HASTING.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 930, 24 September 1910, Page 13

HASTING.

A FLOURISHING; CENTRE.; , PAST AND PRESENT HISTORY:,, ■ V The, flourishing. and ; :progressiye''t<?wn. of Hastings." was founded .111 1864;! ' or" IB6oby ■; Messrs.* sWilbVm Rich :■& and'Thomas. Tanner, when the present'.town •siteVwas' !, a/morej-tTOmpv-:;:lt^^'M i v-;;]tfrVl Tanrior' who .'naiiicd' tno : : place',after Warren great';' Governorr..' General .' of India'.-. ■ thought!:cif■'in • t&o-.&isAies,*; and as sthere' was already a', ! toivn (Havelock :■ North) ■ wis ;irot: antk^ ; V become, a 1 business' '-''centre. ;:' -Tho; : place, - '•v/liich; comprised 'a poi'tion of- tlio Hereta'iniga Bloctj??liad ; 'beSn purchased ■' from-.' • po r Ma6rjsuby:-a:;Sjiidicate,amongS't..;Whbm wero Archdeacon' \Vil!iams and -Messrs: J. D. Ormond, W. R., .aiid A. '11..' 1 ■ and -P. .Russell, Gordon, sen.,. Caiyuini , ;Gkirdbii, ; !and' ,G." Hill.The p jpi xficii -is' understood to Jinvo I - . «>'^.i/)J ■! ' acre,' .which . riijist ;.bp-':Consi&roa • a;;'-ia>; raarkably.; gopd/p'rico Cfor/.'thcsb lii- confirmation- bf ;tlie°stai:eme4V the', then residents of ' Hastings hadpilof' .'much.; faith- in 'its: future,. it- may;./be"', mentioned . that, in ,1870 -,Mr. ... Timer's bffer..6f..aii;a¥reiof the Tiesfc lanS'iii tho present;^borough'.":;i:f^,: ; '.thrcc> - V acres acceptors;:.: ;rMK' ! 'at'£3-;pp£iicre K and,'agrped to iako . payment-iiii labour. •_ To-dav these same s acres,?are\-)3eing i 'sqldv.at/-from £100 per foot. : In 1871,-" v.Mri - t Tanner* .offbfed;. : ;64o ::acres, from' .the presentcsi<»: 'Bank' theKai'airiu Road, even these liberal terms could not jfind-; ■a'buyer. 'i'v i;*' ;- . ■ . :t ..." • •'' i- ' : . : - i RAILWAY. IMPETUS. - 1 ;,Thei3idea' of . a railway connect, with' Wellington gave its: first, impetus. UThe scheme' .was igg-; geste,ij.'.:jn:lß73i-. aiid i as - a , consequence,' Mr.'.iFif.Hicks; - a-isettler,; cut up ! oiie; hundred. acres • i in.tia''Vjtpwu\' : lb^-v:.-pS,ii:

same Mr. Hicks gave tho 'Government four acres of land for building purposes, which were to include^'railway station, .and there■; then: appeared; the nucleus '6f : -a'.to\vn. ■ The firsi?>" Business place. was opened by, Mr. Hicks as a store, in a small two-roomed ; building on the sito. of. the present ,7Upion Bank; i'ne first hotel'was the TRailway, while tha•firsfc school was established, m . r the old ... Masonic . Hall: . The: ; . station wis 1 opened-about ny-77-'7 . V : tJrider the impetus'igiv'en by tho' rail- : way, the town grew arid . prospered. The swamps were drained and cleared,7 77 arid-the wild pigs werei killed right out! •.Thus, from a very! be- : . ginning, Hastings, gradually developed • ■into a ; very, flourisbm'g pastoral, cultural,. fruit, vine,,;and.hop-growing ■' country. The placo l %afe r, gover;iied first b,v a Road Board,- under.; the Hawke's ;: 7 Bay County : Council^.