Walkure Luncheon

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 21, 13 June 1914, Page 6

Walkure Luncheon

—— - ■ —■■■ ' A NOTABLE ETEXT. LARGE AXU KEPIU3SKXTATIYE GATIIERIXG. OPTIMISTIC SPEECHES.

To understand more thoroughly wiiat the advent of the Walkure means 'to T-aranaki as tin earnest of future progress ami pro-iperity, it was only necessary to bi' present at the luncheon given by the New Hymouth Harbor Board yesstorckiy in honor of the event. The assemblage hi the Theatre Royal comprised some two or three hundred men from all parts of Taraimki. Indeed, it is some time rfifee <so nvrge and •representative a withering .took plaee in New Plymouth. The tables occupied the whole of'tire body of the theatre, and each one was lilled to >ovcrllowiug. Th;e chairman \nu Mr J. I!. Connctt (chairman of the Hoard). On his right was Ma- Thomas Kelty, and on hi-, left. Mr Oliver S'iv.iki"!. Aftar the discussion of an ample rcpnri. catered .by Jir A. Woollcr, tile toast list was commenced. 'PARLIA3LBXT OF XEW ZEALAXD. Tihe firs!, toast after the usual loyal recognition, was that of the Parliament of Xew Zea'and. which was in the tends of Mr James Burgess. Mr Burgess challenged contradition wihen he said that the people of Tiiranaivi might well be proud of their representatives in both Hou-c.s. X'O other part of the Dominion returned a 'better of men. He felt proud of the member for his own district, and ho did not think Mr Wilkinson's' sent would be 'oontc-ifced. 110 coupled tile toast with the names of Messrs 11. Oltcy, G. A. Wilkinson 1 ., J. B. H.ine, MVP.,'and tli? Hon. W. C, F. C-arncros*.

Hon. Civnicross, in responding, expressed his pleasure at lieing present at so large and representative a. gathering. He had known and liked New Plymouth for a quarter of a century. When lie first knew the town the harbor was in the future, but on this red letter day it was AN ACCOMPLISHED FACT. This wis -dun to Mr Newton.King, to whose enterprise tue province was indebted for the notability of a day which was but the fore-runner 01 many to <*wic. (Applause.) There would i>e mo"e shins wnd .biswr. ship*. ITe had always had unfailing faith ini the New Plvmnnt.li Harbor, and n'Ow the critie-«ai which. had beset the path of the p ! on w "s of the movement could he silenced with the assertion that there was in harbor, and a direct Heamrr alongside the wharf. It -was diiTicult for lii'm *.n reply directly to the toast of "Parliarij'nt." unless he introduced controversial matto-s.' hut ;is ,a. representative of <v section of Parliament which might soon he 71 on -exi-ilcnt hj? wis (pleased and to »c present- Opinions difSemrl «>* to t.li* n/1VisaMity of eliminating the Council. he were ousted from his position in the Council, lie would lenk roiiiid for a fnfe and m>w >eat. -lt*i* lie would not. tackle Mr Wilkin~*ni f«- f-n» of forfeiting his ueposit. M- R-iwi whom ho was pleased (o «;•" ruvs'n* ■had done his share of "liai-d fab-"- «.•>.' a. very bi'r yiliare. too. -n llut + alt.lirvn<-'-he wn-i not •tricllv •;ieal;in<; entitled to rejdv to the toa«t. hj" I'" 1 earned his right to speak. IT" wr>»'d. with the of the cha ; V"'»'t. couple his name ,as a respondent to the toast. (Applause.) Mr iSannud remarked that, a he wa-, no longer a member of the Coii'i-dl it =ih.onfd not. strict I ** fall +o 'his lot. to 'answer Mr Butbw. He enu»l not. however, withhnhl bis approval of what the latter had said conc-mim; New Zealand's air] wa'-a n - peeiallv toneli :>< if-i. (••vneross' referj ence to himself. „V ],i a l l(Mlv * lx knew, he had been a worker all his life, and so when h* mme to take his part, in tile leiishi'irc 'of the country he had endeavored in do hi-i share, .and especially for T'-'iiaki. He would introduce 110 controversial matters, but wonM merely that when a jrnn found he could not honestly and with IK) thought of profit or 'personal advantage do what by -thought was if foe saw members of'the body" to which he belonged sepkinrr their' own personal interests, lie was better out of I it. If members of Parliament were influenced 'by parti' considerations, and / amenable to all ' the .little side-winds J which blew in the political world, then i no one shou'id envy the lot; of a member of the Legislative 'Oouiie.il. "The PnriiaI nient of New Zealand." he continued, "is free from personal corruption, and clean from improper motives, or wealt.hseekera Coming a,-i I have recently from a land peopled by great, nation a peopie 'who have fonndi. however, that those who hci : d the highest places in their midst, who carry the honor of the nation in their hands., have been faithless to a sacred trust and befcmved thei.r ilionor and drairgril honorable traditions in the du-it—wlteu one .sees, these people protesting their abhorrence that this thing be, tand using every endeavor to stamp out the evil, then one turns with a sigh of relief to New Zealand, and thanks Cod that there is no corruption here." IN 'RKMTNfSCENT VEIN.

