PRESENTATION TO SIR J. VOGEL.

Evening Star, Issue 4258, 19 October 1876, Page 2

PRESENTATION TO SIR J. VOGEL.

mv Th ® re a lar B e . iattendahob f at,:the theatre Royal, Wellington,,yesterday afternoon, especially of ladies,* t6 witness the presentation by the Mayor to Sir J. Vogel, on behalf of. the citizens .of Wellington.,,,, The Mayor, after making an appropriate speech, read the address, which, expressed regret at losing one who so largely and beneficially influenced the condition of*: ihd Colony, and asked his, acceptance of the ac-i complying token ottheirregard, and which probably would have been.-in? different form and greater r yalue had time allowed. He then handed Sir J. Vogel a draft stating that as the subscription list'had not yet closed a handsome addition Wodld be made to that sum before Sir JV Vogel left the Colony. >‘l ° j L Vogel read a written reply; to thb address, expressing his warmest thanks for the flattering address, and the kind wishes for himself. Lady. Vogel, Jand family.; and; wnue expressing,regret at, leaving Npw Zealand, he was not without hope he might be able to return to it. Sir J;;Vogel thon ddlivered a parting address, speaking abohfah hour. It* chiefly referred to hia past- career, from the time when at twenty-six years df age he landed in Otago! Coming to his .political career, he said all he owed as a public oian was due to Mr Fox. He said the origin °f the Public Works -schemewas that It came upon the Fox Ministry as a conviction Hiat it was an _ absolute necessity, for.,the Colony to place itself in the . position of bearing burthens which it had to Bear by encouraging * tKo I growth- of. population, and endeavoring to make the more useful for 'the people' within it.-Hetpas by Hie! head or the Victorian Govern--inent,. “ New . iS doing the Very , best thing fqr us it can do. They are bringing out immigrants, and aftertheir arrivalthey are sure tp leave and cometo VictoriaL” What had been the result ? .During the time that we added so ■ largely to the population by the introduction or immigrants frOm Home, a much larger:number of persons; have arrived from the other Colonies- than left New Zealand for other Colonies. The balancehadbeen in onr favor. He paid £ high tribute to the great results brought about by Sir D. M'Lean and Mr Richardson,' and generally gave considerable credit to his ether colleagues. The Abolition,- question was engaging a verygreaf deal of public attention just now, but he wbuld not refer te it. He was now. holding the position of Agent-General, and they would agree , with him he was only consulting the dimity of his position by abstauzmig from AU reference to . that question. ' He 1 bad taken tha. position of Agent : General because the would, not be of so never!? ending a character as those of a Mihister of the Crown, in fact he had .abundance of medical advice to show* that the state 1 of his ’ health was such; that he could not. have continued as Minister to the end of the session. He had been often urged to take things more easily and not to work so hard, ft was with; him doing a thing entirely as it ought to be donej or. nbt.,dbing it all. i Tt had been said that he left the Government at a most inconvenient He was Unable to see that, because it appeared to him he resigned when the 'Government was certainly'most' powerful, and when its policy was fully recognised. They, would, he hoped, him for saying that he had not beeU'a'sHand abundant opportunities which he cphll quite creditably, have taken advantage of, but he declined to r do so because he considered that at some future period it might lead to conflictwith his position in theGpvem-' ment. He expressed , rthe hope that the Colony would adhere to Hie policy of immigration and public works until Hie whole islands Were peopled. - With regard to the Natives, he believed that in the very face of their adaptation’to warm climates itWould be found in course of time that by a commingling of the faces people of; New Zealand Would carry dpminioh to the whole extent of Polynesia. Too much Attention, he begged to remind them, could not be given to the f making of: {the;- rising population of ' the ' Colony ran educated one. ‘ Another question he believed be-i - fore many perhaps months,’ had .- elapsed .would, be .brought . before colonists for consideration- he meant federation of the Australian Colo? nies, and then would, come the. question whether it vtas expedient that New Zealand should join in such federation. -That a federation was urgently demanded by I many local and national considerations no one - could doubt whoV had thought over the subject. As far as New Zealand was concerned, his own opinion was it would not be for the interests of Nqw Zealand to join in snclx federation,;. ,r ;

Three cheers were given at the dose for Sir J. Vogel, also for £ady VogeL '