THE OLD TIMERS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1665, 4 February 1913, Page 7

THE OLD TIMERS.

EARLY HISTORY.

SUGGESTIONS BY MR. FISHER,

INTERESTING GATHERING AT ." HOKITIKA, f

(By TolcgTaph.-Buoclol OorrcsßondcnJ' ' ' '< Hokitika,' Februaryl t j l ' ( ;', 1 - At tho invitation of his Worshipf,,',. w-\; Hayor (Mr. J. A. Murdoch), the.lMf t lle M. B. Fisher, who Js in charge «f G nde<i '■% Old Ago Pensions Department,- all llcJd . a short meeting of: tho, old tiinors,ij 01 . to ■ in Kumara on Saturday evening p)fi s i lCl ,' tho Minister's publio address. Mr. W nyol . received a hearty welcome, Tho 1-Vsion :. was in tlve chair, and a short discus,- {„ - wag taken on the points raised as; st . whether gold was first discovered in W^, ra land in'lßo4, and whether tho old rain na - . presout wore agreeable to the celebratio ir , being held at Hokitika. There wero_ov n -, twenty old pioneers present, and tho Tot\« Hall was nearly filled with pioneers 6. later times. Mr. Ferguson, one of tho 6ixty-four men. was appointed spokesman on behalf.of the, pioneers. Ho sauT ho. ,";- could certify that gold was discovered in ... Hokitika in,the year 1804. . Mr. , Ferguson-, '. . ' said ho arrived on 1 ; tho Greenstone on " November 9, 1804, and it 6ecmed to be an ■-, : old goldfiold then. There was a good deal ; of work done, and there were a\large ;,. number of miners at Hokitika at that • time. Ho and his mate, who had ]U6t passed away, travelled through Skippers ~ Gully, and through the Greenstone. That '. was in tho year '64. .They arrived, at.., Hokitika on -tho Saturday and went prospecting on Monday. They met a largo ;;■ number of miners, and asked where they ,; could get'work. They were told to ''goV, ■-■-''' prospecting, and prospecting in thosedays /.,:" was very easy. Gold was obtained at a few feet from the surface, and thoy got j' plenty' in tho' 'bed of tho Greenstone, near - a •Maori 'Point. Mr. Thos)Jamieson and > Mr. Cohen wero thore beforo him, and Sir Walter Buchanan had been On tho Greenstone some time previously. Mr. Buchanan . was in ! partnership'with Mri'John lergu- .•':' son, ana had since gone on to Nelson. Mr. Ferguson ' said ho had been storekeeping after. Somo timo previously ho was prospecting-and-found' gold overy.- ~ where.' Sbmo time latcrho'went to Groy-; mouth, and met thoro tho late Mr. Edward Ashton, who had a Small placo near the ■.■.-. river mouth. Ho also met the Itcv. Mr. Whito and tho lato Mr. Revolt who was ■■ , tho first warder on the West Coast,,and. !, the lata Inspector Brougham, who was then .' sergeant of polico in- plain olothes. Those , ,mcn were about .the population of urey-'rt> mouth,then.. Mr. Ferguson- said hoJiaoV «,; -.. sold over five hundred ouhocs of gold'in one lot prospecting, and he Was sure that ,- tho gold Ixoks at tho Bank of NcwZea-;. .- land at Hokitika would show tho entry., at the present time..';' . ■'•'.. '. ■'.'■-. .-''' '■■ Mr.. Fisher was the ,; eld pioneers by the Mayor ; and was-■■.... greeted with hearts' applause. 1 In reply-. , irig to tho wOlcomo tho Minister said there , .wore still a. largo number of pioneers left < in New Zealand, but he, regretted there were a still larger' number who had : pass- ' cd away. Tho old; pioneers had ' gono; j' across tho border, each carrying away with )..,. him a certain amount of tho early his- ■.■-■ tcry of N/?w Zealand-which, had never,' been recorded;. Ho liad •! always'i.'had .1 * leeling that someone should bo appointed, by the, Government to collect;that lnfor<.; i ;T mation.' (Hear, hear/ and applause.) He,' l '.' would not say that the Government would appoint somcono to collect the history of J early pioneers, but he.thrcw it out as a\r.fiuggestiari that tho committee' whloli.' tho' Mayor desired to call together-iforconsid-,-.