A BOLD VENTURE

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 32, 8 February 1929, Page 10

A BOLD VENTURE

BUT IT SUCCEEDED

WELLINGTON IN 1865

"THE POST'S " BIRTHDAY

On this day—Bth .February—in 1865, \ris founded the 'Evening Post," the first . daily established in Wellington. In the same year Wellington became the capital of New Zealand. Oid records reprinted below show that the "old identity" of the middle 'sixties regarded a daily newspaper as a foolish venture. ; In this case, fortunately, the old identity was wrong; but he would not have been wrong had tho founders proved unequal to the stern task ahead of them.

A glance backward over the years is. facilitated by the arrival in this office of an old-time "Guide to Wellington," ■which, though in a somewhat battered condition, and minus part of the cover, vet tells its story with tolerable clarIty.< The presence of errata in one or two' places convenient for the insertion of correctional notes shows that the authors were- conscious, even before publication, of some of their shortcomings, and possibly there aye others of which they were not conscious. ball, notwithstanding, traces of hasty preparation in' places, and the inclusion ot certain observations rather airy and ex parte in character, and lacßing. the balance of cold history, this "guide" is a diverting piece of literature, and docs much to reproduce the atmosphere of. the early times. Its year of publication, judging by certain allusions to steamers then building, seems to have been 1882, or perhaps 1881. It covers part of the ground (1839-1840) dealt with in the handbook of the New Zealand Company's period, from which quotations have been made in the •'Evening Post" from time to time, but the point of view had considerably shifted in the intervening thirty-five years, the' railway age having come into operation, and the whole scale of colonial operations having widened. EARLY BI- AND TBI-WEEKLIES.

In a section headed "The Wellington Newspaper Press," the "Guide" states that the "New Zealand Gazette," the property of the New Zealand ComT>anv was the first newspaper printed in New Zealand. Its first publication in this country was on Saturday, 18th April, 1840, but a prior number was printed in London on 6th September, 1839 and was brought out on the early ships. It was a weekly, but became bi-weekly on 2nd October, 1841, by which time the name "Spectator" had been added to \ the title. Although the "Gazette" (or "Gazette-Specta-tor") selected the anniversary of Wellington. (22nd January, 1841) as an appropriate occasion to point out that ••some of the supporters of the paper have not paid one shilling since it was established," nevertheless this_ bleaK picture of the revenue side did not deter Mr. Richard Hanson, lawyer, from establishing the "Colonist and Port Nicholson Advertiser." ■ The editor of the newcomer and the ' Gaz-ette-Spectator's" editor (then . Mr., afterwards ,Sir William, Pox) carried on a wordy warfare, and the newcomer expired in about a year. On 2nd April, 1844, was first published the "Wellington Independent," a tri-weekly. The "Gazette" hecamo known as tho "Spectator," and again, there was a press duel. '■ On its first appearance tho "independent" bore "the imprint of Edward Eoe, E. W. Vincent, James Muir, G. Fellingham, and Thomas W. M'Kenzio." The printing press with which the paper was for some time printed belonged, in the early days of tho colony of New South Wales, to the proprietors of tho "Sydney Morning Herald," and it printed the first copies of that wellknown journal. (This pioneer press jjotV lies at! tho back of the N.<s. Times' office).

