Concern at inaccuracies

The article entitled ‘Douglas a thriving small community in its day’ on page two in the Taranaki

Daily News of Saturday, October 12, contains several major factual errors.

While the Depression affected most communities, it is quite untrue that in Douglas ‘many had to walk off their properties with only what they could carry’ and that ‘many weathered the storm working on government relief schemes’.

Few if any of the 30 or so farms in the district were ‘walked off’ as occurred in isolated districts further east like Aotuhia – and likewise the comments ‘many weathered the storm working on unemployment relief schemes’ and ‘wives left on their own with little or no help or income had to fend for themselves’ are also rubbish. Douglas brickworks was built in 1920, not 1900. The late Dick Lampitt would have felt insulted to know he was termed an employee – he was coowner with his brother Harry from 1949 to 1978.

Yardings at Douglas saleyards were certainly around the highest in Taranaki in earlier decades, but it is highly doubtful that ‘during the 1930s these yards had the greatest through-put of any yards in New Zealand, especially with Jersey cows for the production of cream and cheese.’

While dairy cattle were sold in the yards, the numbers were not great.

Store cattle and sheep from the surrounding hill country farms comprised the bulk of the yardings – up to 1500 cattle and 12,000 sheep in some fairs.

I have fielded several calls from past residents expressing concern and disgust at the inaccuracies in the article from your columnist.

David Walter, Former Douglas resident and author of Douglas District History, New Plymouth