"When T look round this gatherinG 1 ," he continued. "I ■remember the. jw spent here in the days when we stmve almost- against hope in tne endeavor to nia-ke a port of this 'town, strong only in the conviction that the future welfare of this ■district would defend almost entirely on its ultimate accomplishment. 1 -ee now around me faces —ltr Kelly's, for instance —whfeh l>v.inff a flood of memories, and I remember a man whose. influence and energy have, I believe, been .handed down to a man who is in, the forefront of the harlraomovement to-day. T refer to the LA.TIC MR THOMAS KTXG. That gentleman in his lifetime devot-'d his ability, enemy, and persuasive powers to the work of making a harbor in tlib town'. I could mention iimnv more. There f.i .Mi- CVmnett. on whom I am tempted t<> the eulogv whieh his modesty wmifd deprecate. I think also of those who have passed away and ai"> nut (here to s:'o what they sought all their Jives to accomplish, a' larjjp Home steamer berthed a.t the wharf, safely berthed, too. de.-piie the frloomy forecasts of oar enemies 'anil the fears of those whom we'lut-tled so hai'<l to convince. I am femnted to become reminiscent, when T rr.m«-mb"r the .struggle that occurred when the Parliament, said that to attemnt a harbor at New Plymouth was hopeless,, that the authority to raise loans should .re repealed, .and the money diverled to more profitable channels. A DAY OP WKATIf. "When Major Atkinson," continu-M 1 Mr Samuel, "wired 'the news to NVv,Plymouth, those of you whoi were. lier« ■then can remember, and those who were not can scarcely imagine the consternation wliich prevailed in the town. An indignation meeting was held, and it was at once dociitwl to send a- deputation to Wellington to avert the 't'hmitr eneti disaster. All parte of the -district are practically united on the liar-

)or i|in>lion now—as they are repro- | iented lu-r.. to-day----!>nl. in those dins I thev win: Jar from united, .a; you gather f. uw the fact i.hat when we arrived in I lawera in e. eoiL-imction train procured 111 r us a i V: :it expense bv Messrs Berry and -\ wman, we round thai, the horses for -I;:o couch which was to tnlie us on unotiistage llud liecn purposely * towed away in order to prevent our going on. Fortunately- jierhap i because there were among us sumo limb; of the law well versed in tin; art of instilling fear in Ihc mind of mull | with, t'lirents of heavy damages—we were abl'.i to force Ihem to produce our horses. Then, when we got to Wellington, we were met with jeers and sneers, hut by untiring effort,-; we. .were !o ' convert some of our opponent--, into | friends, alia so the ,Tiill w.iich wmi'd have -stopped our hiirbor work failed. Mr Henry Weston is an absentee who a' great, expense give valuable assistance to the work; Mr Arthur iStandish i| another. Nothing .could give these men greater ji'eastire than to see to-day the fruition of their hopes, and an evidence that 'they have iiot toiled ill vain, and that those who sacrificed so 'much have at length achieved suece.-is. This will Ir: followed in the near future by Im establishment of a, ira.rhor which will adequately serve the prosperous district which was at one time looked on as lagging mid hardly worth maintainincr. This day will always be the object of pleasant recollections and deep gratification to me. Mr Xewton King aiul I were young men together. We of Taranalci owe a deep debt of gratitude to him, and w.hen yon settler;; think of thi--; matter in your own homes, whatever you may think of the persAnnl gain to him. never forget that it is due to his enterprise and self-sacrifico that we are assembled here to-dav in mutual congratulation." (Applause.) ■ -MR OIvEY, M.P.

