THE MAYOR BANQUETTED.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 387, 21 May 1908, Page 3

THE MAYOR BANQUETTED.

A complimentary banquet was tendered to Mayor Gower by a ... number, of leading citizens iu Mr ' M, Perreau’s rooms on Tuesday - evening last. The function was organised for the purpose of showing appreciation of Mr Gower’s , : services to the borough. Upwards of thirty assembled to do honour to tte guest. Mr G. W. Morgan occupied the chair, and on his right ' was seated the guest cf the evening, . and on his left Mr John Stevens, M.P. After justice had been done to the good things provided by Host Perreau, the following toasts . were honoured: —“The King,” Chairman ; In proposing the toast, “Our Guest,” the Chairman referred to the estimable qualities of the Mayor both iu his private and official capacity. During the time he had filled the civic chair, many good works of progress had been carried through, and the Chairman hoped that Mr Gower would continue in office until a water supply scheme had been carried out. In replying, Mr Gower said he had served the town for eight years, four of which as Mayor, and during that period he had only missed one meeting, and that was due to the fact that his brother had seen fit to get married. He referred to the progress Foxlon bad made during the past seven or eight years, and the works that had been carried out. A water supply scheme for the borough was a big hurdle to overcome, and the only alternative to the Shannon scheme was a supply obtained from artesian wells. The latter was now under consideration by the Council. He appreciated the kindly feelings towards himself which had prompted the function and sincerely thanked them for the manner in which they had drunk his health. Mr Frauklaud then rose to propose the toast of “ Parliament and Mr John Stevens, M.P.,” Mr Frauklaud said:—■ “It is with feelings of very peculiar pleasure, Mr Chairman and gentlemen, that I rise to propose the toast against which my name stands. It gives me pleasure, in the first place, to know that my name should have been thought of in connection with this toast, because it proves to me that those who arranged the list had some idea of the enthusiasm I have long felt for the Begislature of New Zealand, and also of my deep appreciation for the great ability and worth of my friend, Mr John Stevens, who is our representative in that Begislature. Mr Chairman, and gentlemen, I have the honour and privilege of proposing the toast—of asking you . to drink to the welfare of the Parliament of New Zealand, and of Mr John Stevens, who is the member of Parliament for this electorate. Mr Stevens has given a great 1 ' pleasure to us all, and to none of us'more than to myself, by coming | back to Foxton (after he has just been strenuously working for us at the capital of the Dominion) so : as to be present with us to-night. We all of us feel delighted when, from time to time, he visits us — often at great sacrifice and personal inconvenience to himself— 1 and gives us fresh proof of his un- i failing solicitude for our welfare, ; and of the fact that he never ( scares himself when keen thought or laborious work, or journeying about is required of him in order J to promote our .interests. His presence here this evening is a de- i lightful sign of sympathy with us in our desire to do honour to our Mayor-elect, and it greatly increases the pleasure we feel in being thus able the more pointedly to couple his name with this toast to the Parliament of the nation.

Mr Chairman and gentlemen, in proposing this health, I want to tell you something of the reasons which make me feel that I can ask you to drink it with greater enthusiasm than I could in the case of any other legislature in the world. It is not merely, or even chiefly, because it is our own legislature that I am able to say this ; but it is because, in my fairly extensive travels through other countries, and in my anxious study of the laws under which their people are living, I have come to the deliberate and matured conclusion that no other legislature in the world deserves so well of its constituents. This is a conclusion that is shared by many of the most thoughtful men in some of the greatest nations of the earth (I might perhaps more particularly instance America), and especially among those men (like, for example, Sir John Gorst, or Mr Keir Hardie—to name recent visitors) —who have at one time or another visited our shores, and seen with their own eyes what legislation has done for us.” Mr Frankland then referred to the great inferiority of man-made laws in nearly all other countries as compared with our own. “ The great happiness of our people for so many years has made this land the observed of all observers—-at any rate, in America, where most of my

life had been spent, until I returned home, i I could fill the whole of the brief time at my disposal with anecdotes of the interest evinced by true friends of humanity in America (like Demarest Lloyd or Professor Frank Parsons) at the legislative steps by which we had secured so satisfactory a state of things as we here enjoy. I could harrow your feelings by reciting a poem I read only yesterday about the slow .destruction of one million seven hundred thousand children in the factories and mines

of America, through the absence of the humane industrial legislation which we enjoy, and I could . remind you that this sweating of kittle children is not entirely unknown, even in England itself, in of the ’ boasted Shaftesbury

Acts ot that country. But, ou a festive occasion like this, we do not want to harrow each other’s feelings by talking of anything so pitiful as legislative cruelty—cruelty of the great and powerful —to little children. I should not have referred to it at all, but for the difficulty which I imagine many here labour under in trying to realise the horrors they escape, and but for their proneness to too much take as a matter of course the blessings they enjoy. Bet us talk rather of the lighter aspect in discussing the iniquities of Parliaments or legislatures less pure or humane, less obedient to the will of people, than our own. When you think how unapproachable our Members are to corrupt influences; when you think how even in the less perfect legislature of u neighbouring Australian State there was universal indignation at the hint that a number of members had been approached by the great Standard Oil Trust, then you will

