BANQUET TO SIR JULIUS VOGEL.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1235, 29 December 1882, Page 2

BANQUET TO SIR JULIUS VOGEL.

By Telegraph. (ver united press association), WELLINGTON, This Day. Sir Julius Vogel was entertained at luncheon yesterday; about 250 persons, including a fair sprinkling of ladies, sat down. The chair was occupied by the Mayor, having on his right Sir Julius Vogel, and on his left His Excellency the Administrator of the Govern nent Sir James Prendergast; he was also supported by the Colonial Treasurer (Hon. Major Atkinson), Minister of Lands (Hon. W. Rolleston), and the Speaker of the Speaker of the Legislative Council (Sir Wm. Fitzherbert). Among those present were also Messrs W. H. Levin, C. J. Johnston, W. Hutchison, W. Beetham, M.H.R.’s ; the Hons. P. A. Buckley, Dr. Grace, and J. Martin, M.L.C.’s. The remainder of the company comprised many of the most prominent citizens of Wellington. The toast of His Excellency the ActingGovernor was drunk amid a great display of enthusiasm. In responding Sir James Prendergast said he was aware that the manifestation of goodwill was to be attributed to the office which he accidently filled for a short time, and not to any personal merit of his own. (Loud cries of “ No.”) He thanked those present for their kindness, and expressed his gratitude at being able to be present on that occasion. He mentioned that when he first appeared as an advocate in the Supreme Court of New Zealand Sir Julius Vogel was his client. (Cheers). When he was elevated to the Bench of the Supreme Court Sir Julius Vogel occupied the position of Prime Minister of the Colony. (Renewed cheers). He believed that the people of New Zealand had been desirous, whenever occasion had presented itself, of testifying their appreciation of the services rendered in their behalf by Sir Julius Vogel. (Loud cheers). Sir Wm. Fitzherbert, amid enthusiastic cheers, next rose to propose the health of “ Our Guest.” After referring to the honor conferred upon him in being asked to propose such a toast, he said his task was a pleasant as well as an easy one in the presence of so numerous an assemblage, at such a short notice and so inconvenient an hour, sufficiently testified the honor in which Sir Julius was held. (Cheers). It was not his intention to make a long tedious speech ; he had always admired the practical wisdom of those lawyers in Court who, after looking at twelve intelligent jurymen, recognising that they had a case in their pockets, sat down after saying a very few words. Their guest was for many year a political opponent of him whom they had called upon to propose his health, but he would scorn to belong to any party whose views would debar him from free acknowledgment of the successes achieved by a rival. (Cheers). When Sir Julius arrived in this Colony, about twenty years ago, more or less, he was friendless, and by his own indomitable energy won his way into Parliament, where he gave expression to opinions that made the huir stand on end on the heads of those who heard them. He had courage of his opinions and forced his way without having anybody but himself to thank for the position to which he had now obtained. (Cheers.) He (Sir William) had never known a man laboring under such terrible physical disadvantages and suffering who had done his duty as a public man so well, without shrinking therefrom. If anything were needed to demons the master mind of their guest it was supplied, in fact that every bit of administration in N-w Zealand that had occurred, u> dtr whatever leadership, had borne his impress, (Loud cheers).

