A FAREWELL FUNCTION.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 76, 6 March 1916, Page 2

A FAREWELL FUNCTION.

TOKO’S LATEST RECRUITS. CAPTAIN J. B. HINE, M.P. SERGEANT C. FINCH AM. PRIVATE SCARLETT. At the Coronation Hall, Toko, on Saturday evening, Mr J. B. Hine, M.P., and the members of the 14th Reinforcements were entertained by the residents at a farewell gathering prior to proceeding to camp. CAPTAIN MINE’S CAREER. In view of the interest displayed by Captain Mine in the district of Toko and in public affairs generally, a few particulars of his career at this stage will be appropriate.! John Bird Mine was born in Devonshire, England, in 1808, and he is, therefore, now 48 years of age. The Mine family arrived in the Dominion in 1879 by the sailing ship “Wanganui,” and Mr Mine, senior, took up land at Tikorangi, Wan tara, which was the home of “J. 8.” until 1892, when he married Ruth, the second daughter of the late Mr M. Jonas, of Waitara. Mr Jonas took a| prominent part in the Maori war, and rose to be a captain of the Volunteer Force after leaving his bride the day after marriage for active service against the Maoris. Mr Mine was dairy farming near Waitara for four years following his marriage, and ho went to Toko in 1896, purchasing the farm on the Waiweri Road, where he resides at present. He always took a great interest in sports, and ever since his advent to Toko lie has been prominent in all public movements. He has been chairman of the School Committee,, County Councillor for many years, chairman of the Hospital Board a great helper in Church work as a teacher in the Sunday School and a lay reader; lie joined the Stratford Mounted Rifles in 1900, and was captain of that Company for several years! In 1908 Mr Hine blossomed into a member of Parliament, beating Mi Walter Symes as representative of the Stratford electorate in the House of Representatives, a position which he has held against all opposition until the present day. Mr and Mrs Hine and family are held in the highest esteem in Taranaki, and indeed thioughont the Dominion, and Mr Mine’s action.in enlisting is thoroughly appreciated, while the sacrifices that he is making for Empire’s sake are widely recognised. He leaves behind him a wife and family of three daughters and one son, who are very dear to him, for Mr Hine is known to lie an ideal husband and father, and the severance of these ties will doubtless be the part of his duty hardest to bear. THE BANQUET. i At Saturday night’s gathering Mr Geo. Morrison occupied the chair, and the hall was well filled,’and an excellent repast was pro- 1 vided, though the short notice did not allow Toko residents to do as much as they would have liked hr Mr Hine s honor. THE TOAST LIST. In proposing the toast of “The Army and Navy,” Dr. Paget said the two arms of the service had done much in the war, and it was everybody’s duty to honor them. The Navy had accomplished marvels. When one read of the very considerable, destruction of commerce by the raidei Moewo, which was at large a month or .go, the question naturally arose; eWhat do we not owe to the Navy? [it had kept the seas practically clear of submarines and other enemy war craft. Everything was done quite quietly but efficiently in the way the “Boys of the Bulldog Breed” were noted for. More had been seen of the work of the Army, and everybody was proud of the work of the “Contemptible Little Army,” as the Germans had termed it at the commencement of the war. That army was not contemptible, for it stopped the Germans’ rush to Paris at the beginning of the war. If it had not been for that “contemptible little army” the war would have been over and against us. The speaker said that contingents bad gone from New Zealand willingly, and he hoped those men who bad not enlisted would follow the example set by Captain Hine and do so. Captain fjine was joining the forces to do Ids duty, to do a duty that others should have done. Everybody honored the men who went away, and many if the.\ could go, would like to share the danger and share the honor of fighting p,r his Country. Mr Hine already had shown lie had the fighting spirit, and, said the speaker, he was sure he would not lack that. Mr Hine, he was sure, would show physical courage on the battlefield as he had shown he had moral courage when in the House. (Cheers). Mr A. Bocock, in reply, said the two pirrnH of the service had done great and noble work. At the last send-off he said he told Mr Hine to go re'endting, but be was going to the front instead. He felt very proud of Mr Hine for Ids action, and he wished him, and Sergeant Fincbam and PriIvato Scarlett God speed and a safe jreturn. j Mr P. Skoglund, in proposing the toast of “Our Boys at the Front,” said he was pleased, as a member of the Recruiting Committee, to bid farewell to the men who were going to fight for their Country. He said it was Ids duty to try and induce young men, without responsibilities, to follow their friends at the front. How any young man. without ties, could stay at home and not enlist was beyond his comprehension. If he had not handed in In’s name and been turned down by the doctor lie would not have been a member of the Recruiting Committee. It must have occurred to all in reading history and leading their

