HAMILTON ANNIVERSARY DINNER.

Waikato Times, Volume XIII, Issue 1122, 2 September 1879, Page 2

HAMILTON ANNIVERSARY DINNER.

About forty gentlemen sat down to table at the Commercial Hotel on .Friday evening, very many of them being 4th Waikato's, and fifteen years residents, to commemorate the anniversary, of the settlement. The dinner was got up m Mr Pearce' s well-known usual style. Captain Steele occupied the chair, and Captain Beere the Vice-chair. On the removal of the cloth and after the usual loyal toasts had been drank, the Vice-chairman proposed the toasts of the " Army, Navy and Volunteers." Captain Dawson had great pleasure m responding to tho toast, drank as it had been m such an enthusiastic manner. He had served thirteen years m the Imperial service. The British troops had done their duty m the past m all parts of the world, and would do so again when called upon. Zululand had given ample and recent proof of that, when British soldiers had died at their posts to a man. They had lost their colors but recovered them by an act of heroic bravery. For the Volunteers he had but a three months experience, but would say that if well trained they would be second to no other troops. The Cavalry were a credit to the district, and he had no doubt the Light Infantry Corps would emulate and m time equal them m discipline and smartness. Sergeant- Major Walker, m responding for the Cavalry, said that if eyer unfortunately it fell to the lot of the country to have its peaceful fields stained with blood and' its beautiful hills should re-echo with the wild cries of war, the Waikato Cavalry would turn out and join their blood m one stream with that of the Infantry m protecting the hearths and homes of Waikato. He trusted, however, that such an occasipn would never arise. The signs of a coming change were apparent m Europe, and civilised nations exhausted every form of arbitr .ment before resorting to the sword. With wise precautions, the Government of the! colony need not fear war, but the strongest safeguard against it, especially where they had danger from an uncivilised enemy to deal with, was to show a bold front, and the existence of a well disciplined cavalry and infantry volunteer force ,was the best safeguard— a moral force quite sufficient to preserve the peace of the colony. He was pleased to find that the infantry corps had been such a success. The two branches were connected by strong ties, neither could be so thoroughly efficient alone, as with the assistance of the other. He hoped when the uniform of the infantry was obtained, they would make as good a display as that which lately took place at Easter, from the Thames. The Chairman proposed the health of "The Mayor and Borough Council of Hamilton." He need not say the formation of the two Road Boards into a Borough, had been productive of much good. They had under its auspices and extended powers, a traffic bridge, costing altogether nearly £10,000, beiug thrown over the river; streets well formed, metalled and drained; and works being carried out which Road Boards could never have undertaken. He was but a ' small property holder m the Borough, but he felt indebted to the Mayor and Council for these works Cr. Knox said it was, he supposed, as the connecting link between the old system and the new, that m the absence of the Mayor (who was unavoidably absent, but who would be present on the arrival of the night train) that he had been called upon to respond. In his absence, he could better say, perhaps, what he thought of him. He had worked against Mr Whyte'e return iv the late election for Mayor, but had since been glad, for many reasons, that Mr Whyte had been elected. That gentleman had, by his conduct as Mayor, cemented all interests together, while his sociable and agreeable manner of conducting the business, had softened down much irritation. He had done his best m the Council for the Borough, working honestly and sincerely for the interests of Hamilton as a ivhole. Since Mr Whyte had been m the Council, he had known neither east uor west, hut Hamilton only. Ho only hoped the Mayor who succeeded him, would be as good and impartial' a public officer. Cr. Potter could readily endorse the eulogium just passed, by his brother councillor, on the conduct of the Mayor. He was confident no man strove more, m his official capacity, for the benefit of Hamilton, than Mr J. B. Whyte, absent though he necessarily was, on his own private business. Of that, however, they had no reason to complain, for he had, before election, thoroughly given them to understand that this must be so. Cr. Potter then proposed, "The 4th Wajkato Regiment." He did not why. this toast had been placed m his hands. He could not even approach it, but would propose the toast, coupling with it the names of Captain Steele, Oolor-Sergt. Knox, and private Peapson, rhe toast was drank with honors. ' Capt. Steele, m thanking them, said, he hoped he might be excused, if, m replying, he travelled somewhat out of the \ jrdinary course. They all remembered ' anding m Hamilton, on the 24th August, ' L 8 64 . It was a wild and desolate country . < riiey remembered the bit of a redoubt, ! >uilt at East Hamilton, and the punt, tonsisting of two canoos, and thaf onoe ty f entry fired on the punt, taking ,it fqr a < tfawi fieot.- It was air very fine, npw ? { o make light qf tl^e pioneers, but it was 1 hey who l>ad borne tl;e heat and burden p if the day. They could also remember ; t ator on, when the men wore knocked), off t .ay, that an aero of land, m Hamilton, i A ' olc|.fqr £10, wltl-y a fqnr.-rqomecl cottage . .iven m, The?o were the dark agos qf 0 Vaikato, Be remembered the time ,when 0 r ou could not borrow one pound on a Vaikato securities, when the regular n dee of town aores, m Hamilton and

