SIR J. G. WARD AT TIMARU.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 12894, 5 February 1906, Page 6

SIR J. G. WARD AT TIMARU.

PROPOSED T^APG, ,/BAILWAX.

servlce-

AL.-j:' Herald ~* ; liad interview wath, sir,;ji.j,G- ;travelied" north, on Saturday:. The first /topic touched on: was .the ■ journey? to Rome to. ; attend, therjirostai- Gonlereaee. In, reply ;to ,anesaone,v:.iiefcsaid that rthere was nothing, to .■'add- to; -the lengthy, statement he bad aJiseady. theSsPressj. that had: been .sent through the' colony by ■.: telegraphic' A- : .i ■; '•■ ;,; •»; v Sir Joseph.was asked-if the scheme suggested "by .Sir-'W.. -.''■ J. : Steward'.for. rthe ek--tension of-the Fairlie:-railway line to- Teka-f po was likely to be carried out. ' : - 'Mt.is a big questioh."-Jie replied." "The building of sixty mixes of newrailway, is a matter that can only be ' decided after the careful consideration of all the Ministers:- Such an extension would, be.' very valuable, bringing Mount Cook so mucti nearer, opening up ther Tekapb neighbourhood as- a holiday-, resort.' Bat while it is highly desirable that such attractive places-at Tekapo shoßld be broaglt more ■vrithin the of the people,'! cannot make any definite statemenn as to the pos»bility of 'putting'a new; line lake that" on. the stocks, v has iSeeii-men l tionedto me "by Sir William Steward, wEd is an ardent advocate of. the schenie.". ' . ..' \ deferring to tie aiew/Jine of cargo eteain-_ «rs to trade with > Canada and JHew". : . : Zealand, Sir Joseph rWardisaad there 1 was little fresh to report. The contract had been closed for the payment of £IO,OOO by both the Dominion and. Sfew' Zealand. The vessels in the service' would' call at the various ports of New Zealand, certainly including Timaru. _iThe object of niingnrating the service was to open np a direct and JStssr Zealand, in order to 'try"andincrease "the mjjitets for both: countries., Its -ef ci^frsej- /depend /■■ upon fhe ; the service; got: -ftfc.lseach;.end.;:-'"fW"i±hoat ."'a steamer connection" there eonld hot' be carried any ; »"e«nside*abie trade, f with disjfant countries; but ircm this expected' tbvseer a consi'derable Vi trade':fworked'lip both ways: Naturally I ;it :\w6uldv'be ifoo ! - annel** to; *exr pect Jfc to assunw large dnnfin»ons;atraighti away. But. sq-, far, as either conntry; was concerned, £IO,OOO. was, a- yery small sum to" pay to "secure a .-sefripß snch.as, this. It they were :refrigerating steamers, they naighfe'hot "have" been got' for times the amount, but in any case ilierewas not much ; chance of refrigerated "cargo, running Zealand and 'Canada to ment ~of" the ordinary .trade "of the "'conn 1 * tries would be sure to be materially assisted*-. .So .far,.;.news..was.jbeing- awaited hy next naail as to the .time of starting the steamers. '

During the past few days Sir Joseph said, he«Ka^" ;: i'^' J 'a ! *'Tery'-'-%njic^bTe'f :: l3m;e.' His constituents in InvercargiLl and Winion gavS him a very nice farewell, in the shape gk public* banquets, as a send-off prior tdf his, leaving for . the Postal Con-••v-i?Li..--.' : ''>; ; '' %. Sir Jfeseph said h 8 expected to return from Rome middle of isly. He hoped to pay a -visit to Timaru soon after that, and very much''regretted being unable so before leaving. .After frequent invitations to stay in Tiniaru, he had hoped to.come - during .iie recess, and *ras looking flffitacli pleasrir© to a4tay: here, v? Sirr Joseph concluded with- ' a few Vsfords in : praise of the''notible improvement the■ -beautification 'of- Choline Bay hadj made in Timaru; the oavlodk . from tb& railway was most pleasing and attractive. y DEPUTATIffiSS. On the 'arrival of the tram; at Timaru, , Sir Joseph was surrounded by■ deputation's, each in jaste to secure- a last -word i*atb cue Minister before heyeayesjthe Cilony. . After greeting him detraining, not a moment yras lost, and probably deputations on public matters haye never pot- their business i before a more rapidly nor havej. been' more;,rapidly: disposed, of. After tl/e deputations : . the "Mayor. of-= Timaru invited th<4 Mmister to Hare a glass of wineir ria the refreshment? and this little function over, the last word of public business . was said across. the gap between iplatform and railway car as the train started again, and the r Minister left with a cheer and good wishes for liis trip -to Eome. "=::./: TRAINS TO CALEDOISIAJf SPORTS. The first deputation to buttonhole the. Minister of Railways consisted of Messrs! W. Gunn and H. B. Kirk, who represented the South Canterbury Caledonian Society.! Their object was to request that a railway siding be made at the Caledonian Grounds' for the convenience of visitors to the sports. Sir Joseph Ward said he could make no promise, but if a formal application was made to the Department, an engineer would bs instructed to report on the application SALT FOR THISTLES. Mr F. R. Flatman, Member for Geraldine, asked Sir Joseph as Minister of Railways to allow agricultural salt to be carried free - on the railways, on the s; - me footing as lime, seeing that so much salt is bow used for the destruction of Californian thistles, an expensive wort that yields no cash return. The Minister regretted ; that'"-be could not -see bis way ~~ to accede to this matter. It would be

■an awkward precedent, for if salt were

carried free ft would lead to endless applications for free railage of ether things. TELEPHONES.

