Interviews with Pioneers.

Southland Times, Issue 17193, 12 November 1912, Page 4

Interviews with Pioneers.

" 80S WORTHY MAYOR." air w. a sewnrett’s reflecTHK DAWN OF M UN I 1 ’I FAR AUTHOR [TV, Anion? tho many old identities of Southland there is one gentleman without whose reminescenees this record would be incomplete, as It is long occupancy of prominent public positions has given him a unique opportunity to observe the progress and change of the town and district. When approached by a Southland Times interviewer this gentleman, who is Mr VJ. B. Scanclrett. Mayor of Greater Invercargill, consented to enumerate the salient events in the history of the town, and did so in the following manner: "Invercargill, when I arrived on Angusf Ist. 1862. consisted principally of one street. The business places centred where the Education Offices now stand and it consisted of three shops and a •wooden school. One of the shops was occupied by the late Mr Lumsden. Lower down the street where the Bank of Mew South Wales now stands Mr T. J. White had a store. A little to the east was Calder ami Blacklock's store. Tito old Koval Hotel stood where Dalgety and Co. are now located. Round the corner of Dee street was tire Albion Hotel —a wooden building containing site rooms. Some of the earlier settlers were away at the Tupoka. gold diggings when I arrived and tire infant settlement was looking very small. Tho following month there was more stir, as tho ship Robert Henderson came in with two or three hundred Immigrants from Scotland. Its .arrival quite changed the aspect of the town and gave it an air of having a considerable population. At Unit time tho Lake diggings, known as Fo.\’s rush, had just been discovered and as Invercargill was the natural port fo ■ Wakatipu, gold diggers commenced to arrive at the Bluff from Australia in November (!562). Previous to November the Melbourne steamers had come Into the New River, hut one of the vessels goingoout think it was the Oscar —-ran on to a. reef near Mokomoko through-what was said to be tho failure of tho officer in charge to exercise sufficient care. I Vuiaequently Median and Blackwood, tho owners of the line of steamers they later disposed of to the Union Co., decided to call at the port of Bluff and lot people find their way to Invercargill as best they could. Stalling vessels also came in from Melbourne and Tasmania in considerable numbers and landed tho diggers, who made their way up tiie Fast Road, round by Roslyn Bush, then on to Win ton and northwards to the WakaUpu. Tho North ■Road was not then opened or formed. the diggings. “About the end of October in the same year Messrs Fitzgerald. Reynolds and Downes came to Invercargill with a view to starting a newspaper, and in the course of a few weeks the first issue of tho Invercargill Times was published. Mr Fitzgerald visited the Lakes diggings and came bade full of the potentialities of Invercargill as the port nearest to Lake Wakatipu. Unfortunately for Bonin land the Lakes diggings were in the Otago province, Southland's northern boundary being Kingston, and the Otago Provincial Government sent a police escort through Central Or ago to protect the miners and tlm L: rdd which was then taken to Dunedin. Where the gold went the miners followed, and consequently the trade Invercargill should have had according to its geographical position was lost to it. If the present, connty aysterr: had been in operation all of that trade would have camo to its natural outlet, at Invercargill, Still being the nearest reaport. all cr marly all the goods traffic went hy wag-ron from Invercargill and Hit orlop, and the rate for carriage for some months was £UO per ton. Many of the early .set tiers with their teams made considerable sums of rnonev on the roads, and among those who •.'/■•■re then carrying to the Wakatipu was .Mr ivtvid Bo,he, who is still with it is almost impossible to realise to-day the an;,", l ra nee the New River Harbour pre.-amted in the hoy-day of its activity, i leave seen many an thirty or Ihiny-.dve ves.seis lying in tho harbour at one time when there was no ro.-.d to the .Bluff. .Passengers who arrive! at tho latter port walked to Invercargill by way of Mokomoko or came round by the Ri: lo steamer Aphrasla. which wan nfieil and run by Messrs John and Realm r- lmyne. Invercargill tor ;t number of yearn was tho ej-.ief shipping port and on Severn! occasions Urn wool produced by tho district was shipped from the Invercargill jetty, and the F'da Gladstone a largo vessel loaded hero for at least two years. .Eventually the railway was constructed between Invercargill and tho Bluff and trade gradually passed to Bluff Harbour. In the years 18 63 and I SB-1 the population of Invercargill increased rapidly and at one ikne there could not have been P-vvcr than .seven thousand inhabitants, hut people left ;im town in hundred, when the Hol'd tika diggings wore discovered in lviiti-7. Vessels of all kinds took away produce and goods and people, and it was many years before the town recovered from the .‘-dump.

