OPENING OF THE TIMARU AND TEMUKA RAILWAY.

Globe, Volume IV, Issue 429, 28 October 1875, Page 3

OPENING OF THE TIMARU AND TEMUKA RAILWAY.

(Timaru Herald, October 27.) The long looked-for opening of the Timaru and Temuka Railway took place yesterday. • The weather was all that could be desired for a public occasion, and other circumstances favored the event. The s.s. Albion, arriving in the early morning, brought as passengers en route for Dunedin, Sir George Grey, Sir John Richardson, Mr Fitzherbert, Mr Rolleston, and several other members of the Assembly ; and the Temuka committee took the earliest opportunity of extending their liberal hospitality to all the distinguished visitors, by inviting them to the luncheon which had been arranged in celebration of the opening of the railway. At twenty minutes past two a train left Timaru conveying all the big-wigs, the minor stars, the Mayor and Borough Council, the engineering staff, and a miscellaneous assortment of the “ dear delightful public,” as Dickens used to say. After an exceedingly pleasant trip of about thirty-five minutes, during which the scenery, the farming, the homesteads, and the general appearance of the country challenged the continuous admiration of the visitors, the train arrived at Temuka, Here an exceedingly pleasant sight awaited the arrivals. The station was most tastefully decorated with evergreens, flowers, and flags, arranged in a manner indicating the hand of a master. We understand that Mr Mainwaring, the assistant engineer, and Mr McFarlane were the artists on the occasion ; and we are bound to say their work did them much credit. The most agreeable spectacle, however, at this point, was the number of school children gathered on the platform, whose bright chubby faces and pretty dresses made a charming display. As the passengers were alighting by the train, a surly-looking young man was heard to remark —“ There’s one queer thing about these New Zealand towns ; there are always six children to every two grown up people.” Sir George Grey turned round and said—“ My dear fellow, the time will come when you will be only too glad to realise that there are ten children for, at all events, one couple of grown-up people. Why, then, should you complain of six ?” Sir George’s remark, which was uttered by no means sotto voee, caused much laughter. After the children had sung the National Anthem, the guests walked about the town for a while, and at about two o’clock assembled in the Drill Shed, which had been very courteously placed at the disposal of the committee by Captain Young and the local regiment of Volunteers. The arrangements here appeared to be perfect. A high table, raised on a dais, and gracefully decked with flowers and glass, accommodated the chairman and the prominent guests, while two long tables, placed lengthwise in the building, gave ample space for all the hosts and their friends. The luncheon, which we understand was arranged by Mr and Mrs Arenas, was excellent. Unlike most public “ feeds” of the kind, it consisted of plain, well- cooked and well-served dishes, such as hungry men on a hot day do most delight in, The lamb

