EARLY PAEROA HISTORY.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 5144, 27 June 1927, Page 2

EARLY PAEROA HISTORY.

AN INTERESTING REVIEW. ADDRESS BY MR. P. E. BRENAN. One of the most interesting, and probably one of the most concise* reviews of the early history of the town of Paeroa was contained in an address presented by Mr P. E. Brenan, who occupied the position of chairman, at the local Orphans’ Club’s second session on Thursday night last.

At the outset Mr Brenan stated that the dates quoted were in some cases only approximate, but he believed in the main they were authentic. The remarks, which were freely interspersed with humour and not a little pathos at times, were frequently applauded, and proved very interesting, particularly to the older residents of the town.

Tracing the history of Ohinemuri from as fa.r back as IS7£>, Mr Brenan said in that year Paeroa was gazetted as a town. The main street then was Cassrels Street and there were five hotels, namely, Criterion, Belmont, All Nations, Commercial, and the Paeroa, the last-named, also housing the local post office. The Paeroa school in that year was taught by the late Mr John Ritchie. The storekeeper and baker was Mr T. Snodgrass, the butcher Mr James Barrett, the blacksmith Mr Tom Jackson, and the bootmaker Mr J. Bramley. In 1882 the Paeroa school increased in the number of pupils to such an extent as to warrant the appointment of an assistant teacher, and Miss Anne Horgan, now Mrs A. J. Thorn, Old Te Aroha Road, Paeroa, was appointed to the position. The Warden of the Hauraki Goldfields at that time was the late Mr James Mackie, and the member of the House of Representatives for the district was the late Mr Allen, father of the famous Piako Allens, 'Stephen and Robert. At the following election Colonel Fraser opposed Mr Allen, but was defeated. On the grounds of alleged irregularities Colonel Fraser upset the election and won the seat. He in turn was succeeded by the late Mr Cadman.

About 1884 the first official post office was opened on the site near the present Courthouse, the original premises being the building now used as the police office; Paeroa’s first postmaster was a Mr Salmon.

On November 7, 1885, the inhabitants of Ohinemuri broke away from the Thames County, and the present Ohinemuri County came into being. The chief movers in bringing about the change were the late Messrs. F. Cock, A. J. Thorp, T. Shaw, and E. Edwards, the latter also acting as clerk to the committee. The first chairman was Mr F. Cock, and the first clerk Mr Simms, who was later succeeded by Mr Nepean Kenny. In the same year the first newspaper was issued under the name of the “Hauraki Tribune,’’ being edited by Mr C. I'\ Mitchell.

Following on the visit of several sailing vessels to Paeroa, the first direct steamer service from Auckland was instituted during the year 1886. At that time there was plenty of cargo and passengers offering, and four steamers, namely, the Pearl, Ruby, Ohinemuri, and Ngunguru, were regularly trading between the two port?. The wharf was situated at the southern end of Arney Street, beyond the Commercial Hotel. Later the berthing places were removed to Wharf Street, beyond the present Gaiety Theatre, and later still to a site straight out from the Dairy Company’s office-. In about 1890 the Hauraki Shipping Co., which owned the boats named, was faced with serious opposition from the Northern Steam Ship Co., which put the steamer Paeroa in the trade, Mr F, Cock being the company’s first agent. It was a case of the survival of the fittest, and competition was very keen. At that time the return fare, including meals, was one shilling. Despite the efforts of its agent, Mr Simms, the Hauraki Company was finally reduced to straitened circumstances, and the Nortnern Company won out and has carried on the Waihou River service to date. In 1894 the wharf was removed to the junction of the Waihou and Ohinemuri rivers, and the Northern Company in 1899 put on more up-to-date steamers named the Waimarie and the Taniwha, the last-named vessel being still plying between Paeroa and Auckland.

In September, 1890', an opposition paper was published ,at Paeroa. It was called the “Ohinemuri Gazette.” and was owned and edited by the late Mr Edwin Edwards. After an interesting career the “Gazette” survived its contemporary, the “Tribune” and is at present published by W. D. Nicholas, Limited, under the name of the “Hauraki Plains Gazette.” The trend of closer settlement in the district in 1898 induced the Government to extend the tailway line from Te Aroha to Paeroa, and in the following year the service was extended from Paeroa to Thame”. It is interesting to record that on this section the line was laid for about 20 years before the service was put into operation.

