THE MANAWATU LINE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 297, 10 December 1908, Page 4

THE MANAWATU LINE.

TAKEN I$Y THE STATE. There were about 150 people present at I lit- banquet at the Wellington Town Hall on Monday, in celebration of the transfer of the Slaijawatu line to the Government. Air. .1. Kirkealdie, chairman of dim-tors, presided.

THE FIRST TOAST. After the toast of " The King," the chairman piopused "The Government of 1 the Dominion.'' In doing so he con-1 gratulated the Government on its action iii acquiring llie projerty, remembering .iial he had not \ei ueard a sing e ■ usseatient voice i:ii<ed .igainst the acquisition of the pro,, .. . The Government had done well in iiie interests of the Dominion, and more especially as the railway earned a good profit. He also thanked the Prime Alinister for the

patient and courteous manner in which tho negotiations had been carried on. The value of the railway could only be fully appreciated by those who knew the condition of allairs existing ut the time the railway was tirst opened, in spite of the financial depression then existing, lie quoted from past speech?., of those associated with the enterprise to show that those who were first assoI I eiated with it were imbued with an

a rile n I desire for the development of district, and that it had beea of a color .sing character to an extent which wa valuable to a degree to the country a i whole. The lands of the euuipany ha been sold at an average of 2Us (id a lore, and all those who iiad entered ini the purchase had done well by the trailaction. (Applause.) During its yea.' of active working, (lie company had cai ried >ll round tigures, seven millions • passengers, and the gross earnings ha been £2,400,000, of which £070,000 lnl been paid away ill wages, lie expresse appreciation of the generous .support e> tended to the company l»v the citizen and merchants of the country. In coi elusion, he wished the line the succcunder the Government that it ha achieved in t'lie past. (Applaiw.) Als he handed to the l'rime Minister silver key of the. Manawatn Kailwai in celebration of the transfer trcuii t!i Company to the Government —a pri sentation' that was greeted with clieeu The l'rime Jlinister, who met wit .1 cordial reception, congratulated th Dominion on having acquired the lin and tilt directors of the company o having made a satisfactory sale, iuo.' especially ill view of t'he fact that th tia'.isixainn had been carried out will out fiictiMi or illwill, The result show ed that tiie sale had been effected o terms satisfactory to both parties. (A] plause.) This was practically the las of the private lines of railway ill th country, ami now the whole of th transport railways of the cum pa P would be carried on by the Goveruuieni He believed the result would be beni ftcial to the country as a whole, and h wanted to express the appreciation c the Government of tile way in whie the company had carried out its wo -: in connection with the Government o the country. Throughout the relation between the company and the Govern mint had been most cordial. The tradi to the Jlanawatu railway contribute by the Government during the last tei years amounted to no less than £042, 792, an amount which gave man\ chances for friction if there had heel any desire to create it. (Applause. On all sides there had been evidence <> progress on the line, an'l in this comiec lion he had a word of .praise to sa,> alwut the late general manager, Mr. \\ XL Hannay, and the engineer, .Mr Marehbanks, for the work they ha;< done. (Applause.) The work of liotl these gentlemen had been i f a must valuable doeripliou. Tli mm- gentlemen, however, were not joining the Government service—they were the exceptions —hut as to those who were joining lie felt sure they would, as in the past, do their duty faithfully and well. As to the purchase - money raised without "dilliciilty on most ad rantageous terms. (Applause.) The icquisition of the line would increase .he travelling facilities of the public, and >e the means of helping in the developnent of busim'ss and of the -passenger .rallic of the Dominion. In conclusiin. le spoke in term- of praise of the pio leers who promoted the line in the early lays of Xew Zealand, remarking that : lie present occasion would be one of litensc interest to those who iiuuigu-, aled that valuable work in the early lays, and now were able to see the latural consummation of that work in liese later days -the acquisition by the 'cvcrniKciit of a line which would be •ne of the most valuable among th" ailway lines of the Dominion, lie cxtressed the hope that the railway now aken over would be carried on in future ii the lilies of progress. (Loud st;ilause.)

THE OUHMNATORS AND PROMOTERS."

"The origination and promotion of lh-' Wellington and Manaw,atu Railway" was proposed by Mr. li, 1). Hell, K. 1., who. speaking from personal experience, referred to the way in which tin* private company took up the construction of a work which had .been adversely reported on T and in that coaneetion he made feeling reference to the late Air. .1. lMimmer a ltd Mr. <l. E. Nathan. besides incut-inn-ing Mr. Levin, Mr. Travel's, and Mr. Izard, ilr. -I. .Kirkealdic, the present chairman, also took up his share of the guarantee. The promoters of that day knew that: t>e work was one that must succeed. .a-ul through good report and ill report they had stuck to their task till the end was as successful as they could 'have anticipated. The promoters had done their work, and the Government was entitled to its share of the credit, not only in giving the concession for the construction of the railway, but in having carried out the re cent purchase. (Applause.)— Post.