The Biography of Stephen Wrathall Part 2
 
"Typing out the whole of the biography is proving time consuming.  Still,
here's the latest update. As the original is just solid text, I  have taken the 
liberty of breaking it up into chapters, and giving them concise, descriptive names."
Steve H. Wrathall, Rotorua, Dec 1997
                     The Biography of Stephen Wrathall
                                    By
                           R. T. Wrathall, J.P.
                                 Mangonui
                                New Zealand
 Cont - part 2
                        3. Wrathall's Transport Business
     As the coastline was becoming inhabited, Wrathall turned his attention
in another direction and purchased a coastal schooner which he renamed
after his wife, The Mary Ann.  
     This vessel traded along the entire coastline from Port Philip to
Sydney and was the first vessel to run a regular service between the two
principal ports. He developed a fine marine connection and was obliged to
purchase a second schooner (The Mountain Mag). He then embraced Hobart in
his marine operations.
     At this time the population of the Parramatta district was approaching
7000, while that of Port Philip and surrounding districts was about 10 000,
and great rivalry existed between these two principal centres of
population. Wrathall's head office was at Melbourne, which meant that the
headquarters of the transport by land and sea between these rival ports
gave Melbourne an advantage over Sydney. Parramatta commercial interests
then got to work and formed a strong company in the name of the Parramatta
Transport Co. and established a coach service between Sydney and Melbourne,
traversing the same route as that of Wrathall's service. Naturally there
was keen competition for trade which resulted in a transport war between
the 2 services. This war lasted for 2 years, and the Company was forced off
the road, though it cost Wrathall just on 12 000 pounds to win out. This was not
the finish, as the NSW administration decided to nationalise the service
and bought in the plant of the Transport Company. Within 6 months of the
closing down of the company, the State service was in operation and
Wrathall then decided to block them from going through the Mittagong
Station, which was the only pass through which the road could traverse to
avoid the high mountain climb between NSW & Victoria. Wrathall stood firm
on his right to close the road, as he owned the whole of the Mittagong
territory, which embraced the only natural pass through the mountain
ranges. The Crown, on the other hand, persisted in running, and Wrathall's
persistence resulted in a special Order in Council being gazetted, taking
the road under legislative conditions similar in text to the present Public
Works Act, under which land may be taken by the Crown. The service was run
at cut rates for nearly 18 months. The Victorian travelling public
supported Wrathall's service, while the NSW folk supported the Government
service.
     Mystery Jack, Australia's first bushranger, had now become a great
menace and, strange to say, most of the hoodlums were on State service
runs. The militia were unable to capture this mysterious man, so they
engineered a suspicion that Jack's whereabouts and movements were known to
Wrathall, and that probably some quiet spot on the Mittagong station was
his mountain home. Wrathall became indignant at these innuendos and
insinuations, and asked for a commission to be set up to investigate the
truth of these statements. It resulted in absolute exoneration of Wrathall
and Mystery Jack, and his deeds are still an unsolved mystery.
      4. The Stranger who Helped Wrathall in his Fight with the Government
     All classes of immigrant were now arriving, men in practically all
walks of life. One evening a swagger called in at the Mittagong Station
looking very tired and weary, having tramped for over 30 miles that summer's
 day, and carrying with him a decent swag containing all his belongings.
He was provided with the usual tea, bed & breakfast, after which he asked
if he may rest the day as he was footsore and tired. His request was
acceded to.
     That evening the Melbourne-Sydney service arrived and Mr Wrathall
arrived with his chief clerk to check the station operations. On alighting
from the coach, the clerk missed his footing, fell, and sprained his ankle
so severely that he was unable to carry out his mission. However, Wrathall
entered into conversation with the swagger who had arrived the previous
evening. His manner and temperament were so attractive that Wrathall became
interested in him and asked him if he thought he could do the clerical
duties that his clerk had come up to perform. To this, the stranger said "Yes", 
stating that clerical work was what he hoped to take on in
Australia.
     This man did the job so well that Wrathall engaged him as a permanent
clerk in his head office in Melbourne. Mr Wrathall watched his work closely
and soon found him to be a man of very high educational attainments, a
first-rate journalist, and a writer with very high qualifications indeed.
     As the battle was now at its height between himself and the NSW
administration, he (Wrathall) took great pains to familiarise this newly
unearthed man with the position as it existed between the Government and
himself, setting out the intriguing influences he hoped to combat, and
suggesting that publishing facts and propaganda work might have the effect
of subduing the activities of his opposing agents who were popping up in
sections of the community throughout the State. He was finding it rather
difficult to suppress these undercurrents, and it was causing him endless
worries and expense.
     The stranger, who had been listening very attentively said, "Well, Mr
Wrathall, I have learnt from you the broad facts of your case and, if you
will supply me with the details of the charges that have been made against
you by these unknown propaganda agents, particularly those that can be
easily disproved, I may be able to deal with them. I would like you to
furnish me also with any rumours that are half-truths that may be current
and which, in your opinion, may prove derogatory to your commercial
interests." Mr Wrathall at once supplied a budget of details, and the
writer set to work to prepare the article. Within a week he had the
manuscript ready for publication.
     The first pamphlet printed was the Parramatta Commercial Scandal,
followed by Who's Who . Both these were circulated in thousands in both
Melbourne and Sydney, and the whole community was on tiptoe. Their
publication caused quite a stir, and were the means of bursting up the
Parramatta ring of speculators. The NSW administrators felt quite guilty of
being a party to an intrigue that they had quite unconsciously been drawn
into, and it was only when Who's Who was published that they realised that
they had been playing the part of buffers in this great bubble that was
about to burst. Wrathall put his finger on the right spot, knowing just
when to strike and, with the aid of the able pen of this unknown stranger,
the whole of the Parramatta Commercial hopes were dashed to the ground.
