers, Ballance Street, Shannon. This business was established in the year 1907. It is conducted in a well-fitted shop, in which a large and varied stock of men's and boys' ready-made clothing, mercery, and boots and shoes is maintained. A specialty is made of boys' clothing, the Roslyn underclothing, and the celebrated “Zealandia” boots and shoes. The firm hold the agency for the Norwich Union Fire Assurance Company.
was born in Parkhurst, Isle of Wight, in April, 1870, was educated at Fleetwood, Lancashire, and then apprenticed to the drapery trade under Messrs. Frisby and Dyke, in Liverpool. Four years later he went to London, where he was employed successively by Messrs. Debenham and Freebody, Lewis and Allenby, James Shoolbred and Company, and Hitchcock, Williams and Company. In the year 1895 he came to New Zealand, and found employment with Messrs. Milne and Choyce, of Auckland, but two years later removed to Palmerston North, and entered the drapery department of the United Farmers' Co-operative Association. He removed to Shannon in the year 1905, and was employed for a short time by Mr. W. H. Gunning, prior to starting business on his own account. Mr. Rawle is secretary of the local lodge of Druids, the Shannon Bowling and Lawn Tennis Club, the Shannon Hack Racing Club, the Shannon Public Library, and holds the position of secretary to the school committee, cricket club, and the football club. He married Miss F. Johnston, of Otahuhu, Auckland, and has two children.
(T. A. Sowman, proprietor), Shannon. This hostelry is a large two-storeyed wooden building, and contains forty-two rooms. The rooms on the ground floor include three sitting rooms, a dining room (with accommodation for forty-five persons), and a well-appointed bar. The first floor contains fifteen bedrooms, a bathroom, and a comfortable sitting room. The best brands of liquors are kept, and a good table is maintained.
proprietor of the Albion Hotel, was born in Nelson in the year 1865. He was educated in Nelson and Blenheim, and was then apprenticed to the hair-dressing trade, which he followed for twenty-two years, chiefly in Wellington, where for some years he conducted a business on his own account. In 1904 he entered the hotelkeeping trade, and conducted the Manakau
Butcher and Farmer, Shannon. This business was established by the present proprietor. The premises are up-to-date in every respect, and a good trade is conducted with the surrounding districts. A fine farm of 600 acres, on which sheep and cattle farming is carried on, is conducted in conjunction with the business. Mr. Carter was born at Moutoa, Manawatu, and is the son of an old Cornish settler. He was educated at Moutoa, and afterwards worked for his father until twenty years of age, when he joined his brothers in dairy-farming and flax-milling. Five years later he started on his own account at Shannon, and has since been very successful. He married Miss Fanny Cumberland, daughter of Mr. William Cumberland, of Wanganui, and has two sons and one daughter.
. Manawatu Stores, Shannon. This business was established by Mr. Powell, and was subsequently acquired by the present proprietor in conjunction with Mr. Kiddle. Twelve months later, however, Mr. Gunning bought Mr. Kiddle's interest. The business has since greatly increased, and is now one of the largest county stores in the district; a bakery has been added, and a branch store established at Tokomaru. Mr. Gunning was born in the year 1857, near War-minster. Wiltshire, England, was educated at Frome, in Somersetshire, and in 1886 came to New Zealand. He landed in Auckland, and afterwards proceeded to Wellington. Mr. Gunning entered the employment of Mr. David Anderson, of Wellington, with whom he remained for fourteen years, and subsequently became manager of the tea department. He then left New Zealand, went to British Columbia, North America, and opened a store at the Yukon gold-fields. The climate, however, proved unfavourable, and Mr. Gunning and his family decided to return to the Colony. He finally settled at Shannon, where he has since conducted a very succesful business. In 1891 Mr. Gunning married a daughter of Mr. James Boys, surveyor, of Timaru, and has four sons and three daughters.
was established in July, 1906, when it took over the landed interests of the Campbell Land and Timber Company. These comprise 5,023 acres of virgin forest in the Waiopehu and Mt. Robinson survey districts. The timber area is about 4,500 acres, consisting of rimu, totara, birch, and hinau. In April 1907, the company erected the Tepaki mill, which consists of a wood and iron building, situated six miles from Shannon. It contains a complete up-to-date plant of milling machinery, driven by a twenty-horse power stationary steam engine. The timber, after leaving the mill, is drawn up the mountain side a distance of twenty-three chains, by a powerful steam hauler, and is lowered on the other side of the hill, and brought to Shannon on a tramway. The planing sheds are situated close to the railway station, and the office of the company is in the township. The output of the mill is 10,000 feet of timber per day, and forty persons are employed in connection with the business. The directors of the company are: Messrs. A. A. S. Menteath (Wellington), J. R. Stansell (Shannon), J. Peterson (Shannon), and J. H. Schmidt, managing director.
Managing Director of the Shannon Land and Saw-milling Company Limited, was born at Makotuku, Hawke's Bay, in July, 1872, and was educated at the public schools. He afterwards spent a few years on sheep stations, then turned his attention to the saw-milling industry, and found employment at Makotuku and Dannevirke for six years. He then went to Waikanae, and soon afterwards was placed in charge of Mr. Campbell's mill at Makarau, where he remained for three years. This mill was removed to Shannon, and Mr. Schmidt bought and conducted it on his own account for three years, when the Shannon Land and Saw-milling Company Limited acquired his interests. In the year 1898 he married Miss Josephine Olsen, of
is a township fifty-nine miles north-east by rail from Wellington, in the county of Horowhenua. The railway station stands at an altitude of 119 feet above the sea. The head-quarters of the Horowhenua County Council are at Levin. The total capital value of the Horowhenua county in the year 1907 was £2,450,623. The post and telegraph office and telephone exchange occupy a fine building at the corner of Queen street and Oxford street, in the centre of the town. There are churches belonging to the Anglicans, Presbyterians, Methodists, Roman Catholics, and the Salvation Army. Levin has branches of the Banks of Australasia and New Zealand, also a district high school, a daily newspaper—the “Manawatu Farmer”— and a volunteer fire brigade. The borough has a court house and police station; the former is a commodious new building at the corner of Stanley and Bristol streets. The police station consists of a residence, office, and two cells, in charge of a resident constable, who also acts as Clerk of the Court and Inspector of Factories. There are two hotels, besides a number of boarding-houses, for the accommodation of visitors. The various trades are well represented in the town, many of the retail establishments make a highly creditable window display, and a considerable number maintain large and complete stocks of modern merchandise. The surrounding country was at one time covered with bush, which has since been felled. There are still, however, two saw-mills in operation. Levin is thirteen miles distant by road from Foxton, and coaches leave the railway station every morning and afternoon, returning from Foxton the same day. The beautiful Lake Horowhenua, with its hilly background, is one of the scenic attractions of Levin. The boys' training farm is conducted under Government control as an industrial school. The institution was founded at Levin in the year 1902. Another Government institution is the Levin Experimental Farm (often called the State Farm), which was founded in 1894, and consists of 800 acres, part of the Horowhenua block, about one mile and a half from the railway station. Originally this institution provided shelter and instructive training for the unemployed and new arrivals, but now, under the control of the Agricultural Department, it is one of the most valuable Government experimental farms in the Dominion. The appointments of the farm have been designed on modern lines, so as to ensure the most satisfactory results. Dairy farming and pig and poultry raising are carried on. Good fishing and shooting can be obtained in the adjacent rivers and district.
was incorporated in the year 1906. It has an area of 1,400 acres, a population of 1,265 in 1906 (of whom 300 are rate- payers), and possesses 275 dwelling houses. The capital value of property amounts to £207,000. A general rate of 1£¼d in the £ is levied. The offices of the borough council and the county council chambers are in Oxford street. The members of the council are: Messrs. B. R. Gardener (mayor), G. K. Douglas, H. Hall, J. G. Hankins, T. A. B. Hudson, E. F. Levy, J. Prouse, J. Ryder, C. Williams, and Dr. H. D. Mackenzie (councillors). Mr. P. W. Goldsmith is town clerk and treasurer.
who was elected a member of the Levin Borough Council in April, 1907, is a well-known builder and contractor. He was born in England, where he was educated, and learned his trade as a carpenter and builder. In the year 1897 he came to New Zealand, landed in Wellington, and afterwards settled in the Rongotea district, where he worked at his trade till 1899. He then removed to Levin, where he was employed for three years before starting business on his own account. Mr. Douglas is further referred to as a builder and contractor.
was elected a member of the Levin Borough Council on its constitution in the year 1906, and was re-elected in 1907. He was born in Nelson, where he was educated. In 1898 he settled in Levin, and has since been associated with the settlement. Mr. Hall is an enthusiast in all out-door sports of all kinds. He is a member of various clubs, namely, hockey, football, racing, boating, and shooting, and in 1906 presented a challenge shield, valued at fifteen guineas, to the Horowhenua Hockey Association. He is further referred to in connection with his business.
was elected a member of the Levin Borough Council in the year 1906, and re-elected at the succeeding election. He established at Levin the Levin Co-operative Dairy Company, Limited, in 1900, and has since held the office of secretary. He is also one of the founders and a
who was elected a member of the Levin Borough Council in April, 1907, takes an active interest in all local matters, and holds a prominent position in all matters with which he is connected. No person in the Horowhenua district takes a keener interest in sport than he does, including Rugby football, for which he has been a delegate to the New Zealand Union. Prior to coming to the North Island Mr. Williams spent many years on the West Coast of the South Island, where he was engaged in mining and engineering. He afterwards spent some years on the various Australian gold-fields, and represented a New Zealand syndicate at Coolgardie. He possesses a first-class mining-manager's certificate of competency, also a mine-surveyor's certificate, and is a member of the Australasian Institute of Mining Engineers. Mr. Williams subsequently conducted an hotel in the Hutt Valley, which was a popular resort for the travelling public, and in 1899 removed to Levin, and was landlord of the Weraroa Hotel for four years. He then bought a general store, which he has since successfully conducted.
at Levin occupies a site at the corner of Queen and Oxford Streets. The fine two-storeyed brick building was erected in the year 1903, and contains a public office, private box lobby, a telephone exchange, a mail and telegraph room, and a private office. There are two town postal deliveries daily.
who has been postmistress at Levin since the year 1893, joined the department some years ago.
is situated at the south end of the borough. It is a wood and iron building, and contains the usual offices and appointments. There are eight trains passing through the station daily, and the staff includes a station-master and two officials.
who has been station-master at Levin since the year 1901, joined the service in 1887. He acted as station-master at Johnsonville for eighteen months, and as a relieving station-master for three years before receiving his present appointment.
formerly known as “The Manawatu Farmer,” was established in the year 1893 by Messrs. Nation and Sons, and was taken over by the Horowhenua Publishing Company, Limited, in the year 1907, when Mr. David Papworth was appointed editor and managing director. Since the first issue of the paper there has been a steady increase in the circulation, and it now effectually covers one of the largest counties in New Zealand. It is a four-page sheet, each containing nine columns, was formerly issued as a tri-weekly, but now appears as a daily. In politics it favours Liberalism, and has a wide circulation throughout the Manawatu district. A special edition is published for the settlement of Shannon, under the name of the “Shannon Advocate.”
(G. H. Harper and P. H. Harper), Barristers and Solicitors, and Native Interpreters, Levin and Otaki.
resident partner of Messrs. Harper
. founder of the firm of Messrs. Harper and Harper, and resident partner at Otaki, is the eldest son of Mr. George Harper, and was born in Christchurch, in the year 1872. He was educated at Christ's College, Christchurch, and St. Patrick's College. Wellington, and, after spending some years in sheep farming in Hawke's Bay, he studied and qualified as a native interpreter. This profession he followed in Hastings and Dannevirke, and then settled in Otaki, where he studied for the law, and was admitted in 1899. Mr. Harper married the youngest daughter of Mr. Joseph D'ath, of Otaki, and has three children.
Park, William Stewart. Barrister and Solicitor, Levin. Mr. Park was born in Dunedin in the year 1880. In the year 1906 he removed to the North Island, and established his present practice at Levin.
Levin.
Manager of the Bank of New Zealand at Levin, was born in Ireland, educated in Belfast, and afterwards gained considerable commercial experience before coming to New Zealand in 1879. He joined the head office of the Bank in Auckland, and was afterwards sent as relieving-officer to various agencies. Mr. Matier was then transferred as accountant to the Napier branch, where he remained for about three years. He was appointed manager of the Waipukurau branch in the year 1897. and was subsequently transferred to his present position. Mr. Matier is married, and has three daughters.
was established in the year 1902, for the purpose of protecting and advancing the interests of the saw-millers, and has a steadily-increasing membership. The registered office of the company is at Weraroa, near Levin, and Mr. Cameron is secretary of the association.
who succeeded Mr. J. H. Graham as secretary of the West Coast Saw-millers' Co-operative Association Limited in September, 1906, was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and after leaving school was brought up to clerical work. At the age of twenty-two years he left his native town for Australia, where he spent ten years in the timber trade in Queensland, then came to New Zealand, and a few months after his arrival joined the clerical staff of Mr. Peter Bartholomew, saw-miller, by whom he was continuously employed until receiving his present appointment. Mr. Cameron is honorary secretary of the local library committee, also one of the founders of that institution, is one of the founders and an active member of the local lodge of Freemasons, a founder and present trustee of the Independent Order of Rechabites Friendly Society, and has served many years as a member of the school committee. He is also founder and secretary of the Presbyterian Church at Levin. Mr. Cameron is married, his wife being a native of Ayr, Scotland, and they have one son.
(T. A. B. Hudson and G. Marriott), Auctioneers and Wool Brokers, Land, Stock, and General Produce Agents, Queen Street, Levin. This firm dates from the year 1903, though up till then the business had been conducted from 1894 solely by Mr. Hudson, as a commission agency. The auction rooms, offices, and grain stores are situated in Queen Street. The firm hold a monthly wool sale, stock sales as required, and have established a fortnightly pig market, said to be the largest in the North Island; about 200 pigs being sold on each occasion.
House, Land, and General Commission Agent, Levin. Mr. Smart was born in Forfarshire, Scotland, in January, 1855, was educated at private schools, and then apprenticed to the building trade under his father. Later, he took a position as ship's carpenter on the “Blue Jacket,” and in the year 1869 settled in New Zealand. He followed his trade successively in Nelson, Marlborough, Wellington, Wanganui, and Oamaru, and in the latter town he conducted a business for eighteen years. In the year 1892, owing to ill-health. Mr. Smart removed to Levin, where for a few years he worked at his trade, and then established a bookseller's and stationery business. Early in 1907 he sold his business, went to England, and on his return to New Zealand devoted his attention entirely to land agency work. Mr. Smart is also an architect, and has designed a number of the buildings in Levin. In the year 1876 he married Miss Isabella Mitchell, and has three sons and six daughters.
. Builder and Contractor, Oxford Street, Levin. This business was established by Mr. Douglas in the year 1902. The premises consist of a large two-storeyed wood and iron building, which contains a most complete plant for the carrying out of the work. The machinery is driven by means of a steam engine, and includes two planers, saw benches, and band saw. Mr. Douglas takes the entire output of one local saw-mill, and employs eighteen persons. He has carried out contracts for several buildings.
Contractors, Flax-millers, Auctioneers, Agents, General Merchants, and Providers, Levin. This flourishing business—one of the largest in the North Wellington district—was founded in Manakau in 1889. For some time the firm conducted a large mill on the Makarua swamp, but they now own a fine mill near Manakau (employing about thirty persons), where the agricultural and general contracting plants are stationed. At this place the firm also have a large coach-and-carriage-building factory, grain and storage sheds, stables, etc. They undertake all classes of important contracts, have erected several large bridges in the district, and constructed water races. They are also extensive farmers, and in addition to the grain and produce
Secretary of Messrs. Swainson and Bevan, Limited, was born in Hokitika in the year 1873, and is a son of the senior partner in the well-known legal firm of Messrs. Hankins, Loughnan and Fitzherbert, of Palmerston North. He was educated at the Wanganui Collegiate School, afterwards spent some years in the service of the Bank of New Zealand and the Colonial Bank, and in 1897 joined the firm of Messrs. Swainson and Bevan. Mr. Hankins is a director of the Levin Express and Carrying Company, a member of the Levin Borough Council, senior deacon in the Masonic lodge, vice-president of the New Zealand Rugby Union and of the local Rugby Union, and treasurer of the Levin Club. As a collie dog fancier he is well-known throughout the Dominion, being the owner of “Roslyn Regal,” which has won many prizes, including three firsts, two specials, and the Ladies' Bracelet at the Wanganui show. Mr. Hankins is married, and has one child.
Oxford Street, Levin. This business was established in the year 1894, by Mr. D. Brabner, junior, of Christchurch, and Mr. H. Anstice, but the latter gentleman soon afterwards bought out Mr. Brabner's interest. The premises occupy a central position, and have a frontage of forty feet and a depth of five chains. They comprise a large smithy (with two forges) and general engineering shops, and at the rear is the coachbuilding department, with extensive yards. In addition to the coachbuilding and general blacksmithing, a large amount of implement making and repairing is executed. Mr. Anstice does a large and increasing trade, and employs six men in his business.
proprietor of the Levin Carriage Factory and Engineering Works, was born in Nelson, and is a son of one of the pioneer settlers of that province. After leaving school he was apprenticed to the engineering trade under Messrs. Moultry and Crosbie, of Nelson, then served some time to the coach-building and blacksmithing trade, and then for eight years travelled about the Dominion working at his trade, prior to starting business on his own account in Levin. Mr. Anstice has been captain of the Levin Fire Brigade since 1905.
Coachbuilder, Engineer, and General Blacksmith, Queen Street, Levin. This business was established in November, 1900. The premises comprise the engineering and smithing shop, coachbuilding and painting department, an office, and a yard at the rear. They are fitted up with the latest machinery, driven by a six-horse power engine. Boat-building is also undertaken. An extensive business is conducted, the work turned out is first-class, and several tradesmen are constantly employed.
was born in the Nelson province in August, 1872, was educated at the Cathedral school, Christchurch, and then spent a short time in the grain store of Messrs. Kaye and Carter. He afterwards learned the coachbuilding and engineering trade under Messrs. Freeman and Company and Messrs. Howland and Cronin, and for a short time conducted business on his own account. Subsequently he removed to the North Island, was employed for a short time by Mr. David
was established in the year 1899, and is owned and controlled by the Levin Co-operative Dairy Company, Limited. The main factory is a wooden building, situated in Queen Street, and ocupies a site of fifty acres. The engine room is fitted with a fifteen-horse power Tangye engine, a twenty-horse power boiler, and a three-ton Linde-British freezer. The plant includes two 1,000 lb. churns, up-to-date butter-working tables, three 440 gallon Alpha de Laval separators, and two cream vats. There are also a freezing chamber, measuring twelve feet by twelve feet, and a cooling room, six feet by twelve feet. The factory has two large creameries, supplied by forty-four farmers, and the 1907 output was 304 tons of butter. The Levin Co-operative Dairy Company, Limited, have also a cheese factory at Linton. Mr. S. Broadbelt is chairman of directors.
Manager of the Levin Co-operative Dairy Factory, was born at Matahiw', near Masterton, in the year 1869, and is a son of Mr. G. A. Hermann Rockell, of Carnarvon. He was educated at the State school, and also by means of the American Correspondence Schools. He afterwards entered the Government telegraph service, rose to the position of clerk and operator, and then resigned. For six years afterwards he carried on business as a general contractor in the Manawatu, Rangitikei, and Wanganui districts. Mr. Rockell then leased a farm near Wanganui, but five years later accepted a position as manager of a creamery at Rewa. He was afterwards successively employed in Messrs. Beattie, Lang, and Company's Eclipse factory, Dannevirke, and the Onga Onga factory, Hawke's Bay, prior to receiving his present position in 1907. Mr. Rockell has exhibited at the New Zealand National Dairy Association's exhibition at the Palmerston North winter show. He was president of the New Zealand Butter and Cheese-makers' Association for 1905–06, and 1906–1907, and is a regular correspondent to the “New Zealand Dairyman.” He was chairman of the Onga Onga school committee, has been through the chairs in a district lodge of Durids, is a member of the Farmers' Union, and was a representative footballer. He is married, and has three sons and two daughters.
Painters, Paperhangers, Sign-writers, and House Decorators, Oxford Street, Levin. This business was established in the year 1902 by Mr. J. W. Proctor, who conducted it until 1907, when he was joined by his brother. The premises have a good position in Oxford Street, and the shop carries a large stock of oils, paints, paperhangings, picture mouldings, glass, mirrors, and other decorative materials. Messrs. Proctor and Proctor conduct a large business, and give constant employment to nine men.
senior partner of Messrs. Proctor and Proctor, was born in Picton, in January, 1864, and after leaving school spent some years on sheep stations, latterly as station manager for the Bank of New Zealand. Later, he engaged in hotelkeeping, and conducted hotels successively in Turakina, Waitotara, Wanganui, and Marton. He then removed to Levin, and founded his present business. Mr. Proctor is married, and has five children.
was born in Havelock North in the year 1870, and after leaving school was apprenticed to the blacksmithing trade, which he followed for some years in Foxton, Shannon, and Wellington. For several years subsequently he successively conducted hotels at Otaki, Foxton, and Palmerston North, and then managed the Petone Working Men's Club for about three years. He afterwards removed to Levin, and joined his brother in their present business.
Cabinet maker, Upholsterer, and Art Furnisher, Oxford Street, Levin. This establishment occupies a large double-fronted shop, with a verandah and fine plate glass show windows. The showroom contains a varied assortment of general furniture, including pianos, Mr. August being local agent for the Dresden Piano Company. The workshop is replete with most modern machinery for carrying on a successful and high-class trade. Mr. August was born in Wellington, where he was educated and brought up to the engineering trade. He followed his trade for some years, and worked for a time at the Addington workshops, Christchurch. He then went to South Africa with the Eighth Contingent, and had three years and a half of further experience in the engineering trade, before returning to New Zealand in the year 1906, when he established his present business.
Hair-dresser, Fancy Goods Dealer, and Billiard Saloon Proprietor, Queen Street, Levin. This business was taken over by Mr. Hall in 1898. It is conducted in a wood
and iron building, containing the shop (on the left of the entrance), the hair-dressing saloon (on the right), and
(J. F. Meagher, proprietor), Levin. This hotel, situated near the railway station, was built in the year 1895, and is a two-storeyed building. There is an entrance with large folding doors on the main street. On the ground floor there is a commodious commercial room, an office, sitting rooms, the billiard room, a club room, and a dining room capable of seating forty guests. The first floor contains a spacious hall, fifteen bedrooms, two sitting rooms, and bathrooms with hot and cold water laid on. There is a private house, a public hall, and large stables connected with the hotel. The house is well furnished throughout, an excellent table is kept, the best liquors are stocked, and guests receive every attention.
the proprietor of the Weraroa Hotel, was born in Tipperary, Ireland, in September, 1869. In 1884 he went to Australia, and found employment in Adelaide and Melbourne until 1894, when he came to New Zealand. He was engaged in general farm work for some years in various parts of the Dominion, and then conducted a dairy farm in the Kereru district. After seven years he sold his farm in order to take over the Weraroa Hotel. Mr. Meagher is a member of the local dairy and meat companies, the racing club, the poultry association, and the bowling club. He is married, and has four sons.
Cycle Engineer and Importer, “The Byko,” corner of Queen street and Oxford street, Levin. This business was founded in the year 1901, and has been conducted by Mr. Phillips since 1905. The premises consist of a wood and iron building, with a verandah and two large show windows, and are well lighted with acetylene gas. The business deals in various makes of cycles, and Mr. Phillips is also agent for the “Centaur” cycles, and “Brown” motor cars and cycles. The workshop contains a suitable plant for repairing cycles, motors, etc., and is a very useful half-way house for motorists going through from Wellington to Palmerston North. There is a branch business at Otaki in charge of a manager. Mr. Phillips was born in Birmingham, England, where he was educated and brought up to the engineering trade, having served his time under his brother for three years and a half. In 1899 he came to New Zealand, landed in Wellington, and gained further experience in his business. After a visit to Birmingham, in 1904, he returned to New Zealand and bought his present business.
(C. Williams), General Merchants, Weraroa Store, Weraroa, Levin. The premises consist of a large wood and iron building, with a double-fronted shop, and a residence behind. A large general stock of hardware, soft goods, boots, groceries, produce, and
General Storekeeper, Oxford street, Levin. This business was established in the year 1891 by Mr. Smith, and was acquired by Mr. Gapper in the year 1901. The building is of wood and iron, and contains a double-fronted shop with a storeroom and office. A full stock of groceries, etc., is carried, and an extensive trade is conducted throughout the town and district. The stables occupy part of a site of eighteen acres, a short distance outside the borough, where the proprietor also has a private residence. Mr. Gapper was born in Nelson, where he was educated and brought up to mercantile life. He gained further business experience in Taranaki, Wanganui, and Feilding, before opening his present store at Levin.
