THE LYTTELTON GRAVING DOCK.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 833, 4 January 1883, Page 2

THE LYTTELTON GRAVING DOCK.

The opening ceremony of the new graving dock, to which we briefly alluded yesterday, passed off with great eclat, but owing to the late hour at which the speeches terminated we could not publish any portion of them in yesterday’s issue. In addition to the magnates of various New Zealand cities who were present yesterday, we have to mention the fact that Ashburton was represented by Messrs Bullock, Winter, and J.ambie, members of the County Council, Mr Wm. Baxter, Engineer, and his Worship the Mayor, Crs Bird, Nelson, A. Orr, members of the Borough Council, and Messrs E. G. Wright and Ivess, M.H.R.s.

After the ceremony of opening the dock, which fully 6,000 persons viewed from the hill sides and every available spot that commanded a good view, the specially invited guests adjourned to the large export shed, where a splendid luncheon was provided by the Harbor Board, Fully 700 personssat down, andafter ample justice had been d ne to the good things provided, the toast of “The Queen,” “The Prince and Princess of Wales,” “ His

Excellency the were heartily drunk.

His Excellency Sir James Prendergast, the Actiug-Governor responded at some length, but his remarks were quite inaudable at even the middle of the large shed.

His Honor Mr Justice Johnston proposed the “ Army, Navy, and Volunteers. ”

Colonel Brett, Major Lean, and Mr J. T. Fisher duly acknowledged the toast. The Hon. J. T. Peacock proposed “ The Ministry,” and the Hon. W. Rol--1 eaten, Minister of Lands, responded to the toast. Mr Harman proposed “ The General Assembly,” to which Mr Montgomery brit fly responded. His. Excellency the Acting-Governor then proposed “ The Lyttelton Harbor Board,” coupled with the name of the chairman, Mir Peter Cunningham. The toast was drunk with enthusiasm, and was responded to by the Chairman. The Hon. E. Richardson proposed “ The Visitors,” coupling the name of Sir Julius Vogel with the toast. The toast was drunk with loud cheering, and musical honors.

Sir Julius Vogel, on rising to respond, was greeted with loud and continued cheering. He said they had charged him with a great responsibility in asking him to return thanks for the visitors. If he was not mistaken, forty-nine fiftieths of those pres-nt were the guests of the Harbor Board. They all knew that a public man liked to have a majority, but there might bi too much of a good thing. A Government was sometimes too weak by having too large a majority. He could only say he wished to please th se he represented, and if he was not successful it would not be for want of good will. (Applause.) He thought he could say that all the visitors joined with him in admiration of the indomitable energy, industry, and perseverancs which had given to the harbor of Lyttelton the grand work which that day had been opened by his Excellency. Would they allow him to add further, on his own account, that it was deeply gratifying to him to find that, after having been so long absent, his memory was so kindly cherished. (Applause.) He looked upon the dock as one of the many evidences that the impulse which had added so many public works to the colony was not at an end. Whether or not they agreed with his action in the past, they would at least do him the justice to believe that he had been desirous of serving the colony. (Hear, hear.) He wished to express his intense regret at the absence of one who would so fitly have been present—the late Mr William Sefton Moorhouse. (Hear, hear.) With the early history of the great public works of this Province, the name of William Sefton Moorhouse was inseparably connected. Th ere was another name which he mentioned with no less regret; the name of a gentleman who, had he lived, would have been foremost, not only in this province, but in the colony—Mr Crosbie Ward. (Applause.) To come back to the living, he might say that the successor to Mr Moorhouse —the Hen Mr Rolloston--had always shown himself to be equally the advocate of public works and immigration, and he did not think that any gentleman in the colony had devoted a closer attention and a more subtle intelligence to them. (Applause.) He might say that he had frequently been indebted _to Mr Rolleston for suggestions on these important subject . He acknowledged his indebtedness to Mr Montgomery for mentioning the name of Mr Walter Kennaw*y, than whom there had been no more devoted public servant, when he (Sir Julius) had been in office It was due to his chief, Sir William Fox, than whom a more b illiant colonist never lived, and to Mr Richardson, that his policy had succeeded. No public works had been carried out in any country without large mistakes being made ; but he undertook to say that any captious critic who should look to what had been done here and elsewhere, would agree with him that they had less to regret in New Zealand than the people of . most other places. They had constructed over 1,000 miles of railway, and that they had made so few mistakes he had to attribute to the profound knowledge of Mr Richard 1 on. (Cheers.) He would remind them that what they had done was nothing to what they had to do. The time would coma when they wo jld be surprised at their congratulating themselves upon possessing a population of half a million, just as they must now feel wonder that in 1870 they were contented to think that they had only a quarter of a million. They might write him down as a false prophet if very few years did not elapse before they were constructing other docks and larger public works. (Cheers.) ■The success they' had already met with should lead them on to further triumphs. They should recollect that they had a great mission—one which no people more fully recognised than the people of Canterbury and Otago. That mission was to make the colony the happy home of a large population. (Loud applause.) He greatly rejoiced to think, if he might read between the lines of the remarks made by Mr Rolleston, that that gentleman was of opinion that the work of immigration should be resumed. Wherever he had been in New Zealand had he found that there was still room for a larger population, and he believed that a judicious increase of population would bring additional prosperity to those who had already made their homes in the colony. He would not detain them any longer than to say that wherever he might be his warmest affections and most heart-felt interest would always be with New Zealand and her colonists. (Loud and prolonged cheers.) Mr Keith Ramsay, Dunedin, also returned thanks.