     The next 2 publications, A Big Land Deal and The Founders of Sydney,
aimed at dealing with a subsidiary branch of the same company, and they
dealt in detail with the purchase of the area on which the City of Sydney
was founded, and the operations and profit of the company in the disposal
of the Town Sections. Both these articles had the desired effect of an
approach to Wrathall by a reputable representative from the other side and
an arrangement was reached by which the 2 interests were to cease
hostilities, a general shake hands and the burying of the hatchet forever.
     After the reconciliation and each party had got back to normal
conditions, the State made an offer to purchase the whole of Wrathall's
transport business on land and sea. To this Wrathall agreed, subject to the
price being right: so negotiations were entered into and 2 assessors were
chosen, 1 to represent each side. The valuations commenced, and it took
nearly 3 months to take an inventory of the books and assets of the
Transport Services. When the report went to the State, a definite offer was
submitted, in writing, to purchase the whole of the land transport plant
and goodwill for the sum of 20 000 pounds, subject to Wrathall giving an
undertaking in writing, that he would not enter into the transport business
in either NSW or Victoria, or become a partner, or hold an interest in any
partnership, company or firm, for a term of 10 years For the shipping
between Sydney and Melbourne, the sum of 3000 pounds was offered for his goodwill
interest, subject to the same conditions as applied to the land service,
Wrathall to retain control of both his coastal vessels, The Mary Ann and
The Mountain Mag.
     The Hobart run was not in the agreement of purchase, so he kept the
Mary Ann on that run, and developed the coastal service between Port Philip
& Adelaide with the Mountain Mag. By paying close attention to both these
runs, his service became very popular and was well patronised, particularly
the Melbourne-Adelaide service which he inaugurated, and for nearly 3 years
he had an undisturbed monopoly.
5.   Entering the Timber Business
     Mr Wrathall now entered the timber business in rather a primitive way.
He purchased timber along the coastline and at suitable shipping inlets he
had saw pits erected and found employment for quite a number of men pit
sawing into sizes suitable for the building trade. This served to augment
the coastal freight, and his vessel had full loads each way as he had
established  a timber yard both in Adelaide and Melbourne. During the
summer season he had as many as 20 saws going, working in sets of 4 in each
depot: 2 breaking down, and 2 ripping into boards and scantling, and he was
soon in a very big way in the timber business., controlling practically the
whole output along the South Australian coastline.
     Mr Wrathall had found the timber business to be such a profitable
investment that he set out to secure the timber rights along the coast for
10 miles inland, where there were several easy accessible bushes, and
represented in the aggregate many million superficial feet of suitable
timber for building purposes. Having possession of this great asset, he now
established a sawmill at Melbourne and installed the most up-to-date
machinery and saws that were available in those far back early days. He
imported, with the milling plant, 2 shipwrights, and they built a fine scow
of the early type with leaboards, and when launched, she was put in
commission running baulk timber along the coast to his Melbourne mill.
     Soon the tents and shacks were replaced with wooden cottages and his
mill  was working at full pressure to keep pace with the demand for timber.
Carpenters were coming out to Melbourne in great numbers, and the demand
for houses was overtaken within 3 years.
     When the building trade commenced to slacken off, Mr Wrathall bought a
block of land in Melbourne which he surveyed into half-acre plots. He built 64
cottages, 1 on each half-acre, and as each cottage was built and the section
fenced, they sold like hot cakes. His price was, per section fenced with
cottage, 500 or 600 pounds on terms. He accepted any reasonable deposit, and 10%
interest paid quarterly, in advance, for the outstanding balance, being
secured by the 1st mortgage on the amount owing. He kept this going until
the demand was satisfied. Hundreds of families were housed under these
conditions, and Melbourne grew in importance, and Wrathall was one of the
founders of this great Australian city.
6.   The Finance Business
     His next move was the establishing of a financial agency, and in his
operations, he advances up to 200 pounds to people starting out in life. His
policy was to make a keen, close and personal investigation into the
prospects of success of the ventures, also the personal characters of those
requiring assistance, before making the advance. The rate of interest he
was charging was a flat rate of 10% .  And, if the applicant was a deserving
case, and required assistance to tide him over the pioneering period, the
advance was invariably made.
     Wrathall reserved the right to keep a watchful eye over the business,
as long as his mortgage was in operation. This right he was never known to
abuse, and it proved to be very beneficial in the case of many
unfortunates. Through the aid and advice given by Wrathall, there were many
who were directed out of messes into which they might easily have tumbled,
in the great commercial scramble.
     The transition stage of the country at this period, was as it always
is in new countries, where villages are growing, and have not reached the
dimensions of cities. Small businesses were springing up everywhere, and
competition sorts out the honest weedlings, while the more indiscreet pull
through and join the ranks of the survival of the fittest.
     As time wore on and conditions improved, Wrathall in his philanthropy,
eased the burdens of the less fortunate mortgages, and in some cases, he
wrote the amounts off entirely if, in his opinion, they were triers, and
deserved assistance. For this he was highly commended, particularly by the
rank & file, as they alone participated in his benevolence. But it must be
remembered that, while he stood for the poorer class, he was already to put
the screw on those who were able to pay, and he demanded from them the last
farthing they were owing, on the due date. So he was viewed from opposite
angles by these 2 set of mortgages. Those he assisted hailing him as
Australia's greatest man., while those he pressed speaking of him as the
hardest man in Australia.
Regards, Steve Wrathall