THE PREMIER IN THE WAIRARAPA.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 73, 19 December 1907, Page 8

THE PREMIER IN THE WAIRARAPA.

-." A VISIT TO MARTINBOROUGH. ' HUANGAROA BRIDGE' OPENED. i'KOSPKCTS OF. A BRANCH RAILWAY. To reach Martinborougli yesterday, where he was due at the opening of tho new bridge .over the Huangaron River, tho Premier (Sir Joseph' Ward) had to mnko an early departure., from Taihape, where he was banquetted the night - before. Leaving by special train' at o.lo'a'.ni., a rapid run was madc"tlir6ugh' to' Palirfcrston, whore brenkt'ast was obtained, and at nino o'clock the journey-, was'continued, still by special train. I'leatborstpn'/was 'eventually reached, aftor a few stops, at' 12.30 p.ni: Here Mr. F. G. Matthews, Chairman of the Featherston County Council, in which Martinborougli is situated, , , met the Premier, and a few minutes after the-party were seated in the motor-cars: of < Messrs. Matthews,' Bidwill, and J. Martin, and bowling at anything between twenty and thirty miles an hour over the exceedingly dusty -ten: or-twelve miles of, road, that led- to Martihborough. AT MARTINBOROUGH! . On arriving here, -Sir Joseph Ward was met-by Mr: J. T. MrHornsby, M.P., Mr. A.'D.'.'M'Leod '(representing the County Council) 1 / Mr.' M-. Ross-'•'(chairman of the Town JJoard), G. Buchanan, J. and- W.'MartinJ and/otlijCr iprominent residents' of the town ' anil'.'district. He was conducted to the ; -Courity"Chambers and formally ' v/elcomed. :'■-'■»■■ -i' i- • Mr. M. Itpss (Town Board Chairraan) oxpressed the. gratifica.tion ; they"rail felt that the "Premier had beoir able to spare time to -visit them..' Speaking of the progress of . Martinborbugh, ho said they intended before long, if; possible, ■ convert the township into a borough, their",population now being .almost'-sufficient. Jso, d'oubt they would receive 'every 'assistance 'from the Government. , ..At. the request.' of' Mr. Ross, the Town Clerk (Mr. F.: M'A'llum) then read an address of welcoiiie 'to the Premier. Regret was ■ expressed that Sir- Joseph's short stay would prevent him'seeing'tho Lower Valley and, the; richness of' its' natural resources. Seven years ago, it was added, the population of Martinborbugh had been 200; now it stood at'nearly iOOO.'-.The rateable value was: then;£sli676;' now it' was £83,851. The most serious handicap to the • district was the want of a railway from' Featherston. The Town • Hoard'-Commissioners hoped tho Premier would visit their'district again shortly and : seethe fruitfulness' ; of; the 617,000 acres comprised l in the ■.Featherston County. (Applause.,)"' ■(- : "-'-"":' 5 -v■■•'V-.'-r-:■-..' ■;'" : A RAILWAY WANTED. The Premier,: in replying, expressed pleasure at having had. aiv opportunity on the. drive'up from ; Feaiherston of seeing the .route "of-the' contemplated-railway'. It gave ,him all' idea of the ebontry that would be served, and of the likely benefits of the railway. In "he ordinary courso, ho hoped to- Have- full-information on the matter. The figures submitted, were solid evidence of the progress' of' Martinborough, and when the population • was l sufficient to allow tho coijversion of-the'toftTi district, into a borough, the Government 'would-give the necessary assistance. ■ "■) He -went' .on to refer to the signs --of progress' he had seen at Taihape and along the . Main Trunk lino, and repeated his ■ statenients- of the previous, day .asto the-general prosperity of the Dominion. 'Before long ■ he-' expected; ■ the■ revenue' from the ■■'railwayii' , to- Veacli'.. , three millions annually.-' .•■'.. ■• '. ■ : 'y'.;'■;";■■: •■'.. ■-.'