Sanson-Carnarvon Tramway

Feilding Star, Volume VII, Issue 68, 17 November 1885, Page 2

Sanson-Carnarvon Tramway

The formal opening of the Carnar-von-Sanson tramway was celebrated yesterday. The train left Foxton at 9 a.m., crowded with visitors, and arrived in Sanson tolerably well up to timo. A procession was formed, headed by tho Marton Band, and*' marched to the picnic ground, where tea and other refreshments were provided for «the visitors. At about 2 o'clock a number of gentlemen,, about JfllO'injLflu? adjourned to a large dining room adjoining the Junction Hotel, whet*e-LH*?B»g-niticent luncheon had; been' pjrovjded by Host Falloon. Ample justice &ras done on all sides- to the cbmesti Dies, and complimentary reraarlswete mad* by the visitors on the exceUent stylei in which everything was, served, whiM the older residents admitted that fc better spread had never before been laid in> Sanson. : L : - Mr Thynne, Chairman ofthe Manawatu County Council, presided, and after the tables had been cleared proposed the healths of "'The Queen," and • ' His Exceßency the Governor," both of which ,were loyally, recj^ived. Mr McKenzie, in an;excellent speech, proposed " The Parliament." He said after 25 years' experience of representative Government he was satisfied that the standard of mpn cpmposing the Parliament of New Zealand would compare favorably with that of other in the world. ■He spoke: of the difficulty bf getting good men 4o represent them in local bodies/ but the best men always canie to the ''front. He spoke against the" intense' locfclispi of members, and hoped 'the day' would arrive when* members would represent the whole colony, instead of, merely that part they neminally represented. Mr Maaarthur, M.H.R. for Manawatu, responded in a filicitous speech. He said that the intense 1 localism alluded to by Mr McKenzie would obtain so long as Parlmmept -was merely a Board of Works. impossible for any clear.pa^Jiuoß to be laid down. Where pubuo works were to be done out. of borrowed money,' it was absolutely necessary for each member to look after his own district in the scramble. Any member who took up an entirely independent position, and neglected hid would certainly lose, his seat at the next election. If membere were not so disinterested as they shoul4 be the electors themselves . werjft : to "blame, because they would only ; -returii men who promised to do something', fur them in getting a share of the .benefit of the Public; Works expenditure Until the policy of borrowing could be dispensed w with, -he mw no^prpdpect of.a change for the bot|er."- ! t * The. Chairman herb read 'rtpblbgies for thoir absence from;'tb^e.Hon. P. Buckley, Colonial Secretory, Mr B^uce, M.K.R. for Rangifcikei r .,50u!., E. Richardson, Minister .for 'Public Works, the Hon. Mr Tolei AttorneyGeueral, and Sir Julius Yogel,* Colonial Treasurer. In each ease the urgent press of public business' whs the cause assigned. . „•'•.' Mr Linton, the Mayor, of Palmerston, proposed the toast- of the day, "The Tramway,: ctmplod with the name of Mr Thynne, the chairman of Directors." He spoke of the great progress made in the Mauawatu district during the past'^f teen years. He then proceeded to jgive Att. histdry of the tramway from its first inception in the Manawatu County Council. At ono time itG was thai' the northern members were opposed to it, but such was not the case, they only ''worked*. to protect those ratepayers who would receive no benefit either way from the tram/ and who" had already the railway running past their doors He hoped before another 15 years was past, that there would be a tramway to Palmerston, and if each township were --connected in that way he was sure it would pay. - He spoke of a time when a gentleman visited ] .Sanson and saw one man working and another man. looking at him, and compared the present timo wirh that, as a monument of the dogged energy and perseverance of the settlers, who had so raised their part of Manawatu to its present condition: of prosperity. He -regretted that Dr jßocikstrow was not present to witness the completion of the great work he 'had done so muoh towards. He paid high compliments toL Ihat gentleman and Mr. Sanson for their unfailing faith in the undertaking. Speaking of localism Mr Linton said he had a firm belief in it. It was the cause of much wholesome competition between districts, as between business people. The publio got the benefit of it. I Under one local Government they would have had neither roads' nor tramways. They had among them men. who. were always scheming for something to benefit, their ceunty. They either wanted a road or a bridge and he found that after awhile thej alway s got, one way or another, what •ihey tried for. Local jealousy would be almost wiped out when intercommunication was made more easy bj good roads between, the places. . Mr Macarthur that the faults of Parliament would cease when New Zealand was able to live without borrowing. He concluded by saying that the tramway Would prove a great h|nssjgg to i the people of Sandon. Mr Thynne in wply said tha^ n>en- , tion had been'*made of certain gejpr^ men being absent who had takejotw interest in the tramway. Why if,all were in attendance who had assisted, the room would, npt hold a tithe of them. He then gave a statement of the cost and working expepses of* tha tramway and showed olearly enough* that it would.be a paying concern* It oost £16,000 to make the 14 miles of teamway and it would have cost £14,000 for a metal road. ,* "A MrMacarthurjJtoppsed "The Manawatu. County Council," which was suitably respctnded to by Mr Sanson who also, alluded to J)**. Rockstfow in eulogist terms; :r ; . Mr Davis, of/. Wirpkino, proposed ""■'■" •'{ *"•:.■ v" ""*'•''*•'•■» V .

.. « The visitors," which was responded to by Messrs Snelson, for Palmerston, .. and Davis, for Bulls. Mr Sanson proposed " Our member, "Mr Wilson, M.H.R." He said that it was in. a great measure owing to the activity he had displayed in the House Unit the tramway was made at all. It was he who got the word "tramways" inserted in the Roads and Bridges Construction Act, and so enabled them to share in the advantages of that Act. Mr Wilson, in reply, thanked the previous speaker for his appreciation of the services he had rendered. He spoke of that time when it appeared as if the tramway was about to be completed forthwith, after the Government had made a survey by Mr J. T. Stewart; but '" The best laid schemes of mice and men gang aft agley," and the work was stopped. However, they were not. disheartened, and their pre-sent-success was a monument of the renewed energy thrown into the work by Messrsßockstrow, Thynne, Sanson, and the nther gentlemen connected with it. The county had also to thank Sir Julius Yogel for his assistance, . which, had been most cordially given. Mr Remington proposed the agricultural and pastoral interests of the district, which was responded to by . • Mr Gower in a Tery telling speech, in which he said that the opening of the tramway, and the . consequent easy communication with Wellington, would compel the storekeepers to sell their goods at a less, profit, otherwise the settlers would not deal with them. The toast of the ladies was proposed by Mr Jehes, of Marton, and responded to by Mr Pirani. Mr Burcham proposed " The Press" in a excellent speech which/contained passing allusions to every article^ used in a printing office, ' and was in its way a masterpiece. Mr Russell, of the Manawatu Herald, briefly responded. The party then broke up. The Sports took place in a paddock opposite the goodshed and were well patronised. The sister townships of Bulls, Marton, Palmerston, and Feilding were well represented, everything considered. More visitors would undoubtedly have been present, but the Committee of Management could not anticipate that so much real sympathetic interest would have been displayed, and the public of these townships do not appear to have been invited to take an active share in the frte, either by their subscriptions or their presence. However, tho affair | was a pronounced success, and reflects infinite credit on all concerned j