BANQUET TO A. W. F. HAT COMBE, ESQ.

Manawatu Herald, Volume II, Issue 60, 23 March 1880, Page 2

BANQUET TO A. W. F. HAT COMBE, ESQ.

A banquet to A. W. F. Halcombe, Esq., toolc place on Thursday last, at 5.30 p.m., at the Feilding Public Hall. The building was handsomely decorated with ferns, hunting, iea., and the collation, which was provided by Mr Chas. Roe, wns everything that could be desired. The chair was occupied by A. M-Donald, Esq., 0 f Awahuri, supported on the right by the guest of the evening, A. W. F. Halcombe, Esq., and on the left, by tho Rev. Mr Jones, of'Fetld-i'-g. The vine-chair was occupied by C.L. Maclean, Esq., of Bulls, supposed on the right, by Dr. Johnston, and on tlio left by Mi Kircon. About Ot wero present. The u»ual loyal a:,d patriotic toasts were drunk with honois, viz., " The Queen " and "Tho Prince and Piiueess of Wales, and members of the Royal Knniily." The Chairman, in proposing " The Army, Navy, and Volunteers, - ' said he would like to be able to wax eloquent on the toast. Not m>ich fighting would occur in future in New Zealand, he thought; .still all men were engaged in righting something. The P.iitish always regarded their Army and Navy with enthusiasm, and both friends and foes praised them for their prowess and valour. Col. Gorton, in responding to the toast, said, — "Long may the, toast^ meet with the same enthusiasm as on this occasion." At the Cape and in Afghanistan recently the British troops had shown great bravery. Long may it be said of them what Napoleon said, "The Kuglish 11G vor. know when they aro beaten.'' With reference to the New Zealand Volunteers he. had seen what they could do, and whenever the occasion atose, he felt sure they would do their duty, fearless of hardship or death. In response to loud demands for a speech, Captain Sherwill returned thanks on behalf of the Volunteers. He was, he said, thankful for tho opportunity of replying to the toast of "Tho Volunteers," and was proud of heieg tho Captain of so efficient a force as the Feilding Volunteers had proved themselves to be. So ig— Mr Burns—" Jack's Yarn." Too Chairman then proposed the health of " Our guest, Mr Halcombe." The toast, he was sure, would be received with great pie isure. If he spoke of his private friendship for Mr Halcombe, he would have a great deal to say, but though it was mostly feelings of personal friendship that had drawn them together, yet there was to most of them ii higher and better object, in meeting on the occasion of .Mr Halcombe's departure. It was a mint' tiling to do. They were all in the same beat, find it would depend on themselves whether they would struggle against one another and make, a mess of it, or pull t lyether and make a i success. On such an occasion, when so 1 distinguished a settler was about to go home — one who knew all about the district— they did wisely to meet and talk over the affairs, not only of the Feilding settlement, but of the Colony as affected by that settlement. They would therefore avail themselves of that opportunity to hear from Mr H.-lcoiube how the sett'oment was progressing, and what its prospects were. Ho (the Chairman) was, he believed, the oldest settler in the room, having spent all his life since ten years of age in New Zealand, lie had. therefore, seen the beginning and end of various schemes of colonisation. .Some had ended in failure, but none in complete success until this one. Some persons did not regard this as a perfect, success, but iho Colony regarded ie as a very great success indeed. (Applause.) It was from a colonial point of view a success, because there was only one other large scheme of colonisation t hat had succeeded in the same way. He referred .to the Canterbury Association. Nevertheless, the two could not bo compared. Canterbury was settled by a powerful company, but the land was differ, out, and tho circumstances difierent, to the Is ilding Settlement. In Canterbury, they bad one of the finest districts in the colony, and easy of access, a good port, and requiring only one large work— the railway and tunnel — to tap a district capable of pro ducing vast quantities of wool and grain. The circumstances of Feilding at. the start were different. The land Was covered Iry forest, and they were without access to it, excepting in summer, and then they could only reach the border. Now a lino of railway ran through iho settlement, many roads were made on the block and it was only a question of time when Feilding would produce as much wool and grain as the same area in any other part of New Zealand. The toast was drunk with great enthusiasm, three cheers being given for Mr Halcombe. Mr Halcombe, in reply, spoke feelingly of the kindness of those present in drinkiii"his health as they had done. The two great epochs in his life he regarded as his determination to emigrate to New Zealand, and his selection of a partner in life. Mrs Halcombe had relieved him of cues relating to his home and personal affairs, and had enabled him to devote his attention to the progress of the settlement. She had smoothed many difficulties that had lain in his path, and had, by her sympathy with the troubles of the early settlers, made them more contented with their lot than he could have done. The Chairman had said the success of the settlement was accepted by the colony, and also had said the Corporation had exceptional difficulties in the fact that. the block was forest land. He (Mr Halcombe) could not help referring back to a few years ago, and could only show how great the success achieved was by comparison. When he looked around and saw that company in so fine a hall,and the tables covered with so fine an array of the fruits of the earth, he could not but accept these as the signs of progress and civilisation. He had been looking back six years to the||ime when there was no access to the block, when provisions were carried in on

