Early Hastings

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 100, 14 May 1937, Page 6

Early Hastings

reminiscences of years ago When the Banks Competed in Overdraft Interest CHEAP ROAD METAL Many interesting facts and figures concerning the early days in the .development of Hastings, as well as numerous tributes to those who had taken a leading part in that development, were given at the Coronation and Borough Jubilee .dinner in Hastings last evening. Extracts from old minute-books, for example, . revealed that the first rate struck in Hastings was in 1888, when 1/- in the £ on all rateable property was levied. Then again, metal for roading was purchased at ninepence a cubic yard; to-day it is 15/6 delivered and placed on the roads. " Competition between the banks was keen at one time," said the Mayor, Mr G. A. Maddison, when reading out a resolution accepting the "contract" of one particular bank because its interest on overdraft was 8 per cent. and that of another was 9 per cent. "They are now in collusion, I'm afraid," he added amid laughter, • • • "Llfe"'s a great education," said one speaker, "if you allow it to' teach you." • # •

At one time the Hastings Yolunteer Fire Brigade made application for a grant because it was to purehase 6ft. of hose. The council decided upon £50, provided the brigade erected an engineshed and bought not less than 50ffc. of hose. • * • An old by-law ladd it down, in the matter of Ihe licensing of hackneys, that the passenger accommodation should be 18 inches per person. "I'm afraid some of you have spread somewhat since then," commented the Mayor. • * • "We desire the council to have a plan prepared of the location of the artesian wells in the borough, so that we -tfill not have to waste a lot of time looking for water when we are called out to a fire," was an amusing request (un the light of present-day conditions) of the Yolunteer Fire Brigade in the early days. # • • "My father built the first twostofeyed house in Hastings, and at that time mushrooms grew all over the district," said Mr J. Miller when speaking of 60 years ago. * * • Some idea of Ihe call made upon those who hold the office of Mayor was given by Mr Geo. Ebbett, who said that, during his term of two years froin 1919, he attended 607 properlyconstituted meetings quife apart from all the appointments, • * • A prophesy that eventually Havelock North would be incorporated in a "Greater Hastings^ was made by the Mayor, Mr G. A. Maddison.- "And I want to say now that Havelock North is one of the most ideal residential places in New Zealand," he added. * * * "I have travelled all the world, and I say advisedly that you have the best land in Hawke's Bay dn the vicinity of Hastings," said Mr H. Ian Simson, a former Mayor, who 6aid that he came to Hastings in 1882, tramping from the coast to Havelock North and wearing kilts. • • * "The two towns" (Hastings and Napier) "and the country districts are inseparable, and what ds wanted is population," said the Mayor, Mr G. A. Maddison. He said that there was not to be found a richer pfovince anywhere else. "This district is well capable of carrying at least 1,000,000 people," he declarecL '• • • "It is the Mayor who has the worst task," said Mr J. A. Mdller, a former Mayor, when paying tribute to the work of the early 'administrators. "When things go all right, then the credit goes to the council; but when things go badly, it 's the Mayor who gets the kick." • • • "I don't know why we should give eo much of our time to local-body work," said Mr A. Whdte, a former councillor, now residihg at Masterton. "I don't know that we get a great deal of gratitude shown us, buf there is a fascination about doing our service to the community that keeps us doing. our bit." • . • • • "When we had the big area we had the small population, and now we have

the small area we have the bdg population," sai.d Mr W. Hart, Mayor for two terms, when pointing out that at one time the area of the borough was 5780 acres but that it had been reduced to about 2600 acree ' ' by the encroachment of the .county. ' ' * « • "Hastings is a great town, and wonderful has been its progress. We owe a very great .deal of it to tho surrounding country, for we have the richest land in the Dominion at our disposal," said Mr J. A. Miller when urging tbat there was any amoun.t of room for vision in the matter of development and enterprise in this district. "There are many ventures yet to be made, and vision is necessary," he added, • • • A happy interlude was provided when the Mayor, Mr G. A. Maddison, mentioned a coincidence relating to Senior-Sergeant G. Sivyer, ofiicer-in-charge of the Hastings Police, who on Wednesday, Coronation Bay, celebrated his birthday. "His christian name is George and his wife's name is Eliizabeth." said the Mayor. ^ * « • Btating that since his arrival in Hastings in 1899 he had taken great pleasure in watching the progress and development of the town, Mr W. Hart said that this development and progress had been gradual and solid, as had been that of the good district surrounding it. "At present the council is not an a bad position at all financially," he said, and added amid laughter that it might be because he was one of the commissioners. * • • "In 1900 the council bought the land that is now King street, but we residents had to sink our. own wells, and we have been hampered ever since by the administrators, for some have said that the water must not be allowed to flow ,into the sewer, and others have decreed that it should be so," said Mr Miller. "And I would remind you as you walk down King street that the concrete paths were paid for by the residents, aud not by the Borough Council." ' t • * * A tribute to energy and effort devoted by the Mayor of Hastings, Mr G. A. Maddison, to the interests of the town was paid by Mr C. O. Morse, Mayor of Napier, when he said that, though he had been associated with local-body work for the last 20 years, and had always enjoyed the privilege of serving the comrnunnty, he found today tliat the people serving on local bodies wero setting a tremendous pace. "And the greatest pace-maker is your Mayor, Mr Maddison," he said. "I don't know of any other mayor, including those in the four big cities, who can possibly give so much attenbion and time to his work as he does. While a town has 1 men such as Mr Maddisen prepared to undertalce such duties, it eannot help but prospcr." If #■ jk "'We did our best according to our tights. We possibly did make some mistakes, but times were very difficult and different," said Mr Geo. Ebbett, .

when referring to the work of former ' Mayors. "To those ' old Mayors of Hastings much more credit should be given than is being given." He said that he had come to the conclusion that it was wise to do nothing foJr the public, because he had felt that the public did not appreciate what was done for it as it should. "However," he added, "when I hear apprecnation ^uch as has been woiced Eere this evening, -I think that one can be allowed to ehange an opinion, for it would seem that, though the public is uot very demonstrative, it doeS remember and is not altogether ungrateful for what is done in its interests and welf are. ' ' • « * "We enjoyed a quite easy-going. time. . We did what we could to can'y on the ordinary work of the borough without increasing our overdraft," said Mr Thoinas J. Thompson, Mayor during the years 1906-09. The main work was metalling the roads for a contraqt had been entered anto with Powdrell Brothers to convey red metal from Te Mata by traetion-engine at 2/6 a yard. Altogether about 30,000 yards of the metal was laid on the borough roads during those three years. He'ventured the opinion that the binding qualities of that metal had been greatly appreciated by later administrators in the laying of the road-surfaees. The traetion-engine, ineidentally, he contended, really laid the foundation of heretaunga street, for it consolidated it in a manner that would otherwise have been impossible. * * * How the borough came to purehase a quarry of first-class road metal at Bridge Pa, aud now included in the Forestation reserve, was explained by ' Mr Thompson. He said that, during his term of office in 1906-09, red metal was obtained from Te Mata, but this was objected to by Mr Chambers. However, the council thTeatened to take the land under the Public Works Act, and Mr Chambers agreed to contract.for three years. "We were paying hina a royalty, and during those three years he planted trees all round where we were taking the metal, and when the time cam6 for us to renew the con- • trast or, failing that, ' take over the land, we found that we could not exercise that power because he had convcrted ■ dt . into bush," said Mr Thompson. "So we had to look elsewhere for our metal, and we were fortunate in getting it at Bridge Pa. where we bought an area at £20 an acre."