OLD TIMES

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 101, 22 January 1908, Page 9

OLD TIMES

A BUSINESS JUBILEE. CELEBRATED. JIU CHARLES SEAGEIi HONOURED. Old times cling to tho memory like old wino to the palate! There was plenty of hptli at the gathering of engineers ami shipping pr.oplo held at the Commercial Traveller^ Club yesterday morning to do honour to Mr. Charles Stager, engineer auiji shipowner, whoso business juhileo ill Wellington was being celebrated at tlio instance of that gentleman's stalf of engineers (headed by tlio senior engineer, Mr. W. Richardson), who hold him /in the highest respect. The chair was occupied by Mr. David. Robertson, who said they had met to do honour and show their respect to Jlrl. Charles: Seager, who had attained his business jubilwjf.".But, first'of all, lie would call upon the senior engineer of the fleet, Mr. Richardson, who would provo tilat good feeling between employer and employee could exist —even in theso days of arbitration' and conciliation. (Laughter.) A Presentation. Air. Richardson said those present had been invited to do honour to Mr. Seager, who had attained tlio juhileo of his business life in Wellington. It his duty'to ask him to accept from his staff of engineers' a small presentation, as evidence of the good feeling that had always existed between .them. It was with much pleasure that he handed Mr. Seager a silver salver and entree dish. Before finally resuming his scat Mr. Richardson read apologies for non-h'ttehdanco from the I'remier, Sir James Mills (managing director of the Union Steam Ship. Company), and Mr. W. A. Kennedy (local manager). Tlio inscription on the'salver read: — "To Mr. Charles Seager by his engineers on the occasion of his jubilee. Wellington, New Zealand, January 15, 1908." Raising the Taranaki. The Chairman said that he had known Mr. Seager for the last forty years; since ho accomplished his first great engineering feat of raising tho Taranaki, which had . foundered in Tory Channol—a feat, indeed, for those days when tho tools and gear available were so ..different from what they wero to-day. (Applause.) The tools had, in the first placo, to bis made by Mr. Sealer, and it sneaks well for them that they wer?still lying about. Tho big screws ho made ..were to-ilay 'at work at his (tlio speaker's) foundry, and were still doing good service.. Both Mr.' Seager and bis tools were mado'of good stuff. When ho took over ftio business from Mr. Seager lie found tho fo'cslo bell of the Taranaki in tlio ollico, but ho was not going to see it go int.o tlio melting pot. He took it homo as ..a momento, and still used it to rouse up his boys in tho morning when tho occasion lequired. (Laughter.) Mr. Robertson here produced an, old cheque on the Union Bank, which had been rescucd from tlio Taranaki. The inscription on the cheque sot out that the Taranaki was wrecked in May, 1868, and was raised on July 2G, 186'), ironi a depth of 108 feet of water. ' t . ■ Honour tlio Engineer. -Resuming, the. Chairman .said that' Mr. Seager had done a great deal towards the advancement of Wellington.' It was duo to men liko him that the port had been brought up to the position it holds. When Air. Seager, sold out to him (the speaker) it was thought ho was going to retire to 1 Silverstream. But no, that only gavo him new 1 ideas in the direction of an ctlort to provide means for the settler getting his produce ti tho market. -At first ho built.tho Tui and 1 the Huia, and afterwards came thoStorm--1 bird. Ho remembered when Sir. Seager came and asked him to lengthen tho Stormbird. It was a pretty big job for those times, and he felt a bit dubious over it, but, • with Mr. Scaler's co-operation, they, lengthened her (in 1882) by. 27 feet, raised her, •! feet', and put in new engines and boiler, and even to-day the vessel was one of the best coasting steamers coming into port. "Wo did tlio work," said Mr. Robertson, " but vitli Mr. Seagcr's brains. It was largely due .o that' class ol' VQ.ssnj that we were able to ;et into the bar harbours With