not overlook the other gentlemen associated with him, without whose assistance the w<>rk Would have been, instead of a great success, an equally, signal failure. He parted from his friends with reluctance, for he could not shut from his view the fact that owing to tho many dangers oonneotpd with a journey round the world he might not see them again. If it shon'd please Providence that he should not return again, whatever his fate might be, he would be glad tn know that he curried away with liim the good feelings, not only of his friends, but of his opponents. He regretted a number of others were not present, to whom ho wished to address a few words. Probably what he was about to <sny would reach them. He wished to thank the early settlors for the patience with which they had borne with himself and those associated with him, when they erroneously thought, their troubles were" lying at his door. He had been compelled in the early days to put people to discomforts lie would have been sorry himself to undergo, and bis heart had bled for them. He now thanked them they did not add to his difficulties by abusing him more than they had a right to abuse the n«ent of those who had put them there. Whatever they felt ♦lien, he thought and hoped they would now recognise that he did his utmost tn ease the difficulties that surrounded them. He thanked them for the earnest and plucky manner in which they had settled to the work of colonisation, for it was the units joined together that made up the whole. As a parting toast, he hoped they would see days of prosperity when success would be gained, and their trials wou'cl be feathers in their caps. Those present he thanked for their compliment in attendance. Many had privately apologised to him for their inability to be present. He trusted they would fare well during tho time he would be absent, and upon his return he hoped to find them faring better than at present seemed probable. He hoped the cloud would lii\ and that the silver hung would show itself before many months were past. Before silting down, he would refer to a matter accidentally omitted. The difficulties of tho settlers had been reierrecl to, but he would refer for a few moments to the difficulties of the Corporation. The shareholders at homo had always taken the deepest interest in the progress of the settlement. For some years 'hey got no return for the money invested, and only during the last two years had they received anything like what they could reasonably expect, from a colonial investment. They did as much as could be expected from men at the other side of the world. He heard as a fact that one settlor had to give up his hordes and carriage because of no return having been received from his investment. They would therefore see that others had suffered as well as the settlers. Tho Chairman had said the Prince and Prin -;ess of Wales were sending out some articles for the gift auction. This showed there were people at home who had the interest of the settlement at heart, and he went home, knowing that his efforts to promote the progress of the district would be backed up by some of the leading men in England. (Loud applause.) Mr Whibley. — "The l'riar of Orders Gray." The Chairman proposed " The County of Manawatu," coupled with the name of Mr Maearthur. H criticised the County system, which ho tlio ught was the least adapted to secure the end aimed at. In Manawatu good men wore doing their best with a system which was absolutely and entirely 'inefficient. They were paying high rates still these were insufficient to do the work! All the local bodies in the world could not m.-.ko a shilling do the work of a pound. As a County, it was a beauty,— (Laughter)— and the time would come when they must make the shilling do the work 0 f a pound, or else raise the pound. Until that time! their money would be little better than wasted. Ho proposed "The County of jVl:in:i\v:itu." .Air Macjrthur rose amidst applause, and snid he was glad the chairman had adopted the line lie had, because he (the speaker) found it eaMer to reply to an attack than make a speicli. He quite agreed the County system was a mistake, but they had to make the best of a bad bargain. The only way to get. over the difficulty the Chairman had refened to, was to n:a|c C the. best of the shilling, for it ccrtii nly could not do the work of a pound. He believed the Government would adopt the plan the Feilding Corporation had adopted with success, viz°, make the roads through land to be opened up, and afterwards add the cost to the price of the land. So far as the older parts of the County were concerned, there was nothing for it but the shilling rate. On all hands claims were made, but to satisfy' these they must keep up the rates. He would repeat what he had often said that road rates were ii) a new country the very best investment a settler could make. In addition to this, the sum of £I.^oo was obtained for expenditure in tlio County from absentees, and rates gave an immediate return in enhanced value. lie could not help r-l'euting to the present occasion as to him one of Melancholy. During the time ho and Mr Halcombe had worked together in the Council there had been no difference, and therefore lie had that day received with regret Mr Halcombe' s resignation. He owed his knowledge of what real colonisation was to Mr Halcombe. He had showed him that the true principle of colonisation was to make roads. Settlers nt the north and of the County felt this, and therefore checrf ally naid the'higher rates ; and though the southern settlers professed not to hold the same opinion, lie could not understand how they arrived at such a conclusion. Me thanked them for the hearty manner in which they h id drunk properity to the County of Manawatu. The following toasr.s were then drunk :— "Local Industries," proposed by the ViceChairman. and responded to by Mr C. Bull ; '• Farming Industry," proposed by the Vice Chairman, and responded to by Mr F. Lethbridge ; « Tho Sister Townships," proposed by Mr IIYy. and responded to by Mr Lash (of llalc,ombo\ Mr Unwell (of Foxton), Mr Wnrburton (of Palmerston), and Mr D. M'lCeiizie (of Sando'i) ; " The Railway," proposed by .Mr Macarthiu-, and responded to by Mr lurton ; " The Ladies " proposed by the Vice-Chairman, and responded to by Mr Burns; "The Press," proposed by the Chairman, and responded to by Mr Capper ; "The Chairman," proposed by Mr- Halcombe, and duly responded to ; " Tho Vico-Chairmaii," who responded in a happy speech. A number of the company remained together for some time after the toasts enumerated had been disposed of, toasting ono another and enjoying songs contributed by visitors.