THE ASHBURTON PICNIC.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXI, Issue 12582, 20 January 1905, Page 4

THE ASHBURTON PICNIC.

A SUCCESSFUL "HOLIDAY. '®siaßG' -AS' -A, WATERING PLACE- , - SiifaiSay a large excursion party mm Aahhuiton, consisting of Friendly Societies, ataeaa,- and traders, visited Timaru, ar riving fit 5 t#o> long trains at about 10A and-itSkSO a.m. Each train was drawi by-two-engines ; the first cf 25 passengei ears and two vans was well filled; th< accfadOof 15 cars: was but poorly occu pied. The number of passengers was of ticialiy given as between 14CO and 1500 A considerable proportion, perhaps the majority, were women and girls, childiei . werfJ ccmparatively few —about 4C0 —th< yodagstera await the borough school ex month. The number was expected to have been much larger, anc more than one of the visitors explained that t £t§re would probably have been som< - hundreds more, but for a notice issued thai -tickets, must be bought beforehand; and ■ cautious people who wanted to know • whq&Ctße weather was going to be before they determined to join the excursion, wezjs thereby debarred from joining. As a ma€tecict iact tickets were sold in .the morningjjtotthe notice had had its effect upon many familias and individuals. There was - some reason.- for the caution alluded to, as tfce*pi§apons evening the weather was dull and- not too promising. Fortunately the sky-'-Cfeared in .ihe morning, and a brilliait.slinrty day, tempered by a light northeasfiviueeze, enabled tie excursionists to enjoy their outing. Aftjggpection of the prepartions made for the party, before the train arrived, showed good intentions oh the part of Several people. Me- Budd was principal /caterer. He had undertaken to supply tezygMtß to all comers, and for this'pur- " & battery of five-boilers, holdall 64 gallons, and 1000 cups and saucers for its distribution. The arrangement was that he should receive Id ior the hire cf - each cup- and -saucer; and mutual aid among the visitors had enabled at 4 hour, 1000 cups of tea to be •Hstejhat'ed" by means of 120. Mr Mc- - CorrntrK had also a couple of boilers going. There was not much demand for Mr Budd's provisions,- the family basket- being much -in-evidgßce, but fruit and aerated waters - of to a considerable quan- ~ tily; Bhdd, Cox, McCormick, - ana McPhersan had fruit and refreshment .. staflit.Valuable assistance was given by MrPallesao, by providing five or sir tents, free ofahargeexcept for the cost of erectiffli; .one of them, a large marquee, "holding number of seats, proved a great service to mothers with infants as a resting place in the shade. • A sanitary tent was. fixed up for men' at the east end, and an addition made to the retiring accommodation for women at the west end. the less said the better for the refutation of whoever devised it. The Tn»flii|iHTji of the arrangement was so obvious that it will not be repeated, and a better " win be provided in future. To thciwiilifc-boats were added for tee amuse- : meat.-of the youngsters an Aunt Sally and a. shosßg gallery: One thing that could have beea improved by a change of date, and-in this way only, was the state of . the tide. " High water occurred yesterday . aftjrfa U5 p.a., consequently the extent of: sand visible was much less than would have been the case had the tide been oufcftv tAt the same time there was the conjfiWiSrtoaw fact that ths crowd oa espTrfifljfli?. and dig and on the dry sand wera*.tteaner to the water and could the befcto"-«ee and enjoy the antics of the' batters'and paddlers. There iwete & good many .people waiting . at>m£^a2 way station to. welcome the excnwjogisrts, and congratulations an. the fine.nesunjf.the weather were heard on nil . sides. The first full train-load filled the pTatSsrSC and lnade a fine showing as thev Jeftothscjitstiott and dispersed through the tutUuii --The Ashburton • County Brass Band, under Bandmaster Humphries came by this . train, and - played * selection on the platform till ths JBfcond tram arrived. The band then played along Stafford street, to the wdaaCttfo. stepping time to some at least of tMCiScmckera; but it appeared that they I had-other raws in the meantime, and the oaqSrSSicftgrf to the Bay unattended. The* Mayor, Mr Davis, and the Mayoress of Ashbttton, one or two of the borough - «hmuQu», the chairman and some other membess*ef the Picnic Commltte?, arrived by'Srst train and were met at the station - by the Mayor of Timaru and Cr. Priest, and ' * Wr, faiyi* welcomed the committee and therf Targe party to Timaru, and congratulated them on the beautiful weather with wfi»*h .they were- hern j - 'favoured. The members- of the Picnic Committee were Cr Clark, (chairman], Mr E. G. Righton (treasMessrs Nicholas, ' Jesson, Bryant, Debeey 'aad Timmins. Most of-the visitors spent some time in looking round the town or calling upon friends before going to the Bay; the Picnic Committee had lunch at_ the Club Hotel, at- which the Mayors of Ashburton and Tinjaru.-and Mr John McLachlan, M.H.8., for a?d Cr Priest were their guest* ; In the afternoon the Mayor took hist brother Mayor and Mrs Davis and Mr McLachlan for _» drive round the town, the route including the cemetery, the hospark, and the troopers' memorial, the, visitors expressing- themselves much p«a«d with whit thQ- saw; and the drive woxmd up with afternoon tea,with Jim Craigie. Another driving party was arranged by the Oddfellows of Timaru who took a number of their brethren from Ashbnxto round the town, the party fiTIW naif a-doaen vehicles, and they were greatly pletaed with the ride. The Band marched to the rotunda, and by the time they had reached it there were a goodmany of the visitors wha had reached the Bay by the direct route, and from this time forward there was an almost constant supply of music. The Garrison Band arrived early m the afternoon, and took turns yntb. the Ashburton Band in playing lively airs. The music was" evidently greatly appreciated, as the crowd favoured the vi-! onity of the rotunda all the afternoon, and, the space of formed ground around it was | generally crowded with people. About four o clock the two bands combined, and played ' together, marching up and down the sands,' and ,the crowd streaming along- beside and | after them presented a remarkable eight.! The people began to arrive at the Bay mearnMt about one o'clock, and the crowd > C T oat jff» ™ cre a3e till about four, when ( ' have been between four and I present, Tnnaru people turn- i "ouu lli'mrge numbers to enjoy a fine •; . aflarnoon on the Bay, and still more, thej and companionship of so large an assemblage of visitors. The spectacle pre- ! sentea by Caroline Bay in the afternoon : vaa most animated and exhilarating', and personjjjgfo had lately come from Home said ib was just such a scene (within the •pace occuged, of course) as may be wit- ' nessed afjflbe popular watering places in 1 tT rom certain points of view, i especially the upper terrace, the ' i cliff,the upper roadside, the i i scene was most picturesque, the blue sea, I pjofccp and nndnlating land beyond, i and HgThnght blue sky above, formimr a i grand setting to a kaleidoscopic plav of ' colour on the sands. In this, by the wav, ! bright reds in dresses and sunshades sip- < ElteisMr ~& p " £ p * ' : *i the appearance of future MsemMagee- on the sands. The seating of course proved quite inadequate to tatthe grass and the dry aandrfiMr.tlle rocky face of the esplanade were ahnoat equally serviceable on such a - ™ e , da f; • **** P art of t6e Picture ' £sl thf majority, was the number of children paddlmg in the shallow «nd the smaller nranber, in bathim? costnme, ont in the deeper water. There were not bathers at the ! as one might have expected to see; and - of that usuaDy offered was } that the dressing facilities were insufficient j for a. large number. At the easf end a I good few lads and youths and men were ! enjoying a splash or a swim, dressing on l the and uncertain footing of t the rubble wall. The aquatic features of >1 enhanced for some time J rff y, a couple cf yachts across a the Ttoyjamd by the Bowing Club rowing nail a. d«?®nK-boat9 and paddling a couple , of canoe*-across, close to the shoal water. r U ifi U ?" n ? C!S \? a ftemoon a nice cooi f, tight breeze blew off the 'Sea, just enough u to temper-jthe warmth of the unclouded R SS-nir! to chin the bathers. The d majOTity of the crowd was in almost con- a «tn» awewn, and it t« a pleasure to note B gw tnfanntrrt manifoted gg ft7Wy a . Tin pleoit wp M4««7 » «u S J

