OPENING OF THE PRESS CLUB.

Evening Star, Issue 3649, 2 November 1874, Page 2

OPENING OF THE PRESS CLUB.

The inauguration of the Dunedin Press Oluh was celeb ated by a dinner at the Pio'i'lfinl i-otel on Saturday evening, which was attended by about thirty members. The cair was occupied by the resident (Mr Meo. Heii). who was supported on his -ight bv Mr Justice chapman and Mr Pyk ■, M.H. U.. and mi his left by Mr (J, s m i b, the vice-chair lv ing tilled by Mr R. H Leaiy. The excel ent sor ad provid-. d by Ho't Sibbdd having been done justice to, the customary loyal and patriotic toasts were proposed from the chair and suitably received and i e ponded to.

Judge ( HAPMAN, in risi g to preiro-e ‘‘ .•■ueccss to ti'iG Press Club,” was receive.) w;t i loud eh .era, rani *,aid lie supposed lie 'u:u\ beeo asked top.opo.se the toast. from the i -et that lie ii.ae lormed one of what Mi.-s F.iLiiy K cm ole use to cad “The Press (Hang ” ('’or many years during the time that lie wastudying the law, he gob his living by his e nuieoiion with the Press, and a v ery respectable mode of getting a living bethought they would admit it was—( ppiause.) Me had been connected with newspapers to a considerable ex'eut; but he was not there to tell the whole of his personal history. Me won d eodravor to coniine himself 'o some porrior.a of the history of the Press of this Colony, which probably no roan in thrown except himself was aware of. First of all, he would congratulate those in the roam u on the organisation of a Press <'lnb in Dunedin. He would not go into the com-mon-place remarks with reference to the adrantagt s of union— 11 Union is strength,” and fjw forth, hut would confine himself to cordially congratulating the Press of Dunedin upon the formation of the Club, and be hoped that those connected with the Press in other tow ts would by-and-bye determine to unite for social intercourse. There was no doubt it would do great service and ten i to make more friendly those belonging to rival newspapers, and to the printing traile. btrauge as it might seem, he knew the Press of the Colony before the latter existed. The first systematic attempt to colonise New Zealand was made by the New Zealand Company, who established what they j called the first Colony at Wellington. Before this Colony was started, a newspaper was projected as necessary for the seitlers. This newspaper, it was decided, was to be edited by a very old friend of his, Mr S Revans, who now lived in the Wairarapa Valley. The first number was published in London upon the 6th of September, 1*39, one mouth before the colonists left Loudon. He was, therefore, justified in saying that he knew the Press of New Z aland wheu it was only in the womb of time.—( >pdause ) The little history he was about to give them was veiy interesting. The first batch of to o.lists started from the Thames—fro a-. Gravesend—in the mouth ©£ October, and the first ship, the Aurora, arrived in New Zealand on the 24th of Juno. She was followed by the Oriental, which arrived on the 3lst January following; aud then came the Duke of Roxburgh, which arrived on the 7bh of February. The next wa< the Bengal Merchant, whi hj arrived on the 20th of the same month, and then came the Ade’aide on the 7th of March, with the press, p'ant, aud building for the establishment of the first newspaper in New Zealand. The Adelaide had been delayed at the Cape. She brought building, press, types, editor, an 1 two or three compositors —(Laughter.) Mr Rovans, who was on board this ship, met there an intelligent lad—almost a boy— known to some of them—Mr Ihomas M ‘Kenzie—or Mr Tom M Kenzie, as they then used to call him. Me became Mr Kevaus’s apprentice. As he had said before, the Adelaide, with all the materials for the establishment of a newspaper dropped anchor on the 7th of March, ihe types, press, and so forth, and the house lorthe printing office, were brought out, the house having been built in frame by M - Manning, of Holborn. The house and everything else necessary for the paper were landed three weeks after the Adelaide dropped anchor, aud the first number of the paper was issued on the 18th of April, or six weeks after the vessel dropped anchor. The name pf this publication wa» the ‘ Jffiw Zaa* 1

