PIONEER PASSES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 3 February 1941, Page 7

PIONEER PASSES

DEATH OF MR EL! SMITH EARLY ALFREDTON SETTLER. LONG SERVICE AS COUNTY COUNCILLOR. The death occurred al Greytown on Saturday of Mr Eli Smith. J.P. one of Wairarapa's fast diminishing band of pioneers, at the age of 92 years. The late .Mr Smith was well known andhighly respected throughout thWairarapa. Mr Smith was born at Long Ichington Warwickshire on November 3. 1847.. He was the eldest of a family of five children and was its only surviving member. There was no free schooling in the days of Mr Smith's childhood. School bills had to be paid weekly, and if there was no money it meant staying away from school. When he was fourteen years of age he started off to earn his own lie-,ng on a neighbouring farm devoted to dairying. cropping, etc. The hours of work were long and the wages, paid by the year, were very poor. Not even a sixpence was paid until the year was up and in young Eli Smith's first year the total was somewhere about £2—not enough' to buy a suit of clothes. The lad. of course, was boarded and lodged anti there was always plenty of good food, but when the year was up he packed his bundle and walked off home. His family had moved to a different farm, and here young Eli assisted his father for the next twelve months. His next move was into a good-sized village where he was employed by a baker and helped to make bread and assist in the shop. Leaving this job, he went to work al the Portland Cement Works in Rugby .At the cement works. Mr Smith made rapid headway and before long was appointed head overseer. He retained this post for several years until he decided to emigrate to New Zealand. Meantime he married and he and his wife had a family of three children when they sailed in the ship Mongol in her maiden voyage from Plymouth. They landed at Port Chalmers on February 14, 1874. After landing her passengers and cargo in New Zealand.

the Mongol carried the first mail from this country to San Francisco. For! some time she was the only ship; carrying mails on that route. Mr Smith and his family found their way to the Hutt Valley where he was employed in farm work for a number of years. His youngest child died while the family was living at Silverstream. From the Hutt Valley. Mr Smith and his family moved to j Eketahuna. Travelling in a dray, Mr Smith took three days ’ to reach that township. His wife and family travelled a day or two later by train to Masterton and then on by coach. They lived in Eketahuna for a year or two and then Mr Smith took up land in the Tawataia Valley. Here he broke in a farm of 200 acres. The land when he look it up was covered in heavy standing bush —white pine, tawa, and matai —some of the tree five feet or more in diameter. Mr Smith did the whole, of the clearing with the help of his eldest boy. who cut “the lighter stuff." Mr Smith did an immense amount of pit-sawing work, first of all cutting timber for his own house and also undertaking a great deal of this class

of work in other parts of the district until his farm could be made productive He spent eighteen months on the Tiraumea property, pitsawing timber for a homestead for Mr John Williams and also cut much bridge and other timber. Mr Smith lost his wife about fifty years ago, while the work of breaking in the farm in the Tawataia Valley was still at an early stage. One of the great hardsliips of the pioneer settlers was the difficulty of obtaining medical aid A messenger sent to bring a doctor to Mrs Smith found that the only doctor available had been called to a place fifty miles away in the opposite direction. This incident probably accounted for Mr Smith’s strong advocacy of a light railway line from Masterton to Weber, which roused considerable .-.ttention but unfortunately came to nought. One of the first members from the Eketahuna district on the Wairarapa North County Council, Mr Smith represented the Alfredton Riding on that body continuously fur sixteen years and was for several terms chairman of the council The area of the Wairarapa! North County Council included the present Masierton. Mauriceville. Eketahuna Paina'ua and ,-\kitio counties Resigning ht< seat on the county e-nmei! over thirtv years ago, when he was about t ■ make an extended visit-l England, Mr Smith wa> presented! In. his AlfredUm constituents with a| gold watch m recognition of his services. The late Mr Smith is survived by ■.hrec '>.-n--. Mi.--.-r- Frederick Smith! .-vlrier'. Smuh ■ K:mboln-n ' j and Thomas Smith < Alfred'a >i) >, ar.d by e daughters Mvxdames W < - ! iWe 11: ni I-'. Ticeh-.irs! <H:um!‘‘ i V 1 (Tok H IT.itt .u.d W Owen <a!l’ f Welhn- i- t.' Th-- funei.d place m M.. -er’ i.-l this afternoon.