-?. ciing. the question ■ of., the celebrations-. '•' should write to thoGovernment jind ask.that a nian should.bo appointed to attend •■'... the goldfields' jubilee and collect as .nrufcli ,'.''■!.- information as was* possible.'', Ho' had • ■ heard tho Mayor ask for-opinlons as to' ■■•■. whether,the jubilee celebrations should bo - held in Hokitika, and his would suggest V that the celebrationsibb hcld-in that town so as to enable a largo number of ..those present to meet many of their mates in the south and renew'friendship. The Min" V ; ister remarked that ho had told a depu..;. tation that day from the, Westland County \ Council whioh had • approached him at ,;;. Holdtika that tho Government would; bo pleased to do the same for thorn as was V done for tho Gabriel's Gully and Dunsran ,' jiibilees; and ho felt quit© certain that as the miners of Westland desired to h&vo, a jubilee', reunion it. was'practically, dor-,... tain thattho Government would bo plens-, 0 ' ed to help the movement.. The Minister' said that ho ought to toll them how much.',. '~'. he, .as a*young New Zealaridcr inicbm-,'..\ moni with all' Now Zcalanders.'.'owed to" tho pioneers who had done jjo much for; ' them in tho earl? days."; Tho pioneers-.; I; had founded for them what was goinj.to bo a great oountry. They had como out -. to tho there were no motor-.. '' cars; no aeroplanes, no telephones,, no',! . newspapers, and no conveniences, Of any.j : sort. Tho pioneers had stamped iho , , ociuntry and had.overoome great privo- vtions. Now a large proportion of thepioneers, had passed away;and tho Gov- - '■] ernment was going to do all it. oould ', ; to assist thO'little band.that was,left. '',; If he-might, make a suggestion: he woiild- , like to ask thorn to tako with them to ' tho: jubilee celebrations:-written"particu-i;:; : lars of their : individual history, and the ■ i'j history of the part ofi Now Zealand; thcy,-V. V know. If each man handed in.to. these "/.!„ in charge of the- celebrations ■ a written -.I statement; setting forth any particulars of'' his own , cxperlenoeß,, the country wouldy'?]. have a valuable lvobrd' of: the condltiohß ■;; >i which prevailed, .and they would know; .;„■;. something of many pioneers who have gone - ■' beyond tho border.; He thought that, that'. '■ Would bo a very valuable record, and ho ■ : throw, out the suggestion for- what it was ■.'! worth.'.,' '•■..,' .-;; ■:'" .' '■' •■ .. '.: Tlioro.was a storm of applauso and the : ,•'■■■' thumping o,f wallting.sticks on.the floor as '.'<;.' •the Minister' resumed his seat. '.'..■ k l ..' ;.•'■ : ; SPpcn'AT-GREYarjDUTHI-;';.; ~'; y. -..'<;. (By Telegraph.—Prcta Afsoclslfon.l;' ',1 •'-.- ■':']'' Greymouth; February 3,,-'".:■''■ Tho Hon. F. M. 8.. Fisher, has arrived '■■■■ '•■', at Kumara: In'the morning ho received- '' deputations at tho Harbour Board's Office, ~. and visited tho State School/aftd hospital,' ■■■;. In the afternoon he delivered a political ' address.';' : '.".•".':'• ;" : >""''-- ,"•' ' .;-,; ; ; ,■' ; Mr. Fisher addressed a large >udience in tho Greymouth Town Hall' to-night. ' The Mayor presided., Thoaddrcss, which , was under iho auspices; of tho , Reform : League, wasou similar lines .to; the' Hokitika- speech, .Tho Minister.;'was alten?:-;-,.'!?'-itivolylistencd-tb, and heartily opplauded. ";-< Ho was accorded,a vote'of. thanks, m,- / proceeds to Westport to-morrow. ;