EARLY DAYS IN ELTHAM.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 January 1918, Page 7

EARLY DAYS IN ELTHAM.

AN INTEIiI&STIXC ADDRESS At the Eltliani Chalnvbcr of Commerce on Monday evening Mr. E. Parrott gave ail address on "Early Days in Eltham." Mr. E. Parrott said lie came to New Zealand as the result of tiho' advice of a boy cmiiH iiud unsatisfactory working conditions at Home, He came to New Zealand something over 23 rears ago, and transhipped at Wellington for Sew Plymouth, doing iTie trip .111 the old T.akapuua. He landed in New Plymouth on October 21, 1892. I-lis first impressioa of New Plymouth was that it was a very sleepy sort, of place—something of % 'one-horse show;' He thought Pukekura Park a paradise. He came on to Eltliani; there were very few decent shops in the town in tihose days—but plenty of logs and stumps. Neither was there any sign of good streets —he fell over a working bullock in the main street when veturning home after dark. After being in Eltham about one day lie was taken about a mile and a quarter down the Mountain road to Mr. Will Jenkins'farm, where his chum had secured him his first job in New Zealand. Eltham was intended for a village settlement, but it had' grown altogether beyond it oti account of its central situation. . Ngaere at tJhjati time was thought likely to prove a much larger place than Eltham, the place possessing as it did a nice little town hall, a boarding house and several shops. There was at that time u dairy factory on the s Eltham road, owned by Mr. tjhew Chong. He bought milk at the 1 price of 2 Via or 2|d per gallon of milk of' 11 lbs. They made butter lqiown milled butter, but would have been better named ''rainbow" butter, for before it arrived Hon\e it "was often of many color: In 1592' the Eltham Co-operative Dairy Factory Co. was inaugurated. The originator and organises was Mr. G. H. Huckeridge, the first chairman being Mr. John Penny, the manager Mr. James Dawson, brother of the discoverer of Dawson's Falls, and the secretary Mr, J. U. Murray. That year the conJpany's turnover was about £4OOO, and the price paid was t 1-Cd per, gallon of milk. The second year, duringlwhich he (the speaker) was secretary, the seagoiv was not such a successful one. In 1899 the company's turnover'was £7OOO. As a comparison be mentioned the turnover was now approximately £IOO,OOO. It was in IS!)!), under Mr. B. Dive's chairmanship, that the Te Roti and Mountain road' creameries were added.

Mr. Parrott having given man* other interesting details of the commencement of the dairying industry went on to speak of the other industries of the early days. The picking and collecting of fundus introduced into New Zealand by Mr. Chew Chorig, the well-known Chinaman previously referred to, was a flourishing industry in the district at one time, and many of the early farmers paid their rent with money earned in this way. The sawmills and cocksfoot cutting and saving were also sources of revenue to the district A man named Symes, who was still in Taranaki, was residing in Elthatu at the time, and fie invented a machine for cleaning the seed, which then ->old at about l 2Jd per lb. In 1894-5 the first Chamber of Commerce was formed, Mr. G. W Taylor being- tfm first chairman and Mr. C. A. Wilkinson the Sfifiorid. Bush fires in those days caused cpn»idorablf inconvenience, it being at times almost impossible to Pet along some of tli" puMic roads. Th?v bad in the town at various times a flourishing "Knifrhts of tabor Lodge,'' and later a weil-at-tended Debating Society, while later a strong Railway League was formed, For many years a very successful Caledonian Society was run, and it was In connection with this 'bod/® activities that Taumata Park was secured for the town, j Many had asked him the meaning of the name of the Park. At th 6 time the park was procured they had written to an authority on the Maori language for a list of suitable Maori names and included in that list was Tlfe word Taumata, the meaning of which was given as "for rest and recreation," which they | considered most suitable, For some time the township was under the jurisdiction of the Hawera County Council, but In 1001 it was constituted a'horough. The [first Mayor was Mr G. W. Taylor, who occupied that position for about six years. It was just prior to this that Eltham may be said to have left its | swaddling clothes, when, under the jurisdiction of the Hawera Coujity £4OOO, was borrowed to widen the streets and fill in the creek. Mr. Boddie, who at that time was often referred to aa Eltham "local 'body," was prominent in this work. That loan of £4OOO was the best spent money of the whole of the £Oo.OOO loan money that had been spent in the town to date.

From then the town had mstoe rapid progress. The water and drainage work wa s carried out at r. cost of £IB,OOO, and street improvements at £IO,OOO, and these works were quickly followed by fhe erection of gas-worics and Town Hall. The borough was the firaT local body, in Taranaki to experiment with asphalt, and might be said to have set the fashion in this now, popular method iof road making. In the course of a brief reference to the history of the local religious houses the speaker said that the Salvation Army had always been prominent in where the Boys' Home was now one of the local landmarks. In conclusion he declared that Taianaki was a land of Eden which was appreciated mo¥e after one had been absent from it for a time. Subsequently Mr. Parrott handed round for inspection several interesting plhotos, one depicting a heavy fall of snow experienced there some years ago, and others of various portions of the town also a copy of the Argus o! October, 18119. He also expressed the wish that a photograph could be obtained of all the remaining settlers of over 25 years residence in the district, and that anv old photographs of the district should 'be preserved oi copied.—Arguß.