ANOTHER PIONEER LOST

Chronicle (Levin), 7 February 1949, Page 4

ANOTHER PIONEER LOST

Late Mr. T. Bevan's Early Life Recalled (Cohtributed) : - On the last hay of January there passed to his rest from his home at Weraroa a map whose energetic enterprise was, some 50 years back, of great benefit to the farming ! community and the generai public of the Horo whenua County. He was Mr. Thomas Bevan, born 85 years ago at his father's dwelling near the mouth of the Waikawa iRiver, Manakau. ! .The eldest son.of Thomas Bevan, his mother a R.ansfield, his roots jwent far back in the history of New Zealand. As a boy Mr. Bevan had no schooling as it is generally understood, but in the school of life he quickly learnt how to handle men of all classes so as to usually obtain, at times in the face of strong opposition, the objective hpon which he had determined. 1 About the year 1897, Mr. Bevan went into partnership with Mr. J. W. Swainson. When further capital was needed the partnership was ■forme'd into the firm of Swainson and Bevan, Ltd., with- such wellknown hames as shareholders, directors and guarantors on the books of the company as John Kebbell, John Davies, James McLe'avey, Peter Bartholomew, W. H. Simcox and H. J. Richards, The objects of the firm were varied. They owned a flaxmill situated on the south bank of the Waikawa River, " between the railway and traffic bridges' and later on moved

about a quarter of a mfle up stream. All classes of farm work and contracting were catered for, and for these purposes the firm ! ownedi two traction engines, seed drill, reaper and binder, combine j for cutting and bagging chaff , ploughs, including what was reput'ed to be the first hay-baler in the North Island, drays, lorries" and more than a score of quality draught horses. At the homestead, situated just east of the railway line, on the Waikawa Vajiey Road, there were stahles, men's bunkhouse, cook house and dining room, siaughter house and an engineers' plant, where horses were shod, drays and all farm implements repaired and a very reliable line of traps and dogcarts built. i Besides the constant supply of fiax required for the mill, the firm's . activities were many. County roads were constantly in need of repair and new roads in need of gravelling, and for most of these jobs the firm used to tender successfully, The metalling of the road from Poroutawhao to Foxton was one of the major contracts, while others were the supplying of. all the. ironwork for the Taumanuka Bridge in the Otaki River Gorge, placing groynes (mad'e- by the firmhon the banks qf the Ohau River and mak- 1 ing all' the water-races in the j county. Every fall for some months a traction engine chaff-cutting combine and team of men travelled the district chaffing the farmers' oat stacks. For. the smaller out-of-the-way stacks the charge was 17s 6d per hour from the time of leaving the main road to returning there.' From the doubtful client a proportion of chaff was often taken in payment.

For the flaxmill cutters would be working as far south as the swamp near Plimmerton and north to Tokomaru, the fiax. being railed to Manakau. The number of men employed would vary from 50 to 100 and once or twice over the latter figure, the issue . of cheques for some years averaging 50 a week.

At times Mr. Bevan owned a horse or two, trained for some years by the late A. J. Shearsby, and always had at least two fasttrotting trap horses to carry him on his inspection trips. He has been known to d'rive beyond Te Horo in the morning and to Shannon in the afternoon. About 1904 the firm built quite a large warehouse near the Levin Railway Station, on the corner opposite the entrance gates to the ■ sports ground, burnt down some i years later, where hardware was stocked, monthly saies of skins and hi'des held and the first wholesale licence for the sale of spirits (later taken over by Mr. Walter Bull) and bonded store was situated. About 1905 Mr. Bevan went into partnership with the late J. R. MeDonald, of Heatherlea, in the ownership of a flaxmill, which was situated at Poroutawhao on the right of the road just where it bends sharply to the left to ascend the gradient there. ■ In this brief resume of the early life of Mr. Bevan readers who knew | him not can judge some what of the ability and character of the man he was. A foundation member of the Levin Racing Club, he was at one time its president. His widow, family and sister, Mrs. E. L. Phillips, of Queen; Street, Levin, have the deep sympathy of all their friends.