■■ : After a speech by Mr. A. O. Considino, eulogistic of the late' Premier, and also of Sir-Joseph Ward, "-the way was "led to the luncheonhall. - ( ' '•■'- ''' i ' " : •"-, ■'" '■ . Martinborough has a reputation for its hospitable treatment' of Ministerial and Parliamentary ■ parties, and'yesterday saw no remissness, especially' in regard "to the champagne luncheon.'''Mr. "A. : D. M'Leo'd presided, in "the''''unavoidable absence of the county chairman. Among the visitors was ~the: Hon. J! E. Jenkinson, M.L.C. • In■•"• proposing' ''Tha 'Health of the PreTnier,'". : 'the ;v Cfii'iirman immediately broached the subject,'of the , desired railway.' The" Premier', after whati/he had' seen, would understand that no serious engmdoring'difficulties'would have to bo facecT OVs an exChairman of .the County for four years, he could say that" the -road: to Featherston, practically their only outlet to the railway, was, getting quite' , out of hand, and it would soon be almost impossiblo to keep it in a fit state for the great traffic.' The bridge over'the Ruamahanga River was a ,relic of the old Provincial days,' and -was now in its dotage. It- would' have to-be repaired shortly, and why not have a combined railway and traffic bridge? To keep > abreast with .other.: portions'. of the Dominion—and tHey had-'great.resourcps—it was necessary 'that the .district should, have carriage facilities. 'A branch, railway thorcforowould come' as a boon and a blessing. (Applause.)

;OTJR .RAILWAY POLICY The Premier (who was received .with-en-thusiasm), in replying,. : said he recognised that we were only, on the fringe of what would be ■■ the future railway system of this country. There wore those who thought they were going oh tod fast with their railway ex-penditure—that'the;'twenty-four millic-ris in-, yested.was top'great.a sum. But to his mini it , was a small amount compared'with'.wb'd: must, .in-'the years' to come, be . expnnded. To confirm-'ithat- they/.had only to look i-t other, countries.! InCanada, for instaui , -!,-'.: , company, had expended more on one- line of railway than .the amount vested in the lilies of "this ■'country; •'There they preceded settlement; here we followed-it up, in some instances perhaps. anticipating it a "little; hut there' was no" instance iii which ia railway that had been laid-down in. anticipation had failed to pay.. .Seventeen independent .lints .'were being carried out at,■present,'and-on those an"expenditure was.involved of £775)000,-'otit-of borrowed- money' in orici year. Two-chirks of the million loan, wasrgoing., towards this object. They were expending on public works this yoar nearly £2,401),p00,-.:and the sum they spent last,year was .the.highest for twentyifpur years. -■ The : Government,', with its 'big responsibilities, bad "to be, careful in its ox- , .peiiditure.,'Almost every , district had its rni> Vay 'requiremerits.i' -There., was tlie_ North Island -Alain Trunk, law, 'upon which this year'ithey were.expending ,£330,000, and in tiye.)ve-months-that great , work would be out of '.-the 'way.-- ■':•' Probably from £150,000 : ' to•. Cl6o,l)(Jb'-'-would be needed the following year to, carry. "tiutl what was neces(sary:.pn,.that, line... .\H^-had. seen sufficient to realise jHat.;the,Martinborough railway would be of very great usefulness to the settlers—, (hear, hear)—fand tlie same answer would be given as in the case of other requests—that tho Government would not take any responsibility for railways until the • Slain Trunk was out of the road. . Then tho applications would be'considered, in the proposals for the following year.-There was nothing one admired more than what 'was evident here —a belief, in the future of: the district—and it was the. duty,",pf:tho,:,Gpvemment to try and help those who helped : themselves. (Applause.) : ' ■''■■■■ ■■''■', "Mr. Considine proposed the health of Parliament, and tho Hoiv. Jenkinson and Mr. Hornsby (member for the district) replied. Tho latter snid the Premier had already promised to have: a flying survey made of the proposed: railway "route. , . When .they got that'ho did Hot "think it -would be a difficult matter for' , the.people of-Martinborough to guarantee'the' cost. 1 of