THE GOVERNOR'S TOUR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11060, 11 May 1899, Page 5

THE GOVERNOR'S TOUR.

RECEPTION AT PAEROA AND KARANGAHAKE. AN ENTHUSIASTIC WELCOME. VISIT TO THE MINES AND BATTERIES.

ADDRESS TO HIS EXCELLENCY. [BY TELSUBAPH.—SPECIAL RF.POnTF.It.] Paeroa, Wednesday. The vice-regal party left To Aroha at halfpast six this morning, and arrived at Paeroa about half an hour later. When the train left Te Aroha the Governor and Cap tains Alexander and Ward were asleep in the car. The official reception was timed to take place at half-past nine, so that the vice-regal party had breakfast in the diningcar before the local Reception Committee arrived on the platform, The occasion of His Excellency's visit to Paeroa was really a red-letter day in the history of the district. The first Governor who landed 011 the shores of Ohinemuri was Sir George Grey, but that event occurred before the Ohimmuri district proper was opened. The Marquis of Normanby was the first Governor to visit the district, after the proclamation by the Government of Ohinemuri as a goldfield, and the main street of Paeroa, Norlr.anby Road, wr.s named after the then Governor. It may also be mentioned that Sir Wm. Jeivois also visited Paeroa about 1887, but in his official inspection of the district he never proceeded beyond Mackaytown, AT PAEROA.

At half-past nine the Governor and party were met at tho railway station by Mr. P. Cock (chairman of the County Council), Messrs. McAndrew, McClelland, Mooro, and Stackpoolo (councillors), Kenny (county clerk), Forrest, Tottley, and Liaison (secretary)—ail being members of the local Reception Committee—and Mr. R. S. Bush, Warden. After a formal welcome was extended to His Excellency I|ho party entered conveyances supplied by Mr. Geo. Crosby, who personally handled tho ribbons of the Governor's carriage, being seated behind four splendid horses, the party were driven to the rendezvous at the square opposite the Royal Mail Hotel. Two mounted orderlies and Mr. Dalson preceded the procession. Upon arrival at the square it was noted that Paeroa had excelled itself in the preliminary preparations for tho Governor's arrival. The arch, designed by Mr. W. j'ettley, 0110 of Paeroa's oldest identities, was really a work of art, and His Excellency expressed his admiration of the work done by the gentleman named and his assistants. The arch was covered with evergreens, with borders of liikau palms, the Union Jack and other national Hags being displayed 011 the side turrets, while a banner, with the word " Welcome" inscribed upon it, depended from turret to turret. Oil the right-hand side of tho square tho local school children, numbering close on 200, under Mr. Sullivan and assistant teachers, were accommodated 011 the platform, while the Paeroa Band, under Conductor Lamb, took up their position in close proximity to the children. On the left-hand side the Ohinemuri Rifle Volunteers No. 1, under Lieutenant McArthur and ColourSergeant Bradford, were drawn up in line. with fixed bayonets. As tlio vice-regal party passed under the triumphal arch a royal salute was made by the volunteers, while tlio band played a few bars of the National Anthem, The party were accommodated on a platform erected below the firobell tower, which was decorated for the occasion, tho Reception Committee and councillors being in attendance on the Governor and suite.

THE OFFICIAL WELCOME. The county chairman (Mr. F. Cock) then fwnially welcomed tlio Governor to the Obincmuri district, and on behalf of the local residents expressed pleasure at I'aeroa being honoured by a visit fiom the Governor of the colony, and trusted that his short stay in the various districts, comprising the dbinemuri County, would prove interesting and afford pleasure to tho representative of Her Majesty the Queen. Mr. Cock then introduced Mr. Nepean Kenny, clerk of tlio County Council, to His Excellency. and an illuminated address, executed at the Nkw Zealand Herald Cffite, was then read by Mr. Kenny. The address was as under —