Cambridge, ranged from £10 to £15; and 50 acre lots only fotched £8, £10 and £15, according to situation. They could all bear him out, that ho had done all he could, to keep them together (hear, hoar). He was asked, when enlisting his company, m Sydney, by those wishing to join, whether ho was going to send them over to New Zealand, to be killed by the Maoris, or going to take his chance with flliera. _ He replied, that he was going too, and going to stick to them. Many who came up did all they could to establish themselves, but were not successful. Many came to him to negotiate loans for them. He had gone to Auckland to try and raise money for dozens of them, and had been the round of all the money lenders m Auckland, but "none would advance on Waikato securities. He had told them they were under-valuing the district, and that the time would come when Waikato lands would be the best security they could find ; but they only said} " Oh, Steele has got Waikato on the brain." (Laughter). He often, however, succeeded, for either he was such a nuisance to them that they were glad to get rid of him, or his sanguine belief inspired them to some extent with a similar feeling. These were truelydark tim«,s for Waikato. Struggling as we were to carve, with little outside help, a home out of the wilderness. If ever he. said his prayers, he must havo said, God send a man with money up here. That time, however, came at last. Before many gave up the struggle, the Hammonds, Leslies, Douglass, Martyns, Grahams, Ooxs, and others, started amongst them. Did they not bless the day those fellows came up here ! He had something to do m bringing them up, and he had scores of applications then from old hands to get them a job of ditching fencing, or ploughing, from the new comers. He spoke of this because, during the last few months, a senseless howl against capital has been raised, against capital which m tho days he spoke of, came tip here and saved those who had struggled on from being starved off theii land and assisted m making Waikato what it is. (Loud cheers). Ifyoudrivi capital away, you will feel the effect m a modified return to the old state of things. They had had bitter experience of whal labor would do without capital when m the early days of Waikato they had hundreds of men able and willing to work m Hamilton' and Cambridge who couU get nothing to do. When men of money could be got to speculate amongst them, they should not howl against capital. He warned them not to be led away by anj false cry raised by those who were not the working man's friend. There was a lot oi rot now spoken and written on this question. Capital and labor were dependent on each other. If they drove capita] away they would sink just as surely a_ they had risen. Would they have listened tc such nonsense fifteen years ago as was now being preached against capital ? Not they If they then got hold of a man with £30C or £1500 didn't they cuddle up to him. shepherd him, and make much, of him They knew his value then and depend upon it, if they allowed themselves to be bamboozled by this new cuckoo cry thej would come to know and appreciate th< value of such a man more keenly thai they had occasion to at present. He wa; going to speak to those who were working men. If they wished their sons to b. more prosperous than themselves, the tru. courso lay m giving them a good education. He was a close observer, and hae noticed that while Scotland had half th< population of Ireland, and Ireland a sixtl that of England, they would find, not ii this colony only but m every other one that there were more Scotch men ther either English or Irish m places of trust ?>.ud simply because the Scotch were bette] educated than the other two. Captait Steele also expressed a hope that the j facilities for insurance afforded by th< Government would be taken mor< advantage of by the working classes, foi it was as much the duty of the father o: a family to make decent provision for hi wife and children after his death as to fine food for them when living. The speakei sat down amidst loud and prolongec cheering. Mr Webber recollected coming up t< Hamilton, on the 7th of August, 1864, ii charge of the Government stores, whicl he handed over to Captain Steele. Th< dinner had been called for the old hands He was one of them, and was sorry t< see so many absentees. There were no more than half those present men of I . years standing. He had known what i was, m the early days, before capital wai invested m farms and" work was pro curable, to dig up fern-root for his dinner He thought some pioneer, like himself should have been asked to propose thi health of the pioneers. Col.