THE WELLINGTON-MANAWATU RAILWAY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7786, 4 November 1886, Page 5

THE WELLINGTON-MANAWATU RAILWAY.

DRIVING THE LAST SPIKE, [BY TELEGRAPH—PBBSB ASSOCIATION.]

Wellington, Wednesday. The ceremony of driving the last spike of the Wellington and Manawatn Railway Company's line was performed at Waibanae (34£ miles from Wellington), by His Excellency the Governor, to-day. The weather was threatening in the morning, but oleared away and remained beautifully fine. At ten o'clock this morning a long train, conveying about 700 excursionists, left Wellington for the scene, among whom were His Excellency the Governor and suite, Sir Robert Stout, the Hon. Messrs. Ballance, Tole, and Richardson, Sir William Fitzherbert, the directors of the railway company, the local M.H.Jtt.'s, leading citizens, Mr. Allan Scott (representative of the Midland Railway Company), and a large number of ladies. Waikanae was reached at a quarter past twelve p.m. About 250 visitors came from the other end of the line, among whom were the Hon. J. Bryce, the Parliamentary representatives, the Mayor of Wanganui, and many other prominent men from towns on the West Coait of this island. Immediately after the arrival of His Excellency the ceremony commenced, and the scene was a most imposing one. The site where the spike was driven into the sleepers was hedged in by high cuttings, which were swarmed with anxious spectators.

Mr. J. E. Nathan, chairman of directore of the company, in asking the Governor to drive the spike, said : My Board decided to ask you to perform this ceremony, because they felt that, although this work has been, and is still, being carried out by a joint stock company, the work they have accomplished is of no ordinary character. They venture to esteem this work as of a colonial character. Originally undertaken at a time when the colony as a whole was suffering from severe depression, at a time when the Government of the country practically said to the citizens of Wellington however much we recognise the necessity of such a work being performed, it is beyond the power of the Executive Government of this colony to undertake it. This aroused a feeling of self-reliance, and we claim that not only have we built a railway that will benefit the whole colony, but that we have set such an example to our fellow-colonists of united action for a common good that it will for ever after serve as a monument of well directed energy and perseveranoe. He then gave a history of the proceedings of the company, commencing with the first ateps taken to get the line up to the driving of the spike to-day. He detailed at length the establishment of the company. The company was registered in IS3O, the Land and Railway Construction Act was passed in the session of the same year; a contract was immediately concluded between the Government and the company, and was signed on the 2'2nd March, 1882 In the course of the negotiations with the Government and with thoso whom it was deemed desirable to be in sympathy with the undertaking, so much was learnt of the country through which the proposed line was to run, tbat thoss who had entered into the undertaking as colonists for the good of the colony as a whole, and for the Wellington city and province in particular, felt convinced it would prove a pecuniary success. Invitations were sent out to 18 gentlemen to meet at the Chamber of Commerce, of whom 13 attended. The contract with the Government, and the prospects of the company, were explained to the gentlemen, and they were each asked to subscribe for the maximum number of shares allowed to be held by the Articles of Association, namely, 2000. It is a great pleasure to place on record the fact that each gentleman present, for himself or for the firm he represented, at once signed this paper. Here it is signed by the thirteen, namely, J. E. Nathau, John Plimmer, Travers and Cave, Jamee Lockie, N. Reid, N. R, Williams, Thompson and Shannon, James Ball, Thomas G. Macarthy, F. M. Ollivier, J. B. Harcourt, J. Smith, D. Anderson, jun., thus at ouoe increasing the subscribed capital to £130,000. The work done on that day by thirteen citizens of Wellington must be esteemed the most important that was ever included in one day in the annals of Wellington. Mr. Nathan then continued : I mast not forget to mention that the company is indebted to Sir Julius Vogel, who so ably acted as the first agent of the company in London, to whom was entrusted the important function of floating the first debentures, amounting to £400,000, and appointing the first London board there. Important matters were carried out by Sir Juliue Vogel at a time and under circumstances that it is believed no one else could have succeeded as he did. Our first London Board consisted of Sir Penrose Julyan, Sir Edward Stafford, and the Hon. Mr. Mundella. It ie to Sir Julius Vogel and to these gentlemen that the shareholders are indebted for the successful floating of the company's debentures, now amounting to £500.000. The capital of the company having been increased in 1885 by the issue of further shares, eo that to-day it is £700,000 in £5 shares, £75,000 being subscribed for in Wellington and other parts of the colony, and £65000 in London. In Sep tember, 1882, the first contract wts commenced, and tn-day (3rd November), or in four years and two months, the last contract has been finished, and the works may be said to be completed. On the railway itself, for formation works and rolling htook, over £700,000 has been expended in completing and equippmg 84 miles of railway. As to the impoitance of this railway as a main link in the chain of trunk lines, it may be stated that, by using the company's line when the inland portion from Marton to Te Awamutu is completed it will be possible to run at express ■ peed from Auckland to Wellington in 16 or 17 hours. Even now, with a faat line of steamers between Taranalti and Auckland, we hope to see a service between Auckland and Wellington of 24 hours. The importance of this line as a link in tho development of settlement on those vast and fertile lands between the two great and fine ports of the colony cannot be over estimated. Wellington and Auckland may be said to possess the only two harbours in the North Island. There is lying between them a vast extent of the finest land awaiting settlement, the one essential being rapid and easy communication to and from these fine lands to these two harbours, easy of access to ocean-going steamers and sailing ships. But the lines that would divide the traffic as between the two poi t-i, as far as oheap transit is concerned, cut across the Islands at the points which give the largest area of land suitable for settlement by four fold to Wellington, and through this so described land we have the New Plymouth line running a distance of 166 miles ; the inland trunk line, 150 miles when finished ; the Napier (when completed 11 Palmeraton) 130 miles—all centreing at Longburn, the junction of the Manawatu Railway. The total area of this oountry so served by our line, as the main line leading to Wellington Harbour, is upwards of 5,000,000 acres, little more tban one filth of which can be said to be occupied. The balance awaits development. A spike was then handed to the Governor, and he commenced te drive it. The first three strokes misted the spike; the fourth and fifth were successful, but after one or two other shots the Governor handed the hammer to Mr. iligginson, the engineer of the company, who completed the task. The Governor said : Ladies and gentlemen, —Not being a practised navvy, I trust you will excuse any shortcomings on my part in performing this task of driving the last spike in the Wellington and Manawatu Company's line. I can assure you that it is the greatest possible pleasure to me to be present with you on this occasion, which I venture to say will ever form a red letter day in the annals, not only of Wellington, but of the VYellington-Manawatu Railway Company, and of the colony of New Zealand. Sir, you have to ably and fully entered into the history, the requirements, and what is to be attained by this important line that I will only find it necessary to trouble this assemblage for a very few moments. The chairman has told you the history of .this line from its commencement. He also told you how some patriotic gentlemen met in Wellington and determined on the construction of this line. He has shown you the paper which they eigned, and has detailed from the beginning to the end the several steps which have been taken until this last spike has been driven. Is is impossible I venture to think to exaggerate the importance of this railway to this country. When you consider the position of Wellington, the central part of New Zealand,—when you consider that this railway forms a line which, as the Chairman has said, will ultimately connect Auckland with Wellington, and Wellington with New Plymouth, and will open up a vast tract of country, also connecting Wei-