ill' Okcy, M.P.. iii briefly responding' to tne toast, said lie Iliad anticipated this day six years ago when the Harbor Board placed its second iiill in Ins liands. That Jiiil wan one of the most iimpoitant measures, over passed, ami was constantly quote ( to-usiy when siimilai' Bills were discussed. lie paid a tribute to tile work of the harbormaster ('Ua-ptaiu Waller), remarking that it'was fitting that 'he, as an old Turanaki boy, should bring New Plymouth's first direct steamer into port. He 'himself had put his whole heart into the work foir the harbor, apart from party politics ami whether lie remained in Parliament or not, wotfil continue to work 'for it. Mr 0. A. Wilkinson, M.P., endowd the previous speakers' it murks ahout the purity of the House. New .Zealand should be well satislicd with it( Parliament. Reverting to tlic -harbor, he remarked tli:it lie had for years upheld the progress of th.» port, ' in the Harbor Board the town had a publis-spirited bO(,ly without factional disputes. In referring to 'Mr Carncross' 'remarks about the abolition of the Upper Chamber, he stated that lie had changed his views of tl'n.tc, and feared any tinkering with the present electoral 'system o'f the country. lie " 1

ADVOCATED UNITY in the province and the abolition 'of the town versus country feelins. The ipro- \ iiije 'luad paid toll to Wellington, and - A '.lckland long enough. As an importer, '■ ,< did. not like importing via Wellington' and it would be a great benefit to th» whole country to obtain a ili&nbw wine'; could handle imports and exports direct. THE HARHOR BOARD. Mr W. A. Parkinson then briellr proposed "The New Plymouth Harbor Irtm-ia. Contrast, he >aid, was always | iik cresting,and: Jutfound great interest-'in-•contrusting his New Plymouth in a whaleboat with the port of He present day. THE HARIIOR BOARD'S CHAIRMAN. Mr Connctt, who was, greeted with pro onged appiause. extended the thanks of lnniss If and the Board to these who were present, and e-peeiallv to the manv anion.!; fliem who had travelled Ion" distances to attend the celebration o'f the arrival, ot the fir-t direct stamshm to Visit the port. He referred feelingly to the ea.rly -tringhs rcferiYd to by' Mr ■Samuel. In JS,.> f-.V Harbor Bill was passed. <Jt the meinb-n of the Pro vinci:,.| Council wl:, had passed that uil the only survi-nvs were niiomas Kevlv A. S;amlish, .T„hn An- • liows, T. Mace, J. 1! it! nilmrv. 11. C. Hughe;, I<. MeUuire. and himself A 1 .V;" or J>^ n 'd was nt mv?v. elected, tho first member* being 3lessrs T K>llv 0 Baown, A. Ktandish, F. A. Carrinston, Atkinson, 11. Weston, Curtis. W" A Syme, .and himself. ],, 1877 the General' Assembly a. Bill auti]vo,ri>iin r »' a oan of £200,000. In January ]SS(f the loan was raised,' realising £190,102. At the end iof t'he year the preliminary work iv,is well advanced, and ni> February 1881, the foundation stone ,of the breakwater -was laid by Mr F. A. Carrington. The work was proceeded with and on March 10, IS,S3, the s.s, Kennedy discharged cement on (he breakwater. The first Union S.S. Company boat to be berthed was the Wanaka, on March 22, ISB4, and by July of that year all the shipping was transferred from tile roadstead to Moturoa, and hv .Tain-! I«S7. the breakwater was 1950 feet Itimr! when, the money b?ing exhausted, the ■work ceased. In HJOS Ibe Board obt'iin--0(1 Parliamentary sanction for a. further loiaii. and when the old loan becnine due on Mc v 1, 1 !)0I), Mi,' Hoard borrowed £275.000, out of which, after liquidating' t'he 'old debt, less the accumulated sinking fund, it had 'about, £125.000 |;o spend o-i the extension of the harbor. K.ECEN T DEVELOPMENTS.