\ daily life, that immense freedom wns' enjoyed under the British Flag. The young men of to-day should follow the example of their forefathers and fight. for the privileges enjoyed when occasion arose. That occasion., had now arisen. He said he would like to sec the young men follow the example of Mr Hine and enlist. He would be pleased to receive names. For the infantry section of the next Reinforcements Taranaki required 96 tnen by the beginning of next month. Up to the present the military authorities had only the names of about ten men. Conscription must come if the present system failed, and it was better to fight voluntarily and not let Germany know that Britishers had to be forced to fight. (Cheers). The Germanswere keeping on the move only hecause of the fact that in the Motherland Britishers were falling over themselves in the endeavor to hand in their names. The speaker then wished Mr Hine and the men who were accompanying him into camp the hest of luck. i

In responding, Mr W. H. Weir said the previous speaker had touched on all the ground necessary. In regard to the new recruiting scheme, he said it was put before the last meeting of, tlve County Council and it seemed a big proposition to the hard-working farmer. 'As far as he was concerned, one small thing and another took upj UftOUt a quarter of his time. On the Council were four dairymen and the others were agriculturists, and they said the scheme would mean too much encroachment on their time. Two years ago members of Parliament went around the country in the endeavor to be returned to the House, and now they wanted the people to take up their work. In his opinion, there was a Haw in the recruiting scheme, for, sometimes, when a man enlisted he was not called upon for months, and some had not heen called up yet. Men, as soon as they have signified their willingness to proceed' to the front and had been passed by the doctor, should he sent into camp there and then. The best men lor recruiting, were the men who had returned from the front and could relate their stories and tell others of the life in the trenches. The New Zealanders had done great work, and when that history came to he read it would read like General Whitlock's expedition to Buenos Aires; it was a case of a small hand doing the work instead of an army. He was satisfied that the lads who would be ready at the end of the year would be as keen to go and tight as the men who went away first, and hand in their names in thousands. "ATI REVOIR." The Chairman said they had met that evening to bid an revoir to the men who were going away to the front. Mr Hine had been in the district many years, and he was always connected with matters for the advancement of the district. He was sure -Mr Hine and .Mr fincham would do their duty and uphold the honor of the men who went before them. The Chairman then presented Mr Hine and Mr Fincham with wristlet 'watches from the residents of Toko as tokens of esteem in which they were held by all.