"To His Excellency the Right Hon. the Earl of Ranfurly, K.C.M.G., Governor and Cnnmander-in-C!hief in and over the colony of New Zealand, and its dependencies. May it please Your Excellency,—We, the chairman, councillors, and inhabitants of the C(unty of Ohinemuri, desire to offer yon a cordial welcome on the occasion of this your first visit to the Ohinemuri County and goldfiolds. Wo are pleased to have this opportunity of personally assuring Your Excellency of our loyal devotion to Her Most Gracious Majesty, whom you represent. Wo desire also to express our gratification at the honour you have been pleased to do lis in accepting our invitation to make yourself personally acquainted with this district. Wo trust that Your Excellency will be pleased with your visit, and that yon will find interest in seeing the various details of out principal industry, gold mining, and the gold-saving process connected with it. Wo earnestly wish all health and happiness to Your Excellency and the Countess of Ranfurly, and trust that the period of your Governorship in New Zealand will not in the future be the least pleasurable recollection of your official career. (Signed) Fredk. Cock, chairman; Nepean Kenny, county clerk. Paeroa, May 10, 1899."

THE GOVERNOR'S REPLY. The Governor, in replying, thanked the chairman and those present for the cordial reception extended to Her Majesty's representative. Ho expressed his pleasure at the local welcome accorded, and his gratification at the assurance of loyalty and fidelity to the Empire. He was particularly interested in the industries of the colony, and trusted that the careful development of these would result in a great source of wealth being opened up to the whole of New Zealand. He was particularly gratified at their reference to Lady Ranfurly, and expressed his regret that Her Ladyship was not present on the occasion. What lie had seen and heard of the district had ii terested him, and when he returned to the Old Country, he would look back upon the happy days he had sppnt in New Zealand with pleasure and with the kindliest of feeliigs. He thanked them again for their cordial welcome, and trusted that the district would prosper in the future. Three hearty cheers were then given for His Excellency, after which the children, under the conduetorship of Mr. H. L. Harston, sang the National Anthem, being accompanied by the Paeroa Band.

ADDRESS FROM THE MAORIS. The Governor was then introduced to Mr. Jas. Mackay, who read an address from the natives, a number of whom have travelled from tie northern, part of, the Peninsula, with the object of participating in the reception ceremonies connected with the Governor's visit. The address was as under:—

"To the Governor of New Zealand, the Up! older of Queen Victoria. Sire,—Greetings to you. We invited you as the protector of the orphans, the widows, and the destitute, to come and see us. Come and see the remnant of those who were left by our grandparents and our fathers, that is, by i'araia, Meha Moananui, Taipari, Te Tarnwha, Te Rauroha, and others, reposing on the word of Hauraki, that is the' two things they left to lis, viz., 'The Peace of Hauraki, 1 and ' The Administration of Hauraki,' these two roads were left by them to be travelled in this district, thoy travelled ti the future world, leaving us, who are now welcoming you as our parent—the parent to protect us during the evil days of the world. Welcome to you as the representative of Queen Victoria. Come as successor to Governor Hobson. Come to uphold the Treaty of Waitangi, so that both people of this country may be prosperous. May God preserve you and your family, also that of Queen Victoria. We wish it to be understood that the motto of this district is ' The Peace of Hauraki' and 'The Calm Weather of Wairau.' No evil will therefore arise here, other places may do wrong, we mil adhere to that which is good, now and hereafter. Welcome the Governor. -y Welcome. Welcome.— the , tribes' of Hauraki. ; •' In replying to ■ the • natives His Excellency thanked them for .their'cordial wely.CDlGi and stated that ia visiting all parts

