THE JUBILEE OF MARLBOROUGH.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 653, 2 November 1909, Page 6

THE JUBILEE OF MARLBOROUGH.

YESTERDAY'S FESTIVITIES. /

1 1 UCCESSFUt. IN SPITE OF HEAVY RAIN.

TRIBUTES TO THE OLD IDENTITIES-, -(By Telegraph—Press Association.) , t ,\< Blenheim, NoTcmber 1. .The vigorous ringing of firebolls, church bolls, •; and every. ..other '-instrument capable of tin- 1 i - twabnlating,. sot the;air quivering at half-past ■four a.m.i .vnth an acoustic effect seldom heard " .- localAi v;lt was. tho. jubileo paean, and ovcry:one must he- astir early. The. morning broke • beautifully .fine, with a north-westerly breeze blowing- to cool tho air. v. v.Shortly after- 9 o'clock : , the -. meteorological . conditions.ibecamo .ofjithe / most disagreeable : ■■■ nature, rain commencing to fall- and continuing . incessantly during-tho whole of the morning. This- did. not deter: a rocord gathering from i: thronging tho /streets, and occupying every • point, of \vantdge - to; vrow the procession. It 15 that over, seven thousand peoplo , witnessed:tho gubernatorial ceremony. . v :. if. The women and ohildren especially had a most -. uncomfortable i experience. 11 arrived from • the: country quite- unproparod for :• rain,.and:umbTellas and overcoats wore m great demand.,_;;iMany,; came!-m thinly clad, with white,- pink, and l other coloured dresses, but --after the downpour .it ; was . difficult" to tell which colour thoy-originally started out with, .vi f'Thespecial/jtiain ..-from Ugbrooko with the - Governor ■ and I his host and hostess (Mr. and -.Wrs. ' Vavasour) at 10.30- o'clock, tho party being. escorted .to tho market-placd by an proceHsion' of. Volunteors, municipal ; authorities,- -fnbndly societies, and other .local thirteen . traction engines/ drawing decorated wagons - filled ivith . school children • from, all ■ parts of ■ tho district, bullock teams, , , company-of stockmen drovers, and other ;, xeproseatations ■ of-;the -community. ... As,, tha Governof: appeared in the market-. •, ; placo, a party., of,-Maoris performed a dance of welcome. ... Drenching rain. fell, as the; address ; ' (pre,eented, by.,four little girls, attired m white) • was being read to the Governor at the rotunda. r,iHis;-Excellency: replied, v acknowledging, the welcome, and,, the ! "National Anthem" ; and , "The . Hallelujah; .Chorus" , were sung by .tho ■ ■ Blenheim-Harmonio 'Society.... The Mayor .anr Bouncedithatrtheispecolies would ba .postponed '.till ,the : Old Idei cities' banquet in. the Town ' Hall in the afternoon. . . : y^:TJie-igathonngii on - the:; rotunda,/.included, resides more - than, visiting.. 1 membors I of:Parliament;'Archbishop.EeQwood, and tho (-. Mayors, of- Dunedin,: Nelson, " and North East • Valley, and Mrs. Gillies, matron in charge of . the New. Zealand ' Medical i Corps. . The: Old Identities' and the bulkick • :.loasting by the Maoris noro the events of-tlio l afternoon, and m, tho ovsnmp. when the ram . lad'ceased, .the : Harmonic Society Tendered tho cantata "Magna : Charta" . in. ; tho 'Town Hill. _ \ , ' • ,_A. display in' Seymour Square was i, witiinased py;thoi}sands:/of peoplo, »ide - commanded attention. : 'His Excellency was entertained at a Masonic banquet this, .will remain in,townA., and P. Show to-morrow. ' v.-The.i^majority -'of , tho Parliamentary i party left bir'train.iat ,-on their return to Wel- , - Hngtini. . All - agree, that. Marlborough roso to •fto occasion for her jubilee. SPEECH BY THE GOVERNOR, Av / . (By Telegraph.—Special Correspondent.): - - i ', ' Blenheim, November 1. TTpon being- welcomed at- the band rotunda ..byifnjpreaentafavesvofi the .borough: and dis- ?:■ trictjiyesterday, rhis; Excellency the Governor Lord. Pluiiket.said:—"l thank you for ; the cor-.idial>,-Welcome'.you «havo'extended- to -me- upon ■l -second :dfficial visit to. Blenheim and its "neighbourhood, ■ and I • receive: with satisriadjion,yonr assurances :of-loyalty towards his , Mnjetscy, the : .King. progress which Marl- • borough has -mado since.its establishment as a : provinpe jis: a , testimony to its bold ~; and jttud pioneers, its distinguished and ifar- . .seeing spttblio men, and its renowned climate and,sou. Most, heartily do I join with you in your. , jubilee cdobrafcions, not merely because it empSrtMaes'vUie wonderful proriessi this pro- - hut because that progress has ,> adued,.greatly',to..the-general. wellbeing. happino®, ftnd; strensrth of tho"whole 4 -Dominioh.' , *I ! 