AFTER FORTY YEARS.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13176, 7 February 1936, Page 4

AFTER FORTY YEARS.

OLD TIMER REVISITS PAHIATUA After -ill absence of over 40 tears an old timer. Mi- Charlie Remnant, passed through Pahiatua roc-entlc on his way to Pongaroa, where he intends spending a lew months This hardy pioneer of the old school, ahe walks with a firm steady step as <>l yore, was amazed with the transformation of the town when he arrived, and contrasted it with the place as he knew it sc many years ago. The .ine tar-sealed road of : ay ill Main Street was just a makeshift road then, and passengers alighting from the coaches had perforce to pick their way warily lest they tell victims to the treacherous mud' that so often gathered in Mail. Street. Nil* Remnant, who hailed originally from Motueka. where his father was one of the pioneer orchardists. took over the Makuri mail contract from, the previous owner of the local staNtr i ile. and judging by some of his experiences while negotiating the treacherous route through th ■ Gorge, he would find the present road a paradise. The coach was drawn by three horses and the trip took anything up to 3J hours The harness was so fixed to enable a candle. lamp to be placed on either side of the lic-rses and one above Sometimes the weather -was -o wretched on the run that the leading horse could hardly be seen. Mr Remnant lxatl an unenviable exp. r enoe cue night while taking the through. A heavy rain had caused a flood and the coach drove unsuspectingly into a washout. The dr v'er h:u] amoncr },j s mails a ban with i_‘ >o and in the general disc rder that followed his mail was scattered on all sides, fortunately it was recovered when the flood ' subsided, but Mr Remnant was put on the mat ' r not delivering it personally t< the local postmaster, having entrust. .! t to the care or the local 'policeman . Mr Remnant's stay in Paniatua saw tile burning down ~! the obi t „_ ion hotel, which wn- replaced ■ the Post Office Hotel, and the ~ -out. Rutland Hotel was then knowi K the Empire. The Commercial, whi, i, was situated n-nr his stables had not lost its .dentity. Mr .). 1). C. < rewe' ; father was a. very live man in th*' town in the early days, and did mn-t ut t* o auctioneerin'- that wa> required • Mr Remnant l era lied the brewery started by Mr Wagstah and said Pahiatua could always he dciicndcd upon to produce good ale in tiio-o d ivs and he agreed with the write,that flu* successors t<* tlic old-ostnV fished firm at Mangaiaineka w i-c keeping up the traditions ot the olden days. Mr Remnant referred to th ■ red .letter day in the town v. hen n Mexican cowboy visited Palnetua and gave an exhibition in Hall’s pa.kio. k tr Remnant, was proud of th. fact shat he was able to stick to wo ~f the animals produced that dav