' JOURNALISTIC STALWARTS. "The 'Spectator' was the organ of tho Grey party, and able articles at times appeared in its columns from the pen of. Mr.-Alfred Domett, then Colonial Secretary of New Munster, while the 'Independent' was edited by Dr. Feathcrston, Messrs. Fox, Fitzherbert, and others, who severely criticised the political actions of Sir George Grey, and advocated the right of tho settlers to all the privileges of self-government. The paper war was a fierce one until the proclamation of the New C»rtitu- Stion, on the 4th of March, 1853. About this period the late Mr. R. Wakelin edited the 'Independent,' but this journal had a host of other talented contributors, including Dr. Evans, Edward Gibbon Wakelield, Edward Jerninghnm Wakeneld, Mr. Henry Sewel, and others. Both journals were published triweekly, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. .'. . When- no printing paper of the required size was in tho market the papers were printed on-blotting paper; and, when that article ran short, coarse wrapping paper had to be resorted to, and oft-times two sheets of demy had to bo pasted together. In these days subscribers.were very reticent in forwarding the .money to pay the. printer, and subscriptions were taken out in firewood and farm produce." A new paper, the "Advertiser," biweekly and afterwards tri-weekly, was started in 1859, and lasted till 1868, when a libel action wrecked it. THE FIRST DAILY. liutwith the 'sixties had come in a new era, that of the daily newspaper. It was in 1865 that Wellington first produced the "Evening Post," and became the capital of New Zealand. Tho first-mentioned event occurred on Bth February, and the establishment of a daily, newspaper "was looked on by the 'old'identity' as Ji foolish venture." The paper was published from the stationer's shop of Mr. R. Burrctt in Manners' street, but was printed in a lane behind the shop (a lane off Willis •treet, ■ and its several printing-places linco then have all been ih Willis street). In 18C8 Mr. Frank Gifford ■was appointed to the editorship. Mr. Gifford was a talented writer and an able journalist, and without doubt laid the foundation of what may now bo termed one of the best, if not the best, nowspaper properties in-the colony. He retired in 1872 owing to loss of eyesight. He afterwards went to Melbourne, where he died. According to the "Guide," tho "Spectator" came to its end in 18G5, when the plant was sold to Mr. Thomas M'Kenzie, whose name was still af.Sxed to the imprint of the "Independent." In 1874 Mr. M'Kenzie was induced to soil tho "Independent" and become a shareholder in a new Wel\ington daily; "The New Zealand Times," which was published on tho Ist of June,, 1874.

BIRTHS AJTD DEATHS. 1 Among the early editors of the "Times" mentioned in the "Guide" are It. Creighton, J. Perrier, W. H. Harrison, J. C. Hay, Dr. Polleri, and the Eev. David Bruce. When, the "Guide" article was compiled, two other Wellington papers were already born and dead (or absorbed); they ■wero the "Tribune" (known in its ' Inter stages as the "Argus," and tho "Chronicle"), and the "New Zeaiender." ' And since the early 'eighties the list of deaths (or absorptions) has, ' of couraO' been added to, and includes

the dailies "Evening Press," Evening "Sun," and "New Zealand Times." Among odd items of information in tho "Guide" are the following:—

For more than a year—in fact, until 7th October, 1841 —there was no road between Wellington and Petone, and as the ferry business was in the hands of all sorts of craft, there wero upsets and fatalities. Nine were drowned on one occasion. But in October the first dray got through, and the "Gazette" performed a "coek-a-doodle-do" as follows: "The next thing wo suggest we shall have to record will bo that the fast coach 'Tally-ho' will start daily passing through Kaiwarra and Ngarangi, and returning the same day. Verily, this is the ago of" improvement."

NEWSPAPEE- MAN'S END. It is recorded that Mr. .John Wade, who gaive his name to Wadestown, was the builder of tho ilrst vessel built on Port Nicholson, and called her the Mary 'Ann Wade. She was a schooner of 43 tons, and she was concerned in the death of one of the early pressmen. "On Sunday, 20th March, 1542, Mr. Yates, the then sub-editoi^ of the "Gazette," with nine other fiionds, proceeded on board, and weighed anchor with the intention of making a cruise round the harbour. It was uot blowing heavily at the time, but it was very apparent to those watching the vessel's movements from the shore that she was not sufficiently ballasted. As the schooner passed Evans Ray on her return home, the captain reefed his topsail, but imprudently let it out again. The vessel heeled over, and as the ballast had shifted, she could not recover, ' and capsized and sank. Boats put off immediately from the shore, and were the means of saving the whole of the passengers and crew, with the exception of Mr. Yates, who had endeavoured to save himself by jumping overboard, and who was sucked' under by the sinking vessel. The drowning of Mr. Yates was much deplored, as he was a clever journalist and an excellent set.tler.

'' Mr. Wade, the owner of the ill-fated vessel, migrated to the Californian gold rush, and, after studying the American law, became a distinguished advocate in San Francisco.'.'