EARLY HISTORY

Evening Post, Volume XCIII, Issue 45, 21 February 1917, Page 11

EARLY HISTORY

1 SETTLING THE WAIRARAPA

l^ THE FOUNDATION OF MASTERTON

SJ SMALL FARM ASSOCIATION AND ITS WORK

•'■■'. i £he story of the inception and growth - |i£ a New Zealand provincial town ■V:|hakcs interesting reading. People of '^■.■^lo-day are apt to hurriedly pass over - *"ithe ovonts of yesterday. As a rule, they '"'■'•jvo purely in the'present, with little or .- ';'■'. ;io regard' for the past. They disregard '/•'-"h many cases the sacrifices of the brave ■V-'people who went before them, and are ■V.-' jvjlling to enjoy modern conveniences j'" yiithout a thought for those who made ■ V* ; iuch developments possible. Exceptions .V-.Ythere are, of course,' but on the whole V; v ihe public displays lamentable apathy. -^■;'lhe pioneers are swiftly going to their ,-.•",!. test, many of them without receiving '.['!ftie slightest acknowledgment of the '"i'.r-worthy sacrifices they have suffered for '."•".-Klhe Dominion. Fortunes are being made \* '/now as a result of the sacrifices and the '.•..-wardships so bravely borne by the '-} iearly settlers, and it is strange to note . /.'• ? ';how few of these settlers actually reaped > ;.;the benefits of their own tasks. :'•'. »j There are few people in Masterton '.'.■".•'.even now who will believe that Queen- 1 :;';*istreet was once a narrow bush track cut > ■' a totara forest alongside a small i ,v,-;stream. They are surprised when told ■'.■.Vithat this was so, and say, "Fancy that," f.;,ror some equally foolish remark. They V-*are so-wrapt up in the present that they .'■'.Jcannot bring themselves to realise that "; was a time when' Masterton did - ".snot exist at all. But, of course, there

■ ...•iwas such a time, and not so very long .-■•^ago at that. The first township in the .^.Wairarapa was Greytown, -lamed in ■Sjfeoncrar of Sir Georgo Groy, Governor oi >';jthe colony at that time, who had given ' .». ithe promoters every assistance in his '•'"■ power. Greytown turned out to be a V:;complete success, and eventually Mr. :ViJoseph- Masters and others, having dis- N V',> fcovered another good rite, took an acr f"4ive' part in establishing another town- '■■■ -<!ship, which came to be known as Mas;;Uerton, in honour of Mr. Masters. Car- :' >terton was the third township estab- [- '^lished, and was so named in honour of ?Mr. Charles Booking Carter, who had ■;:.-"3been very active in promoting- its i'^establishment. Featherston was the last • „'.( of the four townships established in the - and was named after Dr. ,'/-?Featherston, the Superintendent of the •-,-'. jSProvince of Wellington, who over took '':'■-'& deep interest in the welfare and prosf, '(perity of the settlers. Consider the con-' *.-':. itlition of the land prior to the establishof these four places—swamps, ';■'■'(heavy bush, and coarse, fern, all over- '• "/'jrim with wild pigs—and one surely can•'•■;Wt help feeling a thrill of pride at the :";:;»'iesult. ■Z'X All the four towns Tiave progressed ■v; "marvellously, but in this direction pride ";-:{o£ place is held by Masterton, the re--■':4cognised capital of the Wairarapa. It is ;; ,:jjdoubtful if there is any inland town in -J'jNew Zealand more prosperous, more :,'*..isolid, than Masterton. The town is :?* growing more rapidly now. than ever -,'":. Sbefore and consequently, it is a fitting ."•itime for this review. . "A marvellous •'...-■ transformation" fittingly describes what ; ;.~;ha3 taken place in recent years. :