MAYORAL DINNER.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2196, 21 May 1908, Page 2

MAYORAL DINNER.

A BRILLIANT FUNCTION

llis Worship the Mayor (Air. AV. D. Lysnar). entertained u large number of representative gentlemen at dinner at bis residence last evening. Among those present were Mr. Justice Sim, Air. \V. A. Barton, S.M., Messrs .John Townley (ex-Alayor), Sheridan, Whinray, Sawyer, Somervell, I’cttie (Gisborne Borough Council), Alutthews, F. Lysnar, H. White (Cook County Council), It. D. R. Robinson (Town Clerk). T. Alston Coleman (Borough Solicitor), C. A. DeLautour, and Captain Gumming. Al ter the toast of “The King” had been honored, Mr. G. A. DeLautour proposed “The Judicial Bench,” coupled with the name of His Honor Air. .Justice Sim. In doing so Mr. DeLautour said lie felt tho toast deserved' far abler treatment than he was able to give. New Zealand was fortunate in having a judicial bench in the front rank of tho Judicatures of any of the Australian States, Canada,, or America, and it had recently been proposed that one of the Dominion Judges should be selected for a seat upon the Privy Council. The Bench of New Zealand was so strong, so important, and so able that there had been suggestions that it might stand alone or be only subject to an Australasian Court of Appeal. Personally lie favored the right of appeal to the Privy Council, both for the purpose of justice, and because it kept alive the feeling that New Zealand was a constituent part Of the British Empire, for everything that kept alivo the spirit of patriotism should be kept in the forefront as an incentive to perpetuate the tie to the Motherland. There had perhaps been cases in which, the Privy Council had been wrongly instructed or advised, yet it was of. immense value to New Zealand to; have such a high Court of Appeal. Dealing with the toast in a .lighter. 1 vein, Air. DeLautour recounted some interesting reminiscences, of his first encounter with the Judicial Bench of the Provincial District of Otago in 1874, and continuing said that lie ivas pleased to couple tho name of Air. Justice Sim to the toast, for lie was sure tho work of the , Arbitration Court was such that the position of president was not at present to be coveted, though Air. Justice Sim’s good work was known to all. The Arbitration Court annihilated all the old ideas and doctrines such as the laws of the survival of the fittest and supply and demand, and in destroying old laws and instituting new the Court had no easy task.

In reply, Mr. justice Sim congratulated Air! Lysnar on his succession to the Alayoral chair, and expressed tho hope that he would fellow in the footsteps of his worthy predecessor (Air. jolm Townley), and remain in office as long. He thanked Air. DeLautour for bis complimentary references to the Arbitration Court. Ho agreed that the wori" of the Court was not particularly easy, but while (it was impossible to give satisfaction to all parties lie felt it a duty to go on and do his best. Mr. DeLautour did not refer to the work of the resident magistrates, but he thought that New Zealand was fortunate in having magistrates of great integrity of character and a high sense of honor and duty upon the Bench. The Mayor then proposed “Local Bodies.”, and said the toast was of great importance, for upon the work of the local bodies the progress ol tlie borough and district would depend. The local bodies could not be too careful, or proceed too carefully in tlie various questions to be considered. The district was a wealthy one, and the value of tlie property could well be estimated at £7.000,000.. That value would show those ratepayers that had a prejudice against borrowing that there was sufficient at the back of the local bodies to; warrant a progressive policy, depar-, tore from the old conservatism, and going in for loans for large works. In the past, revenue bad been used for maintenance purposes, and nothing left for posterity to pay, but lie did not think that a right principle. There was yet a great deal to be done to push the district ahead. Ho had been told'that people in the outlying districts had recently paid as much as £l2 per ton for the cartage of goods to their homes, and tho cost was so high because the roads were not able to bear the traffic. Their future prosperity also depended greatly upon the outer harbor scheme, and when they remembered that in 1888 the Harbor Board with a revenue of only £1049 raised .a loan of £200,000, lie was sure a revenue of £26,000 would justify a loan of £350,000 for a- deep-jvater harbor that would be second to none in the Dominion, and the money could be obtained without any increase in rates. The Borough Council and the County Council should work together to put tlie roads in good order, and any scheme for a supply of clioap metal would have to be carefully considered. On Tuesday lie saw good shingle at Kaitaratalii, and was _ of opinion that if a proper screening, plant was put there it could be delivered iu the Borough at a cost of about 3s a- yard against los a yard for the Batutahi stone. The County Council was now considering a proposal to lay a train line to Pa total) i, and he hoped the scheme would be acceptable, for it meant that metal would be obtainable at half the present cost. AVbatever the local bodies did, they should do well, and see that all their works wore for the advancement of the district.

