Joseph Liggins’ Ninth Letter

JOSEPH LIGGINS’ NINTH LETTER

Longburn Dairy, Karere, Palmerston North, Wellington, N.Z.

Sunday, 17th November, 1885

Dear Will,

We were glad to hear that you were all well. I expect if I ever come home again I shall find many faces missing as each time you write someone has gone over to the majority. Poor Mat, last time I saw him I could see it was only a matter of time with him. Freddy Stevenson will now make the old man’s tin fly, I presume. I received, along with the other papers, the paper on Ashby Baths. I am taking it to Palmerston soon to Mr. Snelson who is always pleased to hear Ashby news. He told me last time he should come home some day but he will know none of the faces. I can tell him more than he knows of his own people even. He will come and see the old places and pay his respects to the surviving Donington family and come home again.

He sells a good few cheeses for us each week by auction. You have no idea of a colonial auction mart, everything is sold there:- horses, tea, clothes, cheese, furniture, ad lib. The auctioneer buys all sorts of goods and a sale is always made up by himself or someone else. They are in fact cheapjacks in their manner of business. Snelson is a big bug here, he meets with the governor and does the spouting business.

People here are much exercised as gold and silver have been found in the hills near us, we can see them plainly in the hills about 18 miles off. Many claims have been taken up and a government inspection is to be made and trial crushings operated upon. Hope it will be right, as, if gold is plentiful, perhaps I can annex some of it.

You will be glad to hear that the factory is a first class success, the cheese is good and well liked. More milk is coming in and of course every milk supplier means a new store customer. We have perhaps 6 tons in the curing room and one of my partners has not yet sent any milk as his cows calve late. This gentleman has at present 3 farms here, besides his land near Wellington. The Palmerston storekeepers are coming round, our cheese is to be obtained in every store but three and these will come. They talked of boycotting us once but that works both ways you know. We can influence so many milk suppliers and so they dare not boycott for fear we would do the same. The fact is, these three storekeepers took up most of the shares in the business and lost them, so now their money and trade too is gone, as we sell many stores. No pounds or half pounds here but boxes of tea, bags of sugar, rice and oatmeal and tinned goods of all descriptions, even treacle is sold in tins - tinned in London. There is no screw put on here but people eat what they want because they can all afford it. Some may be short of money but they all have plenty in kind - milk, wool, beef, etc. One man is bringing over £1 worth of milk a day and all milked by his own family. His farm is 300 acres and he is paying for it by a nominal rent of £30 a year. I suppose he has not overlong to run before he has bought it.

We at present work up 400 gallons a day, we shall soon be up to our full capacity of 600 gallons. We keep 60 pigs and are buying more. Then we propose to run them round till Winter and bacon them. They all run loose and feed at the troughs where they like. We feed them all by drawing a plug at a whey vat. We can supply the whole lot in 2 or 3 minutes and not go amongst them at all. We keep running amongst them, what the ladies call "a fine old man", to keep the supply of pigs. You must know, ladies here are very careful in defining what they say. They talk thusly - a cock is a rooster, a boar is a fine old man, a stallion, they go the whole hog here, is an entire but I believe a bull is a bull here, Irish or otherwise, as with you.

I will send you our brand and trade mark in some paper. We commenced operations on the day of the total eclipse, the 12th November, and we therefore chose a total eclipse as a brand and trade mark. We do not wish people to understand that, Joshua like, we provided that the eclipse should take place on our opening day. We only wish to convey the delicate and unassuming notion that our article totally eclipses all others. You will observe that we are a very retired and unassuming firm. The eclipse was a sight to come here to see. We had brilliant sunlight at 6 and lighted candles at 7.30 to be able to breakfast. All nature was still and changed during the eclipse. A black ball gradually came over the face of the Sun and at the height totally obscured it, then, very long rays, red and yellow, shot out at different places from the Sun across the sky, the rays being blood red and of very peculiar shapes, then the Moon glided away and all was as before. Photos were taken of it but they are, as you may fancy, no guide whatever of the sight. That which made it beautiful i.e. colour, is wanting but our brand mark, you know, if it does not show the colours, etc. as they actually were, shows how the Sun ought to have done it.

We also had an earthquake in June. It was a regular shake up and the pleasure of it was intensified by the thought of falling chimneys, ornaments flying off the shelves and the notable example of our friends Korak, Dathau and Aliorim (?????). We had two distinct shocks. Chemist shops are all wired, a rein is placed on shelves and chimneys are built outside. Also houses are mostly built of one storey.

People and papers say trade is bad here now, but I at present, after seeing the bad trade at home, I think the folks here do not know what bad trade is. Let there be races here, many hundreds will go through a gambling machine called a totalisator and sweeps and consultations amount to immense sums. But no doubt the price of wool this year is a terror for New Zealanders and many losses are made by run (?) holders. The system is mortgage upon mortgage, so that a time like this falls heavy. But profits as a rule are very large and banks can afford to wait and not press. The interest here is 8 to 10 per cent for overdrafts, yet the large profits, made as a rule, amply cover this large interest, a profit alone you would say. Bankers here have cast their lines in pleasant places.

Luke talks of coming out, so does Lirvinia Morley. I have told them straight so that they may not like the risk, which you may know from your reading of these letters. It is a risk and a chance, no other name will do. No man can say to another "Come! You will do well". By that time the man himself may be a swagman on the Wallaby or carrying his blanket, frypan and billies (or small tin cans like paint kettles) from place to place after work and camping out in a log or whare! (Maori rush house). Take as an instance of my meaning - I came out to go to the Grey! I am about as likely to go there as to go to Rio Janeiro.

Mosquitoes are slack this year, great praises! Glory, etc.! Not much wet for them to breed in. I had a swarm of bees last Sunday. My helper had new potatoes today. Last Sunday, our tooth power was lamb and gooseberry pudding. We are preparing a great feast for Xmas, suckling pig and other unsavoury small matters. We all miss the home Xmas though but we shall bear it better in fullness than in leanness.

I hardly expect this letter will arrive by Xmas as the mail leaves here on the 22nd (Nov.) by the "Aorangi". So that I suppose I must wish you all a Happy New Year. I have not heard from John, his wife takes so much attention he has not even time to send an old newspaper. Read my letter to Mother, Aunt and Uncle Robert, also let the others see it. Tell Mother that I put all the news in your letter and am in fact writing to her through you. Tell her we are all "first class" and if we ever come back we shall certainly come to see you all.

Tell me when you are out of funds. I hope this will find you all well both at Ashby and Measham. Also hope Ellen is stronger. There is not much illness here except colds contracted at night or diphtheria from the stagnant water in the many creeks. Illnesses here have a short course, the people get better or die soon. We have all had excellent health since we arrived here, nothing to grumble at except the mosquitoes and boils which are rather common and the ride is for them to appear and not appear for they come in such very unmentionable places. I can assure you this is a subject not to be rashly sat on.

If this place is a success it is not unlikely that I may have to tell you that we have another factory in another part of this district. We have already had invitations to do so. We have had a very mild Winter, not much rain, consequently mosquitoes are non-est. At present we have grand weather but strong winds. It blows here harder than at home. Also the nights are much colder although the days are so warm. The nights are usually cold except in Summer when the bush is set on fire to burn the fallen trees for clearing, then the air is very hot indeed. We shall have great fires here this Summer. The mountains I have told you about, we can see they have in many places been felled from base to summit so that we shall see a grand sight. Every man gives notice to his neighbour so that all can burn at once.

Love to All, Mother, Ellen, Aunt, children, yourself and all at Measham.

With much love, I am your affectionate,

Joseph Liggins

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