AFTER MANY YEARS

Greymouth Evening Star, 2 December 1925, Page 5

AFTER MANY YEARS

EARLY GREY RESIDENT’S VISIT.

In business in Greymouth in 1866, when .Gx-essqii and Arney streets were the principal streets, and the town north from .Boundary Street was occupied by the Native owners, was the experience of Mr D. B. Wallace, who arrived in .Greymouth yesterday on a short visit, after an absence of fortyseven years.

Mr Wallace was a partner in the firm of Clark and Wallace, timber merchants,; who had their yard in Gresson Street. In 1878 Mr Wallace disposed of his Greymouth interests; and moved to Thames, which was then in the throes of a huge mining boom. He was one of a small company formed to, buy the tug “Dispatch,” which Was acquired to tow sailing vessels, into Greymouth, thereby minimising the, wrecks caused through vessels failing; to negotiate the bar, under sail; Mr ; Wallace recalls the time when jtfie tour leading hotels in the town, had dance halls attached, where the young men gathered of a night to I trip the light fantastic. The recognised custom was to “treat” your dancing partner after every dance. As th'e use of spirits would have resulted iri certain?. intoxication, cbld tea ~was usually judiciously supplied the girls and charged for at the schedule rates for spirits. It was a case of “easy money’.’ for the fortunate dancing hall proprietors.

Mr; Wallace mentions that a line of steamers was then trading to Greymouth; of which the well-known steanier, the Kennedy, was the largest. , “Things have changed since those-days in shipping, as in other things,; judging by what I have seen looking round Greymouth this morning,’’ . concluded Mr Wallace. Mr Wallace re-visited Hokitika this afternoon, his previous visit being in 1865.