of the islands he did not come with the idea of concentrating his attention on the European race, because, as Her Majesty's representative, he deemed it his duty to identify himself as closely as possible with the Maoris as well as tie pakehas. He had taken, and did take, as much interest in their welfare as he did in that of the European races, and, in his opinion, one of the brightest signs of tho year in the colony was the Maori and the pakeha going hand m hand together, and to cement that luendship he would use his utmost endeavour, so that all those in these islands, 11 li European and Maori,- would be doing an that, lay in their power to further the interests of the colony, and to bring about th& permanent prosperity of New Zealand, la a the great Empire to which they bolonged. Cheers were again given for the Governor, after which His Excellency approached the children, and intimated that he had requested that an extra day's holiday should pe given them in honour of his visit, an intimation which the littlo ones, tastefullymessed and provided with flags, acknowledged with cheers and applause. The vice-regal party were then driven to the Criterion Hotel, which was tastefully decc.U'.ted for the occasion, and from which a gaily-decorated streamer was extended to the other side of the road. The party were here received by Mr. E. Bastings. Here the Governor rested for half an hour, Wore proceeding to Karangahake.

ARRIVAL AT KARANGAHAKE. . Subsequently the party took their seats in the carriages provided for them, and proceeded to Karangahake, which was also tastefully and appropriately decorated for the occasion. Quite an array of bunting was in evidence, whilst a large triumphal arch was erected in front of the Karangahake Hotel. Upon arrival at the township tile Governor was met by the Brass Band, and escorted from the outskirts Of the township to the dais, on which the olhml reception took place. In addition to the vice-regal party, Mr. R. S. Bush (Warden), and the members of the Ohinemuri County Council, the following members of the local Reception Committee occupied seats upon the platform: -Messrs. -iV i n Walters, Clarke, Goldsworthv, laylor, Regan, Ryan, Montgomery, and W. J. Searle (secretary of the committee). Mr. Alexander Hogg, who, as one of the oldest residents of the Karangahake district, had been deputed to welcome tho Governor on behalf of tho local residents, addressed His Excellency. He congratulated the Governor upon having made his first visit to tho Ohinemuri goldlields, and said that though the township was a small one, they had three valuable minesthe Crown", Woodstock, and Talisman. Tho gold returns from the district were increasing, and this year it was expected that tho distinct would do better than during tho last, he approximate returns from tho mines, which had about 150 stampers at work, woula be £11,500 for the present month, and he was pleased to note that there was '.I'ery likelihood of the present crushing power being added to during the coming J ear, and the returns of bullion considerably increased. It was 24 years since the district had been originally prospected, and a ( large amount of work had been accomplished to bring it to its present position, they had had many trials. Different machinery had been experimented with, and they had had many failures and many hopes disappointed. They knew that tho value ill mineral was there, but until the introduction of English capital they had been afforded no adequate means of developing tho mines of the district. The introduction of the cyanide process, the first experiments of which were conducted about a few minutes' walk from where they stood, had revolutionised the system of gold extraction, and tho extensive cyanide plants erected in tho district was sufficient proof of what the introduction of that process had'done.

AN ADDRESS PRESENTED. Mr. Hogg then read the following address from tho residents of Ilarangahake: — "To His Excellency the Right Hon. the Earl of Ranfurly, 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. We, the residents of Ivarangahake, desire you to accept our cordial and loyal greetings on this august occasion, Your Excellency's first visit to our guldficlds. We take this opportunity of earnestly assuring you of our high esteem for you, as Governor, and of our devotion and love for our beloved Queen, whom you have the distinguished honour to represent. We desiro to express our heartiest wishes that health and happiness may attend Your Excellency, the Countess of Ranfurly, and family, and that your residence in these New Zealand isles may be one of health and prosperity, and when your term of vice-regal office expires, and you return to the Mother Country, wo trust that you may cany with you a recollection of a most happy and prosperous sojourn in this fair land of our adoption."

