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Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XII, Issue 3947, 24 October 1891, Page 2

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Welcome to Iffr Jamea Smith.

The employes Of Te Aro House, Wellington, laid themselves out to give a pleasant surprise to the proprietor of the establishment, Mr James Smith, who returned last week from a visit to the Old Country. Mr Smith was accordingly invited to attend a gathering held in onevofthe upper rooms of the warehouse a few night's since, which took the form of a banquet. Mr R. Moody, business manager, was in the chair, and the whole staff was present. At an early stage of the proceedings Mr J. B. Taylor, in the name of his comrades, presented Mr Smith with a framed address, handsomely illuminated by Mr VV. R. Hock, its borders containing medallions representing views of Te Aro House as it was in 1845, and 1870, and as it is at the present day. The text of the address was asJollows : f

James Smith, Esq.—Dear Sir— We, the employes at Te Aro Hoase, hail with pleasure your return after an absence of nine months, to New Zealand, the land of your adoption, and most cordially do we now tender to both Mrs Smith and yourself a hearty welcome home. We trust that your temporary sojourn in the Old Country and the visit to your native land htve been sources of unalloyed pleasure and unmixed satisfaction. We hope that the relief for a while from the constant demands of business, the sense of restfulness in your voyagings.tbe pure, salt air of the ocean, the invigorat* ing breezes from the bonnie " land of the mountain and the flood," the renewal of association, with old _and valued friends, and the sights and scenes of your youth, have had a wonderfully recuperating influenoe, physically and mentally. For the future we trust that with renewed vigor you may be able under Providence, not only to maintain the high reputation cf Te Aro House as a leading commercial enterprise in New Zealand, but to lead it on to greater success and to more substantial prosperity than it has yet known. Mr Smith replied in terms of, considerable feeling, and gave an entertaining sketch of his experiences on the trip to and from Great Britain. Subsequently the toast of " Success to Te Aro Howe " was proposed by Mr J. Craig and acknowledged jfy Mr Smith. Mr G. Cooper gave " Tha Managers " and Messrs Moody and Craig responded. Songs were sung in the course of the evening by Messrs S. G. Ingram, Hooper, K. P. Johnson, and W. Simra, Miss ButUr playing the accompaniments on ft pianoforte lent by Messrs Hoffman & Sons. A reoitation by Mr E. J. Chappell and a pianoforte solo by Mr E. A. Fisk made up the remainder of the programme. The proceedings were admirably managed, and were characterised by great heartiness* Mr Godber was the caterer. Tke> address, which is a real work of art* has been on view in one of the Te Aro House windows and lias been the subject _ of considerable admiration.— Evening Pott.