A PIONEER BORN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20779, 23 January 1931, Page 13

A PIONEER BORN.

SON OF HOWICK FENCIBLE.

EIGHTY-ONE YEARS TO-DAY.

MR. L. M. WHITE'S MEMOIRS. A New Zealander born, Mr. L. H. White, of Howick, will celebrate his 81st birthday to-day. lie is the oldest locallvborn resident. His father, Mr. James White, formerly a gunner in the Royal Horse Artillery, came to New Zealand as a member of the Royal New Zealand Fencibles, a body of military pensioners who, in return for a cottage and a grant of a few acres, undertook to form outpost settlements to protect Auckland against possible attack. His father had also been a soldier, being killed when fighting the Turks about 130 years ago. In Howick James White became the first postmaster, a task that was not onerous, seeing that there was a mail only once a week that was carried by a Maori. Ho was also clerk of the Court and kept tho store. The Pionoer Spirit.

The cheery octogenarian who celebrates his birthday to-day, was born in this pioneer outpost at a time when money was not sufficiently plentiful to oust tho system of barter, and what would now be regarded as abject poverty was tho common lot. "But somehow our parents worried through and wo enjoyed life," said Mr. White yesterday. "It is surprising what will suffice ii folk are not concerned about tho frills and worried about going one better than their neighbour."

After leaving school at an early, age young White found himself driving a twohorse team with metal from Pigeon Mountain for the first street in the village. He could hardly reach the horses' heads, but boys were little men in those days. Frequently he drove with a load of hay to Auckland, crossing the Tamaki on the ferry punt. "I see there is no car parking in many of the city streets now," he remarked. "Bless my soul, wo used to unyoke in Queen Street and feed the horses at the footpath. Of course, we used to race a bit to get a stand in Hardington's stables, but one had to be early. Youth Seeks Life. "When I was about 18 I went in a cutter loaded with bricks to Thames, and a rough trip it was. We had to ehelter on the Coromandel side and the Maoris fed us on potatoes that seemed the finest food I had ever tasted after a fast of 48 hours. When we got in I asked about a job and found one at Walnut and Kays' brewery crushing barley at sixpence a bushel. I made £2 in three days and thought I was made for life. Then I went to a store at Karaka and then to a job on the Moanataiari water race.

"Then, like other boys, I reckoned there was no place like home and made for it. Oi course, I got married like any sensible person, but my totai possessions at the time were a horse and dray and one sovereign. A dear old friend, the Irish wife of a pensioner, called me in one day and said she heard I needed another horse. I said I did, but didn't have the money. Without a word she went to an old teapot and produced 10 shining sovereigns which she handed over with the remark, 'Pay me back when you can.' "

Keeping the Farm.

After his parents died Mr. White took* . v over the store, but out of doers was the place for him, and so he took up a block of land at Turanga not far away, but by the time he had a house erected his money was gone, so he had to go out to work to keep the story of struggle. A large family came along, "but," said Mr. White, "happy, days. And let me say this: Neither then, nor now can a settler hope to do ,any good unless he has a wife who is compe- t tent and game to battle with him. I remember when they started the creamery ; - our way. My wife said the price was. no good to her and she kept her cream, made the butter and doubled her income. "I remember as a young chap carting metal to fill holes in the main road. My pay worked out at ,6s lOd a day, and that included the pay for the horses. My employer remarked that a half loaf wat better than no bread. I wish the unemployed to-day would realise that fact."

Mr. White is one of those men who are made secretary oi organisations, which have no money to spend on salaries. He i was clerk of a road board, the salary for which was nothing. He has been secretary of the Oddfellows' Lodge for 50 years. He tells bright stories of the early days of local government, when a road board was elected at a public meeting along with auditors and fence viewers, whoso function was to arbitrate in disputes about boundaries. "The auditors, of course, knew nothing about accounts and the procedure was to ask the clerk if everything was all right and then to sign," he said.

Memories oi the Fencibles. _ "My father was a Unitarian," continued Mr. White. "The Fencibles had to parade for church every Sunday and the sergeant used to order, 'Roman Catholics, one pace forward; Protestants, one step back.' My father stood still one day. The sergeant bellowed. 'But I am neither Catholic nor Protestant,' said my father. 'Well, go to hell your own way,' returned the sergeant. 'Right,' said dad, and departed. "That reminds me. One of the pensioners who had been drinking was walking up the road with a hay fork, when lie met the clergyman of a denomination ho disliked. Sc he charged the clergyman with the fork. Fortunately,' the clergyman was athletic, and he ran away, and mentioned the incident. Later in the day he saw down the hill a number of his fllock with arms trying the culprit by court-martial. I really believe they would have shot him if the clergyman had not appeared. "And then there was the story of the old woman who hanged herself. After the inquest an old wife asked what the verdict was. The clerk said, 'Felo de se.' 'Fell in tho sea,' she exclaimed. 'Nonsense. Didn't I see her with my own two eyes through a crack in the door hanging from the rafter.' "

Mr. While enjoys life. He is light of step and full of fun. His wife, who also was born at Howick, is 76 arid also well, and one of their many grand-daughters will bo queen of the carnival to-morrow.