Mr Connett referred to the difficulties ia flatting this loan, and Hie final JU'COinplishnient by Mr Kin« .and himself in London at 4 1 /. par K'cnt. Phi lis were prepared bv the Beard':; engineer and Mr .Xapier 15ell and approved by'the Mn.Hne lVmirtm-H., and from that date to rhe present wo;!; hud bwn pushed 011 as expeditioiihlv as possible. Six 'hundred feet li.id been added to the breakwater at a lower cost, per foot t'liau the .first portion cf the work in shallower water. The dredge Paritutu. which was capable of ilrediiiii" to -1, lentil required for t!.c large-it steamer, had been working since .Inlv inOO (when she was built at a. eo.->t of flM.OflO), and with the Thnma ■ king >he had removed in three year.u j wards of a million tons of spoil. This veil Id give some idea of the m.iiniitn'le o' the work, lie thought Uurt the .?nnl of many years past wai now in sight. <mm! iu the not too far distant future stunners far bigger than the Walkure wu'hl he berthed with even emit or e'.i'-e. .Most cf the ''tcainev-i wlii.'h now !.«v oil the ■. on si of WsvUra. fven the Tongariro. winch wa-i loading thprp now. only drew about lli 'or IS feet, deferring to the [iiv.inrial position cf Mi" lYsird. he Kiitl that tin* unexpended Iwl--11 nee of loan rm December. 31. I#l3. Ha.- £2IMH)(i. iiiii l the .-.inking fund stood at £l:>,->:l7. while the annual interest win £12.4(57. and the sinking fund contribution f2rm lb' referred to tilie unexpected delays in declaring the harbor fit for ocean vessels, explaining that the work lisul from a variety df tonws assumied a. grei.ter magnitude than lia<t ait first been antk'ipa.ted. In referring to the woirk of the Board, 'lie iraute special reference ti the -loyal assistance of Mr Maxwell. When lie 'became chairman lw determined .that every member Should be. fully, cognisant of tine affairs of the harbor.

nnu t'hey Jiad now a loyal and united Bonnl working in hiU'iuony for one object. MR E. MAXWtELL. Mr IC. Maxweu, in a speech on somewhat similar limn, said that twentyone years ago it was possible to walk dry-vhod where Die bows of the Walkure now T'j.jtcd. The channel then was only about six iinil a half feet deep. Xow the liarljur was dredged to 33 feci, i at low water, anil <l3 feet at high, I water, and the ('.lmiinel had ,boen j straightened and dredged to about 20 1 feet of the proposed 25 feet, j The I wharf was a line one, 72 feet wide and over 100Q- feet long, one of the licet in the Dominion, an 1 there was every | ii-coinmodatioii for shipping. There was j more water than in several other deep sea harbors, and letter berthage than,' for instance, at Thnn.ru. It was net i question of <i few years, hut a few months before Xew Plymouth would be n recognised deep -e;i 'harbor. It must have.been a pleasure to all his hearers to visit the w.lnrf and see the Walkure at her h.ri.li, ami the cargo discharged at the rate r-f more than 850 tons per day. The feeliiwr of town ve'.'.-:in conntry had gone, 'and rightly so. for-»'«nv legitimate progre n 'in Nw 'Plymouth meant progress for "I'a in link i. He had seen, in his own district the increased productivity, double or treble, following tlte use of the ibas'ic slag of which the i Walkure wis bringing more. N '■MR. XEWTOX KIXG-XOT SATISFIED ' YET.

Mr. J. B. Connett then proposed the health of Mr. Newton King, which was ] drunk with musical honors. j Mr. King said that he had looked for- ] ward almost from a boy to what had been accomplished, that day, and now bis ideas were still more advanced, and, what had seemed big then seemed verv small now. ' "The Walkure," he said, "is the largest boat which lias visited the port. Ari' ; o:i satisfied? lam not, nor is the Hoard, nor are the farmers. We rnoi.ni. :■ tlmt it ill but the forerunner of future activity. At present, 1 am acting as agent for the Shaw, tS'aviil and Albion Unv. one of the most up-to-date and convenient lines in the world. 1 have beeu 'hauled over the coals' ajready. Nevertheless, WK MUST HAVE DIRECT SHIPPIXO. If the line I represent cannot give it to us we must get it elsewhere, as direct boats are essential. I could not get all I wanted, as it is. I wanted the public to be able to ship general cargo by the Walkure, but this was impossible. I must thank the farmers, as we all must, for what they liave done. I could not, without their support, have imported .C2fl,oflo worth of merchandise as 1 have done. I must also thank the Railway Department'for their despatch, and especially Ml-. Armstrong, the Traffic Manager at Wanganui, wlio has gone out of his way to supply trucks. Have you," he continued, ''ever seen basic slag handled as this lias been? In the shipments by small direct boats in the past, I have lost as much as 20 tons in weight frdm various causes. Few people realise the future which is before this place. Let anyone visit the Olmra hack country, and he will get a better idea of tile district which the harbor will serve. 'I hat the town will be a deep-sea port is an absolute certainty, for it draws from an immense area, and Moturoa is the sole port to-day."

