The Temuka Leader. SATURDAY, APRIL 26, 1884. BANQUET TO MR TRIPP.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1170, 26 April 1884, Page 2

The Temuka Leader. SATURDAY, APRIL 26, 1884. BANQUET TO MR TRIPP.

The banquet given to Mr C. G. Tripp, last Tuesday evening in the Oddfellows’ Hall, Geraldine, was a most flattering recognition of a well-spent life. Every religious denomination, every shade of political thought, every interest and every profession in South Canterbury was represented there, and only one feeling was manifested : namely, an earnest desire to honor the guest of the evening. It was a most unequivocal testimony of the place Mr Tripp holds in the affections of the people of South Canterbury. He belongs to a class which, justly or unjustly, is not very popular. He is one of the largest, if not the largest landowner in South Canterbury, while at the same time he is, as Mr Wakefield said, “a squatter of the squatters.” His class is not at all popular, but Mr Tripp is an exception to this rule, and this one fact shows that to attain the degree of popularity that was manifested last Tuesday evening, . he must have been worthy of the honor done to him. Only that he possesses the qualities which endear certain men to their fellow-men in an eminent degree, wealth and social position could never have won for him the affections of the rich and poor alike to the extent that he has gained them. But Mr Tripp has been an exception to many of his class in his manner of dealing with the general public. That h* should possess large tracts of land could hardly be said to be a disadvan tage to the colony, because, instead of hoarding up wealth or spending his money in a manner that would yield benefit to only a few, he spends it in a way that contributes to the happiness of a great many. His land, even if cut up into smaller holdings would probably not afford more labor or yield more benefit to a wider circle of people than it does at present. He is never done improving, and it is a fact, we believe, that his money is pretty well spent in wages as fast as he gets it. Mr H. J, Sealy, perhaps the most outspoken critic on land monopoly of any who have written on the subject, has recognised this fact in his pamphlet published in 1881. He says: “As typical examples of squatting under its most beneficial aspect I might mention the Mount Peel and the Orari Gorge Stations. Here we see large tracts of rugged mountainous country, only a small portion of which is fit for cultivation, held by the descendants of t)ie old landed families of England, who have been (rained up

in the traditions of the duties and responsibilities of proprietorship, which have been defined by the celebrated Dr Johnston, ‘ a man of family and estate ought to consider himself as having charge of a district over which he is to diffuse civility and happiness.’ You see scattered around the bead stations little comfortable cottages, each with its neat garden, and upon inquiry you find that the married shepherds, ploughmen, gardeners, and others live in these and bring up their families. At Mount Peel Station there is a handsome little stone church, built by the proprietor, in which every Sunday the msn with their wives and children assemble (or worship, the service being held at intervals, by a regular clergyman and at other times by a lay reader. On both these stations the proprietors themselves reside permanently, having large families and households, so that the evils of absenteeism are avoided, and the brought up in the country, acquire a patriotic love for their native land.” The proprietors of the two stations named by Mr Sealj are Mr C. G. Tripp and the Hon, J, B. A. Acland, the two friends who came to this colony together and whose bonds of friendship still remain unbroken. That Mr Sealy, whose avowed intention was to direct attention to the evils of land monopoly, should feel compelled to exonerate these two gentlemen from the odium ha attaches to their class, is, we think, the highest compliment he could pay them. His testimony of their worth, considering that he was an enemy of their class, is far more valuable than if it came from a friendly source. This explains the secret of Mr Tripp’s popularity. He performs the duties of his station in life faithfully ; he does all the good be can and harms no one, and his reward is the gratitude of the poor, and the admiration and respect of the rich. In his public career he has been honorable 'v and straightforward, When Chairman of -the County Council he fought manfully against the erection of the Baugitata Bridge on the principle adopted by the Ashburton Council, but when he found it successfully constructed be was the first to agree to pay for it. He wat the largest ratepayer in the county, but that consideration did not weigh with him ; he was at once prepared to be rated, as in fact he always has been when the work in hand was calculated to advance the district, and if his advice bad been taken then between £SOO and £IOOO would have been saved to the ratepayers of this county. His public career has been marked by honesty of aim, energy, disinterestedness and good capacity for business, but it is not to these qualities he owes his popularity so much. It is to his private virtues, to his goodness s .of heart, to his kindness to all classes, and to his willingness to assist those who could not assist themselves, that his popularity is mainly due, . He leaves for the scene of his youth on the 3rd of May next, and we feel sure that every one who knows him will join with us in wishing him a pleasant voyage and sr~ speedy return,