IN THE EARLY DAYS.

Auckland Star, Volume 55, Issue 94, 21 April 1924, Page 5

IN THE EARLY DAYS.

■■ ■ m TE KOOTI'S RAID RECALLED, AUCKLAND'S OLDEST MERCHANT. LIVING IN PARNELL. "I believe I am the oldest surviving merchant of those who were in business in Auckland in the early days." said Mr. Geo. S. Jakins, in a chat with a "Star" representative. Mr. R. C. Carr, of Remuera, who has a business in Swanson Street, is another of our early merchants. ' Asked his age, Mr. Jakins said: "I am 85 years old and I was born in London. I am glad to say I have no pains, no rheumatism, and .my eyesight and hearing are still good, but my legs are going back on mc a bit. I was apprenticed to a chemist in London, but that was too slow for mc, so I came out to the colonies to make a fortune. I landed in Auckland in December, 1850. It is a very different place to what it was when I first set eyes on it 65 years ago. I was working at. first for Owen and Graham, but lost my billet at the end of my honeymoon. Mr. L. D. Nathan, founder of L. D. Nathan, Ltd., offered 'to back mc, and I started business in Queen Street about where the Prince Imperial Buildings are. I did all right, and then joined the late Mr. S. J. Edmonds. We built up a big business, but we got a bad knock when Te Kooti raided Poverty Bay. There was a lot of credit given in those days and when that raid took place the people on the East Coast owed our firm £25,000. Te Kooti raided the stores, and killed some of those who owed us money. We only recovered about £5000 out "of the whole amount. Later on I went into the produce trade and was a partner in the firm of Jakins and Wilcox, Durham Street. Patrolling the City. "I joined the volunteers in Auckland when I was 21 years old. That was before the Waikato war. I was 23 when that war began, and, being a married man, had to do patrol duty in town. There was a ring of blockhouses around the town, and we had to march at night until we met the next patrol. We did two hours at a spell, and the streets were pretty muddy in winter. Sometimes the settlers would invite us into their houses to have a hot drink, which was very welcome I can tell you. When not on patrol we had to sleep in the blockhouse on the bare boards, so as to be ready to turn out if an alarm was given. One blockhouse was at Fort Britomart, and another on the Point in Freeman's Bay. I have slept in both of them. The point at Freeman's Bay was afterwards cut down to fill in and make Patteson Street. Our tramp from the Britomart blockhouse was up Symonds Street to another one in Karangahape Road." ' Mr. Jakins stated that he built one of the first houses in concrete in Auckland and he paid f 100 for a section opposite the top of Franklin Road, and the building cost £1500. Years afterwards he sold it for £3000. "The house is there yet," he said, "and as good as ever." Mr. Jakins, it may. be mentioned, lost his wife quite recently, after having been married 59 years.