EARLY WAIKATO

Waikato Times, Volume 104, Issue 17455, 16 July 1928, Page 7

EARLY WAIKATO

iSAAC COATES’ REMINISCENCES. SEARCH FOR A FARM. Mr Isaac Coates continues his reminiscences of early clays in the Waikato as follows: — “In my last I had arrived at the Hamilton Hotel, then kept by a man named Farrell, who shortly afterwards sold out to a man whose name 1 forget, hut he was known as ‘Diamond Jimmy.’ There was another hotel in Hamilton West, known as the Reserve Hotel, it being at the corner of Knox Street, and occupied by one of Hamilton’s first councillors, Mr Fred Caudin. There was also one hotel on the East side, the Royal Hotel, then kept by Miss Jane Harris, who afterwards became Mrs Gumming. The post office was on the top of the hill about where the Cathedral now is.

“As soon as 1 had had luncheon I enquired the way to Captain Steele s farm. By the way, in my last I am reported to have said tiiat both Caplain Steele and Major Jackson lived at Rangiaohia- Only a slight error of the printer’s devil. There was also a slight error in my previous letter, which made me say that I paid a visit to the 28th Royal Irish Regiment, which should have been the 18th Royal Irish. I enquired my way to Captain Steele’s residence. I was told to go to the punt and the puntman would show me Llio way lo Steele’s farm. When I got to the punt it was oil ihc east side of Ihe river, so that I had some time to have a look around. A short distance away there was an auction going on. The very sight of the way that the auctioneer and liis clients were dressed at the time gave me a very unfavourable impression of the state of affairs and business in the Waikato, as the auctioneers in Yorkshire I had always found well dressed. “Rut after I got more experience I only wondered that the people got on as well as they did, for there was little or no work to be had, as up lo then there was very little work being done on the land, as the only officers (who of course got the best land, having first choice) who had started farming on their allotted sections were Captains Steele, McPherson, Becre and Brown, Incut. Johnson, Ensigns Crawford, and Blaekmorc. I bought Crawford's .section, now known as the Ruakura Estate, but not on my first visit to Hamilton. “Well, 1 found the way quite easily lo Captain Steele’s farm, now called Silvcrdalc. He was busy ploughing, I gave him Hie letter of introduction I got from Mr Brook-Smith, and of course told him wiiat 1 wanted and the amount of capital I was willing to invest, but that- 1 wanted good land, ■ such as I had been used to in Yorkshire- lie told me to have a good look over all the Waikato and then come lo him and tell him what part 1 liked best. He offered to lend me a hack or riding horse, but 1 tokl him I was a good walker and never tired. ‘Well,’ lie said, ‘come back here when you have seen all Hie best land.’ “Tiiat night I stayed at Hie Hamilton Hotel and next morning started for Cambridge, on foot of course. When I got to Cambridge I met a man named John Itunciman, who told me tiiat lie had secured J 000 acres of the best land in the Waikato, but I told him that was more than I could afford to buy, as I did not want more than I could pay for. He told me that lie knew of a good farm near liis farm for sale., After he had described the farm I went to have a look at it. I found the owner and another man threshing out the wheat from a slack of line, clean-looking wheat-sheaves. It seemed that Ihe family had a kind of coffee mill, lhaf. they ground the wheat in. There was not a llourrnillcr in the Waikato in those times, so that will tell you the kind of life the people had to put up with. My impression is that the great cry at the present | time of hardship and unemployed can- j not, tie compared with the times as I Hiev were in the Waikato in 1808. Of 1 : course I did not buy the farm, as it, 1 was too small, only 50 acres, so t went ' back to Cambridge for the night." 1