OPENING OF THE MINERS' J , ;■-■ HALL.

Grey River Argus, 5 December 1908, Page 3

OPENING OF THE MINERS' HALL.

A BRILLIANT FUNCTION. A CREDIT TO THE MINERS

Yesterday was a red letter day in I Runanga when the inhabitants > of that growing township assembled in large fotce to take part in celebrating the opening- of the Miners' Hall. \a work ; that reflected the greatest credit «n all ! concerned. Ths Vlav was beautifully fine, and at 2 o'clock the train steaanV'ed dnto Runanga with a large contingent from Greymouth. Arrivinff at the hall' the strains of he i ;band greeted the visitors. The band I lUnder the able leade'rslup of Mx Isherjjwood is to be' congratulated on the ii "excellent rendition given. The^band 1 is newTy foraneQ, bTiTgtves promise of being a £reat success. At the lange hall a very great crowd had assembled the women folk being very prominent. - The shadow-catchers were hard at .work, and many a good picture was secured to mark a progress in the epoch of the .history of the State mine. Mr Glover in a neat speech referred to the pride the miners felt at hrhrging the undertaking to a sue-. • cessful issue. He traced the progress of the place, and the prominent part taken by the uiAolders of the working" man. He paid a hßgh compliment to Mr Semple, President of the Union, who he' /stated, was a man it was an honor to know. Mr Semple ! had done yeoman service and his ldfe's work was for the bettermen of the con dition of his fellow workers. (Applause). On behalf of the committse he had pleasure in asking Mr Semple to perform the opening ceremony as. they considered he' was the 'person best fitted to carry ; put the important function. He then presented Mr Semple with a .gold key to open the door. (Cheers). Mr Semple was greeted with v cheers He saiid he felt deeply grateful for the honor that had been conferred upon him. He stated that it had always been his aim in life to better the conditions of the' worker. (Applause). He gave a most forcible speech, which' was. repeatedly apphtuded in pointing 7 out the duty of the workers. He htiitl that the Union at Runanga had shov* V'great. progress, and "was. as fax advanced as' any in the Dominion. .He urged on the miners to stick together and work in the cbmimon cause of uplifting them. After an excellent speech he- turned the key, ahd declared the hall open amidst cheers. On entering the hall the unanimous opinion was that it was a splendid I one. The floor space exceeds that of * 1 the Greymouth Public Hall, while- the 1 stage is roomy. The decorations de- . t serve special mention as tihey were , of tbe most pleasarTT nature. ' On the walls were the following mottos : : 'Tht» world is our 'country. To do goo J as our religion." ■ ."Not ror a race, but for all man&nd." J "United we stand, divided we fall." "World's wealth for world's work- • ers." About eight hundred people sat down at the . banquet table, and aiier - the good things provided by the la-dies-of the State Milne had been done { fuii justice to Mr Semple, Presidenij J declared the programme opened.' ; Mr Lauder sang with very pleading effect "The Miner," the. audience loudly applauded. ] Mr Fry in a most complimen'cary ■ speech proposed - "The State Miners' Union, and Messrs -Sempler Rostrum ahd Southward responded. '• Song — iMr Stevenson (encored). ' ■ 'Mr Rostrum proposed the toast of the contractor, and Mr W. Murray responded. . ' ....... ' . Songs.— M. Mulcah?y and Miss . ■ Dixon Mr J. Patterson proposed' 'The International Cohsolidat-on of Laibori" ■ and Messrs P. Webb, Fry, Jackson 1 and Newton responded. ■■ Recitatio — Mr J. Smith. Mr Coppersmith proposed "The Pariiaiment of the Dominion," and Messrs Gum: .ss and Kerr responded. V— Songs. — Miss Southward and Mr Stevenson. Mr Neilson proposed "Mining Industry," and Messrs 'Bishop and Coulthard responded. ' Other toasts proposed were "Kindred Unions," "The Ladies," and "Press." —-.-."■'.-■ The gathering which was one of the most successful in the district was brought .to a close' by three cheers for the President, Mr Semple. In the evening a dance was held and the floor was crowded with lovers of the light fantastic. The opening of the Miners' Hall in Runanga will be long remembered as one of the most enjoyable Junctions ever held . Trials were made at St. Petersburg recently with. the engineer Besobrasoff's new engine .-iA . Avar which, it is alleged, can t.'i row a weight of two tons four miles. The trials began wit'i brilliant ■ results. J* ur continuation of -reading matter, see first and fourth pages.