15 YEARS’ RESEARCH

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 257, 31 October 1939, Page 9

15 YEARS’ RESEARCH

HISTORY OF WANGANUI THE CENTENNIAL VOLUME MB. L. J. B. CHAPPLE'S REVIEW An idea of the amount of work involved in preparing for publication the centennial “History of Wanganui” was given to members of the Wanganui Rotary Club yesterday by Mr. L. J. B. Chapple, who was responsible for compiling the greater proportion of the information in the book. By far the longest and most arduous part of such a publication, said Mr. Chapple, was the research work involved, the seeking of material in official documents, newspapers, diaries, letters, books and Parliamentary debates. “I began this research about 15 years ago and one of my first tasks was to spend five hours a day for three weeks—my holidays—down in the basement of the General AssemblyLibrary in Wellington reading the 1 files of the Wellington newspapers from 1840 to 1850. For a change I would spend an evening in the Turnbull Library looking up numbers which were missing from the Government files. Many of my holidays were spent in this way.” Mr. Chapple said that even the advertisements in the newspapers had been scanned, as good material was often gleaned Hum them. Any item on Wanganui he had copied. “When this collection of material was completed —it never is really completed—then came the task of tne rough planning of the book, followed by tne selection of the material which would be required,” he said. There was enough material for several volumes, but from 100,000 to 120,000 words was all that was required if the book was not to become too unwieldly. New information was appearing all the time, one fact which he did not discover until it was almost too late, being that Sir George Grey was in Wanganui when he received from England the dispatch which granted New Zealand its first constitution. As time went by he was sure that other items would arise which he would regret had not been chronicled in the book. Help from Mr. Veitch. When the planning and selection was over, Mr. Chappie said that he slardted to draft the various chapters. From this stage he received valuable help from Mr. H. C. Veitch. The chapters were all re-written, some of them more than once, but eventually the task was completed and the manuscript was typed. The typescript was carefully read over, corrected arid additions and deletions made to the text. Before this stage was far advanced, the Wanganui Historical Society was set up at his instigation. He paid tribute to the assistance received from Mr. F. H. Bethwaite. It was mainly due to Mr. Bethwaite’s business acumen and enthusiasm that the book was to see the light of day. Mr. Chappie also paid tribute to the assistance of Miss A. M. Blackett, Mr. C. P. Brown, the late Mr. T. W. Downes, Mr. J. B. Jack, Mr. F. J. Denton, Miss Newton and Miss E. Graham. As a result of Mr. Bethwaite’s appeal about 300 subscribers were enrolled al a fee of a guinea each and on this sum a Government subsidy was received, the total amount being sufficient to pay for the printing and binding ot an edition of 750 books. Mr. Chapple detailed other aspects of the printing of the book, and concluded oy saying that copies of the book were expected to arrive in Wanganui during the first week in Novemi her.