The Drill Hall Bazaar

Hastings Standard, Volume VIII, Issue 4152, 11 February 1904, Page 2

The Drill Hall Bazaar

OPENING Clvlib.UON-Y. oi the Governor's tpcccli yesterday afternoon. ' — ' lie was glad to be present to .assist iu the liquidation of the debt on thy Half, and was also pk-ased to lejU'u Mill the district was so prosperous-. There should be no difficulty 'in so rich a district in getting the .debt paid oIT. and i<c trusted they would set t<he amount wanted —and a lit tie bit over, His Kx'cellency expressed the hoip that they had small rooms attached to the Hall, as they were so necessary for officers' meeting's and sijch like, and were particularly useful in affording yii opportunity for lectures. I lis h'xcellency then declared the bazaar open ; he did not want !<> lake awav one penny oi their profits, .so would say no more—niiiHutes were money—judging by trie many pretty things he saw for sale. An address of Welcome was gi\ien by Taranaki Te Ua, on behalf of the Maoris of I he district. (Mr Fraser interpreted). I am here to-day to express a Tew ■ wor.ds nf pleasure and welcome on | behalf of the Maoris oi this district. ; We hear iwth great (egrei that this mav he the last time We may j.'ave the honour and pleasure oi i;ceting Your Kxcelleney. These words to you are to sjv that we, I':,° Maoris oi this district, wish you every health, prosperity and haopiness wheivrer . you may be it is nut for me to express arc opinio;, as to the the etcc--11011 and obje -l of this hail. Tint n-is already been disposed of by Sir Wil-

liam Russell. You will be returning soon lo a place wuich some even 01 us Maoris regard as home and all ol' us Know to tic oiij great proles-Jon. \oa Know our feelings with regal to Ji-i'.s Majesty ami matters connecteu with *. tie Empire. We wish to tin vey to those interested in (is in the Ola l.'i : j try that our feelings are as tiue 4-n-. as !o\ al as ever. 1 have only this more to say : May every lispp'j.ef-.s In with yu.i ana yours, anu! tuKv the Almighty always keep you and yours in liis care. His Excellency replied :—Captains.• Taranalvi and natives of liawke's 1 thank you very ni-ich for tho km-jy) ly sentiments you have expressed. [ assure you that 1 have always taken the deepest interest- ut Use welfare of tiie Maoris, and though the time has come when I shall travel and reside many thousand miies away, still I shall in nowise relinquish the interest I now feel. Immediately on my return to England it is the King's command that I shall go and visit him, and I shall not fail 'to express to him the loyally of the sentiments expressed by y:.-a. And t shall bo able to say for myself that f ktaow these sentiments are not from the mouth alone, but spoken from the heart. K The Premier, at. the invitation o£ Sir William deliverdS a brief address. He had thought it- his duty as Defence Minister, to foe present at the opening of the Hall and the presentation of medals to some of New > Zealand's sons, boys of the Bull Dog Breed (cheers), who had fought in South Africa. He hoped that they i would always wear them. He might say that there were now 10,000 enrolled volunteers in the colony, and 10,000 enrolled in the cadet corps. Comparing, the time when His Excellency arrived in the colony and toTjay there had been a great improvement, and the colony was now stronger in defence than ever before. He read a telegram which he had just received confirming the news? that hostilities had commenced in the" Far E,ast. Now that- Russia and .Japan had gorte to war they would sincerely wish that our nation would not be called upon to -partieipate. A lis tralia and New Zealand ( were concern! Ed, and should it become ntvessarv, which he devoutly hoped (rod would forbid, he was satisfied that our sons would do as they had done before to lmhold the traditions and the honor of thp p'rrNit empire to which they belonged.