SPEECH BY HIS EXCELLENCY, His Excellency, in reply, thanked the local residents for tlieir cordial reception, and said that it would be impossible for him to return to the Mother Country without retaining a pleasing recollection of the enjoyable and useful years which lie had spent in the colony. As Her Majesty's representative, it was meet that he should notice what had occurred during her glorious reign, and there was no doubt that there was no Sovereign ruling over a people who had seen dependencies make such rapid progress in machinery, arts, and Empire— had equally progressed during the years of her reign, in which time Greater Britain had more than doubled in extent. He trusted that the district would be a dividend-paying one, as much for the sake of the people of New Zealand as for the shareholders. He was satisfied that any amount of capital was required to develop the mineral resources of the colony, and he was equally satisfied that the colony afforded facilities for any amount of mining to be done. But to restore the confidence of the British investors they should do all that was possible to co-operate in proving the mineral wealth of the colony, and to bring their present working mines to he dividend-paying concerns. In .the treatment of refractory ores much had been done, and great progress had been made. Chemists had done valuable work, and more work was yet required to be done, so that the processes now in use would be rendered less expensive. (Applause.) He again thanked them for their very cordial welcome. Several of the children attending the school then presented His Excellency and party with tasteful button-holes, after which the Governor announced that he had asked the schoolmaster to grant an extra day's holiday in honour ot his visit.

MINING PROPERTIES VISITED. The parly was then driven back again to the suspension bridge, at a point opposite the New Zealand Crown Mines' reduction works, where they were met by Mr. F. R. Daw (general manager) and Mr. R. M. Bird (the representative of the Exploration Company, which is largely interested in the New Zealand Crown Mines). They were then escorted through the battery and treatment plant, and were shown the various processes used in the extraction of the precious metal. Messrs. Daw and Bird explaining details of tlio processes in operation. During the tour through the battery and accessories His Ex. cellency was somewhat surprised at the extensive nature of the plant, and judging by the close attention which he paid to the explanations of Messrs. Daw and Bird, and the minute manner in which he inspected the details of the working plant, he showed that he look more than an ordinary amount of interest in the method of extracting bullion. An adjournment was then made to the residence of Mr. Daw, where a champagne luncheon was laid out and partaken of by those present. After the toast of " The Queen" had been proposed and duly honoured, Mr. Daw proposed the toast of " His Excellency the Governor." The speaker expressed his pleasure at being afforded an opportunity of welcoming the Governor and showing him some of the details in connection with the mining industry of the Karangahakc district. His Excellency had expressed his pleasure at what he had seen, and the speaker trusted that the Ohinemuri district would progress sufficiently to attract the attention of the capitalists at Home. Personally, he knew nothing of New Zealand when he left England for the colony, and he trusted that the Governor had found that the mining industry wa's of more importance than might at .first be recognised. His Excellency, in replying, expressed his gratification at the progress made by the colony, especially in connection with the gold mining ■ industry. v He was sorry to' note that England was not ready to send capital to the colony to develop the mineral resaurcfis,. and trusted that in tie future this

would change, and New Zealand mining shares woula be in active demand on the London market. He deprecated over-capitalisa-tion, and expressed the opinion that it was owing to this fault that the mining industry was not receiving that assistance from outside capital that it deserved. The output of gold was showing rapid increase, and lie believed that the output for the present year would surpass that of many years that had passed. His Excellency also referred to the rapid advance made in the dredging industry, and said that in connection with the industry the local people were developing valuable properties, and, in reality, keeping the sugarplums at home. In the mining industry they should endeavour to make their mines divi-dend-paying concerns, and by this means induce the British capitalists to invest money in the mining districts of New Zealand, districts which deserved the expenditure of capital more than any others in the British Empire. After a short stay the party were conducted over the New Zealand Crown Company's mine, and were subsequently met by Messrs. F. Rich (Woodstock Company), and Taylor and Goldsworthy (Talisman), and shown the batteries and accessories of tlio company's mentioned.

DINNER AND BALL AT PAEROA. A return was then made to Paeroa, where the Governor and party were entertained at dinner by the Ohinemuri County Council at Mr. Basting's Criterion Hotel. A ball, given by the Ohinemuri lodge, was then attended, and a very enjoyable evening was spent. The Governor's partner for the first dance was Miss Cock, the' daughter of the county chairman. A large number of visitors from Te Aroha, Thames, and the districts in tlio Ohinemuri County were present. The party leave for Waihi to-morrow, and proceed to Katikati m the evening.