THE STORY OF WESTLAND

Hokitika Guardian, 6 November 1923, Page 4

THE STORY OF WESTLAND

(Christchurch Press.) Headers will remember that much of the material in the special historical supplement by which “Jhe Press’ marked the opening of the Otira tunnel was the work of a member of our own stalf, now doing post-graduate work at Cam bridge. He Imd previously applied himself to historical research at Canterbury College, taking for his field the early days of Westland, and the result of his studies has now appeared in an attractive octavo volume of approximately pud pages. '‘Tlie Romance ol Westland" (.Messrs Whilconihe and Toijil,-. Ltd..) i' the story of a golden coast, mote carefully do-umented than any other iceord so far published ol that particular place and period. II we lemembcr that the author. Air A. .1. ilarrup. At.A., has not attempted an historical account of the whole of the West Coast, hut of that portion only which has Hokitika for its centre, that he begins at the beginning, but breaks off at the stage where provinciali-m

gives way to centralism, we shall ask no more from this volume than that it should prepare us for the further story still to tic tola.

It is. in fact, the history of the present County of AYestland to the end of October. 187 ft. To our own day Westland retains its individuality, as until yesterday, it. endured its isolation. Tt i-' like no other place in the l)ominion or on ihe earth, if we consider iis physical setting, its geographical and climatological contrasts, and the effect these are having on a people, heroic in their origins and kept hard since by

economic changes of the most violent kind, lint politically AVcsilaml ceased to he a unit when the Abolition Act was pa,s;sl. From October. '<•>, to November. T(>. the Provinces, though Pa malty abolished, continue.i to keep themselves ill existence by protests and petitions; hut so iar as AYestland was cuiiccnicd. these protests were .sufficiently answered by the rueful state of the Provincial finances. Alultiple gov-

ernment ceased to lie attractive when the weaker subdivisions began to leaf that the money they paid lor transpo;t and education, built roads and schools in area- with a bigger voice in the General Assembly, and it eaiinol therefore he said that the disrating of AYestland politically meant much to the average resident. Throughout the golden decade of our record -for Westland really begins with the proclamation of a goldfield in March. 'os—the people were too busy chasing rumours of new “finds" to he concerned with what the politicians had to say. ‘'Somebody would hear a whisper of gold being located in a certain creek. Next day a ihousau.l men would leave an iissnii'd lick reward for the prospect of one a little richer." To the Waimea first, and then to the Totara, to the Arahnra. and then away to Kanieri and the Kckatalii district, these eager ciowds surged on. most striking .something and some ;i great deal, but few enough to , still their fever for more than a mouth or two at a time. Air I larrup has searched deeply into the records of i lio.-e roaring days, and lias altiiesl as much difficulty in cheeking his desire to qiioLe as file men who Hindi- the story had in abstaining from making; ,i wildc one. .A AA'est funster himself, and proud of it. he feels that “the heart of every AA’est hinder must Ihi lit ■■'■lien be thinks of the progenitors of the province, the hardy pionevi*- who left civilisation behind them." and

nut relied into that magic wilderness. Fi etpient 1 v. too. lie pauses in tile middle

ul a eiuislit’itioiial or geological explanation in speak of the mountains of AAe-t.laiui. the colour of her skies, the summer glory ul her forests, the unsurpassed ami unsurpassable majesty of Aorangi. Rut those are the high lights. In general. .Air Marrop, keeps his feet M|itarely on the earth, his narrative de-li'ujr"l-'!y flat, iiis authorities promiu- , ■Air and Inmsch well out of sight. Ills pini,use bcuii, to p." a page the - a far a lie-re exhaustive record, lie ex. amines bi- witnesses and sms down his evidence t's he goes, at the expense geneiallv ol order and art. hut with a line demonstration of honesty. diligence, ami filial ami historical rev r-

cure. Tile first shop, the fii-t church cud school, the first new.-|)a[.or, the first prospector, the first liavignlnrI'.xploi'ei*. even the tit's!. legendary Alaoti, lots been identified, deseiihed, and docketed—lor his own or some

other seeker's future purposes. PuML eMtion of his ninuuscript. Ins keen Imr--1 ied somewhat to coincide with the opening of the Hokitika Kxhihifion. hut the only material effect of that has keen a somewhat severe condensation of some passages. It is a tribute not only to the author, hut to the Canterbury College School of History in which lie has keen trained, that the record should display. in addition to such diligence end thnrou.srhncss, so genuine an appreciation of the spirit in which 10 search should he prosecuted.