-A -short programme of sports had been drawn tip by the. picnic committee, and two or three races were got off, "with much difficulty in keeping a course clear, and not much interest being shown, in them, the programme was abandoned. But for a time only, as would be contestants came forward and pressed for its continuance, and a number of 'races between members of friendly societies and trades were rim off. ' Ihe excursion trains were limed to return at- 5.15 and 5.50, and at a quarter to 5 i the crowd began to drift towards the railway station, the visitors to" ieturn home, [the Timaru people to see them off. The f trains were got away punctually, thirty ; cars being used, and many of tnem were ' not filled. The Garrison Band, from the ! Strathallan street crossing, played away • the second train, which carried the band, 1 and a large crowd of townspeople exchanged j cheers with the departing visitors. I Just before this train left the station, "Mr Craigie wished the Mayor .of Ashburton and the chairman of the committee farewell, and Mr Davis in reply said the .weather had been greatly in .their favour, [ jjnt still more valuable had been the hospitality of the Mayor and people of Timani, f : and the assistance of ths Garrison Band; f and if the Timaru people came to AshburI ton they would do all they could to return the compliment. Mr Davis called ior : three cheers for the Mayor and the Garf rison Band. Mr Craigie in acknowledging Mr Davis's remarks, recommended the Ashburton people, the next time they cam i to Timaru, to bring each a coup.e of friends —there was plenty of room for tnemThrough an unfortunate error on tne part of one or more of the Ashburton papers, some forty or fifty of the excursionists were left behind, most of them women and -children— A paragraph had been published that , the first train would leave on the return journey at 6 p.m., and though men went through the trains cn the way down, to tell everybody that tiie trains would .leave at 5.15 and 5.30, some did' not-hear or did not understand ihe fctimation, and consequently turned vp at the station too late. Fortunately tile efnress was available later, and tcey were sent on by that. There were a few tiia left behind also, who missed the train through insobriety. Otherwise the excurslon passed off without mishap, and both Ashbutton and Timaru are to be congratulated on the success of the venture. !

