THE PREMIER'S VISIT TO WHANGAREI.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5413, 24 March 1879, Page 3

THE PREMIER'S VISIT TO WHANGAREI.

THE TURNING She first sod of the WHANGAREI-KAMO RAILWAY.

[by telegraph, from our correspondent.] Whangarei, Saturday, compliance with the invitation from the settlers of the district, given through their representative, the County Council, the Hon. the Premier, Sir George Grey, K.C.8., visited Whangarei to-day, accompanied by his private secretary, Mr. W. Mitchell, and Mr. Seymour Thome George, M.H.R., for the purpose of turning the first sod of the Whangarei-Kamo railway. This is a branch line, running from the township to the Kamo coal mine, but will ultimately join the main lino to Helensville, connecting with Auckland. The event was held to be of considerable importance, judging from the great interest taken in it by the people of the district. An influential committee had been appointed to make the necessary arrangements.

The day was one of general rejoicing. The people flocked into the township from all parts of the district. There was a large muster of natives present, who vied with their European neighbours in the heartiness of their reception of their old and true friend, the Premier. It was arranged that the ceremony should take place at 2 o'clock io the afternoon. The Hinemoa anchored off Limestone Island on the previous evening, and the whistle was sounded to intimate her arrival. Mr. Aubrey, Resident Magistrate, came on board at th© Heads. The Premier and party arrived shortly before ten o'clock this morning, in an open boat, and were received at the landing-place by the chairman and members of the local bodies. . . The forenoon was spent in receiving deputations on various matters and in interviews with the settlers, to whom Sir George Grey has been personally known for many years, and by whom he is held in the highest esteem on account of the interest he has always manifested in their welfare. NORTH-AUCKLAND RAILWAY. The question of carrying out the NorthAuckland Railway is at present absorbing considerable attention, and meetings ' are being held in the various Northern districts in order to obtain information to submit to Parliament next session. A deputation of the executive committee appointed at a public meeting in Whangarei waited upon the Premier to ascertain if the Government would appoint an engineer to make a flying survey of the Northern railway. Mr. Aldorton, secretary to the committee, Btatad that at a public meeting held last week, one of the resolutions passed was to this effect: —"That the Central Committee be requested to apply to the Government to at once appoint a competent engineer to make a flymg survey of the NorthAuckland Railway, in order to ascertain the beat route and the probable cost, and report what resources are likely to be developed by the construction of the said railway; what amonnt of agricultural land will be opened up, and what amount of kauri bush land ; also, to ascertain what extent of said land is held by the Crown." A telegram was sent to the Hon. Mr. Macandrew, to which the Under-Secretary of Public Works Department replied : —"I am desired to say that the Public Works officers are so pressed just now that it will not be possiblo to comply with your request forthe survey of the North Auckland Railway at present." The object, was to get a flying survey made, in order to obtain reliable data as to the best route, and the probablo cost of construction, the extent of traffic, &c. Sir George Grey said he would at once telegraph to the Minister of Public Works on the subject, aud requested the deputation to communicate with him on his return to Wellington. He would do his best to have the flying survey made, as it was a matter of considerable importance that it should be done before the next session of Parliament. PAI'AKURI SWAMP. A deputation, consisting of Dr. Richard Sissons, Chairman of the Hikurangi Highway District, and Mr. Robert Forsytb, Chairman of the Kaurihohori Highway District, wailed upon the Premier, in reference to the drainage of the Papakuri swamp, in order to render it suitable for agricultural purposes. They asked that the Government should appoint an engineer to verify, or otherwise, the facility of carrying out at a comparatively trifling cost the works necessary for reclaiming upwards of 40,000 acres of valuable land, which became submerged when the rains set in, in consequence of a reef of basaltic rocks damming up the Wairua river. By the removal of these rocks, and the making an outlet, some of the most valuable laud in the province of Auckland would be brought I into the market and find a. ready sale at ' from £5 to £7 an acre. It was estimated that the cost of these works would be £SSOO, but the owners of portions of the land would, it was stated, bo willing to contribute their fair quota of the expense.— The Premier stated that he would communicate with the Ministar for Public Works, and see what could bo done in the matter. THE WHANG AREI-KAMO RAILWAY. At two o'clock the people began to assemble at the locality where the ceremony of turning the first sod was to take place,—a piece of open ground opposite Mr. Frater's paddock, where every preparation was made. A covered platform had been erected, over which floated the British ensign. The Premier was escorted by a large number of the principal settlers, aud heartily received by the people assembled. Sir George Grey said : It is with great pleasure I turn the first sod of this railway. I earnestly hope that Providence will bless our work this day. (Clieers.) The Premier then cut the sod, placed it in a handsome borrow of cedar wood, and wheeled it alone the plank, tipping tlio sod over very skilfully at the end. During the operation tho people cheered vociferously. Sir George Grey then addressed the people. He said : I ought to say a few words to you upon an occasion like this. 1 consider myself a very happy man in having had the good fortune this day to commence the work on your railway by turning tho first sod. For many years C have looked upon Whangarei as one of the most beautiful and promising places in New Zealand. I believed that a very great future lay before it, and I was satisfied that the time would come when justice would at last be done to this district by public works bfing undertaken in it, which would enable the people to prosper ; because, isolated as you were by great tracts of country from Auckland, and broken up as this country is by mountain ranges, with certain districts of extraordinary fertility, and then other districts intervening of comparatively-speaking bad land, I felt confident in my own miud that until a rail way ran through the country, connecting all the districts together, no great prosperity could take place. (Cheers.) For years I have thought of this. For years I have admired Whangarei, and have thought that it would becomo a really great and important place, and I longed to be one of thoso who should aid in carrying it on to that degree of prosperity which I believe it will attain. (Cheers.) I feel more grateful than I can well express to Providence for being enabled to commence this great work which you have entered upon. I feel grateful to yourselves and to the people of New Zealand who placed me in a position to enable me, as far as possible, to endeavour to carry out those undertakings which the settlers feel to bo for their own good, and which they desire to seo undertaken. (Cheers.) It is a great delight to mo to work for you. lam now old. I can do little or nothing for myself, but I can work for other people (cheers) aa long as I livo. So long as lam ablo to work for New Zealand, for the different portions of it, in whatever way I can, I will continue sedulously to labour for tho benefit and welfa>e of its people, for whom for so many years I have felt tho greatest regard. (Cheers.) I have been one of tho humble instruments in the hands of Providence of at last bringing prosperity into tho Northern districts of New Zealand. As I said before, I fe 1 grateful iu the extreme, and shall feel that I have lived for some good purpose. I beg that all of you will unite in tho efforts uow made to push this part of the country on. I seo large numbers of happy and healthy-looking children present. I hope that you will strive to make the country better for them to live in,—that you will endeavour to make New Zealand worthy of the race who are to inhabit it. I shall detain you no longer. I wish you every prosperity, and hope that success will follow the work we have this day entered upon Several rounds of cheers were then given for Sir George Grey, which were followed by " our boys" giving three ringing cheers for the Premier. This terminated the proceedings, and the assemblage generally dispersed.

