PREMIER AT TAIHAPE

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 72, 18 December 1907, Page 8

PREMIER AT TAIHAPE

: OPENS THE; NEW POST OFFICE, • ENTERTAINED: AT BANQUET. . ' PROGRESS OF THE DISTRICT. {by ..-TELEOBArn—Special* ; cobresfondekt.) Taihape, December 17. The Premier. (Sir-Joseph Ward) opened the new post-office at Taihape this afternoon. Ho:travelled by'the Manawatii morning express from Wellington 'as far as Marto.n', and thentriihsferrecj'^ -to a''special train, and arrived at' Taihape, shortly after 3 o'clock. The latter pa-rt of- the run was made through the-smoke of bush fires, which have destroyed a : considerable area of standing bush betw;een Mariga'weka aud Kawhatau, oil tho far side of the Raiigitikoi; river, When tho train ran -through. Mangaweka i the .fire was observed evidently burning -itself'fout in the vicinity of tho town. At| Taihape -station;! a gay -crowd, including-trie ... Mayor ConncilTors, school children,' school cadets,< and' the'town and, mot the Premier, . and the Map>r (Air. Anthony Nathan) presented, him with an illuminated address of welcome and congratulation for, his conduct of-,tho affairs of tho Dominion. . Cheers and the Premier was then ■ escorted by the band\to the new post-blfice; on which was conspicuously exhibited a caJieo sign bearing the words, ".Good old" Joe.", ! . ' ; : ; TAIHAPE'S PROGRESS. Addressing the crowd .'here'assembled, the .Premier gave 'some- interesting particulars of the: progress matje .by Taihape. Few placesin .the Dominion hii'd so quickly sprung into agricultural • and ; commercial , importance. The foundation: of ithe'.township may be said to halve bqen jn 1894, only years ago, when a'.handful"of. residents,.formed an association for the purpose; of acquiring land in the Hautajrii settlement;-Awarua block-, now known as Taihape'.';' The association was said • to .have, coiriprised -a 'bootmaker, painter,, glazier',;;carpenter,'.' blacksmith, waiter, and ptonoipgist;' (Laughter;)'.- At first supplies .were; packed from 'Ohingaiti/ . Tlio meat.supply was' largely obtained by hunting wild cattle,'^whi^'.'^erii'ih'eri'-plentiful in-the bush. .-In response'to an application by the sett|ers : a post-office was opened'in 1894. In 1887-a .money order office and savings bank branch wag: added, and iri 1899 a, telephone offico. The .telephone,..service'; was'jreplacod in 1903' by 'a-.telegraplv.-instrument;'...ln 1904, Mr. R. ■Boyne, the present! postriiaster, entered upon his! duties, at the, office, and his staff now - consisted of a senior clerk, eight telegraphists, a letter-carrier, 'and' four telei graph..- messengers— , A.,- telephone exchange was now. being, operied....Speaking of the Wa.imarino county, the Premier said the pop'ulation had increased in- ten years from 433 to' 2787. - The Premier then"'a'nnouriced that a'r.csidp"n|t i; .of the, town, Mr; F. 0. Gibbons, had offered, to .present to tlie citizens their share of the expense \of purchasing a clock for;the toweriof the post office. (Lbud applause.), He, a,lso read a . letter from the Mayor,suggesting, on;belialf of'the burgesses, th'rft a: tablet! should ,b'e attached to the building to.record this gift; (Applause.)' The Premier' said' .lie would!.give the riec-essaiy authority for tlris .to; be', dorie, because this was the citizen, spirit oiie'liked to see. Tlio -Premier then made cqmpliirieritars reference to.-the contractor'.-for -.the' buildirig (Mr. ArtKur, . of Taihape),'and to the designer-,the . Architect (Mr. Campbell), arid declared ,the post office open. The first telegram was sent by:the Premier to Lady .Ward. . TfiE ! BUILDING. The new building' follows the classic renaissariciS style' of 'architecture adopted by the Government in Lovin arid other smail towns .in the Dominion. The contract price was £1789 10s.; "The, building is of two stories, and stands iri'Vceritral part of the 'town. • i , • As.a memento of the occasion,'tho Mayor, for, the burgesses, presented Sir Joseph Ward with a .niiiiiaiture .golden key., ' Among those present at the gathering were' the: Hon. J; M'Gowan, wlio is ori his way to Auckland, and who, lit the request-of the. Premier, >made a few remarks;- Mr. Remington; M.P. for Rangitikei; Mr. Furhy, Inspector of Telegraphs; and Mr. Miller, postmaster, :Wanganui. ... -, J . THE BANQUET. ' SPEECH .BY Si'li ,]. G. WARD. ' ■ . Iri'tho -'eyonirig, .the"'Premier became tlie guest of the citizens of Taihape at a banquet in the Gretna Hall. About two hundred were' 'present,' arii'ong the number being Judge'-Gilfedder; : of. the Land Court, and the Hon'.-AS''; W.'