THE PRESS OF NEW ZEALAND.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4264, 19 November 1874, Page 7

THE PRESS OF NEW ZEALAND.

A Press Club has been formed in Dunedin, and at the opening dinner, a few nights ago, his Honor Judge Chapman—-who was a guest —made the following interesting remarks on the colonial history of the Press; — He supposed he had been asked to propose The toast of the Press Club, from the fact that he once formed one of what Miss Fanny Kemble used to call “ The Press Gang.” In fact, for many years during the time that he was studying the law, he got his living by his connection with the Press. He would be guilty of an observation that would sound something like an Irish bull, though he was not an Irishman, and say he knew the Press of New Zealand before it existed. They would soon see that this observation, although it looked like a bull, was borne out by the facts. The first systematic attempt to colonise New Zealand was made by the New Zealand Company. This company, after some difficulties, opposition, and so forth, established what they called the first colony at Wellington. Before this colony was started, a newspaper was projected as necessary for the settlers. This newspaper, it was decided, was to be edited by a very old friend of Ids, Mr. S. Eevans, who •now lived in the Wairarapa Valley. The first number of the first newspaper to be established in New Zealand was published in London upon the 6th of September, 1839, one month before the colonists left London. He was, therefore, they would see, justified in saying that he knew the Press of New Zealand when it was only in the womb of time. (Applause.) The little history he was about to give them was really very interesting. The first batch of colonists started from the Thames—from Gravesend—in the month of October, and the first ship, the Aurora, arrived in New Zealand on the 24th of June. She was followed by the Oriental, which arrived on the 31st of January following; and then came the Duke of Roxburgh, which arrived on the 7th of February. The next was the Bengal Merchant, which arrived on the 20th of the same month, and then came the Adelaide on the 7th of March, with the press, plant, and building for the establishment of the first newspaper in New Zealand. The Adelaide had been delayed at the Cape. She brought building, press, types, editor, and two or three compositors. (Laughter.) Mr. Eevans, who was on board this ship, met there an intelligent lad—almost a boy—known to some of you— Mr. Thomas McKenzie, or Tom McKenzie, as they then used to call him. He became Mr. Revans’s apprentice. As lie had said before, the Adelaide, with all the materials for the establishment of a newspaper, dropped anchor on the 7 th of March. The types, press, and so forth, and the house for the printing office, were brought out, the house having been built in frame by Mr. Maiming, of Holborn. The house and everything else necessary for the paper, were lauded three weeks after the Adelaide dropped anchor, and the first number of the paper was issued on the 18th of April, or six weeks after the vessel dropped anchor. The name of this publication was the New Zealand Gazelle, and it was continued for four years, when Mr. Eevans left it to follow other pursuits. ■ Ho became a squatter and took np land in the Wairarapa Valley, which he got from the Natives. ’' The Gazelle wan then taken in hand by two of the printers, including Mr. McKenzie, and its name was changed to the Wellington Independent, which newspaper was in existence until the present year, when it merged into the New Zealand Times. He believed that Mr. McKenzie was the oldest pressman that was connected with the practical part of tho work in Now Zealand. Although this was tho first newspaper in tho colony, ho did not mean to say that tho press which printed the New Zealand Gazette was the first printing press. Tho missionaries—one of whom was the Ecv. Mr. Williams—had a small printing press at Pahia many years before, which they used to print little books for the instruction of tho Maoris —printing

