ROLLESTON TESTIMONIAL.

Globe, Volume VII, Issue 775, 14 December 1876, Page 2

ROLLESTON TESTIMONIAL.

A meeting of the subscribers to the Holies* ton testimonial was held yesterday afternoon, in Mr Charles Clark’s rooms, for the purpose of appointing a committee to select the plate to be presented. On the motion of Mr Ollivier, the Hon John Hall took the chair. Mr Hall said, on taking the chair, that the meeting had been called by Mr Ollivier, who had been exceeding active in managing this business. He would call upon that gentleman to give a report. Mr Ollivier hoped the report which he had to make would be gratifying to the sub* scribers. Up to the present time the sum of £Bl2 15s had been received, and he would like to inform them from what sources it had been derived, To begin at the bottom of the list, there was an item which deserved special notice, it was the sum collected by the railway employees, amounting to £B4 9s 9d, a large portion of which was made up of small sums. From the south of the Rangitata he had received from various sources, £6B 16s 3d, and it was just possible that some additional sums might yet be received from that district. Besides the sums specially collected by himself, he had received from the Union Bank list, £36 2s 6d ; from the New South Wales Bank list, £ls 6s ; Bank of New Zealand list, £2l 5s : Messrs Miles, Hassal and Co’s list, £B2 4s ; and the balance, amounting to about £520, was collected by himself and his country assistants. The expenses would be very small, amounting to not more than £lO or £ll, so that that there would be £BOO clear of all expenses to present to Mr Rolleston. He begged to move the following resolution —“ That the Hon John Hall be requested to present the testimonial to Mr Rolleston on Latimer square, on Saturday next, at 2 p.m.” All would agree, ha thought, in the opinion that the presentation should be made in a public place, and in as public a manner as possible He could not conceive anything more gratifying to Mr Rolleston than to receive the testimonial in the presence of the large gathering which would assemb’e in the square on the 16th. He would therefore strongly urge the desirableness of having the presentation made in the manner he had proposed. His Worship the Mayor seconded the motion. Mr J. R. Hill was sorry that there were not more present to teat the question as to whether the presentation should be made on the square or not. M-my thought the Pro* vincial Council Chamber the most appropriate place in which to make it. Those who advocated the square appeared to overlook the fact that the people who were most interested in the matter were those who had subscribed. He begged to move as an amendment—“ That the presentation be made in the Council Chamber.” Mr Ford seconded the amendment, which, on being put, was lost, and the original resolution carried by a large majority, only two voting for the amendment. Hon John Hall said he felt flattered that the task had been imposed upon him of making the presentation. He would ask the meeting to decide whether it should be made accompanied with an address, and if so, it was desirable that there should be something of the nature of an address agreed upon beforehand. He had prepared one, which he thought should he submitted to si committee for approval. Mr Ollivier thought that Mr Hall had imposed a severe task upon any such committee, in asking it to criticise what he had written, but if it was necessary the selection committee, which he was about to propose, might do so. He begged to move—“ That Mr Murray-Aynsley, Mr Gould, Hon John Hall, Mr Harman, Mr Hesketh, Captain Milton, Mr Hill, and Mr Ollivier, be appointed a committee to select the articles to be presented, and make arrangements for the presentation.” He would suggest that a sum not exceeding £4OO be expended in the purchase of plale, and that the balance be handed to Mr Rolleston in cash to be expended by him in such a manner as be

thought proper, and he had no doubt it would be bo expended as would permanently mark Mr Eolleston’s appreciation of the subscribers, Mr Cobb seconded the motion, which was carried. The meeting then separated. The selection committee remained behind for the purpose of making a selection from a quantity of plate placed on exhibition in the room.