|,Jien!in 1883 by a Town Board, and ;feally>'was.>consis-';^^V ; -. luted a borough iu bflßß6. : The first Mayor was .the lateoMr.-R. Wellwood, ■ 'and the.- population : then waslso-1, •against beWeen 5000'>indi,6000 ! at. tha:7 ■;. present moment; ; . ;' ..." FIRST POST OFFICE. . The first post office' w.as opened on •" December 1, 1875, under the charge of ' Mjf.>''D.:-A: , '' ! -l^right,;-ijfaUway.;;-^i^tibnr!;7 ; --:- master. ; It -the "'station7'77 building . until;-;1893■:>.>.-separate.V'.-.r'' office was: ereetcd.7 The- telephone ex-.. chaiige was opened '-August-, 1596, and.on April 1, 19Q7, an all-night tel^! phone exchange; service—the first, in . ; the Dominion outside, tho four.'largo' . centres —was granted."" At! the present ;; time there is ; r being,-,installed''Hast-,.';. in f 'the first -iii;. the North; Island, by.--whicnv ;" : 1 the present 'method sp'ft ringing -up ia for^tf-.qilKiker;'system^; £~ Mirnectioh with 7: sub- . * ' 'Scribers being 'of ' un- )[ hooking, the 'transmitted'. '. THeVgrowth of 'the postal business in Hastings.. ia ;. amply ■ shown : by: theVfact'. that 11: ,iiVrlßß9 .tte.staffi'iiuml^r^djfpurlili^ numbers ftf teeing :• Tho .7 present 7 post, office,was erected m-1909, 'by Mr. J. Reiiouf, of Napier j'--' the ; .Pontract: ■''price',bnng ; £sl2s..;^"Jtfuv : 'two-story S brick7buildihg,7witti; ■' cement facings, and a clock.iqwer. .The clock,; . , funSs.ifor :the v ptirchMe';qf.^ subscribed by the .';jjiiblic, ' augmented ; ' by 1 Government, "subsld};'/.is daily ex- ; Booted; from and' : 'niay;')M ex- .' . ' pected to be erected fri the course'of tho next few months.- ,ir'i-j .7;777'7' THE FIRST. SHOW ' ■ r^,jhoV.first.; agriculturalp;sho% v held via/js);.; ''Hastings: district7wasMriaugiirat<M7.ati;;7i7 Havelock North; in 1863J -■ near .the'site; . of- the /present- public school,- then , known as Danver's Pjtddock. T)ie in-.- ; augurators of .the show were Sir Doik; j'dJd'-MTjiean,: iv V;OT : 'John' A'Dean,' GoUaft^'^'oina5 J: Tanner, I v Sam; {Williari^i^JHenry,/. RMsellilfe; ( Williani. i: J 7ly .all■ the sheep-.shown" wero. merinos,!; '-. i the' .'cattle -'-were 'Shornhiorri-Fand^ horn '.cross. Joto/Heslop,77theg/:.,. i : Rev. Sani.; -Wilb'ainsjand- William i; . ' <Cooper 'were - exhibitors: a'nd; : -. : prize-takers. , This' show; is. cpnauct-ed;.;.. '. by' -Hawliie's atgricnltiiral ■ , ;is ; .,v kpOwn as' one of: tho .Wealthiest iinsti-ii-.: tutiona of. its kind "in Nbw Zealand., y". HASTINGS TO-DAY r : "Hastings tb-dav •isya''gar('^ ! •.' ■ colours. . Situated ;• an?^ : /X ■, ; araa ? Zealand,-' it stands forward; .a"s:.'a'i ; eentro;fi.;.; 1 ■/ will more than .'hold: its own' against its ;- other inland town rivals "outside' of tho. ' J four' cehtrts.: .The lojwh is. surrbiiiided : by; a ;Mvei of, progressi\jte'_iiidustries'.' -/ Chj*|f| 1 'theyone. side at -Tpmo;ina, c ''iust ;twp;milM-'>v. away, are Nelson Bros great freezing ; ;o'ft^!: i ' Paki • lire:.;Borthwiek-sJ;fr^zarigJ: ; : and 'a-half .froiui the-toivn.'