BANQUET AT HALCOMBE.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 68, 5 June 1878, Page 2

BANQUET AT HALCOMBE.

A banquet, to commemorate the connecting of the link of the Foxton and Wanganui Sections of the West Coast line, was given at Hastie's Hotel, Halcombe, on Monday evening. The demonstration did not, as most people imagined, emanate from the Corporation, but was an invitation from a number of the residents of that township to mark the era in its progress. Mr John Scott presided, haying on his right Mr Watt, the Mayor of Wanganui; and on his- left, Mr Kotheram, the Manager of the line. ,Mr Sherwill, Secretary to the Corporation, occupied the vice-chair, supported on his right by Mr Maclean, of Bulls, and on his left by Mr Snelson, the Mayor of Palinerston. About fifty sat down to dinner, but the number of invitations issued were considerably over that amount ; still all the townships from Wanganui south to Paluier? 'stW were ■represented, ' and although invitations had been forwarded to some 6£ the leading men in Foxton, that place was the only one, on the West Coast which was unrepresented. The room was gracefully decorated with festoons of ferns and evergreens, while the spread was placed upon the table in capital style, reflecting the .greatest credit upon Mr Hastie.^ After thorough investigation had been made into the quality of the solids, with evident satisfactory results, the table was cleared, and the Chairman, having called for bumpers, the toasts of .'" The Queen and Boyal Family " and " The Governor " were responded to in the usual loyal manner. In introducing the next toast, ■ . . - The Chairman said that he felt himself somewhat at a disadvantage at being called upon to preside over so large an assemblage, a great portion of which was strange__to . him, and he ; thought the best manner in which he could illustrate his feelings on the oc-, casion was by tha relation of a short, anecdote. There was a farmer in the Old Country who was such an .inveterate swearer that he had almost reduced the qualification to a science. On no two occasions were his expletives alike, so that it became a regular game with the boys to perpetrate some joke which- would call forth an execration, merely fortho pleasure of hearing the new language iu wiiick he would couch his utterances. One day, the old

gentlemun was driving- up a niii vmh a load of potatoes, when his tormentors got behind the cart, and, unseen by him, succeeded in depositing them one by one on the road. Chuckling with; glee, they lay in wait until the loss was discovered, expecting to hear some execration more weighty than usual, * but when the old farmer found out the state of affairs, the. matter was too much for him, for raising his eyes aloft and assuming an air of resignation, instead of rattling oat a corse, he plain* : tively said "that he was not equal tothe occasion." Now, that was exactly his (the Chairman's) feelings, and! ho trusted that those present' would take r a lenient view of any of his shortcoming* while presiding. However,' he did not think that it was altogether the duty of a chairman to make a speech, but rather, to keep the bottle passing. la proposing the toast of " Success to the Line," he would ask them to look more especially to that particular portion which had been recently opened. Three years ago Haicombe only existed in the dim and hazy future. They expected that they would have a line some time, but they thought that, if it were, att "- accomplished fact in three years they" would be indeed lucky. Now they had it running past their very dobrs^T and .that such was the case, in hit opinion}, was due- alone to the carrying: .... out of the Public Works policy initiated by Sir Julius VogeL ' He did not seef why the West Coast should not take" the lead in the race of progress, having everything to its advantage— timber, climate, soil, and all else that tends to make a country great and rich. Eveix day the line was working would be calculated to develope the progress of the district, and he had heard that day that two gentleman were about to start in the timber industry. In addition to their wooded property ', the soil \ru second to none.