THE ORETI RAILWAY.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 61, 20 October 1864, Page 2

THE ORETI RAILWAY.

Tuesday last was the day appointed by the Committee of Management > for the opening of the first instalment /of the Great Northern or Oretr Bailway. A day more favorable for the ; important event could, not have been desired, the weather being really magnificent ; and the hopes of many were buoyant with the anticipations of a day's thorough enjoyment in the exhilarating air on the Makarewa Plains,, free from the cares and bustle of every-day town life, arid intent on making the most of the time allotted them in the way .of pic-nic-ing" and..' other modes of pleasantly enjoying themselves. It waa a serious drawback, however, that the day fixed happened to be the day on which the outward monthly mail for Europe, closed,, and merchants and many others would have much preferred a day or two previous for the trip. However, the day was come, the arrangements were completed, and the only thing left was to make the most of the day and the occasion. Prior to the hour of the opening train starting, however, the public had been made fully acquainted with the fact that no other train but the one carrying the guests of the committee of management would be run,^ that day, — thus,. debarring the great ma- •. jority of the inhabitants from participating in the celebration of an event which was considered by every one to be pre-eminently a public one, and one in which every individual in the" Province was more or less interested. At the hour of noon, accordingly, it was announced by the bell-ringer in the streets of the town . that the public were requested to assemble at the railway station. This summons was obeyed by great multitudes, and so strong was the feeling they manifested, that, as the train moved slowly from the station, loud and prolonged groans — in place of cheering— were heard on every side, which continued till the increasing distance put the unfortunate exclamations of our disappointed citizens out of hearing. . ; " As regards the Hallway Station, great praise is due to tnose who had charge of the decorative department. In front of the building were placed at intervals a number of fern trees and other specimens of our beautiful ; evergreen shrubs, while the interior was bedecked with a profusion of the same, but utrthe; same time evincing the finest taste, and producing a tout ensenible at once pleasing and elegant in the extreme. A number of .flags of various devices lent an additional charm to the scene, which lias been seldom, if ever, equalled in Invercargill. On the way up to the Makarewa Siver, groups of spectators were stationed at intervals to watch the progress of the train, and the various bridges were ornamented with evergreens in honor of the event. The most conspicuous of these was the bridge over the Makarewa, in the decoration o£ which, "very great labor had been bestowed, but the effect produced waa sufficient to amply repay the trouble it; had cost. The fresh greenery of the decorations contrasted finely with the dark woodwork of the massive bridge, and a more pleasing display could scarcely have been desired. "'- r * . Arriving at . this place — the "farthest i point yet rendered completely available for trafiic — the excursionists alighted, and betook themselves, each and everyone, in the ways which fancy them. After strolling about for a little while, and viewing the scenery around, the party assembled on a spot adjacent to th"c bridge and on the banks of the river, where one and all Joined in discussing the. "good things " which had been provided; for the occasion. An hour had scarcely passed, however,' when the shrill whistle of the locomotive warned them that it was time to retrace their steps to town once more. In a short time thereafter all were seated, and the train at once proceeded to town, accomplishing the distance, at a moderate speed,- in about twenty-five minutes. " • * „ ,-'• [ After the party had alighted, Mr. Davies, who had previously been granted the use of the carriages, kindly conveyed a second party of excursionists up the line, which trip, like the former, ended without mishap of any kind, or any accident whatever. THE LUNCHEON. Shortly after three o'clock the guests of tho Committoe of Management Bat down to a splendid lunoheon, in. the -easterivplatfonn of the station, vHsk

