Joseph Smith's First Letter

JOSEPH SMITH’S FIRST LETTER

This letter from Joe Smith has no date on it but from its contents it would appear to be the first in the group and was probably written at the end of 1913, about a year after their emigration at the end of 1912.

Tokomaru

Dear Uncle John, Aunt Katie And Cousins,

I was pleased to receive your letter and to hear that you were going on all right. Trade must be good when you say you are thinking of procuring a new car. My word! And I shall not be there to take a run, never mind I cannot have all these good things all at one time.

I received your statement (of my affairs in England) but why you should go to this trouble I do not know as I do not need this sort of thing from you. However as luck would have it I have discovered something that is either an omission on your part in not including it in the expenses or George Orgill of Swadlincote has not sent on a renewal notice for my Prudential Assurance policy. I see all the others are there except for this. I will write Orgill and find out why he has not sent on the renewal notice and if it is now too late to make any further payments I shall expect a rebate on those that I have already paid in. Please don't go to any more trouble, you have quite enough to do for me already although I know you do not mind and for which I thank you very much. You said it was a real pleasure for you to send on this amount and I knew it would be.

Bert Williams (the husband of Joseph Liggins’ eldest daughter, Kate) has secured another piece of ground adjoining his place. I did think of having a cut of this myself but there were things that were not quite accessible so I must bide a wee.

The latest venture is a flax mill, Harry knows a place for sale. There are 700 acres including the mill, etc. and the price is £21,000 and we have the cheek to make enquires about this small affair. I do not know how we could purchase it, but we are talking a lot about it; they require £3,000 cash and I have about 300d and Harry likewise. I do not think anything will come of this and I fancy I see you smile. I am doing the same grin while writing, but if you were out here with your pile I think I would see you taking a cut at it. This place turns out one ton of hemp a day, value £23-0-0 and costs about £14-0-0 to produce leaving a net profit on the output of £9-0-0 per day, as prices are now, or £2,800 profit per year. Now form your own idea of Dad's income, only he gets about £20-0-0 per ton for his grade and turns out two tons per day.

So much for flax. I shall send you a bit of a statement of my affairs after Saturday as I have then been in receipt of wages twelve months by that time. Perhaps you will think I ought to have done better but it has been like refurnishing a house again, you know the many things that are required.

Well, I must now close as bed calls me and I have to be out earlier tomorrow than usual. Osborne is still T.T. since the affair you mentioned.

All join in love,

Your affectionate nephew,

Joe

PS George said he had such a nice dream. He dreamt that Aunt Katie, Uncle John and cousins Ernest and Edie had come out here and he could see all their faces once again in dreamland. I wish I could dream!