Dr. Paget said the men who. were going away to do their duty would be

proud of it in years to come. He would be sorry for the men who, in years to come, would be asked by friends, or may be their children: "What part did you take in the great war?" and the answer would have to be, "None!" Life is full of satisfae-' tion, 'and if, while on the battlefield bad luck overtakes a man,he had lived a life of satisfaction. Stratford had sent away one good man and ho would not return, but if Colonel Malone were to come to life and was askedwould he go through the same again he would answer "Gladly." How, asked the speaker, could a man the more proudly than facing fearful odds? He again wished the guests of the evening God speed. Mr Weir said Mr Hine had been in the district over twenty years, and he had filled practjcally every public position in the place. He had been a member of the County Council. member of the Stratford Hospital and Charitable Board, member, and Itu some time chairman, of the Toko School Committee, and the first chairman of the Toko Domain Hoard, of which he was still a member. Mr Hine had always been connected with matters appertaining to the betterment of the district and had been ably helped by Mrs Hine. He had known Mr Fincham since he was a "wee" fellow and had seen him grow up. He had always found Mr fincham ready for innocent sport. He wished the guests a safe return. Mr Hocock also spoke on the lines of the previous speakers. The Chairman, on behalf of the restdents of Toko, presented Private Scarlett, who was on furlough, with a wristlet watch. The recipient suitably responded. Mr K, Marfell said the Chairman remarked, when making the presentations that the mementos were a token of esteem ; he wished to go further, and say that they were a token of acknowledgment that the people of Toko appreciated the recipients' actions. They appreciated the action of every man who enlisted for the front. The speaker said he was angry when he saw married men go to do the duty that should he performed by single .men without dependents. He did not believe that the young men knew what they were up against or they would go and light for their country. Some people remarked that there was more freedom under the United States Hag, but in his opinion it was not to be compared with the freedom enjoyed under the British Flag. The men who were going away were lighting for that freedom. The people in New Zealand did not realise what the country was up against; many were too much set on money-making. He had heard it said that a certain man could not ■r„ because he had a business to attend to or he could not sacrifice the salary he was receiving at present. 11 the Germans win the war that money or position, would be useless. He wished the men an revoir. I THE SOLDIERS' REPLIES. In reply Mr' Hine thanked those present for the reception given him. He said for many years every Britisher had lived under a liberty that , mlk l not be beaten; and because he appreciated that liberty he was going to fight for it, so that it may be handed down to their children Every young fellow medically lit should go,

and after every single man's name was in then it would be the duly of

the married men to enlist, for one, he was not going to stay at home. It j was nearly twelve months since he handed his name in. but he had been kept back for certain reasons, political amongst ethers. Mrs Hine felt that it was his duty to go, though the break would be very hard. His wile was the daughter of a soldier. He 'ould rather go and tight than let hi little boy fight in years to come. A' .1 previous speaker had said. the:..' had been muddling in the Defence Department, but if a man's papers went astray he should notify the Department that he was waiting to be called up, or his actions were cowardly, for ' lie was consoling himself by saying "1 sent in my name." The mistake was i not made by the Minister of Defence, but by a man in one of the offices. They could find a place for everybody who would go. He had heard remarks made about Conscription, and in his opinion the time had come and passed for Conscription. Everybody could not rule the roost; Cabinet would not call the House together, and the members could do nothing. The recruiting scheme was the next best thing. He was not in love with the scheme, but it was the duty of every man to fall into line at the present time. If he came back he said he would take up the easy life of farming and the arduous life of politics again. (Laughter). All the members of Parliament who wished to go to the front could receive leave of absence. in case of there being a general election while he was away he would leave a nomination paper behind him. (Laughter). Mr Hine emphasised the wisdom' of purchasing British-made goods. It was a wonder to him why the Germans went to war at all; at the co.nmenceent of the war they were dominating the walks of life. They were "big

duffers," for they had lost about 700,- ()()() square miles of territory in Lie colonies. The Germans thought that England was not prepared' and would not" uphold the treaty with Belgium. l„ concluding. Mr Hine said he was sure he was leaving Mrs Hine and the family in sale hands when leaving them' with the residents of Toko. Mr fincham briefly returned thanks and said he was going away to do that which he had always tried to do in Toko, viz., "play the game." Private Scarlett, in returning thanks said that he had not been in New Zealand long. His two brothers .had gone, one younger than himself, and he was not going to be beaten. During the evening songs were contributed by Messrs E. Hine and S. Reid. , „„_ fOOTBALL CLUB PRESENTATION. At the conclusion of the function. Mr Hine, on behalf of the Toko Lootball Club, presented a framed photograph of the members of the team, to Mr E. Marfell and Mr Milne. The recipients suitably responded.