about one hundred feet in height and composed largely of sand, and the wind reduced tlte.se to their present level. As is now well known the rabbits increased in thousands and spread all through Southland, destroying the grass and practically ruining ilie majority of the run-holders. In the light of our present knowledge it is inconceivable how tho Provincial Government came to be moved to import rabbits fur sport and to pass a law to protect them, whereby tho whole country was to suffer injury. MR SCAXDRETT'S CAREER. Mr Soandrctt was asked hy the interviewer as to his own public career, and lie went on to say that he had always been interested in the town's affairs. “Yes," ho said, "1 have always been glad to assist In pu'oiie matters. This is proved by the. feet that at twentythroe years of age I was a member of the Town Board and from that year lo 15-71 was secretary of most of the organisations and public bodies that existed in Invercargill. I assisted Messrs Lumsden. Goodwill!© and .Taggers in drafting the petition to the Provincial Government to constitute, Invercargill a corporation and also got signatures for that document. In the year IR7I the first Mayor and Council were elected. I was not a member of that Council. At the time I was accountant for Messrs Tapper and Co., timber and iron merchants. The first Council was constituted as follows:—The Hon. YVm. YVood. M.L.C. (Mayor) and Councillors Lumsden. Pratt. Garthwaite. Goodwlllie. .Riggers, Ross. Blackwood, and Tapper. They decided to call for applications for the position of town clerk, Several citizens, knowing that I had taken an interest in the municipality, suggested that I should seek the office. I decided to do so and the Council appointed me. and I continued to serve as town clerk until ISO". 1 then thought that I might improve my financial position by entering commercial life and I started my first business in 183-1. I became a councillor in tSt;5 and was elected Mayor in ISOu. Later 1 again became a councillor and in 100-1 T was again elected Mayor and the citizens re-elected me three nr four times and in return for their confidence I may say that I have given them my best .service. This Is probably the last occasion on which I will seek to occupy the office of Mayor. I hope to serve the town as a councillor a-s I feel fit for work/and have been so long connected with the corporation that, it seems almost a duty to offer my services while I have health and strength to undertake the work.”

tr r: civ i<' artrto rit v . Tl'.i municipal t of the town was inaugurated 5. v the as Ii on of tho Provincial Council of .Southland In passing a. Tcn-n P.oa.-js Ordinance, f became a number in One of tho first cot;tracts la; was, to clear the leash off JVtveron sir-et. Invureartrill ami the* district to too north tvs-i then a complete forest as ,ar as Walk Itvi. • V»nsiderable work was done by Pro town Hoard. Tar street had to ho foraied, Hot- it was the principal hnsdrusss street at that period. Ft was formed to its full width which necessitated ;i [treat amount of cartin;;. Tho winter of ISC.”, wa.i very wot and tho .street; was in each a had win e tiiat women had to -wear hj r;tt V/-■ iM a ytoa home--. and occasiontii'y in Midis;; liner fs-e nut of the mad 'o loir-: Tec octet men he: boot •was left behind. To lord; at Tay titrcd to-day and see the di/Te-enc" made it is a Intent unncssiblo to believe that liucli things ever ha'.d'cn.vd. “With tie; people coin-; away I o tho West Cua.st become very dull and property was of very little value. Any decent person could obtain a house to lies in for two price of ioolJuy after It. It way. iaiposslblo ’■ o cvllect rales S o tho members of tho Town Hoard decdrlod in close their .toors and cUscharp'o tie) chyle, Air J. P. -inyce, who was afterwards connected both v/iLh the Soutiihmd Times and the Southland .Mews. Tim hooks of tho Hoard were scat to tho provincial Government and lhe re was r;r> recognised civil authority from IK (if, til; tho decision to form flic, present Municipal Corporation in 1871. During that period, although the residents com-plaim-d of dullness of lry.de uad tho scarcity of work, land was boinK taken in. and 1.1 ’ v mitt Llement of the country districts was proceeding. All of the country wan occupied by ahoep cuss, and ,lu; '.void iv na curried down to inverC.trsUl from thft interior in drays. THK COif.lN'O OP Bltl'lU RABBIT. "iu the year 18<ju it was decided fo impurt, rabbi’.; for the purpe-rc of .sports and these were liberated on the land Wssl t of the ore Li f liver at a point near the ’peach, and tin Ordinance van panscd' ciupow’eria;; mairistrutiw to indict a heavy penalty on people who interfered ■with or shot the rabbits. This won one Kf'*tbo most disastrous importations Southland tins ever known. Prior to the xdvent of the rabbit that part of Southfetnd to which they were introduce'.! was ■lino fprunsy country, earryiiy; a laifte number of sheep, but witiua two years it became a wilderness of sand. The Tablet;-; loosened the .soil and the winds tuvay the sand and levelled tuo &em tho Now River to Riverton. j*n literu stood a of low hills

MEMORIES OF THE EARLY DAYS.

The Conquest of Southland.