Wellington-Manawatu Railway

Feilding Star, Volume VIII, Issue 61, 4 November 1886, Page 2

Wellington-Manawatu Railway

DRIVING THE LAST SPIKE.

I The Feilding contingent for the scene of the. formal completion of the Wellington-Manawatu Railway, left by Mr Daw's brakes yesterday morniu S at about seven o'clock. It bu* se ™ral ooth ers had g»ne down hy tram the previous evening. Alter a pleasant drive of an hour and a quarter they were landed at Host dWalk-d ley's in time for breakfast. .At o'clock punctually the whole of the-, excursionists numbering about 300--were comfortably seated in tbe train starfced. Asthe country through „ , „ „ ■ «/ , % J hl<s th? new } m» rans /^eady familiar _to most of our readers, we will not further describe it. Onairivinjj at Waikanae the train from Welling- -i ton, drawn by three engines, was met, and when the whole of the passengers were extrained upwards of 1,500 perSOM wnQ Qn the gro^a. i t waß a noticeable fact the number of old "y v"-oa,Vi" ,", •7r."" . * " , poneer settlers, with their sons and grandsons who wore present, andi many of the hardy old men evinced! pardonable pride in the brave work of colonization and civilization which had been accomplished in their dayand generation. Without any delay Hig oove gj r . -urir _t „ • ±■ v ■ i. •*• , Wilham Jervois tookjip his position between the metals where he was to perform his part of the work by put- .

ting in the last spike. The sides of the embankment which were covered A. with firm grassy turf, were lined with . the spectators who looked like clusters of bees clinging to them. Mr Nathan read an Address giving a histny of the line from its conception to the-" completion. Mr Higginson, the Engineer of the* Company, then placed the last spike in position for Hia

Excellency, who managed to drive it ; after a few unsuccessful attemptsL which caused considerable amusement as much to the striker as to the people. He then made an appropriate speech.at the conclusion of which Mr Nathan. > handed him a beautifully chased gold spike in a suitable casket, which hebegged his Excellency to accept as a memento of the occasion. '■'.-.Three-; I hearty cheers were given for the-? ' Queen, for the Governor, for - the*Chairman of Directors, the Manager, and Engineer. The assemblage then t adjourned to the spacious marquee' } which was seated for 800 people. A» -, there about double that <-. numberpresent there was somewhat of a crush ; but there was abundance for » all, and after some of the first in the ' > attack on the provisions had retired, ? their places were taken Tiy tbe others. ' The lunch was complete in nearly L every respect. , THE BANQUET. Mr J. E. Nathan was chairman ». * supported oh Ms right by the Go ver--1 nor and the Premier. After the ikmal loyal toasts, The Governor replying tp the toast ( of his health, said he must thank them most heartily. He had heard it "saut" | that the days of New Zealand were numbered, that her prosperity was going down, aod ho f**rth. He said ( that with absolute cc* tainty that thece. ideas were simply humbug. The idea; that a country now ou;y holding abont ha fa millions of peonle, wiiich was ' capable of holding at least twenty ' times that population ; tbe idea, he ' said of its beJßg in ji ottite of depression was perfett nonsense. The people had only to go on in the career they started to* go. steadily, , but. . not too fast* to progress in the manner in whioh the promoters of this Railway.Company had done. Replying to* "The Ministry," Sirß. Stout said he ha-d to thank them- on behalf of the Ministry for the toast which, had just been propised. As to this railway he recognised long ago that it was a . railway that should be made. There- ' were two of them there to-day who were ' in the Ministry of 1879, but if they were to look on thi* railway simply as a mode of getting their produce shipped cheaply ' to Wellington^ the line would have failed in its object. ) It should be to encourtige tiie country districts, and to encouragepeople not to entirely bye in towns. Thai country would tide itself best over depression which had varied industries by wbich to keep* people employed. He did not think the Government could do much in this way; The people ought to do * much for themselves. That was the only way to promote prosperity, economy, andi self-reliance. "M Mr H. D. Bell proposed " The WeU lington nnd Manawatu Railway Corapnny," paid a high compliment to theA chairman. Mr W. T. L. Travers, in » humorous speech, proposed the* toest ef " Parliament,"" which wns responded to* by Sir W. Fitaherbert Ihe «th«T toast* were "The Engineer and staff," and "The Ladies. At intervals during the day Grey's* private band from Wellington played a number of musical selections in splendid style, which added greatly to the day's enjoyment. There were very few Maoris present, in faot, they were conspicuous by their absence, no doubt from the, fact that no special supply of food was provided for them. Several of the native and half-caste girls gave the jjoM dance, but they were not very great adepts at it. One wily native, respectably dressed ia European garments, started round with the hat before tbe performance *->. was well started. He dropped a haH? a-crown into his wideawake aa a sortr. of nest egg, but the pakehas were not to be had so easily, and the baffled savage beat a smiliag ietreat. Therewere no signs of drunkenness after the lunch, except on the part of a. couple of scullions who had a rough and tumble on the lovely green, without mutual inquiry. Everything went smoothly, and there was- not the* slightest accident to mar the proceedings. At four o'clock the trains were again boarcted, and then separated, for Wellington; and Manawatu 'respectively. The Manawatu tram ai rived at Palmerstem in two hours and threequarters, where the Feilding people after some refreshment mounted their several conveyances, and departed for* their homes much pleased with thfc experienced of the day-d