COMPLIMENTARY BANQUET AT AKAROA.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 3366, 22 January 1879, Page 3

COMPLIMENTARY BANQUET AT AKAROA.

[by telegbaph.J [Fiiom .the Special Bepobteb of the • c Lyttelton Times." AKAROA, Jan. 21. A complimentary dinner to Messrs Montgomery und the Hons J. Hall, E. Gray, and W. Eobinson, was given this evening in the Town Hall. Mr ¥. Williams, Chairman of the Akaroa and Wainui Eoad Board, in the absence of Mr Latter, occupied the chair, having on his right the Hon J. Hall and Mr •J. Aylmer, on his left; Mr Montgomery and Mr Tosßwill. The Mayor of Akaroa appeared in the vice-chair, supported by Mr Barker, Chairman of .the Okain's Bond Board and Mr S. Lee. There wore about 40 present. The Town Hall was prettily decorated. ' Mr Beecher catered, and the banquet was taet3.fully served. The Chairman apologised for the absence of Messrs Gray, Robinson, and Latter. He then proposed the customary loyal and general toasts. Mr Waeckerle, Mayor of Akaroa, Yieo'Ohairman, proposed " The Legislative Council," coupled with the name of the Hon John Call. The toast was drunk with cheers and musical honours. The Hon J. Hall was greeted with cheers. He said that he felt strongly the cordial manner in which the toast had been received. Ho had often hoard the toast gonei-ally well re- . ceived, but nover better than on the present occasion. The Council had been censured in high quarters for raising the question of whether it stood well in the opinion of the • country, and he was glad that the meeting had not endorsed those censures. The Second Chamber was important- and necessary to • constitutional Government. It does not derive authority immediately from the votes of . coloniafca, bub ia anxious to bo in harmony with the feeling of the people. When nominated, it -is not so • easily affected by the momentary popular feeling, which, if given effect to, might frequently cause much harm. A body which can give timo for reflection •must be useful j but while absolutely independent of the Lower House, they were equally servants of the country. Thoy would Bend proposals, of the soundness of whioh ■they wore not persuaded, back to the country, and bo guided by the voice of the -electors, though they were not to bo intimidated by clamours from any quarter. Ho might hero refer to the proposals to elect instead o£ , nominate members of the Upper House. He for one would not object. The present manner might be improved, but the proposal . camo with a bad graco from a Government which had nominatod no less than seven •members during the term they had been in office. In his opinion no pet of men were •more inclined to abandon nomination than the preflont Government. He would not introduco a political party question, but when a ■body to which he had the honour to belong had been attacked at both ends of the Colony >he must take the opportunity of replying. Thoy had been accused of high crimes, •and it had been said that they should be driven off the face of tho earth. It had been said that thoy had crushed a measure to extend liberty. What ■were the facts ? Government introduced a Bill for readjustment of tho Electoral frauohiso, accompanied by a flourish of trumpets. It gave special privileges to tho Maoris— who had already the right to olect four representatives. As they had this, and were exempted from dutic3 which Kuropeaus had, ho was opposed to tho granting of further privileges. When tho Bill got into Committee of the House of Representatives a very important alteration was proposed by Government to give almost the same privileges as to Europeans, to depart in fact from the provisions so lauded by Government. This was carried through by the extreme pressure brought to bear by the Government and their supporters. The weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth wa3 most distressing. (Mr Montgomery : I did not vote for it.) Mr Hall was glad to hear it, but many members who disapproved did. It was passed, and sent to the Upper House. Maoris who knew no English, and knew nothing of our politics except through Pakeha-Mauris, were exempted from burdens, and given the same powors as Europeans. The Counoil reStored the Bill to the original shape