(R. W. Bradley and J. Bradley), Livery Stables and Coach Proprietors, Oxford Street, Levin. This firm established its business in Levin in the year 1896, and three coaches run regularly between the railway station and the township. The stables occupy a central position, are built of wood and iron, and the office is connected by telephone. There are forty-five stalls and five loose boxes, as well as standing space for vehicles. Sixteen horses and numerous vehicles are employed in the business.
the senior partner, was born at Waimate, Canterbury, and was educated principally at Masterton. He has been associated with horses from his earliest days, and spent seven years in the Pahiatua district, where he undertook the breaking in of horses under Professor Litchwark's system. He subsequently removed to Levin and established the present firm, in conjunction with his brother.
(F. Roe, chairman of directors; J. G. Hankins, secretary; and H. E. Collyns, director and manager), Queen street, Levin. This company was incorporated in the year 1906, to acquire the business for many years conducted by Mr. H. Hook. The premises consist of a wood and iron building, which occupies half an acre
Manager and Director of the Levin Express and Carrying Company, Limited, was born in Nelson, where he was brought up to farming pursuits. He bought the Levin Hotel in the year 1906, but subsequently sold out in order to take up his present position.
Timber Merchants, Levin. Established by the present proprietor in the “seventies,” this industry has steadily increased from year to year. The mill and yards are situated near the railway station. In November, 1905, a limited liability company was formed, with Mr. C. H. L. Palmer as manager, and the firm have since conducted a large and increasing business. The buildings cover about half an acre, the machinery comprises a fifteen-horse power steam engine, a twenty-five-horse power boiler, two planers, moulders, saws, etc., and there is also a grain grinding and crushing plant. The timber used is drawn from the main trunk and southern lines, and after being resawn, dressed, and moulded, is disposed of locally.
Manager of Messrs. Prouse Brothers Limited, was born in Wellington in October, 1869, was educated at the public schools, and afterwards spent a few years in farming work. Subsequently he engaged in saw-milling, was employed by Messrs. Prouse Brothers, of Whiteman's Valley, and latterly acted as foreman of the works, prior to receiving his present appointment. Mr. Palmer has been a member of the Borough Council, is chairman of the District High School Committee, a director of the Co-operative Butchery, and secretary of the lodge of Foresters. He is married, and has seven children.
(P. Bartholomew, proprietor), Levin. This mill first started operations in the bush, some distance from the township, and in 1895 it was removed to Weraroa, Levin, where the re-sawing and planing plants still stand. The mill has since been moved to the Ohau river, six miles distant. The proprietor holds cutting rights over 2,000 acres in the Ohau district; the mill turns out 8,000 feet of timber per day, and gives employment to thirty-five persons. The timber is drawn to Weraroa on a horse tramway, and after being put through the re-cutting and planing processes it finds a ready market.
the Business Manager of the Weraroa Saw-mill, was born in Wellington, in March, 1863, and after leaving school spent six years on the clerical staff of the Wellington Trust, Loan, and Investment Company, Limited. He then entered the employment of Messrs. P. and J. Bartholomew, timber merchants and saw-millers, Feilding, and on the dissolution of that firm he removed with Mr. P. Bartholomew to Levin, and has since been engaged as manager of the latter's timber mills. Mr. Roe is a past master and secretary of the local lodge of Freemasons, and is also secretary of the racing club, and the Horowhenua Park Company.
is distant one mile by good coach road from the township of Otaki. It has a railway station in charge of a station-master, and a post and telephone office, under the care of the local postmistress. The railway station, which stands at an elevation of forty-five feet above the level of the sea, on the Wellington-Manawatu railway line, is forty-seven miles distant from Wellington, and forty miles from Palmerston North. The dairy factory of the Otaki-Manukau Company adjoins the railway station, and on the other side of the line is a creamery. Accommodation is provided by a large hotel, close to the railway station, and there are several retail establishments, including a well-equipped cycle engineer's shop and workshop. Vegetables for the Wellington market are extensively grown at Otaki railway.
is conducted in part of the railway station building. Five mails are received daily, and four are despatched. All the usual postal and telegraph facilities are afforded, and the office is in charge of a postmistress.
. Postmistress in charge of the Otaki Railway post office, was appointed in the year 1906.
one of the oldest on the Wellington-Manawatu line, is a wood and iron building, with a long passenger platform, refreshment rooms, and the post office. It contains the public office, ticket lobby, and a ladies' waiting room, while the goods shed is on the opposite side of the line. From this station immense quantities of vegetables and general produce are sent to Wellington. The traffic staff consists of the station-master, a clerk, and a porter.
who was appointed station-master at Otaki railway station in the year 1906, joined the Wellington-Manawatu Railway Company in 1902, on his arrival from England. He had had twelve years' experience on the London City underground lines before coming to New Zealand, and was coaching foreman at Wellington station for two years and a half before receiving his present appointment.
(W. J. Row, proprietor), opposite the railway
was born in Rangitikei, was brought up to farming pursuits, and spent some years in the Longburn district. He subsequently sold his farm, and established his present cycle agency in Otaki.
is an historic settlement situatedon the Otaki river, forty miles south by rail from Palmerston North. It is in the Otaki riding of the county of Horowhenua, in the provincial district of Wellington. Otaki is noted for being one of the centres of Te Rauparaha during the Maori wars. This blood-thirsty warrior, who was ultimately captured by Sir George Grey, became a convert to Christianity after his return from captivity, when he made Otaki his head-quarters. It was mainly due to his efforts that the natives erected a mission church there, which is unique in construction. The roof is supported by three solid totara logs, measuring nearly fifty feet in height by about two feet in thickness. It is a mystery how the natives succeeded in bringing these a distance of some twelve miles to the site of the building, and how they were placed in position. The interior of the old church, which was erected in 1848, is wonderfully rich in Maori carvings. An obelisk erected by the Maoris to commemorate the jubilee of the Otaki Maori Missions stands near the church, and also a monument to Te Rauparaha. Te Rangiatea, which is the name of the mission church, has seating accommodation for 250, but as many as 700 Maoris have been inside the building at one time. A native minister is in charge of the Maori mission, and adjoining the church there is a native college. Otaki was formerly the county town and head-quarters of the Horowhenua county, but owing to the rising importance of Levin, the head-quarters have been removed there. The population of Otaki at the census of 1906 was 700. Owing to the excellence of its climate Otaki has been selected by the Hospital Board of Wellington as the site of a hospital and sanitarium for consumptive patients. There is a public school (with accommodation for 200), a convent school, and the Native college. Besides the Maori mission there are Anglican, Roman Catholic, and Methodist churches in the settlement, and the Salvation Army is also represented. The post, telegraph, and money order office is a modern building at the corner of Mill road and the Main street. Otaki has a library, several hotels, a bank, and a tri-weekly newspaper. The chief industries include sheep and dairy farming, agriculture, creameries, and fellmongeries. Good fishing is obtainable and game is abundant. There are good roads for cycling. The Otaki Maori Racing Club hold a two days' race meeting. The Maori meeting house is a large building, ornamented with grotesque carving, and is used for tribal meetings, etc. The Magistrate's Court serves the purposes of the Native Land Court, as well as of civil and police sittings of the local court. There is a police station in charge of a constable, who also acts as clerk of the court. Rangiuru-by-the-sea is a suburb of Otaki, and is about two miles from the town. This charming watering place, at the mouth of the Otaki river, has a remarkably fine beach, which extends for miles. Both salt and fresh water bathing may be indulged in. In clear weather views of the Kaikouras in the South Island may be obtained, while Mount Egmont, Mount Tongariro, and Mount Ruapehu may be clearly seen to the northwards.
is a modern two-storeyed brick building, standing at the corner of Mill road and Main road. The building contains a large public office (with mail and telegraph room combined), post-master's room, and a private box lobby, containing forty boxes. Five mails are received and despatched daily and there is a daily delivery by letter carrier. The hospital and the doctor are connected by telephone with the post office, and a special night service is open as far north as Shannon.
who has been post-master at Otaki since 1904, joined the service in 1877. He was engaged principally in telegraph work, having been stationed at Wanganui for many years in connection with the cable station, before receiving his present apointment.
. The land devoted to this sanitarium comprises about eighty acres, mostly of sandhills, varied with patches of native bush, and is decidedly warm, sunny, and dry. In 1903 experiments in connection with consumptive patients were begun, tents and canvas shelters being used for the purpose. At first two patients only were received, the number being afterwards increased to five, and as several were discharged cured, and others vastly improved, the idea of a special building as a sanitarium took root. In June, 1907, the Otaki Consumptive Sanitarium was formally opened. It is a two-storeyed building, with accommodation for nineteen men and eleven women. Both the hospital and sanitarium are under the supervision of a medical superintendent and a resident matron. A very fine electrical plant has recently been installed for the purpose of lighting the two institutions.
(R. C. Kirk and J. G. Stevens), Barristers and Solicitors, Otaki. This firm was constituted
of the firm of Messrs. Kirk and Stevens, was born in Wellington, and was educated at Wellington College. He studied for his profession under Messrs. Kirk and Wilson, of Wellington, and was admitted a solicitor of the Supreme Court in August, 1900. Mr. Stevens also conducts a land agency business, on his own account, for properties in the town or any part of the Dominion. He is president of the Otaki Football Club, and chairman of the management committee of the Rugby Union.
Surgeon Dentist, Aotaki Street, Otaki. This practice was established in the year 1906, and is conducted in convenient premises, containing a surgery, a workroom (fitted up with every modern appliance), and a waiting room. Mr. Farmer was born at Sandon, near Bulls, in November, 1882, and was educated at the Wanganui Collegiate School. He after-wards spent eighteen months at farming pursuits, then studied for the dental profession under Mr. C. Hayns, of Palmerston North, and was registered as a dentist in June, 1906. Mr. Farmer subsequently removed to Otaki, and opened his present practice. He is a member of the Otaki Club, the Otaki Golf Club, and the tennis club, and is an enthusiastic angler.
, Pharmaceutical Chemist, Aotaki Street, Otaki. This old-established business was acquired in the year 1898 by the present proprietor, who keeps a complete stock of drugs, proprietary medicines, etc. The establishment is well fitted up, and contains, in addit on to the shop, a dispensary, an office, and rooms for bulk stock. Mr. St. George was born in the Wairarapa district in March, 1872, and is a son of Mr. L. St. George, a well-known chemist of Masterton. He was educated at the public schools, was subsequently indentured to his profession, and spent four years with his father. Mr. St. George then spent six years with Mr. A. E. Kitchen, of Wanganui, where, in 1893, he qualified as a chemist. He afterwards managed a pharmacy for fifteen months at Kaponga, Taranaki, and then removed to Otaki and started his present business. Mr. St. George is a 'cello player in the local orchestral society, and is a member of the tennis, golf, and rifle clubs. He is married, and has two children.
Hairdresser, Tobacconist, Bookseller, Stationer, and News Agent, Mill Road, Otaki. This business was established in the year 1906, and is conducted in convenient premises. The saloon has two chairs, and is fitted up with all the latest improvements. The shop carries a large stock of tobacconists' wares, books, stationery, periodicals, and newspapers. Mr. Parrant was born in Wellington, in February, 1875, was educated at the public schools, and then learned the hair-dressing trade. He subsequently started business on his own account in Petone, and conducted it for eight years. He then removed to Otaki, and took over his present business. Mr. Parrant served with the Ninth Contingent in the South African Boer war. He is a member of the Orders of Foresters and Druids, is married, and has two children.
(W. McKegg, proprietor), corner of Main road and Mill road, Otaki. This hotel was established in the year 1893, and was rebuilt in 1907, the old building having been destroyed by fire in December, 1906. It is an imposing wood and iron building, two storeys in height, and contains about twenty rooms, including ten bedrooms, four sitting rooms, two sample rooms, a commercial room, and a large dining hall capable of seating forty persons. The hotel occupies a central position in the town, and is lighted by acetylene gas.
proprietor of the Central Hotel, was born at Taieri, Otago, where he was educated and brought up to farming pursuits and engineering. His father was proprietor of the White Horse Hotel, Henley-on-Taieri, and there Mr. McKegg gained experience in hotel-keeping. He bought the Central Hotel in May, 1907.
(W. Tompsitt, proprietor), Mill Road, Otaki. This hotel, one of the oldest establishments in the district, is a two-storeyed wooden building, containing thirty rooms. The ground floor contains three comfortable sitting rooms, a large dining room (capable of seating twenty-four guests), the bar, and other apartments. The first floor contains two sitting rooms, the bedrooms, and bathrooms. The house is well furnished throughout, the best liquors are stocked, a good table is maintained, and guests receive every attention.
proprietor of the Family Hotel, was born in Victoria, Australia, in March, 1850, and was educated and brought up to the grocery trade in Prahran, near Melbourne. In 1866 he joined the “rush” to the West Coast gold-fields, New Zealand, and after following various occupations, including mining, cattle-droving, and coach driving, he removed to the North Island, and took over the management of a store for Mr. Donald Blythe, in Masterton. Later, he opened business on his own account, which he conducted for fifteen months, then spent three years in the Government Survey Department, and afterwards settled in Otaki, where he remained for about
(J. Woods, proprietor), corner of Mill Road and Main Road, Otaki. This hotel is one of the oldest hotels on the Coast, and was rebuilt in June, 1907; it stands on the old main road from Wellington northwards, along which Cobb's coaches ran in the early days of settlement. It is a substantial two-storeyed wood and iron building, and contains eighteen rooms, including eight bedrooms, and a large dining room, which has accommodation for fifty guests. The house is replete with every modern convenience, and in connection with the establishment there are good stables, which contain ten stalls and nine loose boxes.
is the son of the late Mr. James Woods, who was for some time proprietor of the Telegraph Hotel. He was born in Christchurch, where he was educated and gained his experience in his father's hotel. Mr. Woods was for fourteen years a professional jockey. He takes a keen interest in football, and is president of one club and vice-president of another.
is a rising township in the centre of a saw-milling district, nine miles from Palmerston North and ninety-six miles north by rail from Wellington, in the county of Oroua. The land is mostly level, and is suitable for both grazing and cropping. The chief industries are dairying, agriculture, and saw-milling. The roads in the district are good, there is native and imported game in the neighbourhood, and trout fishing may be obtained. The Manawatu Gorge is in the vicinity, and is the attraction of numerous visitors to the town. The township has several churches, a public school, a post and telegraph office, a public hall, two hotels, a branch bank, besides several fine business houses. A coach runs daily to Pohangina from Ashhurst.
(C. T. Purcell and G. A. Ovenden. Tailors and Costumiers, Main Street, Ashhurst. This business was established in May, 1907, and the premises comprise a shop, well-appointed fitting rooms and workrooms. Messrs. Purcell and Ovenden carry a large stock of imported materials, and have gained a reputation as first-class tailors. They are the local sole agents for the “Dominion” newspaper.
of Messrs. Purcell and Ovenden, was born in Wanganui in the year 1877, was educated in Wanganui and in Sydney, Australia, and then learned the tailoring trade. He subsequently gained further experience at his trade with Messrs. J. and W. Davis, leading tailors and costumiers, of Leicestershire, England. On his return to New Zealand he was employed for some time by Messrs. De Luen Brothers, and Mr. C. M. Ross, of the Bon Marche, Palmerston North, and then joined his present partner to start business in Ashhurst, Mr. Purcell married a daughter of Mr. John Hurley, of the Railway Hotel, Palmerton North.
of Messrs. Purcell and Ovenden, was born in the year 1882, at Wickham, New South Wales, where he was educated at the public schools, and afterwards learned the tailoring trade. He was employed for some years in leading tailoring establishments in New South Wales and Queensland, in 1906 came to New Zealand, and found employment with Mr. C. M. Ross, of the Bon Marche, Palmerston North, until joining Mr. Purcell to establish their present business in Ashhurst.
General Provision Merchants, the Corner Store, Ashhurst. This business was founded many years ago, and was acquired by Messrs. Ashcroft, Kirkham and Company in the year 1906, Mr. Ashcroft withdrawing in January, 1907. The premises consist of an extensive two-storeyed wooden building. The ground floor is divided into several departments, which comprise
was born in Napier in the year 1881, was educated at Taradale, and afterwards apprenticed for six years to the blacksmithing and coachbuilding trade under his brother at Petane, for whom he was latterly manager. At the time of the Boer war he went to South Africa as a member of the Eighth Contingent, and soon after his return to New Zealand he started business as a storekeeper, in partnership with Mr. George Christian, at Whetukura, near Ormondville. Two years and a half later he sold out, removed to Ashhurst, and established his present business. Mr. Kirkham takes an active interest in social and church matters, and is choir-master of the Anglican Church. He married Miss Beatrice Joll, formerly a school teacher at Hastings, Hawke's Bay.
is a rising township 107 miles north-east by rail from Wellington. It is the centre of a large dairying industry, and is the county and market town of a large and growing district. Wool, mutton, and dairy produce are the staple exports of the district, though the timber industry is of considerable importance. There are large dairy factories and several creameries in the neighbourhood. The holdings around Pahiatua are small enough to admit of the resources of the country being thoroughly developed. Besides sheep and dairy farming there are several subsidiary industries, namely, large brick-works, the Premier Nurseries, a cordial factory, a sash and door factory, coach-building and cycle works, an engineering establishment, timber yards, gas works, etc. The completion of the railway through to Woodville and Napier advanced the interests of Pahiatua, and the gradual opening up of the back country and the cuting up of large pastoral estates have further assisted the development of the town. The main street is three chains wide, and possesses some good business premises, in addition to four hotels, the post office, the public school, three branch banks, the borough and county council chambers, and the theatre. When Main street was laid off it was expected that the railway would be laid down the centre, but this was not carried out, and the railway station is at Scarborough, two miles from the town. Coaches, cabs, and expresses meet every train. Pahiatua also has Anglican, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, and Methodist churches, a drill hall, a technical school, a public library, a hospital, and a fire brigade. Stock sales are regularly held in Pahiatua, and there is also a general auction mart in the town. The town has a number of clubs, societies, and associations connected with sport and social entertainments and amusements. The Pahiatua district is noted for its fine fishing and shooting.
was constituted in September, 1892, the first mayor being Mr. Job Vile. The capital rateable value is £207,712. The rates since 1898 have been levied on the unimproved value, which is now (1908) £100,941. There is a general rate of 3d. in the £, and seven special rates, three of which, however, apply to only part of the borough. There are 520 rateable properties, 420 ratepayers, and the population of the borough at the census of 1906 was 1,370. There are fourteen miles of well-formed streets, a good sewerage and surface drainage system by gravitation into a septic tank, and a splendid water supply from a reservoir capable of holding 180,000 gallons, situated on the Balfour estate. Street lighting is undertaken by a private company, which have established gasworks in the town. The borough council chambers are situated in the main street, and there is a well-equipped fire brigade. Members of the Council: Messrs. D. Crewe (mayor), J. W. Sturton, James D. Wilson, W. W McCardle, S. C. Bisdee, E. Baucke, E. C. Cox, F. G. Milne, J. B. Westlake. and D. P. Davidson (councillors). Mr. G. C. Miller is town clerk.
was founded in the year 1892, the first captain being Mr. D. A. Pickering. The main station is furnished with a complete modern plant, including a manual fire engine; sub-stations are to be established at each end of the town. The brigade is under the control of the borough council, from which it receives an annual subsidy. The staff consists of fourteen members, including Captain T. T. McAlister, Lieutenant Parks, and Foreman Wallis. Business meetings are held monthly, and practice meetings fortnightly, at the central station, and during recent years the brigade has taken part in public contests in various parts of the Dominion.
of the Pahiatua Municipal Fire Brigade, was born in Otago, New Zealand. After leaving school he learned the building trade under his father, and subsequently became a partner in the business. He afterwards removed to Mangaweka to take over the management of the Mangaweka Sash and Door Company, Limited, and fifteen months later resigned this position to purchase a musical business in Pahiatua, which he has since success-fully conducted. The premises occupy a prominent corner section, and carry a fine stock of pianos, organs, Edison phonographs, records, musical instruments, and sheet music. Mr. McAlister is also agent for the Wertheim sewing machine and the Yorkshire Fire and Accident Insurance Company. He is a past grand master of the Order of Oddfellows, and was secretary of the Tapanui Poultry Society and the Agricultural and Pastoral Association.
was established in October, 1880, the first chairman being Mr. Job Vile, who was followed successively
who was apointed Engineer of the Pahiatua County Council in December, 1906, was born in Hokitika in the year 1871, and is the second son of the late Mr. W. F. Burmeister. He was educated at Jackson's Bay and at Arawata, on the West Coast. Mr. Burmeister was trained as an engineer and surveyor, and served for some years under Messrs. J. N. Smythe, W. Wilson, and latterly under Mr. W. G. Murray, late chief surveyor of Nelson. He then went to Melbourne, where for nine months he studied municipal engineering, and also attended the technical college. On his return to New Zealand he was appointed assistant engineer to the General Exploration Company, of Westland, eighteen months later became engineer of the Virgin Flat Gold Mining Company, and then accepted the position of assistant engineer to the Greymouth Harbour Board. He resigned this appointment in order to accept that of assistant engineer to the Feilding Borough Council. Fourteen months later he was engaged in survey work in connection with the irrigation of the Argyle settlement, and also to report upon a scheme of high-pressure water supply for Waipawa, Hawke's Bay. On the completion of this work he was appointed to his present position. Mr. Burmeister married Miss M. E. Rhodes, of Reefton, and has three sons and one daughter.
the B Company of the 2nd Wellington (Wairarapa) Batallion of Mounted Rifle Volunteers, was formed in April, 1900, under the command of Captain Samuel Bolton, who was afterwards appointed Major of the Battalion. Subsequently Captain G. Innis was promoted to the command, and he was succeeded by Captain Harry Cornelius. In the year 1907 Captain T. P. Wills, who was formerly sergeant-major of the No. 2 Battalion, was appointed to the command of the Pahiatua Mounted Rifle Volunteers. Mr. F. S. H. Bolton is first lieutenant, Mr. J. W. Sturton second lieutenant, and Dr. Henry T. Dawson, M.B., is surgeon-captain. The corps has been a popular body from its inception, and has a membership of forty. The full-dress uniform of the corps consists of dark green cloth with black facings, and the undress uniform is of khaki. Monthly parades are held, and frequent shooting competitions take place on the range just outside the town. The corps has some able marksmen, some of whom take part in the Trentham match and the Coleman Shield contest. Annual sports are held by the corps on the racecourse, and these have proved very successful, over £50 per annum having been raised in this way. Many interesting competitions and attractive items are given, and a large number of valuable prizes, many of them donated by local citizens, are awarded. During the Boer war the Pahiatua Rifles sent twenty men to the front, most of whom re-joined the corps on their return. The drill hall, which occupies a site in the centre of the town, is a handsome and well-appointed building.
Commanding Officer of the Pahiatua Mounted Rifle Volunteers, was born in Temuka, Canterbury, in September, 1875, his father being for many years clerk of the court there. He was educated at the district high school and subsequently indentured to his profession, under Mr. E. C. Dann, chemist, Temuka. For some time Mr. Wills acted as locum tenens in Christchurch, then spent three years in Marshall's pharmacy in Dunedin, and in 1899 settled at Pahiatua, where he acquired the business formerly conducted by Mr. Coleridge Ridd. The building is a commodious one, and contains a pharmacy, with an office and drug store at the rear. A complete stock of allopathic and homoeopathic medicines, drugs, perfumes, and toilet requisites is carried. Mr. Wills is secretary of Lodge Tararua, No. 67, N.Z.C., and is a member of the Order of Foresters. He is married, and has two daughters.
which has done much in the encouragement of shooting practice, was founded in 1907 by Mr. T. C. Irving (who shoots under the assumed name of McKay), J. B. Tanner, Mr. George Oxley, Mr. M. Quirke, and Mr. C. F. Sidey. Under good management the club became a success from its inception, and it has a membership of thirty-five. Officers of the club are: Major S. Bolton (patron), Mr. J. Breeds (president), Father McKenna, Messrs. G. H. Smith, G. A. Burgess, F. Bolton, W. Norrell, A. Reece, — Tripe (vice-presidents), and G. Oxley (secretary). There is an entrance fee of 7s. 6d., and the club has a sound financial position. Regular monthly practices are held at the gun club grounds on Mr. Reece's property, and there are some excellent marksmen in the club. Business meetings of the club are held at the secretary's office.
was established in the year 1893, with Mr. F. Holder as first bandmaster. Practices are held twice weekly in the drillshed in Wakeman street, open-air concerts are given fortnightly, and the band frequently plays at local functions and for charitable purposes. The band has a membership of eighteen, and the instruments include three basses, one euphonium, one trombone, two baritones, three tenor horns, five B Flat cornets, one E Flat cornet, and drums. Mr. J. W. Mills is band-master, and Mr. J. W. Carter, band-sergeant.
