CIVIL ENGINEERS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3011, 23 February 1917, Page 6

CIVIL ENGINEERS

•N.Z. 'SOCIETY'S ANNUAL DINNER.

■ The New Zealand Society of Civil Engineers 'held its annual dinner last evening. There was.a good attendance of members, and among the guests were: Prof. Easterfield, Major-General Sir A. W. Robin, and Mr. C. E. Daniell. Mr. R. W. Holmes occupied the chair.

' The toast of "The King" was duly honoured.

"The Army and Navy" was proposed by Mr. S. Jickell, who said that the toast shoud be "The Navy and Army," the Navy being first in importance, and the Army second. 'He referred proudly to the history of either service, and asserted that there was no doubt to-day that "the breed held good." From the Dominion 80,000 men had been given, and the great army of women was at hand to support the men by its efforts. A woman nowadays did not think much of a man who failed to do his duty. The old British tradition of holding on like the bulldog had been adhered to. Hβ did not think the war would be over for at least six months at the very least, since the enemy were veo r much stronger than we suspected. The war news was pretty meagre, but it might be just as well that we did not know everything that took place. He wae sorry to say that many people in the Old Country did not realise the importance of victory to tho nation. It was only a question of time till the war was brought to a successful issue, and if it were necesßary even for the British flag to be planted in Austria or Germany that could he done, too.

Major-General Robin, in reply, said tho past had been glorious, but it could not help us now. It was the present that counted, and men (and that more quickly than they were at present coming) were wanted now. The work of recruiting committees was still reauired to keep the young men of the , first division up to the • point. Tho Engineers of the New Zealand Forces abroad had given a good- account'of themselves. The New Zealand Tunnellers, now quite a good battalion, held quite the record For quick and l excellent 'engineering work. He was ; ' personally very grateful to the society for the assistance given in the great work'in hand, and on behalf of the Army of New Zealand he conveyed to it his thanks.

■'■Local Authorities of New Zealand" was the toast entrusted to Mr. Wm. Ferguson. He said the engineers had in the matter of national efficiency a great deal to do. They had to see what economies they could make in staffs and works while keeping everything going. Very, often two men could do the wort three men did before, and the young man could be freed for other work. They had to look forward to the wort? tTiat would come after the war, when the surplus labour hadl to be absorbed. This would have to be put not only into temporary, but into permanent work that would benefit both the country and the men employed. That was rather a digression, but he hoped it would be pardoned. Local authorities, apart from their officers, were, Thoadly, the good and tho bad. The good ones were those who had granted those present leave of absence to attend the meeting, paid their expenses, and "thrown something else in for 'fiieir wives. The bad ones were —the others. Proceeding in ironical vein, the. speaker gave, various jocular reasons for his pride in the , Wellington local authorities. He couple'd the toast with the name of Mr. C. K. Daniell, chairman of the Harbour Board, and Mr. Dnniell briefly responded.

The last toast of the evening was 'The New Zealand Society of Civil Engineers," proposed by Professor Easterlieki and responded to by the president. In the course of the evening songs and recitations were given by Messrs. F. W. Widdop, AV. H. Morton, R. S. Rounthwaite, and 1 A. J. Paterson. The gathering broke up after tho singing of "Aiild Lang Sj-ne."