IN ITS INFANCY.

Gisborne Times, Volume LXV, Issue 10392, 9 May 1927, Page 6 (Supplement)

IN ITS INFANCY.

AVHAT PATUTAHI AY AS LIKE

AIR. AND AIRS. HILLS’ IN REAP INIISCEiNT MOOD. Happy and contented, Mr and Airs J. EL Hills, the first residents ol Patutahi, find much to interest them and occupy’ their attention. Their family is now more or less scattered, one daughter living as far abroad as Palestine, but, as of yore, their friends are legion and hospitality is never stinted in tlieir snug home. Air Hills came out to New Zealand in the AYaitangi and a shipmate was Air Coppins, a shepherd on Opou. On her part Airs Hills journeyed out in ihe O'rari. Her shipmates included the late Air P. Malone, also Air Owen Gallagher Airs Aiuldoon and Mr Mitchell, of the firm of Davys, Third and Mitchell, who was then but- a child of six years. LIFE IN A RUSH AYHARE. Prior to taking up a Patutahi township section, in 1878, Air Hills had been employed by the late Air Maynard in the butchery trade at Ormond. When surveyed, the townS’ ’ was in heavy rushes and the ons ran, in size, from quarter acres to lots comprising several acres. There was quite a rush for sections, but few went out to live upon their newly acquired properties. As much as £7O was paid at the sale for a quarter acre. Mr Hills, therefore, considered himself lucky in being'able to acquire an acre close to where the hotel now stands for £54. At that time, Mr Maynard owned, at Ormond, the first stone house built in Poverty Bay. The builder was Daniel AlcNair, one of Air Hills’ shipmates, and the stone was obtained from Ormond Valley’. Air and. Alrs Hills had been married at Ormond in January 1877, and they were [nought over to Patutahi by George ("General”) Jackson in a bullock waggon. At first, they Lad to Ire content with a rush whare and,'-.recalling those days, they 7 both told Hnir interviewer that they had inner been happier since, for nine n onths they had no chimney tn 1 then Mr Hills and his brother-in-law went to where the Patutahi Quarry was, later, opened up, and, from stone obtained there, burned sufficient' lime to tnablc a chimney’ to be l-uilt. It was the first occasion an which tiie stone had been so used Asked as to the state of the Patutahi district in those days, Air Hills said that in the Lower Patutahi there was to be seen pasture of English grasses that would have been hard to beat anywhere in the world The whole district was studded with sheep on recount of the fact that free grazing was permitted. AYlien scab broke out in IS7B, however, a groat change come over the sceo Ic then Iteeamo necessary for sto> k to be kept within fenced areas and the Inspector proypd verv strict. D'o-ing with lime and sulphur was carried on continuously at the yards on Onou and many sheen died in the dentil of winter after having been treated. Large numbers of sheen were destroyed as the easiest method o ,: dealing with the menace. The land in iho Patutaiu' district was, for the most part, confiscated land. NEIGHBOUR ft?W \ND FAR BETWEEN. Joining in the conversation, Alr.s Hills mentioned that, at first, their nearest neighbour was Aliss AlacKen-

vie, who resided on Lavenham, threecuarters of a mile away. Sortie months later u. Air Carron, a ship’s carpenter, migrated from the North Auckland district, with his wife and eleven children and settled in the district. They reached the township per medium of a bullock waggon and husband and son quickly built a small wooden place Bft. x 10ft. with a long sleeping-place built of rushes.

In 1879 Mr Strong put up ujgOie and Mr ILee built a house, us also did Mr Bilham and Mr Hatton., Ihe Nearest ‘Maoris resided at \\ aitui.- Mi Biiham’s old house opposite the. station was the oldest building left _m the township. It was built by Mi. IHmviddie.: ~ , Mr Hills went on to say that the first church at patutahi was built on the site at present occupied by Mi. Monteith s store. Here Mrs Hills interposed to explain the troub.t which the few residents then had to get a school. Mr Locke had advised them that it was necessary to secure twelve pupils. But that num_#r could not be obtained and when Alt Locke was so informed his was that they should borrow enough to make up the shortage. As Mr Strong did not continue with the store, J. was taken over by Mrs Bilham as a school. She had three children i>r her own of school age at the time. Later on the classes were transferred to a hall about 24 >: 12ft. that vas built on the> Iringe o? the township. In that building all sorts or meetings and functions were held. The first Load Board for the district, it seems, .was formed in 1879. To consider the project a meeting was held in Mr Hills’ house and the fii st meeting cf the body took place

it. August of that year at Mr 1 fee's house. The members were: Air bSunderland (chairman,) and Messrs Hills, Bee, McKenzie and Burgess. Air Bilham was the secretary. At that time there were no reads at all in the district. The Board did a lot of excellent work in the way of formation and drainage and a halfpenny rate was ali that required to lie exacted, when the subsidy was taken into consideration. As showing the state of the reads in winter, it was mentioned that Mr Carron used to leave Patutahi with his bullock waggon on a Monday morning and

lie would not yet back from Gisborne before the Saturday night. Along -what is now the road past the Domain Mr. 800 had a four-wheeler come to grief, with the result that it could not be rescued for four months.

Mrs Hills gave some interesting information concerning the prices of commodities fifty years ago. Potatoes were 30s per sack, bread Is per 4lh loaf and butter Is 9d. Flour, which was made at King, and Hurrey’s mill in Gisborne, which stood on the present site of Messrs Common, Shelton and Co.’s premises, cost 17s fid p,lus 3s fid cartage. Meat was cheap, whilst good working Imots could be bought for 20s and white moleskins Tor 12s. Spades and shovels, however, were very dear. Wages were at the rate of Is per hour, hut one had to lie a good worker. After the failure of the Glasgow bank, there was very grave depression in the district. Cows could Ite bought for from 2s fid to 20s apiece and sheep were proportionately low. Butter went down in price to 4d and eggs also fell to 4d per doz. The vfdue of such commodities had to be taken out in goods. According to Mr Hills, the first hotel at Patutahi was built in 1835 for Gallagher Bros. It was built by Peter Miller and Manus Gallagher, Mrs Hills’ brother. Mr L. Stevens (father of Mr L. Stevens of Wairo.A was the first baker and the first Sunday school teacher. Mr Hills introduced the first cow to Patutahi find be was also the first to secure a trap. Looking back on the events of the past both agreed that none could wish for hapnier da vs than those of the early settlement of the district.