HON. RHODES AT AWAKINO.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 17, 20 June 1913, Page 8

HON. RHODES AT AWAKINO.

OPENING OF POST OFFICE(from Our Own Correspondent). The Hon. Mr. Hoaton Rhodes, accompanied by Mr. C. K. Wilson. M-l-j tiw member for tlie district, and the mastcr-Oeneritl's private wewUW. J»r. \Y. Crow, arrived in Awakino oil the W». inst. Their \ isit was at the invitation of the Awakino settlers, who had arranged a banquet in their honor. The I"*"' 1 ' arv object of the l'ostmaiiter-Uenerai« visit was the opening of the new post office at Awakino. The building w«? set down in the Estimate* of 11)12-13 at a modest £IOOO, which sum I might hazard as a guess as below the cost of the structure. The building, which is of [ wood, is of commodious proportions, consisting of the post and telegraph office portion, fronting the main road, with * semi-detached dwel'ing of live roon», « , bathroom and scullery. The appointments are of the best, and the designer* and builders have displayed muoh tut* . 3 in the choice of flttijfligt. The WHdinfc . J is ligiited throughout with Dreadnought gas, supplied by a plant on the premised while to make the household duties of the postmaster's wife less arduous, titft culinary department is replete with drW \ era, hot and cold water, etc. In fwt» the bujlding would grace a more pretW }

tious town than ours. % The banquet was served in Mrs Walsh't/ ' '' dining-rooms, there being about' thirty present. Mr. C. Leech, the chair- V. $ main •of Awakino ;;CouOffi.' f |M Council, was in the chair, ah'd was ily.supported by Mr. W. D. Thomtpn»iM*f vice-ehftirniiin, and they kept the eeedings goinf( with ftood • 4 After a sumptuous repast, a lengthy toast list was gone through,not- " withstanding that the toasts were : ® honored in non-alcohqlic bovcrages. TWt /1m was not due to the company being COB- V-*-J firmed total abtsainers, but to legisla'tion introduced into tho King CounUT ' sSpj about 1880, which made the sale of spirituous liquors an offence. This wa« ®|| in the days when the Maori population . predominated, and was a wise provision} , s|g but now that the Europeans are in ascendancy the matter of providing censed accommodation in tho King Conn-' • J|S try is one which should receive consider* a tion when the Licensing Act before the Legislature. This matterWM referred to by more than one speaker; . I The crux of the matter -is that we havo £ been bv Act of Parliament disfranchised; | on the Local Option referendum. I eanv}' not see how, even if a Bill were intrtty' duced into the House, it could poesSW* t.jj be passed, for there are members, fiwl' j. tjVi oTiihifioniats, who would simply wall until the Bill was dropped. sooth, it would be a brave member would introduce such a Bill when the>p shadow of an election lay before him i his, constituency contained , | "blue ribboners." The "liquid" quwtfoi'> 11 is such a diverting theme m this district* , j that it has caused me to wander wrtfcfcfs , what from matters pertaining to t&ti i banquet. ".ifl i . Mr. C. Leech, in proposing the towt .ofe . the Ministry, coupled with the name -OR3 . the guest of the evening, eulogised 'twj ■ actions of the present Government. (the chairman) brought under the ife ) tice of the Postmaster-Genettll • nujjitamjj - relative to the Department; of - was hoadj dnd which-were of i able importance to the districts 'Tpf; , toast was drunk with musical honors. The Hon. Mr. Rhodes, in rising to - spond, was greeted with rounds of ap*J? 1 plause. In regard to the matter of local S , requirement, he stated that they wooldlj , receive his closest attention in the near : &|| . future. ,In reference to the local port,*;! . office, he wanted \ those present to glWrf&f 3 credit where it was due—that was to tha fsjj| late dovernment and the ex-member B the district, Mr. W. T. Jennings, 2 contradicted the statement of g party pnpers re tho expeditionary force,'iS r < and referred to the steady easing of j money stringency, the acquirement ijl'jSSi 7 large blocks of land for closer settlement/|P| ( of proposed legislation to enable th# worker to borrow up to £4OO, and, lastly/'. '|j g to the provision made by the Publifl ' 'j? Works Department by having a reserve i.|| „ fund in hand to meet the unemployed /| j question during the coming winder. 8 The other toasts honored were "Tho , Legislature," coupled with the name of ' Mr. C. K. Wilson, member for the, dijK"4® j. trict, to which he responded in a briefh ( but telling speech: "Local Bodie»,^ ! CT j 1 "Farming Interests." "The Pt»t and Tele- 1 1 graph Department," and others. J The function Was btought'to aldose at '«V j a few minutes after midnight, one and ' fj j. all affirming tlmt the evening had been , enjovnlaUv thongh somewhat unique. ' •• J ] Snturciay, June 14, 1913, will long he e remembered in this district as a red-'. * j letter day, for the lion. Mr. Rhodes^haV* (. ing made himself popular the i~"f j. before, we were anxious to improve np*" f J ' r j on our first impression. The PostmasteV"^;' General gave a brief summary of the ' rapid development of postal business $t 'k I Awakino, and stated that though tiw *1 5 office seemed larae for the t Department had found in many where smaller offices wero erected- that V v; . the additional cost of enlarging the of»' r j flees had exceeded what the buildlnOT ' r tl would have cost lmd thev been biiilfc-, 1 -/■ primarily on the pinn of what they arfl pjij after being added to. After the formal j opening was concluded, tho Minister invited the residents to inspect tho build- '*"! ings, after which the visitors, at the inj vitiation, of the Awakino ladies, partook * of a dnintv afternoon ten. sewed in tho - hall, which building, together with tho' ■? ' post office, was tastefully decorated with ' "V" buntina and greenery. " Vj In tlie evening a ball was held, dane- " ing being kept going until a few minutes jS prior to the Sablmth morning. - r function was iironght to a close bv the ' ( singing of "Auld Lang Kvne," and cheem ■' \ ' for the visitors, to which the member '■*' J for the* district responded in a few well- '•> • chosen remarks, thanking the,people fpr " " 1 the kindness and hospitality shown to '' ■ 1 the Minister and himself.