Mr Flateaa introduced a (double depute-

tion from Geraldine and Temuka, consisting of the Mayors of the two boroughs, Mr -Maiing .and others, who urged..iipon. .the Commissioner .pf Telephones, the .need -for: improving the telephone arrangements of the two towns. . I'or a duplication of the wire to Timaru was -asked lor, as there.is too much work at certain hours forgone .wire to transmit. .-.., Sir' Joseph ; Ward • Held out no hope of this being. doneby the. Department.. He said that experience had shown that doubling a "line, gave very little relief; .that; places;, that nad two linss soon wanted four. He recommended, the'"< business firms who had a great deal of telephoning to do," "to ask for a private wire. ■ - {We.are informed that the cost of a private, wire- from Timaru -to Geraldine .vi-oiild be about £260 for. erection and £6O a year for maintenance.) The Geraldine deputation, then asked, as certain to reiieve ; some inconvenience, that the liours :of the Geraldine bureau be extended to .9 p.m. as is the case at Waimate. The Muiister promised more favourable ■' consideration of this .request, but: se'd that it would , necessitate, an increase in. the rates 6f subscription to covec tha cost. of the additional attendance. - ■:.-. •■'--.-

The deputations reminded Sir Joseph of previous requests for the completion ot telepnone ..communication with Chrktchurch and a previous promise that this should be ; the only gap m the line now -being, betnveen Ealing and Orari. Sir Joseph :promised that this should he attended to as soon as the Department could undertake it. ■

-Another request concerning telephones waxthat/therTemuka.railway station should be connected with. the Temuka bureau, and the. Mmister promised that .this should be done."'

; TEMUKA RAILWAY STAirON.. '.. Mr : Flatmah asked that" the new Temuka railway station,be brought into use. without waiting for a formal opening. ""Sir Joseph Ward said he thought it had been already; if .not. it. should" be done at once, and if the people of le,.ii}uka desired it," be would open it acuin on: his return to the colony. ' |OS '-; " ""'■ 'l'he Mayor of iimaru wno had been chaijuiujjca;- oy itorrnern ueputanoiitj,' ie c _ uUriiea off ihe popular Miuascerto the leixtsruiieht looms the deputations hatl "spuiieu to him at the southern end of the -pianorm/ nad m or'ii'nuui-uei-oi citizens the wisliea Sn- Josepn ana i*aay VVara bon voyage. Ine -Siayor , r «?greueu his bad luck in being lorestalled Py.jhe/deputations as it lett, so little thne tt>;. bia the iliiiister good-bye. 'i'hey were £i??s&L tt> say good-Live "on" this occasion, ;-*?"* t-ney ; were g.aa tuao he avus going on hhportant a mission, and'they leli chat sSew Svouia/'.'.be-:, weli=*, represehteLr thert-7-as abiy as any other colony. He hoped sir Joseph "Ward and Lady Ward WGuiii have a pieasant- trip and a pleasanttime in, the Old World—pity he could not nave a .iOjuger stay there lor iiis own enj ovnient, ana the benefit. of the colony, ile nad" no" doubt that 'Sir Joseph would be able to do beneficial work ior the colony ;?*;■ th?S tfP.°stal! Conference. He proposed the health of -the Minister, and bon voyage jand "sgoodi wishes all, the time for both I Sir Joseph and Lady Ward." The. toast having been duly honoured, Sir Joseph spoke for a few minutes in reply- In going to the Postal Conference he recognised that there was a very important work to be an.d that a great responsibility" rested upon the repreHe : -would ;do. his.Jbesit-'"to. fiy to; bring about- a, better, condition of affairs in the -working of ;the" great international machinery which had been organised by the Postal Union. People generally were not aware of the enormous influence exercised by the Postal Union. 2S T ew Zealand, for instance, could not make a : - contract for a San Francisco or a- Vancouver service, except "under; conditions laid down by the Unions 'which had a large say in* what should be paid for such contracts, and for the carriage*of mails across the American Continent, and all large postal arrangements must be made in conformity with regulations framed by the Union. The Postal Union, in. fact, * was to rtll important degree. the administrators of the postal services of the world, New Zealand must be represented and endeavour to exert an influence there, as her people are great travellers and letter writters, and it was necessary, in "their behalf to have the postal machinery made as perfect as possible. The postal officials, the engineers of the machinery, can only" do what that machinery is fitted for, and thev must be kept well' informed regarding all changes in the organisation. He hoped to be able to* improve postal facilities in several directions, especially by the cheapening of some of the rates, and his influence would be thrown in the direction of obtaining a universal penny postage. He thanked the Mayor for this latest expression, of the goodwill of the people of Timaru, by whom he had alwayp been treated with the greatest kindness, and he concluded by hoping that Timaru would continue to prosper, and that they would meet again under circumstances that involved less hurry than a waiting train now forced upon them. He proposed the health of the Mayor, and the. pleasant little ceremony was ended with a cheer as the) train moved away.

Sir Joseph Ward i= always cheerv, and his visits to Timaru have always- been welcome. The Mayor once more urged him; to remember an oft-repeated promise to spend a day or two here, and Sir Joseph renewed the promise to be fulfilled some day after his return from Europe.