HAWERA PUBLIC LIBRARY

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 30 March 1929, Page 9

HAWERA PUBLIC LIBRARY

FIFTY-ONE YEARS OF PROGRESS

INTERESTING RECORDS OP THE PAST.

Written for “ The Star.”

[ considerable part of local histor I is wrapped up in the affairs of th ! Ilaweia public library. In 1870 tw blockhouses, connected by a stockade were built in .what is now High Street j A sketch of this well-desgined plan o I defence, and a description of it, are t< ■ I l-* l -’ found on page 466 of the sccom i volume of <‘The New Zealand War I and Pioneering Period,” by .laniO' Cowan. The site is now occupied pan lv by the library and partly by Welsh McCarthy ’s offices. The library itsel dates back just over fifty years, am was actually in existence some foui years before Hawera was gazetted : borough. The original library was conducted in an inner room in Princes Street, opposite the post office, bul later public . efforts and subscriptions resulted in a building being erected on the present site. This building is still in existence in the borough, but it was removed from the library site when the present building was erect ed. Th. e interior arrangements were extensively remodelled last year te meet the ever-grooving requirements of tiie district. • The Hawera public- library was originally incorporated under “The Public Libraries Powers Act, 1875,” .ami j the Public Libraries Subsidies Act. I IS"”, the objects being expressed as tin “maintenance ot a public library and reading room, and the promotion of literature and science.” The date ox incorporation was March 20, 1878, from which time the governing body consisted of nine members elected annually by the subscribers. Some years ago (about 1922) the control of the horary was taken over by the Hawera Borough Council, and tiie institution boeam 0 a municipal library. I njfortunatcly the earliest records are not available, but there is still in existence a minute book covering the period from 1895 to 1911, throughout which period Mr W. W. White was chairman. At the first recorded meeting of the committee, December 13, JBUS, the secretary reported that the previous Minute Book and all the records were burnt in the fire which destroyed tiie courthouse on August 30, .1895, and lie was authorised to procure the new minute book .which is now so interesting. Those present at this meeting- were Messrs W. G. White, W. E. Dive, 11. C. Esse, A. Trimble, J. Davidson, and C. E. Major. During- the nineties, the library was not always fre e from financial difficulties. Various efforts "were made to amend this, and amongst these an amatour dramatic c-lub gave a performance of “The Magistrate” in aid of the funds. Ther c was a small profit, but, unfortunately a repetition of the effort not only swallowed up the profit but caused a small loss. It is amusing to read that on March 25, IS9S, the secretary reported he had sent money to Wellington for hire of wigs, but that the creditor could not be found. However, in the following January the committee carried out a series of

ry j sports and tableaux in conjunction. ie I with the fire brigade, netting £4O rQ ! which cleared up the position. A living statuary exhibition was included Cj in the entertainment and no doubt t- proved one of the star attractions, if i From 1599 the financial position conho i tinued sound, and small subsidies were u j, received from the Government, and ! from both the Hawera Borough CounIS j c-il and the Hawera County Council. - s From 1897, when the subscriptions' t-j totalled £sl, there was steady growth, h and in .1907 the subscriptions totalled [j j £194. Against which latter sum, howq | ever, a practically permanent charge j of £2OO per annum for maintenance ir i had been built up. The old reports a | make interesting reading, and disclos’e [S ! that the library has throughout the , s | course of its existence been a very live j institution. I | A Miss Turner, was Librarian until iS j towards the end of 1898, when she ren ! signed. On sth December 1898, the II j committee selected Miss M. E. Ne.w----t la nd for the post of librarian, from ten applicants for the position.’ Miss L i Newland has accordingly been librar- - j i.-tn for over thirty years, e I Eoi- many years the now demolished y j inner room did duty as a social room I for members, and as early as 1896 j there is reference to a museum being j housed there. This inner room played L ‘: many parts until the growing number i- 1 of books made further shelving accomm modntion necessary. Early in 1897. , j tlu- librarian Miss Turner Avas granted the free use of it for a tea room, .while s at one time the Chess Club occupied it y j during certain evenings. The tea room tl 1 ivns subsequently carried on by Miss e i Newland for a long time. ; j The old minute book records an acj knoAvledgement of the oil painting . “Maori Life,” which was donated by 5 i Mr. D. W. Eraser in April 1900. Simig • larly on July 31, 1902, Mr. P. Lundon Avas thanked for his gift of the fine t painting of the Maori Chief Taki Taki which now hangs in the lending room. , i Taki Taki took part in the Battle of t Moutoa. which sa\-ed Wanganui from , destruction, after he had AA’ithout suct cess made overtucs for peace AA'ith the , hostile natiA'Cs. On June 27, 1907, an entry records -“that Avith Mr. Ewen Macrae’s eon- ’ eurrenee the SAVord presented by him ' to the museum be restored to Mrs. Captain Hewitt on her identifying it as ha\*ing belonged to her late hus- ’ band.” This sAvord had a curious his- , lory. Originally carried by Colonel William HcAvitt at the Battle of Waterloo, it had passed into the possession of his son. Captain J. D. 1 Hewitt, who .was Avcaring it AA'hen he ■ lost his life during the Maori War. The ■ Maoris took tiie sword, and for many years it Ava.s supposed to be lost. An aged Maori woman found it in a rata tree, and it Avas subsequently purchased bv Mr. Macrae avjio placed it with the exhibits at the Hawera Library. Th Avas subsequently identified and restored to Captain HeAvitt’s widow. In her delightful book of reminiscences “Looking Back”, she says, “I ..was glad that only the kind secretary and librarian Avere present when I received that sad memento of niy poor husband. .... I Avrapped the SAvord in the little black shawl that I nearly always Avear, and carried it in my arms to th e cab awaiting me.”