"Footprints in the Hutt Valley

Hutt News, Volume 12, Issue 9, 27 July 1938, Page 5

"Footprints in the Hutt Valley

LEOTUBB BY MB. W. TOOMATH » 1 "One is very proud to have the op■portunity to pay a tribute to those brave menand women who planted the Unit footprint# in the Hutt Valley and of expressing a meed of admiration and thanks for'their genius and forsight," said llr. Wm. Toomath who gave a most interesting address on the early . history of "the Hutt Valley at the quar- ' ter|y meeting of the Lower Hutt CVamber of Commerce last Wednesday evening. , The president, Mr. J. M. Cartoon WM in the chair. The largo audiemee was intensely interested in Mr. Toomath'ft concise record of a : jf hundred years of settlement in the Hutt Valley and of the circumstances which led up to it. In the audience were several descendants of the first settlers and much interesting discussion followed the* address. Mr. Toomath was very cordially thanked for his most interesting address. It is to E<iWin Gibbon Wakefield and his coadjutors, 1 whose action led to New. Zealand becoming the brightest spot in the British Commonwealth Of Nations, and not a French penal settlement, that we are indebted, said Mr. Toomath. The' following are the names of the gentlemen referred to:— . Wakefield, -Edward Gibbon; Hon. BaTing Frances, M.P., chairman; Earl of Durham; Lord Petre; W. B. Baring, M.P.; W. F. Campbell, M.P.; Chas. Etaderly; Robt. Ferguson, M.P.; Rev. Sam Hinds, D.D.; Philip Howard, M.P.; Ben. Hawes, M.P.; William Hutt • M.P.; Sir Wm. Moleaworth, M.P.; Sir GTeo. Sinclair, M.P.; Capt. Sir Wm. Symms; H. G. Ward, M.P; W. Wolryche Whitnine. In order that all parts of the narrative shall be clear it_ is necessary to epitomise the circumstances that led to the Hutt Valley being the first part of New Zealand to be systematically colonized, said the speaker. In the early part of the eighteenth public • men in England wctc much concerned by the repeated failures to colonise the newly discovered fCountries in spite of repeated efforts and this disaffection and discontent in the colonies in which settlement had begun. Many people in England had lost their all in the South Sea Bubble, and other similar speculations; the United States had gained their Independence; India was in a state of turmoil and mutiny; reports from various missionary societies and returning traders, told the one sad tale of the unsatisfactory treatment of the native inhabitants wherever settlement was attempted. Reports from Australia, then a penal settlement, were also of the same disquietening nature. But there was one memorable exception. In 1820 two Maoris, Hare Hongi and Waikato, had reached England and while travelling throughout the country as Christian converts, accompanied by Ms. Kendal, used their powers to such effect that not only was Baron de. Thierry, a Frenchman, led to believe that he could acquire extensive territories and right of chieftainship in New Zealand, but great interest was once more aroused in England and hopes revived. These two Maories untimately left England loaded with presents removing the stigma of many failures. In 1825 a company was formed in London 4 for the purpose of establishing settlement in New Zealand. This Company was promised the, grant of a Royal l Charter, but the leaders of the party which c&mc to New Zealand to secure land landed at Hokianga and was so alarmed at the haka performed as a welcome, that they returned to England without achieving their object and the project was dropped after £20,000 had been expended. In 1831 in reply to a letter signed by 13 chiefs transmitted by Rev. Wm. Tate, ehad of the mission in New Zealand, Lord Goderich, Colonial Minister instructed the Governor of New South Wales, under whose jurisdiction New Zealand was, to appoint an officer of the British Government to reside at the Bay of Islands. Definite functions the Resident had none. He was descrihed as a "man-o'-war without guns". Ah attempt by Baron de Thierry, from an island in the South Seas to establish his claim to a right of sovereignity over the islands excited much interest in the French press,; alaTmed the missionary societies in New Zealand who ignoring the Government induced 35 chiefs to form a "confederation of the United Tribes" to govern New Zealand. Thus was confusion worse on his way back from England, in Sydney confounded. Hare ' Hongi converted the presents he had, received into guns and ammunition and reaching New Zealand threw aside his mask of Christianity, appeared in his true character of an ambitious and bloodthirsty warrioT, made a most successful Taid from Bay of Islands conquered all the weaker tribes to the Northern shores of Cook Strait, returned to Bay of Islands, leaving his war party to be led by Te Pehi and Te Rauparaha. They crossed to the South Island and practically destroyed the whole Maori population of the South Island as far south as Kaiapoi. Representations still poured into England from various sources and in 1836 one committee of the House of Commons presented a grievous picture of the state ofthings in New Zealand. In tie same year another committee of the House, inquiring into the disposal of waste lands with a view to colonization, produced evidence of the fitness of New Zealand foT the purposes of regular British settlement, and in 1837 a' society was formed in London under the name of "New Zealand Association" to induce the British Government to establish sufficient authority in the isalnds and colonize them according to plan. The author of the plan was Edward Gibbon Wakefield who had exa perience of seeing for himself on the spot, the bad effects of the attempts

made in Western Australia, where the aborigines were shot down and in Canada, where the red man was crowded into reservations to starve, as he had visited both places. Wakefield's plan was to divide the land after acquisition, by payment of trade goods to tho native owners, into colonies to be occupied by British colonists. Each colony to consist of 1100 acres of town lands and 110,000 acres county lands— to be purchased by intending colonists in London .from plans made there from reports received from representatives in New Zealand. The order of possession to be decided by ballot, but every tenth lot was to remain the possession of the Maories as it was hoped that as the Maori owners were closely interspersed throughout the white men's holdings closer environment would lead the Maories to acquire a better knowledge of the habits , desires and comforts of civilization. This hope has been amply fulfilled. The New Zealand Association had a bill prepared embodying its proposals and Mr. Frances Baring, M.P. presented the Bill to the House of Commons on June, 1838. The Bill was strenuously opposed by the Ministry and thrown out, and the Association disbanded. Several gentlemen of standing who had disposed of their English properties and abandoned their professions with a view to emigrating to New Zealand, obtained from Lord Glenelg the promise of a charter if they formed a Joint Stock Company. This they did and formed the New Zealand Land Company o.f 1539, and in spite of the opposition of tho Ministry, determined to adopt the views of the Colonial office and to consider New Zealand as a foreign country and proceed to acquire land and form settlements in the manner hitherto sanctioned by the Orown. (to be continued).