CAPITAL OF SOUTH TARANAKI.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 April 1921, Page 6

CAPITAL OF SOUTH TARANAKI.

SOME REMINISCENCES. At the municipal evening given at Ha. wera on Monday, Mr. E. A. Pacey, gave some very interesting reminiscences. He remarked that he had been twenty-six years in Hawera, and during that time the town* had made great strides. He did not think that any town in New Zealand had made greater, at any rate, not in such a substantial way. Some other towns had boomed, some at an alarming rate, but no town in Taranaki had progressed so constantly and steadily as Hawera. Prosperity had been enjoyed, but he questioned if they had permanently benefited by the abnormally i high prices of land and produce during the war period. Those conditions were momentary and not lasting. When he first arrived in Hawera the first street he saw was Glover road—then a clay road and nearly every street in Hawera was then unmetalled, with the exception perhaps of High street, and one end of Victoria street. The greater portion of the latter was then unformed. In those days one would often see bullock teams stuck in the street, and all hands and the cook had to turn out and help them out. Since then Hawera had made great strides in many directions. In 1888 the total rates collected in the borough amounted to £377—[Mr. Gormley. I pay nearly that amount now.] —and rents from reserves £73. In 1920 the rates were £9605 and rents from reserves £1678. Those figures indicated the great progress made. The year 1897 saw the first great progressive move, and that was the formation of the Hawera Gas Company. It was a great day in Hawera when the gas was first turned on. Prior to that old Lamplighter Morgan used to go round and light the few kerosene lamps that did service on a few street corners. In 1902 the electric light was turned on, and that event marked another epoch in the town’s history. Hawera now had what few towns, if any, in New Zealand had, namely, a good gas supply and a good electric light service. Water and drainage came in 1992. The interests of Hawera had been well served by its mayors in the past; they had had some good energetic men, but the present Mayor was not one whit behind his predecessors in progressive ideas or in looking after the interests of the borough.