HALF A CENTURY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 200, 18 May 1908, Page 9

HALF A CENTURY.

MR. HERBERT GABY'S REMINISCENC.ES. MANY INDUSTRIAL ENTERPRISES. Mr. Herbert Gaby, who leaves Wellington by the lonic this week oil a tiro years' trip to the Old Country, has been fitly described as the father of ironmasters, but his energy has not been confined to a single |channcl. For half a century ho has been in tho front ranks of industrial pioneering, and, though ho has now retired from' business, he carries his fivc-and-seventy. years lightly, and stilly has an iictivo step and a vigorous mind. Mr. Gaby obligingly gave a representative of this journal sonic particulars of his career. .

Fifty-ono Years Ago. "I camo out to New Zealand 51 years ago," said Mr. Gaby, "leaving England on July 12, 1857. My father was one of tho leading solicitors in the city of Bath, and I was brought up to his profession, but I did not liko it, and I abandoned it. On arriving in New Zealand I'went to Wanganui, whero I lived for six years. I'was one of what I think was tho first party of white men' to go up the Wanganui River without the assistance of tho Natives. Mr. Booth, who was afterwards a Magistrate at Gisborne, was the head of the party. I never enjoyed any other trip so much as that ono up'tho fine river, amidst tho bush in ' all its verdant beauty. W<e went as far as Ohincmutu, 011 tho river abovo Pipiriki. A Flour Mill in the Early Days. ."My first industrial undertaking was a flour mill at Wanganui,'worked by water powor. I had to plan and build 7 tho whole thing, including tho dam. '■ Unfortunately, I had been misinformed about tho quantity of water available, and in 18C2 I had to give it 'up. People sometimes grumbles about tho prico of (lour nowadays.. They might, bo surprised to hear that Mr. Peter Lang used to give mo £25 a ton for my best flour. Ho used to get of tho flour from Australia, but he said "mine was as good as that. : The Diggings. , "Tho diggings broke out in 1862, and I went to Gabriel's Gully. I;.worked tliero five" weeks, and got nothing. Afterwards I crossed over to, Waitahuna, in the. noxt valley, and there three of us, working together, were taking out 6oss. a day._ \ During part of the timo I w'as on the diggings bread was sold at ss. a loaf.. j Sawmilling. ■ ,-i . - , "Leaving the diggings in. the latter, part of 1862, I wont to Nelson to. look at -the timber country, and finally started satfmilling in" tho Mabakipawa , Valley, Pelonis Sound, leasing ail area' of land in that district, whero I remained until 1870. Wo were! Quito content in those days to deliver our timber on board tho ships' at 4s. or ss. per 100 ft.' We wero paying ; .good wages. ...The head henchman got ,11s. a day (eight hours),' tho second man 95., tho engine driver 10s., the buslimon 10s. and 95., and other hands in proportion. ' Thov. boarded themselves,' b«t, l of course, they had 110 rent to pay.

Other Enterprises. "In 1870 I went Home to England, and was away -ten months. "When I came back the Dominion was in a terribly depressed condition, and many of my friends did riot 1 know what to do for a living. I started a soap and candle ,wbrks, which I carried on Until the business was bought by Kitchen! and Co., of. Melbourne, who.ran it for twentyyears. I made the first- ten tons of Washing soda that was. manufactured in'.Now Zealand. After selling out, I started . a small engineering workshop • ,'in Crawford Street. I made-a speciality ,of wrought-ii-on split pulleys and toy own patent gas stpves."My outgrow. the Cjyairford Street premises, and'iri-ISOG'T jfe' moved it to !Rovans Street, where I '.'pro-' diieed general jrou.workj bridge castings, and ,'steam. <yigine. ; lmilding. 1 carried ',on thero until ■ last December.: when. I'• sold out to Messrs!- M'Keegair Bros. ...

"Looking back over my , half-century in iNew Zealand, t must say that in> my opinion 'the conditions of industrial enterprise have not altogether improved of lato years. Under tho existing labour laws, administered as they aro, I think it would be dangerous'just now. to start any big undertaking such ,as I have carried on'in the past.," . . ,

. Tho Wellington branch of the New .Zealand Ironmasters' .A ssociation will. say. eobd r bye to Mr. Gaby at,their meeting to-night.