AFTER THIRTY YEARS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXII, Issue LXII, 29 July 1911, Page 9

AFTER THIRTY YEARS.

A TiiLP TO THE SOUTH ISLAND

(By Our Tokaora Correspondent.)

(Continued)

INCIDENTS OF EARLY DAYS

In a former article I mentioned how kindly and confiding were the old settlers to the new chums. There were in tuose days two brothers residing near town, large contractors and wool carriers. One of them came to me when he learned I proposed going up the McKenzie Country and asked would I call for a cheque at station when there. I asked my new friend to pu, his requirements in writing and I would do all in my power to oblige. In due time I arrived at the station. Shearing was over. The family consisted of the runholder, his wife, two children and servant. Mine host asked me to stay for lunch. Afterwards the runholder and his wife, in an adjoining room, got into conversation. She was urging caution, but I heard' the owner remark: "The lad is intelligent, appears honest and respectable." . A letter was written in reply as I thought to mine. I signed for it across a 2-inch long twopenny stamp. I remarked it was the first time I had ever to do such a thing. Aline host said it was customary and the law in this country. Arriving in Timaru on the afternoon of Christmas Eve, my presence was soon notified. My friend speedily hunced me up, and excitedly asked me if I had any money for him. I replied "JSo." "Have you. got a cheque?" "No, not that I am aware of." My friend became very agitated, and, scratching his cranium he asked me did I get anything. By this time I had the letter given me fumbled out of an inside pocket, and; on opening it, my friend gave a whoop that would do credit to a F.-'1 Indian. "Now," he remarked, "now I'll be able to pay my men." He n.vited me to the —- Hotel, and, throwing the piece of paper on the counter, asked the landlord how much he could let him have on it until he could get it cashed next week. As I watched the roll of notes and gold handed over, my eyes gradually dilated un--1 til they could be shared outside; for here I had brought down a cheque for £84 12s^—the first I had ever seen. All my knowledge of such articles, until that time, was gained from the Dublin Spelling 800k —"Cheque, a money order." The following week- I was in town. I saw master and men having a confab in North street, near a dingy building. I asked what they had been up to, aa they were all of many colors. In a flippant, joking manner j they told me that the men on Christmas Eve were having a "degree night." The boss, they made him a"royal purple." He conferred on. them; the "blue and green." They were now going in to see "Daddy" or: "Billy" Woolcombe to get their diplomas; which they intended framing and handing down as heirlooms to their children. New chum, as I was, all this went down as gospel truth. It was not very long afterwards when I learned the whole facts. "Daddy," or "Billy" was the nickname of Captain Belfield .Woolcombe, R.N.R., and resident magistrate. These little annual convivialities_ were kept up for many years, until it finally came to open rupture on Christmas Day, 1879, when it culminated in a riot. Your scribe was acting at that date as country correspondent for Timaru Hefald, as he now does for Hawera Star. Mr Jeremiah Matthew Twomey was the town reporter for same organ. Mr Twomey resigned shortly afterwards and became proprietor and editor of the Temuka Leader, and was called to the House of Lords. When down in Temuka a few weeks back Mr i Twomey and myself foregathered, and had a long chat about these long past days. My friend lamented the degeneracy of the times and the unwarranted interference of some "goody, goody" people in suppressing such "manly sport." I examined some individuals who took part in these af-: frays~ The bludgeon and pick handles used at the time have left their indelible marks. MR JOHN SCOTT. When coming into Oamaru I stood on the carriage platform to see if I could spy out anyone I knew, and to my surprise and pleasure I saw Mr John Scott, better • known as "Gunpowder Scott." Mr Scott was at one tine a farmer on the upper Duthie r :n I and sold out at £4 5s per acre. Tl-} ; tWn v eDt into journalism, and carried ''ft the Normanby Horticultural g.-.-ivl pri/o for best essay on laying tJ-Mvn ttiffc h.uds into permanent 'English era■>**•; beating the then editor of Haveru >t-ir, who was a farmer residi.--" •»i hi? own land's near where the Riverdale factory, is now situated, Mr Scott then joined the Hawera Star staff and was also the Taranaki representative for the New Zealand Bee Farmers and Poultry Journal. He is now the sple representative of that old and well known journal for the whole of the South Isalnd, with headquarters in Oamaru. He wishes to be remembered to all his old Star comrades. When in Oamaru Mr Scott acted as guide and instructor, and when leaving he travelled with us nearly 100 miles just to have a chat about days of "Auld lang syne." On our journey we had many places of interest in common to talk and compare notes about, as both of us spent our ' earlies days in arid about these lands. Here, as we passed some railway bridges, I would point out that yrar scribe carted, all the. heavy Australian hardwood beams from Timaru, and that the structure was erected by an uncle of Mr Fred Mills, of Tokaora. There would our travelling companion point out, with evident pride, where he had done his first harvesting, or built his first pram stack. Then conversation would drift to things about Hawera, and as I enumerated the change in certain farms, and the advanced prices obtained, at each transaction, my friend would fall into a reverie and ask me to repeat the story over again, as it did him good to hear of such preat and permanent advancement in dear old Taranaki. I am pleased, to note our old friend is in good health and has several patches of real estate. He is, I bel We.a prominent personage in the prohibition movement. BOXTHORN. The absence of boxthorn fences -'n the South cairie very prominently before a c. In fact, during all my trip I only i.oticed a few chains about a small town section. I mentioned this fact to Mr Scott, and he remarked that I *• j y not. have seen them, but he had ree'n into the interior of the Island investigating the fruit industry on behalf of his tparjer ,and he ncave me anything but a good character for the box-thorn! 3 On the poor lands of the interior the birds carry the seeds and deposit them under the mata^aure scrub or on rocks where they germinate, nnd in time have become a currp to those owning or occupying T>oor lands. Here, on our o-ood and well grassed lands the seed will not germinate, but where there -are heaps