-Sergt. Knox could sympathise witl the last speaker, that he was not put do wi for the toast. He was a member o: No. 2 Company^ ahd when he came up times were hard, and money could not b< got. At first, he looked with suspicioi on Capt. Steele, thinking he wanted t< get the land into his own hands, and driv< the settlers off, but he soon fount Capt Steele was working for the poor man. I. they had had capitalists settled amongs theni, m those early days, they woulci have seen more old faces round that boarc to-night. (Cheers.) Many a one whe had been starved off his land, would now be prosperously settled. What would il be,- if the King country, beyond, were settled with working men, with little oi no means. Just the same. Capital throve on labour, and labour on capital. The benefits were reciprocated, and eithei was paralized without the other. They owed very mnch to Capt. Steele. What woul4 Hamilton have been, but for the Piako Swamp and other large estates ? (Cheers, and cries of "up a tree.") Mr Cox, too, was another public benefactor. Since those parties had left off investing aud improving, they had all felt the difference. He was not the working man's real friend, who tried to stir up strife between capital and labour. This was only clone tq keep the working man a slave. The people of Hamilton should be like a bundle of sticks, and keep united. They should let no one com^ m between them, and divide them. If they only worked together, they would bring bac'< and keep good times amongst them. Mr Pearson said he, for one, had been a hard working man, and willing to work, but m the old .times had found it hard to live. His family had succeeded m growing a little wheat, which enabled them to hold on, but they had often had to work for their breakfast till they had first ground the flour m a coffee mill. When . m trouble., qu want qi! money, they all went tq Captain Steele. They called him father; (cries' of "■ Father Abraham," and laughter), yes, indeed, he was their patriarch, and always gave th,em, gqqc] advice, and urged them not to desert the district, assisting every one to the full extent of his power. Captain Beere well remembered the early days of settlement. He always believed from the first, that those, who stuck to the Waikato would do well. He condemned the cry now being raised against capital. Ihe one fault m the Waikato settlement policy, was tha.t it sought to, establish settlement by labour only, and hence the small percentage of old hands left m the district. They should try and induce all possible papital ten come nnd settle amongst thorn. The time of their vicissitudes -were, he hoped, over they l\ad now railways, roads, and well wqrkfad local institutions, and Hamilton would always, hold its ow-n, m tho future, >s the capital of th^ district. From its .e nfenil position and firm footing, it would ilways maintain its prestige. He was nuch pleased with tho Te Aroha country, rhat, with the Waikato, togethor would

rival any similar sized extent of land m the colony as an available site for settlement. Captain Stuele m proposing the next toast, "The Agricultural and Commercial Interests of Hamilton," had just one remark to make. He hoped thb •celebration of the next anniversary would take some loss selfish form then that of a dinner — something iv which their wives and children could take part, (Cheers.) When they would have their families, their school bands, and their volunteers all joining m some outdoor celebration. Captain McPherson then proposed the "Agricultural and Commercial Interests," which were duly responded to. "The Committee," "The Ladies," "The Press," "The Host and Hostess," were all severally proposed and replied to, and the company broke up about twelve o'clock.