The Governor's Visit

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 224, 27 January 1911, Page 8

The Governor's Visit

TO NEW PLYMOUTH. SUCCESSFUL FUNCTIONS. Favorable weather attended Lord Islington's first visit to New Plymouth yesterday. In the morning His Excellency visited the oil wells at Moturoa; at noon he unveiled the monument on Marsland Hill to the' men who fell in the South African war; at 1.30 he was the guest of the Mayor at luncheon at the White Hart Hotel; in the afternoon he attended the garden party in the Park and inspected the veterans (in whom he took the liveliest interest)} and in the evening he was present at the concert given by the Liedertafel Society in the Theatre Royal. It was a somewhat heavy programme, especially on the part of the Governor, but everything went off splendidly. Lord Islington created a very favorable impression, and his marked popularity in the districts he lias visited in the Dominion is e;i-i!.- understood.

\i',.'!' TO PETROLEUM WORKS. In the morning His Excellency visited the oil wells at Moturoa. He was accompanied by Captain Shannon, A.D.C., his Worship' the Mayor (Mr. G. Tisch) and the member for the district (Mr. 11. Okey). At the wells, the party were welcomed by the directors of the com-' pany, viz., Messrs. C. Carter*(chairman), J. B. Roy, J. Little, D. Berry, J. ,1. Elwin and C. E. Bellringer. Mr. Henry, the English jietroleum expert, with Mr. A. E. Watkiiis, was also present. Tile manager (Mr. Keith) conducted the party over the works and explained the operations in detail, starting at No.' "2 well, and afterwards proceeding to No. ;S. His Excellency appeared to be very much interested in and impressed with what he saw. In the visitors' book he wrote: "Wish the industry early and lasting sucee.is."

He was first shown the llow of oil at No. 2, a llow that has been sustained for over a year, and the large tanks oi oil that had been won. He was then taken to the engine-room and show* the natural gas from the bore being utilised as fuel. The entire absence of smoke was an advantage he commented upon. The miniature refinery was next inspected, with the various by-products distilled from the crude petroleum. The chairman promised to have a complete set made up and forwarded to His Excellency. At No. 3 drilling and pumping operations were in progress, and the distinguished visitor evinced considerable interest in them. The oil coming up from between the casings was flowing strongly at the time.

"It is most interesting, and I hope it will be most productive," was Lord Islington's view of the operations. While at the No. I bore the party were photographed.

OFFICIAL LUNCHEON. At the invitation of his Worship the Mayor (Mr. G. Tisch) about fifty representative citizens were present at the White Hart Hotel to partake of luncheon. His Worship, the Mayor presided, on his-right being His Excellency the Governor, while Colonel Ellis occupied a seat on the left.

After an excellent repast, served in keeping with the hostelry's reputation, a few toasts were honored.

"The King and the Royal Family" was.' proposed by the Mayor. In a few wellchosen remarks he referred to our Sovereign, King George, as a monarch who would emulate the good qualities of his father, the late King Edward VII., and who the speaker hoped and prayed would long live to reign over a united and loyal people. In proposing the health of "His Excellency the Governor of New Zealand," Mr. Tisch spoke of the honor and privilege' which was his in extending to Lord Islington a hearty welcome and in informing him of the delight it afforded the citizens of New Plymouth and Taranaki in having him amongst them, and in showing him some of the resources of the district. The oilfield which his Excellency had visited that morning was one of the seats of industry that they all hoped would help to bring New Plymouth into prominence as a city by increasing the population of the borough. The Dominion had had many Governors, and they could congratulate themselves that they had carried out the trust reposed in them with the highest honor, and he hud no doubt the qualifications possessed by His Excellency were not behind those who had preceded him. (Hear, hear). His Excellency's long political experience and his experience of local government, together with his knowledge of military matters, fitted him to carry out the duties and responsibilities of governing our Dominion. His Worship said that his amiability and unvarying courtesy to all would endear him to the hearts of the people during his term as the Sovereign's representative. (Loud applause). The toast, was enthusiastically responded to, and on rising to reply his Excellency was greeted with renewed applause. He said he was glad of the opportunity to express to Ids Worship the Mayor his appreciation of the kindlv manner in which ho had submitted the toast, and also in which the company had responded to it. It was a great pleasure to find that in the course of his travels throughout the Dominion nowhere had the cordiality of the reception afforded him been wanner than in Taranaki and New Plymouth. It was also very gratifying to know that here as well as elsewhere there was a splendid spirit of loyalty evident amongst- all classes towards their Sovereign in the Old Country whom he had the honor to represent, (Applause). He recognised that the cordiality of the receptions extended to him was mainly due to that spirit of loyalty which New Zealand and New Zealanders have become conspicuous for throughout the whole Empire. Therefore, from that point of view alone it was extremely gratifying to him to feel that whoever was discharging his! duty here in representing his Majesty' would always meet with cordial co-opera-tion and support in this loyal Dominion. Apart from that point, 'however, he mentioned the happy receptions he had received ever since he had come to the' country and the personal side of tncj cordiality he had experienced. He had always heard that those who came to 1 New Zealand were received with open*

