TWO LAND SALES

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 240, 11 July 1928, Page 10

TWO LAND SALES

' MAYOR AND MINISTER IN REMINISCENT MOOD WHAT “WELLINGTON CITY BROUGHT “When I arrived here forty years ago,” said the Mayor (Mr. G. A. Troup) at the opening of (be new Fire Brigade station at Brooklyn yesterday, “Brooklyn was just a great hill in the distance without any houses on it. At that time there were advertisements on hoardings all over the city announcing a sale of land at Brooklyn. One of the devices used was a series of life-sized pictures of the world’s greatest statesmen, including William Ewart Gladstone, Lord Rosebery, and others, as the' class of meh who would like to buy a section at Brooklyn. I did not know their feelings in the matter at that time, but if it were possible for such men to come up to Brooklyn today, I dare say they would consider it very good business to own a section in such a district.” A More Ancient Sale. “Your Mayor has told.you of one sale of Brooklyn land that took place forty years ago,” said Sir Maui Pomare, "I want to put the hands of the clock back another 40 years, to a sale that took place about 80 years ago—when there were no' advertisements, no posters, and no hoardings. (Laughter.) That was the sale of Wellington. One of my predecessors was a party to that sale, and received as his share of the purchase money two barrels of rum, two kegs of tobacco, 20 red nightcaps, 50 umbrellas, two gross of Jew’s harps, and two pin-lock pistols, one .of which is still in my possession. Anyone can have it If they give me back its equivalent in Wellington land. (Laughter.) A Clever Ruse.

“Then we come down a few years to the big fire in Wellington, one not on the records of the brigade. It occurred in the Karorl hills,' at a time when one of my ancestors elected to come south to kill off a few of the pakeha invaders. But he found that there were too many pakeha s for him to proceed with the business, with that freedom of action so necessary to one’s personal comfort, so he sent one man to the hills of Karori to light, a big fire, and having done so the one Maori . dance 1 round and round 4he fire for quite a time until the Settlers out that way reported that thousands of Maoris were apprqaehing from the west. An urgent message was sent to Major Russell, then stationed at the Hutt, and he rushed his troops into Wellington, leaving only a few on duty at the Hutt, some of whom were ‘absorbed’ in the raid the ruse made possible.”