TRIBUTE TO HON. J. O’BRIEN

Grey River Argus, 18 December 1945, Page 5

TRIBUTE TO HON. J. O’BRIEN

. . — —■ -— BY WEST COAST LOCAL BODIES • Complimentary Dinner Hon. J. O’Brien, M.F., Minister of Marine and Transport,. and ActingMinister of Mines and Labour, was the guest of the Greymouth Harbour Board and of sixteen other local bodies of the West Coast at a dinner tendered in his honour at the Albion Hotel, Greymouth, last evening. The Mayor, Mr F. A. Kitchingham, presided. Proposing the toast “The Government Departments”, the Chairman said that, while' it was not the most important toast on the list, it was an important one. “In recent years,” he said, “Government Departments have increased in number and importance. They play a most important part in the wide scope of their public duties.” Replying on behalf of the Public. (Works Department, Mr C. Fraser,! IP.W.D. Engineer, recalled the early days of roading and railways on the 'Coast, and said that it was not until! the advent of the Labour Party that* these had really boomed. He mentioned also the improvements in the harbours, paying a tribute to the work of Mr D. S. Kennedy, Harbour Board Engineer. Over the past 16 years he had found local bodies ideal to co-operate with. He also paid tribute to Mr John Higgins, County Engineer, for the work he had carried out over a very long period in the development of the West Coast. He said that his connection with the guest of the evening had been a most nleasant one.

Mr A. S. Hamilton, on behalf of the Audit Department, said that he counted it a privilege to be associated with the local bodies of the West Coast. While the Coast had such officers, it must go ahead. He mentioned Mr W. B. Gilbert, of the Harbour Board, and Mr J. Higgins, of the Grey County Council. The activity of the Audit Department was a very essential one in the work of all Departments, and though he was an official of that relatively small Department, he felt he was well warranted in saying that all the staffs did their very best. Mr W. Meldrum, proposing the toast “Local Bodies”, said that he had known the guest of the evening for the past 24 years. He was sure that a man who attended to his duty was the man who worked for, and thoroughly understood the interest of his local body. It cultivated a civic

sense in a man who gave his services voluntarily. The local bodies of the district were exceedingly capable and trustworthy. Several members had gone on to higher ranks, as had Mr O’Brien and Hon.- J. Ryall. He paid tribute to the excellent -work of Mr J. B. Kent, who, he claimed, could turn out with almost any local body on the Coast. He also mentioned the work of Mr W. Clayton, and of the younger members, such as Mr F. Blanchfield. He referred to the excellent services of Messrs Coxall, Heenan (Hospital Board), and E. W. Kennedy (Runanga). I On behalf of the Harbour Board, Mr F. Williams said that body was one of the most important, and other local bodies Re.o?rJar ) se2B’, ♦speaker, “we have been faced withr difficulties, not only in| finance —that has received the assistance of the Government;—the dredge has had to work under difficulties, and there have been other minor matters”. To his mind, the harbour could be improved, but it was a matter for the engineers to say what Should be done. He concluded by eferring to the assistance and symathy always given to the Harbour Soard by the guest of the evening, nd the Government, in the past. On behalf of the Borough Councils. Mr E. W. Kennedy, Mayor of Runanga, said he had known Mr O’Brien for the past 40 years, and had always appreciated him as a friend. “A Borough Council,” said the speaker, “is in reality a miniature Parliament, and we, as local body members can appreciate to some extent the difficulties that the Hon. Member for the District has to face”. He joined with the previous speakers in wishing Mr O’Brien all the best. Mr P. Blanchfield, Chairman of the Grey Electric Power Board, said that in the near future it was hoped to see electric power distributed throughout the whole of Westland. He credited the success of the Board, not to members of the present generation, but to those who had come before and

pioneered the field, and referred to Mr O’Brien as a champion in the cause of developing the i;esops,ces of the province. For the Hospital Boards, Mr E. W. Heenan (Hokitika) expressed the indebtedness of the Boards to Mr O’Brien for what he had done for the West Coast. He also referred to the potentialities for the development of electric power in South Westland. Mr Coxall (Reefton) for the County [Councils, said that Mr O’Brien had always done 'as much as was in his Ipower to assist the counties, and, speaking for the Inangahua County, of which he was chairman, he could substantiate this by works which had (been carried out in his own county. He appreciated the possibility of an' extended electrical scheme in Westland, and speaking of Reefton, said that the town and district was passing into a period of progress. From the counties he conveyed the deep appreciation felt for the work of Mr O’Brien, and on their behalf wished him success and prosperity in the future.