of firewood and shelter trees, about suclij the boxthorn flourishes.

INCIDENTS BY THE WAY

Many Otago and Southland settlers have extended, their fields of operation to the North Island. Taranaki has received a fair share of these hardy sons of toil. In due time when a competency is acquired they return to their old districts to have a look at the once familiar scenes and have a chat with their stay-at-home former companions. They, as is but natural, recount their good for- \ | tune and luck, the extraordinary prolificness of Taranaki and the assured prospects of future prosperity in store 1 for_others in that garden of New Zear land. The old people listen attentively. The newspapers in their opinion have some ulterior motive in view in printi ing fables. These canny Celts just 1 shake their heads and ' 'hae their f doots." Many southerners are under » the impression that the "West Coast of , the North Island is peopled by the delr scendants of a certain Biblical person- , age. An instance of this sort came under the writer's notice. I was visit- ' ma; the residence of thft chairman of a • large county council. The same sort of ' trouble was experienced down south ; over harbor board elections as we had in Waimate West, and when walking ' with my host over his farm a. load of ' interested settlers drove up with the ' qbject of solving the knotty, point. I 1 was introduced to th^ visitors as Mr ' , from Hawera, Taranaki. The I last ma'i to come round the. vehicle left \■ no doubt about where he originally- ' ! hailed from. He was almost a twin ' , brothnr to your esteemed townsman,- Mr Jas. Davidson, only not so tall. He scanned me from head to foot, Gripped ' my hand heartily, looked me straight 'i in the eyes, and said with the usual long drawl, "Eh, mon. an' is this another o' them Taranaki liars." . A MATRON'S JOKE. Early in April when we bearded the train at Hawera, there were quite a number from Normanby, Eltham, Stratford, Otakeho, Hawera, and Awatuna on nleasure bent during the dairy farmers' annual vacation. We soon became quite chummy, and to onlookers we may have appeared rather clannish. But n this par we have only to deal with our Awatuna lady friend who .said she had been staying with her brother. We never troubled any further, but concluded she was like -many more of us, going south to see the old districts once more. We chatted on the steamer, and at Christchurch railway station said good-bye. Weeks afterwards in South Otago we (that is self and daughter) were visiting at the old or head homestead of what was formerly a large sheep run, but is now sub-divided, and, here, to our mutual surprise, we again met our Awatuna lady friend. A fortnight afterwards we boarded the northbound train at Oamaru, and whilst stowing away our impedimenta and wraps, a gentle hand Mas laid on our shoulders. Here again was our former travelling companion. We were in for a good chat, and comparing experiences. Here, also, Mr John1 Scott joined us. Those in the carriage whom we did not know were known to "Gunpowder Scott." We were soon debating on our respective .countries. Mr Scott was on Taranaki side. The Otago and South Canterbury contingent were extolling their fine table and wheat land, which could not be excelled in any part of theworld. Their sloping hillsides could not be surpassed in the southern hemisphere. Their flat lands had just enough gravel here and there to keep the sheep's feet in good order. No footrot or fluke, and cheap land, too. The Southerners had convinced themselves that they had knocked all the skite out of the visitors, when our ladyfriend came to our rescue. She informed the company that during the past month she had been over a greater portion of the South Island and had seen their wheatlands, their sheep: country, that would need a balloon.for a man to go over. Their flat lands were nearly all river beds covered with boulders, and unless in a-very favorable season were barren. Any- Taranaki-ite that had some foothold in his own province and was thinking of coming soxyfch to invest in such lands she would, give them a hearty welcome to her home. She would see to their welfare, and was thoroughly convinced after a stay with her they would be cured and led from the error of their ways: no work, plenty to eat and drink, with every attention, in every respect a model home. Hearing all this good news, the company was all attention, some banteringly enquiring if she was still single. So at last one of the party pointedly asked where she lived, and where was this comfortable home to be found.. • "Oh," remarked Miss . "I live in a North Island city," and with a merry twinkle in her roguish eyes, said, "I am "the matron of the Mental Hospital." The silence for a moment was .painful. Collapse of the Southerners; jubilations for Taranaki-ites! (To be continued.)