Land, Estate, Financial, and General Commission Agents, Main Street, Pahiatua. This business was founded in the year 1902 by Mr. W. I. Husband, who has since been joined by his brother, Mr. T. R. Husband. The premises consist of general and private offices, adjoining Messrs. Abraham and Williams. The firm publish a land guide, and have on their books a large number of farm properties, town and suburban residences, and businesses. The proprietors being practical farmers are in a position to give valuable advice, and a conveyance is placed at the disposal of clients desiring to inspect properties.
founder of the firm of Messrs. Husband Brothers, was born near Dunfermline, Fifeshire, Scotland, in February, 1862, and is the second son of the late Mr. Robert Husband, the well-known shorthorn breeder, of Gellet Farm, Scotland. After leaving school Mr. Husband gained commercial experience with Messrs. W. Thomson and Company, shipowners, of Leith; Messrs. Orr, Riddock and Company, shipowners and brokers, of Leaden-hall street, London; and then was employed as clerical manager of a large farm property in East Lothian. In May, 1886, Mr. Husband came to New Zealand, and gained experience in sheep farming with Messrs. Hay Brothers, of Pigeon Bay, and in the Mackenzie Country. He was then employed in the wool business by Mr. Jabez Rhodes, of Christchurch. Later he travelled for three years with Cooper's sheep dip, and then in conjunction with a syndicate took up the Mount Baker block of 4,000 acres, in the North Island. Mr. Husband worked
Auctioneers, House Furnishers, Land, Estate, Financial, and General Commission Agents, Pahiatua, Eketahuna, and Woodville. The head-quarters of this important firm are in Pahiatua, where the business was originally established in the early “nineties” by Mr. D. Crewe. The premises occupy an extensive section in Wakeman street, and consist of an up-to-date building, containing a furniture showroom, the offices, and the large auctioneering mart. At the rear are large stock yards, fitted up with stalls and pens, and stock sales are held regularly every week, and clearing sales as required. Throughout the season fruit sales are held twice weekly. The furniture warehouse carries a large variety of general house furnishings and imported furniture. Messrs. Mitchell and Griffith are cash buyers of hides, wool, poultry, and other farm produce. The firm have a large number of farm properties on their lists, and are in a position to supply reliable information concerning land in the surrounding district. They also deal in town properties, including hotels, business houses, residences, and sections. The Eketahuna branch was founded in the year 1905, and a special building containing an auction room and office has been erected there. Auction sales are held, and the branch has a good business connection. Mr. H. Griffith is manager of the Eketahuna branch, and he also conducts the firm's sales both at Pahiatua and Woodville. The Woodville branch, which was opened in January, 1908, is under the management of Mr. Valentine Mekhalick, who is a partner in the firm.
the senior partner, was born in Dunedin, in August, 1864. He was educated in Wellington, and after serving an apprenticeship of seven years to the coachbuilding trade, under Messrs. Rouse and Hurrell, Limited, he conducted business for a number of years on his own account. He then rejoined his former employers, and travelled for the firm for four years. He subsequently resigned this position in order to establish his present business in Pahiatua. Mr. Mitchell is W.M. of the local lodge of Freemasons, is president of the Pahiatua Bowling Club, and for three years was a member of the Pahiatua Borough Council.
was born in Nelson, but came to the Pahiatua district at an early age. He has had an extensive farming experience, which enables the firm to give advice concerning farm properties in the Forty-Mile Bush.
Mr. V. Mekhalick is also a farmer of forty years' experience, and is well known in the district, where he has resided for over thirty years. He was the means of settling a large number of farmers in what is now known as the Mekhalickstone block.
Bullder and Contractor, Scarborough, Pahiatua. This business was established in May, 1897, and among the many contracts carried out by Mr. Bluett may be mentioned the additions to the Commercial Hotel, Mr. T. P. Wills' premises, a part of Mr. G. Marley's premises, the Public Library, Messrs. Barrell and Early's premises, and a large number of private residences,
(The North Island Brewery Company Limited), Mangatainoka, near Pahiatua. This important industry was established many years ago. Ten persons are employed in the brewery, and a large and increasing business is conducted. The brewery has supplied a large proportion of the hotels on the West Coast with bottled ale and stout for many years, their famous “Tui” brand having a splendid reputation. The business was acquired by the present proprietors in September, 1903. The premises consist of a large brick building, with extensive manufacturing rooms, stock rooms, and cellars, and the bottling department, which is in a detached brick building. The company have been awarded many prizes at various exhibitions in the Dominion.
Managing Director of the Mangatainoka Brewery, was born in Auckland, in March, 1854, and is the eldest son of the late Mr. Henry Cowan, a pioneer settler. He was educated at an early bush school, afterwards served his time as a cooper in Auckland, and at the age of twenty-one removed to the Thames, where he followed his trade on his own account for seven years. He then entered the brewery industry, and was employed for eighteen years by Messrs. Brown and Campbell. Subsequently he became one of the proprietors of a brewery at Paeroa, and sold out in order to float the present North Island Brewery Company, Limited.
(W. C. Vincent, proprietor), Pahiatua. This busines was founded early in the “nineties” by Mr. Frank Holder, and was acquired by Mr. Vincent in the year 1907. The factory, which stands on a site of one acre in extent, is a large wooden building, with both water and gas laid on. It is divided into several departments, and is thoroughly up-to-date, with all the latest machinery and appliances. There are also concrete purifying tanks, and a 200-dozen-per-hour cordial maker of the latest type. Cordials, mineral waters, syrups, and a variety of other beverages are made, and the water used in their manufacture is purified. A large and increasing business is done throughout the town and district.
which controls two large factories, was formed in the year 1895. The chief factory is situated at Konini, about four miles from Pahiatua; the other is at Ballance, about seven miles distant, and there are several creameries connected with the factories. Both factories are thoroughly up-to-date, and contain first-class butter-making plants. Ten persons are employed, and the output is aproximately 500 tons of butter per annum. The general business office is situated near the Pahiatua railway station, at Scarborough. Mr. Alexander McFarlane is chairman of directors, and Mr. G. Godfrey Taylor is secretary.
has factories at Makuri and Pongaroa, which are supplied by four creameries. Six persons are employed, and there is a rapidly-increasing cutput. Mr. G. Godfrey Taylor is secretary.
Secretary of the Ballance Co-operative Dairy Company Limited and the Makuri-Pongaroa Dairy Company, was born in the year 1870 in Glamorgan, South Wales. He was educated at the Swansea Grammar School, afterwards entered his father's shipping office, and three years later went to Dunkirk, where he was engaged for some time in a shipping business. In 1891 he came to New Zealand, and was employed by the Wairarapa Farmers' Cooperative Association, with whom he remained for ten years in the Masterton and Carterton branches. The latter position he resigned in order to take up the “Wairarapa Observer” newspaper, in conjunction with Mr. James Brown, but subsequently retired to accept his present appointments. Mr. Taylor is agent for the Phoenix Fire Office, the Ocean Accident and Guarantee Corporation, Limited, the Wairarapa Brick and Tile Company, and is also auditor for several business firms. He is a lay reader in the Anglican Church, a trustee of the Hospital, secretary of the school committee, and a member of the Orders of Foresters and Druids. In the year 1895 Mr. Taylor married Miss Arabella Brown, eldest daughter of Mr. James-Brown, of Carterton, and has four sons and three daughters.
Painters, Paperhangers, Glaziers, and General House Decorators, Main Street, Pahiatua. This business was established in February, 1907. The premises ocupy a site in Main street, and consist of a commodious shop, with workshop and storerooms at the
was born in Shropshire, England, in the year 1867, and at twelve years of age came to New Zealand. He learned the painting trade under Mr. J. E. Evans, of Wellington, and then for some time worked as a journeyman both in Australia and New Zealand. In 1892 he started in business on his own account in Karori, Wellington, and conducted it successfully for fifteen years, when he sold out to establish his present business in Pahiatua. Mr. Bailey is a member of the bowling club and of the Order of Foresters. He is married, and has two daughters.
The Mascotte Drapers, Main Street, Pahiatua. This business was founded in the year 1902, when the present commodious freehold premises were erected. The building is of wood and iron, eighty feet by thirty-five feet, with two expansive plate-glass windows. The shop is well appointed throughout, and contains the drapery, clothing, millinery, Manchester, fancy, hosiery and glove, dress, haberdashery, and furniture departments. The showroom, at the rear is an attractive apartment, carrying a tastefully-arranged stock. The proprietors are direct importers, keep their stock thoroughly up-to-date by frequent shipments, and employ six persons.
was apprenticed to the drapery trade under Messrs. C. Smith, Limited, of Wellington, with whom he spent fifteen years, latterly in charge of one of the branches. He afterwards successfully conducted business on his own account in Patea for three years, and then removed to Pahiatua, where, after a three years' engagement with the Wairarapa Farmers' Co-operative Association, he took over the management of Messrs. Sandford and Company's business. This position he held for a similar period, and then managed Mr. Rosenberg's local branch until establishing his present business. Mr. Campbell is Chief Ranger in the local lodge of Foresters, stage manager of the Pahiatua Dramatic Club, an official of the Amusement Club, and for some years was bugler in the Pahiatua Mounted Rifle Volun-teers. He is married, and has six children.
(P. E. De-breceny, proprietor), Main Street, Pahiatua. This hotel was established in 1878, but has since been rebuilt. The present building is a two-storeyed one of brick and wood, with verandah and balcony, and contains sixty rooms. It has a wide frontage to two streets, and the double entrances open into large halls, which are well lighted and ventilated. On the ground floor is a fine commercial room, four sitting rooms, and a dining room, with seating accommodation for eighty guests. The first floor contains forty well-furnished bedrooms,
proprietor of the Club Hotel, was born in Miskolcz, Hungary, in the year 1871. He emigrated to New Zealand in the year 1883, and completed his education at the Wanganui Collegiate School. For some years subsequently he was engaged in farming pursuits, and later acquired the Club Hotel in Carterton. This he conducted with success for nearly a year, then sold out and acquired his present hotel in Pahiatua. Mr. Debreceny is a member of the jockey and gun clubs, and a member of the Masonic fraternity. In the year 1904 he married Miss Warn, of Otaki, and has one child.
(C. H. Fisher, proprietor), Mangatainoka, near Pahiatua. This hotel is situated at Mangatainoka, on the main road to Woodville, three miles from Pahiatua, and is a two-storeyed wooden building, containing twenty rooms. The ground floor contains a sitting room, the dining room (capable of seating about thirty guests), and the bar. On the first floor are the bed-rooms and a comfortable sitting room. The house is comfortably furnished, an excellent table is kept, and the best wines and liquors are stocked.
proprietor of the Dudley Arms Hotel, was born in Wellington in January, 1879, and after leaving school served an apprent ceship to the bootmaking trade. For several years subsequently he engaged in farming in the Eketahuna district, and sold out in order to take over the Dudley Arms Hotel. Mr. Fisher is a member of the public library committee and is president of the local sports committee.
(D. Campbell, proprietor), is situated four miles south from Pahiatua, and is well known throughout the North Island as a popular holiday resort for sportsmen. The hotel is a one-storeyed wooden building, and contains fifteen rooms, including a well-appointed commercial room, two sitting rooms, bedrooms, and a bar stocked with the best wines, spirits, and ales. The Makihihi river, which is well stocked
proprietor of the Konini Hotel, was born in Aberfeldy, Scotland, in October, 1863, and after leaving school spent ten years in his father's business. In the year 1886 he came to New Zealand, and joined the service of the Union Steamship Company in Dunedin. In the same year he was one of the survivors of the wreck of the S.S. “Talaroa.” Later he was employed for seventeen years by Mr. Keith Ramsay, as providore in Dunedin, and resigned in order to take the position of chief steward on the S.S. “Pareora.” Twelve months later he left the sea, and became manager of the Club Hotel in Masterton, whence in June, 1907, he acquired the Konini Hotel in Pahiatua. Mr. Campbell is married, and has three sons and two daughters.
(T. W. Watts, proprietor), Main Street, Pahiatua. This hotel is a two-storeyed wooden building, fitted throughout with up-to-date conveniences, and contains a commercial room, bar, bar parlour, three sitting rooms, a comfortable dining room (capable of accommodating twenty guests), thirteen bedrooms, and a bathroom with hot and cold water laid on. The cuisine is good, while the liquors are of excellent quality. There are also commodious stables in conmection with the hotel
proprietor of the Post Office Hotel, was born in Middlesex, England, in the year 1857. came to New Zealand at an early age, and was educated in Marlborough and in Auckland. He followed farming pursuits for a few years, and then learned the black-smithing trade, which he followed in Spring Creek, Marlborough, and afterwards in Wellington for a period of twelve years. Mr. Watts then turned his attention to dairy farming, and took up a property at Hamua, which he successfully operated for seven years. He then acquired a larger farm of 173 acres at Mangamaire, which he sold four years later in order to take up his present hotel. Mr. Watts is married, and has three sons.
(W. Norroll and J. D. Murray), Pahiatua. The fellmongery is situated about half a mile from the town. It was established in the year 1894, and after passing through several hands, was taken over by the present proprietors. The works are situated on a section of one acre and a quarter in extent, and consist of a large building divided into various departments. Six persons are employed, and a large amount of prepared wool, pelts, and hides are exported.
senior partner in the firm of Messrs. Norrell and Murray, was born on the 13th September, 1860, in East Dean, Sussex, England, and as a lad joined the stables of Colonel Leslie Lindon, near Arundel. He was subsequently employed on the underground railway in London, where he remained for three years and a half. In the year 1881 he came to New Zealand by the ship “Euterpe,” and landed in Wellington after a voyage of 106 days. He then made his way to Hawke's Bay, where he was employed by Captain Russell for twelve months, when he entered the employment of the New Zealand railway. Mr. Norrell held the position of porter for three years, and was then promoted as guard, which position he held for ten years. He subsequently resigned, and took over the Mangatera Hotel, Dannevirke, which he successfully conducted for three and a half years. He finally sold out, and removed to Pahiatua, where he has since conducted a large fell-mongery business. Mr. Norrell was a member of the Dannevirke Borough Council for three years.
junior partner in the firm of Messrs. Norrell and Murray, was born in the Bay of Islands, North Auckland, in July, 1871, and after leaving school spent two years on Messrs. Williams' Pakaraka station. Later he managed a small station at Waipiro Bay for three years, and then joined his brother in farming in the Dannevirke district. In the year 1898 he joined the firm of Norrell and Murray (of which his brother was then the second partner), as wool buyer, and soon afterwards purchased his brother's interest in the business. Mr. Murray is a member of the school committee and the Masonic fraternity.
General Merchant, Main Street, Pahiatua. This business was established in the year 1903 by Mr. K. C. Munro, and acquired by the present proprietor in December, 1907. The premises consist of a fine shop, with bulk stores, and grain and produce sheds. The proprietor is a direct importer, and carries a large stock of general merchandise, including groceries, ironmongery, crockery, grain, produce, etc. One delivery cart is employed, and a good cash business is done. Mr. Feist was born in Carterton in October, 1883, was educated at Wellington College, and was brought up to mercantile life in his father's office. He afterwards had three years' experience in a hardware house in Wellington, before establishing his present business in Pahiatua. Mr. Feist is a Freemason and a Forester, and has taken a keen interest in athletic sports.
General Merchants. Main
was born in the year 1876 in London, was educated at the Buxton Grammar School, and brought up to the general storekeeping trade. After spending four years with Messrs. Rolland Brothers, during which time he gained a thorough knowledge of all branches of the trade, he came to New Zealand, and for eighteen months had some experience in sheep-station life in the Buller district. He was subsequently employed for eight months by Messrs Wardell Brothers, of Wellington, and then became manager of their Pahiatua branch, which position he resigned three years later to start his present business. Mr. Sturton is a member of the Borough Council, lieutenant in the Pahiatua Mounted Rifles, vice-president of the Chamber of Commerce, and one of the original members of the Technical School Board.
(T. Horton, proprietor), Pahiatua. This property, which is known practically and over the world as one of the finest nurseries in Australasia, consists of forty-four acres of rich level land. When taken up the area was covered with native bush, but within a comparatively short time it was placed under cultivation. Mr. Horton has had many years of experience, and has worked hard to bring the nurseries to their present state of perfection. All kinds of fruit trees, shrubs, hedge, shelter and ornamental trees, and flowers are grown in large quantities, a specialty being made of native trees and plants. Mr. Horton imports regularly from all parts of the world, and is in touch by correspondence with all the leading English, American, and Australian firms. At an exhibition of the Royal Horticultural Society of Great Britain the Government pomologist awarded Mr. Horton the first prize for the best collection of fruits correctly named, and he has also won a large number of prizes and trophies at various shows in New Zealand and Australia. There is a residence on the property, with the offices and packing and storerooms at the rear. The nurseries give employment to fifty-two persons, including twelve travellers, who represent Mr. Horton in all parts of Australasia.
proprietor of the Premier Nurseries, was born in Warwickshire, England, in October, 1867, and came to New Zealand at an early age. He was educated at Ran-giora, Canterbury, where he afterwards spent a long apprenticeship under Mr. W. E. Ivory, nurseryman. He then removed to the North Island, worked for seven years in Mr. Goddard's nurseries, Havelock North, and was then appointed manager of the Fernleigh Nurseries, at Wood-ville. Three years later he resigned this position, and soon aftrwards established the Premier Nurseries.
General Storekeepers, Mangatainoka, near Pahiatua. This business was established in the year 1902 by Messrs. Walkley Brothers, and was conducted by them until 1904, when one of the brothers withdrew, and Mr. Hill, the present resident manager, became a partner. The premises, which measure forty feet by sixty feet, comprise a large shop with show windows, a crockery and boot department, grain and bulk stores, with stables and yards at the rear, A large imported stock is maintained, including drapery, groceries, ironmongery, crockery, fancy goods, stationery, builders' requisites and fencing materials, grain and produce, etc. The stock is kept thoroughly up-to-date, an extensive retail trade is done, and two delivery carts are employed in connection with the business.
was born in Devonshire, England, in the year 1870, and after leaving school learned the drapery trade at Tiver-ton. After an apprenticeship of three
Jeweller and Optician, Main Street, Pahiatua. This business was established in the year 1897. The premises consist of a shop, with a plate glass front, and a bulk store and unpacking room behind. The proprietor is a direct importer, and carries a well-assorted stock of watches, clocks, jewellery, silver plate and optical goods, also fancy goods, toilet requisites, etc. Mr. Oxley is well known as a reliable and skilful tradesman, and does a large amount of repairing work. He was born in July, 1867, in Nelson, where he was educated and brought up to the jewellery trade. For fifteen years he was employed by his firm, latterly in charge of their manufacturing and repairing department, and then removed to the North Island and opened his present business in Pahiatua. Mr. Oxley is a member of the Order of Oddfellows, was for some time a member of the Pahiatua Mounted Rifle Volunteers, and is secretary of the local gun club.
(H. Vile, proprietor), Mangahao Road, Pahiatua. This business was established in the early “eighties” by Mr. Job Vile, and was acquired by the present proprietor in the year 1906. The head-quarters of the firm are on Mangahao road, where there are large stables, storerooms, an office, and a private residence. There are also branch premises, consisting of stables and storerooms, at Makuri, twenty miles from Pahiatua. The plant consists of twelve spring and block drays and waggons, and eight persons and thirty-two horses are employed in connection with the business. A large business is done in the transportation of heavy goods and in bringing the wool from the back stations to the railway line. Mr. Vile is local agent for the New Zealand Express Company.
the fifth son of the late Mr. Job Vile, M.H.R., was born in the year 1873 in Masterton, where he was educated. He afterwards learned the joinery trade at Pahiatua, for some time conducted business on his own account in the Taranaki district, and then took up the work of driving his father's coaches on the New Plymouth, Hawera, and Opunake roads. He subsequently settled in Pahiatua, and in partnership with another took over the Ranfurly stables, but sold out to acquire his present business. Mr. Vile was a member of the borough council, was a representative football player, and is a member of the bowling club and the Tararua club. He is married, and has one son.
(S. P. Girdwood and—Taylor, proprietors), Main Street, Pahiatua. The Commercial Stables are situated near the Commercial Hotel, and were established many years ago. The building contains sixty stalls, three loose boxes, an office, waiting room, etc., and there is considerable yard accommodation. The proprietors also hold the Government mail contract to the local railway station, Eketahuna, and the outlying districts. These stables are reserved entirely for stabling purposes, and all the carriages, etc., are kept at the Ranfurly stables. The Ranfurly Stables, situated at the north end of the town, were established before the advent of the railway. They contain fifty stalls and eighteen loose boxes, and have a working plant of seven cabs, two drags, one waggonette, and several gigs, employing sixty horses. They are the receiving and departing station of the Makuri and Eketahuna Royal Mail coaches. The firm employ twelve persons, and do a large business.
was born in Featherston in February, 1877, and was brought up to farming pursuits, in which he still takes an active interest. He is a member of the local racing club and of the Tararua Club. Mr. Girdwood is married, and has one child.
(C. L. Stokes, proprietor), Mangahao Road, Pahiatua. This business was established in January, 1900, by the present proprietor. The factory covers a quarter-acre section, and is a two-storeyed wooden building. A nine-horse power Tangye engine drives the plant, which is up-to-date in every respect, and comprises efficient planing, moulding, turning, and boring machines, and circular saws. Every article of woodwork in connection with the building trade is manufactured, and an extensive private business is also done in the supply of general house furniture. The timber, obtained from the saw-mills on the main trunk line, is thoroughly seasoned before being used.
proprietor of the Pahiatua Sash and Door Factory, was born in Christchurch in October, 1863, was educated at Long's School, St. Albans, and afterwards spent six months travelling for the Lyttelton Times Company, Limited. He then served an apprenticeship to the joinery and woodware trade, under Messrs. R. W. Walters and Company, of Christchurch, and Mr. Rowntree, of
is a rising township on the Makakahi river, eighty-nine miles north-east by rail from Wellington, in the county of Eketahuna. It is the centre of a large and prosperous farming district, and promises to become a town of considerable importance. The land around Eketahuna is well suited for grazing purposes, and sheep and dairy farming are extensively carried on. Among other industries may be mentioned a brick and tile factory, sash and door factory, printing works, creameries, and timber mills. The town has a newspaper, a two-storeyed post and telegraph office, several churches, a public hall, two branch banks, the county council office, a public school, four hotels, and a large boarding house. The main street, which may be said to compose the town, is in the form of an octagon, and contains some fine business premises. The professions are represented by two doctors, two chemists, two dentists, and legal firms. Excellent trout fishing can be obtained in the neighbourhood, and there are good cycling roads, The population of Eketahuna at the census of 1906 was 704.
was constituted in April, 1907, the town having previously been governed by a Town Board. The borough has an area of 960 acres. A general rate of ½d. in the £ is struck on the rateable value, which is £81,794; the value of property is £141,372, there are 248 ratepayers and 205 dwellings. The council have made extensive improvements in the town, a loan is now (1908) being raised for the installation of electricity for public and private lighting and power purposes, and the inauguration of a complete drainage and sewerage system is contemplated. Members of the Council are: Messrs. A. H. Herbert (mayor), J. F. Baillie, F. J. Bright. J. A. Has-well, J. J. Knight, J. J. Mead, and F. H. Wise (councillors). Mr. J. Pren-derville is town clerk.
J.P., was one of the founders of the Town Board, of which he was continuously chairman, and was also instrumental in forming the town into a borough. Mr. Herbert was the first president of the Chamber of Commerce, of which he is still a member, is a volunteer of twenty years' standing, and for many years commanded the Eketahuna Mounted Rifle Volunteers, is a past master in the Order of Freemasons, an Oddfellow, a justice of the peace, and a member of the various social clubs. He was born in Newbury, Berkshire, England, in October, 1868, and came to New Zealand at ten years of age. He was educated at the Mount Cook School, Wellington, and then in turn learned the grocery, plumbing; and drapery trades, and also gained clerical experience and a knowledge of accountancy. Later he returned to the general store-keeping, and for three years was employed by Messrs. Jones and Company, of Eketahuna, before starting business on his own account. Mr. Herbert is married, and has one son.
J.P., who was one of the promoters of the Town Board, on which he served from its inception, also took a leading part in the constitution of the borough. He was chairman in 1907 of the Chamber of Commerce, was chairman for some time of the school committee, was secretary for four years of the public library, is a justice of the peace, an Oddfellow, and a Freemason. Mr. Haswell was born in Napler in 1866, after leaving school he learned the general storekeeping trade, and found employment in Gore and in Invercar-gill. He then became branch manager for Messrs. S. W. Maxwell and Company, at Kaikoura, Marlborough, which business he managed for four years, and afterwards bought and conducted it on his own account for five years. Mr. Haswell sold out, after-wards removed to Feilding, and four years later went to Eketahuna as manager for Messrs. J. Jones and Company, of which firm he subsequently became a partner. He married Miss M. E. Grey, of Kaikoura, a daughter of one of the pioneer settlers, and has two daughters.
the C Company of the 2nd Battalion Wellington (Wairarapa) Mounted Rifle Volunteers, was formed in September, 1900, with a membership of fifty-two. It is under the command of Captain Edward Page, and Mr. J. Prendeville is lieutenant, and Mr. S. E. Greendale is secretary. The full dress uniform is a suit of green with black facings, and the head gear is a busby and plume; the undress uniform is made of khaki. Two parades are held monthly,
of the Eketahuna Mounted Rifles, was born in Wellington, in 1877, and was educated at the public schools and at Wellington College. After four years' mercantile experience with Messrs. John Duthie and Company he studied law with Messrs. Chapman and Tripp, and with Mr. Tosswill, of Pahlatua, where he qualified in 1902. In the following year he established a practice in Eketahuna, and later was joined by his brother, who is also a qualified solicitor. Mr. Page joined the local mounted corps as a trooper in the year 1904, was elected lieutenant in 1905, and captain in 1907.
of the Eketahuna Mounted Rifles, joined the corps at its inception, when he was elected sergeant, and is now the only original member still remaining in the corps. Mr. Greathead was born in Masterton in July, 1875, his father being an old settler there, and his grandfather, Mr. Edwin Ticehurst, was one of the first immigrants to land in Wellington. He was educated in Masterton, afterwards learned the saddlery trade, and for fifteen years was employed by Messrs. Elliott and Company, saddlers. For some time he managed their Eketahuna branch business, which he bought in August, 1900, and has since conducted on his own account. The premises consist of a shop and a workroom at the rear. A fine stock of all classes of saddlery, harness, and accessories is kept, the proprietor being a direct importer from the best English manufacturers. Two persons are employed in the manufacturing and repairing departments. Mr. Greathead is a trustee of the local lodge of Foresters.
of the Eketahuna Mounted Rifles, who is also sergeant-in-charge of the signalling squad of his corps, was born in Ashburton, Canterbury, in August, 1881, and educated in Christchurch. He removed to the North Island at an early age, and learned the hair-dressing trade under Mr. Quirk, of Pahiatua, in whose employment he remained for eight years. He then went to Dunedin, and was employed for a short time by Mr. Goldsmith, but subsequently removed to Eketahuna, and established his present business in 1903. The prem-ises consist of a shop (carrying an assortment of tobacconists'wares and toilet requisites), and a well-appointed saloon, with two modern chairs. Mr. Doyle is a past chief ranger of the Order of Foresters.
