THE HUDDART-PARKER CO.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 35, 10 February 1905, Page 5

THE HUDDART-PARKER CO.

*» ■ ■ -■■■ SPEECH BY.THE PBEMIER. <&V Telegraph.—Own Correspondent) WELLINGTON, this day. At the gathering of representative citizens who attended hrhcheon on the Wimmera, at the invitation of the Huddart Parker Co., to meet Mr W. Appleton, general manager of the company, who is making his first visit to the colony, the Premier repDed to the toast i of the Government. He said that no ' one having a real knowledge of the I situation would cast any doubt on our ' prosperity, and it was the desire of all to assist in forwarding that prosperity. although there might he differences of opinion as to how th.it prosperity could be attained. There was no part of the Empire in which capital was more secure or better employed. Mr Appletoa, in reply to the toast of the company, said the possibilities of the colony had, he was sure, not been by any means fully developed, and he wished to thank the commercial community and the public generally for the support it had accorded the company sipc-e it first came here about nine years ago, in spite of the comnetition of the finest fleet that existed in any country in the world—the Union Company. To show that hia company had the utmost confidence in New Zealand, he pointed out that it | had about £ 350.000 invested in it and j i depending on the prosperity of this I colony. Tracing the progress of the- j company, Mr Apple ton said that in 1895 ■ !it faced the tremendous responsibility of tackling the Union Company of New Zealand. They had a great fight, but were still there, and he believed that with their united fleets they would be able to provide a good service. He had the greatest confidence in the prosperity and progress of New Zealand, and he believed they bad a great country, and that there" was a great future before it.