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The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Canterbury Provincial District]

Mr. Frededick Hobbs

Mr. Frededick Hobbs, J.P., twice successively Mayor of Christchurch, was born in the village of Hambleden, Buckinghamshire, England, in 1841, and arrived in New Zealand in 1855. After settling in Christchurch Mr. Hobbs watched with deep interest the progress of the city, and came, in 1867, to the conclusion that the greater portion of the sickness then prevalent might be abolished with proper means. He accordingly applied himself to the study of hygiene, and sanitation, and stood as a candidate for the City Council in 1870. On that occasion he advocated not only better hygiene and improved sanitation, but a system of lending by Government to local bodies on the security of the rates; the value of this proposal was not realised at the time, but it has since become general in New Zealand. After spending four years as a member of the City Council, Mr. Hobbs was elected Mayor, and was returned for a second term. When that was concluded he resumed his original seat as a councillor at the close of 1876. On his retirement from public service in 1877, Mr. Hobbs was presented with a handsomely illuminated address, which was page 107 accompanied by a valuable present, as a token of the high esteem in which he was held by the citizens of Christchurch. Mr. Hobbs was one of those who advocated the abolition of provincial governments, and the transference of their funds to the local bodies, which should then own such sources of revenue as dog-taxes and license-fees. He was one of the first to propose that the City Council should asphalt the sidewalks of the city. Mr. Hobbs is a member of one of the oldest families in his native district. After spending some years in the Life Guards, he took up the trade of tailoring, which he followed with great success in Christchurch, after arriving in New Zealand in 1855. This business was subsequently carried on by his son, Mr Frederick Hobbs, in extensive buildings, erected for the purpose, and now well known as Hobbs' Buildings. Mr. Hobbs was married, in 1866, to Miss Elizabeth Murray, of Taunton, England, and has seven sons and three daughters.