PRESENTATION TO MR. JOHN T. MATSON.

Press, Volume XLIII, Issue 6492, 14 July 1886, Page 3

PRESENTATION TO MR. JOHN T. MATSON.

i i liililMftnr litti« ceremony took ..IJSStitthe office of Mean when a deputation, League, waited ■SBSjBBx* X«ft»a to present to him a ««■■*# '#f c* warkxßg together of Mr jgSfcWjffif Hw* member* cf the Lsague, iSflit put taken by him in ST—nMuet ia tie shape of a very SiMMIr bw»* cy VT ot x ' e We *t Coast »L»—» manMtt. The deput%tion camS3«Ci Acton Adams (President), (Tice-Pretident) , T. Pavitt, "^flesoat-ADA3ea t«M the; k*S waited IB Vr'Hatso* to present him with a nun Milill'i rf fflw n-|"— 1 of the League af Mi dfart* ia eoaaeetkra with the League ja $*• shape of a oopj of the pamphlet. Mt had bcea mott * akma in hi* «fMti Iβ esaraedaeo with the railway, his had always bees open, aad no one mote really vital interest in tie jaft*-*? than Mr Mataoa. Hβ felt Mip Mi remark* on this point wculd fit#dSo*«i Vr hie fellow coxsmiitsemen. fH«r, &ear] He denied also to call %o tue very Bplendid epecitnen of leek! iadastriea vkizh waa exhibited by tfct bt»iia£ of tfce book bow asked Mb tee«*»see of. The League through him a«kadS Mr Matacn to a:c?pt this Bmall mxrroir <sf their refmrd. not from its inteacK rala*. bat as a memento of the wart in which tee with them had taken wet. They trwted that tb» book would Wpiaeed epoa Mr Mafino , * »tady table. a»d that wbea be looked opon it he would ecaSth* good work he had done ia the int. H» (Mr Adaaa) now begged to ask <»i£r*Ma£aat t» aoorot the book with the b«t wxsbet of tb* Leavoa, asd the exjutinttirm of a bom tfeat Mr Matooa would \rrrt oompletke ef the work for •ijfehlw had labored »o*ialoMiy. jHear, M« Adaa* k«» |»eaa«tod Mir Mafaon vJUt tb» volame, easfaeed in a Teryhandiiiiiiiiii cum Itlnaia on th» ootside oorar Hμ foUcmiM iagriptiwi in goa letter. h, "Tbe E»«t and West Coast aad Mα E*il-*y. ffistoty of «■i elorta lariticaßa&Mciioci. To John T. Mattoo. Eso.JJP. A«Biaaa of ftatitadefor«ato. rtSaaiiitmfn n»d#(cd. Fran th« Com* mttte. erf Uμ Eiilwaj La«a», Christ, ctewk." - ' '.

Mr MxTmss said—Mr Chairman, your Wonfcip, aad gndkaflur-Tk. object of vie waMif epon mc to-day certainly haa «wyteat«r<«. The firrt that stxikee mc ItHte WeadUntai aad tJioroarimeja of |MJtapt«a yon to afcyt fa any liOle anisttsee btvfeic&mym&g&t efforta may have been iMudialni tewarfa aidias the rery great asd w&md object the members of th« BaO»s7 "Lrngo* have ia the putt ao wnmilj TiTiiiimrt lin iitiN'n leanawtue y<w tfe»S no ward* of mine csn adequately mftmm ajy feeiinga lor this mark of yoor agfUKutHaa and token of regard and fnamtlilifn which the soaewhst ehort period of oax csmeetion has evidently nwmtntti between ts. All I can cay i», tit* fee2Bg ia reciprocal in the higheat degree. aad indeed it would be acalkme sadeordid heart tiat, spoa cuchanoccatpeß •• thS«, rtfawd to afio w a man to c xv* am it were eat of w*i—w, and acknowledge th*t"maaU hcothehood to xnan M ataads

oet im bold refer* far asd away abore the *&Mk firib aad faSaeke of life.

tli en» of am hae«rt b*»4 U * ttaag tbal'i na, HwSmbMC «* » J-iiWnl tun tad the friendship Tk« tkn* eeßßbtned an th* nuteel; »rf the ax*.