lington by another route with Napier. When you consider that you will, I venture to predict, see hereafter many prosperous citizens along this line and in the country between this and Foxton- I think that the youngest amongst you will wonder at what has been done by this line, and what prosperity yon will have to thank the directors of the line for. I will also refer to only one other point, and that is the enormous importance of this line, forming aa it doee a line of communication between Maori country and the Europeans, and cementipg those happy relations which now exist between the two races. lam glad to eee around me now many of our Maori friends witnessing this celebration of the oonolusion of this line, and I am sure as we go on they will be more gratified that this line has been constructed, and that we shall have trains running from the oountry bringing their produce to the markets from the country to Fort Nicholson. I will only say now that I heartily wish prosperity to the Wellington Manawatu Company and allconcerned, and to the people of New Zealand whom 1 have lived amongst happily for four years; and long may they live to benefit by this most important line. Long, I say also, may those concerned in this line live to see the benefits that will arise from opening up the country by this most impoitant enterprise. Three cheers were given for His Excellency, and also for the company, and the visitors were then entertained at a banquet. Mr. J. E. Nathan was chairman, supported on the right by the Governor, and on the left by the Premier. After the usual loyal toasts, The Governor, replying to the toast of his health, said he must thank them moat heartily, not only for the manner in which they proposed this toast, but also for his sincere gratification at the manner in which they had received it. The chairman had referred to the small services that he (Bis Excellency) had been able to render to the country during the few years he had been in New Zealand. It was a pleasure so long as he remained in this country to place whatever services he was able to render at the disposal of the people of New Zealand. There was one thing to which he must refer, and that was what had been made the aubjeot of comment both in Europe and New Zealand newspapers—the question of the condition and prosperity of New Zealand. He had heard it said that the days of New Zealand were numbered, that her prosperity was going down, and so forth. Hβ said this with absolute certainty, that these ideas were simply humbug. The idea of a country only holding about half a million of people, which was capable of holding at least twenty times that proportion, the idea of it being in a state of depression, was perfect nonsense. The people had only to go on in the career they had started, to go steadily but not too fast, to progress in the manner in which the promoters of this railway company had done in promoting the prosperity of this country, and the result was as oertain as that the sun rises and sets that they would be a prosperous and happy nation. The time will come when they would not recognise those places in the colony in which they now lived, for the colony wa« destined to become, and he said it in ail sincerity, one of the places of Her Majesty's dominions which would be sought after as a place of residence more than any other part of those glorious dominions over wUiofe she so ably ruled.

