A LINK WITH THE PAST.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 161, 1 April 1908, Page 9

A LINK WITH THE PAST.

RETIREMENT OE CUSTOMS ' VETERAN. Mr. Samuel Kent, the. geiiiiiFmesseriger of the Customs Department tte; b^st' known figures. oil. the whns^ ,^ov.6rfed:llHii[ .c6li > - iie'6tibri' with the irtfVV ipg. 'retired on; pension , r witli' tlifw-months': •'leave. on full pay. EiJift SSs "kiib'wii to? jiracticnlly every; shipmaster-ivho used .the port, .and .had come- tq,- j) j ndrt"'ind-jiarecl-/bf- : ni Ireland .in.- lBlOj ; amUicamOi.i'p. land in : 1860. ', .-After months, in Wellington-," to Nelson, and' Was •ydar«'.- working 'on : the'.fo^wa£Jw|bsi"\vjis being, laid .in connectttm'. vjifK'" . .Mountain copper mind. l Ls^.-ibfift i }ydgfeto, :thci gold diggings at Dunedin, alia after spending four "years thorp- • whero'ho.worked; for .various merchants.- In 1577, : he: joined thd'Cu®i\{^.9epartmeiib'jfasj boatman; and subsequently the • position 6f .messenger,•• which, posiflio h'el'd"up to his fetirem'ent' yesterday, -Jming -• served., under. * six different . Collcctors,;,,oLCustoms-—Messrs.. H. S. M'KollarJ T. Hill, ; j., D. ; 51'Kellarv D; Jphnston, r) qnd''Rv ; Ca'r|er"^dm> l ing his thirty-one " Sam Kent,' ris lie i|;|bf^Vfo{^^'M?-9$ inoxhaufctible storo of yiformnfipn'regarding tho :doirig of boats .fj/rn the' early days right. .remembers Wellington th,e' inhabitants do.. The - duties'ffi'tlio 'unatothS' boatmeii in .1877 were I'd take" the "tido Surveyor but to. vessels,.wJ}9|i*. tliey.i.nrravqdf.iii the stream and return'with tHo' liiiiiVr'' Tho mail of tlioso days, according-to-tho-retiring ex-boatman, was often of such dimensions that it could : bo brought' ! 'aShord' T irr v fi- r c'oa:t : pocket. : '• _ \ ' .... -Before taking' his -leave.,iyeSter^aiy,v;slr.r Kent was presented with iki silver': watch and-, a set of pipes by the offiijers of' tlio .'CustomsDepartment'.-' •ri;C.|->;V-.-.'r,vi ii;-;