THE BANQUET.

Otago Witness, Issue 1778, 19 December 1885, Page 11

THE BANQUET.

In the evening a banquet was given at the Crown Hotel, the Mayor (Mr J. Dunne) presiding, and having Mr Macaudrew upon his right and the Hon. R. Stout, who had arrived by the afternoon train, upon his left. About 50 people were present. The Chairman proposed the " health of his Excellency the Governor," coupling it with the Hon. R. Stout's name. The Hon. R. Stout said he had first to return thanks on behalf of the Governor. He regretted his Excellency was not present, but as they were aware his duties prevented him going about the Colony as much as he would like to do. He (the Premier) could assure them, having had experience as a Minister of several governors, that there had never been in New Zealand a governor who had acted so fairly to all parties — who had held the balance more equally than Sir William Jervois had done, or one whose aim and desire for the welfare of the Colony had boon better exemplified. The mayor had referred to the 'troubles of a Premier, and he might say he often wished the Parliament of New Zealand was like the people of Balclutha. In Balclutha the mayor was elected seven times in succession ; he was kept in office loug enough to show what he was made of, and what good he could do for the town. But the misfortune of Parliament was that there were so many members anxious to show that they could be Ministers that the tenure of office was often very short. He wished to say one or two words with reference to the Ministry, but did not intend to introduce any party or political war cries. They should remember the position New Zealand was in when the present Ministry took office, and the fact that the Ministry had only been in office some fifteen months. On taking office the Government had to face a deficit of £150,000, and there seemed no chance whatever of that deficiency being met. During the year that deficiency was faced, and at the end of the first few months of office there was a small surplus and no additional taxation^ Another thing that was entirely ignored by many was that on taking office the Ministry found the Natives apparently at peace, but really in a state of unrest— in a state of what might be called veiled opposition to the Government in everything. Now, after fifteen months of office they find the Natives throughout the length and breadth of New Zealand not only peaceably j disposed but showing a hearty co-operation in working with the Government. Not only was the King Country thrown open, but the Natives who were said to be Hauhaus, and who declined to allow Europeans to pass over their country, had appealed to have— and these would be held during the next five or six weeks — a sitting of the Native Lands Court at Taupo. These Natives were taking the first step towards putting a million or a million and a-half acres of land through the Court and having I thatf title ascertained. Then the Upper Wanganui Natives were also asking for a Land Court. In 1882, when the North Island Trunk ! railway was proposed, all the Ministry could promise them was that they might be able to get permission to make the line and land for the purpose. Now, however, not only had the Natives given the land, for the line, but, as would be seen from the papers, they had consented to have the whole of their territory prospected for gold ; and he, knowing the responsibility of what he said, would say he bebelieved that, if not within a few months, within a year or so, they would find one or two large -goldfields in the King country. They might now go through the King country anywhere, and not only were the Natives peaceable, but they showed the utmost kindliness. How had this condition of things been obtained. It had been obtained by saying to the Natives that they should be treated with justice, and by acting up to their word. They believed that in treating^ them, as well as everything else, it was only righteousness that could exalt a nation ; that no nation could hope to do anything well that treated any section of the people with injustice, or that did not extend to all the utmost kindness and sympathy. He was glad to say that the Natives recognised the spirit in which they were treated. That this was so was evident from what occurred for the first time in the House of Representatives last session, when the four Native members, who were as intelligent Maoris as could have been expected throughout the Colony, were found supporting the Government, because they could see and knew that the intention of the Govern-