B.A., LL.B., Barrister and Solicitor, Main Street, Eketahuna. Mr. Prende-ville established his present practice in the year 1905. He was born in the year 1876 at Karori, Wellington, and was educated at the public schools, at Wellington College, and at Canterbury College, and graduated B.A. in 1898. In 1899 he entered Mr. A. R. Meek's office, in Wellington, and remained there for three years, during which time he studied at Victoria College, and graduated LL.B. In the year 1902 Mr. Prendeville became managing clerk to Mr. Hollings, of Masterton, and in March, 1904, he joined that gentleman in partnership. Soon afterwards the partnership was dissolved, and Mr. Prendeville then established his present practice. He has been connected with military matters from his school days, and holds the office of lieutenant in the Eketahuna Mounted Rifles. Mr. Prendeville also acts as town clerk.
Surgeon Dentist, Eketahuna. Mr. Tripe was born in the year 1872, in Picton, and is the seventh son of the late Dr. W. B. Tripe. He was educated at the public schools and at College, then spent two years in a merchant's office,
Chemist, Optician, and Photographic Dealer, Main Street, Eketahuna. This business was establshed in the year 1895, and acquired by Mr. Burt in April, 1907. The premises comprise a large, well-appointed shop and an optical room. A complete stock of drugs, patent medicines, and druggists' sundries is kept, also toilet articles and photographic goods, and a specialty is made of veterinary medicines. The optical department is very complete, with a large range of newest lines in lenses and frames. Mr. Burt was born in Christchurch in the year 1877, educated at the Boys' High School, and studied for his profession at Rangiora, where he qualified in 1899. He then spent four years with Messrs. Wallace and Company, of Christ-church, acted for a short time as locum tenens in Auckland, and was engaged for five years in Mr. Leary's pharmacy in Palmerston North, before acquiring his present business in Eketahuna. Mr. Burt married a sister of Mr. F. A. Hornibrook, of Christchurch, and has one son and two daughters.
(W. A. Boyes and T. Walsh), Land, Estate, Stock, and General Commission Agents, Main Street, Eketahuna. This progressive firm was founded in the year 1907, and their premises are situated in Messrs. Dalgety and Company's buildings. They have a large list of stations, mixed farms, and business, commercial, and residential sites on their books. The proprietors are practical farmers, and are able to give valuable information respecting the properties they handle.
of the firm of Messrs. Boyes and Walsh, was born in Christchurch in June, 1874, was educated in Wellington and Dunedin, and gained a thorough mercantile experience in Wellington. He then followed farming pursuits, and later spent five years in the service of the Government Survey Department. He afterwards returned to farming in the Eketahuna district, and subsequently sold out to enter the land agency business. Mr. Boyes is arch druid of the local lodge, and corporal in the Eketahuna Mounted Rifles.
of the firm of Messrs. Boyes and Walsh, was born in the Taieri, Otago. After leaving school he followed farming pursuits, and later entered into partnership with his two brothers. Later the brothers sold out their business interests, and Mr. Walsh entered the service of the Otago Farmers' Cooperative Association. Subsequently for two years he was engaged in farming at Ealing, near Ashburton, whence he removed to the North Island, and settled at Eketahuna. For a time he was local agent for Messrs. Lowes and Iorns, general stock dealers, and manager of the local agency of the Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, Limited, prior to joining his present firm.
Builder and Contractor, Sash and Door Manufacturer, Cabinetmaker and Furniture Manufacturer, Eketahuna. This business was established in the year 1904, and is conducted in a large wooden building, with a showroom, workshop, and extensive timber yards. There is a complete up-to-date plant of wood-working machinery, driven by a ten-horse power Tangye steam engine, and a considerable number of men are constantly employed in the factory. The timber is brought from the main trunk line, and is all thoroughly seasoned before being used. Furniture of all kinds is manufactured, also cheese and butter boxes for the local factories, but the proprietor's chief work consists of the manufacture of
General Drapers, Clothiers, and Boot and Shoe Importers, Main Street, Eketahuna. This well-known business was established in the year 1905 by Messrs. D. G. McKibbin and Company, of Woodville, who were joined in partnership in February, 1907, by Mr. Phil Pike. The premises consist of a one-storey building, with a frontage of thirty feet to Main street, and a depth of sixty feet. The building is well appointed throughout, is lighted by means of skylights, and two expansive plate-glass windows give an attractive display of the goods. The firm are direct importers from the best English manufacturers, and carry a large up-to-date stock of general drapery, clothing, millinery, mercery, and boots and shoes. Ten persons are employed in connection with the business.
Managing Partner of Messrs. McKibbin and Pike, was born in Blenheim in the year 1864, and is the second son of the late Mr. William Pike. He was educated at the Borough school, and brought up to the drapery trade with Messrs. W. B. Girling and Company. Later he spent four years with Messrs. Ross and Company, of Palmerston North, and then went to Australia, where he was employed successively by Messrs. Percy Hordern, Mark Foy, C. G. Hatty, and Hunter and Fairley, of Sydney, as buyer and departmental-manager. In 1906 he returned to New Zealand, and soon afterwards became a partner in his present firm. Mr. Pike married Miss Emerson, an Irish lady, and has four sons and two daughters.
(A. Manguson, proprietor), Eketahuna. This hotel is a large two-storeyed building with a verandah and balcony. It contains thirty-five rooms, including a convenient commercial room, sitting rooms, and a fine billiard room. The house is comfortably furnished throughout, and is well kept. The bar is stocked with the best liquors, the cuisine is excellent, and the tariff is moderate. Eight persons are employed under the superintendence of Mr. and Mrs. Mangutson, and guests receive every care and attention.
proprietor of the Club Hotel, was born in Wellington in March, 1864, and was educated at the public schools. In the coaching days he was employed for several years as a groom. Subsequently he removed to Eketahuna, where for a time he conducted a livery stable on his own account. This he afterwards disposed of in order to take up the hotelkeep-ing business, and successively conducted the Ranfurly Hotel and the Eketahuna Hotel, before taking over the Club Hotel.
(A. D. Donald and E. J. Eastwood), Cycle and Motor Manufacturers and Im-porters, Eketahuna and Pahiatua. This progressive firm was established in July, 1902, at Pahiatua, which is still the head-quarters, and in De-
Manager of the Eketahuna branch, was born at Sandon, near Feilding, in March, 1880, educated at the public schools, and was brought up to farming pursuits. He afterwards learned the cycle business with Messrs. Barry Brother, of Feilding, where he spent some years, received a thorough training in every branch of the cycle, engineering, and repairing departments, and then settled in Pahiatua. Mr. Donald is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, the Order of Foresters, and the Presbyterian Church. He is married, and has one son and one daughter.
General Merchants and Storekeepers, Eketahuna, Pahiatua, and Alfredton. This business was established in July, 1894, by Mr. A. H. Herbert. The present handsome premises were erected in 1894, with a frontage of fifty feet to the main street, and a depth of 300 feet, and are divided into several departments. In the year 1898 the Alfredton branch was opened, where the firm have fine premises, and do an extensive country business. Messrs. L. T. Herbert and M. R. Herbert started the Pahiatua business on their own account in 1903, but in the following year the three brothers combined their interests and formed a limited liability company, with Mr. A. H. Herbert as managing director. The Pahiatua premises are situated in the main street, near the south end of the town, and consist of a fine building, with a frontage of forty-five feet and a depth of eighty-five feet. The firm are large direct importers of general merchandise, and carry a complete stock of groceries, ironmongery, crockery, seeds, grain and produce, building and fencing materials, drapery, and clothing.
Managing Director of Messrs. A. H. Herbert and Company Limited, is further referred to as mayor of Eketahuna.
Manager of the Pahiatua branch of Messrs. A. H. Herbert and Company, Limited, was born in England, and came to New Zealand at an early age. He received a commercial training as a warehouseman before establishing the business, of which he is now manager, in conjunction with his younger brother. Mr. Herbert is well known in military circles, was sergeant-major of the Ninth Contingent in the South African Boer war, and is a member of the Pahiatua Mounted Rifle Volunteers.
Manager of the Alfredton branch of Messrs. A. H. Herbert and Company Limited, was born in England, and came to New Zealand as a child. After leaving school he learned the drapery trade in Wellington, and afterwards joined his brother in the establishment of the Pahiatua business, of which he is now a director. Mr. Herbert served in the South African Boer war with the Eighth Contingent, was invalided home, and went back as quartermaster sergeant of the Tenth Contingent.
General Merchants and Storekeepers, Main Street, Eketahuna. This business was established in the year 1881 by Mr. J. Jones. For some years Mr. Jones, who was ably assisted by his wife, conducted a carrying business and a boarding house, in conjunction with the store, but later, as the business increased, these were sold, and Mr. Jones gave the whole of his attention to the storekeeping trade. The premises are situated in Main street, in which they have a frontage of 108 feet and six plate-glass show windows. The main building is divided into several departments, each carrying a full stock of merchandise, including grocery, ironmongery, crockery and glassware, drapery, clothing,
Managing Partner of Messrs. J. Jones and Company, is more fully referred to as a member of the Eketahuna Borough Council.
situated on the Waipoua river, sixty-seven miles north-east from Wellington, is the chief town of the Wairarapa, and is in the county of Masterton. The surrounding country is level and undulating, and well suited for grazing, dairying, and mixed farming purposes. Masterton has two daily newspapers, a post and telegraph and money order office, four branch banks, two clubs, a museum, a district high school, a technical school, a large number of fine business premises, gasworks, several good hotels, and a number of handsome private residences. The churches are represented by the Anglican, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, and Wesleyan denominations, besides a strong detachment of the Salvation Army. The industries of the town include a fellmongery, creamery, flour mills, saw — mills, cordial factories, sash and door factories, cement and pipe factory, engineering works, and coach and carriage factories. Grape growing and wine making is a growing industry, and there is also a large bee farm at Kuripuni. The town is well laid out, the streets are wide, and the centre of the town is a rectangle. Queen street, which is the principal business thoroughfare, has some fine shops, hotels, and other buildings, which present a good appearance. Among the more important premises may be mentioned those of Messrs. C. E. Daniell, J. D. Cruikshank, Hyde and Company, Graham and Company, the Wairarapa Farmers' Co-operative Association, and C. Smith, Limited. The recreation ground, or public park, occupies a reserve of about twenty-eight acres. The grounds are well laid out, prettily planted, and comprise a fine artificial lake. A few acres of the recreation reserve are cut off for the cemetery, in which there are many handsome monuments bearing the names of early settlers, prominent among them being that of Mr. Joseph Masters, described as “one of the founders of Masterton, after whom the town was named.” There is an important public body in Masterton, known as the Town Lands Trust, which was established by the early settlers for the advancement of education and other public affairs. The town possesses a hospital, acknowledged to be one of the most complete and best managed country hospitals in the Dominion. Adjacent to the town are the fish ponds and hatcheries of the Wellington Acclimatisation Society, and from these hatcheries trout are distributed throughout New Zealand and to the Australian States. Visitors are admitted to inspect these ponds and hatcheries every day, except Sunday, from 1 to 5 p.m. There is splendid trout fishing in the Waipoua, Ruamahanga, and Waingawa rivers, which are close to the town. The roads around and throughout the whole of the Wairarapa are excellent for cycling. Coaches run north-east to Taueru, Carswells, Tenui, Whakataki, Castle Point, Blairlogie station, Kohiwai, Riversdale, Waikaratei, and Homewood; and south to Carterton and Greytown. These coaches pass through a splendid farming district, and the drive in fine weather is very pleasant. There is an Agricultural and Pastoral Association in Masterton, the show of which is held in October.
was constituted in the year 1877. It has an area of 4,311 acres, of which some fifty acres are devoted to and retained for public purposes. The unimproved value of property in the borough is £415,989, and the revenue is £16,142. The population at the census of 1906 was 5,026, of whom 846 were ratepayers. The town is well lighted by gas, supplied from the borough gas works, thirty-four miles of streets have been formed, and there is a good water supply and drainage works. There are three fire brigades: two under the control of the borough council, one of which is equipped with steam engines and fittings. Members of the council for the year 1908: Messrs. J. A. Coradine (mayor), A. Haughey, J. P. Prentice,
who was elected to the Masterton Borough Council in the year 1907, has served on the works committee. He takes a keen interest in all public affairs, is a director of the Caledonian Society and treasurer of St. Patrick's Society. Mr. Haughey was born in Lurgan, near Belfast, Ireland, in the year 1864, and came to New Zealand in 1873. He completed his education at Christchurch, and then served an apprenticeship to the plastering trade under Mr. Adam Menzies. Subsequently he went to Australia, where he spent a number of years as a journeyman and contractor, and in mining pursuits. In the year 1899 he returned to New Zealand, and soon afterwards settled in Masterton, where he has since conducted a successful business, which gives employment to a considerable number of persons.
who was elected a member of the Masterton Borough Council in the year 1907, is further referred to as a builder and contractor.
which is one of the strongest rifle clubs in the Dominion, was formed in the year 1890, with Mr. W. J. Welsh as president. The club has a membership of forty, and Mr. W. J. Winslade is the secretary. Frequent shooting competitions are held on the private range at Fairview, about five miles west from Masterton. The Opaki Rifle Club has some able marksmen, among whom are: Mr. George Hyde (the present champion of the Dominion, who also held the championship in 1902, and has been a member of the Bisley team), Mr. R. J. King (New Zealand champion for 1903), Mr. Henry, and Mr. Cameron. The uniform of the club is a dark blue Norfolk suit.
which is controlled by the Masterton Hospital Trustees, was first opened in 1877, in a small wooden building. A new hospital, however, has since been built at a cost of £10,000. It is an up-to-date brick building, standing on an area nine acres in extent, and has accommodation for twenty-four patients. In the isolated quarters there are two wards, which will accommodate eight patients. There are two medical superintendents, an honorary medical staff of eight, and the matron, Mrs. Morrison, is assisted by ten nurses. The trustees of the hospital are: Messrs. J. B. Keith (chairman), R. Brown, J. C. Ewington, W. Fisher, W. Harris, M. J. H. Jackson, F. W. H. Kummer, J. J. Mead, and H. J. O'Leary. Mr. J. C. Boddington has been secretary since 1898, and was formerly chairman for eighteen years.
was established as a primary school in the early days of the settlement, and was constituted a District High School in the year 1902. The building stands on a site six acres in extent at the south end of the town, and has a frontage to both Queen and Chapel streets. There is also a side school in Victoria street. The secondary department is a large brick building, and includes science and cookery rooms, and there are also extensive playgrounds and school gardens. The present roll contains about 900 names. The teaching staff consists of Mr. W. H. Jackson (head-master), thirteen assistant teachers, and six pupil teachers.
Head-master of the Masterton District High School, was born in Oldbury, near Birmingham, England, in the year 1858. He was educated at the Oldbury National School and at the Saltley Training College. He came to New Zealand in 1883, became first assistant at Mount Cook School, Wellington, where he remained until 1888, filling the position of first assistant for four years and head-master for one year, and subsequently received his present appointment. Mr. Jackson is a member of the Anglican Church and acts as lay reader, is a member of the Town Lands Trust, and manager of the Technical School. He is married, and has one son and two daughters.
M.B., B.Ch. (New Zealand University), Physician and Surgeon, Lincoln Road, Masterton. Dr. Cook was born in Wellington in December, 1867, and is the eldest son of Mr. Edmund Cook, for many years chief postmaster at Dunedin. He was educated at the public schools, the High School in Timaru, and at the Otago University, where he graduated M.B., B.Ch., in the year 1890. After practising for four years at Roxburgh, Central Otago, he went to England, and studied in London, Edinburgh, and Dublin. On his return to New Zealand he practised for six years in Rangiora and Amberley, and in the year 1905 established his present practice in Masterton. Dr. Cook is an honorary surgeon of the Masterton Hospital and of the Jockey Club. He is married, and has one son and one daughter.
B.A., B.Sc, M.B., B.Ch., M.R.C.S.
Surgeon Dentist, Queen Street, Masterton. The surgery is replete with all modern appliances, and two assistants are employed. Mr. Clarkson was born in Christchurch in November, 1880, and was educated at the Boys' High School, and then studied for his profession under Mr. S. S. Myers, of Christchurch and Dunedin. Soon after qualifying he established his present practice in Masterton. Mr. Clarkson is a member of the bowling club, and is connected with other local clubs.
D.D.S., Surgeon Dentist, Perry Street, Masterton. This practice was established in the year 1904, and is conducted in convenient rooms. Dr. Hosking was born in Masterton in May, 1878, and is the third son of Dr. W. H. Hosking. He completed his education at the Wanganui Colleglate School, afterwards spent two years at Lincoln Agricultural College, and in 1897 went to Edinburgh, and studied for his profession at the Edinburgh University. Soon afterwards he went to South Africa, and joined the Cape Mounted Rifles, with which he served for two years, afterwards joining Baden Powell's Protectorate Regiment, and served through the siege of Mafeking, for which he holds the South African medal and bar. He was severely wounded at Mafeking. and invalided to England. Mr. Hosking subsequently went to America, studied for three years at the Philadelphia Dental College, and secured his diploma in May, 1904. He then returned to New Zealand, passed the New Zealand Dental Board examination in 1904, and established his present practice. Mr. Hosking is an honorary member of the Masterton Rifles, and for some time commanded the corps, is a member of the Orders of Druids and Freemasons, a member of the racing, football, and bowling clubs, the Masterton Club, and is treasurer of the Wairarapa Amateur Swimming Club.
Surgeon Dentist, Queen Street, Masterton. This practice was established in December, 1907, and is conducted over Mr. Eton's pharmacy, in a suite of five rooms, comprising a surgery, an anaesthetic room, a laboratory, and two waiting rooms. Two assistants are employed. Mr. Rothenberg was born in London in December, 1877, and came to New Zealand with his parents at two years of age. A few years later he returned to England, where he remained until 1891. He again came to New Zealand, subsequently studied for his profession under Mr. H. Tripe, of Wellington, and qualified in the year 1905. He then went to England, and studied for eighteen months at Guy's Hospital, also studied for a short time in Philadelphia, U.S.A., and on his return to New Zealand established his present practice. Mr. Rothenberg has been a football player, and takes a keen interest in all athletic sports.
Surgeon Dentist, corner of Queen Street and Bannister Street, Masterton. This practice was established in the year 1901, and is conducted in convenient premises, which contain a well-appointed surgery, a waiting room, and a workroom, fitted up with every modern appliance. Four assistants are employed. Mr. Swan was born in Wellington in July, 1879, and is a son of Mr. W. C. Swan, of the Public Works Department, and a grandson of the late Dr. Henry Spratt, of Greytown. He was educated at the Wellington College, then studied for his profession under Mr. Harry Tripe, of Wellington, and afterwards spent two years at the National Dental Hospital, in London. Early in the year 1901 he returned to New Zealand, and established his present practice in Masterton. Mr. Swan married Miss E. E. O'Callaghan, of Christchurch, and has one son and one daughter.
Chemist and Druggist, Queen Street, Masterton. This business was established in the year 1884 by the late Mr. H. E. Eton, and was conducted by him until his death in August, 1894, when it was taken over by his youngest son, the present proprietor. The premises consist of a two-storeyed wooden building, measuring thirty-five feet by fifty feet, with expansive plate glass windows. The pharmacy, fitted with handsome glass show cases and glass top counters, contains a heavy stock of drugs, chemists' sundries, proprietary and patent medicines, and toilet requisites. Photographic requisites
(J. V. Gordon, proprietor), Queen Street, Masterton. This business, one of the oldest pharmacies in the Wairarapa district, was established in 1870, and for many years was conducted by Mr. T. G. Mason, who sold out to Mr. Gordon. The premises, which occupy a valuable corner site, were erected in the year 1904, and consist of a fine two-storeyed brick building, with ornamental facings. The shop is well fitted up and tastefully arranged. At the rear of the pharmacy is the dispensary, the drug store, an office, and a private room for the night attendant. Mr. Gordon keeps a large stock of drugs, chemists' sundries, proprietary and patent medicines toilet requisites, etc., and does a firstclass dispensing and general business. A qualified assistant and two apprentices are employed in connection with the business.
the proprietor of the Medical Hall, was born in Scotland in the year 1883. and is the fourth son of Mr. P. Gordon. He came to New Zealand with his parents at an early age, and, after leaving school, studied for his profession under Mr. Wilton, of Wellington, where he qualified in October, 1903. He afterwards acted as locum tenens in various parts of the Dominion, prior to purchasing his present business.
Masterton.
Manager of the Bank of Australasia, Masterton, is a son of Mr. C. C. Graham, Official Assignee, Dunedin. He was born at Ben Lomond station, Waitaki, Otago, and was educated at the State school and the Thorndon Classical School. Wellington. Mr. Graham entered the Wellington branch of the Bank of Australasia in the year 1885, where he remained eighteen months. He then removed to Manaia, and afterwards to Marton and Wellington. In 1892 he was sent to Masterton as accountant, in 1897 was transferred as manager to Waipawa, and subsequently was appointed to his present position.
dates from the early days of the Wairarapa settlement. The business of the Trust is to use the funds received from its rents and investments for the purposes of education and other public benefits. The trust lands aggregate sixty-two acres, the value of which has steadily increased, and the income derived is very considerable. The Masterton technical classes, founded in 1896 under the auspices of the Town Lands Trust, are accomplishing useful work; the Town Hall and other public buildings belong to the Lands Trust. The present name of the organisation was given subsequent to its foundation, when an Act was passed making it necessary to elect six trustees, two to retire annually. By a special Act in 1906 the trustees were increased to nine, three to retire annually. The present (1908) members are Messrs. T. B. Michell (chairman), C. E. Daniell, W. H. Jackson. E. G. Eton, T. Wagg, R. Krahagen, D. Caselberg, J. Hessey, and E. McEwen. Mr. A. Hathaway is the secretary.
whose head-quarters are situated in Queen Street, Masterton, was founded in June, 1902, with Mr. James Stevens as the first chairman. The objects of the association are to guard the interests of the saw-millers, to have one central distributing office for the output of the various mills, and to regulate the industry. The district controlled by the association extends from Woodville in the north, to Belmont, near Wellington, in the south, and has always been an important milling district. There are eighteen members. representing twenty-one mills, which employ over 300 persons, and place over 10,000,000 feet of timber per annum. Wellington is the principal market for the output, and Wairarapa absorbs the remainder. The association is controlled by a committee of five. Mr. J. M. Coradine is chairman, and Mr. McAulay is the manager, secretary, and treasurer.
is a distinct department conducted in the office of the association by Mr. McAulay. It was founded in October, 1904, has a membership of twenty-two, and is an entirely mutual affair, all surplus profits being used to diminish the rate of insurance. The company is in a flourishing condition, and, in addition to meeting all calls upon it satisfactorily, has a substantial reserve fund. It is controlled by three trustees.
Manager of the Wairarapa Saw-millers' Cooperative Association, was born in
Auctioneers, Land, Estate, Financial and General Commission Agents, Masterton. This business was established in the year 1904. The premises occupy a central site on the Avenue, near Queen street, and consist of a two-storeyed brick building, measuring forty-five feet by seventy feet. The whole of the ground floor is reserved for the purposes of the business, and contains a furniture showroom, an auction mart, and convenient offices. General sales are held twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, when general merchandise, furniture, fruit, etc., are sold. In the summer fruit is an important factor in these sales, and in this connection Mr. Howell receives large consignments both from the Hawke's Bay and Nelson orchards. During the season four auction sales of trees and nursery stock are held. The firm also do a large business in connection with the sale of pictures and private clearing sales. Messrs. R. E. Howell and Company, Limited, are agents for the Sun Fire Office and patent fire extinguishers, for Mr. Moore, orchardist, Hastings, and for Mr. Edward Collie, the well-known furniture manufacturer.