For the recently formed Catchment Board, Mr W., Clayton humourously referred to this local body as the baby of them all, but assured the gathering that it had now come to the stage where it had started to walk. He spoke in eulogistic terms of the guest of the evening, and conveyed thanks for improvements to the district carried out with the assistance of Mr O’Brien.

In proposing “The Guest of the Evening,” Mr J. B. Kent, president of the West Coast L.R.C., said: “We pay but small tribute to Mr O’Brien with this function and we say ‘Thank you Jim, for all you have done for us.’ The : personality of our guest transcends all politics; he has become an institution, and during the long period

he has represented us, we have all come to know and respect him. We want to find some way in which , we can publicly ' acknowledge his services and the many fine traits in his character. We have gathered here to pay tribute to our Member; in some small way to recognise his outstanding merit and- ability, as a Minister- of the Crown, and as a man amongst men. “We have assembled to say ‘Thank you’ for the valuable assistance and advice given so freely at all times to our local bodies;' his wide experience and counsel has at all times been at our disposal; our problems have always received his earnest consideration and attention, and no project is too small for his immediate action. His capacity for action astounds., his most fervent admirers; and they are manv.” Mr Kent went on to refer to the model of the Greymouth harbour which had been constructed largely through the support of Mr O’Brien, and stated that, in the future, the

l construction of that model would save the country thousands of pounds. “He has always been willing to listen to progressive ideas,” ' said Mr Kent, “and his assistance in raising the money for that model is much appreciated. “Since 1922 he has served Westland honourably and. well. His motto, ‘Advance Westland!’ has been no mere catch phrase. He has lived up to it. His term as a Minister has patient if things do not move as been full of action. He becomes imquickly as he would like. Direct, often blunt, he gets straight to _ the point and is always prepared to listen to men with practical knowledge and experience. He is always practical and fair himself, never dogmatic, and if he thinks a thing is right, he says so without hesitation. '“He holds the confidence of the people because they know that they will get a square deal from ‘Brieny.’ His adult life has been one of service, ably assisted by his gpod wife, Mrs O’Brien. He has gained a reward. A reward that is the blessing of the invalids and the aged, the widows and the orplpahs, and of all the people he has been able to serve. r lhey cannot be numbered. “Our guest has carried out, said Mr Kent, “the work what they who have been forced to leave off started, and has brought nearer to completion the unfinished edifice. ‘To you they flung the torch, be yo'ur’s to hold it high, If ye break faith, they shall not sleep . . . . ■ > “And after all it is the effort of service that counts, although attainment may take time. The ‘Well Done’ is for the good and faithful servant, not merely for the good and successful servant. It is the splendour of service that makes life worth while.”

“To you good, Sir,” concluded Mr Kent, “and to your good and kindly wife, and your efficient secretary, Miss Moore, health and happiness, and may you be long spared to serve the people of Westland.” Mr O’Brien, In replying to the toast, stated he very much appreciated what had been said, and the kindness extended to him by the local bodies of the West Coast. He felt he did not deserve the eulogistic references, as he had only done his duty, and helping Westland or New Zealand was a labour of love. People did not get tired at a job like that. In retrospect ;he could not help noticing that the development of the West Coast had. [made great strides since he first entered public life, or as a matter of tact, since he first stood for Parliament. 1 jl They would have some idea of the work done if they took into consideration that quite a large part of the Coast had not had rqad access at that time, and, if they looked to the n'orth, the east, or to the south, they would

find this to be the case. Inchbonnie, Rotomanu, Bell Hill, Moana and Ruru were not accessible by road, nor was

the road round Lake Brunner at Michells. K’opara, too, was very difficult of access, but these places had been roaded, and the streams bridged. The greatest development, however, was to the south. In the south had been added 100 miles of roadway, and some 20 majoi’ rivers and some hundreds of small streams had been spanned by bridges. “We now have road access as far south as Lake Paringa. We have also a fine harbour at Jackson Bay, and road access to Okuru and the Haast. These will tap some of the finest stands of timber in the Dominion, and will bring some of the best land into production”, said the speaker. “Had it. not been for the war, the main south road would have been carried right, through to Otago and •Southland”, he added.