had been partitioned off and appropriately decollated for the occasion. His Honor • the Superintendent occupied the! chair, and was supported, on the right by His Honor Mr. Justice Chapman, while the vice-chair was filled by I. N. Watt, Esq., • E:M.^Campbellt6wn.- v ,;- ; f \ When :We mention that "to 4 'Mr. Jones, of the Southland CiubHo^elj wjas entrusted the .entire arrangements of this part of the day's proceedings,^we are certain that it is scarcely necessary to j make an^ remarks- on the^ magnificeiit banquet he provided on the occasion!,.-. -Suffice it to say: that the viands were served Jup in the most liberal and handsome style, and J the. liqueurs were such aa to please the taste of the nicest connoiseura. ' I . „ - • The usual loyal toasfca haying been duly proposed and drank with all the honors, His Honor Mr. Justice Chapma.^ rose and said the \ Superintendent had { done Mm the honor to put' into} his hands the toast of the day, and it was a toast he felt proud: to be permitted to giveviz.; ."-Success: -to the Oreti Eailway." He said— We ;have met to celebrate an event, -which, although small in its own dimensions^ is fraught with, the elements of future importance. We; must not look merely to. the seven or ; eight mile 3 which have been this ; day opened, , but to the' gradual development of the railway system in the Province, and to all the benefits which inevitably follow in the footsteps of : such an enterprise. We had now, His Honor said, in this country a railway system which, as contrasted with that of Victpi-iaj'hadbeen commenced with very. moderate means ; and he was in hopes that it would speedily be pushed into the interior as far as Winton, and, in the other direction, to Bluff. Harbor. 1 Now, taking into account the expense entailed upon the Province in the prosecution of this railway system, he found that for the twenty- miles to Winton, and the twenty miles to the Bluff, the sum of £300,000 had been considered necessary or required, whereas in the colony of Victoria the same outlay had been incurred on ten miles of railway. He would not say that our railway works here were carried out in the same style . of magnificence as they had been in that colony, nor did it become us to do so j for with our moderate means, it was necessary that we should " cut our coat according to our cloth." (Hear, hear.) Being only moderately wealthy, it was prudent that we should, he moderate in our expenditure. On the present occasion, he would like to say a few words on the advisability of young Provinces undertaking the construction of railways. Some people dissent, he said, maintaining that at an early a«e of a colony it was far from a wise ste°p, but he might say that in his opinion it was both a wise and a prudent one. The great objection to railways was that they did not pay. This had been said in Victoria, and it had been reiterated by the Press ; but he would do the Press, generally, the justice to say that it was said only to be refuted and combatted. The cost of the Victorian ■ railways was eight millions ; and the annual interest, charge on this debt of the colony was £480,000, at six per cent, per annum, for the privilege of cheap transit by railway. His Honor then instanced the case of the Sandhurst Eailway the actual revenue of which was half a million, or about half the interest debt of the whole Colony. The expense of management of this line was estimated at one-half, or £250,000, and the actual receipts at £250,000. From this we deduce the apparent loss of £200,000; but he would ask if this really was a loss (No !) He had made a computation and had discovered that the public, in the mere cost of the transportation of goods, were benefited to the extent of not less than £900,000, merely V*7^. h J™Y9* taxation, as it were, the stun of £200,000 for the advantages which the cheapening of transit by railway confers. He was not in possession of any statistics on the subject; but he begged them always to keep in mind that, whatever apparent loss there might be in the maintenance, of a railway system, such loss would be far more than met by the benefits arising from its introduction. Every one is in some degree, one way or another, receiving the advantages of cheap transit; and although such benefits were of themselves infimtesimally small, yet they combine to form that whole, which in all countries where the introduction of the railway system had been maliciously conducted, was never yet found wanting. He irovld venture to say that the introduction of the railway system into the province was a wise and prudent step, and referred again to the history of railway enterprise in the colonies in illustration of his argument. When : the system was rightly, and economically carried out, it was impossible that it should be a failure. In the colony of Victoria where he had had much expeperience on this subject, the legislature had sanctioned the principle of borrowing money in the English market, as a judicious and economical