and ample hospitality, and that reputation had been fully realised liv him ever since he had landed on these shores. The honor do.ir to l.un but shov.\a their desire and their determination to pay full allegiance to the King of the Empire, and in addition to that to oiler to the Governor for the time being all f,ll-» heart, co-operation and cordial sympathy that lie in their power. That to him was an attribute which he assured the company he deeply appreciated and cherish" I. Hi's Worship the Mayor had set him a most admirable example of the art of brevity, in that he had said all he wanted to say in a few words, and that was a quality denied to most people. (Laughter and applause). As an old Parliamentarian •■at Home, and as one who had tome into close proximity with a large number of British Parliamentarians. He must say he was afraid it was a quality that might well be copied. At the same time he wished to say one or two words about this interesting part of New Zealand. He realised that in Taranaki in the earliest days they had stood out as playing one of the most conspicuous parts in the foundation and building up of the Dominion of New Zealand. Undoubtedly in this district they bore the brunt of the hardships and the settlers had the most severe portion of the antagonism. The history of the district might be characterised in its truest sense—as witness the ceremony of that morning—aa a military one and as showing thev desired the advance of the Emjpire. He had had the opportunity of seeing for' himself a very substantial J element of the population who survive, i and who took an active and distinguishjed part in those early (lays in the mili|tary history of Taranaki. (Applause). .His Excellency said he desired to congratulate the officer in command; he had not seen such a splendid force of veterans on parade as was before him that morning. (Hear, hear). But time had passed on, and the country was being settled, and all were now pursuing more peaceful avocations. lie was glad to be able to say that they had turned ; their minds to the land and were engaged in the steady, if less adventurous, I and hence more profitable pastime oi j butter. (Laughter and applause.) His Excellency trusted the industry would ; continue to progress. lie referred to an'other industry, the oil, which it had his pleasure to see that morning . through the kindness of His Worship, | and this also he hoped would prove a .stable, permanent and increasing factor towards uninterrupted prosperity. (Ap'plause.) He had often been told since he came to New Zealand that he took a great interest in farming, and so he did, i He had been connected with it for many | years, and he was trying to show that I that interest for the next few years would be devoted to the agricultural interests of New Zealand. (Applause.) llt was not merely because he was a i farmer, but because he recognised that agriculture was the very foundation oi their prosperity, and in years to como that prosperity would depend a great deal upon the development of agriculture. He congratulated them oil what he had seen in regard to the industry; on the development of large tracts oi country, which had resulted in closer settlement, and on the more scientific methods of agriculture now being pursued, which was the reason the products oi their land realised such satisfactory prices in the markets of the Old World, lie had also been told that there were 100 factories working on the co-operative principle in, Taranaki, and upon this he had to congratulate them. This method of working was one of the principal fat tors in procuring for their butter the highest prices in the European markets and he hoped it would continue. (Applause.) In conclusion, His Excellency referred to the cordiality with which he had been received here and in all parts of the Dominion, and he would go awaj with very pleasant recollections of New Plymouth and Taranaki as a kindly peo pie. (Loud applause.) Mr. C. Carter, in proposing the nexl toast, "The Government and Parliamcnl of New Zealand," referred to the fact that though not numerically so stron; as the Imperial Parliament, New Zealane was in advance in several instances witl its legislation. For the assistance thai their Governments afforded to industries the people of the country had much t< be thankful; he referred specially to th< assistance given to the dairying indus try by the present Government. (Hear j hear.) This was the case also in regari to their harbor, and although the Go vernment had been doing a great den there was more to be done in the future The oil industry, which was only in iti infancy, would require assistance fron I the Government, so as to bring the in I dustry before 'the Dominion and the whole world. Oil fuel would yet play t prominent part as the fuel of the future and a new era was opening out for thii district. Mr. Carter referred to the in te'fest His Excellency had taken in tin works at Moturoa while on his visit, t( the coming visit, of the Prime Minister and to the presence of Mr. J. D. Henry the oil expert. (Applause.) They wen expecting great tilings in the future, ane he congratulated the Government upoi their endeavors to assist the company to bring the industry to a successfu issue.

