"THE EAST AND WEST COAST RAILWAY."

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 13109, 7 May 1908, Page 8

"THE EAST AND WEST COAST RAILWAY."

The Chairmen proposed "The ' East and West Coast- Railway/ , and said that <t;he question of the construction of ith© litre had .been a-. fertile source of argument and .heart-burning for tho pi&t 25 years; it liad 3i.ad most enthusiastic supporters and very active enemies; he did not. think that any public work in. the Dominion Jiad been so nuieh talked and written about. So far iho lin<e. hud been constructed in gasps and joinite and pieces, and had been partly dead and .partly alive for litany years; only lately it 'h-ad .become ft live thing. Ncav that the end was in view lie hoi>ed that aJi present would liv© to see tho railway completed and to travel by it. No one could be blind to the great advanitages that the railway would confer on. both Canterbury and the West Coast; those districts h<ad ibecn lying alongside one .another for something liko for forty years, and they miglit juet as well have been, a thousand milee apart; a.nd they had seen tho trsdo of the Coast going anywhere-but to Canterbury, and tbo Coast famishing for "the want of the products that Canterbury could have .supplied. On the West Coast the deTelopment of its resources had simply dragged along, owing "to the absence of a-n outlet from the district. . Concluding, Mj- Louiesoxt said that their must ho centred in the completion of .the work, but he desired to express his personal wish tint the contractors would not only carry out the- work faithfully and well, but thait financially dt would be profita.b!o to thorn. It nrust bo a great cause for satisfaction to know that the contractors wore New Zealanders. (Applause.) . MR QUANE'S SPEECH.. Mr H. Quane was greeted with continued applause on rising to respond. Ho said that it needed no words 6i his to assure those present how deer>lv he felt tie honour or -responding to* the toast. Mr T. E. Y. Seddon. 31.P., was proposing the toest at the Otira function, -a fact that reminded them of how much they owed to the memory of tlie man whose name he so worthily bore. It was co-mo consolation to them, the friends and admirers of his late father, to know that Jus sen was fittingly saying what -his father would have been saying had he bec-n spared; tiio great work of tho bast and West Coast Railway would ever bo linked with the name of the lato R. J. Seddon. (Continued applause). It was more than a quarter of a century since tho people of both Coasts had begun to agitato for railway communication, and the strenuous and enthusiastic efforts of the-League in the '80's had been a great beginning, to which all looked back with patitudo and pride. After briefly referring to tho various epochs in the history of the line, Mr Qnane dealt with the prominent part played by the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce in the- revival of interest in the line. Continuing, h© said that it would be a long story to recount tho history of tho meetings and conferences of delegates and deputations, which had preceded the event of that auspicious day. Ho aid not intend to recount that story but he would say that it "had brought about a close and fraternal contact amongst the leading settlers and citizens of the- J3ast and West Coasts; it had brought the men of the Plains xo know and appreciate in friendly intercourse tho genial, warm-hearted and hospitable \Vest Coasters; ho was sure his fellow ittpmbors- of the" League

wonld endorse his statement that even had the efforts of the League not come into fruition by that day's ceremony and the prospects of the East and West Coast Railway, instead of nearing consummation, had been doomed to irretrievable failure, they would have been repaid for the energies they had put forth by the, better knowledgo those efforts had brought them of the men beyond the range and the stimulation of the social, fraternal and patriotic feelings between the East anu West Coast. (Applause). In the nast, when conferences had met, their concern had' been to develope new arguments, ta forage out statistics -and to hunt up dictionaries for more convincing terms in ■which to persuade the Government to carry out the -ivark -with energy and despatch. When, six years ago, a deputation representing both coasts of which he (Mr Quane) -was convener, won from the- late It. J. Seddon (then Premier) a promise that ho would endeavour to get the line completed in six years, their hopes had run high, for at length tho goaL seemed in sight. Death had robbed them of their beloved Premier, and for a while they had wondered if his successor would make good his promise. That they were- present that day -was because- tho Dominion, fortunate as it had been in so many other respects, had found in Sir Joseph Ward a man not loss determined than the late Mr Scddon to carry tho construction of the line to a triumpha conclusion. The day of argument and pel-suasion was past and the uay ot U-licitation had come; they had no longer to belabor their brains lor arguments wherewith to persuade the Government; their only concern was to find words eloquent enough to congratulate tho Government on having been persuaded. On behalf of tho League, he most heartily congratulated Sir Joseph Ward and his -Ministry on having brought them to tho fulfilment of their hopes. (Cheers wero given for Sir Joseph Ward.) Continuing. Mr Quane eaiil that no one -with . pjilightenod foresight, no citizen with public spirit, any longer doubted tho beneficial results of the work to tho Dominion. Whilst not desirous ot inflicting statistics upon them, ho could not refrain from reminding them that last -year the exports of coal and timber from Greymouth to Lyttclton had been' 02,C00 tons of coal and 24,000,000 superficial feet of timber; that taking these figures at the saving difference between tho cost by rail and the cost by eea, it would in. itself bo a saving to Canterbury of, roughly, £32,000 per annum. Outside of this, and outside of the sordid pounds, shillings and pence, point of view, there was still a more important issue, and that was that if troublous times should e.ver comq to New Zealand, and come they might, it would lxj satisfaction and contentment to know that those in the South Island had direct internal communication with the West Coast coalfields. Anyone who crossed the ranges for tho first timo must have boon struck by tho unique geographical position: on ono side thero -were the sun-kissed plains that smiled with harvest fields of corn or rolling pastures that teemed with flocks and herds; on the other side forests of magnificent timber and mines rich with mineral; but the ranges had been, commercially, an unpassablo barrier. That day they had began to bore tho "hole, through the hill."' which would facilitate the exchange of foodstuffs from the East for tho minerals and timber of the "West —an exchange which would weld into a firm and lasting commercial and industrial partnership the citizens of both provincial districts and ensure for both a prosperous and glorious destiny. (Continued applause.) OTHER SPEECHES. Mr A. G. Howland also responded to the toaot, as representative, of tho Industrial Association, and vice-presi-dent of the original -Railway League. The lato Mr Seddon had once complimented him on boing ono who had done more for the West Coast Railway than- any other man in New Zealand, and though- that might not be correct, he could say that he had done his best in ite interests. Ono of his first works here was to fit out conveyances for 7o diggers, who had conio up from Otago to Hurunui. from wnicli place they swagged it to tho Coast. Ho referred to tho-history, of tho Midland Railway, and then painted out that tho line, besides lead rag to the West Coast, also led towairds Australia via the Point Elizabeth harbour, which meant two days' difference to Christchurch people going to Australia. He warmly complimented Mr Quane on hia success as chairman of the Railway Committee. (Applause.) Mr G. T. Booth, -who was the next speaker, enlivened tho company with a very humorous and appropriato anecdote.

