BY CAR TO SEATOUN.

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

BY CAR TO SEATOUN.

»- . " ■!. ' ; , OPENING OF THE LINE., ~ ' ' .INTERESTING SPEECHES. Two palace cars,'well filled* with the official pioneers of traffic , and'.their-'iffio.nds, made the -trip to SeatQijji yesterday .afternoon in connection with, : t]iii"'formal opening:'of .'the line.. What the\occasion lacked, in inipres- • sivenpss of. cereinoriy t ..was...made up, ,for : % . pleasantness', and sociability'.. The ..cars, travelled, at a, fairly,:leisurely, rate -until., this Seatb,u'n;,tunnel : was'/reached.:.' ljore, iii the midst,, of yie assenibied Seiitou'n population ' .and collected photographers, a halt ' was called, and Mrs. C. J. Crawford, Mayoress of Miramar,, expressed her great pleasure in declaring.tha tramway.'and tunnel'open,.,'.ari.4 was presented with Then! the. photographers, took command and " held up": the good-humoured , party for successive pictures: Tho Journey ;was oontinued through.; the - tunnel, .and 'the' cars.' were left to an, in.yasion»pf clambering; Seatoun.. chil7 , dren, while the visitors made!their way to the charniing grounds of-Mr.. Ij' P. Jlawson's residence, where,' in a : la!rge" marquee. ( refreshments were dispensed after, this initial journey.. . THE SPEECHES... . ' • It was an audience of ladies,; for. part,-that listened to the speeches, most of' men having escaped'beforehand froni the'' hot marquee where they had "taken ' their refreshment standing. * Accordingly, tlia speeches took a light and pleasant tone; statistics being spared. ..- .Mr. Crawford, Mayor of Miramar, that they were present to mark a very great occasion in the history of the'district, and do hoiiour td, their guests, the members ..of the Wellington City- Council. He propqscd thethealth; of the Mayor,, Councillor's',- aii'd burgesses.of tbo city of Wellington: Indiilg- . mg in some reminiscences, Mr... Crawford : told how, thirty-seven, years; ago', brought to Miramar for the first time" by ' his 'parents. They came/ over, the'Kilbirilii - hill in an old four-wheeled buggy; the track was very-'rough, the'seat, was very! slippiery. and .'the. legs of the' future Mayor dangled immediatoly in front of -■ a huge basket 'of eggs. Suddenly, the horse came to grief,on the rough;road, the' buggy was !brdiight-into violent contact with' the - gate-post—.it ' tliis moment, by a laughable coincident, .a seat broke down uuder several' be was; precipitated: into ' the basket', of/eggs, exactly •as the ladios were precipitated to tho.ground..: (Laughter.)' : - He thought thai those eggs could not, have been.' their-incubation bad been' only retarded, and . they had hatching out ever since, !and tho-finest hatch *to, dato /was ■ tho new tramway 'and.tunnel. He claimed that' Mjramar. had been a most, progressive district.' ' The old drainage tunnel was the first . 'tunnel oyer cut in; New Zealand, .and the, present tramway tunnel was the largest. South of the Line, ;beiric 27 feet ;in . width. The whole of the work had : been carriedlout tnost-satis-factorily, aud tho district, had ; now ; a , most ' maghificerit;; tramway and' '.tunnel. - ,After acknowledging the valuable assistance which, the ..bbfough.Jiad ..received front Mh R. . W. Holmes. as ■ Goyer)merit: inspector,- Mr. .Crawford said.that the borough, after I .battling'for' tcu , years ; - had ~ now got' most of - what 'it wanted. '' The. next; development: should, be the of 'their - natural, harbour.' the ; Wellington Harboard Board; to : extend wharves, arid ho.hoped th'at the.Board' would consider,this , matter iii as fine a spirit, as the! Wellington City Council had shown towards.tli<s borough. He' remembered tho days'> when ; the!'City j Council would not have the Miramar' property when it was-practically thrown, at them , r a ; . They. Seemed to .think" then '.that tho prosperity, of Miramar must he'lrtimiM-l ■ to tho'prosperity, of the city. but^Viser c'piinsels now sian'd'' wplild; '■he'lhbped,! " ; continup tq. prevaib; Hoi regrett ed very much « thiit, though,the,.Mayoress.,of wm ' present, .His .Worship tho, Mavbr .was 'not among them. 1 , y . Comicillor , Godber, iii replying ,'to "the toast, ■ expressed tho: City Council's' appreciation of the pliick,. enterprise,, business ' ability, and "confidence with which-the MiramAr. Borough Council hac!