Managing Director of Messrs. R. E. Howell and Company, Limited, was born at Riverton, Southland, in November, 1866, and is the second son of Captain Howell, of Fairlight Station, Lake Wakatipu. He was educated at private schools in Dunedin, spent five years in a legal office there, and then went to Australia, where he spent nine years in legal work in the office of the German Consul in Melbourne. He returned to New Zealand in the year 1897, joined the Government Valuation Department, and eight years later resigned in order to establish his present business. Mr. Howell is married, and has three children.
Auctioneer, Land, Estate, and General Commission Agent, Bannister Street, Masterton. This large business was founded in the year 1876 by Mr. F. H. Wood, who conducted it continuously until 1905, when it was acquired by Mr. J. R. Nicol. The premises consist of a brick building, measuring thirty-five feet by eighty feet, and comprise a general auction mart, showroom, and offices, with a storeroom at the rear. Regular weekly sales are held on Saturdays, clearing sales as required, and sales are also held at the branch businesses at Carterton, Greytown, and Featherston. As estate agents the firm also have a good connection, and their business is increasing. Mr. Nicol was born in Wellington, in February, 1869, and is the eldest son of Mr. James Nicol, who came to New Zealand in the ship “Blenheim,” in the year 1840, and was one of the earliest settlers in the Wairarapa. He completed his education at the Masterton High School, afterwards spent twelve years in the accountancy department of the Wairarapa Farmers' Co-operative Association, and then for eight years managed and edited the “Wairarapa Standard,” at Greytown, which he sold in order to enter the auctioneering business. Mr. Nicol was for five years a member of the Greytown Borough Council, was for some years chairman of the school committee, a director of the Permanent Investment and Loan Association, is a member of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, the Racing Club, and the Caledonian Society, and is a justice of the peace. He is married, and has three children.
Land, Estate, Financial, and General Commission Agents, Queen Street, Masterton. This well-known business was established by Mr. Ross in the year 1904. There is a large selection of sheep runs, farms, businesses, and residential sites on the books, and a specialty is made in exchanging local farm properties and other real estate for Wellington city property, in which connection a good business is done. Mr. Ross also holds a large number of agencies, and employs three persons in connection with the business.
was born in the year 1873, in Queenstown, Otago, where his father, Mr. G. M. Ross, was manager of the Bank of New Zealand. He completed his education at the Otago Boys' High School, and then followed farming pursuits. For some years he farmed in Southland and in Taranaki with considerable success, and subsequently removed to Masterton and established his present business.
Architects, Queen Street, Masterton. This firm, which was established in the year 1898, have designed many town buildings and country residences in Masterton and the surrounding district, and rank as one of the leading firms of their kind in the Wairarapa. They have a splendid reputation for their trustworthy superintendence of important contracts.
the senior partner of Messrs. Varnham and Rose, was born in Wellington in October, 1860, and after leaving school was apprenticed to the building trade, which he afterwards followed for twenty-two years, during which time he also studied architecture. In the year 1893 he established himself as an architect in Masterton and Greytown, where he has since practised his profession. Five years later he
of the firm of Messrs. Varnham and Rose, was born in the year 1867 in Wellington, was educated at the Thorndon Public School, and then served an apprenticeship to the building trade under Messrs. Murdoch and Rose. Subsequently he worked for some years as a journeyman, during which time he studied architecture, both privately and at the Wellington Technical College. In the early “nineties” he took up a rough bush property of 1,000 acres in the Forty-Mile Bush, near Mauriceville, which he operated for six years. Subsequently he joined his present partner, but he still carries on farming in partnership with his father. Mr. Rose is chairman of the Upper Plain Water Supply Committee, a member of the Fernridge School Committee, a past master of the Order of Oddfellows (with which he has been connected for over twenty years), and vice-president of the local bowling club (of which he was for two years secretary). As a young man he was a prominent oarsman in Wellington, and was a member of the celebrated crew, which for three years in succession carried off the four-oared championship of the Dominion, and for the same period he held the pairoared championship.
Builder and Contractor, Lansdowne, Masterton. This business was established in the year 1901 by Messrs. Tait and Bacon. and in the year 1906 Mr. Tait withdrew, since when Mr. Bacon has conducted the business on his own account. The premises consist of an office and a workshop, which has a complete wood-working plant, driven by a six-horse power gas engine. Mr. Bacon is entrusted with a large amount of important work, and gives constant employment to forty persons. Among his recent contracts may be mentioned: Mr. Guy Williams residence and outbuildings, at Te Parae station; Mr. Cunningham's residence and woolsheds, at Ohuri; Mr. W. C. Buchanan's residence, near Gladstone; Mr. Eton's pharmacy, in Queen street; the residence of Mr. James, S.M., in Lansdowne; and the residence of Mr. J. W. Sellar, on Colombo road. Mr. Bacon was born at Avondale, Auckland, in June, 1865, and after leaving school learned the cabinet-making, polishing, and carpentering trades in turn. He finally adopted the building trade, and for fourteen years worked as a journeyman for Mr. C. E. Daniell, prior to starting his present business. Mr. Bacon was for some time a member of the fire brigade, and is a member of the racing club. He is married, and has three children.
Contractor, Saw-miller, Timber Merchant, Ironmonger, and Importer of Building and Furnishing Requisites, Queen Street, Masterton. This important business was established in 1880 by the present proprietor. The business premises consist of fine two-storeyed brick buildings, and, in addition, there are the saw-mills, planing mills, and joinery works, occupying a site of five acres near the railway station. The central port on of the main building contains the ironmongery department, with the general offices and architect's room at the rear, and on the first floor above several adjoining shops are spacious and well-appointed show rooms for furnishings, paper-hangings, decorative materials, plumbing and sanitary ware. There is a large and varied assortment of ironmongery, building materials, plumbers' tools and requisites, house furnishings, paper-hangings and decorative materials, sanitary ware, and fittings, and electro-plate and silver ware. The proprietor imports direct from the best English, Continental, and American markets, and keeps his stock thoroughly up-to-date with frequent shipments. New joinery works, a saw-mill, and planing mills were erected in the year 1902. The timber obtained from the bush area of surrounding districts is brought to the mills, where it is manufactured into the various requirements of building construction and joinery. This department gives employment to seventy persons. As a building contractor Mr. Daniell has a good reputation, he is entrusted with a large amount of private work, and gives employment to a large staff of tradesmen. Mr. Daniell was born in Great Malvern, England, in February. 1856, was educated in his native town, and was afterwards apprenticed to the building trade in Monmouthshire, where he started business on his own account. In the year 1880 he came to New Zealand, in the ship “Scottish Prince,” and settled in Masterton. He is a member of the Wellington Harbour Board, as well as of most of the local bodies of the district.
Builders and Contractors, Lansdowne, Masterton. This business has been established for a number of years, and a large number of buildings in and around Masterton have been erected by the firm.
the senior partner of Messrs. Lett Brothers, was born in Wellington, in February, 1869, was educated at Kaitoke, and then spent some years in farming and saw-milling. In the year 1897 he settled in Masterton, for some time worked as a journeyman, and subsequently joined his brother in their present business. Mr. Lett married Miss Lawrence, a daughter of a well-known saw-miller, and has two sons.
Builders and Contractors, Dixon Street, Masterton. This business was established by Mr. J. P. Prentice, who was subsequently joined in partnership by his two sons. The premises consist of an office and a large woodwork and joinery factory, fitted up with a complete plant of machinery, driven by an eight-horse power engine. Messrs. Prentice and Sons have gained the reputation of being reliable and efficient tradesmen, and have undertaken various large building contracts. Among these may be mentioned the Old Men's Home, Messrs. G. Hyde and Company's premises, and the residence of Mr. A. Caselberg.
the senior partner of the firm of Messrs. J. P. Prentice and Sons, was born in the year 1857 in Wellington. In 1859 he removed with his parents to the Wairarapa district, and was brought up to farming pursuits. He subsequently learned the building trade, and found employment as a journeyman until starting his present business. Mr. Prentice takes a great interest in public matters, was for eighteen years an active member of the fire brigade, two years of which he was captain, and is now a life member; and as a lad he served in the Volunteer corps. He is a member of the Masterton Borough Council, a trustee of the Wesleyan Church, a past chief in the Order of Rechabites, has been a member of the Order of Foresters, is vice-chairman of the Mutual Benefit Building Society, a member of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, and is a representative bowler. Mr. Prentice is married, and has two sons and one daughter.
Builder and Contractor, Queen Street, Masterton. This business was established in the year 1901, under the style of Tait and Bacon, and in 1906 the partnership was dissolved, since when Mr. Tait has conducted a successful business on his own account. The premises occupy a site near the bridge at the north end of Queen Street, and here all the joinery work for the various contracts is manufactured. Mr. Tait has carried out several large contracts, including the Masterton Club, the Lenmore station homestead at Makuri, Mr. J. Barton's residence at Matakino, Mr. Brancepeth's station buildings, Mr. Betham's and Messrs. Lyttle and Sons' motor premises, and Messrs. Hendry and Buxton's drapery shop in Queen street. Six persons are constantly employed in the business. Mr. Tait was born in the Shetland Isles in the year 1857, his father being for some time captain of a coastal vessel, and subsequently proprietor of fishing boats. He was educated in his native parish, and spent some years in his father's fishing smacks. In 1874 he came to New Zealand, and, after two years of sheep-station life, learned the building trade under Mr. A. R. Wallis. After completing his apprenticeship he worked for a few years as a journeyman in Taranaki, and then settled in Masterton, where he has since resided. For many years he worked as a journeyman for the principal builders of the town until starting business on his own account in 1901. Mr. Tait is a Freemason, and was for nine years a member of the fire brigade, in which he held office as lieutenant. In 1887 he married Miss Lavinia Chandler, and has four sons and three daughters. “Devonshire House,” a fine accommodation house of twenty rooms in Victoria street, is conducted by Mrs. Tait, with the assistance of her daughters. The house is thoroughly up-to-date and well managed.
(T. G. Hoar, proprietor), Masterton. This business was established in the year 1901, and the proprietor is entrusted with a large amount of work in the North Island. Mr. Hoar imports his materials from Europe, and manufactures from original as well as from imported designs. Five expert workmen are employed, and a large variety of memorial stones is maintained in the yards.
was born in Hampshire, England, in December, 1869, and came to New Zealand at an early age with his parents. He was educated at the public schools in Wellington, where he learned his trade under Mr. Helyer, the well-known sculptor. Subsequently he worked for three years at his trade in Christchurch, then returned to Wellington, and later removed to Masterton and established his present business. Mr. Hoar has established a private school for instruction in designing and modelling. He has always taken a keen interest in public affairs, was for two years a member of the borough council, is secretary of the Red Star Football Club, and a member of the Cricket Association and the Poultry Club. Mr. Hoar is married, and has five children.
Aerated Water Manufacturer, Chapel Street, Masterton. This business was established in the year 1883, and is now one of
Draper and Clothler, Queen Street, Masterton. This business was established in the year 1894, by the present proprietor. The premises consist of a two-storeyed brick building, with a frontage of forty feet and a depth of eighty feet. The ground floor includes the drapery, haberdashery, silk, dress, hosiery, Manchester, clothing, mercery, and tailoring departments, with packing and bulk storerooms at the rear. Two large plate glass windows are tastefully arranged with the latest goods. Mr. Hamill is a direct importer, has a large country connection, and employs eighteen persons in connection with the business. He was born at Broomfield, near Castleblayney, County Monaghan, Ireland, in July, 1869, and was educated at the National School in Donaghmoyne. He then served an apprenticeship to the drapery trade in Carrickmacross, and was afterwards employed for two years in a drapery firm in Glasgow. In the year 1889 he went to Australia, landed in Melbourne, and for a time was employed in the West Melbourne docks, and then became a soft-goods traveller. He subsequently came to New Zealand, and after a short experience in sheep-station life, he again found employment as a soft-goods traveller, and travelled the country with a pack horse, until establishing his present business in Masterton. Mr. Hamill is a member of St. Patrick's Sports Association, the Caledonian Society, the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, the Commercial and Farmers' Club, and the Racing Club.
Draper and Clothier, Queen Street, Masterton. This business was established in February, 1905, and is conducted in premises near the post office, the windows of which have an attractive display of the latest goods, imported direct from the manufacturers in Great Britain. The stock is new and up-to-date, and is divided respectively into fancy, dress, Manchester, mercery, hosiery, and millinery departments. Mr. McCay was born in Belfast, Ireland, in April, 1877, was educated at the grammar school, and afterwards apprenticed to the drapery trade. In the year 1900 he went to Australia, and after spending two years in a wholesale establishment in Sydney, came to New Zealand, and found employment for a short time in Wellington. He then returned to Ireland, but in the year 1904 again came to New Zealand, and subsequently established his present business.
Drapers, Queen Street, Masterton. Headquarters, Wellington. The Masterton branch of this well-known firm was first opened in 1883, in premises on the opposite side of the street, but,
Manager of Messrs. C. Smith, Limited, has been connected with the firm for thirty years, having joined Mr. Smith as a junior in the year 1878. He qualified himself in all branches of the business, and in 1887 opened, and for twelve months managed, the Westport branch, in the following year opened the Reefton branch, which he conducted for six months, and in 1889 was appointed to his present position. Mr. Whitton was born in Peterborough, Huntingdonshire, England, in the year 1864, and after leaving school emigrated to New Zealand in 1877.
Tailor and Costumier, Queen Street, Masterton. This business was established in July, 1900, and is conducted in convenient premises. Mr. Webb carries a large stock of the best tailoring materials, a specialty is made of ladies' costumes, and he has gained a reputation as a first-class tailor. He was born at Riverton, Southland, in June, 1879, was educated in Wellington and in Masterton, and apprenticed to the tailoring trade in the latter town. He afterwards served for five years under Messrs. Berry and Orr, in Wellington, and then went to Sydney. On his return to New Zealand he spent one year in Wellington, then removed to Masterton, and established his present business.
Furniture Manufacturers and Importers, Queen Street, Masterton. This firm established their present business in October, 1906. The premises, which are specially adapted to the business, consist of a commodious brick building, with a frontage of sixty feet. The main building has three expansive plate glass windows, and carries a large stock of the firm's manufactured and imported furniture. The factory is a detached two-storeyed wooden building, at the rear of the main premises, measuring approximately thirty feet by sixty feet. At the rear of the factory, and running into Dixon street, are commodious and well-built timber sheds, and a brick room for the storage of kapoc, etc. There are also timber yards in Church street. There is a complete up-to-date plant of woodwork machinery, driven by a twelve-horse power Tangye engine, and there are also polishing and upholstering rooms. All classes of furniture are manufactured, and the firm have an excellent name for their workmanship.
of the firm of Messrs. G. Hyde and Company, was born in Bienheim in August, 1868. After leaving school he served an apprenticeship of six years under Mr. W. T. Steer. He then travelled through the Dominion, working at his trade as a journeyman, and afterwards went to Sydney, where he spent five years in the employment of Messrs. David Jones and Company, Anthony Hordern and Sons, and Bartholomew and Company. On returning to New Zealand he conducted a business on his own account for six years in Pahiatua, then sold out, and, after spending a short time in Sydney, settled in Masterton. For twelve months he conducted business on his own account, and then for eight years was manager of the furniture department of the Wairarapa Farmers' Co-operative Association, which position he resigned in order to establish his present business. Mr. Hyde has been connected with rifle clubs for a number of years, as a lad he won the marksman's badge in Blenheim, in 1902 and 1908 carried off the championship of the Dominion, at Trentham, and in the year 1903 was runner-up for the same championship.
Hairdresser and Tobacconist, Queen Street, Masterton. The premises in which this business is conducted contain a shop, with an expansive plate glass window, and a well-appointed saloon fitted up with three chairs. The shop carries an assortment of tobacconists' wares, leather and fancy goods, brushware, toilet and sporting requisites, and is fitted up in excellent style. Mr. Hughes was born in Christchurch in June, 1879, was educated at the Richmond School, and learned his trade under Mr. W. J. Alpe, with whom he spent nearly ten years, latterly as chief hair-dresser. He then removed to Wellington, where he spent five years with Messrs. Wahren and Staub, and in February, 1905, established his present business in Masterton. Mr. Hughes is a Freemason, an Oddfellow, and a member of the Wesleyan Church. He is married, and has one child.
(F. S. Cooper, proprietor), Queen Street, Masterton. The “Central” is a fine two-storeyed wood and iron building. It contains on the ground floor a fine dining room (capable of accommodating 100 guests), a spacious billiard room, a commercial room, and several comfortable sitting rooms. On the first floor there are twenty-five rooms, including bedrooms, sitting rooms, two bathrooms, with hot and cold water laid on, and lavatories. The Central Hotel is thoroughly well managed, precaution has been taken for escape in case of fire, a good table is kept, the liquors are of the best brands, and guests receive every care and attention.
proprietor of the Central Hotel, was born in Wellington, in April, 1857, his father being for many years proprietor of the Thistle Hotel. He was educated at the Thorndon public school, under Mr. Mowbray, and afterwards served an apprenticeship to the printing trade under Mr. James Hughes. For some time he was employed in the Government Printing Office, and also in other printing offices both in New Zealand and Australia. Subsequently he printed the “Licensed Victuallers' Advocate” in Christchurch, and later printed and conducted the “Catholic Times” in Wellington, under the superintendence of Archbishop Redwood. During this time he was also engaged in hotel-keeping, and successively conducted the “Victoria,” the “Thistle,” and the “Empire,” in Wellington, and was also steward for twelve months of the Working Men's Club, before acquiring the Central Hotel. Mr. Cooper was a member of the first borough council of Onslow, Wellington, is a Freemason of twenty-one years' standing, and a Druid, and has taken a keen interest in athletics, having been an amateur champion runner and a prominent oarsman.
Gunsmiths and Importers of General Sporting Requisites, Queen Street, Masterton. This business was acquired in the year 1904, and is conducted in a two-storeyed brick building, containing a large shop, and a workroom at the rear. The firm carry a fine stock of guns, ammunition, and all kinds of sporting requisites. They also make a specialty of fishing tackle, and keep a splendid assortment of goods in this line. The firm issue a very complete catalogue.
senior partner of Messrs. King and Henry, was born in Greytown North in June, 1871, was educated at the public school, and brought up to mercantile life. He is a well-known rifle shot, is an ex-New Zealand champion, and holder of many shooting honours.
of the firm of Messrs. King and Henry, was born in Dublin, Ireland, in July, 1875, and came to New Zealand at an early age. He was educated at the public schools in Wellington and Masterton, and afterwards spent fifteen years in the hardware trade prior to joining Mr. King in partnership. Mr. Henry is a member of the Opaki Rifle Club, and is a well-known rifle shot.
(H. Sinclair, proprietor), Queen Street, Masterton. This business was established in the year 1905 in premises near the south end of Queen street, where the old shop still stands. In January, 1908, Mr. Sinclair purchased the old-established branch business of Messrs. E. Reynolds and Company, Limited, and removed his stock to the premises occupied by this firm. The shop, measuring twenty-five feet by sixty feet, is well fitted up, and has a fine plate-glass display window. At the rear is a well-appointed workshop, where expert tradesmen are constantly employed. A varied stock of bicycles and accessories is kept. The firm's special machine, the “Osmond,” is manufactured in Birmingham. The “Royal Saxon,” “Rudge-Whitworth,” “Velox,” and the “Rover” are also stocked, and with every machine a twelve-months' guarantee is given. Repairs of all kinds are neatly and quickly executed.
the proprietor, was born at Wainui-o-Mata, near Wellington, in December, 1880, and was educated at Palmerston North. He is an Oddfellow, a member of the Caledonian Society, St. Patrick's Day Association, and is also connected with other local organisations. He is married, and has three children.
Queen Street and Chapel Street, Masterton. The latter premises, which were erected in 1907, consist of a fine two-storeyed brick building, with a frontage of forty feet and a depth of 100 feet. There is a large double entrance to the garage, and on the ground floor are also the offices, a ladies' waiting room, a stock room, the engine room, vulcanising room, and the night-attendant's room. The front portion of the first floor is occupied by the offices and rooms of the Wairarapa Automobile Association, and at the back of these the company have a tyre stock room, a painting room, and a building and retreading department. There is a complete modern plant of machinery for building, repairing, vulcanising, recharging, and retreading purposes. The firm are direct importers of Allday's and Onion's motor cars, for which they are sole agents, and also Brown's, Singer's, and Simms-Welbeck cars. A large stock of motor cars and accessories is kept. The head-quarters of the firm are in Queen street, where a large retail cycle business is conducted.
Manager of the Motor Garage of the Wellington-Wairarapa Motor and Cycle
Masterton. The vineyard is situated two miles from Masterton, within the borough boundary. It was established in the year 1898, and Mr. George Lamb came in as a partner in 1902, purchasing the property in 1904. The vineries embrace seven acres of level land, and the chief grapes grown are the Pinot, the Black Hamburg, and a few Golden Chasslas. The proprietor has also an area of over five acres, on the opposite side of the road, for future extension. Adjoining the vineyard there is a residence, and at the rear of this are the fermenting house, cellar, etc.
proprietor of the Tararua Vineyard, was born in Sydney, Australia, in January, 1880, and is a son of Dr. William Lamb, of South Australia. He was educated at the Dunedin public schools and the Wellington College, joined the service of the Bank of New Zealand in 1896, and resigned in the year 1902 to take over his present business.
Masterton. This firm was established in October, 1904, under the management of Mr. Thomas Evans. The works stand on a site one acre in extent, and consist of the main factory, a shed, and spacious curing yards. There is a modern plant of machinery, which is driven by a fifteen-horse power Crossley gas engine, and about seven persons are employed in connection with the business. Only the best materials are used, and the output finds a ready sale.
Manager of the Cement Pipe Company, Limited, was born in Berkshire, England, in 1875, came to New Zealand with his parents at an early age, and was educated at St John's College, Auckland. For five years he farmed in the Waikato, for a similar period was engaged in commercial pursuits in Auckland, and then went to Duneden. When the Jensen Patent Construction Company, with which he had been connected, went into liquidation, he bought their interests and for some time conducted business in Christchurch, but subsequently removed to Masterton. Mr. Evans holds patent rights over Hawke's Bay, Taranaki, and Wellington for the famous Keilberg plant.
Bookseller, Stationer, and News Agent, Queen Street and the railway station, Masterton. This business was established in May, 1905, by the present proprietor. The shop is well appointed, and carries a large and well-selected stock of current literature, periodicals, newspapers, stationery, school requisites, and fancy goods. The proprietor is also sole agent, in Masterton, for the “Dominion” newspaper. Mr. Aitken was born in Nelson in December, 1883, was educated in Wellington, and brought up to commercial life. He was afterwards for four years in the employ of Mr. J. B. Innis, and then became newspaper agent on the Wellington-Napier railway line, in which business he was engaged for eight years. He afterwards settled in Masterton, and established his present business.
Grocer and Provision Merchant, Queen Street, Masterton. This business was established in the year 1901, and the present premises were acquired in the year 1904. They consist of a two-storeyed building, with a frontage of thirty feet and a depth of seventy feet. The shop, which is a large, well-appointed apartment, carries an assorted stock of general merchandise, and at the rear of this are the office and the crockery and fancy goods department There are also detached grain sheds, storerooms, and stables. Mr. Giddings is a direct importer, keeps his stock thoroughly up-to-date, and employs five persons in connection with the business. He was born at Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, England, in January, 1872, was educated at Trowbridge Public School, and was brought up to the grocery trade under Messrs. Wootton and Company, with whom he spent four years. He afterwards worked in large firms at Bath and Ludlow, and then entered the employment of the well-known firm of Messrs. Shoolbred and Company, of London, where he remained for four years. In the year 1895 he came to New Zealand, and after working for Messrs. Wardell Brothers, of Wellington, for a short time, started business on his own account in Cuba street, which he conducted for some time, then sold out, and removed to Masterton. Mr. Giddings is a past chief ranger in the Order of Foresters, and a member of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association and the Racing Club. He is married, and has two children.
General Storekeeper, Queen Street, Masterton. This extensive business was established in the year 1895. The premises consist of a shop (with a frontage of forty-five feet), a general office, a large bulk store, and stables. The shop has 2,500 square feet of floor space, is well lighted and ventilated, and is most conveniently fitted up and appointed. The proprietor is a direct importer, and carries a heavy stock of general merchandise, including groceries, crockery, ironmongery, brush-ware, and produce. Four persons are employed in connection with the business. Mr. Whittaker was born in Timaru in April, 1868, and after leaving school served an apprenticeship to the general storekeeping trade. He then removed to Masterton, and established his present business. He holds the rank of lieutenant in the local mounted corps, and is a Freemason. Mr. Whittaker is married, and has four children.
