The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Taranaki, Hawke's Bay & Wellington Provincial Districts]
Wood Trade
Wood Trade.
Mr. William Ward, 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.
Bunting, photo.
Mr. W. Ward.
Holt, Robert, 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.