THE WALKURE'S CAPTAIN. Mr. W. I). Webster proposed the health of Captain Wcstphal, of the Walkurc. In doing so, lie contrasted the conditions of the port to-day with those in 1854 at the time of the arrival of the GOO-ton biinpie Rock ('it/. This was lying at what was then railed the outer entry. A hard south-easter came on, and blew the boat out to sea, with two anchors, cables, etc. Cn his return ten days later, the captain expressed the hope that he would never be sent to New Plymouth again. Captain Wcstphal could congratulate himself on having a, good wharf to lie at, and that his cargo was consigned to a merchant who knew that shipping required despatch. He therefore hoped that Captain Wcstphal oil his return would ask to be sent to New Plymouth again. (Applause). He hoped Captain Waller would have plenty more big steamers to berth in the future.

MORE IMPROVEMENTS WANTED. Captain Westphal returned thanks for the hearty welcome he had received, coming, as lie did, as a total stranger. Of course, no doubt he was expected to say something about the harbor. He was agreeably surprised with its excellence. It had plenty of water and splendid land marks in Mt. Eginont and the Sugar Loaves. Indeed, he had Mghte< 1 the fonm-r when twelve hours' steam away. 1h - harbor was suitable for present rciprivments, but if they Wished to be prepared for all shipping necessary improvements should be made He suggested that the Sugar Loaves should be connect,a!, and tile, present breakwater extcndi d. This would give worn room to build a,s manv, wharves as would be required to berth' all shipping to whatever dimensions their trade might grow in the future.' He paid a triunte to the work of the harbormaster (Captain Waller). man who was able to berth a single-.vrew steamer, with defective machimiy, like the Walkurc, would be aide te, handle modern twinscrew steamers without any difficulty. A (MEAT ADVANCE.

Captain Waller, it: reply, modestly remarked that he bad merely, done his duty. Everything had been in his favor when the vessel was berthed. The weather was fine, and ti:ero was plenty of vater available. '!-• had received great assistance from the captain and tile ohms and a wdl-di-ciplined crew, and also from his own as.,Uant (Mr. Eraser). The berthing of the vessel had been an object lesson to-Taranaki, and, moreover. spoke well f,,:- the enterprise of their (icrman frien.!. in sending the vessel out here, ||, to H||| . sent tendency fi,r increasing the size of vessels, and sah: that if Xow I'lynu"it?i wanted to keep abreast of tiie times and accommodate the largest shipthey: must have niiov facilities for working them, It was, however, a great advance on what •,uv. contemplated at the time the harbnr >v „ s started to be able to berth a ship or the present size. I his was a fcrtib district, and should have a good IwrW to cope with its exports and imports Then, in the near future. Xew I'lyi, Wou | (l tak(l its place with the gival ,-:ties of the Doniiii--1011. "A I.ITTI.E I!XVV TX PLACES." Til proposing the „st of "The Farming Industry," Mr. R. Lambie said that this was a day of great importance to t ie whole of Taranaki. lie eulogised the work done by the members of the Board, both past ami present, including the late Sir Harry Atkinson, to whom was due the endowment of '25 per cent, of the proceeds of land sales. The facilities provided for the export and import of' Taranaki produce were geneially appreciated by Taranaki farmers, although there might be a little envy in places at the position now occupied' by the Kcw Plymouth port. Of course, this was only the commencement of what might reasonably be- hoped for in the fu-

tare. Any improvement in the way of cheapening tin; transit of the produce of the land to the consumer, and in getting the manufactured article back to the farmers, must he a benefit to the whole community. While there were such men in New Plymouth as Mr. Newton King they need liave no fear that the commercial part of the business would be neglected. Regarding the introduction of this shipload of manure, the speaker said it was claimed that I with the scientific application of manure and labor, the productivity of the province would be doubled. Personally he was rather sceptical as to doubling, owing to the difficulty: of obtaining suitable labor. The soil and the climate wefc all right, but the scarcity of suitable labor was a grer„t drawback, j GROWTH OF DAIRYING. J Mr. Morton, in response, said that lie' !,had keenly watched the progress of the harbor since its inception. In 1881, when the'.fouhdation. stone .was laid, no one. would liave dreamed that the dairy industry would have developed to what it had 'to-dav.' As a representative of the dairy industry, he considered that it was the backbone of the country. From Taranaki alone the exports amounted to from £1,500,000 to £1,750,000 per annum, and lie had no doubt whatever that with the application of scientific and better methods and manures, the output. would be more than doubled, and that within a short time. There was an enormous area of land in Taranaki suitable for s dairying, but still being devoted to wool and cattle-raising, and though botli these were profitable lines, they did not yield the return per acre that dairying did. It was absolutely necessary to have direct liners to ship ~ their produce, and he believed the time win near at band when they would get IV'in. Taranaki could now export iifl.rno tens of cheese and 8000 tons>of butter per annum. 1 A UNITED TARANAKI.