.M'Carflle, M.L.C., who was proceeding overland from Auckland. The Mayor presided, "and pn'his right sat. the, Premier, arid ori his left Mr. Remington, M.P. Among the apologies for absence was one from. Mr. W., T; Jenhingsj- M.P. ' , . ■ Tlio toast ol'the guest of the evening was proposed by the .Mayor, .whose cb'mplimentary speech was of .the'briefest description'. The toiist. was enthusiastically -honoured.'' ' Iri.';r6spondirig;'.the"Premier paid a 'tribute ,fc) ;tn6 work-iri .Parliament Of the representative for;.the district,,-Mi 1 . ; Remington. Ho . to'.quotO; figures.: to ,slio\v the reriiarkable,prbgress of the Rangitikei district, airid ilso ompnasisetl the splendid financial position of New Zealarid;. "- To-day there-,w«ro tHirty-orio riiillioris\ of the-people's money .in the Savings' Banks, of. which elcvon. millions ,woro in. tho. Post .OfficeiSavings ..Bank. Wo wore in.a position now; ,4f2jiot Having to go t<i tho outside; world for; loaiis, and wo would nbt feel the-slightest.■ etEccS"6f- financial crisis in'other countries;; WS wero in-the position ;of"being --S6nd-money to England for investment. •' ..!•• . , ; SUEZ 'CANAL. . ThereXwas'. a .matter he.:.desired to say-a 'Word- about-that: was .of: great importance- to 'this country' and . to. the' Motherland. It was a matter not sufficiently .-talked, about, in this country, .nor,. .was'-; its importance realised in Bntairi.'Every.memb'or of the community was dircctly;:or'indirectly: interested in tlio cheap conveyance :of our produco to England. "Wo had nothing; to', find, fault; -with in the fine cargo, steamers at.. our disposal, , but thero was a' toll tax across the path of tho fastest route, trie; Suez Canal-(the - best for our perishable produce, such as frozen meat, and j!butter);'that, prevented, these cargo steamers from going that-way.' We iri this country were helping to maintain the' glories of the Red ■Flag: and to build up the industries, of tho 'Empire, nnd yet the-.people in Britain who controlled the Suez Canal allowed a system of*'greed arid money-making" to' exist.* We •were fighting with other, countries for com-' mprcial supremacy',-find we had a right .to enter our protest against the system. We had at all - events the' :right to ask, as ho himself .had. .dorie 'at the Imperial ConferpiicOj that New,' Zealand tiri'd' Australia should have, at least one representative on- the The Premier alluded to the progress of the Panama Canal, and to the probability of ■ the rar-sighted Americans cutting down tho charges for that route, and compelling a reduction'on the othor route. The widen? ing, of our markets Viis'of tho utmost importance.'to* this country, ; and-it'was on the British' market that r we had to depend most. Other countries were, competing with us, and we .must'not be behind in the race. MAIN: TRUNK, LINE. Arrangements, coutirinud . the . Premier, had been made-for the issue of through tickets from Auckland to .Wellington, including coach fares, from the first, of next month ; aljso the! morning train, which now left Taihnpe at 8.30 a.m. for' Mataroa, would.def>art at 7 a.m., and passengers would thero->y-bo 'enabled to stop over at Taihape instead of at Waiouru, as at present. Next momini»' they could get through to Taumarunui, and on tho followirig day reach Auckland. The Premier: then read exton•siye figures to show "the-increase of traffic ori the uncompleted Main Trunk Line. For tho last two years there was an increase of 20,304 in the ordinary tickets sold from Wellington. The uuriibqr of sheep carried north had, increased by 14,000 head, timber j by twelve million feet, and other lines in t proportion. When the linking up of tho line was completed, he looked for a much greater increase. Most of -the jyvjaonß. of

the country tlio line passed through l wore' on liable of great development. -In" the Taihapp district it was almost. impossible to believe the great progress that had beon made in the last few years. . A NATIONAL UNDERTAKING. The Premier went on to speak of a suggestion that had been made to him. What a grand thing it would be, he said, for the people of the' Dominion to say that they individually are going. to rebuild the House of Parliament I Whata splendid idea,if the people were to subscribe not. more than £1 a-piece to that object I What a splendid effect, it would have beyond, our own shores, and upon our youth, who, in the. future, could, say'that their parents had given directly.from their own pockets to restore Parliament Building. The Parliament. Buildings belonged to no city in particular. It was true thev were, placed in Wellington, but they did not belong to the city. Representatives to Parliament, came from . all portions of the Dominion.' He suggested that the. press should take the matter up, and that tlio people of the Dominion combine without party feelings, and then what ! a great and glorious triumph would be possible! He said this to give voice to a suggestion that had been made, and it was only in this way that they could have the necessary public • opinion on the matter. (Applause.) Among the 1 other toasts proposed wore the "Dominion Parliament, Mr. T. A. Garrett, and the Mayor and Councillors, proposed by the Premier. A number of songs were contributed between the toasts, and the evening passed' off most onjoyably.