The Daily Telegraph. MONDAY, MARCH 5, 1883.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3633, 5 March 1883, Page 2

The Daily Telegraph. MONDAY, MARCH 5, 1883.

A span of twenty-two years in the progress of a colony sees ivide changes, and shows hoAV the simple machinery of administration needed for small populations must of necessity grow into a more complicated system of government. AYe have beforo us the first almanac published iv Haivke's Bay, bearing the date of 18G1. In that year the population of tlus provincial district was 2339, consisting of 1G27 males and 712 females. The number of the population of the toAvn of Napier was only 7-13. The chief post office was at the Spit, aud the collector of customs, Mr E. Catchpool, combined with that office that of chief postmaster. There sras a bnmch post office in the Shakespeare

road at the store of Mr F. Sutton. There were fifteen other post offices within the i province, the masters of which now probably i forget that they have had anything to do • with the sorting and delivery of mails. ; Tlie country postmaster was as often as not i a sheepfarmer, whoso station made a convenient centre for the district round, i Colonel Russell kept the post at Mangakuri. i and Mr J. D. Ormond at Wallhigford, then : known by the name of Ohinehua. Mr J. - Robjohns ivas the postmaster at Patantrata, and'Mr E. AY. Knowles at AVairoa. Mr T. 11. FitzGerald ivas the Superintendent of the proA-nee, and Mr G. T. Fannin was clerk of the Provincial Council. Mr H. S. Tiffen was chief surveyor and land commissioner, and Mr Pilliet, the present member for Stanmore, was one of his draughtsmen. The provincial auditor aud treasurer was Mr AY. Colenso, who also was native interpreter. Of the public institutions in the town there was a mechanics' institute, of which the hon. secretary was Mr J. N. AVilson ; a building society, the manager of ivhich was Mr E. Lyndon ; a choral society, of Avhich Mr Lyndon ivas the conductor ; and a reading room that bud its quarters at thcGoldenFlcccc Hotel, that stood on the site now occupied by the Bank of Ncav Zealand. Dr. Ilitchiugs -was the sole representative of the medical profession. There were four solicitors, of whom only one now remains here—Mr J. N. AVilson—Mr Allen is dead, Air Boorman was lost in the bush and nei-er heard of again, and Mr Brooke Taylor is now living at Gisborne. In our old almanac avc find that, though nearly a quarter of a million acres had been sold to individuals, only 15G2 acres had been laid down in grass, while .sheepfarnicrs owned 223,000 sheep. Turning to the postal guide"wo are reminded that iv 18G1 the lowest postage stamp was 2d, and that a letter exceeding ioz but not exceeding loz Avas charged -Id for every additional ounce or fraction of an ounce. Newspapers published in the colony and posted for any other part of the colony aa-ere free, as they Avere also if posted for England via Southampton. In those days newspapers had to do the ivork of emigration agents in the old country, and journalists took A-ery good care " to turn the best side to London" Avhen Ai-riting for English readers. Twenty-two years ago the administration of public affairs Ava snot centred at AVellington, and a proportion of the proceeds of the land sales and of the Customs duties sufficed for the support of the General Government. The Customs duties wore then only levied on goods comprised under twelve heads, while there arc iioav 271 taxable articles enumerated in the tariff. In 18G1 bottled beer paid a duty of Is per gallon ; it is iioav charged Is Gd. Spirits used to be charged 9s per gallon, but tbe duty is iioav Ms. Tobacco paid Is Gd ; it iioav pays 3s Gd, and, if groAvn in the colony, in order to stifle industry and keep up a revenue, an excise duty of 1 s a .pound is imposed upon it. In the twenty-two years the population of this town has increased from 7-13 to GOOO inhabitants, and that of the proidnce from 2330 to 1G,500. From 223,000 our flocks have multiplied to two and a half millions. In the year 1858 the first and only aa-001 ship of that season • — a small barque —AA-as loaded up at Napier. During this present season eight a-csscls have already sailed for London freighted ivith valuable cargoes, another is just ready to sail, and two more are on the berth. Tlie figures avc liha-c extracted from tho almanacs of ISGI. and 1883 show the material progress that has been made in this part of the colony, and through the absence of any adventitious aid, such as the discOA'cry of minerals, that progress m:ii r have been slow compared to other portions of New Zealand, that ivhich has been gained rests on a solid foundation, and cannot be taken from us. Judging from the fact that in the past the advancement of the district seems to havo "been accelerated at. cacti year pusses by, so in the future avc may expect the same causes working silently towards the accomplishment of the inevitable result—the continued and increasing prosperity of the Hawkc's Bay province.