LIFE AT A TOLL-GATE.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 31 March 1925, Page 6

LIFE AT A TOLL-GATE.

SOME EXCITING- MOMENTS

MR, LLOYD TELLS HTS STORY

In .thinking of toll-gates one’ s mincl naturally turns that old veteran, Mr. Thos. .Lloyd, who has been stationed at the inaha gate ever since it- was erected on February 26, 1908. Mr. Lloyd has been a good and faithful servant to the Hawera County Council, and during his 17 years’ of service 'has given every detail of his work the most careful attention. In the execution of his duty he has had some exciting experiences, and, knowing that this was so, a Star reporter recently called upon him and in the course of ‘an hour’s conversation learned something of the unusual happenings witnessed in the vicinity.

A MIDNIGHT FORAY

“Opposition to the- gate had waxed strong in some quarters,” said Mr. Lloyd, “when one boisterous night a plan to carry the gate away and burn it was evolved. That night I was unwell and the noise of the storm prevented my hearing anything unusual. Under cover of the darkness the party of irresponsibles approached, and, carefully lifting the gate off its binges, carried it. away into a- neighbouring paddock. There they gave vent to their feelings, and after vigorously chopping ! the wooden structure to piece, s they built . a bonfire of the fragments. Whether they danced around it or not I could not say. In the morning when 1 awoke, of course there was no gate, and looking at the hoard above the roadway, I saw painted the words : ‘To h— with the toll-gates.’ I then carried mv investigation further, and soon T. discovered evidence that told me the. whole story as plainly as any narrator could have done. Later detective Stddels arrived on the scene, and he ran the offe'nders very close. It was just as welt for them that they were not caught, for I can tell you there would have been no fine, but gaol. NARROW ESCAPES.

“On two occasions,” said Mr. Lloyd, I'have had narrow'escapes from injury by motor-cars. The first occasion was one winter’s evening at about .eight o’clock. I heard the horn of a car sounded, and, seeing that there were no lights on the road on the Haw T era side of the gate, surmised that the vehicle was coming from Manaia. 1 went out to open the .gate, which was shut across the road, and was just drawing the iron bar that serves as a fastener when a big black object loomed up in front of me which I realised was a car. It had no light was travelling at more than ordinary speed, and I had just time to step back about two pace s when it crashed into the gate arid sent pieces of timber flying within a few inches of my head. The car and a portion of the gate finished up on the side of the road, and, fearing the worst, my wife and myself went over to render what assistance we could. To our great amazement we found three occupants not even hurt in the slightest degree —a truly wonderful escape. »The reason for such recklessness, however, we quickly discovered when we saw that the driver was so full of benzine of the wrong sort that it took him a considerable time to get out of the wreckage. The upshot of the incident was that the driver liad to pay over. £8 for a new gate. !‘The second occasion was on a race night. I was opening the gate for a rnotor-cycle, and, thinking that the rider would slacken speed, I ditl not make undue haste. I had got the gate open about four feet when the machine hit the end of it that I was holding and sent the gate and myself flying across the road, the rider himself being pitched out on his head against the houge with the motor-cycle on top of him. He was uncoilscious, hut. after throwing water on his face I got him to come to. ‘You’re not killed ?’ I said, ‘No,! be replied. ‘Well,’ I said, ‘you.' ought to be.’ He left after , a short time, with, I think, some of the effects of the alcohol he had been imbibing knocked out of him. Needless to say, I gave motorists of all descriptions a wide berth after this. UNDESIRABLE VISITORS.

“On two occasions I had reason to suspect sinister motives on the part of those who called on me. One evening just as it was getting dark, I noticed Two ihefi standing bn the corner

of the Main South and the Ahaipaipa roads. They were engaged in earnest conversation, and, not altogether liking the look of them I 'brought my field glasses to bear on their movements. The next thing that happened was that one of the pair—a big rough-looking customei —started to walk towards me, leaving his accomplice at the corner. I went into my bedroom and brought out iny old. and trusted friend —a formidibie looking revolver —and placed it on the table-facing the front window. Then [ awaited developments. Soon a powerful figure appeared in front of the house, and, in a casual sort of a. wav, asked for some food. My wife put up some bread and cheese in a newspaper and went outside the door to give it to him. No sooner had she got outside than the dog -began to bark at something over by the boxthorn hedge, and, looking out,' I saw the other fellow, who had waited behind at the corner, oohiinor down towards us under the shadow of the hedge. Almost immediately I saw him halt. He bad seen my wife, and be appeared to be-in fear of the dog He remained only a couple ol seconds and then took to his heels and fled back to the corner followed by the big fellow who had asked for the food. I noticed then that the blind was up and the curtain draWn aside, and so came to the conclusion that our first caller had looked through the window and seen the revolver. In his case discretion certainly was the better part ot