rnent was to treat them with kindness and with jiiotice. This was a part of the public policy for which he thought full credit was not given to the Government. Although the time whs short he would like to make one or two remarks about the railways. He regretted that he had been unable to be present at the opening of the line, and wished to say he looked upon, the portion of line opened as of little value to them and of little value to the Colony. The line ought to connect with the line vhat branched off at Mataura, and to be carried through the Tautuku Bush. If the line were so constructed he believed that in this part of Ofcago there would ba better room for small settlements and for forestry development than in any other place in the whole of the Middle Island. He was speaking concerning what he knew, for he had travelled over New Zealand probably more than anyone else in the room. Having seen what the Scandinavian settlers, who were unacquainted with our language and unaccustomed to our ways, had accomplished in the North Island within what was practically a few years, he was convinced that such settlements on bush lands was practicable. He had found the settlers comfortably situated with good homos ; their children, who had had to learn English, wore far advanced in thoir school work ; and the people were contented, and the young men pushing further into the bush. All this was done on worse bush country and a worse soil than they had at the Tautuku bush, and the settlement was not on largo blocks of laud. When he thought of this he felt certain that thousands of people could be comfortably settled if they had the railway which had just been opened extended, and aid given perhaps to open up roads for the small settlerb. He believed the people of tho district; would be false to themselves if they allowed the railway to go no further than to Romahapa, and if they did not look forward to its future extension. There was, of course, danger of a Colony borrowing too much money, just as there was of a man doing so,- and he thought that all our borrowing in th« past had not been sufficiently defined and limited. If he had had his way the Loan Acts should have been passed so that every penny should have been spent in a manner clearly defined, and it ought to have been spent so as to give a return. Unfortunately more than half the money for which the credit of New Zealand had been pledged did not return any interest to the Colony. He did not say that the expenditure had not been useful, and that indirectly the gain to the Colony was not great ; but it did not give any direct return, and he thought that in future they should insist that the works should be such as would return some interest on the cost of construction. If they had a Loans Act framed so that the expenditure could not be altered — so that it could not be altered by the Appropriation Act ; if they had that limitation put on, and the whole carefully examined, it wad just as right and as necessary for them to have further railway exteusion for further colonisation and settlement as it was for this province in the early days. Many present could perhaps remember that when the proposal was made to construct a railway from Dunedin to Clutha it was said it would ruin Otago. It was not at first met with anything like enthusiasm. The extension of this new Hue with proper settlement going along, with proper development of forestry, would do much good for the district ; it would develop the resources of the country, enhance the value of the Crown land — for there was here a large block of Crown land — and it would benefit the settlers, for they would be able to get limber more cheaply, and hundreds of industries would spring up of which at present they knew nothing. He hoped they would not be afraid to urge that this work should be pushed on with vigour ; that the resources of the country should be developed, and the vast tract of land lying between the railway and the sea settled with a prosperous population, for ho believed it was just as suitable for settlement as any part of New Zealand. Ho desired to say before sitting down that he was exceedingly pleased to see Mr Macandrew present. He only regretted that he and Mr Macandrew wore not colleagues now as they had twice been, and ho desired to say that while they should not forget Mr Thomson's persistency in urging the. construction of the line, they should remember that it was Mr Macandrew's idea to have the railway made. He might also state that he believed that had Mr Macandrow remained in power they would have had the railway not only seven miles but almost 70 miles in length. Ho hoped they would have Mr Macandrew in the House and in Parliament for many years to come, on account of the value of his services, not only to the provincial district of Otago, but to the Colony as a whole. However much Mr Macandrew may have been blamed in the North Island for only taking an Otago view of things, he (the Premier) might say he did not know of any member of the House of Representatives or of the Legislative Council, who took a broader or more Colonial or national view of matters that came before Parliament than Mr Macaudrew. He (the Premier) thanked them heartily for their attention. He was present because he felt that it was really to the settlers — to the pioneers of Otago — that thanks were due for the progress of Otago, and he might say that in many things the Colony had to copy Otago. People in other parts of the Colony complained that Otago had fine reserves, but he replied that that only showed that the early settlers here had greater foresight than the early settlers in other parts of the Colony. The Clutha district contained perhaps most of the real Otago pioneers, many of whom he knew personally and was always glad to meet. He thanked them for having coupled his name with the toast, and expressed the hope that the Clutha district would assume the position, when connected by this railway to the bush, and would be the premier district in the provincial district of Otago.

The Hon. R. Stout proposed the " Army, Navy, and Volunteers," saying he was glad to think that the Volunteers had during the last year nearly doubled in numbers. It was impossible to say that they had absolutely nothing to grumble at, but he thought they had been placed in a fairer position than before, and hoped that in time to come we should never have an army or navy, but should rely orily upon our citizen soldiers.

Captain Parmenter and Lieutenant. Hoqo responded.

The Chatrman proposed the " New Zealand Parliament," coupled with the name of Mr Macandrew, who vt as almost the father of the district.

Mr Macandrew, in responding, deplored the persistence' with which Parliament turned night into day and performed the public business at 1, 2, and 3 o'clock in the morning. He was not quite satisfied with the adaptability of the Legislature to the requirements of New Zealand, but the 2 }ersonile l of the Houso was, lie thought, all that could be desired, and there was no legislature where more gentlemanly lines of conduct were observed than in the New Zealand Parliament. He concluded by expressing the opinion that the Colony was suffer-

ing from a too extravagant system of government.

The Vice-chairman (Mr Dallas) proposed the health of Mr J. W. Thomson, member for the district.

Mr Thomson, in responding, said that was a red-letter day for Balclutha, and he could assure them that politics had not been occupying his mind at all during the day. He traced the gradual progress of the district through the walking, riding, coaching, and railway eras, and congratulated the settlers upon the progress so far made.

Mr M.vcandrkw proposed the "Corporation of Balclutha," to which the Chairman responded.

The Premier and several of the visitors then left, returning to town by a special train.

The excursion trains during the day were run with complete smoothness, and no hitch whatever occurred.