Pahiatua Borough Council has jurisdiction over an area of 750 acres, containing 229 dwellings, and ratable property of the annual rental value of £7929. The borough rates for all purposes amount to 1s. 3d. in the pound. The population in 1896 was 1158. The members of the Borough Council in October, 1896, were: Mr. David Crewe, mayor; Messrs. H. Knight, A. W. Sedcole, and John Mackinlay, representing east ward; Messrs. Joseph Burrows, H. W. Briggs, and J. D. Wilson, representing west ward; and Messrs. A. W. Gould, W. Holstead, and W. W. McCardle, jun., representing south ward. Mr. J. W. Beaufort occupies the positions of clerk, treasurer, engineer, rate collector, returning officer, inspector of buildings, etc.

Councillor H. W. Briggs, J.P., began his public career in Pahiatua when the site of the now flourishing township was dense bush, with the exception of the immediate margins of the high-road to Woodville; and it is but fair to say that to Councillor Briggs's energy and foresight many of the privileges now enjoyed are mainly due. In 1886 he became a member of the Town Board, and three months later was elected chairman of that body, which position he held for some three years. During his control of the Town Board's affairs Mr. Briggs gained so intimate an acquaintance with the details of the office that he was asked to accept the clerkship to the Board, and he resigned his position of chairman for that purpose. Three years later, when the borough was formed, Mr. Briggs was returned as a councillor, and he still holds a seat there, being unopposed at two of the three elections. Councillor Briggs was born at Moulton, Lincolnshire, England, in 1854, and educated at the National School of Terrington, St. Clements, Norfolk. After a short experience at farming in Norfolk, he secured a position in the counting house of Messrs. Meekings and Co., London, a wholesale soft goods firm, employing upwards of 1500 hands. During his three years connection with the house Mr. Briggs held various and improving positions, but on attaining his majority he decided to visit the colonies, and with that object sailed for New Zealand per ship “Rangitikei,” Captain Scotland. The first half of his colonial life was spent in Canterbury, where he had varied experience both in his present lines of business and in farming pursuits. In February, 1886, Mr. Briggs settled in Pahiatua and established himself as auctioneer and land and estate agent. For some time now, however, he has closed his auctioneering branch, and his sale-yards are leased to others. Being so closely associated with the affairs of Pahiatua, and much interested in its advancement, there have been few movements of importance which have not been either initiated or ably supported by Councillor Briggs. He was the originator of the public library, and is a life member of it. It was at his suggestion that the main street has been planted with trees. He was the principal promoter of street formation, and is now urging upon the Council the a advisability of raising a loan of £6500, to be spent within the borough in street formation and metalling, and in an effective drainage scheme. Mr. Briggs is confident that the money can be secured at par on debentures bearing 4 1/2 per cent, interest. As a financial agent of experience, his opinions and assistance in this matter are valuable. Mr. Briggs has great confidence that the district surrounding Pahiatua will be unsurpassed as a grazing country. He is therefore of opinion that nothing should be left undone which can promote settlement and aid the operations of those already in the district; and he is ever ready to do all in his power in these directions. The erection of the Mangatainoka bridge—one of the finest, if not the finest, in the district—was largely due to the efforts of Councillor Briggs, and the same may be said of many other undertakings. He is a member and one of the promoters of the Fire Brigade, and also of the Swimming Club. To all outdoor sports and pastimes he has given his support in a variety of ways. The cricket, football, jockey, and athletic clubs all claim page 1020 him as a member: and he has taken an active part in cricket as one of the “first eleven” of Pahiatua. Besides filling the post of secretary for the club, he has rendered good service with his bat, in the field, and behind the wickets. In 1885 Mr. Briggs was married to Miss Street, daughter of the late Mr. James Street, of Emerald Hill, Melbourne, and their family consists of four daughters and a son.

Photo by Mr. J. W. Beaufort. See p1033.
Councillor H. W. Briggs.

Councillor Joseph Burrows was born near Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, England. In 1873 he removed to Sheflield, where for six years he held a responsible position in connection with mercantile pursuits. He married after he had been in Sheffield welve months, and in 1879 came with his wife to the Colony per ship “Otaki,” whose destination was Dunedin. Mr. Burrows went on to Canterbury, and for two years was moving about in different portions of that province, spending part of his time in Christchurch. In 1881, he came to the North Island, and was employed by Mr. Beetham of Masterton, on whose station Mr. Barrows gained important experience. While in this situation, he helped to make fish-ponds, and was the first man to strike a blow at this work. After a few years here, he came to Pahiatua, and in 1886 purchased some sixty acres of land in the present township. This land is now very valuable, having a frontage of five chains to Main Street. Some ten acres of this land was sold as town sections, and realist a price very considerably in advance of its original cost. The remaining area is exceedingly fertile and provides an ample supply of food for about twenty-five cows, though only some fifteen are usually kept. Mr. Burrows sends all his milk to the factory, and manages his farm with such success that he nets a profit during the summer months of £1 per cow per month for four months, 15s. per cow per months for three months, and 10s. for the last milking month, or a total of £6 15s. per year from each. His cows are half-bred Ayrshire, and their milk is above the standard demanded by the factory, an advantage which is allowed for in the measurement. In all public affairs Mr. Burrows takes a large share. He was a member of the Town Board from the time of its inception until it was merged in the Borough Council, and has since been a member of the Council without intermission. In his first term he represented the whole town, but is now a member for the west ward. He was for twelve months on the licensing bench, and was at one time treasurer of the United Methodist Free Church. It was Mr. Burrows who presented to that body the quarter-acre section on which the church was first erected. Councillor Burrows is chairman of the Cemetery Trustees.