That day's visit to the steamer at the wharf had, said Mr. Morton, been an eye-opener to a great many people, who had not seen eye to eye with the advocates of harbor improvement, and they must all admit the likelihood of the port being used by the whole of Taranaki—in fact, it would be one united Taranaki as far as shipping dairy produce to the London markets was concerned. He emphasised the necessity of a shed-being provided at or near the wharf for the transhipment of goods. Ag trade grew, this would be found absolutely necessary, and he felt sure the Board would be able to demise some way of overcoming the difficulties in this direction. Another matter, he considered, of paramount importance was the necessity for taking immediate steps to connect Opunake and New Plymouth direct by rail. Lack of railway Communication prevented the land along the coast being anything like fully worked, and he felt certain that with the railway the amount produced would be doubled. Consignments of manure would be more than doubled, and the prosperity of the whole district would be greatly increased. i A NEW MARKET OPENING.

| Mr. Jacob Marx, in the course of his reply, touched on the Herman trading expansion. The announcement of this he had received with great interest, not only because a German fleet of ships would be competing for freight, but also because they would probably find lis a market in (iertnany for our frozen meatproduce, etc., which would be of enor- { mous benefit to exporters. I Air. J. W. Foreman contrasted the I dairying industry at the commencement jof the harbor and now. Its present I position, was brought about by the work of a band of earnest men. There was a great future before the industry, particularly when farms were subdivided into smaller areas. He complimented the Harbor Board or, the energy displayed to bring about the present success, and stated that he regretted that he bad not always been able to help as he would have liked. I LOOKING AHEAD.

Mr. J. S. Connctt remarked that that day would be eclipsed only by the establishment of a direct line of Homegoing ships to New Plymouth, He reI ferred to the obstacles that the Board had had to contend with, and which made progress appear slow. The wisdom of advocating the present method of working proved correct. Whatever past to the breakwater, there was no opposition there might have been in the question now that the demand for direct shipping was so obvious to all concerned that they were only anxious to see a direct line of ships established to take advantage of it. The need for more cool storage, and the congestion at meat freezing works, all pointed directly to tho necessity of a deep-sea port. He referred to the benefit farmers had already received by the present direot sliipmeift of manure, a rebate of lis per ton having been made by Mr. King, and they could look forward to bigger savings still when a direct line was established. Basic slag, he said, was eminently suitable for the soil in this district, and it was absolutely necessary to manure the land to obtain the best results. He hoped the Board would continue its good work and make provision for the largest boats.

j " A GREAT DAY'." Mr. E. L'E. Barton (Tlawera), ill proI posing the health of tin; chairman, said that it was a groat day for New l'lyj month, for Taranaki. and for Mr. Con- [ liett, chairman of tlx; Harbor Board. It must be a pleasure to all to meet on the consummation of a great work, which had boon viewed with varied feelings in some parts of Taranaki. There were those who doubted, ilnd those who sneered, but everything that day wiv drowned in acclamation. When lie arrived in -Taranaki, it stood oil the hinder line of civilisation —no railway connection and no harbor. Tie claimed some credit in connection with the formation of the country party which had boon instrumental in the success of tin; harbor, because it had the people of Taranaki—not only of New Plymouth— behind it. He laid special stress on the genius of Mr. Maxwell on local body matters. Referring to the Patea Harbor Board, which the speaker represented, and to disparaging remarks made by certain members of the I'ntca Harbor Board, and published in the newspapers, Mr. Barton assured his hearers that the people at that end had no s-.i-. h feelings, for the reason that if New Plymouth made good it was a matter of indifference in a general sense whether they exported to Wellington or Xow Plymouth. (A voice: It's only a matter of expense). They were all people of Taranaki. and if thev could export from Xew Plymouth, it would be a source of pride to the people as well as of gratification to Mr. Coimefc. Mr. Connett suitably replied, and brought a memorable gathering to a close.