Sir Julius Vogel, on rising to acknowledge the toast, was received with prolonged enthusiastic cheers. He spoke for exactly half-an-hour. He said if those present would place themselves in his position they would recognise that he was not able to say as Sir William Fitzherbert had done, that his task was an easy one, for he thought they must allow that public speaking was somewhat difficult when feelings that one spoke under, so to say, gushed up faster and in greater volumes than one was able to find utterance for. To come back here after his k,te absence to make so hurried a visit, and at so short notice, to be received so kindly by such a gathering as present, and to hear kind remarks made by Sir WiEiam Fitzherbert. All this overpowered his feelings, and he could only say that he felt very highly honored indeed.—(Cheers.) He would like to say that it was a source of extreme regret to him that he was only able to make so short a stay in Wellington. Had it not been for a sudden illness with which he was stricken down in Melbourne he would have been here many months ago, and would have had a much longer stay.—(Renewed cheers.) They might well believe that as he had visited this Colony with which so much of his early life had been associated, arousing recollections of all his former successes, trials, cares, and anxieties of public life, the old feeling would naturally recur to him again like the warrior on the war-path, a feeling that he would like once more to resume a position in public life in this Colony. —(Cheers.) He had not been very many hours in New Zealand before he was offered, he was going to say, two seats but he ought to say a reasonable prospect of two seats by gentlemen who were wi ling to resign their positions in his favor. He had some thought before he left England of this contingency, and, recognizing the weakness which sometimes led persons to wish for that which was not always wise for them, had taken care to guard against the fascination of renewing his acquaintance with public life in New Zealand, by leaving at home some very substantial hostages in the shape of his children (laughter). Those familiar with public life could bear him out in saying that there was special fascination about it, though as against that fascination there was an equal extent of private sacrifice. It was, however, very much to the credit of public men in New Zealand that public life had never been, and he hoped never would be, in this Colony, the road to private advancement, beyond that which came from regard such as that which he was receiving to-day, and the knowledge of the appreciation entertained by ones fellow Colonists (cheers), though there were frequently heated debates during which were used words which were not perhaps uttered altogether with consideration, it had rarely been the case, if ever, that impure motives had been attributed to public men, and he thought it was almost an axiom that strength of foundation of a Government depended upon the estimation in which they, who exercised the power of governing, were held (cheers). It was said that duty brought its own reward ; he did not mean that sort of duty one had to pay through Customs, or duty which imposed upon unfortunate owners of property (laughter), but one had sometimes to wait a long time for the reward he alluded to, and Sir William had described to them how the highest positions in the land were open to those who had courage to strive for them and were open to the humblest class. He felt that he would have spoken incompletely on the present occason if he had to go away from Wellington without expressing the sense of gratitude which he, in common with other public men of the Colony, owed to the devoted services of the civil servants of New Zealand. There were many positions in the Government service, such for example as charge of departments like those of Railways, Telegraphs, Life Insurance, and Public Trustee, which, if they were private undertakings, those w ho were in charge of them would receive salaries four or five

times greater than those received by civil services. It was evident, therefore, that the Government, as a rule, secured the services of its employes at very much less than the average cost paid for able men in private undertakings. (Hear, hear). It was notorious in Victoria on the celebrated “ Black Thursday” when there were removed from public service, without any ceremony whatever, many pert.oAB who now had reason to feel grateful for events of that aay, which had enabled them to arrive at fortunes and positions, which many would doubtless never have otherwise obtained. It was a matter for great gratification that the public works of the Colony were admitted to have been so successful from the stand-point of a visitor. He would like to say that the work of the future was by no means finished ; that there was one subject which was as much a burning Question at the present as of the past—immigration.—(Cheers.) The visitor was constantly reminded as he travelled this Colony of want of population. In 1870 we aspired to convert 250,000 persons into 500,000; we ought to be more ambitious now, and seek to convert that 500,000 into a million.—(Load cheers.) He was pleased at the substantial progress made by Wellington during his absence, and especially that the Wellington-Manawatu railway had been commenced.—(Loud cheers.) Both Lady Vogel, whose absence on that occasion was deeply regretted by her, and himself would ever remember the kindness they had invariably experienced at the hands of the people in Wellington, where so many important years of their lives had been spent, and whether in Wellington or away from it, whether, in fact, in New Zealand or away from it, his hopes and exertions, humble as they might be, would always be at the command of Colonists. (Loudcheers.) And he was still young although he did not look it, and he could indulge in the hope that it might not be denied him at some future time to come back to the Colony and make a long stay. (Renewed cheers.) He thanked them all most heartily for the kind and enthusiastic reception accorded to him, and asked them to excuse the imperfect nature of hit, utterances. (Loud and prolonged cheers.) The company then separated.