1 .desire also to. thank you for your kindly Tefertnco to the efforts t/ady Plnnket and I have .-v.niKdo to be of. some use to those, amongst .whom eur_ lif<i ior the past five years has been .cast. • It is a/ doep satisfaction to us to feel" that wo ' . havu mado some Teturn, .however. inadequate, ■ • that.uniform kindness,, courtesy, and goodwhich 'we„ have.. enjoyed ever since we ,arrived m Now Zealand." > V li J. THE OLD IDENTITIES. Spßaiing at tho, old identities' dinner a-; Blenheiin this - afternoon, the '.Mayor (Mr.' ■ . CiJlum) said ho folt a-.deeper sense of tho ' . Bigmfisanco of tho- occasion than he could hope' , to express. A tribute must he paid" to theI; .early .pioneors,»who built ,solid the: foundations i ■ Haying spent the whole of his Bleuheim, he.knew by long and close contact the sterling qualities of tho manhood womaniood that li ad spent itself in making' •tho prosperous community which it was to-dav ' i .All honour to tho old idontities Such a name ,'.i» Sir.Frolotwk Weld might bo mentioned as . .roa of.thoso who .conferred particular distincj Ition, on the province. His ,political career j .onginated .there, and carried him on to the •..-jffren»iwrfup>'..'of.- Now- 'Zealand, ' of West i liitt Tasmania, and Straits Settlement ,!i<Aj»ther name which Marlborough .people re■j.card«d,with:pnde.,was that of Professor-Blither-•vtord, who, Btartmg his education in the local jieebools, had reached .tho very top in tho world . -of sciencc, and was honoured in all countries 'fin /Politics and science; then,' as: well as -in ijrit j«n<l industry, 'tho Marlborough jubilee was ~|BMTOiated,mthvCreditable\traditidns.; The end ■of the next fifty years ought /to witness a worthy of tho best qualities of man- ,. fthooa and womanhood, making tho centenary of i{to..provnico to tho ]übilce as tho sun was to itho moon. - ■> ' ' . MINISTER'S - CONGRATULATIONS ,„The following telegram was 'sent by the , SPnmo.-Minlitor-^estorday..to. Mr.' A. M'Callnin, ; 4?rcßidont.;of,- tao Marlborough' Jubilee. AfisociaUoa— • ;,:"My - .heartiest.;congratulations . to you' all •lipcn the jubilee to-day complete. The history «t Marlborough befoM. during, and since its as a province m rich in honoured names .whofie . strenuous . liy-es ...as ' patriotic pion<iers SriSff? 5 ® '.iri .'the'" material' , .-.lirogKss;yoU',now.\vitness....-,To-day it is fitting •to survey • its' advanoo: and congratulate - itaoli' spon.an expansion .and progress which is gentj" lao,,steady,..and great, " In this sense of prop<jr -,pndo the. splendid services of those now at (sst will not,* I know, bo forgotten. Tho aamcs of Weld, and Clifford, of Adams atd .Carter,' and - the other, departed .Superintetiflants,- will live, in ' your -; hearts, with - maiiy : ,»- anothor iMinory 'of bnive and' useful' lives now 1 t00 « yen will, I know, re. \. 3f«ie- that you hase still: with you that aplen- : .ibd old veteran- and; pioneerCaptain Baillie,' ', ..Whose, axtyrtwo years of close association with all tho pi ogress; ahd interests of -Marlborough , - made him,a: living -.link between the past and • ™ : pretent, bet-roen • settlement's earliest begroninCß and to-day's fine iiclnevamonts. Surely ■hti; will throughout i your celebrations feel a -v-eenso .of-paternal pride' in that., growth ■' and I prcspenty,_ whoso Jio -witnessed, and .which nc has done .so- mnch -to guido and 'pro-1 . TOpte..^,.Before ,'MatlborOughlies 'a.'Splendid-. - . .fiiture. ,Few. parts,of 'New.Zealand aro more • Tic.Wy endowed . in , natural beauty .of moun* t*nn, stream, and sound; few are richer m : v,;.;rieatXhirioncal .events and incidents; few have .industrious, self-reliant' peo-- .:■! pie; fow. have richer lands. When to all these ' advantages are; added the facilities of wider communication, by.-rail arid. sea. Marlb&rough : will take -its. placo amoagst the fairest, rich«st, and - most:permanently prosperous of the ■!' great provinces of. New Zealand. :My cim*- . . era,tnlations,.upon your splendid past. My ~ felicitations upon jubilee celebrations, j :j andSiny," earnest': hope dnd best, wishes for your, future.—(Signed), Sir J. G. Ward." ■ '