^ At Wanganui as much. _/ as fifty bushels to the acre had been obtained, and he believed that Mr James Bull had received even a, 1 higher rate than that from his land in the Sandon district. He trusted that the time was not far distant when they wpnld; ~ be able to produce far more^ than\fliey r could j f consume. : In asking, them to drink " Success to the Line" he felt he would be asking them to pay a like compliment .to the district,- inasmuch, in His opinion, the interests, of both, were identical, and the success of one was contingent upon, the other. He wished to couple with the toast the name of Mr Itbtheram, the Manager of the line. •-••■"•■■:■.■ ...• :.;..,.. ... On rising to respond. -Mr JRotherani said that he was afr tid that the credit had been given to the wrong party, as the success of the line depended in a great measure upon the manner in which the road was worked, and where rolling; stock was scarce it was -impossible to give satisfaction, or make the progress Which was desired. That, when the requirements which were fso necessary, ana were now: not available, were furnished, the line would be a thorough success, pecuniarly and otherwise, he had not the slighest doubt. . It was not like other lines which had freight at intermediate stations, while at other portions none -was obtainable. From right through to. ; Wanganui ;: there was freight to be picked far in excess of the capability to hand for transporting it r and ) although in the mat- , ter of passenger traffic, it was notby any means yet at its test, he felt convinced it would at present compare favorablywith most lines,- and that the returns ia the next Gazette would compare with ■ any line in the Colony. ; It was true [ that from Marton to Wangariui they had to go a long distance round to> make the iourney, still it was a iojreat thing for the settlers to have a railway* and an equally fortunate thing for the Railway Department that there was aa abundance rather than a scarcity of freight. He thanked them for coupling; his name with the toast, and assnrea them that no effort should be wanting on his part in making the line a success* and thereby contributing* his .quota toward the success of the district.. '" ;" Song— -Mr W. Fergussoiu " : _ : r The Q^bman called upon Mr Mac. lean to propose the toast of" The Anny,, Navy, and volunteers." ' . Mr Maclean said that he was placed somewhat upon the horns of a dilemma in proposing the toast;, inasmuch as- , speaking Colonially, army they hail none, the. navy was a myth^-On^ he. begged pardon, the Colony did possess that homunculus called the . Hinemon& — the "Volunteers alone being ant actual fact. In the home country itwas usual to class the three branches of the service together, and with regard ,t(> the two former it would be entirely out; of his place to descant upon theirprowess. To do so would be as it were to attempt to paint the lily: or guild the re*-, fined gold,: as their deeds of arms were written inJletters of gold on the pages: of England's history. With regard to the Volunteers, the present threatening state of the political horizon in. Europe/ had drawn, more.attention to : thajt. bodjg, than" perhaps : 6(herwise.: would vnav» been. Perhaps some of those present could carry their memories back to the year 1798 — No ! well they^ might do sd> in imagination— and they would re» member that affairs were slightly dis--turbed in Ireland about that time, and that life was iiot exactly so secure as it was at the present day. A prominent citizen of Dublin had purchased aa a life-defender, what was; then a novelty, in the shape of a cane sword. Anxious to test its efficacy he sauntered forth to Merrion Square, on one side of which, was the Duke of Leinsler's town house. The portion fronting theSquarewas faced with a low stone wall^ behind which a deep ditch was placed. A.s the merchant was swinging his cane he saw two men approaching in the distance, and he immediately formed the resolve to flesh his maiden sword, but no soonet had he come to the conclusion do so,, than he remembered that it wa« within the range of possibility that the pair might wrest the weapon from him, and consequently what he had imagined would prove an article of defence might be made an instrument to his own destruction. Draw-, ing inspiration from the new light, Jmx immediately dropped the cane sword over the parapet into the d|tch. The question was, under^the present aspect or affairs, ' whether it would not be Better pbKcy for the colony to adopt similar tactics^ and drop the Volunteers over the wall. Apical Ead -been spimt upon the body?