arrangement. But they had proceeded on sound principles. He could enter into minute details, illustrating the history of railways there but it would occupy too much ot their time, and might not prove- very interesting to them. He would thereiore Content himself with mentioning one of the chief principles which the Legislative Assembly of Victoria, or rather the old Legislative 5 Council, had laid down to be applied in, aliases to loans. It^was that no loan should be made except for reproductive works— that is, works the proceeds of which should repay the cost of thenconstruction. The principle was fully adopted, that it was wise and prudent in anew colony, to raise money for works the prosecution of which might indeed entail an immediate lost, but would result in an ultimate' gain. (Cheers.) Loans "should never' be raised except for works thatpromised to be surely reproductive. • He repeated that in this • province a judicious and wise course had been ~ pursued. "He said although the province was at present passing.through a seasoo ot -•^preSSion and . embarrassmen^-an j-

energy of the people and their faith in their resources would soon enable them to free themselves from. (Cheers.)- His Honor said he would conclude as he had commenced, by asking them to join him heartily in toasting the sentiment, " Success'to the' Oreti Bailway." "-(Loud applause.) . His Honor the • Superintendent .then rose and said — Ladies and Gentlemen, I was taken quite by surprise when I was told that it was necessary to respond to the toast which , His Honor, Mr. Justice Chapman has just now so. ably proposed, and ' in terms, too, which displayed not only so' thorough an appreciation. of the present position- of the affairs of the Province, but of the subject of railways- as frell. I £aneie& that tie toast would have come home to all ; at any rate I hoped that it .was mot necessary, for any par: ticular' person -to; respond to it. 1 However, I am told that as I occupy one of the chief positions; in ; the Province ft is proper that I should'say a few words in reply, and I must therefore, for the toast which has been so ably proposed, and to which you have so heartily responded, ex press thanks; on behalf of the Province. His Honor Mr: Justice Chapman deserveß our thanks for the thoroughly 'practical manner in which he has treated the subject, and also for his thorough appreciation of our position. We must regard his opinion, too, as one formed from experience in- railway matters. He has been in the Cabinet of a colony, not only the equal of New Zealand, but one in which w.orks. similar to the one .we have been this day opening have been extensively carried on. He has therefore been engaged in the carrying out of. these works, and it is no small cause for gratification to us that the judgement of His Honor (if I might be allowed a pun) should be such a highly favorable one. Contrasting our efforts with those of other countries he considered gave a good augury of future success. Although we have only partially opened our Northern line of railway, I hope the entire line may be made available for traffic at no distant date. We may be said to have as yet only entered on the initiatory stage of our railway system, but we have done as much we could do ; in fact, we have gone to the length of our tether, if I may be allowed a homely expression. However, we have everything to hope for, and the favorable opinion of an authority like Mr. Justice Chapman ought to be very encouraging. In initiating our railways, we looked forward to the advantages to be derived not only to the population of our own province, but to those which would accrue to us from closer intercourse with the goldproducing districts around Lake Wakatipu. In return for this we have the gratification of finding that all the sympathies of the population of those districts are turning towards Southland. (Applause). I will not longer trespass on your patience. In what I have said I merely give voice, as it were, to the popular opinion that the railway system, connecting Bluff Harbor with the interior of the province, will undoubtedly be the first means of bringing that great agricultural country into successful occujjation. I may now be allowed to return thanks to His Honor Mr. Justice Chapman for the thorough appreciation and favorable opinion of the judgment of the Province of Southland in the conduct and carrying out of its railways. (Applause.) " The Ladies," was next proposed by Mr. J. H. Baker, who accompanied the toast with afew humorous and appropriate remarks. The toast was drank with great enthusiasm. Mr. A. W. G-illes, on behalf of the ] ladies, responded. The Chairman, (Dr. Menzies) next proposed " The Strangers." He said that in the opening ceremony there had been present strangers of distinction from various Provinces, including Auckland, Canterbury, and Otago. Amongst these was His Honor Mr. Justice Chapman, and he was sure no one present could have failed to be pleased at the re narks which had fallen from that gentleman. His speech had not only been very amusing, and very instructive, but also very encouraging. (Applause.) ; He begged to propose " The Strangers," coupled with the name of His Honor Mr. Justice Ch'apinan. Drank with all the honors. Mr. Justice Chapma> t responded to , i this toast La a clever and humorous speech. ] IHe said — I might in one sense be called a j stranger, yet if we take a broader view of our position, and? look upon Southland as merely forming one of the \ great New Zealand family, I might Ibe considered a fellow - colonist with yourselves. (Cheers.) I may mention, gentlemen of the j (great and prolonged cheering, in which His Honor joined heartily) — I see I have made a little slip of the tongue. (Loud laughter.) Ladies and gentlemen, I may mention that I 'am bound by peculiar ties to New Zealand. Five out of my seven children are settlers in New Zealand. I left this colony twelve years ago, and may be considered the New Zealand Eip Van Winkle ; and I confess that old Hip Van Winkle', when he descendedfrom his twenty years' sleep in the hollow of the mountain, could not have been more surprised at the revolutions which had taken place than I was when I revisited this colony after my long absence ; and am certain Eip Van Winkle could not have been more surprised at finding the portrait of George 111. replaced by that of General Washington than I was at the vast changes which have been occurring in New Zealand. (Cheers.) The changes here,'however, I am glad to say, were not at . all o f a revolutionary character, but rather those effected by rapid strides in social andrtcommercial prosperity and progress. I have much pleasure in returning thanks in my own behalf, and on that of the other strangers, present for the toast which has been so cordially drunk. .-. ■-- } _ ' The CiTAiKMAsr now rose and said :-^- L&disa W)s gentleman.) as ouxpro^amm-e,

the progranijQe of the -committe,; is now concluded— : .....-■■■•• Mr. Chalmers.— No! no! (Cries of order ! chair ! &c.) Mr. Chalmers again rose and said he should be sorry to interrupt any arrangements which the ConVniittee of Manage-, ment had made, "but he thought, with" all deference to the Chair,, that they .could; •not abstain from -drinking the health of the gentleman who had been instrumental in xmdertaMng the execution of the railway enterprise^ in this" province. He; thought they cOulid "not disperse without paying this tribute ftb :", one who had enabled them to carry; out; the proceedings of the day sk) (Cheers.) The: least we can do, he said, is to drink theke^tliof Mr. Dayies, tlie patentee of this; railway, (Loud cheering.) ; j The^ toast; jwas ; drunk amid much enihusiafcm.: ■\\\;'. ;'■ ; :■ '. !.: ' ; ■;■■•' Mr. Davies rose to respond. He said: Tour Honor, and ladies and gentlemen, it is fortunate for me, and still more so for you, that so" many excellent addresses have been delivered on this occasion, and there is therefore less need for my replying at any length to the toast which' you, have just now done me the honor so heartily to drink. I have merely to say that I thank you most sincerely for the honor you have done me on this occasion. (Cheers.) Mr. "W". I\ Taeltok was now called upon to propose a toast, and rose to comply, when The Chairman again intimated that the programme drawn up by the Committee of Management was now exhausted. It had been departed from in one instance, but he considered that the arrangements of the Committee should not be interfered with — in fact, that those gentlemen who had put their hands in their pockets in providing the entertainments should be allowed to have the control of the proceedings. His Honor then said at nine o'clock a ball would take place in the Station Buildings, at which there would be a band of music provided for the occasion, and to which he invited all present to come. (Cheers.) Mr. Chalmers then proposed three cheers for the Superintendent, which were heartily given, after which the company dispersed. THE BALL. At nine o'clock, as announced, the guests began to arrive. The dancing was held on the long platform, which, after luncheon, had been cleared of the tables and prepared for the occasion. The scene was a very attractive one, and the number of the guests enabled the dance to kept up with much spirit till nearly four o'clock next morning. The greatest harmony prevailed throughout.