in which it was introduced by the Government, and for this they were told that they imist be reconstituted. He did not believe that public dpinion was against the Co\ancil. (Applause.) The question was now said to be remitted to the country, but Government knew too much for that. His opinion was that the proposal was against the feeling of the people, and would never again be made. He had trespassed on their time — (No ! No !) — but lie thought it his duty to refer to this. He again would repeat that the statement that the Bill had been thrown out in consequence of the Maori vote on the land tax was untrue. On the whole the Council had done good service, and he believed stood well in the estimation of the people of New Zealand. The Vice- Chairman proposed " The House of [Representatives and Mr Montgomery, member for the district." Everyone in the room and in Akaroa would, he was sure, appreciate the services rendered by their representative. The toast was drunk with enthusiasm. Mr Montgomery, who on rising was greeted with loud applause, returned thanks. He deemed it a high honour to represent the people, and by his vote to influence the future of this great country. It was a high compliment to be intrusted with the making of laws. The Assembly, he believed, had the good of the country at heart. The present was not the opportunity for speaking of politics ; that he would leave to a date in next month. The last speaker had taken the ojjportunity very properly as he had no constituency to address. For his own part, at present, he would make no comment on what that gentleman had said, but he might have to refer to it at a future day. For what more he had to say that night he would wait till he was called upon to respond to a toast which he saw lower down on the list. The Chairman proposed, "Our Gueßts," viz., their representative, and the Hons J. Hall, E. Gray, and W. Robinson. He was sorry that so important a toast was not in better hands. Akavoa, though having a grand future, had been neglected, through no fault of the inhabitants but by the mistake of making Lyttelton the harbour of the district. Without the aid of its representative Akaroa would be as it was 20 years ago. Too lmich honour could not be doue to a gentleman who had looked after their interests, as their representative had done. The railway had generally been looked upon as local, but was not so. It would benefit the whole Province if not the Colony. He coupled the toast with the names of Messrs Montgomery, Hall, Gray, and Robinson. Mr Montgomery, as one of the guests and their representative, felt much honoured, not only as being their representative but by being associated with such gentlemen. It was always a satisfaction for the representative to know that he was considered by his constituents to have done his duty. It might not be out of place to refer to what he had done with regard to the Akaroa railway. They would remember that in* 1874 he had been asked to interest himself in the matter, and lie had promised to do all in his power to have a survey made, and in the event of that survey disclosing no insuperable obstacles, to endeavour to obtain from the Provincial Government the necessary appropriation.- He had been successful in his efforts, and the Provincial Council had voted the money necessary for the preliminary survey. That survey had been duly made in July, 1876. He had held a conference with Sir Julius Vogel, who was at that time Premier, the result of which was the appointment of a Trust for the survoy of the Lake, and a scheme for its drainage. Towards meeting the expenses of this, the proceeds arising from the sale of 50,000 acres were to be put into a Bank as an endowment, and the land at present covered by svater, but which would be by means of the scheme reclaimed, was to be sold as soon as reclaimed. The Trust had no power to do more than cause the preliminary survey to be made, and the consequence was that many people were iuclined to think that the appointment of the Trust was a matter of no moment, but he could assure them that the work doue by the Trust had been of great value ; it had been the thin end of the wedge. A Bill had been introduced which provided for the setting apart of half the proceeds of the sale of 50,000 acres of land, and for the auvvoy of land now under the lake, whereby £50,000 worth of soil would bo reclaimed. This Bill had passed easily through the Lower House, and had been materially helped in its progress through •the Upper House by the assistance of his friend, the Hon John Hall, who, at his request, had taken charge of it. The first Bill had been passed, and the Trust had been elected by the ratepayers of the road districts and Municipalities. Much time had. juhf ortUnately been lost in the beginning by the Trust Engineer. In this instance the loss of time had been specially unfortunate, as the endowment would lapse'-i? the scheme were not matured in time for the session of 1878. As far as tho members of the Trust were concerned, they had deserved the highest praise for the manner in which they had fulfilled their duties. They had had to travel long distances, and to incur much personal inconvenience and expense, and he could not allow that opportunity to pass without paying this tribute to the merits of the Trust, but for whose exertions no action could have been taken. Thero was one of the gentlemen in particular — he meant the Chairman of the Trust — whoso services had been specially valuable. Ho regretted to notice that he was not present. Mr Latter's official duties jirevented him being there that night, but he (Mr Montgomery) was sure that the people of Akaroa would always remember how much had been done by him for tho interest of the district. (Applause.) It was all important that the report should go bofore the Legislature, and he must say that the district should never forget the zeal and energy displayed by the Chairman and members of the Trust. At the commencement of last eession of the General Assembly the Government de •lined to include in thoir scheme tho proposed Akaroa railway, but aj^nved themselves as not unfriendly to it. A private Bill had therefore been introduced by him, which had received the sanction of Government, and had passed the Lower House with little or no opposition. He might here take the opportunity to remark that it waß not advisable for a member in charge of such a Bill to make long and unnecessary speeches, which, so far from assisting a Bill, tended to cause the alienation of votes. Ho was sure of a majority, and would not lose time by talking " bunkum." He could hare said that Akaroa had the finest harbour, and that justice had not been done to it, but it would have been lost time. In tho Upper House great difficulty liad been met with in carrying the resolutions, but, thanks to the exertions of Messrs Hall, E. Gray, and W. Bobiiißon, the Bill had ultimately passed. It was a very great favour on tho part of Mr Hall, whose time was so engaged on Committee work. He need hardly say how distinguished a position Mr Hnll occupied, and what influence his words possessed. A bettor, man to take charge of the Bill could not have been found. He did not take it as a private favour, but as a public v duty. The Bill had been referred to a Committee, and the Committee took evidence and decided that the railway might bo taken as far as Little River, but no further. An amendment by the Hon G. M. Waterhouse to leave tho matter for the consideration of Government during the recess, was nearly passed, and but for tho exertions of the gentleman ho had named, might have been carried. Mr Gray had wished to go by tho foot of the hill to Addington, and impressed his views upon the Trust ; but when he found that the Engineer recommended a courso by Lincoln, Mr Gray gave up his personal interests and supported the latter route. (Applause.) Messrs Gray and Robinson had been most useful in carrying the report. However, the Bill had been lost in the Upper House, and he, with Mr Hall, had to consider what was best to be done. This was a very serious question, and they had put it to the Government that it .was absolutely necessary the railway should be made. The Government considered the point, and an ainondment was moved by the Minister of Public Works on the schedule of railways, involving an expenditure of seven millions. Mr Macandrow had first proposed to make it by Little River, but in the House ho moved tho important words " thence to Akaroa." (Cheers.) It would tako too loug to detail all the interviews held with tho Government. Tho Bill passed both Houses, but no money liad been appropriated. He was happy to say that Mr Macandrew had passed £30,000 on the Estimates for the railway, (cheers) but many said tha vote wus merely put down, and that Government bad no intention to go further. From what he knew of Mr Macandrew he could fully trust

him. As a fact, Mr Macandrew had givei instructions for the work to be proceeded witl at once. When Mr Macandrew came to Christ ekivrch, he with Mr Blair, Mr Latter, anc himself went over the line. He had sub sequently asked the Engineer to place him ii a position to tell him (Mr Montgomery) anc his constituency what he was going to do He said that the line to Little River was wel laid down, but thence it would have to b( carefully surveyed. He promised to pul men on to that part which could be proceedec with at once, and that tenders Bhould be called for as much as could be proceeded witl before March 31. (Cheers.) They were ir this position — there was a large amount ir the bank and considerable money to come ii from land on the hill, and there was land a! Ellesmere lake which would sell at £10 pei acre. [This was all of the telegram that hac come to hand at the time we went to press.]