PIONEER PRINTER

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21882, 18 August 1934, Page 12

PIONEER PRINTER

EARLY NEW ZEALAND PRESS REV. W. YATE'S PLANT Research into the beginnings of printing in New Zealand was made some years ago by Mr. W. J. Couper, of Glasgow, who, while on a trip to the Dominion, spent some time searching early records in tho Turnbull Library, Wellington. The results of this investigation have appeared in tho "Scottish Notes, and Queries," a publication recently received by Mr. Johannes C. Andersen, librarian of tho Turnbull Library.

Mr. Cooper's article states that the I?ev. W. Yate, in 1830; brdught over to Kerikcri, Bay of Islands, a small press' from Sydney, Where ho had secured the services of a youth named Smith, who had had a little training in printing. A cateihism and a few hymns were all that wore known to have come from that press, which apparently was soon discarded, and found its v..yy hack to Sydney to the possession Mr. Benjamin Isaacs, a printer who had been working in the Bay'of Islands. The discovery ot the curliest known New Zealand print was comparatively late in date, it is a church catechism printed in the Maori Ssnguage, and now, reposes in the Turuboll Library. Alohg with it caints the atita!! labo! used to describe it in the London rooms. It npw rests inside the booklet itself, and reads as follows: —" The Church Oatcchism,.Translated into Maori. This was printed at Kerikcri, New Zealand, in August, 1830, by the Rev. W. Yate, and is believed to lie the first printed matter produced in New Zealand. Only one other copy is known to exist." The othor copy of -this church catechism is in the Auckland Library.