called for the highest encomiums; the ham was praised on all sides ; the salads met with general approval ; and he must have been hard to please who could not find something to suit him. A word here to the wise. Beer is good ; sherry is good ; port is good ; champagne is remarkably good. But keep order. Don’t drink beer, then sherry, then port, then champagne. If yon do you will have a head, as sure as fate. However, the hospitality displayed at the table was worthy of all praise, and we should not say a word too much were we to say that the banquet —for it was a banquet—was as good as anything we have seen in the district. Mr Rolleston occupied the chair, and Messrs Hayhurst and Rayner the vice-chairs. His Honor the Superintendent was supported on his right by Sir George Grey, the Hon W. Fitzherbert, Mr Cliff, Mayor of Timaru, and Captain Cain. On his left by Sir J. L. Richardson, Messrs Macandrew, Bunny, and Sheehan. After luncheon Mr Rolleston, who remarked that he had unexpectedly found himself in the position of chairman, proposed the health of her Majesty the Queen and that of his Excellency the Governor. In proposing the latter, his Honor said there were many Governors of Hew Zealand whom its people looked upon as friends. They had one such with them to-day. He alluded to Sir George Grey. The toast was drunk with enthusiasm, The toast of “ The Army and Navy ” was responded to by Sir J. Richardson, who, in an amusing speech, said he should possibly have to attend the funeral of Mr Rolleston, as Superintendent of Canterbury. His Worship the Mayor of Timaru proposed “ The health of the Members of the General Assembly,” coupled with the name of Sir George Grey. [Hearty applause. \ Sir George Grey, who was received with cheers, said he had to return thanks for the first time as a member for the General Assembly, of which he was but a young member. He was greatly indebted to them for coupling his name with the toast of the General Assembly, for in that Assembly had sat some men as great as any who had sat in any Assembly in the world ; men who added to their bright natural qualities that bright one—love for the people of New Zealand. He would go further on their behalf, and say that there was not one member of the Assembly who would have witnessed what he had seen that day—the opening of a railway through their district —with feelings other than those of most lively satisfaction. And what would they think if like himself they remembered the time when in the country there was nothing but a few whaling stations, and they now saw what he saw through the window that day ? As he looked at the country he felt that Providence had never bestowed greater benefits on any people —even on the Jews. Palestine could not have been a fairer country, And all the colonists of New Zealand had to do, was not to conquer an enemy, for there were none to conquer; but to produce. They had fulfilled that duty well. That day they had witnessed as a result of the enterprise of the colonists, the completion of a railway, which would ultimately connect them with Christchurch on one side and with Otago on the other. He trusted that the future of the district would be equal to the progress it had already made. And he felt that he could safely say that whoever was in the General Assembly, in behalf of which he was responding, that body would do all in its power to help the district in a progress corresponding to the great progress it had already made, j Loud applause.] Mr John Hayhurst proposed, “His Honor the Superintendent and the Provincial Council of Canterbury,” and, in doing so, said that whatever the result of the abolition of the provinces movement now agitating the General Assembly, none could say but that the province of Canterbury had done its work as well as any. [Hear, hear.] He .held that the Assembly should not sweep the provinces away, unless they were prepared to give the people something better. [Hear, hear.] He considered it a great advantage to be able to go to Timaru in forty minutes, and should be still more pleased when he was able to travel through by rail to Christchurch. Although he should have preferred to have been present at the opening of the railway three years ago, he thought they should be satisfied with what they had now got. [Applause.] Mr Rolleston rose and said it had been a great pleasure to him to be present to mark another step in the progress of this great district of the province of Canterbury, and particularly so as it was known to many of them he had a direct interest in this part of the province, it was indeed the part of the province in which he meant to make his home. [Applause. A vo'ce —“ Bunkum.”] That circumstance, he believed, accounted for the desire to put him, although he came only as a visitor, into the chair. Although he could only look upon this as an instalment of the trunk line, its opening was a great event in the history of the district. In but a few months the railway would be opened right through to Christchurch. He was happy to be able to say that, during his term of office, great advances had been made by the country. These trunk lines did great things. Independently of Provincialism or Centralism, they tended to make the colonists of New Zealand a great nation of Englishmen. [“ Hear, hear,” and applause.] He was not going into the present all-absorbing political question. In regard to that, all he would say was that he stood to his colors, [Applause.] He believed the provincial form of Government to be the best. [ Hear, hear.] It had its failings and it had its mistakes. He believed that some changes were necessary, but the people would, sooner or later, find they had made a mistake if they believed that this great country was to be governed by telegraph and Under Secretaries. He was satisfied that the thinking men of the Province of Canterbury were not imbued with this idea. No, they would insist upon being governed by men whom they could meet day by day, and by men whom they could respect. As he had already said, he was not going to detain them by a long speech. He would, however, say, that whatever change came, they must hold on to real local Government in some form or other—[hear, hear] — and insist that the people and their rulers shall continue to come into contact in some form or other. His friend on his left had hinted at the possibility of his having to attend his (Mr Rolleston’s) funeral as Superintendent. He (Mr Rolleston) did not anticipate that the decision qf the Assembly would lead to his funeral. Be that as it might, the people of the province who bad dealt so kindly with him for years, might rely that his time would be always at their disposal. And here he would remark that the time was coming when men would have