The toasts of “ Tho Lyttelton Borough Council,” “ The agricultural and pastor d interests,” “ The New Zealand Shipping Company and the Union Steamship Company,” were duly proposed and responded to.

Mr E. G. Wright, M.ELB., in proposing the toast of “ The trade, commerce, and local industries,” said that the subject was one of great magnitude. Trade and commerce may be said to express in two words all that superabundant energy and enterprise which had led forth the children of Great Britain to explore, to colonise and to cultivate so many of the waste places of the earth. The enterprise born of trade and commerce had carried tho British race to the remotest corners of the world, whether civilised or uncivilised. The great expansion of commerce in Great Britain during the present century has raised the great mass of the lower classss from a position of ignorant, underpaid and underfed tillers of the soil to that of wellfed, intelligent and independent avtizms; and although poverty had not disappeared from the land, the enterprise of British merchants had done much to ameliorate the condition of mankind by carrying food from the granaries of the world to feed the dense multitudes who do not raise enough for their own consumption. The Hon. Minister of Lands had dwelt in eloquent terms upon tho importance of the agricultural interest, and the speaker did not intend to trespass upon that subject further than to say that whilst in 1870 the grain exports of the entire colony were valued only at L 152,000, in 1880 the single County of Ashburton exported grain worth L 433.000, representing 54,000 tons. Ho gfive this as a striking illustration of the advance the colony had made since the commencsment of tho Public Works policy. Then they found other industries following rapidly in tho wake of the grain trade. In 1879, an agitation was begun to secure more consideration for local industries, aadjthe very moderate

stimulus given by the amendments bf the tariff, made during the session of TLBBO, had been productive of a vast amount of good. The industries that profited most by the change were—the coach build* ing, boot-making, and woellen factories j and as the result of concessions made *in 1881 they had now at least 600 acres of tobacco in cultivation in Taranaki and other parts of the N orth Tsland. Other Interests were springing up rapidly. At Edendale and at Flemington, in the Ashburton County, cheese factories were at' work, and although the latter had only been a short time at work, it turned but two tons of excellent cheese every week. Then they had a most important industry started at Nelson—the manufacture of Portland cement. The enterprise of the colony’s machinists would soon supply everything required in the way of agricul-; tu al machinery—even including reapers and binders—and the time was c’ose at hand when the very valuable iron oret of the colony would be converted into railway metals. He would ask them to drink the toast with sjll heartiness. (Auplaaae.,) 4 Messrs W. G. Meares and A. G. Howland duly acknowledged the toast. • ’> The toasts of “ The dock contractors.”! “ The Harbor Board stiff," “ The ladies, 'T and “ The press,” were proposed and responded to, after which the proceedings terminated.