General Carriers and Mail Contractors, Bannister Street, Masterton. This business was established in the year 1897 by Mr. Fly, who was joined in partnership by Mr. Young in 1905. The premises, which occupy a three-quarter-acre section, consist of a stable, with fifteen stalls; a storehouse, with waiting room and office; and a special shed in which the hospital ambulance is kept. Fifteen horses, two lorries, three express carts, and one spring dray are employed in the business. The firm hold the Government mail contract between the Masterton Post Office, Kuripuni, and the railway station; they are also agents for the New Zealand Express Company, Limited, and do a large business in the cartage of travellers' samples between the station and the town. They have large and convenient sample rooms in the Exchange Buildings, in Queen Street, and ample storage accommodation at their premises in Bannister street. The premises are connected by telephone (No. 126), and are the starting point of the Gladstone
of Messrs. Fly and Young, was born in Portsmouth, England, in March, 1865, and came to New Zealand in 1874. He completed his education in Geraldine, South Canterbury, afterwards gained clerical experience, and then went to the West Coast, where he drove the Westport-Reefton mail coach for six years. Later he spent two years in the Wellington City tram service, then conducted business as a carrier on his own account in Eketahuna and Pahiatua for a similar period, and in 1891 settled in Masterton. Mr. Fly is a Freemason, and is also a member of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association and the Racing Club. He is married, and has four children.
of Messrs. Fly and Young, was born in Palmerston, Otago, in September, 1875, and after leaving school was brought up to the bookselling business. He then found employment successively on the Shag Valley station, Otago, the Mount Nessing and Albury stations, in South Canterbury, and then removed to Wellington, where he was employed as carter for the Wairarapa Farmers' Co-operative Association for five years, before joining his present partner. Mr. Young is a member of the Jockey Club and the Order of Oddfellows.
Bee Farmer, Kuripuni, Masterton. This apiary, now one of the largest in the Dominion, was established in the year 1883 by Mr. William Lenz (who was then following his trade as a cabinetmaker), with a single hive of bees. In 1892 Mr. Lenz decided to give up his trade and devote all his time to bee-farming, and from that date he has gone on increasing, until he has now (1908) nine separate farms, comprising 900 colonies of bees. There are sixty-five colonies near his residence at Kuripuni, and the other eight farms are situated respectively at Rangitumau (eight miles north from Masterton), Ditton (twelve miles north from Masterton), Lower Manaia (four miles south-east from Masterton), Te Whiti (eight miles south from Masterton), and Greytown. The properties on which the colonies are situated are in most cases held on lease, but Mr. Lenz owns about 240 acres on which the Greytown apiaries are situated. The
named after the late Mr. C. R. Carter, is a prosperous township about nine miles south from Masterton, on the main line of railway, and fifty-eight miles from Wellington, in the county of Wairarapa South. It is the centre of an important sheep and cattle farming district, and the dairy industry is being developed by four co-operative cheese factories and several private ones. The town is well laid out and is built chiefly on level land. The business portion of the town is composed mainly of one long wide street, and this runs more or less parallel to the railway line, about a quarter of a mile distant. The chief industries are saw-milling, pipe, tile, and brick manufacturing, bacon-curing, cabinet making, engineering, motor and cycle works, coach and carriage factories, furniture manufacturing, etc. Carterton has a post office, a district high school, a daily newspaper, a public library, a town hall, three hotels, and a large number of business premises. Deer shooting is to be had in the surrounding district, and trout fishing in nearly all the streams and rivers of the neighbourhood. The population of Carterton at the census of 1906 was 1,402.
was constituted in the year 1887, and has jurisdiction over an area of 1,880 acres. The capital value is £261,284, and the rates consist of a general rate of 1d. in the pound, and eight special rates to provide interest on loans. The town is lighted with gas, which was installed in 1907, at a coat of nearly £6,000. There is a good water supply, obtained primarily from the Waingawa river, thence by the county water race through filter beds to the settling ponds, and on to the reservoir, about four miles and a half distant from the town. A system of sewerage on the septic tank principle was installed in 1906, at a cost of nearly £8,000. The tank is one of the most successful in the Dominion. Carterton has a fire brigade station, with modern appliances, a library, a fine park (Carrington Park), a recreation reserve of seven acres, and a show ground. Members of the council are: Messrs. W. Moore (mayor), H. H. Browne, J. Hart, G. Hughan, A. King, W. J. Lindop, W. T. Masson, A. Phillpots, D. Reid, and W. Toomath (councillors). Mr. J. Moncrieff, junior, is the town clerk.
who was elected to office in the year 1907, has been a member of the Carterton Borough Council for many years. He was born in the year 1863, in Carterton, where he was educated at the local public school, and brought up to mercantile life under his father, Mr. Thomas Moore. In 1890 Mr. Moore, senior, retired from active life, and his son took over the business, which he has since conducted. Mr. Moore takes a great interest in public and social matters, is a member of the Masonic Order, and was a member of the rifle club and the school committee. He was also for some years first lieutenant of the Carterton Rifle Volunteers. He married a daughter of Mr. Edward Eagle, of Carterton.
who has occupied a seat on the Carterton Borough Council since the year 1905, was born at Adelaide, South Australia, in March, 1862, was educated at the public schools, and was afterwards employed in farming pursuits
who has continuously occupied a seat on the Carterton Borough Council since 1904, is also a member of the Board of the Carterton Old Men's Home, the High School Committee, the Presbyterian Church management committee, the Order of Freemasons, and one of the trustees of the Foresters' Lodge. He was born in Carterton in October, 1867, and is the youngest son of Mr. Alexander Hughan, a pioneer settler. After leaving school he was brought up to the blacksmithing trade, and found employment as a journeyman in various parts of the province. He subsequently spent five years in Marlborough, where he worked on the Mahakipawa diggings for twelve months, and for the remainder of the time at his trade. In the year 1895 he returned to Carterton, and established his present business. The premises occupy a site in Pembroke street, and comprise a commodious motor garage, showroom, workshop, and a large smithy. The motor department has a frontage of fifty-five feet to Pembroke street, with a depth of sixty feet, and is fitted up with a repairing plant for both motors and biycles. The machinery is driven by a three-horse power gas engine, and includes a plant for recharging accumulators. The showroom carries a stock of the “Argyle” and “Ford” motor cars, the famous “Motosacoche” motor cycle, the “Raleigh,” the “Royal Enfleld,” and the “Rudge-Whitworth” bicycles, which are imported direct, and also a special machine of the proprietor's own build known as “Excel,” which is a good road bicycle. Six persons are employed in connection with the business. In the year 1894 Mr. Hughan married Miss Pattison, of Dunedin, Otago, and has one son and three daughters.
which were established in April, 1907, occupy an area of one acre on the west side of the town, near the railway station. The works are of modern design, and have a capacity of 25,000 cubic feet of gas per day. They supply twenty-five single street lamps, six centre are lamps (with double burners), also four gas engines, and there are 200 private consumers, Four miles of gas mains are laid throughout the town, and the street lamps are both lighted and extinguished by Gunning's automatic patent.
Manager of the Carterton Borough Gas Works, was born in Northumberland, England, in November, 1853, and has been connected with gas manufacturing from boyhood. After leaving school he had a brief experience in commercial life, and then entered the employment of the Annfield Plain Gas Company, where he received a thorough training in every branch of gas engineering and manufacturing, and was subsequently appointed manager of the Ouston Gas Works. Three years later he was appointed manager of the Annfield Gas Works, which position he held until coming to New Zealand in the year 1904. On his arrival he was employed by the Napier Gas Company, and remained in their service until he removed to Carterton to superintend the erection of the Borough Gas Works, of which he was subsequently appointed manager. Mr. Herdman is married, and has three sons and four daughters.
consists of two buildings, situated on opposite sides of High Street, the one being the original wooden building, and the other a new brick and concrete structure. The former consists of several parts, which have been built at various times as additions to the original single room which was erected in 1868. Three of the rooms which were considered unsuitable for use as class rooms have been converted into cookery and science rooms, and are fitted with the most modern appliances. The remaining three rooms are used as class rooms for some of the primary classes. The new building, which is the first part of a structure to accommodate the whole school, was built in 1906, at a cost of £1,700. There are four large class rooms, and the head-master's office. In this building are the upper primary classes and the secondary classes. A fine lawn in front of the school is used as a tennis court. The school was constituted a District High School in October, 1905, and there are forty-six pupils in the secondary classes, under two assistants. The primary department contains two hundred and seventy children, with six teachers, and both divisions are under the headmaster, Mr. A. N. Burns, B.A. About one half of an acre out of a total area of five acres of school grounds is set aside for agriculture, and has been laid out in thirty plots, which are cultivated by the boys of the school. This school, which is one of the oldest in the district, has successively been managed by the following teachers: Mrs. Jones, Messrs. Adam, Armstrong, Samuels, Brann, Bennett, McDermid, and Burns. Owing to the gradual development of the district it has grown from a small school of one room, with one teacher, to its present large dimensions.
B.A., Head-master of the Carterton District High School, was born at Lawrence, Otago, where his father was one of the proprietors of the “Tuapeka Times” in the days when Gabriel's Gully was a prosperous mining centre. He gained a Board Scholarship at the River ton District High School, and then continued his education at the Southland Boys' High School. He attained his B.A. degree at the Otago University College in 1896, and secured a proficiency certificate in Education from the New Zealand University in 1903. Prior to receiving his present position in April, 1906, Mr. Burns served successively as a pupil teacher in Blenheim, sole teacher at Wainuiomata, and first assistant at the Hutt and Masterton.
Surgeon Dentist, High Street, Carterton. This
Surgeon Dentist, Krahagen's Buildings, Carterton. Telephone, 61. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. This practice was established in July, 1905, by Mr. Jackson, and is conducted in apartments consisting of a surgery, a waiting room, and workrooms, suitably fitted up with the latest instruments and appliances, and there is a lady assistant in attendance. Mr. Jackson is the only son of Mr. W. H. Jackson, head-master of the Masterton District High School, and was born In Wellington in October, 1883. He was educated at the Masterton District High School, and at the Wellington College, and afterwards studied for his profession in Masterton with Messrs. Blythe and Campbell, and Dr. R. V. Hosking, D.D.S. He became a qualified dentist in June, 1905, after passing the various examinations, and then started on his own account in Carterton.
Builder, Contractor, and Undertaker, Broadway Street, Carterton. This business was established by Mr. King in South Carterton, and in 1903 the premises were removed to a site opposite the post office, when Mr. King bought out the business of Mr. A. M. Brown. In the year 1907 the present fine premises, consisting of a two-storeyed wood and iron building, measuring forty-one feet by eighty feet, were erected, and they contain a showroom, a well-appointed office, a factory, and storerooms. The factory is fitted up with a complete plant of wood-working machinery (driven by a six-horse power oil engine), where all the joinery work required in the business is done. A large stock of timber is kept in the yard, in order that it may be thoroughly seasoned before being used. On an average twelve persons are employed in the business. Mr. King was born near Melbourne, Australia, in March, 1859, and came to New Zealand at eight years of age. In 1879 he was apprenticed to the building trade, and after completing his indentures removed to Carterton and started business on his own account. Mr. King is a trustee and local preacher of the Methodist Church, and superintendent of the Sunday School. He was a member of the Carterton Borough Council, and for eleven years was secretary of the local lodge of Rechabites, of which he is still a member. Mr. King is married, and has four sons and three daughters. His eldest son is building foreman, and his third son is foreman of the factory and architect for the firm.
R., Builder and Contractor, Main Street, Carterton. Mr. Wallis' premises are situated at the north end of the town, and include an office, a workshop, and a timber yard. He has erected a number of buildings in and around Carterton, among which may be mentioned the first cheese factory built in wood, also the first in brick in the district, the Old Men's Home, Mr. Moriarty's premises, and the residences of Mr. T. E. Mauusell, Mr. Frank Bunny, and Mr. Joseph Oates. The workshop contains a complete plant of woodworking machinery, driven by an eight-horse power gas engine, and the staff consists of twenty-five tradesmen. Mr. Wallis was born at Stoke, Nelson, in April, 1846, and was educated at a private school conducted by his father. He afterwards learned the building trade under Mr. John Scott, and then followed his trade as a journeyman for some years both at Nelson and New Plymouth. In the year 1870 he removed to the Wairarapa district, for some time was engaged in contract work at Featherston, and then settled at Carterton, where he has since conducted a successful business. Mr. Wallls is married, and has nine sons and four daughters.
(E. H. Cook and W. R. Cook), Painters, Paper-hangers, Glaziers, and Signwriters, High Street, Carterton. This business was established in January, 1906. The premises consist of a large shop, carrying a splendid stock of the newest styles in paper-hangings, oilmen's stores, and paints. The firm undertake all classes of decorative work, and employ six persons in the various branches of the business.
was born in Greytown in February, 1882, and is a son of Mr. Henry Cook. After leaving school he spent four years at the grocery trade in Greytown, and then learned the painting trade under Mr. J. P. Cooke, of Nelson. Two years later he removed to Levin, spent three years at his trade as a journeyman, then settled in Carterton, where he worked for twelve months, and afterwards joined his brother in partnership.
Tailor and Costumier, High Street, Carterton. The premises consist of a two-storeyed building, containing the shop, fitting room, workrooms, and cutting rooms. The proprietor makes a specialty of ladies' riding habits and military uniforms, and also does a considerable trade in general tailoring. The shop is well stocked with riding, uniform, and other tailoring materials, and six persons are constantly employed. Mr. Imrle was born in September, 1875, in India, and is a son of Mr. David Alexander Imrie, who served in the Indian Mutiny in the 92nd Gordon Highlanders. He was educated at Simla, and learned the tailoring trade in Calcutta, where he spent a number of years in the employment of leading tailoring establishments. He then became managing director of the Central India Tailoring Company, Limited, whose head-quarters were at Gwalior, but resigned owing to ill-health, and came to New Zealand, where he established his present business. Mr. Imrie is married, and has one son.
Coal, Wood, and Produce Merchant, Carterton. The premises occupy a section in Pembroke street, one-third of an acre in extent, near the railway station, and comprise an office, storerooms, and wood, coal, and coke yards. The chief coals stocked are Pelawmain, Westport, State, and nuts, and there
Cabinetmaker and Furniture Manufacturer, High Street, Carterton. This business was established about 1888, and removed in 1905 to the present premises, which contain a fine showroom with plate glass windows, the workshops and yards. All kinds of furniture and cabinet-ware are manufactured on the premises, and picture framing is also done. Mr. Foster was born in Boston, Lancashire, England, in May, 1858, was educated at Barnett, in Sussex, and came to New Zealand in the year 1871. For four years he found employment on a farm in Picton, afterwards served his time to the cabinetmaking trade in Wellington, and then removed to the Wairarapa district, where for some years he worked as a journeyman at his trade, and in 1888 started business on his own account in Carterton. Mr. Foster is a member of the Wesleyan Church, and is vice-superintendent, secretary, and treasurer of the Sunday School. He is a member of the Order of Rechabites, which he has several times represented as a delegate. Mr. Foster is married, and has six sons and seven daughters.
Furniture Manufacturers and Importers, Masterton and Carterton. The Carterton branch of this popular firm was conducted for many years by Mr. Baggerley, prior to being acquired by the present proprietors in the year 1905. The premises have a frontage of sixty feet, and the large show windows display the firm's manufactures and importations. The showrooms at the rear (extending across the full breadth of the building), contain a large and varied assortment of general furniture, cabinet-ware, upholstery, carpets, etc., and there are also two workrooms, where several persons are constantly employed.
Hairdresser and Tobacconist, High Street, Carterton. This business was acquired by the present proprietor in June, 1904. The saloon was three chairs, is up-to-date in every respect, and the shop carries a general stock of tobaccos, pipes, fancy goods, and toilet requisites. Mr. Fraser was born on Hawkesbury station, Marlborough, in June, 1876, was educated at the Blenheim Public School, under Mr. J. P. Lucas, and afterwards served an apprenticeship to the hair-dressing trade under Mr. Chittenden and Mr. Patchett, of Blenheim, and Mr. Hyde, of Wellington. For some years subsequently Mr. Fraser followed the grocery trade in Blenheim, then removed to the North Island, and for some time held the position of guard on the railway at Greytown, until establishing his present business in Carterton. Mr. Fraser is a Freemason and a Forester, and is vice-president of two football clubs. He is married, and has three sons.
(T. P. Firman, proprietor), Carterton. This hotel is a large two-storeyed wooden building with a verandah and balcony, situated near the railway station. It contains on the ground floor a commercial room, several sitting rooms, the office, and a large dining room. The first floor includes a sitting room, the bedrooms, and a bathroom. The house is much resorted to by country settlers and the travelling public, a good table is kept, and the bar is stocked with the best brands of liquors. There are
proprietor of the Club Hotel, was born in Gisborne in 1869, and was educated at the public schools and at the Boys' High School, Christchurch. He afterwards entered the railway service, rose to the position of station-master, and was stationed successively at Chertsey, Te Aro, Carterton, and Marton Junction, but subsequently resigned to take over the Club Hotel. He is a member of the Order of Freemasons, a steward of the racing club, and a member of other local organisations. Mr. Firman is married, and has two daughters.
(A. S. Judd, proprietor). High Street, Carterton. These works were established in the year 1905 by Mr. A. S. Judd. The premises comprise a shop and a large workroom. Mr. Judd imports direct, keeps a large stock of bicycles, motor parts, and accessories always on hand, and builds a good machine under the name of “Dominion,” which is sold at £16; he also carries a stock of the “Ceutaur” cycle and the “Fairy” motor cycle, which latter is fast becoming popular in the district. Four persons are kept constantly employed in the repairing department.
proprietor of the Wairarapa Cycle and Motor Works, was born in the Lower Hutt in the year 1880, and is a son of Mr. James Judd. an old settler of the Lower Hutt, and a grandson of one of the first arrivals in the Dominion. After leaving school he followed farming pursuits for a short time, and then learned the engineering and blacksmithing trades. He subsequently managed his father's farm for about five years, and after a short period of mercantile experience he bought his present business. Mr. Judd is captain of the local cycling club, and a member of the fire brigade. He is married, and has three children.
General Provision Merchant, High Street, Carterton. This business was established in the year 1881 by Mr. Frank Feist, and was acquired by the present proprietor in 1905. It is conducted in a large wooden building, occupying a valuable site at the corner of High street and Holloway street, comprising the shop, manager's office, and storerooms; and a large bulk storeroom, granary, and stables occupy the rear iwrtion of the section, the two buildings being separated by a yard. Three large plate glass windows face the main street, the whole building is well-appointed, and is lighted by gas, with large are lights under the verandah. The proprietor is a direct importer, has regular shipments frequently arriving, and carries a heavy stock of general groceries, ironmongery, crockery, drapery, fancy goods, patent medicines, heavy iron goods, builders' and fencing materials, grain, produce, and seeds. Delivery is made daily by cart throughout the district, and the turnover is very large. Mr. Scannell was born in August, 1879, in Wanganui, where he was educated at the Marist Brothers' School, and then served an apprenticeship to the drapery trade under Mr. Joseph Paul. In 1897 he went to South Africa, and was made inspector of branches for the well-known firm of Messrs. Suter and Company, Limited, of London. This position he held for two years, and during that time had complete supervision over a number of branches of the business throughout South Africa, which gave him a splendid insight into retail trading. Resigning this appointment in 1899, Mr. Scannell went to England, and secured agencies for some important manufacturing firms, including Messrs. John Mariow and Sons (boot manufacturers, Northampton, England), Hoare and Douglas (boot manufacturers), Wills and Company (clothing manufacturers, of Bristol), and Pingree and Smith (boot manufacturers, of Philadelphia, America). Subsequently he returned to Africa, settled at Johannesburg, and for six years conducted a successful business with the agencies throughout South Africa. In 1905, owing to ill-health, he resigned his appointments, re-turned to New Zealand, and, later established his present business. Mr. Scannell is a member of the racing and bowling clubs, and the Agricultural and Pastoral Association.
Carterton. This business was established in October, 1899, and has been formed into a Iimited liability company, with Mr. J. A. Dudson as chairman of directors and Mr. H. S. Moss as secretary. The works are situated on Rutland road, about three-quarters of a mile from the railway station, and the firm hold rights over fifteen acres of first-class brick-making clay land. The premises are built of wood, are thoroughly up-to-date both in construction and machinery, and there are ample drying sheds. Flange pipes and junctions, drainage tiles, and agricultural pipes, of all kinds and sizes, are manufactured, and sixteen persons are employed in connection with the business.
Manager of the Wairarapa Brick, Pipe, and Tile Works, was born in London, in August, 1871, and came to New Zealand with his parents at three years of age. He was educated in Wellington, where he learned the brick and pipe-making trade under Mr. William Murphy, with whom he worked continuously for thirteen years. On the establishment of the Carterton Works he was employed as foreman, and was promoted to the position of manager in the year 1907. Mr. Nicholls is a past chief ranger in the Order of Foresters, a past arch in the Order of Druids, secretary of the Wairarapa Referees' Association and of the local football club; he is a keen sportsman, is a well-known pigeon shot, and has won several trophies. Mr. Nicholls is married, and has one son.
Saw-millers and Timber Merchants, Carterton. The firm's extensive saw-mills are situated on the Carrington estate, immediately outside the borough boundary, and were established in the year 1874 by the late Mr. W. Booth. At first the mill was a small concern, but it quickly grew to be one of the largest saw-mills in the Wairarapa, and has always given employment to a large number of persons. For many years the timber was taken by waggons to Wellington, but when the railway was put through the mills were connected by a private siding. There are two mills in operation, No. 1 mill at Carterton, and No. 2 mill at Greytown; the former, with toe yards, stands on a site five acres in extent, and is a large wood and iron building.
only son of the late Mr. William Booth, was born on the Carrington estate, Carterton, in September, 1877, and after completing his education at the Wanganui Collegiate School commenced farming with his father. On the death of the latter he became sole proprietor of the station. When “Carrington” was acquired by the Government in February, 1908, Mr. Booth retained the homestead block of 1,000 acres, which he now farms, and the remainder of the estate is administered by the Public Trustee. Mr. Booth is a member of the executive of the Wairarapa Agricultural and Pastoral Association, and has always given much time and attention to the annual Carterton show. As an exhibitor of fat sheep and lambs he holds an unbroken record, extending over fifteen years, and at the Christchurch show of 1906 he gained three firsts, one second, and three specials out of four entries. He is also an enthusiastic horseman, was quartermaster sergeant of the South Wairarapa Mounted Rifles, and has on several occasions taken part in the jumping contests of various agricultural and pastoral shows. In August, 1907, Mr. Booth married Miss Catherine McGoun, of Invercargill.
Manager of Messrs. Booth and Company's Sawmills for the Public Trustee, as administrator of the estate, was born in London, England, in April, 1874, and came to New Zealand, with his parents, who arrived early in the year 1880. After leaving school he gained commercial experience at a printing office in Wellington, and subsequently entered the saw-milling industry with Mr. James Stevens at Hufeanui, Forty-Mile Bush, being successively employed as yardman and
was born at Pilkington, Lancashire, England, in the year 1837, was educated at Lancashire College, Manchester, and came to New Zealand, via America, in 1872, by the s.s. “Nevada,” from San Francisco. He settled in Carterton, and as a large saw-mill owner and timber merchant, and the sole partner in the firm of W. Booth and Company, of Wellington and Christchurch, his name was well known throughout the Dominion. He first entered into business as a saw-miller in the year 1873, in Ohariu Valley, and subsequently transferred his plant to the Upper Hutt. In the year 1874 he commenced cutting in Carterton, Wairarapa, where he held rights over several thousand acres of bush. Many of the successful industries of Wellington and district owe much to the energy and enterprise of Mr. Booth. He was chairman of directors of the Wellington Meat Export Company, was a member for twelve years of the Wairarapa North and South County Councils, a member of the Wellington Harbour Board, a director of the Bank of New Zealand, a member of the Executive of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, chairman of the committee of the Public Library, chairman of the Greytown Building Society, and for some time chairman of the Dalefield Dairy Company. Mr. Booth died in the year 1903, at the age of sixty-five years, and was survived by his wife, one son, and three daughters.
is one of the oldest towns in the Wairarapa Valley, having been founded by members of the “Small Farms Association” in 1854, and is named after Sir George Grey. The town is situated fifty-four miles north-east from Wellington, and has a branch line from Woodside, on the main railway line. Greytown is the centre of a large agricultural, pastoral, and timber district. The industries include saw-mills, carriage works, brick works, and flax-mills. The main thoroughfare is a wide street, and contains some substantial shops and buildings, including the post office, council chambers, and the town hall. The town has Anglican, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic and Methodist churches, a district high school, a large public hospital, a branch bank, a library, a tri-weekly newspaper, and three hotels. The town as a whole is well laid out, and there are six miles of formed streets. There are several fine orchards in and around Greytown, and this industry is being developed on a large scale by the Greytown Fruit Growing Company, Limited.
has an area of 3,907 acres, with 253 dwellings and 230 ratepayers. A general rate of 1s. 6d. in the pound is levied, also a water rate of 2£¼d. in the pound, a library rate of 1d. in the pound, and a hospital rate of 2d. in the pound. The annual revenue amounts to £1,538. Greytown at the censús of 1906 had a population of 1,123. The Municipal Town Hall was completed to the order of the borough council in December, 1907, at a cost of £2,500, and is a wooden building situated on the main street. It is lighted throughout by acetylene gas, has every accommodation for theatrical performances and other entertainments, and is capable of seating 800 persons. The members of the council are: Messrs. D. P. Loasby (mayor), H. Haigh, J. Judd, J. S. Kent-Johnston, T. E. Kempton, A. Coe, J. J. Kimpton, G. R. Stevens, H. Wall, A. L. Webster, and E. Dunn (councillors). Mr. H. Dudding is the town clerk.
who held office for many years as a councillor, was born in Sydney, Australia, in December. 1851, came to New Zealand at an early age, and after leaving school was apprenticed to the bootmaking trade in Nelson. In the year 1879 he settled in the Wairarapa, and after following his trade for some time he bought land, engaged in farming for eight years, and then sold out and established a business as a general storekeeper in Greytown. This business is conducted in a large two-storeyed building, with a frontage of sixty-six feet to the main street. The shop is large and well appointed, and a heavy stock of general groceries and crockery-ware is carried. Mr. Loasby is chairman of the Greytown Town Lands Trust, and of the Working Men's Club, of which he has been secretary and treasurer for twelve years; and was one of the founders of the Greytown Fruit Growing Company, Limited, of which he is chairman of directors. He has been a member of the Order of Oddfellows for thirty-seven years, was the second Grand Master of New Zealand, and on the establishment of the Loyal Greytown Lodge, in 1879, he was elected the first Noble Grand; on the formation of the New Zealand branch of the Manchester Unity, in 1902, he was elected the first Deputy Grand Master, and in 1904 became Grand Master.
who was elected a member of the Greytown Borough Council in the year 1908, was born in Featherston in April, 1878, and after leaving school was apprenticed to the blacksmithing and cycle engineering trade under Mr. Unwin. In September, 1901, he established his present cycle and motor
a member of the Greytown Borough Council, is chairman of the lighting, sanitary, and cemetery committees, and a member of the works and fiuance committees. He is also a member of the Greytown District High School Committee, is secretary and cornet player of the Municipal Brass Band, and a member of the Greytown Lodge of Freemasons. Mr. Kimpton was born at Moruya, New South Wales, in July, 1874, and is a son of an engineer in the Australian civil service. After leaving school he followed farming pursuits for nearly ten years, and was then engaged for four years as a travelling insurance agent in Sydney, prior to coming to New Zealand. For the next two years he found employment as an insurance agent in the Wellington province, and then resigned this position to take up farming in Greytown. In April, 1907, he purchased a farm of 200 acres, near the township, which is devoted to mixed farming and dairy-farming purposes, and there is a private cheese factory on the property. Mr. Kimpton is married, and has two children.