be in a frame of mind to appreciate the contrast between our Parliamentary purity and a condition of things where the rich rule the land by corrupting all the legislatures, and where the members of the Parliaments arc bribed —not individually, but in droves—by the great corporations, the golden shower from their money-bags filtering down to the individual legislator through the funnel of the party ‘boss.’ But, perhaps you may say to me : ‘All, but that is in America! In Kngland, at any rate, where the Mother of Parliaments meets, that Mother of Parliaments is in all respects worthy of our utmost reverence, and of our most careful imitation.’ If you say that, then let me tell you a little story about a conversation I had with the late Mr Seddon iu this town two years ago, shewing how the rich rule in England also—though not to the same extent as in America. All of you will remember that at that time Mr Seddon came here to open the new schoolhouse, and also to take part iu a banquet where Mr John Stevens was our guest of honour. After he had made his opening speech —one of the last he ever made in his life —from the steps of the new school building, he ad jourued to one of the schoolrooms for atternoon tea. It was soon after the Campbell-Bannerman Government had displaced the Balfour Government in the Mother Country, having come iu with.a flourish of trumpets proclaiming what they were going to do for the poor and the down-trodden. Anxious to get the benefit of Mr Seddon’s uurivalled sagacity and good judgment on such matters, I asked him what prospect there was, iu his opinion, of Old Age Pensions being carried in the Mother Country now that a Biberal Government was at the helm. Without directly answering my question, he said : Mr Frankland, I think you will see things moving in England, if one fundamental feform is carried, namely, Payment of Members. Till then, no matter what Administration is in office, the true power rests with money-bags. I remember that conversation as if it were yesterday ; and though, happily, iu regard to Old Age Pensions, the event has iu England proved more favourable than the prognostication, yet nothing can shake the Seddonian dictum that the English Parliament is not a faithful friend and mouthpiece or true representative organ of the people as a whole in the way that our own Begislature has so ably proved itself to be.” Mr Frankland bore testimony to the excellence of the service Mr Stevens had rendered to the district since his election nearly three years ago. There were many others present better qualified to speak of those earlier and assiduous public services of Mr Stevens. Though only a recent permanent resident in this district, Mr Frankland had -during the years of the current Parliament seen enough of Manawatu affairs to speak with enthusiasm of Mr Stevens, and to thank the Destiny that placed him where he is in 1905. The toast was drunk with musical honours.

Mr Stevens, in replying to the toast of Parliament, expressed his pleasure at being present to do honour to a personal friend. He referred to Mr Gower’s untiring, conscientious and unostentatious work for Foxton. On behalf of Parliament and himself, he then returned thanks in one of his usual extremely able speeches. He said that, as Mr Frankland, in proposing the toast, had filled so large a part of his speech in making kind and generous references to himself (Mr Stevens), it would be ungrateful on his part to Mr Frankland if he did not touch on this aspect of the toast, in his response. They must therefore pardon him for briefly referring to his own affairs, and for assuring them how great a satisfaction it had been to him throughout his whole career as their representative, to do his very best for the district on every occasion. Also, even if it were an innovation to say so at a banquet like this, he wanted to tell them that he intended to contest the Manawatu seat again at the next election. (Applause.) Standing there at that moment, he felt as well and as vigourous—mentally—as he had ever done in his life! (Loud applause.) And he asked nothing better than that the settlers of the Manawatu district should again express their desire for his services. However that might be, he was perfectly certain of one thing namely, that no settler in the district, whether he was favourable or' not to his (Mr Stevens) re-election, had any personal grudge against him. Touching the question of Parliament itself, of which Mr Stevens declared himself an unworthy mem-

her. (Cries of “No!”) He said he could not but agree with Mr Frankland’s judgment, that of all the legislatures iu the world no other came up to the level of this Dominion’s Parliament iu point of intention, and in point of wise, humane, and successful legislation for the happiness and welfare of the entire people. And here he wished to pay a . tribute to the Opposition also. There were two parties iu Parliament. A third was trying to struggle into existence, bathe hoped it wouldn’t succeed ! But, as regards tlie two historic parlies, he wanted to say that credit for good intentions must be given, not only to the party he belonged to, which thought the opposite party didn’t want to go fast enough, but also to that opposite Party which thought his Party wanted to go too fast ! On behalf of the entire Parliament, and on his own personal behalf, he wished to thank them lor the very kind way in which they had drunk the toast. (Bond applause).

Mr Alex. Speirs, aii ex-Coun-

cillor. propo-ed the toast of the “ Borough Council,” and gave several reminiscences of past administration. Cr Stiles and the Town Clerk suitably replied. The former paid a tribute to Mr Speirs’ ability while ou the Council, and referred to the various works which had been undertaken, and regretted that Hie gas works were not a municipal undertaking. Mr Fraser made eulogistic refcreii es to the Mayor, and no question was allowed to pass without his close scrutiny and careful consideration. He hoped the borough would acquire the gas works in five years’, hence.

Mr Rae-Howard proposed the toast of the “ ladies,” responded to by Mr Page in a light and breezy speech. “The Press” proposed by Dr. Mane 1 , and responded to by Mr Hornblow, the “ Caterer ” The Chairman and Mr Perreau ; “ The Musician ” proposed in a complimentary speech by Mr, Eraser, and responded to by Mr Berthold. The function dosed with the singing of “ Auld Bang Syne.” During the evening, songs were rendered by Messrs F. Woods, G. Barber, W. Ballard and recitations by Mr Hornblow. Mr Berthold played the accompaniments.