. ia' ' . Frimley, . with, its hundred niiles of- . ; peach ifamous 'canmngv.: .-; ; and. jam-makiiig factory.. /Two and: a . . : ;^^ e ?? c t':'Nbrthi,;^:; .famed for . its orchards and.'as .'the' .' ■; jitime ofSthe, , ;.in the {tciwn\t3iera .has, just '.-,been -.. com-. .; ! pany's Works, tho 'first of its kind .m.' > - New> : Zealand. ■ i iAitother; : :industry ia : : that : ;for;' curing 'corn-.bMf;;7avfinc ; :• iket for. which' has ; '.jiist been ;.estab-. - lished in England. Then 'it is- within ; '■ ' feasy of. : dairy fsi'CTOries;'--it' haa-' '• 1 the Hawko's Bay /A. and P; Grounda • 'Sficl I .rac'eMurse' : ;#fthiiia'.fewVmmVAuv . utes' v.-alk'.from' the'^jwsV;office,' and. it • lies y sitfrmiiided'^by^Je^Jei^''^ : ;Ampngst:these/lafter aro the.estatis of.; .'. Messis. R. D D. M'Lean, at 3J[araeka- ■ kaho; S. Williams,--, at '-To Aute; Il.i •Ghanibers, - at -Te :A..H.-,Russell,;; . at Tivyford; Nelson "Bros.j at :/ i iH.-' 1 Gaisford, at:: Flasmere; • v Douglaa Bros., ;at To Mahanga'j.-tho -Hon.. J. D.,. v Ormond,. at Karainu;! and Sir •' William ! Russell, .at/Fkxmere.";'' The toWit- haa . and comforts of V civilisation. . It haa ' . ficent-jbuildingsV.in.'.brick' and.'ferro^o crete. One of these, the Grand Hotel, i is'one xif. the largest;fetelr in-; New ; land, being built of-'.b'fi'ck' throughout, . ' and capable: of laccpmmoilating^er'ipneij l ; hundred. and . fifty'.guests'... '..The;' latest- ' -progressive '. move, regarding::'''.tbiev.tpira>j'-';c - -m»lior.-.fiiilwayr : w°lii6l£<%o l uld £ f link up . Frimley arid--'HaveleckCNorth ; : central; : ..only a matter .o!" sonip ten years,.'and 7. ' these three .'towns wilf. be closely linked together, . .and;-, railway 1 secriis to bo. a- step' ; 'iiiVtno right dix.®'. ' ' "* s !'sSigs. ; . the: .-credit o! •: Vho;: N<M7lsland:''Rdilwaj rt^as^ei''^wJii^.;Ji'^'d^^s:'ina^e7'itoS : - w.inflnenbfe';;felt'.'by'':.its:.bbld:'*and :, Mergeticv'. ; ''i of the :f-urtheriideveldpnieiit oi 771 j-rt'his island.'by ; a • railway' ' tie -pre- • 7. ■ tc .i. ' 'particiilax'777'7' fs i ( ; '!l^e7peseht,^Ma^rt'of'i i HaStings7ia i §7 1 Mr. JrA.' Miller,>' nnd f the councillors: ar«';:7'7 ; : ■MessrSi T. Donovan,-iT. Garnettj'William . Hart, C. L. Mackersey;- 1 M. "Mason; :B; v . •0.-M'Cormick, T. Styles;-AV-' H:- : Smith;- - ; v ; G. S. Clapham. ~Tho- .Town 1 -;- - Clerk ■ is Mr. .J. .Collrage.'- I The names of previous mayois 1 are —Messis" R. Wellwood, G Ellis, F Bumett, C. A Fitzroy, W Lane, W T Dennett, : Thompson. -i-lf'V;7;<K^7i'7;'-' : '-3 : '-vvv'^'Y7;"7' : ''AfeaJ??:;':v.- 7:t7-7; ; ;';)Messrs;J7 ;Ai' - jrilltri ' land' ' agenta -' ftnid:? auctioneers, '70 Hawko's Bay, diStnct,. fruit, dairy, / also 7building • on''fhe:^firm^^'has ':a7vei'^p^nsiv , , 'Tist,7'.- , and '7;:ihtWdni^'s^'urcHa^ra ; Ilawko' iS Bay land are to; make n V.iiplicatioii. 7' 7..7 ' •