. The first band in Greytown was established in the year 1863 as a private band, conducted by Mr. Jackson, of “Stonestead,” and in 1877 it became known as the Greytown Brass Band, of which Mr. M. R. Varnham became band-master. This gentleman was succeeded, in 1900, by Mr. H. T. Rees. The title of the band was altered to that of the Greytown Municipal Band in 1907, since when it has been in receipt of an annual subsidy from the borough council. The band is equipped with complete brass instruments, including seven cornets, six horns, three baritones, three trombones, one euphonium, four basses, two flugel horns, and two drums. The uniform is dark blue cloth, with white facings, and there is a membership of twenty-two. Monthly public concerts are held by arrangement with the borough council, but the band also gives its services for charitable purposes, and holds open-air concerts in the hospital grounds. Practices are held weekly in the band room at the fire brigade station. The officers are Messrs. H. T. Rees (band-master), A. Madson (sergeant), and J. J. Kimpton (secretary).
Band-master of the Greytown Municipal Band, and conductor of the Greytown Orchestral Society, was born in May, 1867, in Sydney, and came to New Zealand with his parents at an early age. He was educated at the Mount Cook School, Wellington, then went to Masterton, where, after working for Mr. H. Peterson for nine years, he managed a branch business for three years for Mr. Pearce, and then started on his own account. He subsequently removed to Taueru, where for seven years he carried on business as a bootmaker and importer, and also acted as postmaster. In May, 1900, he removed to Greytown, where he has since conducted a successful business as a bootmaker. While in Masterton Mr. Rees was band-master for three years, a member of the orchestral, philharmonic, and operatic societies, and for thirteen years was connected with St. Matthew's Church choir. He is a member and secretary of the fire brigade, a past chief ranger in the Order of Foresters, and was a member of the borough council. In the year 1894 Mr. Rees married Miss Bessie Great-head, and has two children.
was established many years ago as a primary school, and the secondary department was not introduced until the year 1905. The school building stands on a section in East street, and contains six classrooms, with accommodation for 340 pupils. A separate building of four rooms, at the rear of the head-master's residence on the main street, is used as a science and cookery school, and possesses elaborate appliances for teaching agricultural chemistry and cookery. The Greytown District High School is fortunate in having an annual endowment of £180 through the Town Lands Trust. There are 260 scholars on the roll, and the average attendance is 240. At Papawai, two miles and a half distant, there is a small side school in connection with the Greytown District High School, which has an attendance of about twenty pupils, the greater number being Maoris. The head-master of the District High School is assisted by a staff of three male assistants and four female assistants.
B.A., Head-master of the Greytown District High School, was born in Christchurch in June, 1876, and is the eldest son of Mr. W. W. Charters, manager for Messrs. Kinsey, Barnes and Company, of Christchurch. He was educated at the Opawa and West Christchurch public schools, and, after gaining a Soames' scholarship, spent two years at Christ's College. He matriculated in 1892, gained his D certificate in 1895, and then spent twelve months in the Normal Training College, during which time he attended Canterbury College and gained his C certificate. For the following six years he was employed as a relieving teacher, successively at Inglewood, Taranaki; and the Thorndon and Clyde Quay schools, Wellington. In January, 1902, Mr. Charters went to South Africa as a reg mental sergeant-major of the Eighth Contingent, and returned to New Zealand in August of the same year. He then acted as relieving teacher for a short time at the Te Aro and Lower Hutt schools, and in 1903 was appointed first assistant master of the secondary division of the Masterton District High School, where he remained for four years, during which time he completed his B.A., degree. Mr. Charters was appointed to his present position in June, 1907. He is chairman of the Wairarapa Rugby Union, is a junior warden of the Masonic Lodge, and was captain for four years of the Masterton Rifle Corps. Mr. Charters married Miss
Surgeon Dentist, Greytown and Martin-borough. The Greytown practice was established in the year 1903, and in the following year a branch was opened in Martinborough, where Mr. Balfour pays regular professional visits. He was born in Napier, in December, 1881, and is the eldest son of Mr. T. W. Balfour. He was educated at the Napier Boys' High School, and then studied for his profession under Mr. H. W. Frost, with whom he remained for four years. He qualified in 1902, and in the following year established his present practice. Mr. Balfour is a member of the committee of the Wairarapa Rugby Union, a member of the Automobile Association, and is an enthusiastic angler.
Pharmaceutical Chemist, The Pharmacy, Greytown. This well-known pharmacy was established in the year 1869 by Mr. L. St. George, and after passing through several hands is now under the management of Mr. Halse. The shop contains a large stock of drugs, chemists' sundries, proprietary medicines, and toilet requisites. A feature of the establishment is the dispensing of physicians' prescriptions and family recipes, in which the purest drugs are used. Mr. Halse was born in Wellington in June, 1885, was educated at the public school and Wellington College, and afterwards apprenticed to Mr. Sutherland and Mr. St. George. He qualified as a pharmaceutical chemist in the year 1905, became assistant to Mr. Robert Gant, and subsequently took charge of the business, which he has since successfully conducted. Mr. Halse takes a keen interest in music, and is clarionet player and secretary of the Greytown Orchestral Society.
was founded in the year 1900 by Mr. H. T. Rees, its present conductor, and it has a membership of twenty-two. The instruments of the orchestra include four first violins, six second violins, one viola, two clarionets, one flute, one trombone, two cornets, one French horn, one euphonium, one 'cello, two double basses, two drums, and a piano. Practices are held regularly in the public school room, the use of which was granted in recognition of the services rendered by the orchestra in raising the funds to purchase a piano for the school. Public concerts are frequently given, and concerts are also held for charitable purposes. Mr. H. V. Halse is secretary of the society.
Auctioneers, Land, Estate, General Commission, and Indent Agents, Main Street, Greytown. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. This business, which is one of the most important of its kind in the Greytown district, was established in 1900 in Izard's Buildings, and in 1908 was removed to the present premises. These stand on a section one acre in extent, and consist of a large two-storeyed wooden building, with a frontage of twenty-five feet and a depth of 150 feet. On the ground floor there is a well-appointed auction mart, a showroom, a convenient suite of offices, and bulk storerooms. The first floor contains a fine showroom and further storage accommodation. Fortnightly auction sales are held, and private and clearing sales as required. The firm have at all times a large list of properties for sale on their books. They are local managers of the well-known Wairarapa Debt Collecting Company, and are agents for the State Fire Office, the South British Accident Insurance Company, the National Mutual Life Association of Australasia, the Live Stock General Insurance Company; the manures of the Wellington Meat Export Company, the Gear Company, and Messrs. Kempthorne and Prosser; Messrs. McGill and Sons, monumental masons; Messrs. Gibbons and Company, seed merchants; Baltic separators; and the famous horse and cattle remedy, “Oxol.” The firm act as auditors, assignees, and valuators.
was born in Wellington, and is the son of the late Mr. Samuel Maxton, who came to New Zealand by the ship “Birman,” in the year 1842. He was educated at the Church of England School, under Mr. Mowbray, afterwards served an apprenticeship to the bakery business under his father, and then learned the printing trade at the Government Printing Office. After completing his indentures he removed to Masterton, where he was engaged for a few years
Tailor, Main Street, Greytown. This business was established in the year 1901, and is conducted in suitable premises, comprising a shop, fitting room, and workroom, and five persons are employed. Mr. Bannin is an importer of tweeds and tailors' trimmings, and maintains a considerable stock. He was born in February, 1879, in Wellington, and is the third son of the late Mr. James F. Bannin. He was educated at the Marist Brothers' School, served an apprenticeship of five years under his father, and then entered into partnership with his brother in Carterton. The partnership was dissolved two years later, and Mr. Bannin then established his present business. He is a past arch of the Order of Druids, a member of the fire brigade, the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, and the cricket, football, tennis, bowling, and hockey clubs.
Draper and Clothier, Main Street, Greytown. This business was established in 1896, in a small building on the other side of the road, but the business increased so rapidly that the present fine premises were soon afterwards acquired. They consist of a two-storeyed building, which is lighted throughout by a private installation of acetylene gas, and has double plate glass show windows. The shop is well fitted up, and is divided into two main departments, namely, the drapery department, and the clothing, mercery, and boot department. The showroom is well appointed and tastefully arranged, and the whole stock is up-to-date. Mr. Murray was born at Millport, Buteshire, Scotland, in March, 1852, his father being a steam-boat engineer, who came to New Zealand in the early “fifties.” He was educated at a private school, under the late Mr. William Finnimore, in Wellington, and afterwards followed sheep-station life in Mohaka, Hawke's Bay. During the Maori war Mr. Murray served in the militia, but after the Poverty Bay massacre he left the district, and settled in Wellington, where, after a short time spent in accountancy work, he found employment in Te Aro House. Seventeen years later he started business on his own account at the corner of Cuba and Ghuznee streets, but subsequently sold out and established his present business in Greytown. Mr. Murray has taken a keen interest in public matters, was a member of the borough council, and for ten years was secretary of the school committee; he is an ex-president and treasurer of the bowling club, and a director of the Greytown Fruit Growing Company, Limited. He is married, and has one son and two daughters. His son, who was educated at Wellington College, is a successful sheep farmer, residing near Pongaroa, and a member of the Akitio County Council.
Drapers, Clothiers, House Furnishers, and Boot and Shoe Importers, Main Street. Greytown. Head-quarters, Cuba Street, Wellington. The Greytown branch of this important firm was established about 1884, and is now one of the largest businesses of its kind in the South Wairarapa. The premises have a frontage of about forty feet to Main street, and expansive plate glass windows. The shop is divided into two main departments, the drapery and boot department being on one side, and the furniture and furnishing department on the other. The firm import direct from England, and carry a large stock, which is tastefully displayed. Four persons are employed in connection with the business.
Manager of Messrs. Veitch and Allan's Greytown branch, was born in the year 1884 in Marton, where he was educated at the District High School, and after some mercantile and journalistic experience was apprenticed to the drapery trade, under Messrs. White and Company, of Mangaweka, of which branch his father was then manager. He was subsequently employed for twelve months by Mr. R. H. White, of Wanganui, then joined the Wellington staff of Messrs. Veitch and Allan, and in December, 1905, was placed in charge of the Greytown branch. Mr. Humphrey is sub-chief ranger of the Order of Foresters, secretary of the bowling, tennis and hockey clubs, and the fire brigade. He married Miss Dora Trotman, youngest daughter of Mr. E. H. Trotman, and has one daughter.
Hair-dresser and Tobacconist, Main Street, Greytown. This business was established in the year 1902 in a small shop in part of the Palace Hall, which building
was formed in October, 1907, for the purpose of conducting fruit-growing on a large scale, and has already proved very successful, showing that the district is well adapted for the purpose. Mr. D. P. Loasby. to whose enterprise the company owes its origin, thought that if it could be demonstrated that the industry was profitable, Greytown would receive a great impetus from an entirely new source. The Company has a capital of £10,000, and has taken up an area of 518 acres of good land about two miles out of the town.
is a prosperous township and town district, situated at the foot of the Wairarapa Valley, forty-six miles north-east by rail from Wellington, and in the county of Featherston. It is the distributing centre for a rich agricultural and pastoral country, and has butter, cheese, and dairy factories, as well as a sash and door factory, a coach-building and an engineering establishment. There are four churches, a public school, a town hall, Masonic hall, Oddfellows' hall, a court house, public library, two banks, two hotels, and a motor garage. The business of the post and telegraph office, with all the usual branches, is conducted at the railway station. A new post and telegraph office is to be completed in brick by November, 1908, the building to be of two storeys. Featherston is well provided with reserves, and the domain, within five minutes walk of the railway station, is fifty-seven acres in extent. Lake Wairarapa, a large and beautiful sheet of water, lies within a few miles from the town.
was constituted in the year 1881, and has a municipal area of 700 acres. The capital value of property is £64,556, and the rates consist of a general rate of 1£½d. in the pound, a town hall rate of 1£1/16d. in the pound, and a charitable rate of £¼d. in the pound. There are 182 ratepayers, 162 dwellings, and the population at the census of 1906 was 670. A high pressure water supply was inaugurated in 1906, at a cost of £4,500, and the town is lighted by acetylene gas. Meetings of the Board are held on the second Wednesday in the month. Members of the Board are: Messrs. J. W. Card (chairman), W. Benton, M. B. Tait. W. Gilpin, A. Donald, J. A. McCarthy, and W. Hodder. Mr. C. J. Kent-Johnston is town clerk.
Chairman of the Featherston Town Board, was elected a member of the Board in the year 1896, and has been chairman since 1904. He is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, is a past grand master of the Manchester Unity Independent Order of Oddfellows, a member of the Wairarapa Rugby Union, of which he was secretary and chairman for two years, and takes a keen interest in golf, being an ex-captain of the local club. Mr. Card was born in Marsden, Westland, in August, 1871, and is the eldest son of Mr. John Card, of Featherston. He was educated at the Greymouth State school, and then studied law under Mr. M. Hannan, of Greymouth, and, later, with Mr. A. S. Menteath, of Wellington. He was admitted as a solicitor in 1894, and shortly afterwards commenced practice in Featherston, and, later, opened a branch in Martinborough. Mr. Card, who has built up a good practice, is solicitor for (inter alia) the Government Advances to Settlers' Department, the Featherston County Council, the Tawaha Dairy Company, Limited, the Featherston Co-operative Dairy Company, Limited, the Wairarapa Racing Club, and the Lower Valley Jockey Club. He is married, and has three children.
was founded in the year 1907, and has a membership of forty. The object in forming the Chamber of Commerce was to have a representative body of citizens that would co-operate with the Town Board, and also deal with matters tending to the advancement of the district, which were outside the jurisdiction of the Town Board. Considerable activity is displayed in connection with all matters affecting the well-being of Featherston and the surrounding districts. Mr. A. J. Too-good is president and Mr. C. J. Kent-Johnston is secretary, and meetings of the Chamber of Commerce are held monthly in the Town Board offices.
Civil and Mechanical Engineers, Featherston. This business was established in Featherston in the year 1908, but had been conducted for some years at Te Maire, by Mr. Stewart, junior, under the direction of his father, who was then engineer to the Featherston County Council. The premises are situated in the centre of the town, and comprise civil and consulting engineering offices, a large and well-appointed mechanical engineering department, a garage, and electrical and hydraulic workshops. There is a complete plant for the manufacture of every branch of the trade, machinery of every description is designed, manufactured, installed, and repaired; plans and estimates are prepared for road-
was born in Diss, Norfolk, England, was educated at Epsom College, and for some years studied for the medical profession, but subsequently abandoned it in favour of engineering. In the year 1880 he came to New Zealand, and entered the Government service, in which he spent ten years in the public works department, first on the survey staff, and afterwards in the railway workshops. Subsequently he was appointed assistant engineer to the Pahiatua County Council, and resigned in 1893 in order to accept the position of engineer to the Featherston County Council, which office he held until 1908, when he established his present business. Mr. Stewart is consulting engineer to the Featherston County Council. He is married, and has three sons and one daughter.
Builders and Contractors, Revans Street. Featherston, and Otaraia Road, Martinborough. This prosperous business was established by the present senior partner. Mr. William Benton, in the year 1882. The premises stand on a large corner section in Revans street, and comprise a workshop, bulk storerooms, and a large timber yard. There is a complete modern plant for joinery and wood-working, which is driven by a ten-horse power oil engine. The firm undertake building contracts in concrete, brick and plaster, and wood, and are in a position to complete their work, to the extent of painting and plastering, with their own employees. Among the many buildings erected by Messrs. W. Benton and Sons may be mentioned the residence and outbuildings of Mr. W. E. Bidwell. of Rototawa station, and of Mr. A. Matthew, of Wairongamai and Oporai stations, also the town residence of Mr. John Card.
was born in Wellington in July, 1853, and is the eldest son of Mr. Thomas Benton, who came to New Zealand in one of the first ships in the year 1842. He was educated at Karori, afterwards had some farming experience, then learned the building trade in Greytown, and subsequently followed his trade as a journeyman in Featherston for a few years before starting business on his own account. Mr. Benton is a member of the Featherston Town Board, and has been chairman of the school committee for a number of years, is a Freemason and an Oddfellow, and a member of the local bowling club. He served for a number of years as a volunteer officer, and when the local corps was disbanded he formed the present Featherston Rifle Club, of which he has since been captain. Mr. Benton is married, and has four sons and three daughters.
Hair-dresser, Tobacconist, Billiard Saloon Proprietor, and News Agent, Fox Street, Featherston. This business was established in the year 1896, and was taken over by its present proprietor in 1903, since when extensive improvements have been made. The shop carries a fine stock of tobaccos, tobacconists' wares, toilet requisites, books, magazines, stationery, post cards, and a number of daily papers. The hair-dressing saloon is well appointed, and has two chairs. The billiard room possesses an up-to-date table, and is well fitted up. Mr. Robertson was born in Featherston in March, 1879, and was educated at the State school. He afterwards followed a sea-faring life for eight years, then left the sea, and after a short experience of commercial life, purchased his present business. Mr. Robertson is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, the Gun, Cricket, Football, and Bowling Clubs, and the Orders of Freemasons and Oddfellows. He is married, and has one son.
(J. Crawford, proprietor), Featherston. This hotel was first built many years ago, at the time of the foundation of the settlement, and has since been rebuilt. It is a substantial two-storoyed building, situated at the north end of the town, and contains about thirty-five rooms, including a commercial room, several sitting rooms, a dining room, a billiard room, and detached sample rooms. The house is well furnished, the liquors and accommodation are of the best, and a good table is kept. The Royal Hotel is lighted by a private
proprietor of the Royal Hotel, was born in the year 1850, at Glasgow, Scotland, where he was educated and learned the trade of a mechanical engineer. After completing his apprenticeship he spent four years in his profession in America, then returned to Scotland, and in the year 1874 came to New Zealand in the ship “James Nicol Fleming.” For a time he followed his trade in Oamaru, and in 1885 removed to the North Island and leased the Opunake Hotel. He afterwards successively conducted the Central Hotel, in the Lower Hutt, the Branch and Imperial Hotels, in Wellington, and in 1898 took over his present hotel, of which he has since purchased the freehold. Mr. Crawford has been a member of the Order of Druids since 1888.
General Merchants, Featherston. This business was established in 1875 by the late Mr. W. Toogood, and is now conducted by Mr. A. J. Toogood as manager. The premises, which occupy a central position, consist of a large two-storeyed building, containing the store, general office, and the manager's private office. The firm are direct importers, keep a well-assorted stock of groceries, ironmongery, crockery, drapery, clothing, furniture, grain, seeds, and produce, and do a steady trade throughout the town and district. The firm, in conjunction with their business, operate flax property of 1,500 acres in the Wairarapa and Manawatu districts, and are greatly interested in the flax-milling industry.
Manager for the Executors of the Toogood Estate, was born in Wellington in September, 1870, and after leaving school assisted his father in the business, in which he has since been continuously employed. Mr. Toogood takes a keen interest in public matters, is president of the Chamber of Commerce, and chairman of the Featherston branch of the Greytown and Lower Valley Horticultural Society, a steward and treasurer of the South Wairarapa Racing Club, captain of the Golf Club, and a member of the Bowling Club; also patron of the Featherston Fire Brigade, and vice-president of the Cricket and Football Clubs. He is also a director of the Humphries' Patent Bracket and Scaffold Company, Limited. Mr. Toogood is married, and has three children.
is a good sheep-farming district fifty-eight miles north-east from Wellington, in the county of Featherston, and is a half-way place between Lower Valley, Greytown, and Featherston. With the two latter places it has communication by coach, having a daily mail service with Featherston. The original village was called Te Waihinga, but, later, the late Hon. John Martin cut up a portion of his estate there, and laid out the present town. It has a spacious square for its centre, and broad, well-kept streets radiate to all points. The surrounding country for miles is level and undulating, and is chiefly a sheep station district, although there is a considerable area of land suitable for agricultural and dairy farming purposes. There are two cheese factories in the district, one at Dry River and the other at Tawaha. Martinborough is the head-quarters of the Featherston County Council. The town has a sash and door factory, a large boot and shoe and boot polish factory, an extensive coachbuilding and smithing establishment, a post, telegraph and money order office, two hotels, a town hall, a public school, a public library, three churches, a fire brigade, an Oddfellows' hall, three banks, and a triweekly newspaper. The town has a fine racecourse and show grounds, and the social life is represented by Masonic and Oddfellows' lodges, a jockey club, a Caledonian society, a coursing club, an athletic club, and a gymuasium. Martinborough is the best district in New Zealand for deer stalking, and there is also excellent trout fishing. There is a famous Maori carved whare at Table Lands, near Martinborough, belonging to the estate of the late Tamahau Mahupuka.
was formed in April, 1905. The town area is 1,277 acres in extent, and was formerly under the jurisdiction of the Featherston Road Board. At the census of 1906 there was a population of 774. The capital value is £94,000, and the rateable value is £90,832, on which a general rate of 1d. in the pound is levied, and there is also a country rate of £¼d. in the pound. The Board meets on the second Thursday in the month. Members of the Board for 1908: Messrs. Murdoch Ross (chairman), John Boyd, Joseph Jackson, Hugh Mackay, Thomas Kennedy, Wi Hutana, and John William Kershaw. Mr. Frederick McAllum is the town clerk.
who has been a member of the Martinborough Town Board since September, 1906, was born in Martinborough in January, 1881. and was the first child born in the township. After leaving school
who has occupied a seat on the Martinborough Town Board from its inception, was born in Greytown in August, 1862, and is the only son of the late Mr. S. E. Jackson, M.R.C.V.S., for many years veterinary surgeon in the Wairarapa. He was educated at the public schools, and afterwards apprenticed to the blacksmithing and coachbuilding trades. He subsequently removed to Martinborough, where, after working for several years as a journeyman, he started business on his own account as a general blacksmith, in premises situated at the corner of Otaraia and Ohia roads. Mr. Jackson is a steward of the Lower Valley Jockey Club, a member of the school committee, the fire brigade, and the Order of Oddfellows, for some years was bandmaster of the Martinborough Brass Band, and is an official of the coursing club, and of the collie dog club. He is married, and has three sons.
who has been clerk to the Martinborough Town Board since its inception, is also Registrar of Births, Deaths, and Marriages. He was born in New-castle-upon-Tyne in April, 1858, was educated at Singleton House School, and brought up to the wholesale provision business. In the year 1879 he came to New Zealand, and, after a short time spent in the Rangitikei district, removed to Taranaki, where he successfully farmed for five years in conjunction with his brother, Mr. D. McAllum, near New Plymouth. He then went to Canada, farmed for three years at Mossman, and on returning to New Zealand left again for South Australia, where he remained for a few years and engaged in mining and farming. He subsequently returned to New Zealand, and joined the Government Survey Department, and, after eight years spent on the outside staff, resigned on account of an accident, and settled in Martinborough, where he has since taken a keen interest in the advancement of the town. He was appointed town clerk in April, 1905. Mr. Mc-Allum has established a general commission agency business in conjunction with his brother, the firm being known as Messrs. McAllum Brothers. He is married, and has one daughter.
was established in the year 1872, under the name of the Feather-ston Highway Board, and received its present title in the year 1902. It includes the ridings of Greytown, Featherston, Western Lake, Kahautara, Otaraia, Turaganui, Awhea, Pahaoa, and Martinborough. The county has an area of 965 square miles and the northern boundary is between Carterton and Greytown, along the course of the Waiohine river; Palliser Bay and the East Coast are the southern and eastern boundaries; and the Rimutaka range forms the western boundary. The Featherston county has considerable attractions for tourists and sportsmen in the mountain, valley, and pastoral scenery, the beautiful sheet of water known as Lake Wairarapa, which covers 18,844 acres; and in the deer reserves. The population of the county is 3,470; the capital value of property is £2,339,439, and the general annual revenue averages £11,300. There are 469 ratepayers. The county is one of the best roaded in the Dominion, and has within its boundaries some large bridges. The head-quarters of the council are at Martinborough; the council building, which measures thirty-five feet by sixty feet, contains the council chamber, the general office, and the county clerk's and engineer's offices. Members of the council for the year 1908 are: Messrs. A. Matthews (chairman), A. D. McLeod, J. McLeod, A. O. Considine, J. McMaster, W. J. Nix, M. J. H. Jackson, T. Benton, and T. F. Evans. Mr. G. W. Cobb is the county clerk, and Messrs. J. W. Spiers and T. Davis are road overseers.
holds a seat as a member of the Featherston County Council as representative of the Otaraia riding, and had served for five years on the Road Board, which had previously controlled the district. He was also a member of the Town Board, is a trustee and secretary of the Lower Valley Jockey Club (with which he has been connected for nearly thirty years), is a member of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, and the Masonic Fraternity. Mr. Evans was born in Wellington in June, 1852, and is the third son of Mr. John Evans, who came to New Zealand in the ship “Adelaide,” in 1840. After leaving school he was brought up to the saddlery trade, under his elder brother, Mr. J. E. Evans, but subsequently was compelled by an accident to his hand to leave the trade for a few years. In 1878 he removed to Martin-borough,
Treasurer of the Featherston County Council, has always taken a keen interest in the advancement of the district. He was a member of the Licensing Committee, was a justice of the peace, was chairman of the school committee, is a member of the South Wairarapa Hospital Board, is treasurer of the Cemetery Trustees, a member of the Library Trustees, and a member of the executive of the Railway League, of which he was also a promoter. Mr. Considine was born in Burren, County Clare, Ireland, in January, 1849, and at nine years of age went with his parents to South Australia, where, after leaving school, he was brought up to farming pursuits, which he followed for about eighteen years. In 1875 he came to New Zealand, in February of the following year settled in Martinborough, and for eighteen months was employed as carter for Mr. Waterhouse. He then established himself as a general carrier, and conducted a suecessful business for twenty-four years. During this period he also conducted farming in conjunction with his business, and has since taken up farming entirely.
who was appointed clerk to the Featherston County Council In November, 1904, was born in Christchurch, Hampshire, England, in October, 1873, and is the third surviving son of Mr. J. E. Cobb, of Napier. He came to New Zealand with his parents in 1884, was educated in Napier, where he served an apprenticeship of six years to the photography trade. He then studied for the Church, but after passing through part of the theological course he left college, and subsequently received his present appointment. Mr. Cobb is secretary of the Dry River Water Race Committee, and of the Cemetery Trustees, was the Featherston and Martinborough correspondent of the “Wairarapa Standard” for many years, is chairman of the committee of the Caledonian Society, a member of St. Andrew's Vestry, a lay reader, and was chairman for two years of the local school committee, during which time he was instrumental in the erection of a gymnasium. He is married, and has one son and one daughter.