,jJust.. previous. Hon. R. Semple, on the banks of the Haast River when Mi- Semple. had given instructions to have the plans drawn, and it was estimated then, that the road would have been through in two years. It was noticeable, ■ too, that as the roads pushed south, settlement followed, until in the future a thickly populated South .Westland, giving of its best to the people -of New . Zealand, could be envisaged. Another major improvement had been the introduction of electricity, which had made such a w'onderful improvement in gold dredging, and the latest development was that the Coast possessed deposits of uranium, and this very valuable mineral could be won in addition to the amount of gold that is in the alluvial flats. From the evidence that had been tendered to him when the Atomic Energy Bill was before Parliament, it could' be said that the West Coast gave great promise of a fair amount of production ‘of this mineral. Westland was go.rpg ahead rapidly in secondarj r industries also, although the war had somewhat retarded development. “It is obvious,” said the speaker, “that if we are to keep our population, and not merely be appendages to the cities, we will have to find work and careers for our young people near their homes, instead of having a continual drift to the cities”.

Although a great deal had been done, there was a tremendous amount of work still t’o be carried out as far as Westland was concerned. He asked his listeners to take no notice of

those people who were saying that our main resources were rapidly being worked out, and assured- them, as far as coal was concerned, they Would be digging coal in plenty for the next hundred years. Everyi time a bore .hole was sunk, almost anywhere in the coal basin, it proved the extension of known seams, or of discovered new seams. A bore hole at Taylorville had passed through the Gold Light and Strongman seams. Another bore at Dobson proved an additional vast area of coal, and bore holes were continuously doing that. In fact, he was convinced that if a bore hole was put down anywhere between Kumara and Karamea, new fields of coal would be discovered. “The same might be said of timber,” continued Mr O’Brien. “Twenty-five years ago a Commissioner of Crown Lands stated that the timber would be cut out in

twenty years, and twentl-five years after 'he made that proviso, we estimated it would take one hundred years or more to cut out what we have, particularly if we go in for reafforestation. Then we will have a permanent forest”. Speaking of productivity, Mr O’Brien said that one farmer 'on a little over SO acres of land, had run 37 cows with an average yield of butter fat of 439 pounds per cow. Some hundreds of farms similar to that: could be found in Westland, and those farmers are producing real wealth. One of his latest jobs had been to look over the harbours of the West Coast, and this work he found most: interesting. He had had the best engineers in' New Zealand report on the harbours of Westport and Greymouth, and also on the question of whether a harbour could satisfactorily be made at Point Elizabeth. There had been differences of opinion on these matters among the engineers, and it was decided to bring engineers of wide experience and ren'owned ability from Great Britain to investigate the matter, and to give advice on the harbours of_ Grey and Westport, and Point Elizabeth. He expected a senior partner of the firm of Rendall Palmer and Tritton, accompanied by a senior engineer, to be visiting the West Coast in' the very near future' to examine and report on the harbours. A model had been built of Greymouth, and that could tell a marvellous story of what was necessary, as far as harbour improvement was concerned. This also would be examined, and the same could b-e done for Westport. When he was finished with the portfolio of Marine he could give the people an assurance that

they would know once and for all what was the best method for dealing with both these harbours, and whether or not a permanent harbour could be made at Point Elizabeth.

Mr O’Brien thanked those present once again for their kind treatment of him, and stated he had been exceptionally lucky] in being elected Member for Westland, because, be-, sides having the most beautiful electorate in the world, its resources were tremendous, and he was with, the most hospitable and friendly people in the world. It was marvellous how they teamed together after election clay—when they generally had a difference every three years—but when it was all over, they became friendly, and all of them assisted him' in the advancement of Westland, and had all became personal friends again, even though they had a little break for a week or so at election time. “I have been most happy to have been your representative,” concluded Mr O’Brien, “and I hope to continue just as long as my health will allow.” Other toasts honoured during the evening were “The press,” Hon. J., Ryall (response, Mr J. Mclnroe), “Mr Dowell,” Mi- J. B. Kent'' (Mr Dowell); “Mr Kitchingham,” Hon. J. O’Brien;' “Pioneers,” Mr R. J. Bradley (Mr A. R. Elcock); “The Artists,” Mr P. J. McLean (Mr W. B. Hutton). During the evening Mr ■ O’Brien was presented with a handsome casket carved from the timbei' of the old tug, Westland. In making the presentation Mr Gilbert on behalf of the Harbour Board, said that it was not the intrinsic value of the ..token that counted, it was the memories which were associated with the'early history of Westland, which had made the Harbour Board - come to its decision in the choice of a token of their esteem. Mr O’Brien suitably renlied. During the evening items were rendered by Messrs. W. B. Hutton, ,T. Learmont and J. Duffy. ’ The evening concluded with the singing of “Auld Lang Syne.”