Early Settlers' Picnic.

Manawatu Herald, 31 March 1896, Page 3

Early Settlers' Picnic.

The exertions of the committee we have already reported were crowned with success. The early settlers are not by any means yet played out. Men over 50 ran a good race, the first man winning a doll " to remind him of pleasing reminiscencies of his early days " so said the donor of the prize. The " early women " had a j race which was quite a surprise, the winner being what might be termed a heavy weight who appeared too greatly handicapped by nature to compete with the tall and thin. Yet she did, again illustrating how easy it is for fair women to deceive us poor men. In his opening speech, Mr Snelson related a real true anecdote — so he said. In the early days of the settlement goods got to Palmerston by a wooden tramway from Foxton. Mr Snelson, ordered, being then in business as the storekeeper of the town, a small brewery plant for the wellknown firm oj Messrs Richter Nannestad & Co. The goods were delivered one Saturday night into his store. In the early day?, we may remark, time to work was when you could and when you had to, and thus goods frequently were taken without the proprietor knowing at the time they were missing. Admitting this custom arose the story. On Monday morning Mr Snelson discovered the plant gone, but took no notice beyond carefully booking it to Richter & Co., thinking they had been in a hurry and helped themselves. On sending iv the account to the firm they laughed but did not pay because the goods they had not got. The goods turned up after many years. The surveyor, known in those daya as 11 Long " Mitchell, discovered a still in the bush near Stoney Creek. The The plant was the missing one im ported by Mr Snelson. Two or three years ago Mr Snelson received a letter with one- third of the cost of the plant, and telling him he would get the lot tome day. He stated a second instalment had been paid, and the other third would soon be. Mr Snelson instanced this as an instance of the honesty of the early settler ! 1 1