The Hon. T. Kelly, M.L.C., in a short speech, stated that he had been through seventeen sessions, with experience of

both Houses of Parliament. He admitted that the idea of the Government of the

time was to do its duty to the best of

its ability. He had never known of any

one misusing bis position to benefit himself solely. Mr. Kelly referred to the assistance the Government had given to

Tarana'ki in regard to their harbor at

New Plymouth. He believed the Harbor Board, in going in for dredging the harbor, was working on right lines. They ought to be glad and rejoice that they had been so lucky, and no doubt within a few years, as the result of the dredging, direct steamers would come up to the wharf. | Mr. Okey, M.P., replied very briefly, simply stating that as the hour for an-1 other'function was at hand he would just; thank the proposer of the, toast for coup-j ling his name with it. < The ringing of "God Save the King"j brought the function to a close. Mr. Will Perry presided at the piano throughout, each toast being musically honored. CIVIC RECEPTION. MONSTER GARDEN PARTY. There was a holiday concourse at the Recreation Grounds in the afternoon, to! participate in the civic reception to His! Excellency, the proceedings including the

. | presentation of an illuminated address ■jhy the Mayor on behalf of the citizens, i As the \ ice-regal party drove into the ■grounds, and Lord Islington and suite were conducted to the covered dais on the southern terrace, the Garrison Baud •played the opcu.i.g strains of the [National Anliuin, and the troops came ; to the salute, n was a brilliant scene, i the terraces being lined with hundreds 1 of gaily dressed people, Hanked by the i scarl:-t coats of the military, and the ; uniforms of the cadets and scouts, •j whilst on the level green below the I crowd (locked together near the plati form to catch the words of the speakers -1 in the ceremony. There was a large -i muster of veterans, who were accoinljmodated with seats on either side ol s the vice-regal party. -' His Worship the Mayor read the following address, and presented an illuniJ inated version of it to His Excellency: ' His Excellency, The Right Honorable John Poynder Dickson-Poynder, J Baron Islington, D.5.0., K.C.M.G., Governor and Commander in Chief ' over His Majesty's Dominion of New Zealand and Dependencies. , May it please Your Excellency:— a We, the Mayor, Councillors and bur- - gesses of the borough of New Plymouth t respectfully extend to Your Excellency t'a most cordial welcome on this your II first visit to our town. We sincerely - hope that your brief visit to our borough -'will be fraught with pleasing interest, fjand that conditions may prevail to enliable you to enjoy some at least of the ',[: sights and beauty spots of this Garden -of New Zealand. We desire to -take ->tlie present opportunity of assuring you •jof our devoted loyalty to His Majesty ■| the King, and to yourself, His Majesty's in New Zealand. We * i trust that under your wise and able 1 ! guidance the strong bond of sympathy l, jand warm affection wiuels exists be"ltween this Dominion and the Mother ' Country will be maintained and strength- ' cued, and that your term of office may j be marked by continued'and increased ". prosperity to the Dominion. We carn- >,' estly trust that good health and every 'happiness will attend Your Excellency, ''Lady Islington and family, and that 1 when in course of time you return to I ' the Mother Land, you will bear with * you the happiest recollections of your ' sojourn in the Dominion of New Zea- '' land, and especially of your associa--1 tions with the borough of New Plyr mouth. Signed on behalf of the Mayor, Councillors and burgesses of New Ply--2 mouth, i I G. Tisch, Mayor af New Plymouth. A P. T. Uedringer, Town Clerk. t His Worship, continuing, said that he s wished to supplement these formal ex- - pressions by thanking Lord Islington for ) being present and atiording the people i this opportunity of showing him the hist toric and beauty spots in New Plymouth f and its neighborhood. Had time pera mitted, they would have liked to have t shown him the fertile lands and some of - the pioneer settlements of Taranaki. t They had here, said Mr.'Tisch (indicat- ; ing the veterans assembled on the teri races) some of the pioneer settlers, and - it was due to them that the people - were able to-day to occupy this fine ■ province of Taranaki, for it was they ' who had braved the dangers of the past T and had transformed an utter wilderness • into one of the most flourishing districts e within the Dominion of New Zealand. 6 He hoped to be able at some future B date to welcome Lady Islington to New 1 Plymouth, and he gave his assurance • that a very hearty and cordial welcome e , awaited Her Excellency on her arrival. '< Mr. Tisch concluded by again expressing 1-1 the hope that His Excellency would ens', joy his stay here, and carry away with, e ; him pleasant recollections of the visit.' ". Hearty applause greeted the con- ' elusion of the Mayoral welcome, and this was renewed when His Excellency '" the Governor advanced to the platform, reading the following formal reply.— t "The Mayor, Councillors, and burgesses t of the borough of New Plymouth, g "Mr. Mayor and gentlemen, | "I desire to thank you for the cordial t welcome you have extended to me to--3 day on the occasion of my first official o I visit to New Plymouth. It has afford- , cd me much pleasure to have this op.J portunity of coming amongst you ana ' t j seeing the beautiful province of Taraj naki. I note with satisfaction your cx- (_ pressions of devoted loyalty to His , Majesty the King and to myself as His J Majesty's representative. During my term of office it will be my earnest den sire to draw closer the strong bonds oi j. sympathy and warm affection which cxc ists between this Dominion and the a ' Mother Country, and I trust that my , administration may be marked by cong tinued and increased prosperity to the ( . Dominion. I thank you for the good e wishes so kindly expressed in your ad--0 dress, that/ Her Excellency Lady Islingri ton and I may be blessed with good r \ health and happiness, and I confidently e | anticipate that when we return to the j Mother Land we shall carry back with n us very pleasant recollections of our sov journ in New Zealand, il Islington, Governor." I Tli« Tvi-foHnti,.,, c«;,l 1,„ i.i i:i._ j..

