The Contributor

Southern Cross, Volume 2, Issue 10, 9 June 1894, Page 6

The Contributor

WHAT BROUGHT MB TO SOUTHLAND. (By Andbbw Kinboss.) Before the discovery of gold at Tuapeka I was carrying to the goldfields in Victoria. I liked Victoria, and if a liberal land law had been in existence probably I would never have left it. There was a large rush of Victorian gold-diggers to New Zealand, and hoping to make more money I shipped my horses and drays in the brig Dunedin. Aftei a rather stormy passage, during which several horses died, 1 /landed mine safely at Port Chalmers on 6th October, 1861. 1 sold my horses, etc., fairly well, and returned to Melbourne by the steamer Oscar. I found Mrs Kinross and our three little Victorians all well, so I bought horses, harness, dray, etc., as quickly as possible, shipped them by the Eliza Goddard, and landed them safely at Port Chalmers vember. I sold some of my horses, and on 29th I loaded a team for Waitahuna at £2B per ton. During the following summer I did fairly well, but the winter was very severe, with continued hard frost. The roads got very bad, and as the yield of gold steadily decreased, cartage kept low, and I had of lot of dirty, dangerous work, and not much for it. However, in the spring, when the Dunstan goldfield, was discovered by Hartley and Riley, I thought Otago was all right, so I wrote to Mrs Kinross to bring the family over, and I met them on my return from the Dunstan on 28th October, 1862. I had a cottage on freehold land in North Melbourne, which cost me about £3OO. I wrote to an ‘agent to sell, and received £9O, less commission. The late Mr J. C. Brown, exmember for Tuapeka, was a shipmate of mine from Melbourne in the Dunedin. He opened a store at Weatherstones and did very well. Sometimes I carted, and also bought goods for him. In January, 1863, he told me he had visited Queenstown, from which the new goldfields at Wakatipu were supplied. He proposed that I would join him in opening a store-at Queenstown, and that I would purchase goods and forward them from Invercargill. I agreed to the proposal, and Mr Pritchard, Mr Brown’s assistant, and a good salesman, became our selling partner. At that time I had a four-horse waggon and* a threehorse dray, and I loaded them in Dunedin for Kingston. After delivering my loads at Kingston, and consulting Mr Pritchard, I took the teams to Invercargill. I found the stocks in the stores were small, and prices much above Dunedin. In all the town I could not buy enough oats to feed my horses. For what I got I paid 13s 6d a bushel, and I afterwards on the road bought oaten sheaves at Is each.

Our business at Queenstown increased rapidly, but 1 was unable to buy extensively in Invercargill, and had to get most of our goods from Dunedin by steamers Titania and William Misken. I found I could not go with the teams, and attend to the business, so I sold the seven horses, w'aggon, dray, etc., for £SBO. After a time new firms started. business in Invercargill, and I could buy more satisfactorily. I dealt most largely with Messrs Manning and Whitton. Occasionally I rode up to Wakatipu, and I had some cold, dangerous sails in small boats on the Lake. I once brought down a few pounds of gold to Invercargill, hoping to make a profit for my risk and trouble. I had some difficulty in getting the same price we paid in Queenstown. In March I wrote to Mrs Kinross to bring the family, etc., to Invercargill, and they came by steamer Titania, then under Captain Jarvey’s charge. Houses were scarce, bnt I got a two-roomed cottage with garret above, for which I paid 80s a week. Although produce has been so plentiful in Southland of late years, it was very different in 1863, and I always had a diffioulty in getting enough good butter. Most of the

colonial was from Wellington awft Woolongong. I bought a quantity of Cork which,although rather salt, was generally fair considering the long voyage by sailing ship. There was a large demand for hams and bacon, chiefly Sinclair or Coey’s, Belfast, cure, which was well got up in cloth. We also sold a large quantity of American dried apples, as there was po green fruit in the market. As gold was plentiful and cartage high. I bought the best goods I could get. Only Adelaide flour was bought, chiefly Hart’s brand. We had a large demand for spirits wholesale, chiefly Mantell or Hennessy’s brandy and J.D.K.Z. Geneva. W r e conducted, most of our business with Mr Brown by letter, but in the autumn I met him at Queenstown. Our sales wei« then large, as we were taking over £IOOO a -week cash. Mr Brown returned to Tuapeka via Invercargill and Dunedin ; I said to him it was evident miners in outlying places were laying in winter stocks, so it would be safest to order goods on a reduced scale. He agreed with me, but some of the merchants talked him into buying largely. Before I left Kingston I paid about £3OOO for cartage, at from £55 to £76 per ton. As I expected, business fell off, and rates of cartage were greatly reduced, so we suffered a heavy loss through my advice being disregarded. In the spring business revived, but Mr Brown again sent up goods without consulting Mr Pritchard or me. In December I met Mr Brown at Queenstown proposed he shonld leave all the buying to me, or be should withdraw his capital, and for his share of profits and goodwill we would give him £IOOO, or I would take the same amount. After consideration Mr Brown agreed to give me £IOOO. We had no ill-feeling, and did not trouble taking stock, and for sometime after our dissolution I still bought goods for the store, and forwarded them on commission. J