THE GOVERNOR AT BALCLUTHA.

Otago Witness, Issue 2310, 9 June 1898, Page 53

THE GOVERNOR AT BALCLUTHA.

His Excellency the Governor arrived at Balclutha en Thursday by the evening train, which was nearly an hour late owing to » slight accident to the engine. On arrival he was met by the mayor and councillors of- the borough and a crowd of citizens. The member for Clutha, Mr J. W. Thomson, M.H.JR., came along with the Vice-regal party from Milton.

Mr J. C. Mitchb!LL (town clerk) presented his Excellency with the following address j— May it please your Excellency,— We, the mayor asd councillors of the Borough of Balclutha, desire on behalf of the burgesses of the borough and the residents of the (Jlutba district to respectfully offer to your Excellency our congratulations on your appointment as representative of her Majesty the Queen in this important colony, and to offer your .Excellency a sincere and hearty welcome on this your first visit to our town. We observed with the utmost satisfaction the announcement that your ICxcelleucy inteaded to acquire a thorough knowledge of the colony by making a personal visit to all the municipalities throughout the country, and we trust that jou May ba able to carry out your further expressed intention of gaining a more intimate and accurate knowledge of the people under your rule by visiting them from time to tune in your private capacity. We noted with great pleasure the deep interest taken by your .Excellency and Lady Ranfurly in every movement which has for its aim the prosperity of the colony. We tiust that your rule in New Zealand may be a long and pleasant one, and that it may be marked as a pp'i<v! of social and commercial prosperity to the colony. We beg to oife! your Excellency a sincere expression of our loyalty to lier Majesty the Queen and to your Excellency as her Majesty's representative in this colony.

(Here follow the signatures of the Mayor and Councillors.)

His Excellency replied as follows : — Mr Mayor and Councillors of the Borough of Balclutha.

It ha« given me great pleasure to he able to visit a our prosperous town to-day. I believe I am right in saying that hardly more than ISO years ago Captain Cook first landed at the mouth of the Molyneux River and gave it that name, which fact in itself makes your district a very interesting one. One hundred and thirty years ago is not in the history of the colony so very long a period, and yet in that brief space of time what wonderful developments have been seen in New Zealand, changing a trackless wilderness into a centre of civilisation.

The heartiness of my reception here to-night it quite as marked as in towns of larger population, and I shall take care to inform her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen of the loyalty of all her people in this province of Otago. I do not mean of course to imply that the other provinces are not equally loyal

I can assure you that wherever I go I am met with the same loyal devotion to the Grown, and when these protestations are everywhere made in time of peace, what will not men do should the occasion arise for active service, and should England once agaia call her sons to rally round her and face a common danger.

I fully intend if I ana able to visit during my term of office as many of your municipalities as possible, thus gaining for myself the right to form my own judgment on many important matters, and I hope year by year during my sojourn amongst you to witness very decided improvements in trade and in all that promotes the prosperity and happiness of the people.

His Excellency was theu driven to M'Kenzie's Hall, wheze the concert cf the Technical Classes Association wa* in progress. During the interval his Excellency presented the certificates and medals of the {St. John Ambulance Association to those who had been successful at the examinations. Before doing so his Excellency gave a brief history of the order of Knights of St. John, of which honourable order he said he was a membec, and had been for a good many years He himself had derived great benefit from the knowledge gained at the St. John Ambulance classes, and had on more than one occasion been able to render assistance in case 3 of accident. He could therefore sbrongly recommend everybody to go in for'this very simple course of instruction, which would enable them to know what to do in case of emergency.. The ambulance order wa* in no way connected with the order of knighthood, but merely took the mmc. It had only been in existence soose 20 years. Already there were 325 centres in England alone ; there were 24 foreign centree, 7 Australian, 3 New Zealand, and 17 Cape centres. Every year fresh branches were established. In a mining country like ours the knowledge gained at the classes would be specially serviceable. The Ambulance Association was managed as England managed her Empire — allowed to manage themselves. The order of St. John was founded in 1099 a. p., and had been in existence from that day till the present time. It was originally founded with the view of helping the pilgrims to the Holy Shrine at Jerusalem. But the time soon came when the monko of St. John laid down their cowls and buckled on their swords, and for many years were looked upon as the guardians of Christianity. Driven from the Holy Land, they took up their quarters in the Mediterranean both as a naval and military power. More than once the Knights of St. John received the thanks of the Doges of Venice and of the Pope for driving the pirates away from the Mediterranean. It was therefore a very high honour to join the order of the Knights of St. John, and he was very glad to find that in Balclutha there were sopqe who had passed the examinations, which entitled them to membership — (Applause.)

At the conclusion of the concert, which was a most enjoyable one, the audience stood and sang the National Anthem while his Excellency passed out to his carriage to bo driven to supper at the Crown Hotel.

THE SUPPER.

