Pahia is forty miles from Invercargill, on the Orepuki branch line of railway. At the census of 1901, the village and neighbourhood had a population of 151. The dis- page 946 trict is a portion of the Orepuki riding of the county of Wallace, and is in the electoral district of Wallace. The flag station is four miles from Orepuki, and between the railway line and the sea there is a considerable extent of open country. There is also an extensive area of bush land, where several sawmills are at work, and flaxmilling, also, is carried on in the district. The coast line, which is the south coast of the Middle Island, is very broken, but exceedingly picturesque. At the island of Matariki, which lies off the coast near the settlement, there is an old Maori pa, of which a view is given at page 777 of this volume. Pahia Point and Pahia Hill are amongst the distinctive features of the landscape. Pahia has a public school, which is attended by about thirty children. The local post office is named Dalmore.

Pahia Sawmill (Timpany Brothers, proprietors), Pahia. This mill employs twenty men, and is distant about a mile and a-half from the Pahia siding. The plant is a very complete one, and includes a sixteen horse-power engine, two benches, two planing machines, ten horse-power, and eight horse-power hauling engines, a swing saw for slabs, and a bench for box work. There is a winch for the breaking-down bench, and a force-pump for use in case of fire. The daily output is about 6,000 feet.

Mr. Charles Cook , Manager of the mill, has his home at Makarewa, where he holds a seven-acre freehold and a seven-roomed house. He was born at Greenock, Scotland, in 1859, and arrived at the Bluff in 1874. Having, in his capacity as a carpenter, been connected with the building of several sawmills, Mr Cook drifted into sawmill work, and was for some time manager of the Pine Company's Wright's Bush mill. He took charge of the Pahia mill in 1904. Mr Cook is chairman of the Makarewa Domain Board, and was for some years on the Makarewa school committee. In 1884, he married a daughter of the late Mr Charles Tulloch, sawmiller, of Invercargill, and has five sons and three daughters.

Gerstenkorn, photo
Mr. and Mrs C. Cook.

Watson And Harrington's Sawmill (Messrs Watson Brothers and Harrington, proprietors), Pahia. This mill is situated within a short distance of the Pahia railway siding.

Mr. Peter Cussen , Engine-driver and machinist at Watson and Harrington's sawmill, is a son of Mr Michael Cussen, ganger on the Orepuki line. He was born at Riverton in 1882, educated at Pahia, and followed farm work for some years. In 1901 he started work at the sawmills, and afterwarde took to engine-driving. He holds a second-class competency certificate for stationary engines. Mr Cussen is a member of Lodge Wallace, Independent Order of Oddfellows, American Constitution.

Wrigglesworth and Binns, photo.
Mr. P. Cussen.

Crow, William Peter , Farmer, Pahia. Mr Crow owns a farm of 240 acres, between Pahia and Orepuki, and carries on mixed farming, principally grazing. He was born in Nelson, in June, 1844, and is the son of a very old colonist, who was the first butcher in Dunedin. For some years Mr Crow worked on stations, and joined the first “rush” to Gabriel's Gully. He was for many years afterwards engaged in mining, and was one of the first to start work at the Orepuki diggings. He was also at sea for a short period. In 1879. he took up a farm at Pahia, but sold it later on, in order to take up his present farm. He was one of the first members of the Sons of Perseverance Lodge of Oddfellows, at Riverton. Mr Crow married a daughter of the late Mr David Key Smith, of Spear Grass Flat, in 1893, and has a family of two sons and four daughters.

McPherson, Archibald , Farmer, Pahia. Mr McPherson, who is one of the pioneer settlers of Pahia, has a fine farm of 600 acres, not far from the railway siding, on which he conducts mixed farming. He was born, in 1842, at Kilkinzie, Argyleshire, Scotland, and was educated at Oatfields school. After leaving school, he became a shepherd, and spent some years in that occupation. In 1863, he arrived in New Zealand by the ship “Helenslea.” He was engaged for some years in stockdroving in Southland, and in 1873, in partnership with Mr W. B. Kingswell, he bought the Pahia run. Later on, he carried on a butchery business at Orepuki, but this is now conducted by one of his sons.

Mr. A. McPherson.

Mr McPherson's present farm was bought in 1875. Mr McPherson has been for five years chairman of the Pahia school committee, and he was for five years a member of the Wallace County Council. He is a Master Mason in the Aparima Lodge, Riverton. In 1877, he married a daughter of the late Mr Peter Crow, of Riverton, and has three sons and three daughters.