JUBILEE CELEBRATED

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 48, Issue 60, 20 December 1927, Page 5

JUBILEE CELEBRATED

fifty years a county CEREMONY AT THE TRAFFIC BRIDGE" driving peg on site of new structure. ■*' THE PIONEER DAYS RECALLED. I :' ' „ , , , i„hilee of the Ashburton County were ■ Celebrations to mark the JubU Ashbur ton traffic bridge. held this afternoon in County's history, it One of the most important func marred by a attracted a large attendance, but drizzling rain, which ° or J o£ °he driving of a The ceremony at the> bndge bri<3ge , which will be peg to mark the site of the prop & of f bout £3o> ooo. erected near the present structure iman of the County The peg was driven by Mr W. mem ber of the Council), Works. ta*. “J of Peel Pore*, who was who was assisted by * County . By an interesting coincithe first European hornL m «» jj, Turt on tHort wf William Turton) having been the first settler in Ashburton.

Among those present were the Hon. 'VT. Nosworthy (Postmaster-General), Afaters H. Holland 1 , D. Jones, and T. D. Burnett, M.P.’s, 00l K. Mackenzie (chairman of the Geraldine 'C&fR&y Council), members of the Ashburton [ County Council, the Ashburton Borone}* Council, and members of many off the local bodies of the Countv and .adjoining Mr P. R. Climie (secretary of the Canterbury Progress League), Mr F. W. Watt (chainnan of the Main Highways Board). Among the old Bet tiers present were: Mr R. Leckaer (the first Post Office official 1 in Ashburton), Mr W. Craighead (the first County ranger), Miss' Rawle (one of the earliest settlers), Mr G. W. Lead ley, of lflgin and Mr P. Norman (who has been an employee of the Council for 50 years). Mr A. Horsey (chairman of the County Council) presided. The Prime Minister’s Message. The County Council had hoped that the Prime Minister (the. Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates) would be able to attend the function, but pressure of business kept him in the North Island. He forwarded the following telegram, which the chairman read to the gathering:— 4 ‘ATany thanks for your invitation to be present at the Jubilee celebrations of the Ashburton County, to be held on the 20th inst. I greatly appreciate the honour of the invitation, but regret exceedingly that as I have made arrangements to be in Auckland on that date, on the occasion of the lit. Hon. L. C?. M. S. Amery’s departure from New Zealand, it will he impracticable for me to attend the celebrations. May I take this opportunity of extending my cordial congratulations in respect of the County’s Jubilee and also my good wishes for the success of the functions that have been arranged?” Apologies! were received from several members of the Cabinet (who also received copies of the Jubilee booklet published by the Council), and from members of Parliament who each conveyed congratulations to the Council on the attainment of its Jubilee. Replies were received from the following: The Hons. J. A. Young (Minister for Health), W. Downie Stewart (Minister for Finance). G. J. Anderson (Minister for Labour), F; J. Rolleston (Minister for Justice),‘O. J. Hawken (Minister for Agriculture), A. D. McLeod (Minister for Lands), K. S. Williams (Minister for Public Works). Apologising for ; his absence, Mr Hugo Friedlander, of Remuera, Auckland, k wrote that nothing would have given him greater pleasure than to have been able to join the pretent Council to pay tribute to the 50 years’ work so well done by the brave pioneers since the inception of the County. Mr William Morgan, of Methven, a member of the council for 17 years, wrote that he had lived at -Methven since 1879, when he occupied the first building erected there. He paid a tribute to the progress Methven had made. Apologies were also received from Mr F. Langbein (District Engineer at Christchurch for the Public Works Department), the County Clerks of the Waimate, Waitaki, Mackenzie, Geraldine Counties, the Editor of the “Ashburton Guardian/’ and from Mr W. J. Jenkins, of Sheffield, who was born at Anama in 1866. k The Chairman’s Address. The chairman reviewed the beginnings of the County, and went on to say that the Ashburton County was constituted in 1876, and the first meeting was held on January 4th, 1877. Much water had flowed to the sea since that date, and the majority of the early settlers, whose memory we revere, had departed from our midst. The district, during that period, had experienced prosperous as well as lean years, and it must be admitted that because of the rich lands in the district, the splendid climate, and the perseverance of. the settlers, no district could claim a more successful period than our own. Those early settlers who were there that day must look back in wonder at the progress which bad taken place during that time—progress which had laid the foundation of our prosperity. If the late Mr W. C. Walker, the first chairman of the Council, could only bo with them, what wonderful changes he could relate! Except for the background of the Southern Alps, he would tee that the County had been entirely changed from tussock to green, cultivated fields, smiling homesteads, and extensive plantations. Until the year 1886, Mr Horsey added, travellers required to use the railway bridge for crossing the river, at great inconvenience. On March 30 of that year, the present traffic bridge was opened for traffic. It cost £0,600 of which £7OOO was found by the Government. “All good things come to an end,” he said, “and we are feeling eem at the condition of tbri bridge, which, after a useful life, will ’-coun-e .replacing in the near future. We hope