PUBLIC BANQUET. At half-past 4 o'clock the Premier was entertained at a public banquet in the Good Templar Public Hall, which was in every respect a great success. About eighty gentlemen sat down to an excellent collation, provided by Mrs. Fuller, proprietress of the Settlers' Hotel, and the manner in which it was served up reflected the greatest credit upon the establishment. Mr. Fiulayson Smith (Chairman of the County Council) presided, and Mr. R. Reyburn (Chairman of Petty Sessions) officiated as croupier, On the cloth being removed, the usual loyal and patriotic toaßts were duly honoured. The next toast was that of " The ActingGovernor, Chief Justice Prendergast," which was cordially received. The Chairman next proposed, " The health of our distinguished guest, Sir George Grey," in complimentary terms, and it was received in the most enthusiastic manner. Sir G. Grey, on rising to respond, was greeted with enthusiastic cheers. He said that it was with very great pleasure indeed that he found himself there that day. For many years past he had taken a very great interest in Whangarei. The first time he saw it he considered it one of the most promising and beautiful places ho had ever seen. He saw that it possessed a great quantity of very fertile land, and in that respect differed very much from a great many places to the North of Auckland ; and he saw, also, that the people who were settled at Whangarei were determined to do their very best under very discouraging circumstances. Throughout the whole history of Whangarei, it had never caused any trouble whatever to New Zealand. There .had been a perfect agreement between the settlers and the natives from the very earliest period of the history of Whangarei. The natives were so attached to the settlers, that the Government relied upon the natives to prevent any attempt that might have been made to destroy the town of Auckland. The chief Tirarau, his friend stopped the natives from going down from the North at a time when it was feared an attack would have been made upon Auckland to ruin and destroy it. Where a population had gone on for years acting in that way, and benefiting the rest of New Zealand by maintaining peace in very large and influential native districts, and where they had also gone on without any assistance from the Government, developing the resources of the country in which they were settled, one could not but feel that a time at length must come when their claims upon the public must be recognised, and that after such large amounts had been spent in various parts of New Zealand en public workß, the Ministry must recognise that there were settlers in this part of the country who, from the causes he had stated, had peculiar claims upon the public sympathy. The chairman had been good enough to say that he had no doubt he (Sir G. Grey) would use such influence as he might possess in favour of this district. He would say that the settlershere need ask for favour from nobody, let them ask for simple justice, and have it granted. (Cheers.) He felt certain that if they would quietly but like men state what their claims were, those claims would be recognised. They had been to such an extent &s suited the present emergency fully recognised, but he also believed that although the first commencement had been made, much would yet remain to be done. Ho thought that this part of Now Zealand could not advance nntil there was a line of railway throughout the whole of the Northern part of the country, (Cheers.) They all saw what railways had done for the South. Undoubtedly the South had magnificent soil. It was a country much more easily traversed than the North. It wis a country which in its natural state produced grain in abundance, and thus at once gave a return to tho farmer without labour. But with all its advantages, the South of New Zealand would not have been it its present position were it not for the public works which had established communication of the best kind throughout the whole of that part of New Zealand. He would say, therefore, that the North, with greater difficulties to contend against, could not make that advance iu prosperity which it was fully entitled to, until such a lino of communication as he had spoken of had been carried through this part of New Zealand. (Cheers.) He thought the commencement made that day would give them all heart and spirit, and he thought they would feel that at last there was some cbauce of full prosperity bursting in upon them. They had so far developed the resources of the country that they could take care that a great part of the money which was to be spent in public works here did not pass out of this part of the country. They could supply