LORD PLUNKET IN TAKAKA.

Colonist, Volume LII, Issue 12725, 22 February 1910, Page 3

LORD PLUNKET IN TAKAKA.

(Uy Our Own Correspondent.) Friday, 18th February, 1910,. will long be remembered by young and old in Takaka as a real red letter day. Tlie day broke fine and clear, and ■ bright sunshine prevailed throughout the day. The decorating committee was astir very early, and by 9 a.m. the township was gaily decorated with strings of hags at intervals across the road, tlie business places all beflagged, and nikau palms everywhere. The platform at the Pioneers' Memorial was covered in palms, and surmounted by a staff bearing the British ensign, while a triangle of flaga crossed the two streets facing tho platform, al- ■ together a very creditab.e display for • : a town of our size. • ;. The Chairman and County Councilors set out early in a conveyance to | meet his Excellency at the county i boundary, and the escort of Takaka "Mounted iUiles soon followed. 5 By 10.30 a.m. the main Btreet was \ lined from end to end with an immense ] crowd of sightseers, the gay summer ; costumes and hats of the ladies makHng a great show among the more s sombre garbed men. The school children from all the side districts were 'drawn up in order along the route, I each beneath its own school banner, >and the High School Cadets, armed Und in uniform, completed the line. iThe Takaka County Band, resplendent sin their new uniforms, looked really ;well as they marched through the lines and took up their stand on the i right of the reception dais. I At 10.30 a.m. a cloud of dust herald|ed tlie approach of the Vice-Regal party. The coach and four containing tho Governor, and the two succeeding containing the Hon. R. MciKenzie and the County Councillors, [accompanied by the mounted escort, tonne along through "the lines of children and citizens, and pulled up at the [platform. As the Governor and party iascended tlie dais the baud played the {National Anthem, and excitement was I then intense. Takaka does not enter|tain a real live lord every day, and this *is the first occasion- the public have beon asked to turn out and I welcome a Governor of New Zealand. Mr J. G. Pago, the County Chairman, in a few well chosen words inHroduced Lord Plunket to the inhabitjjnts of Takaka, and then called oh the [County Clerk, Mr William Baird, to [read the address of welcome, which IWas done by him clearly and distinctly. Tlie address was as follows :— |"To His Excellency theJßight Honour- [ able Baron Plunket, Knight Com- :." mander of the Most Distinguished ik Order of Saint Michael and Saint X; George, Knight Commander of tho H Royai Victorian Order, Governor R;.and Commander-in-Chief in and over Rhis Majesty's Dominion of New ZeaBy.land and its Dependencies. Bt'., ."May it please your Excellency — Kfc"On behalf of the inhabitants of the Haunty of Takaka, we, the undersign■fd, Chairman and Councillors, desire KP tender you a hearty welcome to our ■onnty.