Mr A. Kayo (president of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce) ■ proposed "tih-o health of tho 'New Zealand Parliament." He inadc reference to tho early history of the railway, and the efforts made particularly by the late Mr Seddon and the laito Air J. T. Matson.

The Hon. J. Barr, M.L.C., in responding, jocularly remarkecl that, instead of taking up the extremist view of abolishing the Legislative Council, •they would probably have to abolish or reform the Houeo of Representatives, as some of tho measures coming from the Lower Chamber needed so much revising thaf. it would go ill with tjie country wero the Council not in existence.

Sir William Steward, M.P., said that ho. did not know of any name more worthy of being associated with tho tunnel tnan that of the late Premier, and he hoped that Sir . Joseph Ward would name it the "Seddon Tunnel." Making allowance for unforeseen difficulties, ho thought that w.itbin seven years from now trains should be running from Clrristchurch to the coast. In his opinion it hod been shown that tho business to i>e done on the lino would fully justify its construction. No work of this kind could be undertaken without Parliamentary eanction. and Jio thought that the Canterbury and West-laud members, though tbey couW. not claim ali the credit, had not failed to do their best, in providing funds to enable this great work ,to bo carried out. (Jvond applause.) Mr D. Buddo. M.P., said that the bond of friendship between Canterbury and the West Coast would be strengthened by tho completion of the great project now bedng entered upon. (Applause.)

•THE WEST COAST PIONEERS." His Lordship Bishop Grimes proposed, the tcost of "The West Const Pioneers/ , who, he said, wore possessed of great pluck, grit, and energy. He spoke in eulogistic terms of the warm-hearted treatment he had received at the hands of all classes and creeds on the coast.

. Responses were made by Messrs A. Dudley. Dobson, G. P. Wiliis-.ms, and H. Allen, who all mede interesting references to ea-rly pioneer life. OTHER TOASTS. The health of '"Our Host" was propo?cd by Mr Foster, and Mr O'Malley responded. Mr AY. Recce, in proposing the health of "The Chairman,' 5 suggested that when , the tuun-el was completed tho West coast people should be the guests or" their Canterbury friends at tho Bealev ond.

Mr Quane mad© c suitable reply, in which he humorously expressed * the hope that this celebration, and not tho one at Otira, would go down to posterity as the real celebration. (Laugh-

[We are indebted to Jlr R. S. Wi<*pjns, £>eefiel>d. Ashburton, for a .very tull report of the function, frem -ivhioh tlio above report has been prepared. - ] The casket presented to lU6. Prime

Minister on Tuesday at tho tunnel celebrations is -a fine example of the silversmith's handicraft (says the "Post"). It was made entirely in Wei Hiigton, of solid silver. It stands on an ebony plinth., and is oval in form. It has lion-head handles, and , a raised lid with a circular greenstone plaque, upon which stand's the figure of a navvy, with a pick at rest, beautifully modelled in solid silver. The surface of the casket itself is exquisitely chased. On the front is the inscription:

"Presented to the Right Hon. vSir Joseph Ward, K.C.M.G., P.C.. Prime Minister of the Dominion of New Zeaki.nd, l/V the contractors, John Mel.-pan and Sons." On the back the legend i> continued: "On the occasion of hia firing the first b!cst in the construction of the Arthurs Pass tunnel of tho Midland Railway. sth May. 1903."' The casket wes made throughout by Mr Frank Grady. of Willis street, and is a most creditable piece of New Zealand workmanship.