PRESENTATION TO MR. JAMES MILLS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1686, 22 June 1904, Page 59

PRESENTATION TO MR. JAMES MILLS.

GROWTH OF THE UNION STEAM

SHIP COMPANY.

PROGRESS OF THE COLONY.

The Australasian Institute of Marine Engineers last Wednesday presented Mr James Mills, managing direptor of the Union Steam Ship Company,with the badge of honorary associate, and also with an illuminated address. The function took place at the Chamber of Commerce, and was attended by about a hundred people, representing the Institute of Marine Engineers and the shipping and commercial interests of the colony. Amongst those present were the Hon C. H. Mills (Acting-Min-ister of Marine), Hon J. Carroll (Native Minister! Air Allport (Secretary for Marine), Alessrs J. Duthie and J. G. W. Aitken, M.H.R/'s, Hon J. E. Jenkinson, M.L.0., Alessrs D. J. Nathan (president of the Chamber of Commerce), W. A. Kennedy Wellington manager of the Union Company), O W. Jones (manager of the Huddart-Parker Company), and J. H. Buraes (manager New Zealand Shipping Company). Mr J. P. Luke presided. Congratulatory cablegrams were received from the Alarine Engineers’ Institutes of Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia. The following telegrams were read from the Premier: —“Regret exceedingly that I shall b 9 unable to make presentation to Air James Mills from Commonwealth and New Zealand branches of ,the Marine Engineers. Nothing would have given me greater pleasure, but with other pleasures this must he denied. I am delighted with the step taken by the Marine Engineers; they are rightly recognising the worth of Mr Mills. He has at all times shown great consideration to those of our craft under his control. I have asked the Hon C. H. Alills to make the presentation, presuming that will meet with your concurrence. —R. J. Seddon.” “Although absent- my thoughts are with you and those of the craft. I am pleased indeed at the presentation to Air James Alills, it being an honour he well merits, and. reflects credit upon the Associated Alarms Engineers of New Zealand and the Commonwealth. Kindest regards.—R. J. Secldon.” A telegram conveying best wishes to the guest and regretting unavoidable absence was also read from Sir Joseph Ward. Sir Robert Stout and others also wrote apologising for being unable to attend. _ The address, which is a handsome piece of workmanship, was illuminated by Air W. B. Bock, and bears some tastefullv sketched water-colour views by Air C, N. Worsley, encased m a frame of honeysuckle and kauri. It reads as folows: —■•Australasian Institute of Alarine Engineers. Wellington district, Alay, 1904. To James Mills, Esq., managing director U.S.'S. Co., of New Zealand. Dear Sir. —The Austra- ' lasi an Institute of Alarine Engineers in conference assembled, having unanimously elected you a life honorary associate,'lias delegated to Wellington district the honour of presenting you with the gold badge, to place on record the high esteem in which yon are held by the Alarine Engineers the Com on wealth of Australia and New Zealand. Your never-failing courtesy towards the institute, your readiness at all times to conciliate and study the interests and well-being of enginoeis, and your generous treatment of those under your command under all circumstances is so marked that it is with the greatest pleasure we take the opportunity afforded of recording our thanks for those many acts of kindness which have caused you to be respected by the and has placed the Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand in the forefront as employers “The Parliament of New Zealand was proposed by Air 11. Beauchamp, v/ho said he had the highest admiration fox members of the House. _ He did not exactly approve the way in which Pai hare ent did its work, which certainly was not conducted as commercial men car* . ried on their business., and no failed to Bee the necessity of mombeis turning night into day. He thought if Parliament started its sittings at 9.30 a.m. and finished at 6 p.rn., devoting the evenings to committee work, it would be much more satisfactory for all concerned, and members would not be worn out at the end of the session. The compliment paid to Air James Alills that day was well deserved, for no man was more progressive, and up-to-date. The Hon J. Carroll, in replying, thought Wellington especially could be congratulated upon its Parliamentary representatives, both of whom were very curious and inquisitive. There was much truth in the proposers remarks, for Parliament turned night into day unnecessarily, and lie believed they could shorten the hours and improve their methods of procedure. Still, when they came to consider that the whole of the • session’s legislation —and if they looked at'the statute bock-they would find evidences of the labours of Parliament—was compressed into the space of about four months, as compared with six and nine months’ sittings. of other parliaments, lie thought they would ad—rriit that good work was done. He acknowledged the service rendered to the

colony by the Union Company, and on behalf of the Legislature took that opportunity of thanking Air Alills and his company for the courtesy they had shown to members when travelling along the coasts of the colony on public business.

In proposing “ Commerce and Shipping,” Air C. AI. Luke compared the shipping trade to-day in this colony with what it was thirty years ago, and referred to the great development of the Union Company under Mr Mills’s management. He hoped the time would come when the red funnel fleet would predominate in the Southern Seas. He also gave credit to the Huddart-Parker Company for its enterprise, and to the other shipping companies doing business with New Zealand, and thought the colony had reason to feel proud of the great shipping companies by which it was served.