merchandise uill back again with the produce of the settlers that hail mado Wellington so prosperous—tho premier port of tho Dominion.'' [Applause.) New Zealand was very greatly indebted to' engineers, for it was largely due to them that, tlio country was so prosperous. How would tho dairy farmers have got on I without, cream separators, and for tho inrontioir of freezing -machinery? Tho engineers deserved credit, for it was that- invontiou which had made the country one of tlio most prosperous in tho Umpire", Without freezing machinery fanners could not send their pi-oduuo Home. Then there 'was a'time before that when sheep grew so thickly that ihoy use;l to knock tlio old ewes on tlio head for boiling down, j Their friend (Mr. Seager) was the first to make a boilingdown plant in New Zealand (for Mr. Luxford in 1361). In 1872 ho mado tlio first preserving pan for "Jimmy" Gear—it was not the (fear -Meat, .Preserving Company in those days, but Gear and Ling—which was another ivay to preserve beof and mutton beforo tho days of freezing machinery.. He mentioned sueh things in order that tho public might know who were tho really progressive men" of old Wellington. (Applause.) Captain Kennedy, who was master of the lirst Wellington - owned steamboat — tlio Wonga .Wonga—was called: on to make a few remarks, but the aged mariner is very feeble, and his remark's were not very audible. An Old-Time Election. Mr. A. Kelly (lor many years engineer of the Kaliu) said he had known Mr. Seager since 18u7, and had put in his first job in New Zealand with Mr. Seager, at which time there wore only two steamboats in Now Zealand, one trading between tho Manukau and Lvttelton and tile other (the Wonga Wonga) out of Wellington. In those days they had to get as close in as possible, and scramble over "Noah's Ark" (which was moored in the sand on the site of tho present Bank of New Zealand), into town. Ho remembered n poll thnt took place when the Supremo Court was situated somewhere, near . I'ipitea Point, when "Teddy" (Edward Jer- I ningha.rn) Wakefield was elected. V/heu "Teddy" was returned a largo green flag I was hoisted, and he was carried up to the | old Ship Hotel in Manners Street. II; was > a case of lay off" in thoso times if you I diW more than Bft. of water, mid a vessel with that draught could only leave at t high water. It was another matter now, when vessels drawing 30ft. could berth at any state of the tide. The sneaker also jocularly referred to n propeller Mr. Seager had made out of an old tank. Mr. S. Drydcn (an old resident of Wellington (who "helped to build tho punts used in the raising of the Tnrauuki) paid a tribute lo Mr. Seager, whom he had known for fifty years. Messrs. I'. Collins, Frank Allen, and James Darling (president of the Institute of Marino Engineers) also spoke in the highest terms of Mr. Seager. Mr. 11. I'\ Allen (secretary of the Ironmasters' Association) spoke briefly in appropriate terms on behalf of that body. : A Man of Action, Not Words. Mr. Seager said he was very pleased indeed to meet them all. He had been an employer of engineers for fifty years, and everyone who had worked for him had wanted to cotno back again. As lo the screw lie had made out of an old tank lor the Wonga Wonga, it increased the speed of the vessel from live to nine knots per hour, and when a screw was imported to take its place i|. reduced the speed by a knot., (Laughler.) Mr. R. Duncan (Chief Inspector of Machinery) spoke lo his connection with Mr. Seager; 'Mr. David Williamson (Levin and C0.r,0 tho "Shipping Interest": and Mr. I). Watson l.i iln- " Shipmasters' Assoeiatiun." Mr. I!. Iteiiner masted "The Pnder-wriler-y" coupled with iho name of Mr. C. M. Monteiioi'i-. Mr. W. Dntliie proposed the health of the "Coastal Engineers," which indued a spirited response from Mr. Levis!am (chief engineer of' I lie Rotomnhana). The chairman proposed the indispensable "Press." which was responded lo liv flie reproM'nt.'ili.ve of Tin: Dominion, and the toast of "The Chair," so ably filled by Mr. Robertson, was honoured by way of a