PRESENTATION TO MR WILLIAM ROWE.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 64, 20 December 1871, Page 3

PRESENTATION TO MR WILLIAM ROWE.

Yesterday afternoon the workmen of the Caledonian mine, past and present, to the number of about 40, assembled at the Wharf Hotel for the purpose of presenting the late manager, Mr William Rowe, with a mark of their esteem on his resigning hi? appointment, in the shape of a handsome gold watch and chain, the latter the work of Mr F. 11. Lewisson, jeweller, of Albert-street. A cold collation, tastefully laid out, had been prepared by Mr Pierce, the landlord, to which ample justice was done by all present. Mr J. S. Macffarlane was unanimously voted to the chair, Mr Patrick Nolan occupying the vice chair. When the inner man had been satisfied, the Chairman said that as this was a priA r ato affair lie would confine himself to one or two toasts, which were necessary to be drunk at all meetings. He proposed “The Queen ” in a brief and appropriate speech, which was drunk with cheers. “ The Royal Family,” proposed by the Chairman, was also drunk, after which, the Chairman called on Mr Nolan to make the presentation on behalf of the men. Mr Nolan, on corning forward, said that he felt great pleasure at being called upon to make the presentation on behalf of his fellow workmen, though, at the same time, he felt diffident at being placed in his present position. He then read a short address, which had been illuminated on parchment by Mr Lechncr, expressing kindly feeling towards Mr Rowe, and presenting him with the watch and chain. The address was signed by Patrick Nolan, John Pearce, Charles Aymes, and several others on behalf of 120 workmen in the drive. Mr Nolan said that before he sat down he felt constrained to make a few remarks relative to the working of the mine under Mr Rowe. It had been said that none but Cornishmen would get a show in the claim, but this was quite false, as there were numbers of men of every nation working there, as he could testify from experience. He considered that from the time Mr Rowe had started on the field first, in the Kuranui Company, then in the Thames Goldinining Company, and afterwards in the Caledonian, he had shown an amount of energy, perseverance and uprightness, in his actions which had been of immense advantage to the field in general, and it was a great misfortune that we have not more men like him amongst us. (Great cheers.) Mr Rowe, in rising to thank them for their great kindness towards him, said that on such occasions it was not right to have a set speech ready fur the occasion, lie believed in a man saying what he felt from his heart at the moment. lie felt that although his connection with the mine had ceased, his connection with themselves had not done so, and he hoped that he not only possessed their good wishes, hut also their affection. His endeavour had always been to do his duty both towards his employers and to the men under him—(hear, hear) —and he considered it the duty of every manager to get a good day’s work from a man in return for a good day’s wages. His connection witli the mine, had, from the I first, been a cause of great tnxiety | to him, and though he had been accused of keeping the men off the gold when it was first struck. In place of such being the case, he had actually sold out 1 over 30 shares of his own, in the month | previous to the very rich find taking place. They did at last get the gold, and perhaps they had taken it out too quickly,

but it had been done with the idea. of doing the best, not only for the immediate shareholders, but for the benefit of the whole field. Sevei hundred thousand pounds had been taken out of the ground in less than twelve months—a thing unprecedented in the annals of goldmining in the known world. He also spoke at length on the question of the specimen stealing alleged to have been going on, and though he did believe that such things had occurred, he thought that it was immensely exaggerated by the outside public. He had made several proposition to the directors, with regard to getting increased wages for the men in the mine, who had never received more than those working in the poorest mines on the field, but they would never listen to his advice. He wished it to be publicly known that he did not leave the mine willingly. He would have stuck to it all through, but he could not do so. The accusations brought against the men for stealing specimens, and his sticking up for them in many cases, had a great deal to do with it. He begged leave to propose the health of their worthy chairman, whom he had known for years. The toast was drunk with musical honours, and most of the pa.ity then udjourned.