The toast was acknowledged by Alessrs D. J. Nathan, H. CTaike, C. W. Jones and H. Turner. Air Nathan, referring to the hope expressed that the red funnel fleet would soon fly its flag throughout the Pacific, said if the Government was really sincere in its desire to develop the shipping interests of the colony it would give a direct line of steamers to Vancouver.

“Civic Authorities and Harbour Boards ” was proposed by Air D. Robertson. Nothing, he thought, had so aided in the development and prosperity of the colony as the splendid means of communication which it had with outside ports. He could never understand why the Union Company kept its headquarters in Dunedin, and wondered why the headquarters were not shifted to Wellington, except, perhaps, because Dunedin was Scotch. (Laughter.) But Wellington was going to give the company such inducements that it would come up here before long. (Applause.) He was sure that when the Alay or had finished the great- work that lie had m hand to bring Wellington up-to-date, it would be one of the foremost cities in the Southern Hemisphere, and when the dock was finished he was certain the Union Company would say, “We must go up there.” (Applause.)

- The Alayor, responding, said he had always looked upon the Union Company a.s having done more for the development of New Zealand than any other institution, save perhaps the Government. It was quite a delight to hear the civic authorities kindly spoken of. seeing that for years there had been slicit a great deal of grumbling. When the tramways were started lie had told tlio public that there would be a great deal of grumbling and discontent, but In- thought, in the light of the inconvenience they had suffered, the citizens of Wellington had been very modest indeed in their complaints. Air W. Cable, chairman of the AVellington Harbour Board also replied to the toast-.. He pointed out that during the last five years the trade of Wellington had increased by 50 per cent., which spoke volumes for the facilities the port provided for the shipping companies. He looked forward to an increase of another 50 per cent, within the next five years.

The chairman proposed the health of “ Our Guest, Mr James Mills.” He traced the growth of the Union Company from 1875 to the present day, with the success of which their guest had been so closely associated throughout. The Hon C. H. Mills presented the guest with the badge of the Australasian Institute of Marine Engineers, and in handing the illuminated address to Mr James Mills, wished the recipient and the Union Company continued prosperity.

Mr James Mills said he fully appreciated the compliment which had been paid to him. The remarks that had been made concerning him were so flattering as to be not a little .embarrassing, and he almost felt inclined to take them with a “ small grain of salt.” He desired to say that liis directors had always been very well satisfied with the result of any negotiations with the engineer*, and he concluded, their presence at that gatnering was evidence that the engineers also, as a whole, had been satisfied. He was very glad to have that opportunity of saying, on behalf of the directors of the company, and on his own behalf, that their relations with the engineers had always been of a very pleasant nature. The company had recognised to the fullest extent from the earliest days of its existence that in its engineers it had an able and competent body of men, and loyal to their employers, and such as lie did not know existed in any other branch of employment. The engineers had had occasion to make demands and ask for concessions from time to time, hut he would say this, that they had always been able to support their claims by such good reasons, and had shown such a desire to give good service at all times, that their employers must necessarily have a great disposition in their favour, and to do so, as they always had done —meet them more than half-way. He had very great pleasure in accepting the address, which he regarded as a compliment to himself and also to the directors of the company to which he belonged. The loyalty of the engineers to their, .employers had been evidenced on many occasions, especially in 1890, when the company was deserted by its officers, seamen and firemen, and in return the company recognised that the claims of the engineers were en-

titled to the full respect of their employers and their most favourable consideration at all times. The Union Company bad at the present time 177 engineers in its employ, many of whom had been for twenty years in the service of the company; many, also, who had been with the company occupied responsible positions elsewhere, whilst eight of their exengmeers were now inspectors in the Government service. In 1375 the company started with two steamers; now .t had fifty-three steamers in its service, with - a total tonnage of 100,000 tons. Its * aggregate expenditure now closely approached £1,250,000. The fleet of the company annually travelled 2,000,000 miles; it consumed 250,000 tens of coal annually; carried 150,000 passengers last year, and paid £50,000 in harbour and other dues during the same period. These figures would give them some idea, of the extent of the company’s operations, and lie thought- it was a record of which the colony might he proud. The company was practically a New Zealand concern. It was true that the hulk of its capital had been obtained elsewhere, but they would recognise that it would have been impossible i » the early days when the company was started to have obtained the necessary capital in this colony alone. Its expenditure and management, however, were entirely in the colony of New Zealand, and all its profits—it, was content with an 8 per cent, dividend—were practically returned to the public. Before concluding, he desired to announce that the directors of the company, having heard that the engineers had in hand the starting of a technical library in Wellington for the benefit of the members—especially the younger members—of the institute, had authorised him to say that they would contribute £SO towards the library fund, and also that they would be prepared to do anything further to make the library a success. He reiterated his thanks to the institute for their kind present, which lie appreciated very much indeed, and he was sure his directors would join him in that appreciation. (Hearty applause.) The concluding toasts were “ The Press,” proposed by Air S. D. Hanna, and “ The Chairman,” proposed by Mr James Alills.