THE GOVERNOR'S TOUR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11059, 10 May 1899, Page 6

THE GOVERNOR'S TOUR.

ARRIVAL AT TE AROHA. RECEPTION BY EUROPEANS AND MAORIS. INTERESTING ADDRESSES BY THE governor. [by TELEGRAPH.SPECIAL reporter.] Te Aroha, Tuesday. His Excellency TnE Governor, Captains Dudley Alexander (private secretary) and Ward, A.D.C., left Huntly this morning at ten minutes to eleven for Te Aroha. Upon arrival at the Te Aroha railway station, the vice-regal party were met by the Mayor of the borough (Mr. J*.s. Mills), the members of the Borough Council, and a large number of local residents. '1 he member for the district (the Hon. A. J. Cadman), who is confined 'to his residence at Avondale, was unable to be present, but a telegram from him regretting his unavoidable absence, and wishing the Reception Committee every success in their efforts to entertain Lord Ranfuily, wa. received. Mr. Herries, M.H.R. for ".he Bay of Plenty, was present, and performed the duties pertaining to the member for the district. The Te Aroha Rifles, under Lnt.tenant Wild, formed tho guard of hoMW'i being preceded by two outriders. The ie j\roha Band, under Conductor Buchan, was also present. THE RECEPTION. After the party left the station, which was gaily decorated with bunting, floral designs, nikau palms, and evergreens, the band lell into the rear of the vice-regal carriage, and played several selections until the gates ol the' domain were reached. Upon reaching the domain the school children from the le Aroha, Waihou, Waiorongomai, and ie Aroha West schools, were found to be assembled on the green, well-kept lawn in front of the sanatorium. The Te Aroha Rifles took up a position to the right and left of the main entrance, while the Te Aroha Band marched to the rotunda. There was a large gathering of Te Aroha and Waioronresidents, settlers from all parts of the district being present, while among the crowd could be noticed large numbers of Maoris. His Excellency was shown over the handsome buildings and the baths, and was escorted by Mr. James Mills and Mr. William Hill to a position in front of the lawn, where he was formally welcomed by tho Mayor, who extended a cordial welcome to the representative of Her Majesty. It was an occasion, he said, of which l'e Aroha might well be proud. Twenty years ago there were no white men in the district, and the ground on which they stood was a mass of fern and tea-tree, so that His Excellency would from that see what had been done, and what improvements had been effected. On behalf of the residents he expressed pleasure at the Governor's visit, and while they regretted that His Excellency's stay in the district would not be of long duration, they hoped that the vice-regal party would enjoy their short visit, and would see as much as possible of the district.

AN ADDRESS PRESENTED. The Mayor then formally introduced the town clerk (Mr. William Hill), who read the following address : — "To His Excellency the Right Hon. the Earl of Ran fully, K.C.M.G., Governor and Commander-in-Chief in and over the colony of New Zealand and its dependencies.—May it please your Excellency,— tho Mayor, councillors, and burgesses of the borough of To Aroha, heartily greet your Excellency upon this your visit to the most recently constituted borough in the colony. Wo express to you our loyalty to Her Majesty Queen Victoria, and we trust that your term of office in New Zealand, as the representative of the Crown, already of advantage to us, may continue to be pleasant and agreeable to you. When in the future you recall the beauty of our scenery and the healthful qualities of the climate of New Zealand, we hope that you may also have pleasing recollections of the natural advantages which we possess in Te Aroha. in our hot springs and sanatorium. \Ve desire to add that we appreciate the intelligent interest always shown by your Excellency in and for the prosperity and well-being of the colony, and with every assurance of respect we have the honour to be your Excellency's most obedient servants. —(Signed) Jas. Mills, Mayor ; William Hill, town clerk. THE GOVERNOR'S REPLY. His Excellency, in replying, said that in every district visited it was always pleasing to him to hear expressions of loyalty to the Crown. Since he had been in the colony lie had noted the same loyalty that pervaded the Old Country, and he was satisfied that in all tho British dependencies, none were more loyal than New Zealand. In visiting the various districts lie assured them that he did so in the hope of obtaining information of their capabilities and industries, which, in the future, would be of considerable use to him. He had visited nearly every part of the colony, and among the last was Te Aroha. He was much interested in the question or the treatment of the refracUiy ores, which the district possessed. Scientists were engaged in endeavouring to solve the proDlem whereby the golden dust that these refractory ores contained would bo extracted, and from what he had heard and read of the district, in the event of these scientific experiments being successful, there was e. good future before Te Aroha. It was a striking thing that in the p'cdfction of gold New Zealand was putting her foot forward. He noticed in that morning Hkrald that a return, published by the Mines Department, showed that the gold exported from New Zealand for the month of May was more than double the amount exported for the corresponding period of the previous ysar, 1898. No doubt this large increase was due to the fact that men of scienco were improving the methods of treatment and extraction. Dredging had shown a marked increase, but if the' difficulty in the treatment of refractory ores could be overcome a brilliant future was before the colony, and he wa.3 satisfied that, ill this prospect, Te Aroha would take its fair share. He was pleased to hear that the hot springs and baths of the district were in such good demand. The buildings or.d baths were constructed aftei the most modern type, and he was satisfied that by keeping up to date in these ideas on these important matters the district would reap considerable advantage. He thanked them sincerely tor their very hearty welcome, and concluded by wishing the district every prosperity. A WORD FOR THE CHILDREN.