Councillor William Wilson McCardle, is a New Zealander by birth, having been born at New Brighton, near Christchurch. He went with his parents to Pahiatua in 1883, where he was educated, and there he learnt the business of butchering. Though a very young man, Mr. McCardle takes a great interest in public affairs. When the borough was formed, he was elected a member of the first council, and has served continuously, with the exception of one term, up to the present time. He is secretary and treasure of the Pahiatua Rifle Club, and is considered one of the best shots in the club, having won numerous trophies, both in the district and elsewhere. He was married to Miss C. J. Sedcole, daughter of Mr. A. W. Sedcole, of Pahiatua, and has three children.

Councillor Albert West Sedcole, of the Pahiatua Borough Council, was born in the parish of Hougham, near Dover, Kent. He came to this Colony with his father's family in 1855, arriving in Lyttelton on the 4th of January. They spent some three weeks in that town before coming on to Wellington, thereby escaping the earthquake by some three or four days. From Wellington Mr. Sedcole went on to Napier, where he remained for two years, returning to Wellington in 1858. In 1861 he went to Gabriel's Gully, where fortune smiled on him, and his affairs began to prosper. In 1862 he left Wellington for Canterbury, and spent no less than twenty years in the southern province, marrying there Miss Margaret Martin, daughter of Mr. Martin, shipwright, of Kaiwarra, Wellington, who was lost at sea in the year 1816. About the year 1882, the land in the Forty-mile Bush was thrown open for sale, and after visiting the place, Mr. Sedcole determined to take up land in Pahiatua, removing with his family from Lyttelton in July of that year, and he has resided there ever since. In conjunction with his brother and Mr. W. W. McCardle, Mr. Sedcole decided to cut up some of the land on the Main Road, and thus was started what is now known as the borough of Pahiatua. Mr. Sedcole has always taken a prominent part in public affairs, and has displayed great energy in the formation of public bodies for the better conduct of matters in general; notably, the Road Board, County Town Board, and finally the borough. Mr. Sedcole acted as village steward under the Ballance Government for a considerable period. He at all times kept in view the improvement of his farm, and finally settled down to dairying, sending the milk to the butter factory. For some considerable time Mr. Sedcole has acted as land valuer for the Public Trustee and the Government Life Insurance, and, since the inception of the Government Advances to Settlers Act, has acted in the capacity of land valuer of the securities offered by the settlers for advances.

Mr. John William Beaufort Town Clerk, Treasurer and Rate Collector for the borough of Pahiatua, is an officer whose varied experience well qualifies him for the efficient discharge of the duties devolving upon him. Born in Dublin in 1846, and educated at Malborough College, in Wiltshire, England, Mr. Beaufort fitted himself for a seafaring life, and when only sixteen years of age secured the position of midshipman of the “Mermaid,” a vessel in which he came to New Zealand in 1862. Being engaged for the return trip, he took an early opportunity of revisiting the Colony, and in the following year landed at Port Chalmers per ship “Stornaway,” of which vessel he was third mate. He soon found employment as a cadet in the Survey Department, and was quickly in the Manawatu district assisting in the survey of the town and district now so well known as Palmerston North, but then called Papaioia. After some four or five years surveying, Mr. Beaufort joined the Kai-Iwi Cavalry, and under the leadership of Mr. John Bryce, took part in Titokowaru's war, and subsequently joined in the general hunt after Te Kooti, on the opposite coast. At the close of the war, Mr. Beaufort returned to the Survey Department, and was engaged in various parts of the North Island till 1871, when he accepted the position of engineer to the Feilding Corporation. Three years later he again returned to his former occupation, surveying in the Masterton district until 1885. Mr. Beaufort having surveyed the greater portion of the Pahiatua district, and being thoroughly qualified, it was natural that when the Pahiatua Road Board wanted an engineer he should be the successful candidate. When the Town Board was instituted, he was reappointed to the body, and when the Borough was formed he became engineer to the Borough Council, the clerkship being added in 1895, on the resignation of Mr. J. A. Kennedy. Mr. Kennedy left for the Old Country in search of health, and his many friends will be glad to hear that since his return to his native land his health has greatly improved. Mr. Beaufort is a chessplayer of some prominence, and as a cricketer has played in many test matches in Wanganui, Rangitikei, and other districts on the West page 1021 Cast. Being so thoroughly acquainted with the Colony generally and particularly with the Wairarapa districts, Mr. Beaufort's opinions on the suitability of the Pahiatua climate and soil are valuable; and he has no hesitation in predicting a great future for this highly favoured part of the Island. For the last few months Mr. Beaufort has made a hobby of amateur photography, and the results of his experiments for so short a time are most encouraging. Many of his pictures are greatly prized. In 1885 Mr. Beaufort was married to Miss Livingstone, daughter of John Livingstone, of Letterkenny, Ireland, and their family consists of six children.

Mr. J. W. Beaufort, Town Clerk, Pahiatua.