Speaking at tlie committe's luncheon, at the Club Hotel, ifr Craigie expressed bis gratification that the picnic had been favonred with beautiful -weather, and at the large influx of visitors for-the day. The people of Timaru felt it as a compliment to the town, that it had been selected as the scene of . the picnic, and it showed I a friendly spirit between the two towns that should .be fostered 'as much, as possible, "lbe people of Timaru, he assured them, had been as anxious for the success of the. picnic as the Ashburton people themselves, aad were pleased to see the morning prove so fine. The blue sea under a blue sky must .have been appreciated by visitors from an inland town, and Timaru vians were delighted to welcome so many bright end happy visitors. The improvements to the Bay, had been made for the benefit cf strangers as well as for the people of Timaru, and he hoped to meet their Ashburton friends there frequently. jMr Davis in reply acknowledged witlr gratitude the kindness and hospitality of the Mayor and people of Timaru, and .the troublfe they had taken to ensure the success of the .excursion and make their visit comfortable and. enjoyable, and if- ever the people of Timaru visited Ashburton in like tiancer, they would do all they could to return the "compliment. " .. "Councillor Clark, chairman of the committee, also expressed thanks for the valu;.b'e assistance afforded the committee. . The visit had. been a great pleasure, and Ashbarton people would: endeavour to make any visit of the kind from Timaru as successful and pleasurable. Speaking to a "Herald" reporter on 'the Bay, Councillor Clark said he wished, for the committee, to thank the Mayor aad people of Timaru , most heartily "for their co-operation in making the affair successful. No stone lad been left unturned and great -energy bad been displaced in- their behalf, and the committee could not'sufficiently express their thanks for the help so freely' and so willingly given. It was to be hoped that "this excursion would be made an annual affair, and perhaps Timaru would be able to arrange and enjoy a return visit to Ashburton, where there is an excellent aad popular picnic resort in the Borough Domain; and if so the Ashburton people i would" do a'l they could to help their Timaru visitors to have a good time. The excursionists were all enjoying themselves immensely, and were all well pleased with the friendliness of the Timaru people who had turned out in such numbers to meet them. Thty were indeed having a most enjoyable day. The Mayor of Timaru, seen after the trains had departed, expressed great satisfaction that the monster picnic had gone off well. It would be, he remarked, a splendid advertisement for Timaru as a seaside resort, and would be a great, en-, couragemenl to the townspeople to make further" improvements to the Bay. Much had been done, but much remains to be done, and he was delighted to be ab!e ta say that he had already had promises of considerable donations towards the cost of a pfer with dressing rooms, if their idea can be carried out. A large tea room is a necessity, and proper sanitary conveniences, aDd an effort must be made to provide thes& before next season. Such a success as that o£ yesterday must encourage them to go on with the improvements of this most valuable aseet of the town. The picnic had been most satisfactory in every way, not least in the excellent order that- prevailed throughout.

To the Editor of the "Timaru Herald." Sir, —I was pleased to see the town of Timaru has advanced so much as was plainly shown by the large number of visitors who travelled from Ashburton to spend , a day on the beautiful sands of Caroline ■ Bay. lam sure the people of Timaru were I T ?7 proud to see such a gathering as that | which took place thisr day, and more so | because the visitors were led by their l Mayor for their day's enjoyment. Such g">ermgs as these* tend to show unity and friendship, and tend to spread the fame of a beautiful spot in Tnnarn-whereLyjonng and > old can spend a day for- health, and enjoyI meat. I was also pleased to see our own j worthy Mayor, Mr Craigie, present, and jdomg his utmost for the enjoyment of 'one ' ' a^so bands with their beauj pfnl music. But lam sure there are many in Timaru that would like to see even a j little more enjoyment on such, occasions, namely, if the people would combine and isay, build upa square 40 or 50 feet, about two feet high, and lay it down with asphalt, with an even and smooth surface. T am sure they would dance on this to the i iT nee music, which is provided by | the bands; and there are also many good step dancers here would gladly help to give enjoyment to the many. There is another use our rotunda could be put to, and that is when not in use by the bands, or at intervals, if a few of our local singers would come forward and provide a few I am sure, would be appreciated by the large number of visitors t* that beautiful spot of Timara. T am. etc., ONE OP THE MAVr