to erect a structure suitable for traffic -for the next century, which will carry all classes of traffic without restriction as to weight or speed. “We thought that we could not do better than celebrate our Jubilee bydriving a peg at the site of the new bridges” said Mr Horsey, “and I now call on Mr W. T. Lill, our oldest Councillor, to carry out this important part, and will also call on My J. G. Tuiton, the first person born in the district ana practically on this spot, to assist him.” f Applause). Driving The Peg. Mr Lill then proceeded, with the help of Mr Turton. to drive the peg. Mr Lill said the new bridge would be known as the .Jubilee Bridge. It would be able to convey the heaviest and the fastest traffic. It had been said that the old bridge gave the Council much, of its revenue, but the new bridge would do away with all difficulties. Referring to the early days, Mr Lill said the first time he crossed the river he did so by means‘.of the railway bridge. The Council was spending £4OOO this year on bridges in the County, and it was hoped the new bridge would not call much from the ratepayers. Mr Lill referred to the old day coaches, and pointed l out the spot where one of Cobb’s coaches was capsized as it w T as approaching the hank of the river. All that sort of thing was now past, and in future times people would see that the bridge was one of the best in the Dominion. (Applause.) Amid applause the peg was driven. It was a plain varnished) peg, with a gold hand painted round the top. Having driven the peg deeply into the earth, Mr Lill declared, amid laughter, that the person/ who could pull it up with his teeth, could keep it. Photographs of the event were then taken, many old settlers being inciudeu. Mr Noswortby’s Speech. The Hon. W. Nosworthy said the day was a .red-letter day iri the County, which had survived the test of fifty years, which was more than the authorities had allowed the electorate to do. He was proud of the County, proud of the pioneers who had crossed the itakaia River to carve out homes in an empty space. It was a testimony to what they had done to see the County as it was to-day. The old bridge had survived for 40 years, and the new bridge would do all that was required to carry the traffic of to-day, greatly increased in the past few years with the great advance of motor traffic. The Government had realised that the primary producers should not be made to carry the burden of the maintenance of roads in the district. He was pleased to see so many outside representatives present. Continuing, Mr Nosworthy .said he was certain the next 50 years would show even greater progress than the last 50 years. He urged them not to forget the great work of the pioneers, whose heritage should be carried on to prosperity. (Applause.) Mr D. Jones, M.P., congratulated the County on its “grand old man”— Mr Lill. (Applause.) Mention of the early settlers, he said, made him remember that his father and his mother met for the first time at the Rangitata. So they could see that New Zealand had grown up in a man’s lifetime. He also paid a tribute to the work of the pioneers, to whom, and to the men directing affairs, they owed a debt of gratitude. Referring to the roads Mr Jones said it would cost about £15,000,000 to make them as they would see them in the near future. The petrol tax was not a sufficient compensation against the great amount of money spent by the Counties on their roads. He hoped the Government would allocate the money to the Counties, for too much overlapping between local bodies led to friction. Motorists were here to-day and gone to-morrow, but the ratepayer remaiued. He congratulated the Council on its enterprise. (Applause.) Mr T. JJ. Burnett, M.P., said the new bridge would bo an inter-city bridge, and if that was so, then the Electoral Commissioners were tlirusting apart a city of the future. No one could realise why that r should be so. Ashburton, he added, believed in doing things by stages. Twenty years ago they put in the “plug.” (Laughter.) Now they had put in the peg for a new bridge. In effect, they were driving the peg and looking over their shoulders to see who was going to pay; for it. He could assure them his electors would not! The present bridge was all right. It would last till something fell through it, but that would be an accident! (Applause.) Tribute, to the Pioneors. Mr G W. Lead ley thought he was a sort of exhibit as a. link with the dim and distant past—a sort of modernised Kip Van Winkle. Mr Leadley went on to say that the building of bridges was indicative of the pulse of the times. Vo .--ere looking fouvard with the march of progress, looking round for other moans cf transit. His mind vent back

over 50 years, to the time when he crossed the Rakaia. River. He had a lively and grateful memory of the 'men, with vision, initiative, and determination, with whom he was associated when he sat as the youngest man who ever sat at the Council table. Two men he wished to mention, the late Mr E. G. Wright (who had brought to fruition the great water race system), and the late Mr C. J. Harper (who, Mr Leadley said, was the apostle of afforestation). Mr John Grigg, the prince of pioneers, was also mentioned among the pioneers, the mem who had striven with all their strength to bring to fruition their dreams. (Applause). Col. K. McKenzie added his‘congratulations to the County Council on the wonderful progress that was so evident throughout the district, and on the ens terprise in the erection of a new concrete bridge. The function concluded witn cheers for the Hon. W. Nosworthy and Messrs A. Horsey and W. T. Lill, and the playing of the National Anthem by the Ashburton Silver Band, which played several selections during the function. .. , . Later refreshments were provided for a of invited guests at the Masonic Hall, and a long toast list was gone through.