Early settlers will no doubt remember that in 1899 the first creamery in this district was opened by Mr Wesley Spragg on a site at the corner of Norwood Avenue and Thames Road. It was not until 1901 that the first butter factory was established by the Thames Valley Dairying Co., of which the late Mr A. J. Thorp was the first chairman of directors. The site of the factory was the one now occupied by the N.Z. Co-operative Dairy Co., Ltd., which absorbed the Thames Valley Company in 1920. The first factory manager was Mr Hansen. The years 1896-97 were boom years in. mining circles in the district, at which time the Waihi goldfields were in full swing, and mining at Karangahake, Waikino and WaitekaUri was in the throes of big doings. In 1888 the Government declared the Ohinemuri River, to be a sludge channel, the dire results of which are only too patent to-day.

A red-letter day in the history of the district was the opening of the branch line between Paeroa and Waihi in 1905. The ceremony was performed by the late Rt. Hon. R. J.

Seddon, then Prim© Minister of New Zealand. Prior to the opening of this line the whole of the carting from the steamers at Paeroa to the mining companies was done by waggons and horses and it was a fairly common occurrence at that time for close on 500 horses to be on the road between Paeroa and Waihi. In fact, Messrs Clarkin Bros., Paeroa, owned close on 200 horses, and there were several other carrying firms. It was also in 1905 that the McGregor Steamship Company, of Auckland, put the steamer Kia Ora on the Paeroa-Auckland run. After trading for a few years this vessel was purchased by the Northern Company, and was transferred to the Hokianga-Raglan-New Plymouth service.

The year 1908 will always be a memorable one in this district, for the abolition of licensed houses in Ohinemuri was carried on the vote of the people. The state of no-license came into effect on June 30, 1909, on which night the All Nations Hotel at Paeroa kept by Mr Power, and situated mposite the Commercial Hotel, was burned to the ground. The electorate enjoyed the “compulsory drought” until restoration carried in November, 1925. the effect of which was the opening of two hotels at .Paeroa on July 1, 1926. The increase of population and the progress of Paeroa cause ! some of the residents to become active in local politics, and as a result, in 1915 too town was gazetted a borough. Paeroa’s first Mayor was Mr AV. J. Towers, who retired and was succeeded by Mr P. E. Brenan, followed by the present Mayor, Mr W. Marshall. With the formation of the borough various loan moneys totalling £55,000 were authorised in 1920 by the ratepayers, and in due course’ stieet improvements and drainage and sewerage works were brought into operation, and the town has continued to develop and prosper on sound, orcgressive lines. Probably 1920 can be regarded as one of the most important years in the history of the borough, as it was also in that year that Parliament gave its sanction to the purchase of the water supply, which has its headworks at Tarariki Creek, from the Ohinemuri County Council. Since that date the reticulation area has been extended and existing pipes replaced by ones of a larger diameter. Paeroa, has the distinction of being the first borough in the Dominion to be electrically lighted under, the hydro-electric scheme. In 1921 the ceremony of switching on electricity through the borough was performed by the Hon. J. G. Coates, then Minister of Public Works.

Much could be written of the progress of the town in recent years. With the rapid growth tha.t has taken place it became necessary to consider ways and means of housing the borough clerical staff and records. Accordingly, a loan proposal to raise the

sum of £2OOO was submitted to the ratepayers and carried by a good majority. On August 5, 1925, the handsome new municipal chambers in Normanby Road were formally opened by Mr. A. M. Samuel, M.P. for Ohinemuri. Any attempt at recording the ear- * lier history of Paeroa would be incomplete without reference to the late Nurse Mary Pennell. This splendid woman, who was recognised as the foster-mother of Paeroa, died during 1918. As a token to the memory of one whose life had been of unselfigji service to the sick and needy, the public-spirited residents, many of whom had good cause to be grateful to Nurse Pennell, subscribed a sum of . £350, the intention being to erect a Nurse Pennell memorial cottage hospital at Paerqa. The money so collected lies at the present time in the coffers of the Thames 'Hospital Board until such time as the board is ready to proceed with the erection of the building. Although the. majority of the board members are opposed to the erection of the hospital at Paeroa, it is believed that the Department of Health will insist on th© wishes of the Paeroa people being given effect to.