Replying on behalf of the Cook County Council, Mr. A. F. Matthews said tiie Council was in a very peculiar position, as at luul to ask the ratepayers to do all things, for they had very small grants from the Government/ they were worse .than useless. He thought it would ho better if some modified form of the old provincial system of grants could be adopted, so that a fairly large sum could bo expended upon one portion of the road at a given time, and good roads obtained by proper work extended over a period. The only solution to the trouble was a system of tramways, ivnd he hoped the laying of the Patutahi tram would but initiate a good tram system for the whole district. Mr. W. P'e.ttie briefly replied on behalf of the Borough Council, and said that the new Mayor was full of liope, ambition, and plans for the advancement of the district, and he hoped every, proposal lie brought forward would he carefully considered. The local bodies should aim at getting the best and the best only for their money, and even if it cost a little more should go in lor works of a permanent nature.

Mr. J. Whinray (Borough Council) and Mr. W. Sicvwright (Harbor Board) also briefly responded. Mr, John Tuwnley proposed “The Commercial Interests of Poverty Bay,” and in doing so said ten years ago there were not one million sheep in the Waiapu and Cook Counties, while at the present there were over two million, and the export had been exceptionally heavy He agreed that railways should be pushed on in the •district, and said the East Coast Railway League had decided to ask the Government to construct another 17 miles during the next twelve months. It was not a big request, and depended only upon tho question of ways and means. They had heard a lot about a cloud upon the financial horizon, but he hoped the cloud had a silver lining, and that the low price of wool, their staple article, was but temporary, and next season would he one of prosperity. In responding to the toast Mr. A. F. Kennedy said that Poverty Bay had advanced with rapid strides. When he canto to the district he was told Gisborne was 20 years behind the times,. but- those days were davs of great- disabilities, and they had to keep within the limits of their civilization. The district was a wealthy one, and the want of communication by hind and sea- lmd retarded progress, hut those disadvantages were now being overcome. The shipping lacilities were hotter, they had big cargo steamers calling about once a month, whereas in the old days a wiling vessel would lmvo to Jav in port* lor three or four months waiting for loading. Personally there was, this year at any rate, something to ho said in favor of the old system, for the sailing vessel distributed the wool upon the Home market throughout Die year, whereas the steamers dump, ed the produce down all in a short spact! of time, In such tt year ns tho

present one, when the financial conditions bad already depressed tho market, tins sudden arrival of such heavy stocks was the worst possible thing from the settlers’ point of view. As a result of the financial depression die foreign markets had been affected, and there being practically no demand from America, Germany, and Japan, Bradford had to absorb’ the whole of tlie supply, and naturally values slumped. As far as tlie future there was no need to be unduly pessimistic. The market still existed, and. once the financial conditions permitted the normal demand from foreign countries to again set it, prices would recover, though it was not to bo expected that the high values obtaining a year ago would be reached. When in Bradford a year ago he had been warned by manufacturers that wool was at a- higher price than the trade could stand, and values would certainly come down from ljd to 2d. No one bad, ho wove, r dreamt that prices would so quickly drop to as low a level—in some instances—as 5d per lb, but then who could have predicted the financial depression. , Tho fall in wool meant a loss to Poverty Bay of fully £220,000, hut lie thought that with the exercise of care and’ caution farmers would not be seriously injured by this heavy blow. One lesson that should bo learned from the facts was that land values should never again be based upon the maximum value obtainable for products, but upon the average taken from a number of years.

Air. DeLautour also briefly.responded to the toast, and ■ said that lie would like to see the leading commercial men of the town brought together to form a lire Chamber of Commerce, for the trade of the district needed the ripe ideas of gentlemen with commercial interests. Some time ago an attempt had been made to revive the old Chamber, but it fell through, but he hoped that the Mayor would, during his term of office, take some steps to form a Chamber of Commerce for Gisborne. Other toasts honored were:—“The Press,” proposed by Air. AY. F. Crawford; “Tlie Host and Hostess,” b.v Air. C. A. DeLauptour; “Tlie ExAlayor, Air John Townley,” by Air AY. F. Crawford.

During the evening songs were given by Alessrs .Trent and Barlow, and recitations by Alessrs Sheridan and Kennedy, and musical selections by the Vita String Band. The singing of “Auld Lang Syne” and the National Anthem brought the function to a close.