valour. Still not quite satisfied, I decided to go down the road and see if they had actually gone, so I put my trusty friend in iny pocket and sallied forth. The first thing SI found, was the food thrown untouched, ■ so it was evident that it was not hunger that had prompted the call. TWO KINDS OF “CHANGE.” On another occasion 1 was roused lip by a loud hammering on the front door, and on turning out to see what was the ’trouble, T opened the observation slits in tiie shutter and looked through. The electric light outside was burning brightly, and, a.s it was dark in the house, ‘it was possible for one to follow the movements df anyone, oiitside and at the same time remain unseen. I saw- a motor-car standing down the road towards Haw-era, and before the door were two men. I asked them thenbusiness, td which they replied that they wanted to pay the- toll. ‘You get oil as fast as you like!’ I said. They took uo notice of my rehiai'ks, and presently the hammering at the door l>ecanie ' more pronounced. I again ordered them on, but they persisted in demanding change, and asking to be allowed to pay the toll. I would not budge, and so’they threatened to break the door in. It iva s getting near time for me to show that I meant business, and so I told them plainly that, if they persisted any further, they would get change in a. very different metal fronTthat for which they were asking. Apparently they then realised that thenposition -was not ns secure as they had at first thought, aiid, hastily retracing their steps, they boarded the waiting car and departed. WINE AND WATER.

“But these midnight visits also have their humorous side,” said Mr. Lloyd. “On one occasion 1 was called up at 1 a.m. to supply a- drink of water to a disciple of Bacchus who had found his thirst unbearable. At the time I was annoyed at being disturbed so late at night, and I determined to give him water in a greater quantity than he had. bargained for. Consequently I prooedetl to fil] *i bucket from the tfuik tap, which was in a line with the door where he wa s standing. Unfortunave. ly, however, he read my intentions, and before much water had run into the bucket his thirst suddenly disappeared, and he decamped, leaving me -to return to my bed.” HUNDREDS of FRIENDS.

“Meeting so many in the course of your day’s work, you must see quite a lot of human nature,” suggested the reporter. “Yes,” remarked Mr. Lloyd, “I have been a sailor and have seen many lands, hut I learnt more ol human nature during mv first thleb years oh the toll-gate than I did during the whole of my previous experience. I have been 52 years in Taraanki arid 17 years of that time I have liCen a tollgate caretaker. Consequently I have becorrie well-known, but I can safely say that with one or two exceptions (which we all meet with in every walk of life) the genera], public and I have got on well together. In fact it has been a pleasure to myself and my wife to oblige people, and we believe that our endeavours have met with appreciation.” “I suppose you must be as well known to the people of South Taranaki as the -town clock is to the residents of Hawera,” was the next suggestion put to Mr. Lloyd. “That is just about the position, he said, smilingly. “I ivas walking up Wyndham Street, Auckland, quite recently when I heard someone hailing me from the other side of the thoroughfare. ‘I say, Main South Toll, what are you doing up here? Are you looking for a new site to start operations?’ ‘Yes, I have got one, too.’ ‘Where ?’ inquired my questioner. ‘Grafton Road bridge.’ ‘And a good site, too,’ was the reply.”. “On another occasion,” continued Mr. Lloyd, “I was in a town miles from Taranaki when a stranger came up to me and, presenting me with one of my toll-gate tickets, asked if he could redeem it. I advised him to take the (ticket to a certain shoo down the roac( as I had not yet combined the business of pawnbroker with that of toll collector.” And there, you reader who have paid your toll these seventeen years, are just one or two pictures from the daily round of the cheery old gentleman who has greeted you. summer and winter, sunshine and rain, at the -Inaha gate, which passes into history to-night.