to give more time to politics than they hitherto had. He was not going to say that they had been too busy, or too prosperous, or that their industry and their prosperity had prevented their taking interest in politics. He did not fear the result of the coming struggle, for he felt that the people of the colony would be true to their best interests. But he felt sure that they would awake to the necessity of, and would take more interest in politics than they had in time past. [Hear, hear.] Sir J. Richardson rose and said he wished it to be distinctly understood that if he did have to attend the funeral of his friend the Superintendent of Canterbury, it would be in the capacity of chief mourner. The chairman called on Dr Rayner to respond on behalf of the Provincial Council. Dr Rayner did so in a few words, remarking that he and his colleague, Mr Hay, had always done their best in the interests of their district and the province at large. He referred to the pleasure felt by the inhabitants of their “ little village” by having so many distinguished visitors among them that day, and thanked Sir George Grey and his friends for their attendance. [Applause.] Although he had spoken of Temuka as their little village, he might state that its surrounding district was very extensive, as evidenced by the fact that last year it produced 350,000 bushels of grain, and this year would probably produce not less than 500 000. [Hear, hear, from Mr Macandrew. J Therefore Temuka was not the insignificant village some might imagine it to be. Dr Rayner concluded his remarks by a defence of his Honor the Superintendent and the hon the Minister for Public Works—(Mr Peacock—- “ You mistake me for my big brother] from an attack made, as he alleged, on those gentlemen by the Timaru Herald in reference to length of time during which the opening of the railway had been delayed. Mr Mendelson rose with some feelings of pride to propose what he felt to be the toast of the day—“ Prosperity to the Timaru and Temuka Railway.” In the course of his remarks Mr Mendelson took occasion to complain of the present tariff of charges, which he regarded as almost prohibitive. He regarded Lyttelton as the only port in the province, and considered it not only the duty of those in power to open the roads to it without delay, but also to see their way to make the charges such that merchants, farmers, and others could afford to make use of the line when it was open. He begged to couple with the toast the names of Messrs Lawson and Warner, Mr Lawson briefly replied, Mr Williams, on behalf of the Public Works Department, thanked the meeting for the toast, and said that his duties in connection with the construction of the line had been light in consequence of the assistance he had received from Mr Mainwaring. He had heard many people complain of the opening of the line being delayed, but he must remind them that there bad been great difficulty in procuring timber, which had to be obtained from New South Wales. Mr Warner, Provincial Railway Engineer, briefly replied. Dr Rayner proposed “ Our Guests,” coupled with the names of the Hon W. Fitzherbert and his Honor Mr Macandrew. The toast was enthusiastically drunk. Mr Fitzherbert said he was deeply sensible of the compliment that had been paid him by inviting him as aguest to witness the opening of the Timaru-Temuka Railway. However undeserved the compliment might be, he felt it to be kindly meant. He did not know what he had done that he should be called upon to make a speech. Why he should be “spotted” he did not know. Still the occasion was one that would make a dumb man speak, and he would therefore try to express his thoughts. He, with others who had already made some remarks, remembered the district when it only bore fern and a few sheep, and those not looking over well. To-day it contained a thriving and, he was happy to say, partially discontented people [hear,hear,and laughter], and if he might trespass upon their indulgence, he would say a people very unenlightened on some questions. [Laughter and applause]. He wished it could be his privilege to reside a month among them. He thought if he did so he might induce some among them to reconsider opinions which in his opinion had been too hastily formed. A gentleman opposite to him had that day uttered sentiments in which he (Mr Fitzherbert) coincided. He said he did not admire any man who had not the courage of his own opinions. He was proud to say he believed he was such an one. (Hear, hear ) In conclusion he would remark that he knew of no greater honor than for any man, after he had labored for wife and children, to bestow labor, body, and money for his country. They would be much mistaken if among the blessings of wife, children, and wealth, they thought these blessings could be perpetual unless they were ready and willing, when occasion arose, to withdraw from them and bestow a portion of their energies for the public weal. Before parting with them he would enjoin them in the name of their love for their adopted country, to judge for themselves, and to judge impartially, in that contest which was before them, and the result of which depended upon their conduct in the discharge of the duties which every elector owed to the colony. Mr Fitzherbert, whose speech was listened to with marked attention, resumed his seat amid great applause. Mr Macandrew thanked the meeting for the kind way in which the toast of his health had been drunk. He had had no idea on leaving Wellington that should have had an opportunity of complimenting their district on the prospect of its connection with— Christchurch or Otago ? [Cries of “ Otago.”] He would compliment them on being connected with both. Whichever they might prefer he felt bound to say that he should not be surprised if, judging by the institutions of Canterbury, Otago should wish to be joined on to Canterbury. [Loud applause.] Although he was Superintendent of Otago, he must confess that the institutions of Canterbury “ take the shine out of us.” He could only account for this by thinking it to be due to the wisdom of the rulers of this province. Be that as it might, the schools, hospitals, public gardens, and other institutions of Canterbury shamed those of Otago, and he should do his best to get the people of Otago to take a leaf out of Canterbury’s book. Dr Rayner proposed “ The health of the contractors, coupled with the name of Mr Stumbles and Mr E. G. Wright.” [Applause]. Mr Stumbles replied, stating that he believed the work had been carried out in a workmanlike manner. At this stage of the proceedings his Honor the Superintendent begged leave to vacate the chair, in order to show Sir George Grey over some of the public institutions of the

township. Leave was granted by acclamation, and as the afternoon was far advanced the meeting did not appoint another chair man, but broke up, leaving the toast list un concluded. The party returned to town at five o’clock, and Sir George Grey and the other visitors from abroad left in the Albiou in the evening.