Auckland 1874—Palmerston North 1884

Manawatu Times, Volume 61, Issue 194, 18 August 1936, Page 3

Auckland 1874—Palmerston North 1884

EARLY DAYS RECALLED BY MR. R. S. ABRAHAM.

ADDRESS TO ROTARY CLUB,

“Auckland 1874 Palmerston North 1884,” was the title of Mr R, S. Abraham’s address to the Palmerston North Rotary Club yesterday. Mr G. G. Priest was in tne cnair, and there was a very large attendance of members, and Mr Abraham, who confined his remarks more to personal experiences, was listened to with the keenest attention. The vote of thanks to the speaker was proposed by Mr B. J. Jacobs and it was carried with enthusiasm.

Air Abraham explained that he had arrived in Auckland in October, IS7-J, after a voyage of over 100 days. The ship was the Zealandia of some 1200 tons. Tho voyage had been uneventful except for a near riot during a period they -had bccu becalmed in the tropics. Auckland in tlioso days was a very small place and ho had stayed for some time with the leading surgeon of the town and later with Sir George Grey at Kawau, where there was a wonderful garden full of tropical plants. He had found Sir George a very fine and able man, courteous and well read. No doubt he had been an autocrat, but an autocrat was what was wanted in those days. Sir George may not have got on so well with a section of the people, but there can bo no doubt that he and Bishop Selwyn played a very important part in the settlement of the Maori war. Another famous character ho had come in contact with was Captain Alair, the. greatest pakeha-Alaori. Captain Mair could go anywhere with perfect safety. On one occasion Captain Alair mado a long trip into hostile country in order to speak with a powerful chief he wished to influence. Ho had achieved his object after a very long talk and the chief, to show the confidence he had in Captain Alair, asked him to share their bed with him.

Again referring to Kawau, Air Abraham mentioned that the island abounded with game; that quail were there in thousands, also pheasants, pea fowl, wild cattle and pigs. Speaking of an incident when out shooting pigs, Air Abraham mentioned the good work done by a pair Of fox terriers he owned and had brought to New Zealand, and he added that theso terriers wero the lirst of their kind in New Zealand. Speaking of Auckland as ho found it, Air Abraham said very little business was being done but that plenty of gambling was going on. Land was hard to profitably farm in those days, but the opening of the Waihi mine had restored the fortunes, of many people. Mr Abraham mentioned that ho had been interested in an area of land' at Eemuera. They could get no rent from the man who had leased it, but had to find the rates. It had not been a profitable venture and eventually they had sold for £2O an acre. To-day the unimproved value of that land was £2O a foot.

After relating a number of incidents in other parts of the Auckland district, Mr Abraham stated that he was in Bulls at the time of the ISSI earthquake. That 'quake had been a most alarming one and it had brought down all tho brickwork of the town and, in addition, a number of houses. Huge fissures appeared in different places and the tremors had continued all the following day. It was in ISS4 that he came to Palmerston North to open a branch for the firm with which he was connected. Even in those days Palmerston North was a mighty prosperous town but surrounded by bush and swamps which were alive with mosquitoes. Mr Abraham made mention of tho important part played by the late Mr Monrad in the early settlement of Palmerston North; the shifting of the Racing Club to Awapuni (1903); the Tiritea gravitation scheme (1907); the linking of Wellington and Palmerston North by rail in ISSG; and tho starting of the Longburn freezing works in 1593. To show 'the progress made by the Manawatu and West Coast A. and P. Association, he mentioned that the entries for the first show, which totalled under 300, included 77 sheep, 75 horses and 40 head of cattle.

In conclusion, Mr Abraham stated he had had no regrets since deciding to settle in Palmerston North, and he had no doubt the city and the district was to have a very prosperous future. He advised Rotarians not to be afraid to invest their money in the city because, in his opinion, the future was bright with possibilities.