Replying to the toast of the Ministry, Sir Robert Stout said he had to thank them on behalf of the Ministry for the toast which had juit been proposed. He recoguiued that this was not a time for dealing with political subjects, and he should not refer to them. He thought it was one of the glories not onlj of Great Britain bat of all the colonies, that the people recognised that there was a need for an interchange m Government by political parties. To-day, of course, only one political party was represented, bnt at the same time it was the duty of the Ministry to so carry on the government of the colony that none of that bitter party feeling should be exhibited in the administration of the affaire of the colony that they found in some countries of the world, ana he thought that the Government had striven to do that. Aβ to this railway, he recognised long ago that it was a railway that should be made, and, as Mr. JNathan had pointed out, there were two of them there to-day in the Ministry of 1879 who were in favour of the line being then constructed, and his regret was that this colony did not construct it. He believed it should have been so. He might say, however, that this remark was tempered with this consideration, that the private construction of tbe line brought forth the self reliance ot the Wellington people, and urged them to commenoe the construction themselves. Mr. JNathan had spoken of the need for settlement. He believed that railways helped settlement even mo; a than they were inclined to give ttiem credit tor, They not only helped foreign commerce and traile by enabling tbe settlers of the country to export that which thty produced, but they tended to promote internal trade, and he did not think that any country could be permanently prosperous If it depended merely on foreign trade, it must develope internal trade. He instanced the United States of America with a commerce over the world, and asked what its foreign trade was compared with its internal trade—not one twentieth. If they were to look on this railway simply as a mode of getting their produce shipped oheaply to Wellington the line would have failed in its object. It should be to encourage the country districts, to encourage people not to entirely live in towna. Unless the line did this the line would fail in its object. One word more in reference to the railway, and that was—it should not only aesist in promoting internal trade, but it should also assist local industries. No country could be permanently prosperous if it depended on one or two industries alone. That country would tide itself over depression which had varied industries by winuii to keep people employed. He did not think the Government could do much in this way, but the people ought to do much for themselves. He would point out that the people of tbe Unitsd States had done for themselves ; for instance, they had a railway system of 130,000 miles. Great towns had been built, and industries had grown up by tbe self-reliance of the people, so that if the people of New Zealand wished to have prosperity they must not look to the Government to do all they can for them, but should confine the energies of the Government to a few things, leaving it to enterprise and co-operation to develop the oountry. As far as the Government were concerned they were only carrying out the wishes of .Parliament. He hoped in coming to Parliament tlie members would aee, and the members could nou see unless their constituents saw—that they must try and leisen ttio work of the Government and not increase it. That was the only \vay to promote prosperity and economy and selfreliance. The Government did what they could ; but they bad to look forward to the inevitable time when another Ministry would be in power ; but if it oould be said that the Government while in office did their best to promote the prosperity of the colony they would be satisfied, and he did not think that any Ministry could be given higher honours. Mr. H. D. Bell, in propoeing "The Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company," paid a high compliment to the chairman. Hβ eaid it was entirely owing to Mr. Nathan's devotion and determination not to permit it to be eaid that the company would be a failure, that it had been a success. One part only of the work of this company had now been don*, namely, the construction ; there remained before it the work of the management of its very great estate, of which the Premier had referred to, viz., the settlement of the peoplbon the land.- The company had had hard things said about them, but this had been forgotten that though it was composed, to a large extent, of Wellington and country shareholders, who desired nothing but the prosperity of their district, and only asked a very slight return for their money provided the advancement of their district was assisted. Yet they had a sacred trust from those on the other side of the world who had invested their money in the company. That had been forgotten when the company had been accused of seeking for too much. He was aware that in speaking of the company as a success he might be pronouncing its doom, for Parliament had given the Government the right to take over the line if the line was prosperous and successful. Doubtless it would pase from private hands under " which it had been built up" into publio possession. He ventured to prophesy that this company would live in the memory of the people of New Zealand aa a body ot public-spirited citizens, who had the courage to undertake, the wit to conceive, and the energy and perseverance to carry to a euocesslul completion the largest works that had been performed by private enterprise in the Southern eeas,

The Chairman responded. The other toasts were:—•'Parliament," "The Engineer and Staff, ,, "The Manager and Staff," "The Press," and "The Ladie»." A start was made for Wellington at four, the train arriving at half-past eix p.m. During the run home Mr. John Reid, tailor, fell off the train, but was not injured.