(registered) was founded in the year 1904 for the purpose of connecting the chief stations in the Lower Wairarapa with the Government office in Martinborough. The exchange is at Messrs. Pain and Kershaw's store, at Pirinoa, and a separate wire also connects with the firm's head-quarters at Martinborough and with the Government
No. 150, N. Z. C. For many years the Freemasons of Martinborough travelled regularly to Greytown to attend the meetings there. Steadily the local number grew by the addition of others who came to settle in the district, and when it had reached about twenty, a movement was started to form a local lodge. The proposal was fuly discussed at meetings held in the Martinborough Hotel during the months of November and December, 1906, and when finally the plans were fully developed, the usual petition was sent to the Grand Lodge of New Zealand, which, in due course, granted a charter. Public tenders were then called for the erection of a Masonic hall, and the successful firm, Messrs. W. Benton and Son, deserve praise for the manner in which they carried out the work. It is a fine two-storeyed building, facing the Square, with a balcony. The interior fittings and furnishings are of the best, some of the members of the lodge having rendered valuable service in this connection by handsome donations of furniture and jewels. The lodge room measures thirty-six feet by twenty-four feet, and, together with an anteroom, takes up the whole of the first floor. The ground floor is similarly divided into a convenient ante-room and a large refectory. The lodge was opened in October, 1907, by His Excellency the Governor. The officers are: Mr. G. T. F. Hutton (W. M.), Mr. F. E. Perry (S. W.), Mr. Hugh Mackay (J. W.), Mr. A. McLeod (treasurer), and Mr. Alec Macgregor (secretary). There is a membership of about twenty-five, and meetings are held on the first Wednesday in each month.
is a tri-weekly newspaper, published in Martinborough on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It dates from the 4th of October, 1904, when it first appeared as a bi-weekly paper, and was owned by Mr. J. H. Claridge, who subsequently sold out to Mr. A. C. Nicol. It was issued as a bi-weekly paper until the 11th of February, 1907, when it became a tri-weekly. The office of the “Martinborough Star” is situated near the Square. The premises comprise a large well-lighted printing room, composing room, and public and private offices. The office is connected by telephone (No. 43). The old hand press has given place to a modern Payne and Sons Otley D. D. Wharfedale printing machine, driven by a Hercules gas engine. The “Star” contains four pages of seven columns each, and has a large circulation in the district. In politics it is independent.
Manager and Editor of the “Martinborough Star,” was born in Kilwinning, Ayrshire, Scotland, in October, 1870, and was educated at Hutchesontown Grammar School, in Glasgow. He then served an apprenticeship of five years to the printing trade, under Messrs. Hay, Nisbet and Company, of London and Glasgow, and came to New Zealand in the year 1891. Mr. Nicol found employment for three years as a journeyman at his trade in various parts of the Dominion, and in 1896 was appointed manager for Mr. E. H. Waddington's printing establishment in Masterton, where he remained until 1907, when he resigned to take over the “Martinborough Star.” Mr. Nicol is a director of ceremonies in the local lodge of Freemasons, is also a past master in the Order, and a past secretary in the Masterton lodge of Druids; he is also a member of the racing and coursing clubs and the Caledonian Society. In October, 1897, he married Miss Urie, of Glasgow, and has two sons and one daughter.
(D. M. Lister, proprietor), Otaraia Road, Martinborough. This business was established in the year 1896 by Mr. Croot, and was acquired by the present proprietor in the year 1900. The premises comprise a shop, refreshment rooms, and the bakehouse, and there is also boarding accommodation. The bakehouse, fitted with the latest appliances, has a capacity of 300 loaves per day. An extensive retail trade is conducted, and there is a large daily output of bread. The proprietor makes a specialty of catering for wedding parties, balls, and other functions.
was born in May, 1866, at Milton, Otago, where he was educated, and was afterwards apprenticed to the bakery trade under Mr. Wood, of Dunedin. He then worked successively in Wellington, Masterton, Eketahuna, and Greytown as a journeyman, and subsequently purchased his present business. Mr. Lister was one of the founders of the local lodge of Freemasons, in which he holds the office of junior deacon; is a member and was for some time a steward of the racing club, and is a member of the school committee. He is married, and has two sons and two daughters.
Builder and Contractor, and Sash and Door Manufacturer, Martinborough. This business was established by the present proprietor in the year 1904, and is conducted in premises situated in Strathberg street, consisting of an up-to-date wood-work factory, with an office, furniture showroom, and workshop. There is a complete and up-to-date plant of machinery, driven by a six-horse power portable engine. The proprietor is a well-known builder, and is entrusted with a large amount of work, and employs about six persons. Mr. Bennett was born at Karori, Wellington, on February 28th, 1861, was educated at the Thorndon public school, under Mr. Mowbray, and afterwards learned the building trade under his father in Wellington. He worked as a journeyman for some time in Wellington, and subsequently conducted business on his own account in Johnsonville and Greytown, prior to establishing his present business. In 1886 Mr. Bennett carved and forwarded to the Inter-Colonial Exhibition at South Kensington six walking sticks, for which he was awarded a medal and a certificate. While in Greytown Mr. Bennett was a member for two years of the Borough Council and the South Wairarapa Hospital Board, and was the first secretary of the South Wairarapa Hospital and Charitable Trotting Club. During his period of office he was instrumental in having the profits of the club devoted to the erection of the present operating theatre in the South Wairarapa Hospital. He is also chairman of the Martinborough School Committee. Mr. Bennett is married, and has three sons and one daughter.
Builders and Contractors, Featherston and Martinborough. The Martinborough branch of this well-known building firm was established in the year 1902, in which year Mr. W. O. Benton entered into partnership with his father, and took charge of the branch. The premises stand on a site one acre and a half in extent on Otaraia road, and comprise the joinery works, store sheds, a shop, and spacious yards, where the timber is thoroughly seasoned before being used. The firm have erected a number of buildings in the town and district, including the premises of Mr. G. H. Grimmer, Mrs. Kirby's boarding house, the premises of Mr. John Boyd, Mr. R. Smith's residence, Mr. D. Cameron's residence, the borough council chambers, the Masonic hall, and the country residences of Messrs. E. F. McLeod and V. Saunderson. On an average about twenty persons are employed in connection with the Martinborough business.
of the firm of Messrs. W. Benton and Son, was born in January, 1876, in Featherston, where, after leaving school, he was apprenticed to the
Coach-builder, Wheelwright, and General Blacksmith, Otaraia Road, Martin-borough. Telephone No. 32. P.O. Box, 23. This business was established in the year 1882 by Mr. John Hodge, and was acquired by the present proprietor in the year 1902. The premises comprise an office, a smithy (with three forges), and a wood-work shop carrying a complete modern plant of machinery, driven by a ten-horse power Tangye gas engine. All kinds of vehicles are manufactured, and, in addition to coach-building, a large amount of implement making and repairing, horse-shoeing, and general blacksmithing work is executed, and twelve persons are employed in connection with the business. The proprietor is the local agent for Messrs. Cooper and Duncan, and also for the Empire horse and cattle medicines. Mr. Aitchison was born at Blue Spur, near Lawrence, in September, 1866, and was educated and brought up to the black-smithing trade at Heriot. He then spent two years and a half as a journeyman in New South Wales and Victoria, and on his return to New Zealand spent eighteen months with his brother in Heriot, and then went to Clyde, Central Otago. Later he bought his brother's business at Heriot, but after conducting it for three years sold out on account of ill-health. For two years he worked as a journeyman, afterwards settled in Kelso, Otago, where he conducted a blacksmithing business for four years, and then farmed for two years. Disposing of his property he found temporary employment in the Southland Implement Works, Invercargill, and subsequently removed to the North Island and acquired his present business in Martinborough. Mr. Aitchison takes a great interest in church work, is an elder and lay reader in the Presbyterian Church, and superintendent of the Dry River Sunday school. He is also a member of the Caledonian Society, of which he was for some time a steward, is president of the tennis club, and a member of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association and the Order of Oddfellows. Mr. Aitchison is married, and has one son and three daughters.
was founded in June, 1907, with Mr. E. R. McDonald as chairman of directors, and Mr. John Jolly as secretary. The factory, situated in the Tawaha district, some miles from Martinborough, is a wooden building, with an up-to-date cheese-making plant, and has twelve suppliers. Mr. A. M. A. Wright is the manager.
Millinery and Drapery Establishment, Otaraia Road, Martinborough. This business was established in the year 1906, and is conducted in centrally situated premises, with large plate-glass windows. The front portion of the building contains the shop, showroom, and proprietor's office; and at the rear is the millinery and dressmaking department. Mr. Macgregor keeps a well-selected stock in all departments.
proprietor of Glasgow House, was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in February, 1872, and after leaving school learned the trade of designing, weaving, spinning, and dyeing of woollen and cotton fabrics. In this connection he studied at the technical college, where he gained a bronze medal and a diploma, and also secured the honours certificate of the City and Guilds of London Institute. For nine years he was employed by Messrs. A. Napier and Company, of Glasgow, and in 1902 resigned on account of ill-health and came to New Zealand. For three years and a half he conducted a successful business in Queen street, Masterton, and then removed to Martinborough, and established his present business. Mr. Macgregor is secretary of Lodge Waihenga, No. 150, N.Z.C., and is a member of the Order of Druids.
Tailor and Costumier, Otaraia Road, Martinborough. The premises consist of a large shop, a workroom, and fitting rooms. A large and well-selected stock of ladies' and gentlemen's tailoring materials is kept, and a specialty is made of ladies' riding habits. Mr. Playle was born in Norwich, Norfolk, England, in June, 1866, and after leaving school learned the tailoring trade in some of the leading tailoring establishments in London. In 1890 he came to New Zealand, spent four years at his trade in Wellington, and then started business on his own account in Greytown. Eleven years later he joined his brother in Palmerston North, and for two years they successfully traded in partnership. Mr. Playle subsequently withdrew, and established his present business in Martinborough. He is a past master of the Order of Freemasons, and a member of the Order of Foresters. He is married, and has five children.
Hair-dresser and Tobacconist, Otaraia Road, Martinborough. The premises occupied by this business consist of a two-storeyed
(J. Jolly and D. Byrne, proprietors), Otaraia Road, Martinborough. This business was established in the year 1902, and was acquired in 1906 by Mr. J. Jolly, who in the following year took Mr. D. Byrne into partnership. The firm also conduct a Labour Bureau, and are agents for the Dresden Piano Company and the South British Fire Insurance Company.
of the Martin-borough Cycle and Motor Garage, was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and came to New Zealand at eleven years of age. He followed farming pursuits for some time, and then took up dairy factory work. He served on the staff of the Ballance and Rongotea factories for several years, and later was employed by Messrs. Nathan and Company, and Messrs. Beattie, Lang and Company as creamery manager in the Manawatn and Hawke's Bay districts. Mr. Jolly is secretary of the Tawaha Co-operative Dairy Company, Limited, the Martinborough Caledonian Society, and other bodies.
of the Martinborough Cycle and Motor Garage, was born in Rakaia, New Zealand, in the year 1874, and was brought up to the motor and cycle trade. In 1900 he joined the Fifth Contingent at Auckland, and had two and a half years' active service in South Africa, where he rose from a trooper to the rank of captain. On his return to New Zealand he resumed his trade as a motor and cycle engineer, and joined Mr. J. Jolly at Martinborough in 1907 to supervise the business there. For motor cycle track racing Mr. Byrne holds New Zealand records.
General Storekeepers and Merchants, Martinborough. This business was established in the year 1873 by Mr. George Pain, who was joined in partnership by Mr. Haycock and Mr. Kershaw, Mr. Haycock subsequently withdrawing. The premises, which occupy a valuable corner section in the town, have a frontage of sixty feet to Otaraia road, and 100 feet to the Square, and comprise a shop, a showroom, an office, bulk storerooms, and packing and unpacking sheds. The building, which is of brick, with tile facings, is surmounted on the corner with a handsome dome, and it has expansive plate glass windows. The principal entrance is on the corner of the Square and Otaraia road, and there is a private entrance and covered-in cartway on the Square, at the rear of the building. The whole building is well appointed, and is lighted by a private installation of acetylene gas. The shop, which is divided into different departments, carries a heavy stock of drapery, boots and shoes, groceries, crockery, ironmongery, fencing materials, heavy iron goods, and furniture. Messrs. Pain and Kershaw also have grain and produce stores and stabling accommodation in another part of the town. The firm have a branch store at Pirinoa, which is a fine building, comprising both the
Managing Partner of Messrs. Pain and Kershaw, was born in Timaru, South Canterbury, in March, 1873, and was educated at Mt. Cook school, in Wellington. He afterwards found employment for a short time with Messrs. P. Hayman and Company, of Wellington, and then learned the grocery trade under Mr. W. Bristow. He was then employed for several years by the Wairarapa Farmers' Co-operative Asociation in Masterton, Carterton, and Pahiatua. In October, 1898, he entered the employment of Messrs. Pain and Haycock, and in the following year became a partner. Mr. Kershaw is a Commissioner and treasurer of the Town Board, and a past master and treasurer of the local lodge of Oddfellows.
Traction Engine Proprietors and Heavy Haulage Contractors, Venice Street, Martinborough. Telephone, No. 22. This business was established in the year 1900 by Mr. W. Chapman, and has now one of the finest plants in the North Wellington district. The plant comprises two traction engines of six and eight-horse power respectively, one threshing mill, two chaff cutters, one baling press, one portable saw-bench, four traction waggons, two water-carts, and two sleeping vans, and there is one seven-horse waggon team. In addition there are machinery storage sheds, stables, and ample paddock accommodation in Venice street. The company undertake wood-sawing, chaff-cutting, threshing, and the haulage of wool and other farm produce to the Featherston railway station. The firm constantly employ sixteen persons in connection with the business.
was born at Doyleston, Canterbury, in August, 1872, was educated at the Flaxton main school, and for some years followed farming pursuits, chiefly with Mr. Hay Smith, of Kaiapoi Island. In the year 1896 he removed to the North Island, and for three years found employment as manager of Mr. McPhee's traction plant in Carterton. In 1899 he entered into partnership with Mr. Thomas Greenway as traction engine proprietors, and on the dissolution of the firm, about twelve months later, he started his present business. Mr. Chapman is a member of the Orders of Freemasons and Oddfellows. In 1898 he married Miss Smith, of the Wairarapa, and has two sons and one daughter.
(H. MacKay, proprietor), Otaraia Road, Martinborough. This business was acquired in 1902 by Mr. MacKay, who also holds the Royal Mail contract between Martinborough and Featherston. The stables contain twenty-five stalls, besides a ladies' waiting room and an office. The plant includes four coaches, three brakes, three buggies, and five gigs. Fifty horses are employed in the business. The travelling public can always rely upon getting a reliable turn-out at the Royal Mail Stables, and the conveyance of sporting, holiday, and deerstalking parties is also undertaken.
proprietor of the Royal Mail Stables, was born in Christchurch in April, 1862, and after leaving school removed to the North Island, where he had considerable commercial experience. He subsequently followed sheep station life for some years, and afterwards farmed for some time on his own account on the East Coast, until taking over his present business. Mr. MacKay has been a member of the Town Board from its inception, is treasurer and steward of the Lower Valley Jockey Club, president of the local football club, and vice-president of the Caledonian Society.
Forwarding Agent, General Carrier, Traction Engine Proprietor and Heavy Haulage Contractor, Martinborough. This business was established in the year 1899, with a dozen draught horses and three waggons. A large trade is done in traction haulage, and goods are forwarded to any part of the Dominion. The plant includes an Aveling and Porter traction engine, another powerful engine and heavy road hauling apparatus, two road-metal waggons, and four ordinary heavy haulage waggons. A large and increasing business is conducted, and about twelve persons are employed. Mr. Orbell was born at Moeraki, Otago, in December, 1860, and is the second son of the late Mr. Arthur Orbell, of Waikouaiti. After leaving school he found employment in general farm work, shearing, etc., and was engaged in both New Zealand and Australia, prior to establishing his present business. Mr. Orbell is a member of the jockey, coursing, and rifle clubs. He is married, and has four children.
the taxidermist and deer-stalker of Martinborough, is known all over the British Empire as one of the most expert taxidermists and most skilful stalkers in the Australasian Colonies. For many years he has made a close study of the nature and habits of the deer, and is regarded as a reliable authority on matters pertaining thereto. Mr. Ross was born in Caithness, Scotland,
(G. D. McKenzie), Manaia. This hotel is a two-storeyed building, containing twenty-one bedrooms, two sitting rooms, and two bathrooms on the first floor, and twelve rooms on the ground floor. The house, which is a new one, is lit throughout with electric light, and there is a hot and cold water service. There is also a billiard room, good stabling, and paddock accommodation. The Manaia Hotel is the stopping place for the Hawera-Manaia and Opunake-Manaia coaches.
proprietor of the Manaia Hotel, was born in the year 1875, in Dunedin, where he was educated. At sixteen years of age he entered the railway service, in which he continued for twelve years, and for nine years of this period was engaged as a fitter at Addington Railway Workshops. He finally left the service in order to take over the Railway Hotel, Waitotara, and in 1907 removed to Manaia, and took over his present hotel. During his residence in Canterbury, Mr. McKenzie was for some time a member of the E Battery and the West Christchurch Swimming Club, and was for twelve years connected with the Albion Football Club. He has also been a member of the Wanganui Gun Club and an honorary member of the Wairoa Mounted Rifles. In 1897 he married a daughter of the late Mr. F. A. Butterfield, of Dunedin (Returning Officer for Bell Ward), and has one daughter.
Pharmaceutical Chemist, Hawera. Mr. Wallace was born and educated in Auckland, and learned his profession under Mr. Graves Aitken, of that city, whose assistant he was for two years. Mr. Wallace went to Hawke's Bay in 1893, and for twelve months was assistant to Mr. Eccles, of Napier. In the early part of 1895 he took charge of Mr. Eccles' Hastings branch, but subsequently established his present business.
(A. C. Scrimgeour, proprietor), Waipawa. This hotel was established many years ago, and is a large wooden building, well furnished and fitted up, containing nearly sixty rooms. On the ground floor, to which there are three entrances, are situated two dining rooms (with accommodation for 150 guests), extensive club quarters, four comfortable sitting rooms, a commodious and well-appointed commercial room, and a double bar. A large stairway leads to the first floor, which contains thirty airy, well-lighted, and comfortable bedrooms, three bathrooms, (with hot and cold water laid on), and several lavatories. Only the best liquors are stocked, a good table is kept, and the tariff is moderate. At the rear of the building there are three large sample rooms, several storage sheds, and up-to-date stables. The grounds contain a bowling green and tennis court, and flower and vegetable gardens. The Empire Hotel is largely patronised by commercial men and the travelling public. Mr. Scrimgeour is assisted by a competent staff, and he spares no pains in promoting the comfort of his guests.
proprietor of the Empire Hotel, was born in the parish of Methven, Perthshire, Scotland, in the year 1840, his father, Mr. Peter Scrimgeour, being engaged on the Balgowan Estate. He was educated in Perthshire, afterwards learned farming, and in 1863 came to New Zealand under engagement to the Hon. H. R. Russell, of Mount Herbert, Waipukurau. The vessel in which he sailed, the “Rangoon,” became almost a complete wreck on the Ramsgate Downs a day or two after her departure. Putting into Ramsgate, a delay of two months occurred for repairs, and a second start was made on the 24th of January, 1864. After a protracted time at sea the “Rangoon” was almost destitute of provisions when she made Sydney harbour, where another month was occupied in refitting. On the 24th of July, Napier was reached, and an eventful voyage of eight months brought to a happy termination, though the ill-fated “Rangoon” had almost every vestige of her bulwarks washed away in a final storm in the Bay of Plenty. Mr. Scrimgeour landed in Napier, and after four years with the Hon. H. R. Russell was transferred to
Piano and Music Importer, Ridgway Street, Wanganui. Mr. Gilbert, who is referred to at length on page 598 of this volume, has a thorough knowledge of repairing and tuning pianos and organs. His eldest son, Mr. Ellery George Gilbert, who was for some time with the firm of Messrs. C. Begg and Company, of Dunedin, is an efficient tuner and repairer, and assists in his father's business.
was born in the year 1857, in Jersey, where he was brought up to the business of a licensed victualler. He came to New Zealand in the year 1874, by the ship “Stonebridge,” and landed at Lyttelton. He found employment at Warner's Hotel, Christchurch, for two years, and then went to Kumara, and was afterwards for one year at Mr. Church's Empire Hotel, Hokitika. Mr. Ryan next went to Wellington, and was employed for some time in the Occidental Hotel. He then became proprietor of the Criterion Hotel, Blenheim, which he conducted for seven years, when he returned to Wellington, and was at the City Hotel for one year and a half. He afterwards removed to Woodville, where he became proprietor of the Commercial Club Hotel. Mr. Ryan subsequently sold out, went to Wellington, and acquired the Private Hotel at Kaiawarra. While in Blenheim Mr. Ryan was for three years a member of the Borough Council. He was also a member of the school committee, treasurer of the Marlborough Racing and Trotting Club, originator and secretary of the Marlborough Gun Club, promoter and treasurer of the Marlborough Licensed Victuallers' Association, senior warden of Lodge Killarney, and an officer in the Royal Arch Chapter. On leaving Blenheim he was presented with a handsome gold watch, suitably engraved, as a token of the esteem in which he was held by his fellow townsmen. Mr. Ryan was for about two years part owner with Mr. Sutherland of a run in Queen Charlotte Sound; and he was also the owner of the hurdler “Clyde,” the racer “Gladstone,” and the hack “Pearl.”
Photographs for the following blocks came to hand too late to be worked into position with the articles to which they belong; but the connection is, in each case, established by means of the names of the persons concerned, and the pages on which their articles appear.
H. J. Weeks, Ltd., Printers, Corner of Tuam and Madras Streets, Christchurch.—50881.