tlio•construction, and if the Government y.ould accept tho guaran-tee-tho work, could-be started at onco. (Applause.)" ' ■ ■ •■' '■ '-:•■'■■■■',■'■ ■_■ ,-■ The' toast'of •" Tho .Chairman " terminated this- portion, of'the proceedings. THE BRIDGE. •.A hasty packing into motor cars and traps, and.tho party wcro off to the now bridgo over tho Huangaroa 'River — about three miles from Martinborough—which • tho Premier was to opon. On tho, way, a few minutes were spent in partaking of the hospitality of Mr. J. Martin. Soveral hundred ■ settlers, .with their traps and horses, had collected near tho bridge. White ribbons wore stretched across , tho first span to bar 'unofficial .progress.. When. tho Premier took up. his. stand, Messrs'. Horusby and M'Leod both'related the great service tho new structure, would be to the district, especially to Jrhe settlers of,the Pahau, It would enable

medical assistnnco to bo obtained, and settlers would not bo blocked by impassable floods in tho river. Mr. Hornsby said tho settlors liad rated themselves for-£lOOll, and tho Government had given a like- sum. Tliero had not been a singlo dissentient in tho voto regarding tho loan. ' -Mrs. ,). Martin, at tho. Premier's request, then caught up a bottle of champagne that hung suspended by a ribbon, and at tho second.throw broke'the bottle on the bridge, at the sanio time, christening the structure the " Hikawern Bridge." (Cheers.) Next, little Miss M'Lood cut tho ribbon across tho bridge with a pair of silver scissors, which thereupon became her own.- The Premier,, on behalf of the-county, also presented Mrs. Martin with a silver bowl as a memento of tho occasion. (Cheers.) The Premier, iu tho courso of an address, dealt again with tho general financial prosperity of tho country. Tho fact that ii pound for pound subsidy had been given in this caso marked tho policy of tho Government in helping thoso who helper! themselves. If, in tho future, a combined bridge- was required over the Ruamahanga tho Government would bo prepared to favourably consider tlio matter of a subsidy. (Applause.) ' Hearty cheers -wero then given for Sir Joseph' Ward, whoj in return,' called for cheers for Mrs. Martin and Miss M'Lend. ■Before the crowd dispersed, Mr. W. C. Buchanan, speaking by request, said the naming of the bridge recalled an interesting incident that had occurred some twenty years ago. The Hikawera tribe of Maoris, after whom tho bridge was named, had-a chieftain named ' "VVironm Mahupuku (after-wards-succeeded by the.late Hamuera).-The Hikawera had been in tho forefront of the Natives- who from 'tlio first had been loyal to''the'settlers, and had given them assistance.- In tho early'days there had been no access along tho route of the present road which the bridge sor'ved, except through a large block of the Hikawera. The chieftain he. had referred to asked the; tribe for. a right of road through' tho block, and indeed had arranged the ■ whole matter in such a way that the rnad was given by the Natives. Now the erection of tho bridge was tho final act in tho opening of that road.' He called for throe hearty cheers for the loyal Hikaweras. (Cheers.) - -,-• The crowd, who. in spite of, tbo ereat heat were.in a vivacious mood, escorted tho Premier to a famous < carved Maori house across the river. This house is in possession of a Native chieftainoss named Ninewah, but was given to the people, of Martinborough by a late chief. Tea was served inside, and after a hasty refreshment the Premier and party returned to their cars, and wore whisked away again to Fcatherston, from where, at 6.30 o'clock, the special train left for Wellington. The new brTdge, with approaches and protective works, cost £2250." Its total length is 250 feet. The contractor was Mr. G. P. b'ttiart (itlartiriborough). If is a truss bridge, erected on substantial ■ iron bark piles. It will serve a large district on tho Kast Coast. . . \ < . .