TALES OF A PIONEER.

Putaruru Press, Volume VI, Issue 237, 17 May 1928, Page 4

TALES OF A PIONEER.

LATE MR. ALFRED SAUNDERS. (By Literatus). Straight is the line of duty, Curved is the line of beauty; Follow the first, and thou shalt see The second ever follow thee. The above lines, composed, if memory serves aright, by the late Sir Isaac Pitman, are probably as fitting as any that could be chosen as an introduction to a review of the book “ Tales of a Pioneer,” as selected and enlarged by Ellen and Ann Saunders, daughters of the late Mr. Alfred Saunders, the grand old colonist who is the author of the Tales. The selectors have dene their work well, though one could have wished that a vigorous male selector had also given a hand, whereby the story may have been dished up with still more robust contents in places where the material was obviously at hand. A little over-delicacy, and too much consideration for the feelings of descendants of some of the associates of the pioneer have given the Tales a somewhat anaemic complexion here and there where the incidents should have lent themselves to the more vigorous treatment. However, we still have a very fine record of a colonist who was in all respects worthy of a great father and a wonderful mother.

The trials of the pioneers had their amusing aspects, and one of the first things we note, after Alfred had landed at Nelson, was Alfred’s deal in rabbits. He gave a certain baron twenty good shillings for a cat that was supposed to reduce the swarms of rats in the raupc whare, but the cat was fearful of the rats, who kept her up aloft on one of the beams all night. Another man paid £2 for a pair of rabbits, from which he was going to breed and sell millions of progeny at 10s each at the very least, and thus make his fortune. When he got them home he found that both bunnies were males. Another bright scheme gone west! Were he alive now he would find the rabbits as prolific as he had anticipated—but not quite so valuable.

A correspondent asked through this paper, some months ago, about tutu berries. Mr. Saunders and his friends found out all about them—to their sorrow. The juice was harmless but the seeds were deadly.

A neighbour, Mr. William Andrews, used to have eighteen goats hitched to his plough when breaking in the fern country, but the lot hardly equalled one live horse power. Mr. Saunders was a fiourmiller bytrade, and he gives us a little firsthand information having a bearing upon wheat duties. When the markets suited he could buy- wheat from Adelaide and Valpariso and make £3OOO a year, “on the Free Trade principle of buying in the cheapest market and selling in the dearest.”

He delivers a nefty blow at that expensive and almost-useless production, Hansard. “ There was then no Hansard, so that members were not so much tempted as they’ now are to talk for the mere sake of being heard or reported. But the reports in the Auckland newspapers in those days, although confined to a few favourite speakers, were vastly better than any newspaper reports of the members’ speeches have ever been since the introduction of Hansard.” Amen to that.

As superintendent of Nelson, and as a member of Parliament, the late Mr. Saunders did yoeman service for this young country, and was one of the first to advocate women’s suffrage, and he fought for this cause until it was won. He was a great worker, of absolutely unimpeachable character, dauntless in the prosecution of any cause he believed to be right, quite regardless of any’ personal loss lie might suffer by his championship of an unpopular policy. He sturdily stuck to his democratic guns, and fought the “ squatocraty ” and all the powers of reaction with fearless and unfaltering courage. The star of the unconquered will, He rises in my breast, Serene, and resolute, and still, And calm, and self-possessed. —H. W. Longfellow. Alfred was blessed with a wife of very fine character, and children who were as beauteous flowers in his colonial garden, giving him solace and pride in weal and in woe. Aijyone who desires to become further acquainted with the hardships of pioneering in New Zealand would ne well advised to secure a copy of “The Tales of a Pioneer.” One could not read the book without becoming better informed upon the foundations of things, and uplifted by the story’ of sacrifice, of right bravely fought for, and of incidents varying from the amusing to the instructive, reaching at times to heights of grandeur. Our copy is from 1 - M. Isitt, Ltd., Cashel street, Christchurch.