PARLIAMENTARY PEREGRINATIONS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 187, 6 September 1878, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY PEREGRINATIONS.

THE PARLIAMENT AT CHRISTCHURCH. Chiustchurch, Friday, A grand banquet came off last night, when 200 quests were present. The Mayor of Christchurch was in the chair, supported on the right by His Excellency the Governor and the officers of H.M.S. Nymphe, and on the left by Messrs Stout and Fisher. Apologies were read from the Premier and Speakers of both Houses. His Excellency, in? replying to the toast of his health, said this was the close of the first act of the great public works policy introduced into the country by Sir Julius Yogel, and no one remembering 1870 but would admit that the policy had been a great public success. No doubt mistakes had been made in carrying out the scheme, for they could not expect that a policy of such vast importance would be carried through its initial stages without a few mistakes. In a few weeks he hoped there would be complete railway communication between Amberley and Invercargill, making a stretch of line opened up of 488 miles. As a matter of fact, in proportion to population, there were within the time more railways opened up in New Zealand than in any other country in the world (loud cheers) The success of the last loan iv England astonished everyone, and he believed some of the credit of that was due to the gentleman to whom they gave credit for the rest. It had been said that the debt was large in proportion per head to the debt in England. That might be true, but in proportion to the revenue it was very much less. The Hon. John Hall, in proposing the toast of " The Prompters of the Railway," coupled the name of Sir J. Yogel with that of Mr Moorhouse. The members of the press are very indignant at the shabby way in which they were treated. They were crowded like a lot of sheep in the gallery with the band, where they remained for three hours without the slightest notice being taken of them in the way of refreshments or otherwise. " The Press," too, was strangely enough omitted from the the toast list. The Chairman announced that it was proposed on the following day to send a tele-

gram congratulating Sir J. Yogel upon the completion of the railway between Christchurch and Dunedin. A large number of other toasts and speeches followed until the close of the proceedings, about 12-30.