beef, mutton, butter, milk, fruit, and a great number of products which would ensure the inhabitants retaining within their limits a considerable portion of the funds to bo spent here, which funds passing into their hands would go towards the improvement of their farmp, and to the permanent improvement and prosperity of this Northern district. They must not, therefore, think that any application that they made for further works to bo carried on of a necessry kind would be even a troublesome application to those who received it. The precise timo at which their wishes might be mot was another question. But ho thought that, until they were met, it was their duty to themselves, and their duty to the country, to keep their claims constantly before tho Government, whoevor that Government might be. (Cheers.) He was certain that himelf and his oolleagues, and he was ccrtainthat a very large majority of the Honse of Assembly, would admit that the North of New Zealand had not up to the present time received its fair sharo of the public expenditure. He did not speak of public expenditure in the manner in which many people spoke of it, who would say, " Oh, what we want is to have public money spent amongst us. We don't think so much of its utility. It may not be very profitable to the country, but spsnd public money amongst us." They should rather say, " Certain great works are necessary for the good of the country at large. Wo can shew that these works will be remunerative. We can shew that without these works tho country cannot advauce in tho manner in which it ought to progress,— tho prosperity of tho people inhabiting tho country cannot be insured in the way in which it ought to be ensured, and therefore what we ask is that works of that nature should be carried out in tho cheapest possiblo way. We don't ask for a lavish expenditure of public money for the mere sake of getting tho money spent; all we ask is that which will bo for the good of every part of New Zealand " (Cheers.) He thought that meetings such as the present were good, for tho purpose of making men reflect upon these subjects, and making them act w.ith unity. It was well that the representatives of the Road Boards of tho different districts should continually consult together as to what their wants aud necessities were, and as to the best meaus they could tako to meet them. (Cheers.) He could havo wished, had there been time, to have spoken to them upon some points connected with tho importance of the district, as to tho articles which they could produce, which would return the greatest profit to them ; but perhaps on some other occasion ho might be ablo to visit Wliangnrei, and havo au opportunity of considering such matters. Ho referred to the suitability of tho soil for tho growth of the olive, which was one of the most profitable orops that could bo grown. Every part of tlie world in which the olive grew was, comparatively speaking, rich from that single product. The olive would succeed wonderfully in this country. Shoep would not meddle with the olive tree, so that they could plant it out with the perfect certainty that it would not be interfered with, and that it would yie'd most abundant crops. Ho coucluded by proposing, " Prosperity to tho North." They must bo aware that his connection with the North gave him a peculiar interest in it, and that in asking them to drink this toast, he was, so to speak, asking them to drink prosperity to himself, as all his interests were bound up with their iuterests. S3 many years of his life having been passed in the North of New Zealaud, it was impossible that he could do otherwise than feel a mo3t lively interest iu this part of tho country, and in the whole of its inhabitants. (Loud cheers.)

Mr. Bedlington briefly responded. At this stago of the proceedings tho Chairman read a telegram which had just been received by tho Premier, stating that the steamer Glenelg was disabled off C'pe Van Dieman on Tuesday ; that there were no sails, coal, water, or provisions on board ; that the mate and four of the crew went off in a boat to the shore, and one of the men was drowned ; and that there were fourteen parsons on board. This brought the proceedings to an unexpected oonclusion.

The Premier immediately telegraphed that the Hinemoa should proceed at once in search of the vessel.

| The Premier and party then left Whantownship. Three hearty eheera were for Sir George Grey as the boat prodown the river.

The il'emier could not well feel otherwise than highly gratified with the cordial and genuine receptiC n accorded him, which should prove unmistakably the regard of the settlers for him pbVSonally, and as the head of the present Government, in whom they have entire confidence.