MR SPEAKER.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIC, Issue 13335, 11 July 1907, Page 2

MR SPEAKER.

PRESENT FROM HIS CONSTITUENTS. (Special—By Telegraph.' WELLINGTON. July 9. West Coasters ill Wellington did great honour to Mr Guinness (Speaker of the House of Representatives) -when they presented him (in recognition of his services to 'the West- Coast with a gig, set of harness, Petone rug, and silver mounted whip, and Mrs Guinness with a diamond, ruby, and sapphire brooch and handsome purse. Mi* Guinness said (lie gig would be very handy to him in carrying out his Parliamentary duties—a thing he could not do when he first went down to tlio Coast in 1874. The gifts proved that the boast of " Coasters" on the West Coast and off the Coast—that friendships originally cemented on Ihi Coast t till existed—was true. He was proud to sue. there were now three gneratinns supporting him. Mr O'Regan, in proposing the toast of " Parliament,"* said the> West Coast had produced one great- Premier and everyono of its representatives in Parliament had been ab'e to take- liis part- with honour in affairs of the State. Sir J. G. Ward; in replying, said Mr i Guinness controlled the House- in a highly creditable way. He' was always tactful, always calm and invested with dignity the high position lie occupied. There was one nam-"- which would ever be recorded on the scroll of fame—that of the late. Mr 1 Seddon. He was a great Pr'me Minister who had served the country well and had served the Empire well. -and was one who had never forgotten his friends on ths West Coast. His son, who had succeeded him, was highly esteemed and very popular among members of the House, and was doing his duty conscientiously to the utmost of his ability. There were many important problems still unsolved, or partly solved, and they were here to exercise their good common J ease to untie knots and, as far as they were able, to assist in making tfyis great - country A better one tor the people as a whole. Matters of very great importance would bs placed before members shortly, and he hoped that when the occasion came there would be manifested a combined effort to help forward the interests of the country. He expressed hi-; pleasure at the increase in the population of the West. Coast which portion of the colony hp would like to se£ prosper and go ahead. As far as the Government was concerned it was prepared to assist in the development of the district which had been a valuable asset to the colony in years gone by, and which he was persuaded would be a valuable asset in future. During his speech Mr O'Regan made reference to the proposed change in the designation of the country signifying that he viewed with disfavour the. loss of the good old words "colony" and "colonists." In the course of his remarks in response, Sir J. G. Ward said he would like to dissipate the fears of Mr O'Regan and others regarding the loss of the term " colonist." He had never suggested that it should or need ba dropped. If they wanted an Ils-. toric parallel, he would point to Canada, where the same sentimental objections had been, made but in transforming Canada from a "colony" to a "dominion," the people had merely lifted it out of the ruck, emu of the whole heap of the colonies of the Empire. Many of them were small, and hardly known to the world except as places where prisoners were sent to. It; would be the same with New Zealand. Be - ing referred to as "the Dominion of New Zealand" would take the country out of the ruck.