prayers, and so forth—extracts 1 from the Scriptures printed in Maori, and a little grammar and accidence , fox - teaching the Maoris English. He had seen some of the printing work done by the missionaries, and be thought that the printers of the present day would turn up their intellectual noses at it. (Laughter.) It was not very good press work, but it was useful in its time. "There was also another little press that existed-in the colony before Mr. Eevans’s press made its appearance upon the shores of Port Nicholson. Colonel Wakefield, an agent of the New Zealand Company, had arrived three months before in the ship Tory for the purpose of buying land from the natives. He brought with him a little toy press—a block press—which measured about fourteen inches either way. This press was worked by an elbow lever which could be shifted, and there were two or three drawers in connection with it, in one of which was a little roller, some ink, and two or three chases, while another drawer contained the type. It was intended to use this press for printing notices, and he believed it was never used for the purpose for which it was brought out. One day he (Judge Chapman) went into Colonel Wakefield’s office, and espied this same press, and, having a little affection for presses, he began to ask him about it. He looked at it, and said, “By Jove, I will send for one of those presses for my boys.” Colonel Wakefield very kindly gave him the press, and seen it to him. The press was in a very imperfect condition—there was no composing-stick and no galley He sent to Tom McKenzie, who gave him a composing stick, and he got a bit of copper and managed to make a galley. Having done this, he introduced his eldest son to the rudiments of practical printing. A lot of boys at that time formed a Cricket Club, and their resolutions were not only reduced to ■writing, but were actually set up and printed by Ids boy, with a little assistance from himself. (Applause.) He was only sorry he had not kept copies of some of them. What became of this press he did not know. They all knew how boys neglected their toys. He took it to Victoria with him when he went to that colony, and he did not know where it was now. It was the second printing press introduced into the colony of New Zealand. The early history of the colony was often alluded to in the Press of the present day. Shortly after the arrival of the first batch of immigrants, Captain Hobson, E.N., landed at the Bay of Islands and declared himself Governor of the colony. He intended to establish a township at that place, and make it the capital of New Zealand. He found the place inconvenient, however, and removed to what we now call Auckland. The first newspaper established at Auckland was called the Hera Id. There was another newspaper started at the same place ; he had forgotten its name, although he remembered the name of the man who printed it. There was rather a curious history about this paper. The proprietor had plenty of type, but unfortunately he had not a press. He bought a mangle. (Laughter.) The paper used to say, “We have stopped the mangle ” to insert some news of interest. (Laughter.) These were the Auckland papers. Now in Wellington the Neio Zealand Gazette soon had rivals. The first was established by Mr. Hanson, now the Chief Justice of South Australia, who, at that time, fell out with the Government, and established an independent paper. The paper was well written, for Mr. Hanson was a man of ability, but somehow or other it did not find favor with the colonists, and died after a twelvmonth’s existence. The then Wellington paper, called the Spectator, ran a course of ten or eleven years. He would now cast his eyes back to England, which brought him to his first personal connection with that part of the Press relating to New Zealand. When the colonists started for this land in 1839 he had a number of old friends amongst them, Mr. Revans, Mr. Molesworth Mr. Peter, Dr. Fitzherbert, and a great many of the earliest colonists. He was acquainted with a large number of them, and he promised them that he would establish a small newspaper in London to watch over the interests of the colonists. He earned out his promise, and started a small paper which was called the New Zealand Journal. It was published once a fortnight, and was something about the same size as the Home News or the Loudon Spectator. After he had kept this paper going for three years, he began to get into practice, and he sold it. Some six or eight months after this time he was appointed Judge, and came out to this colony. He had ten volumes of the New Zealand Journal here, and a very interesting record it was. Every public document relating to New Zealand, which made its appearance at the time, found its way into this journal, from first to last, so that it now constituted a complete record of the history of the colonisation of New Zealand for the first ten years of its existence. The Journal was afterwards ■merged into the Australian Gazette which became the Australian and New Zealand Gazette, and was edited by an old New Zealand colonist, who held the office for many years. Many would recollect that, 1 at the .time he was speaking of, the colonists only numbered about IXOO. Ho came to New Zealand in 1842, three years after the colony was established. The Europeans then knew nothing of the Middle Island, except the names of a few headlands here and there. He could sum up all that was then known about this island in a few words. They knew that there was such a place as Port Cooper, now Lyttelton, and they also knew of such a person as John Jones, of Waikouaiti, in Otakou, as the natives called the place. They just knew that there was such a place, and this was all they knew, except what they could leam from Captain Cook’s maps and charts. Let them look how the colony had grown since then. The only article of export at this time was whale oil, which was exported to the value of about £25,000 a-year, which at that time was not bad for a colony with only 1100 people. They had no other export trade. It was only some years after the time he was now speaking of that sheep were introduced. At Home the people believed that there was nothing but fern in the colony, and that there was not a place where a beast or a sheep could be put to feed, unless grass were artificially raised for it. Only in later times the vast grass plains were heard about. Then persons used to come and say that they had seen grass, and a few specimens were brought in. Let them look at the resources now. After alluding to the present prosperous state of New Zealand, his Honor went on to say that the Press had greatly contributed to the general welfare of the colony. He was, of course, addressing favorable ears ; but if he wore addressing a meeting of sixty or seventy persons, not one of whom was personally interested in the Press, all would agree that the Press had maintained a very respectable character in the whole of this colony.