ia: .i G a z•>,* and it wa* con 4 m for four | 1 \ciis, v.M--;. Mr R vans left, it to follow . oF'-"' pniwutts. Ihe ‘ GazM.*.• ’ was then ia .-u in .-a..-d b two v f lljo printers, u.cbuTtig ■ r ,’\iTiei/de. and i's name was o’) iii.al ;o tbo ’ i»;d pe.id-.nt.’ v-lii hj n wspapi'r w-.s in exTtcu.-e until the present yi-.r, wh ii itttmvg-d ino the ‘ >ew Zealand Tines.’ and beca no a d illy pa-r. Mr M Ke iz o was connee ed with it id and wa> tbe , o iltss pts tua i ii. New Z.-'iaud. Aitliouuh tin* fir-t, iu;\v.spa:n-r press was that on wh ch the ‘< azet'o’ was i-Mi-d, tbo m as.oar., sat Palna had years boh re used a small pus , from widen li e = ned little bo .k* f. rt l * j iust;■ nct■ i> ■o f !h M-ori<’«, and a lictle t y pre-s was tnmr.t out iiy CM nel ■ v akefield turoe mouths beiore the Tory arrived. b n Auckland was made the capital of the Oniony, ill • ‘ Herald ‘ was the name of the fir.-.t newspaper published Ihote There was a second pape', ti.e name of which he had forgotten, about wideh tin re was a little carious hi-tory. Tnc proprietor ha 1 plenty of typo, bub unfortunately no press. He bought a mangle -(laughter) and often the paper used to say, “ w 'e have stopped the m ngle ” to insert some news of intero-t —( augbter.) In Wellington, the ‘ Gazette’coon had rivals. The first wa* esta'd shed by fir Hanson, now the C dif Justice of South Australia, who, at that time, feil out with the Government, an i established au independent pape.-. •he paper was well written, for Mr Jrianson was a man of ability, bit somehow or other, in did not fin I aor with the ’ o.on sts, and died aft r a twelve mouths’ existence. Then the * Spectator’ ran a c uirse of ten or eleven years. He wou d now cast his eyes hack to England, which brought him to hia first peiaonal connection with that part of the Press ivi ting to New Zealand. When the c''onists started for ■ his land in 18 -9 he had. a number of old idea Is amongst th m, Mr Ruvims. Mr Moles w.rth, Mr t'etre. Dr F; zhoHiert. and a grcatpiiany of the earliest colon sts, and he promised them tiiat he won id establish a small newspaper i u London to watch over the i)icrests of the colonists. He smarted a snail paper the ‘New Zealand Journal,’ which was published one-- a fortnight, and was something about the same size as the * Home News ’ After he had kept bis paper going for three 3r.cn-,, he begin to get into practice, and ho sold it, >ome six or eight months after this time he was appointed Judge, and came out to this Colony. Every public document relating to New Zealand which rna-ieits appearance ar. the time, found its way into the ‘ Journal, ’ that itnow c->n-wtitut'd a complete record . f the histore of the cohmisat-on of New Z .■.and tor the first tea years of its existence. Vue ‘Journal’ was afterwards merged moi’ c * ustraliau Gazet e,’ -vhcli heca-ne the * Australian an ■ New Zen am. i>;.zette, aivi wa- edited be au old New Ze 1 ml cikiiiiot, who held the office for many y ars. ,-t be time he w.s spead- g of, the Colonists only numbered about 1, hvO. He came to M- w Zealand ia 1842, three years af er the Polony was estab isl.ed. Tim Europe-as then knew nothing of the M d lie 1 Mind, except the names of a f-w head an.ls. hero aid the e, i hey kite a’ that there w a -mob a place as Port Cooper, now LyttMt. u. and they also knew of Mich a p rum us John Jones, of Waikou -ifi, in Otakou, as the aatives called the place, Took how the Colony had gr >wn sin e then. '1 he only ante eof expo.t at that oinit-j vas wha'e oil, winch was exported to the value of L25.00U a-ye u, which at tlut time was not bad fur a C deny with only 1.100 peopie After alluding to the present prosp rous state ot miw Zca’au-t, his Honor went on to say that the Pre-s bad greatly con* tributed t<> ne general welfare of theC'olony. de was, of course, addie-sing favor.ble ears ; hut if li. were addressing a mcc iurr of sixty r seventy pi-sous, nob one of wh en was 1 ersonal y in crested in the Press, all would