I His Excellency said lie would like to | shortly and cordially supplement this > formal reply to the kindly address which I had been presented to him by the I Mayor, and to say how he appreciated I and was grateful for the beauty of tht. I illumination of the address itself. It I would, he said, always remain as one of ! his pleasant and cherished possessions I as a recollection of the years, begun i to-day and to be continued in the years to come, of pleasure and a closer associa- . tion between himself and the residents ' of the province of Taranaki. j He had very great pleasure in having the opportunity of meeting under such ' pleasing circumstances so many of the inhabitants of this loyal town and | neighborhood, and he had special pleasure in seeing so representative a parade on either side of him of the veteran \ pioneers who had taken part in the ' early settlement of this neighborhood. I He congratulated the veterans on their j strong and healthy presence in the parade which he had inspected that morning, and said he felt sure that the younger generation now looked and al.ways would look with respect, gratitude and admiration upon them for the work done in the early days in establishing tin's portion of New Zealand. Many years had passed since those early day's of hardship and severity, and they had to-day a transformed country. 'Than i transformation had been brought about j by the energy and by the efforts of many that lie now had the honor of addressing, I and he would like to offer his warmesn ' congratulations to all of them upon the I splendid prosperity that this neighborI hood presented, both for the prcsenv welfare of New Zealand and for its extended welfare in the days to come. The people here lived, continued His Excellency, in one of those choice and happy districts of this well-favored country which abounded in natural advantages and natural opportunities, and both had been taken full advantage o1 by the people who by their own efforts had brought about the very best possible results. He would watch with tile keenest possible interest and ambition the future progress of this district, along with the other districts of New Zealand, and lie only hoped that the years during which he was to have the honor of being Governor of New Zealand, would be signalised by continued and uninterrupted progress and prosperity to the Dominion and its people. /'I know,"

