HON. W. H. HERBIES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 1061, 8 February 1913, Page 3

HON. W. H. HERBIES.

ENTERTAINED BY BOROUGH t'OUNCir.

Tlu; Ho- V/. H. Harries was enteilaim-d at u Dmquet by the Borough Council iu Whyte’s Hotel on Thursday night. The Mayor presided. Among those present were Messrs Rouayne. general manager of railways, and Buxton, chief traffic engineer and representatives of governing bodies. Alter the loyal toast had been honoured, the Mayor proposed the toast of the guest of the evening. The Minister’s visit was a momentous one to the town and district. The visit would be the means of impressing upon him the disabilities under which the district suffered in connection with the harbour and He believed the Minister was going to do all in bis power to put matters on a more satisfactory basis. He congratu lated the Minister and his colleagues upon the manner in vyhich they had conducted the affairs of the country since assuming office, They had risen up at a critical period and had convinced the country of their fitness to govern. He believed it was a Government which would deal out justice impartially. He jocularly remarked that an ex-M.P. liad said that the Government which failed to give Foxton its due in regard to the wharf must fall, Well, one Government bad gone and he was sure the present Government were not goiug to allow the wharf to be the cause of its downfall.

Mr Herries, as reported elsewhere, replied. Mr Franklaud proposed the toast of Parliament. He stated that the legislation passed by the New Zealand Parliament was the admiration of other nations and many of their Acts had been copied by other legislative bodies. He paid a tribute to the Government’s declared policy of improving the character of the Upper House by making it elective on the proportional system. Mr D. Buick, M.P. for Palmerston, in reply, said that Parliament was a reflex of the people, and it should be the endeavour of electors to send intelligent men to represent them. It was not the legislation of the past Government that he so much objected to as its administration. The present Government had tried to attempt too much. The land laws required perfecting and the industrial problem would have to be grasped with a strong hand. What was wanted was small farmers, closer settlement and intense cultivation. Industrial peace was essential and an effort must be made to put an end to the present unrest. The Labour movement was in a transition stage. He condemned the agitators who were continually iomentiug strife and they would have to be stopped. Labour and capital must live in harmony. Referring to the wharf he said Mr Herries had “picked up the wrong end of the stick.” The Railway Department bad no right to the wharf or to ask for its capitalised value. If the Board purchased the wharf its revenue would be required to meet interest instead of being spent on harbour improvements. It was not fair to ask the people of Foxton and district to pay for the wharf. He believed a settlement was within measureable distance. The speaker reviewed what the Government had done and concluded by stating that he would be only too pleased to render the Board any assistance in his power. Mr R. B. McKenzie proposed the toast of the Harbour Board. He endorsed the Minister’s statement in reference to making the port accessible by the shortest route. The Foxton wharf was a valuable asset to the district. He did not think the Government should ask more than the present value for the wharf. The improvements or goodwill had been created by the settlers and not the department, Mr Henuessy, in replying, complimented Mr Buick on the .speech he had made in reference to the Government’s attitude with respect to the wharf. He would willingly give place to Mr Buick as Chairman of the Board. He felt sure the Board could not get a more worthy Chairman. He believed Mr Herries was quite sincere when he promised the Board a fair deal, but be contended that no Government in the world has a right to mortgage the property of future generations. The Board had eight miles of foreshore, and it they could not come to terras they would erect a wharf —and there were a number of private people who would find the capital to erect it. And where would the good will of the present wharf come in then ? The Board were only asking to be put on the same footing as Waitara, Patea and Wanganui. He asked what right, as ' residents, had we to pay more than our just proportion to the consolidated revenue ? The wharf had been built out of loan moneys, and we bad a right to be. treated in the same way as other Boards on this coast had been treated. The Board wanted a fair deal, and the Minister should put the question of good will for ever from his mind. If the Government did not meet the Board fairly in this matter, the female portion of the district would subject them to the same trgatmgnt as wag meted out to the Statesmen at Home. The Government would require extra strong plate glass in the new Parliamentary buildings to stop their protests. He thanked Mr Herrfes fpr h|s visit of '■inspection, and was satisfied the Board would get a iair deal. In any case he was not going to be knocked out. He said he intended to give the Government his support, and

added that it was the strongest and most intelligent Government that he remembered.

The toast ol the Foxton Borough Council Whs placed in the hands O! Mr Henuessy, who said that the present compand favour.ibi\ with any similar bo ;y 00 the Their only trouble

was ii iiii. ~ia*:L fuuds to carry out all lb: /.is ‘hey desired. ■Cr Speirs, in a very interesting speech, responded. He referred to the variaus local municipal undertakings, which had more than justified their existence. The Council was anxious that the borough should have a water and drainage scheme, and for this a loan oi 25,000 would be required, but at present, owing to the stringency of the money market, there was little chance of obtaining the money from the Government. He thought the loan would he sanctioned by the ratepayers, and the scheme was ready to submit to them. He referred to the good feeling existing between local governing bodies when united action was necessary lor the public good. He could not understand why the Railway Department and the Harbour Board could not come to terms iu an amicable spirit. Both parties were acting on behalf of the public, and there should not be any bargaining. The wharf had cost the Government, say, ,£7,000 to construct in the first instance, and since then they have derived considerable revenue from It, and now they ask the Harbour Board, which is the rightful controlling body, to pay a considerable sum to control its own affairs. It was the duty of the Railway Department to band over the wharf to the Board. The Foxtou section of the railways was one of the best revenue producing lines iu the Dominion, and the wharf should be handed over to the Board by way of endowment. Mr Kellow proposed the toa>t of the Hemp Industry, and iu doing so said the Railway Department received Hundreds of pounds annually for wharfage on hemp that it never handled in any way. The money so received should be expended iu improving the port. He said it did not pay the Railway Department to truck hemp to Wellington, and yet they hampered shipping by taking the revenues which should be expended iu keeping the port open. He quoted some interesting figures iu respect to the tonnage of general cargo which went over the wharf here, and stated that the goods shed accommodation was totally inadequate for storage purposes. The Department would earn 25 per cent, on capital spent on extra goods shed accommodation. Owing to cramped accommodation the Department had to pay for double handling of general merchandise. The toast of the Press was proposed by Mr A. D. Clemett, and responded to by Mr Hornblovv. In proposing the toast of the Chairman, the Hon. Mr Herries paid a fine tribute to Mayor Gibbs, and the latter suitably responded, thus bringing the proceedings to a close.