Australian Town and Country Journal at KellyGang 14/9/1872 (2)
The post and telegraph offices are in a nice brick building near tho court-house. The duties of the Hay post and telegraph department are no sinecure. 72 mails are received and despatched weekly; and the arrivals of some of these are at the hour, "when church-yards yawn" &c. Many of the stations have special mails made up. Mr R S Arnott performs the double duties of post and telegraph master.
There is one banking establishment in Hay; it is a branch of the Australian Joint Stock Bank. A view of this neat building is given in the back ground of the accompanying picture in which is the portrait of the champion horse Leicester. The courteous and energetic manager, is James Macgregor Esq. Mr F Gardiner and Mr J M'lvor are his assistants.
In country towns, next to hotels, the stores come in as objects of attraction to the visitor. Of course every storekeeper finds it to his advantage and duty to keep a stock of goods in all branches. One part of the store is devoted to drapery, another to grocery, a third to ironmongery, while boots and shoes occupy a fourth, and wines and spirits are in cellars. More than this; local politicians congregate in many of the stores and settle the affairs of the town, the country, and often of the world, with an ease and confidence that is really refreshing to listen to. Sitting on bags of potatoes, on chests of tea, or perhaps on the counter, the speakers carry on their discussions with less temper, and sometimes with greater intelligence than is often exhibited in "the House" itself. As population in creases country stores gradually assume the business aspect of city shops and less of debating clubs. Hay is undergoing this transposition.
There are several fine stores in the town doing an extensive trade. The finest - that of Messrs. Blewett and Co. - which forms the subject of an engraving in this issue, is at the corner of Lachlan and Bank streets. The store is a well constructed building of brick: and a wide verandah covers a good pavement, which is appreciated by the Hayites, after floundering through the muddy streets. Over the verandah wall-plates, is a line of plate glass, containing the name of the firm and other particulars. This is an improvement on the usual wood work. The windows are of plate glass, and passing into the shop its superior is only found in large cities. It has a very lofty interior: one side devoted to grocery, and the other to drapery, while the centre contains a sort of monumental figure loaded with light goods. Well arranged offices and cash receivers are at the furthest end and right through are back stores, where the wholesale goods are in stock, and the wines and spirits are kept. Messrs. Blewett and Co., the spirited proprietors, are also Stock, Station, and Commission Agents and auctioneers.
Lower down the street is the store of Messrs S and A Moss. It has not a great frontnge, but is of considerable length, and I found it piled with goods of every conceivable description. Large cellars run underneath tho greater part of the building, and the offices are in a detached building under the charge of Mr Higgins. A large business is done by Messrs S and A Moss.
The store lower down still, was formerly well known as Mr J H Pollard's. It has been purchased, and is now carried on by Mr J E Warby. He conducted me over the establishment; I was surprised at the large quantity of goods here. The piles of chests of tea, bugs .of sugar, rice, &c, seemed to equal many establishments making pretensions to be wholesale warehouses in the city, and the conclusion one cannot but arrive at is that an immense trade is done by the storekeepers of Hay.
There are a number of other stores worthy of mention in the town. Foremost amongst these and on the opposite side of the street to those I have alluded to are Tartakover Brothers, who own a good general store, including a large stock of furniture, upholstery, crockery ware, &c; the Bee-hive store, by Mr W L Smith, is also on the same side of the street, lower down.
The hotels are generally the first places in a town to occupy the attention of the traveller, and there is a choice in Hay, for there are about a dozen altogether.
The lending hotel in Hay is Tattersall’s Family Hotel, Lachlan-street. The building, of brick, has a good external appearance, and tho interior contains nearly thirty rooms. There are two large dining-rooms, a fine billiard-room, four or five parlours, a few private rooms and eighteen sleeping apartments, besides a bathroom, &c. The capabilities of Tattersall’s were put to a severe test during my stay, when the Hay Pastoral Dinner and Ball took place.
The town was pretty full of visitors, and the dinner and ball took place in the hotel. The ball supper was a magnificent one and called forth the admiration of the admiration of the metropolitan visitors, who said they never saw anything superior to it in Melbourne or in Sydney. The following evening the Hay Pastoral Dinner was also given at host Esplin's. Over ? gentlemen sat down in the long room to a dinner quite equal to any spread I have ever seen given in the metropolitan. The tickets were fixed at 30s. each. The stables are in keeping with the character of the hotel, and contain twelve stalls.
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