Eketahuna – Woodville Railway.

Hastings Standard, Issue 500, 13 December 1897, Page 3

Eketahuna - Woodville Railway.

THE OPENING CELEBRATION

(Feom the Hawke's Bay Herald.)

According to the report of the Herald the proceedings at Woodville cn Saturday were of a most enthusiastic character. The first train from the Wairarnpa had brought 700 visitors, the ordinary express train 250, the Napier train 300, while many hundreds were 011 the Wellington excursion train which was a long time overdue. There is a large recreation reserve, in the heart of the borough, and here an address was presented to Lord Ranfurly in the presence of crowds of interested spectators. The Mayor formally opened the proceedings. The occasion, he said, signalled one of the most important events in the history of Wcodville—the opening of through communication by rail between Hawke's Bay and Wellington. Lord Ranfurly was heartily cheered as he rose to respond. He thanked them for their cordial welcome to Lady Ranfurly and himself on their visit to Woodville, and for their good wishes as to their happiness during their stay in this colony. He sincerely hoped that his term of office might be beneficial to New Zealand, and it would be his earnest endeavor to always promote its prosperity. He was glad that he had been able to so time this visit as to be present at the opening of the Government railway line between Wellington and Napier, and he trusted that, situated as they were at a junction, the prosperity of their town would be largely increased by the greater facilities they would now have for communication. The country he had seen before him on his way to Woodville, and the progress he now saw, spoke volumes, he thought, for the perseverance and industry of their settlers. It was hard to realise the fact that twenty years ago the place was native bush, without roads and without cultivation. " May I venture to hope," said his Excellency in conclusion, "that you will reap large benefits from your hard work, and that the years now before you maybe years of increased prosperity and happiness to your community."

THE LUNCHEON. An adjournment was then made to the spacious Drill Hall, where several hundred guests assembled. As the proceedings had already been considerably delayed a number of toasts were cut out. THE TOASTS. " The Queen " having been honored, the Chairman proposed the toast of " His Excellency the Governor and Lady Ranfurly." He said he was but re-echoing the opinions of the people of the district when he stated that they were only too pleased to have a representative of Her Majesty present on this occasion, and hoped that this would not be the last time that he would pay them a visit. From what he understood his Excellency had sporting tastes and he believed the fishing they could give him in that district would induce him to come there frequently. He assured him that the rivers and streams in' that district around Woodville abounded in fish, and were not beaten by any other place in New Zealand. Upon all occasions they would be pleased to see his Excellency, and hoped on this occasion he had been favored with full baskets and good luck.

Lord Ranfurly returned thanks for the cordial manner in which the toast had been received, assuring them that it bad been a great pleasure to both Lady Ranfurly and himself to be present on such an auspicious occasion as the opening of this new line. The opening of a new line of railway could only be of the utmost importance to the district, giving as it did a larger field for her markets and enabling people to come to the town who before were unable to do so owing to the distance. It also gave them two routes by which they could send their produce—two competitive routes, and competition was always in favor of the producer. The real point upon which they could congratulate themselves was that Woodville was the junction ! for these two lines. Where there was a junction there must necessarily be a large amount of work, which amount of work meant a corresponding amount of money circulated in the district. He ventured to hope that Woodville would now enter upon a new era of prosperity, and that the people would go slowly, steadily, and surely. He hoped there -would be no " boom," for though it might be satisfactory for a moment the benefit was never lasting, and stagnation invariably ensued. He congratulated the Miuister for Railways, whom he was sorry not to see present that day, on the opening of that section of railway, and he trusted that with the help and assistance of the settlers it would be found of financial benefit to him in the future. Before he sat down he wished to say that he hoped that the increased railway facilities would induced the settlers to try and make some use of the yast amount of timber which he now saw being destroyed by the agency of fire. Mr C. Hall proposed the toast of the Ministry. The Premier thanked them heartily for the cordial manner in which the toast had been drunk. He recognised that at such a gathering as this it would be very undesirable to introduce party politics, for he knew there were tho.-e present who differed from himself and his colleagues. At the same time they had extended that hearty welcome which was ever accorded to those who faithfully served the public of iheir country. They had left the battle-field behind them in Wellington. (Laughter). The worthy leader of the Opposition, sitting at the oppo-sit-e end of the table, had partaken of the good things at the table in such j a hearty manner that they must have • thought that there were no differences between them. With som. the Ministry were perfect angels; with others *£am the; were perfect demons. (A, 1

i voice: "Quite right.") That being the case, they now saw the biggest amongst them. (Laughter.) However, they were unanimous in the fact that the Ministry had done a good thing for Woodville in completing this railway. When the Ballanee Ministry came into office this was 0110 of the works which they considered it their duty to proceed with an A complete, and after six years that had now been done. It gave his colleagues and himself very great pleasure to be present at the opening ceremony. He apologised for the absence of the Minister for Public Works, who was busy preparing the Public Works Statement, and also for Mr Cadman. He thought above all others the Minister for Railways should have been there, because on him would depend in a great measure the successful working of the line. His Excellency had made reference to the fact that 20 years ago that district was a native bush forest, whtr.-in the tui chirped and the pukaki ran, and the transformation that had taken place redounded very much to the credit of the pioneer settlers, whom he wished every prosperity. The land upon which they now stood, the Seventy Mile Bush, was purchased from the natives by the Hon. Mr Ormond, and they must admit in that purchase, and the terms on which it was secured, any settler who looked back to that period must say that it was a good thing for the colony. To Mr Ormond he now tendered a meed of praise. Captain Russell, 011 rising to respond, received quite an ovation, the applause lasting some minutes ere he was permitted to proceed. It was, he said, a great honor which had been conferred upon him—the privilege of replying for the Legislative Assembly of New Zealand. The Legislative Assembly of this colony consisted of three estates his Excellency the Governor, the Legislative Council, and the House of Representatives. He remembered a felicitous speech which was delivered by the Marquis of Dufferin upon the functions of a Governor, who described himself as a man on an engine who had apparently but a small function to perform—to run round with an oii-can dropping the oil in here and there until the whole machinery worked with perfect smoothness. And he (Captain Russell) ventured to say that in his Excellency Lord Ranfurly they bad a Governor who would perform the work in the most pleasing manner possible, and by his geniality and suavity bring the political machinery to work with good action and with the most perfect smoothness. (Applause.) As a true British subject who held that the " Crown can never do wrong," he believed that if under any possible contingency the Governor was appealed to, he would do the right f hing at the light moment. The Hon. J. G. Ward also responded. THE LAST TOAST. Mr R, D. D. McLean, M.H.R., proposed " Health and Prosperity to Woodville and Surrounding Districts." This was responded to by Mr Grislmgton, and the proceedings terminated.