Some 30 gentlemen safe down to supper, where an abundant spread of everything of the best w&s laid out in Mr Dunne's well-known style. After the usual loyal toasts bad been drunk,

The Mayob (Mr D. T. Fleming) proposed the toast of " The guesb of the evening," his Excellency the Governor. In doing to Mr Fleming said they were all very pleated to have the opportunity oE knowing his Excellency, and of meetiuH him nerson&lfr *s they had dona

thab evening. They appreciated very highly the honour hia Excellency had conferred upon them in making an official visit to the town. They also appreciated the sentiment which had prompted him to visit the different districts of the colony. It could not, he felt sure, but; ba productive of good. He got to know the condi* tion of the people — their sympathies and aspirations —as well as an extensive knowledge of the country itsslf — its capabilities and resources — and gather together a fund of iofor< mation which must prove invaluable, nob only to his Excellency himself, but also to the colony, and to the great empire of which they formed a part.— (Applause.) As regarding i heir little township, it anyone were to ask him what it was famous for, he would have to say he did not know. They might as well ask him tha whereaboutß of the Spanish squadron. The town was situated on & peninsula almost surrounded by the largest and coldest river in New Zealand, and cf all the thermometer readings telegraphed to Wellington every morning that from Balclutha was invariably the lowest — a fact which no doubt accounted for the place being sometimes called cold-water Balclutha. — (Laughter.) But the town was the ceutre of one of the bett agricultural and pastoral districts in the oolony, while to tourists and holiday *eekers they could offer a variety of scenery and resorts that brought hundreds into the district every year. He coafd assure his Exceilency fehat the loyalcy to the Qugen and to the British flag of this portion of the Empire was not behind that of any part of her Majesty's dominions, and ho felt safe in saying that if tbe British flag were assailed in any part of the world thab' plenty of the 'flower of our manhood here ia Balclutha would, if need be, volunteer to defend it. — (Applause ) He assured his Exciileiiey af the sincerity of their welcome. They wera proud of the great uation to which they ■ belonged, and they believed the destiny of the world was in her keeping. Tha "crimson thread of kinship" united the Englifh-speaking people all over the world, and he believed iv time of danger ifc would bind them together as one man—foursquare to the armies of the world. — (Applause.) They honoured their guest as the dutinguisfaed representative of the head of that great people. He hoped his Excellency's and Lady Ranfurly's sojourn in the colony might be a period of the greatest pleasure and happiness to them — a period of success and prosperity to the people and peace to the nation. — (Applause.) The toast wag received with musical honours and cheers.

His Excellency, in reply,, thaaked the mayor and gentlemen present for the very cordial manner in which they had drunk his health. He alflo thanked them on behalf of Lady Rsnfurly tor the cheer they had given her. Ha was sorry she was not with him. He bad intended' on a former occasion that (he should accompany him, but at this season of the year the journey would be too cold and fatiguing for 9, lady. However, he hoped that would not ba his only visit to Balclufch*, as he intended at a, future time to viaifc privately most of the places towbichhe was now paying his official visits. The information he was able to obtain while travelling through the colony he found extremely useful, and hoped it would be still more useful to him at Home when his teem had expired. He trusted the information he was enabled to gather up, if it did not serve auy good parpoao at the present, would at some future time come sub of hi* brain for the ■ good of the colony. H« -was happy to hear that tha services of the new . volunteer corps raised amongst them had been accepted. He was always gl*d to hear of volunteer corps. 16 was an extremely good thing for the people, apart from the protection volunteers afforded. The physical training and development of the men were valuable. At the present time things did aot look as pleasant as they should liks them to look. It was well, therefore, to know that they had drilled men who were to some exfcens efficient. The volunteers might be called upon to uphold the honour cf their country. He hoped the remaining days of their beloved sorereign might continue in peace, and that the clouds which were still on the horizon might go off into »ir. — (Applause.) "Who knew, when Iwo countries were at war, what a, stray shot might do P But he did not think n; were on the brink of war. He could not helpaajiog, however, that they were trying to avert war by being ready. The thing most necessary was to be prepared for any emergency that might arise He hoped and trusted that the emergency would not arise ; but if it did, Eagland would expect every one of her colonies to do its duty. — (Applause.)

After the toast of " The New Zealand Parliament " had been proposed by Mr R. Grigpk, and responded to by Mr J. W. Thomson, M.H.R., the company sang the National Anthem, and the Governor returned to his palace car.

VISIT TO THE HIGH SOHOOI.

On Friday morning, his Excellency visited the District High -School. The children wera assembled in the gymnasium, and saDg the National Anthem as the Governor entered. He was presented with a, neatly illuminated address, composed by a boy of the school, and illuminated by another boy.

His Excellenct thanked the children very kindly for the handsome address, and announced that he had asked for them a holiday, which had been granted. The announcement was received with cheers. The Vice-regal party then proceeded to the railway station, and left by the express for the south.