The school children then sang "My Own New* Zealand Home,' being accompanied by the Te Aroha Band, and conducted by Mr". J. Giigg. of Thames, the composer of the song. 'three hearty cheers were then given for His Excellency by those present, The Governor ihen stepped lorward, and add'es.ved a few words to the children. He congratulated them and their teachers unpn their excellent singing, and intimated that he had expressed c desire that they should lie given a holiday, which request had kindly lien acceded to—a pronouncement which was greeted with applause by the little ones. Hi? Excellency was then "escorted ti the Hot Springs Hotel, where the party was stpplied with light refreshments by tie Reception Committee. MAORI GRIEVANCES. A number of natives, male and female, were then introduced to His Excellency, and several matters of importance to the Maoris of Ie Aroha and surrounding districts were brought undei the notice of the Governor. t he first speaker welcomed the Governor with the usual " haeremais," and said that they trusted' Hiy Excellency would look upon both races alike, as there was one lav for one people, in which the Maoris were included. tie spoke of handing back to the naWes portion of Te Aroha mountain, which he alleged had been taken from them, Another chief also spoke on the land question, and said he hoped the Governor would look to the interests of those natives whe had no lands, and arrange to put matters in this connection straight. He gave detail* ot the land referred to, some of which was bounded bv the Ohinemuri goldfields district. In replying to the natives, His Excellency thanked the Maoris for the welcome extended to him, He had already shown that he took great interest in the native race of New Zealand by his attendances at the Waitangi and other large gatherings of Ulie native races. He had heard their grievance* and had invariably given them consideration, but they must remember that the Governor was not the person who had control of native affairs. There was a Minister in these islands for iiatjvo cfl'iirSj who had first

control over such matters, but who could confer with the Governor, if necessary. The Maoris also had their representatives in Parliament, and in these cases, referring to native lands, the proper course foi them to adopt was to bring their complaints before their member in a constitutional manner. In the many matters already brought before the Native Minister, the land question had largely figured, and at many meetings of the native race grievances had been brought up. Most of these referred to instances occurring many years ago, and there were many reasons which rendered it impossible to go so far bank in time as regarded making alterations. While desirous in every way of seeing the Maoris of New Zealand treated with fairness and justice, it was out of the question bringing before Ministers such matters as had been brought under his notice that day. It- was not a question of policy. There wero direct questions ot particular cases which should certainly come through their representatives in Parliament. In saying this, he did not mean to acknowledge that as Her Majesty's representative he would not look after the interests of the Maoris. On the contrary, he would see fair play and fair laws to both races, and as long as he remained in the colony would carefully look after the interests of tho Maoris with the same zeal as that with which he looked after the interests of Europeans. WAIORON The Governor and party were then driven to Waiorongomai, where they were met by Mr. E. H. Hardy, the owner of the battery. Escorted by the gentleman named, His Excellency was shown the crushing plant, which he carefully inspected, and was afterwards taken to the assay-room and other buildings. He was shown 120oz of amalgam, which Mr. Hardy had obtained as the result of crushing operations. In tho assay-room a champagne lunch was served and enjoyed by those present. The Mayor proposed "the toast "Success to Mr. Hardy's Battery," Mr. Hardy making a suitable response, and in turn proposing "The Health of His Excellency." The party then returned to To Aroha.

A BANQUET. In the evening a banquet was held at tho Family Hotel, after which His Excellency and party returned to their sleeping carriages. FUTURE MOVEMENTS.

To-morrow the vice-regal party proceed to Paeroa and Karangabake. On Thursday, Waihi and Katikati will be visited, and" a return to Paeroa made on Friday; on Saturday Hangatiki will be reached, and the Mokau tunnel and Waitomo Caves visited, the party returning to Auckland on Monday night.