I mrny faithfully *%T *k** *& *** eombinatMß Aβ Leagne'e sole desire has been the ejfet&netioa of the Eaat and WeafcOoaat «Bi Kelam Railway, theraaaronsption of a BcegrewiTe policy of oeefol andreoraseratin, *«k throeghiimt the colony, with, a WMCqaaet derelopin-Jit of N**Wt resooroaa ■» bonafcf cUy bestowed, bat at pretsstvsatSisid, and the peopling of NewZealed. ?fee chkf bsae of oar country is the abataee ef population aad the want of ioeal market*. Wβ n?w only camber SQO£QO or eOO.OOO. the rtajor portioa being e&Qft(«a; Itt vi cope tiader * wise and voatkal Getesuneot, backed by aa IstelSgtßt that ia »fe «r ihoit ytmxt oar sambere m*y be increased to all of whom eaonld find indastrisJW «a 4 ptofiutle emplojcient; bat ye etvttot expect people to come ia nnmbera to ocr «Ikw« uaiew facilitiea are afforded fat tte» en«rsi«a to find scope in derelop- " in* oar eocatr/* to their iadiiidual b-nefit. People do sot aeek other land* rxaef t ia toe nope of bettering tbor paesioß. Tten why ihoold popalaSMß. fiood is ocr eboree if we do ■at try to *B»»r«ge them. Oar actione foraaoeffv yean hxre had a retrogade tafedfleey. W e bktc iaTolunUrily sapped WB ■—igy. Djwancqoeetrianapcnataeg jonawj a«9 oa ttstd'e eats at ihe habnfkuM? KoweotaisJy not, bos yet this it exaeUy trlut S«v Zealand did, and has do&e, IM ibmt i« the cole cause of oar miifcrtttae*. H»d *« gradually and carefaKy aimiairler*d the lav of progrea, «rery oat wosud k»Tβ told ite tale; but no, oar latwasahUnktcravhOe! No profnaf, no oats, aad a< a oonstqaeace we have bad halt* in our joemey, delay asd lorn. L«t tibe past teach m a lesson. It luebeeaKiS neatly severe, cats and procan we icost and khall hare. We cer-

tiu&lr have aa cxnse to regret the scticn cf tie l»eft£ii&. Weh&Te Lwje cumbera reprtaested upan oar «id •Illiocich st tuset we b»re h&d to tbow oar teeSh with mose fcrtitade ih&a piHteaeti ftt we bad to laett rwioui enemies with wcapoos after their ova design. X am more than crer finely f oaTraced that fooil mawmptka Iβ U» pasict* fer many of Uμ Ola aader »hich we eaSo-. Of coarse 9mii a wide divergeacy upon this gamHm. Tbere are theae who forerehold tiaak Sew Zfa&ad** greatneee teets solely b«r adaptability to produce for ffrpnrtittnn My ioea Uto add the -tee, — man the merrier, bet ffiaw-Tiw within t*« c-slocy more if pawßtle. We *hoold bring the people here by isdeoeseats to produce sod ccaweme the bounties of our glorious lacd. How I here so desire to t&ke credit for othrr |«ople*e labor. There are nut j

'number* mad well-wtsnersirf the move* I ment who hare labored sad toiled tfcrougbf oa*attass«Oß*ea>dit has only been my Jot to be an active sgitator for a very abort period, in fact I have only oome m at the death, or, rather, life ol onr railway; I the death of the opposition and the life of what, let us hope, may prove anew erain the prosperity of ow oomfay ed our I am delighted beyond messure to find that when we did wa*« op to protect the beet interests of on* country that the saddle *■ put opoa the ririrt hone, who with his coßeaguee and th* noble band of loyal members have so persistently and forcibly pushed forward this portion ol hie °nfP»* Mheme of railways for Sew Zealand. How happy Sir Julias Tbgel mart feel at seein«7thie, one of hie pet echemee for H<rV«g the colony, on the road to completion. All bail to him, and thoee who backed him; the Agent-General and Mr H. Alan Scott The contract is evidently of a highly satisfactory character to both partiec. I heartily wish the contractors tsterj success, an* » handsome profit ont of | the transaction, which, without doubt, ! they will secore despite the conflicting arguments. This should be ft for Canterbury, Westland, and Helton. We should feel rejoiced if anything mil take the sombrenew ont of onr eroafang existence; the passing of the Midland Baflway Bill should do so. My advies to the Leagne i* now tost we have been *g«ther so long that,,; it remain intact until the last belt is driven for Che completion of the line, and the "League's engine can run right through to Kelson/ , We can be ever on the alert Let ns watch with microscopic eyes erery stage of its construction, pur Chairman through the telegraphic wires can raDy oe in a few hours sbould occasion require. I haTe no desire to appear orer anxioos or suspicious, but the friendly tingle of the League's epur may yet be of service to the cause. The virtue* contained in my spontaneous poetry have had an intensified and prominent position in alt the actions of the League that under such conditions, I have a double plearare in accepting at the hands of the Executive body "Tour Book of Pact*," which so long as I live I shall look upon with certain pride at having been associated with such a body of earnest people whose sole object was the bettering of the condition of the country in which it was their lot and privilege to live. Mr Chairman, your Worship the Mayor, and members of the I again thank you for your hearty goodness in thui remem- ; beringme. [Cheers.] T Hii WoBSHip the Matos sud he endorsed to the utmost all that had been s«d by their President as to Mr Matron's j efforts. They had been characterised by intense aaraeet»ese— an earnestness which he hoped to see imported into the mutter of local industries. Then New Zealand need not oesupy the position she had done for some years for one year longer. He b&id they wanted consumers in their own country wkß* exporting as much as possible aJso. Hβ felt a pride and pleasure himself in having taken part in the great work which Mr Matron had so ably supported. Hβ felt sure that Mr Mafeon would, on locking at this volume some years to come, be sfcle to note what progress had been made by the province, and be »oald be able to say that thanks to this railway this had been accomplished, and thousand* added to her population. [Cheers.] The proceedings then terminated.