f • "Wishing you a safe journey Home, a and every happiness and prosperity in s your future life. *- "Wo beg to subscribe ourselves your i- Excellency's p^st obedient servants, . 1 "J. G. PAGE, - . '. Chairman. : "W. C. BAIGENT, 1 "A. H. BARNETT, "FRANK PAGE, > "GEORGE PAGE, Junr., "W. C. REILLY, Councillors. Clerk." \ WILLIAM BAIRD, The County Clerk then handed the > address to tlie Chairman, and ha pre: r sented it to Lord Plunket. ; "We are pleased to havo had the ops portunity of seeing your Excellency i once beforo you leave New Zealand, : and thank you for the honour you have i conferred upon us by your visit. i "We regret the shortness of your [ stay will prevent us from showing , your Excellency some of the many s beauty spots of Takaka, but trust you . may have a pleasant drive through our , little valley, and carry away pleasant recol'.ections of tliis remote portion of , his Majesty's dominions. "We beg to assure your ExceMency ; of the sincere loyalty of the inhabitants of Takaka to their most gracious Majesties the King and Queeni and on our great love for the mighty empire over which they reign. Lord Plunket, in reply, thanked the people of Takaka for their very hearty welcome and for their expression bf loyalty to their.Majesties the King and Queen. Concluding his formal reply, Lord Plunket spoke on his own behalf, regretting the shortness of his sta}*; preventing him from seeing more of the place. He thanked the people for the heartiness of his reception, and for the very evident trouble they had taken in his honour. He stated that , he was at the moment a sort of wandering Jew, going hither and thither through the country, seeing all he could of New Zealand during the short time at his disposal ere leaving for the Old Country. He made special mention of the great number and sturdy qualities of the array of children then before him, and expressed a wonder t as to where they all came from, adding that apparently the people of Takaka were like himself and Lady Plunket, possessors of at least eight children apiece. ( His Excellency then stepped down and was introduced to Mr W. H. ( Boyes, tho head master of the Takaka , District School, and was by him con- • ducted through the entire line of children, making kindly remarks here and \ there to tho children and their teach- ] ers. The children then sang the National Anthem, accompanied hyBandmaster Bensemann on the cornet. ] The Vice-Regal party were then conducted -to the Junction Hotel, where a splendid cold luncheon was prepared for the distinguished visitor. The room seated some sixty people, and was filled to overflowing, every district being well represented. The chair was taken by Mr J. G. Page, County Chairman, he having Lord Plunket on his right and the Hon. R. McKenzie, member for the district, on his left. Mr Thomas J. Baigent occupied the; vice chair. The tables were tastefully laid out, and altogether the rooms looked very nice in every way. Grace was pronounced by the Rev. H. < Pepper, minister of the Church of * England, and then full justice was - 1 done to the many good things set out * on the menu. During luncheon the < band played several selections outside 1 the hotel, which helped to the general success of tho function. ' When the sweets were disposed of y the chairman proposed the toast of the * King, and those present sang the ' National Anthem. 1 The second toast came from Mr T. c J. Baigent, the vice-chainnaii, that of the guest, Lord Plunket. Mr Baigent spoke of the honour his Excellence had conferred on Takaka by his visit to such a small unit in the composition of this Dominion, and said that Takaka. was very proud that it had not been overlooked* by the Governor in his travels through New Zealand, and regretted that timo would not permit of a sight of tho Bubu . springs and other notable spots in the -J neighbourhood of Takaka. Conclud- j ing, Mir Baigent drew attention to tho J crowd and display they had just wit- ' nessed outside as proving the pleasure "j of the people at the Governor's visit, » and loyalty to the King and Empire. j The, Governor's health was then j honoured. x ' ' Lord Plunket replied in a very happily chosen speech, that at once made f him popular with his hearers. Allud- 1 ing to the expressions of loyalty made use of in the address and by Mr Baigent, ho expressed the opinion that loyalty was hardly tho word to use, but rather, the highest and most noble common sense and gratitude of the people. His Excellency spoke of the noble and spontaneous gift of a Dreadnought by New Zealand to the Mother Country, and the effect it had on English speaking people all over the world, j and on rival nations. He said that c England was at all times capable of f defending herself, but the task of do- i I ing so to her many scattered colonies , | was a far bigger undertaking, and it ] was right that these colonies should share thei burden of general defence. His* Excellency asked pardon if he trespassed into the realm of politics by touching on the system of universal servico now to be introduced by the New Zealand Government. He called this the most noble act of self sacrifice and patriotism ever done by Now Zealand, and likely to be productive of great good. Lord Plunket facetiously remarked in passipg that he was', from 1 his position, perhaps, one of the very v few who always ! agreed with ever}- r thing done by Parliament in this country. His Excellency, in conciu- « sion, made feeling reference to the c heartfelt and sincere expressions of the < very highest loyalty to sovereign and J country that he met with on all sides. j His Excellency's speech was listened ' to most attentively by all present, and made a profound impression on every man in the room. The toast fodowing was in the hands of the Rev. VV. A. Kyd, Presbyterian minister, "Imperial Unity." This gentleman alluded to the late Mr R. J. Seddon's prompt action during the latft South African war in offering and despatching with such promptitude contingent after contingent to the help of the Home Country, and said '""that Sir J. I*. Ward was following faith- f fully in his predecessor's footsteps by: j his gift of a Dreadnought, and a pro- ( miso.of more if required. Mr Kyd concluded by quoting from a speech . recently dekvered in Wellington, and finally wound up a stirring appeal for i increased Bible teaching as au incen- t tiva to loyalty and patriotism by sing- j ing a verse of Bobbie Burns' "For 'a that." - ■ '•'■•' t Lord Plunket then briefly proposed j the chairman's health, and all then rose from the table. His Excellency spent half an hour in conversation with various of the > guests, going from one to the other, and being introduced to each in turn | by the, County Chairman, and finding s a pleasant. word for each; ' -J Lord Plunket took special interest rj in chatting to a number of our very B old settlers who were present, and a j Crimean war veteran who was brought _ to him gave him special interest. The c coach then drew up, and his Excel- t lenoy and party drove off at I p.m. on : their journey to Motueka amidst hearty and continued cheers from the. g immense crowd gathered at the start-ing-place. The band again played the - National Anthem, and the children ) lined along the routo gave but cheer '<■ upon cheer. The Mounted Rifles * again escorted the party out of the * township. ■ .; During the luncheon the school chil- ■* dren, who numbered in all some 540, J were marched to the orchard adjoin- * ing the hotel, where luncheon on a large and generous scale was provided, t by the parents and by public ssubscri- t tion. A. goodly collection of silver t coin was taken up among the crowd « assembled, and tha committee in c charge, assisted by a number of par-

i, ents, got off a lot of races and amuse--1 monts for the children, lasting the best part of the afternoon, r All tha business places closed for the day, and after the Governor had gone ; bowls was the order of the day, the local green being crowded till dark. All Takakaites were thoroughly satisfied with the proceedings throughout. All arrangements were well made , and well carried out, and the various members of the local committees are to be heartily congratulated on the great success that crowned their efforts.