yeta great manyof the members thought more of exhibiting the tinsel of their uniform than learning the nature of their drill, or perfecting themselves in the use of the arms with which they had been provided. Still he was of opinion that they possessed bone, sinew, and pluck, and that if circumstances arose which caused them to be thrown into the front they would nofc prove recreant in the fight. He was instructed i)j tis clients to propose "The Army, "Navy, and Volunteers," and consequently, although he considered it somewhat audacious to couple them with the scions and off-shoots of the aristocracy, as hie was instructed to do so, t he supposed he- must- obey instructions. ' ' . Mr Geobob Scott admitted that he was considerably taken aback by the remarks of the proposer of the toast, but as he had been called upon to respond, he thought he might say he considered himself the right man in the right place. He had been a member of the New Zealand militia, and held a _. land certificate, which certainly should be taken as a guarantee of his efficiency. In fact,- he might say he belonged to the three branches of the service— the Army, Navy, and Volunteers — and what was more, he was proud of them. The Volunteers, might not be quite up to the mark in the matter of drill, but it would be fdund,.if it ever came to the scratch, that they would not be behind._ltNirouid be found they would nofajflbp their canes, as was suggested, but, iS~ the contrary, they would keep their powder dry, march shoulder to shoulder, and follow the command of the immortal Nelson. . Mr Maclean explained that he by no means wished to cast an aspersion upon the individual or collective valor of the Volunteers. What he questioned was, whether the Colony was sufficiently matured to act upon the defensive in case of an attack, and if it would not be wiser to drop the Volunteers, rather than ito offer resistance, and be treated with the usages of war P Song— Mr W. Watt^-" Bring Down your Wants to your Means." Mr Lash said a toast had been placed < in his hands to propose ; it was, " The Officials of the line," and in doing so he would couple with it the name of Mr Marcus. He (the speaker) had seme acquaintance with those in charge, and he could conscientiously say that they were the right men in the right place. Mr Rotheram had told, them that the Department was short of rolling stock ; that was a defect that would be remedied, although it would take lame to do so ; but he felt assured that, when the. material was placed in the hands of the officers, there, need be no further fear for the successful working of the line. Mr .Mabcus said he was quite taken by surprise at being called upon to respond to the toast. At any .time he was.'not good at speaking, and on the present occasion, being unprepared, wasjevjen less than usual.. He thanked them for the manner in which his name ' had been mentioned, and could only assure them that he would do his utmostltO; further the interest of the settlers, consistent with his duty to the Department he served. . ' .; r John Scott. The Chaibkan said it next devolved upon him to propose the important toast of '.'Our Guests.'* The demonstration had been got up somewhat suddenly, and no doubt it would have been better had there been more time, and possibly it might have been favored with the presence of a great many leading men. However, a number of invitations had been issued to which, for some cause or other, no response bad been given, but it was possible they were absent for causes over which they had no control. He regretted the absence of one gentlemean whose name Jiad been identified with the development of the town, and had he been present they would have had the pleasure of hearing a good speech. In his opinion such gatherings, were calculated to effect a great deaf of good; inasmuch as . .they brought together all classes, and grades, and professions. It was often a fact that people read of public men, and; possibly without reason, formed an erroneous impression as -to character, - ability, or geniality, wherein had they ; been brought into contact on an occasion like the present such ideas might jundergo a material charge He recollected hearing of a man who was travelling in the Highlands of Scotland upon „ Afivery misty morning. Through the mist he became conscious that some monstrous animal of. elephantine proportions was advancing, but as it approached nearer he thought it might be a horse or a cow. More distance was covered, the mist lifted a little, and the approaching object assumed the shape -of a man; only to prove when the two met that it was his own brother. In like manner many of the erroneous impressions i formed were often dispelled when men met, fraternised, and became known to each other. He had great in proposing the toast, coupled with- the name of Mr W. Watt, the Mayor of Wanganui, who he was proud to see at guest there that night. ".', Mr Watt said : Mr Chairman, Vicechairman, and Gentlemen, — I scarcely I' know how to thank my friend, Mr Scott, for the very flattering manner in ' which he has spoken of me> and you ; for the Very enthusiastic manner in which you have received the toast. I assure you that in opening the line you, have also opened my eyes, as I had not the slightest idea I should meet such a large company, or see such a wellspread table. But although we must hot disparage the good things spread T>efpre us, and to discuss whicn we have been invited here to-night, we must not forget that we have, also assembled for a much mor,e nobler objectto celebrate one of the connecting links in the great chain of the Public Works t pplicy; A previous speaker had given all the credit to Sir Julius Vogel, but he was of opinion that the Hon. Mr Fox was entitled to a very fair sharp, inasmuch as^ it was the Vogei-Fnx Ministry which first propounded the Public Works policy, the outcome of a portion of which they were there that night to celebrate. He -did not think fhe woik ...was near completed as yet. and alfhougfe'-li^ waft one. to set his face dgaijisV indiscriminate borrowing, ii -was Ta^reaf nii«tak*» to fait slinrK an>l •not fcjii&tf U|> diiii Complete fho gsrea:

work commenced. Railways would be found to develope the country faster than aught else, and they should not rest content at seeing them stop at Foxton, but push rapidly ahead until Wellington itself was connected by line. All petty jealousies about wharves, harbors, and rivers should be set aside, i and a broad expansive view taken of ! what would be most conducive to the general good, independently of party prejudices Or interests. He was well pleased to seethe leading merchants in Wellington taking a lively interest in the West Coast line, and even the Government itself exhibiting a feeling favorable to its immediate prosecution. It would have to pass .through a rich area of magnificent country, with capabilities of supporting a vast population, •and all that was now required was to carry out the Public Works policy in its entirety and in its integrity. Whenever the line to Patea was opened, they might rest assured that he would only be too happy to return the hospitality he had experienced from the men of Manawatu. : Song— Mr W. Fergusson— " Scotland." v Mr Mayshob, in rising to propose the toast of the " Commercial Interest," said' that he had been identified with the district of Halcombe since its earliest start. Up to the present they had not had much in the matter of exports; but even for what there, was he thought some modification might be made in the tariff. No one objected to pay the rates imposed upon imports, but he was of opinion that « reduction could be made m the export charges. In proposing the toast, he would wish to identify with it the name of Mr Snelson, who was one of the oldest settlers in the Upper Manawatu. Mr Snelson said he would have been better pleased had the previous speaker linked Foxton with the other portions of the Manawatu in his remarks, as it was in that particular section of the County that the most important commercial interest had to be developed. He agreed with Mr Watt that allrBangitikei and all parts of the Manawatu—should put their shoulders to the wheel to further the object which should prove the greatest commercial benefit to the West Coast generally. By the proposed line of railway, a block of some of the finest land in the Colony, comprising over half a million of acres, would be opened up,' with what commercial benefit toßangitikei and Manawatu it would be impossible to compute. Speaking more at home, although a great deal had been done in the past in the way of development, a great deal remained to be done in the future. However, money, the great lever of development, was required for the work, out with the possession of that powerful element, they had boundless fields in which to labor. Song— Mr Lash. - Mr W. Watt observed that he had had a toast placed in his hands, to which it was expected he should speak, but why he should have been selected for the task was not particularly clear. It was, "The Agricultural and Pastoral Interests." In his opinion, at the present time the agricultural part of the programme was not a very important one, nor did- it occupy a 'very prominent position. According to a previous speaker, timber was the principal staple, and so far they were not much in either the agricultural or pastoral line. For his own part he should confess to be actuated by a somewhat selfish feeling, inasmuch as he hoped that the timber supply of Manawatu would last for a very long time, and that its settlers would be compelled to obtain their supplies of grain from Rangitikei. However, he supposed when the time . came that Manawatu grew its own grain, his county would have to retaliate and grow their own timber. When the settlers of Manawatu sought to become agriculturists, .he hoped they would be able grow large crops, and consume it all themselves. In asking , them to drink to the toast, he wished to couple with it the name'of.MrJDalrymple. ■■ ■■•■ . ; • . •„ , Mr Dalbympxe saia that he would have wished Bome one more competent to do justice to so important a toast had been selected. When he entered the room and had the toast handed to him, m) nearly took away his' appetite; hut when the speechmaking commenced, and he found that he had a recording angel at hit elbow, he felt completely stumped. It was admitted on all sides that the opening of the railway was one of the greatest boons, and it should be also acknowledged that it was one of the greatest aids to both agricultural and pastoral development. Perhaps there were few countries with the natural recources possessed by New Zealand, which had been stated to possess capabilities to make it the granary of Great Britain. To properly dtvolope the hidden recources of the land, no more powerful agent could be employed than in vigorously carrying out the Public Works policy j and for bis part he would be a advocate for borrowiug even ten millions, if it were necessary, '.(for the opening up the country. Mr Harris, in terms eulogistic, proposed " The Press," coupled with the name of Mr Dungan, of . the ' Mawawato Times; which was .briefly responded to by that gentleman. . "' ;■ ,