Napier: Century-old newspaper imprint found at work site

The imprint shows advertisements for a tonic and furniture. In the early 20th century, most newspaper front pages contained only small business ads and public notices, rather than news articles. Photo / NCC

It is unclear which newspaper it is, as there were multiple titles in circulation in Hawke’s Bay around 1910, including the Daily Telegraph, Hawke’s Bay Herald and the Hawke’s Bay Tribune (which began in 1910).

The discovery lines up with the age of the nearby Cameron Rd box culvert, estimated to be about 114 years old.

An advertisement imprinted into the concrete says “Lane’s Emulsion”, a tonic first produced in Oamaru in 1898.

“Not a bad find for a day on the tools,” the council post read.