said His Excellency, "anil I am proud to feel the knowledge, that I have the honor of being Governor of a Dominion under the British King and within thu Imperial system that stands second to none in loyal devotion to the King and to that Imperial system. You have proved it in tiie past, and are proving in to-day, and if ever the opportunity or emergency arises you will prove it again. We have reached the days when the units of the Empire have attained that complete state of autonomy and of independent constitutional government which is the great boon of our British constitution. Those who have watched that movement through the years have been aide to detect that with the increase of your consitutional government ha» come closer affinity and warmer cooperation with the Mother Country. (Hear, hear.) We live in days the future of which we cannot foretell, but this we know, and of this we feel confident, that while each of the States of the Empire enjoys complete constitutional freedom to carry on its own affairs—all of these States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada. and others—and the Mother Country are becoming more and more determined that in those external matters where the common interest of all is concerned—in matters of defence and in other matters of- life and interest to the whola British race —cordial and intimate cooperation will be established more and more under the British Flag." His Excellency added that during his term of office he hoped to see this movement grow and gb forward with steady and stable strides, because he felt confident that the more stable and sound the foundations of the Empire could be based the greater tendecy there was for the peace of the whole world. (Cheers.) His Excellency again expressed his gratitude to the large numbers of people who had come to welcome him to New Plymouth, and his gratitude to His Worship the Mayor on behalf of the people for the kindly address presented. He hoped this would be the first of many occasions on which he would be able to come into closer and more intimate touch with the good people who lived here in this district.

Upon the call of tho Mayor, three cheers \vpi;e given for Lord Islington, immediately followed by a hearty burst of cheering for the Mayor himself. This concluded the official portion or the afternoon's proceedings. How were the several thousands of folk to occupy the remainder of the afternoon? An energetic committee, foremost among whom appeared Messrs. McLeod, Humphries, Tribe, Clarke, and McGahey had that matter in hand. Gaily decorated bicycles and 'go-carts and dolls' carta were presented for competition, and Mr. G. 11. McGahey commenced the judging. When His Excellency the Governor had been presented to several leading residents, he descended to the sporta arena, and inspected the troops, cadets, and scouts, afterwards performing a like duty in regard to the veterans, noting keenly the various medals and emblems of active service, and engaging in the inevitable conversation with that old campaigner J. O'Donnell, who "chummed up" in a manner that amused considerably not only the crowd on the terraces but evidently Lord Islington himself, who is president of the New Zealand Association of Veterans. Later on, amidst hearty applause from everywhere and very self-Batisfied nods, hand-clapping and laughing from the heroes of the past, he sat amongst them with their vice-president, Colonel Ellis, and was photographed. A stroll about the grounds, and then His Excellency returned to the charge, and met the increasingly friendly "John" in converse. Then the reception committee rescum him, and after afternoon tea, took him for a walk (Mr. R. Cock, chairman of the Park Board acting as cicerone) through the beautiful grounds for which New Plymouth is famed more than for anyone else.

The public meanwhile were watching a very creditable display of ambulance work, including the restoration of the apparently drowned, by a party of Boy Scouts, who also gave a display of flagsignalling. The Taranaki Garrison Ban* played several splendid selections under Conductor Cummings, and rehearsed the march, "The Defenders," to be played in the Band Contest next month, greatly to the enjoyment of the people. The band gavo a most meritorious performance. Two bicycle races were run, J. Adlam, the back-marker, catching the limit men (250 and 300 yds) and winning in the two-mile race, with Roebuck second; and Adlam, giving away starts of 200 yds, again scored in the mile race. M. Julian was the only man to finish in the reverse-gear bicycle race, his pedals going like sails of a windmill in a gale and tho cycle travelling at the rate of about a mile an hour. The decorated vehicles competitions resulted as under: Bicycles.—Miss Evans 1, Miss Devenish 2. Five entries.

Go-carts.—Miss Curtis 1, Miss G, Waters 2. Three entries.

Dolls' Go-carts.—M. Moon 1, E. Riddles 2. Eour entries.

Messrs. Gilmour and Clarke, Newton King, Gunson, W. A. Jury, and R. Cock placed motor-cars at the disposal of the committee, and threepenny rides were run—and didn't the kiddies have a glorious time! The afternoon-tea tent was the scene of a continued rush on edibles and drinkables, and the ladies' committee did wonders. A cocoanut shy and other "shows" all helped to engage tho attention of the crowd and to provide coin for the further improvement and development of the Sports Ground and the Recreation Grounds themselves.