acree tli.-is ihe P.vsa had m u.Ptainsd a very re pecfc.ib.e charact r in tl.** »\ hole of tbis olony. Now and then a .owspaper lost i'jS temper, just as a laivytu did, but gee tatly tbe news ap ts here were alive to the in eresls .of the [Colony. The Pre-s was open to contributors who would take the trouble to investigate any matter of intercut to tbe Colony, aud these matters wire dis cussed in as fair and reasonable a manner as t|iey could be by any Press u.ion the face of toe earth. It was with vorj' great pleasure that he proposed the toast, not of tbe Ptess of New Zealand—hut of tbe Press Club, which institution he had uo doubt would not ou'y produce a great deal of good fellowship, bat W'oald tend indirectly to improve the tone of the Press.—(Loud applause.) dhe Chairman, ia replying ou behalf of die Club, t-aul din.t be Wiis .>u*e they were all interested in the Juo-c’s account of the vow Zealand Press, Wheu he (Judge Chapman) saw the first issues of the Press in the early days he probab:y never thought he would be present at the i.-aunuration of a Press Club in i’unediu, as he had. ii.,(rjnChairman) was glad that the Judge had given them the honor of his presence that evetii .g, bee use he bad given them an idea of what could be successfully accomplished iu New Zealand They knew that clubs had existed m all time, though they might not have been characterised by that name. The derivation of the word “ club” was a secret not known but he believed that it was d.-rived from the Welsh. It w;s some recommendation for tuem to go on in their various abilities, when they read of Shakapeare, Johnson, and" others having been connected with similar clubs. Their clubs would, perhaps, not bear much investigation. There was a great deal of drinking in Johnsons time—much more than he hoped he should see there They had some realisation of those clubs by Goldsmith in that poem of Lis called “ Retaliation.” He (Goldsmith) had given them an insight into their actions, and they, perhaps, never thought that their actions at . s t. •James’s coffee-uouse woutd be .criticised by future generations. About 100 years hence there might be those who would wish to know who were the promotets of the Dun edin Press Club ; thereioro.jit became them to watch their actions, aud endeavor to promote the institution in every possible way. (Tear, hear.) Ihe euo of the Glub was not to supply only amu em- nt, but to pro vide a second home, where they might meet for coMfi-ietice - and frk-noly intercourse. When he looked upon those whom he knew, ue had 110 doubt that they would all experience the greatest pleasure in promoting the interests of the t I no. The were aT obliged to his Houorforh • them an usighc into the early ;. . I 0 the Pres iu New Zealand, and in hv: presence they uad been honmed tha- evening.— (Applause.)

In replying to the toast... The Visitors,” with which hia name ba-.i been couphd, Judge chapman said he .1 1 not been connected with the Press of ‘ w Zcal-nd, but be had written a great de. about New Zealand in other places. De had edited the aew Z.aland Journal,’ a.u'l'.vlii e he was in Australia he had taiten s .dicDut interest to watch the eveuts of tuis oi -ny in order to enable him to contribute an article to one of the English peiiodicals. For above nine years he was correspond, nt to the London ‘limes, but he gave thaa hu when he came to the office of Judge. Ho was requested to continue the correspondence wheu he came here, but he secured aiu ih.r correspondent for the ‘ Tiuua.’ That w a a when he came out to this Colony about thirty’-one years ago. At some future time he might be able to give some curious narratives of the early settlement and the intru aes that led to it, which uo one, ho believed, was able to tell but himself, Mr Edward Gibbon Wake- ‘

fie d. Mr Gibbon (who was on the ‘ Spectat r ). and obrv-rs who were acquainted with t -o-e particulars, were dead. He believed imnself the on ! y depository of cer am secret transactions which tnek place some years ato He inte-.ded to give one or two lectures shortly, iu order to let the pubbo know (Cheers ) He would leave anything persona! out, and offer the historical parts of it. and it might prove interesting.—(Appla.tse ) a \ r The other toast proposed w-.-ra “The Hon. secretary, Mr F. Humphries." “ Ihe Presi". dtnr., Mr G.,0. Bell," “Mr B. L. Farieon " aml “Our Ho.t” ’