-'tackled. their great, difficulties. He. denied that past City'' Councils would have -nothing to do 'with Miramar when .it was thrown at them: 'They wotild have secured the property biit; for. tlife fractious opposition' of . others, who had caused, the : citizens of; Wellington -to v'6te ''' against,.the'proposal. ' .. '. vv\■ •. H.: P. Barber; M:E,;-iri''.pr6p6sing tlic. toast of tho Miramar Borougb: Council,.. ■ .praised 'the progressive spirit' isf that body. ■It nyas a-.very bafl-thing, that , thfe citv' : had lost; the opportunity, of' ; 'an csta'td" which he would undertake: td sfey was now worth very 'little less t,W a 'million pounds. The' city-might have hail an estate ■ which • it could :have; leased - in. • such manner ,as to;.proy]de a' reyenue sufficient' to the city. of'.Wellington 1 without ••• a rate. .' . .. ". '.!■' ■ . C6uncillor"Bell,'.of; Miramar, responded to the toast. , . . 7." ' ' ' Cheers -were ■ given; for !Mr: Rawson, and the,-visitors;returned'-::to.;to,'wn.'.'\ ■«•-/, . { *v, . ■Y! , OFEICIAL MEMBERS. • •? ' The • followiiig'' wire ,the official: fflembersVof the' party:—Wellington . - City' . CpuncilT-. Cdbncillors Hinciniarsfi, Iforrah',. Cohen, Goflbfer, FleWhW,: Biss,!;.and':Murdoch ;' Sir. vl. ( '.R..', Palrtler'^Towu 1 : Clferk)';^Mr: ! ',W.' H. Mpieton.(Git.v! Erigiiife'er)/Mr: S.' RichatdsSh ;(Ele(:tric!il'" Tramwhys^' 'Engineer),'"' Mr. 'j. o'Sliea'.'(City SoUcitor). ' ' Messrs;'! W. ;H. Barber and F."'M.'.B. ; 'Fisher,"M.P.'s.; . \'' .'; '' '' JKo ."Mayor-; of rMiramar • (Mr' .C. "J;. Craw'ford), Bbll';: Mr.;' ft, fe Bennett (Towti, Clerk); - Mr.' J:' G.; Devine (Borough-Solicitor).' :• t•: The 'Mayor oFEarori' (Mr % _ A.'- C.' ( Peojfce), Councillors'Clark anU/'Sniithv' . ] .'Eastbourne'' Borough ' . lor 'Danks, 1 Mr.' J. DV Avbry' (Toira 'Cfer.k)':"'' '" The Hon'. C.\H.' MiUs-'and'Jlr:. l A!; A. .K: , Duncan (Deputy- Public 'Trustee), ' were; HISc present.' • ; ' THE -NEW' 'SERVICE. -!;' Tho permit,for public^.traffic; was received yesterday, and tho service inll commence to-day. . Cars wiU - raxi by way of' Limbton, Qiiiy, but' Miramar tranis wiU'.,take the 'Jsrvois' Quay.'iouto- in -.fatdre. • -- . LOCAL BODIES AND KEIR, HARDIE ' (BT .TBLBOBAPH —SPECIAi COEBBSPONDEIfT.). • - , ', Auckland,' December ; i7w-• ! A-resolution-.in, regard to Mr; K«r Hardie, which. was: recently. passed; by tho)Patangata. (Hawke's-Bay), County .Council, was brought under;thV notice of- the Grey Lyiin .Borough . Council last ovoimg. ' The resolution/was to ,' the effect ,that,,:in view of -Iff.,' Hardio's 'recant, utterances in India, ho should not bo at>- ' cordcd any official recognition'. in tho evont of bis. visiting New- Zealand. -Tho Grev, Lynn Council formally receivod tho letter, .'but; d<y '.to ; express ■" any opinion regarding,, tho matter. ,!'-! •.'-r'• ... A copy . of. tbo-same resolution was alki fop* warded; ti> the' Nowmarkbt Borough: Council; Tho Mayor (Mr. P. Bennott), .minioving , tbat it':bo said lit,was,not likoly:.that>hoy •!would.-bo palled. upon to-takd anyofficial part !iii,.,'tim !rece'ptiou;to any . ca'so,hp . thought jthat the: Council was- stoili.ciently;:.loyal .to.,thoV.Empiro,| ofwhich;.this .'country,-formed; a' übt' ' aiiee! to :'anyone-.who,", eitherby word' oV'de«3, sliowod . tho ;samp !tcraporaniont-as Mr.'K(iir Hiirdie hiid;shown;'; , ' . ,', ■- Tho',' Onohunga Council " rcceivoa " tbe communication; as a mattorof: form.