THE AGENT-GENERAL

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7296, 16 October 1891, Page 4

THE AGENT-GENERAL

COMPUM.ENTAUY BANQUET. The complimentary banquet tendered to Mr W. B. Perceval, the recently, appointed Agent-General for New Zealand, on the occasion of his leaving to enter upon hia duties was held last night m. the Oddfellows' Hall, Lichfleld . street. There were 320 guests present, and all remained standing till his Excellency the Governor, on whose arrival the National Anthem waa played, had taken his Beat. Hia Excellency w«w attended by Captain Outline, A.D.C., and Mr Walrond, Private Secretary. The Hon John Ballance, tho Premier,: also accompanied hie Ezcellenoy. The chair was occupied by Mr Charles. Louisson, ex-Mayor of the city. Mr Bonnington proposed "His Excellency's Advisers." (Cheers.) The Hon. the Premier, who on rising waa received, with loud and long-continued applause, spoke to the following effect :— He had to thank those present for the very 1 kind and cordial manner in which they had responded to the toast of the health ot his Excellency's advisero. (Applause,) . He was, as they were aware, a comparative stranger, indeed an entire stranger to a Chriatchuroh audience, a comparative stranger in Ohristchurch. (Applause.) Jit had given.him great pleasure to meet them on this occasion, though in BOme sense he owed them an apology for depriv- ' ing them of tho member who had so well, represented them. (Applause.) But he was consoled by the reflection that their loss would be tho country's gain. (Applause.) He was pleased to think that Ohristchurch had acquitted itself well in the successor to Mr Perceval it bad elected to reproßom it. (Applause.) He found, from an intimation he had received that night, that l.e waa treading on somewhat ■ dangerous . ground. He w»s told that he was mis to enter upon the sacred -domain of politics. (Applause.) He had only to say that in consequence of this many of the beat points of the Ministry would not be made clear to them that night. (Applause). During the arduous session which had juat passed, the Ministry, apart from party considerations, had carried through Parliament many measures for the benefit of the whole country. (Applause.) Looking back over the ground they had trodden, he could say, quite4rrespective of those measures which might be designated as party measures, that the Ministry had placed on tho statute book a large body of useful law, which would redound to the benefit of the people of New Zealand (Applause.) He would not anticipate what he had v.o Bay later on. but would like to adu that the only olij-ction made to Mr Prii^val was that he w-.s too young a man fov the position of As. 'at-Qeneral. :He thcutfjti he could appeal to a Chriatchurch audience to say that the Government had not made a mißtake in this respect. (Applause.) The same charge had once been made against a distinguished English Statesman— that he was a young man— and all knew what his reply was : "Gentlemen, this is a fault, if it is a fault, and I deny that it is one, that day -will cure." He (Mr Ballance) would remind those present that on all occasions when Mr Perceval had been placed in a position of responsibility he had risen to the occasion and had discharged hiß duty in the most conscientious manner. (Applause.) Tho duties of the Agent - General in London were more arduous than many of those present might suppose. On his Bkill and energy depended tho successful carrying out of most important buei--ness. •'With regard to tho finance of the Cclony at Home, is was the duty of the Agent-General to see with watchful eye that it did not go wrong. (Applauao). Then again, the AgentGeneral mighb bo of great service by pointing out to tho farmers of England the advantages which New Zealand offered to them. (Applause). He believed that the Government had put the right man in tho right place. (Applause.) From his own knowledge of Mr Perceval he should Bay confidently that /that gentleman was not likely to abuse the lffesponeiblities which had been planed in his hands, and that when Mr Percoval returned from England he would bring baok with , him a record of which his constituents of Chriatchristch would no be ashamed. (Applause.) In conclusion, he would ask to be permitted to aay that however the Ministry had rbeen criticised, it had only one end in view, and that was to promote the welfare and happiness of the whole people of New Zealand. (Loud and long-continued applause.) His Excellency the Governor, in rising to propose the toast of the evening, "Our Guest, the Agent-General/' said it gave him extreme pleasure to have been afforded the opportunity of proposing this toast, because ho had a great degree of nympathy for Mr Perceval on this occasion. "When he was leaving England his voyage wbb spoken of as a new departure. It was the samein Mr Perceval's case. It was a new departure. They hadbeen accustomed to soe the grey hairs on the heads of the AgentsGeneral who had represented them in England hitherto. They in England bad been accustomed to see men in that position who had fought their political battles and become renowned in the annals of the .New;Zealand Legislature, and it had been the oninion that no one under the rank of a

Cabinat Minister ought : o be appointed to the punt. It wbb always looked upon as a very honourable appointment, one in which the emoluments were large, in short, to use a Colonialism, "a soft billet with a good screw." (Laughter.) Doubtless a gentleman with £1200 a year in New Zealand waa considered _to have a handsome income. So it might be where he could live in a small house and get hia mutton a); 3d a pound, and education was free. Bub £1200 a year at Homo represented very little, and Mr Perceval would find that it would not go far. He had been told by a gentleman who had paid a visit to London that he could only find time to do two things. It took him one day to cash a draft, and another to reckon up where the money had gone to. (Laughter.) But there waa one thing that the Agent-General got, and that was valuable experience. He had the honour of a personal acquaintance with Sir P. Dillon Bell, and had found him a perfect gentleman, a man with considerable talent, who spared himself no trouble to benefit the Colony he represented, and who was proud of his Colony and people. (Loud cheers.) He therefore thought that if all the people in New Zealand were like Sir Dillon Bell, he should like to cast in his lot with them, and he had therefore made this Colony his selection. (Cheers.) In Mr Perceval they had no unworthy successor to Sir F. D. Bell. / The relations of the AgentsGeneral with London society were now much more close than they Jhad been in

the past. Mr Perceval had been called a party man. Well, he (Lord Onelow) -could imagine nothing more honourable than to have a loyal allegiance for his pnrty. That was one great feature of -public life in England, that party men were the best public servants, and did their duty loyally to their country. (Cheerß.) But when any man had been appointed to a position independent of party politics, persons of all shades of opinion forgot to what party he belonged. All differences of opinion were dropped, and they looked upon him aa their representative. He did not know if they did so in New Zealand, but he trusted that for their own sakes they did. Mr Perceval belonged to the young New Zealand Party. He did not care to stop and inquire whether that party was right in all its actions, or whether it had been weighed in the Ballance— (Laughter)— and found wanting. He was happy to think that that paltry spirit, which he might term, tor want of a better expression, " parochialism," was gradually, if not effectually, dying out, as nothing would cause a greater waßteof money or lead tomore ill-feelings and unreasonable jealousies. Such a spirit would bring about nothing bub acts of injustice. He well remembered the first occasion on which a native-born

Australian Bat at one of the groat London conferences aa the representative of a Colony. Among those grave and reverend »eignenrf be could hardly hope for success.

It was Mr Deakin, Chief Secretary for Victoria, who made an impression when he toll them what the Australian* thought of England. He was able to teU them that he knew at breakfast tune everything that had occurred in Europe on the previous day-whether Mr Gladstone's cold was better, or if a leading aotreas was indiuposed. But what, Mr •Deakin, asked did they in England know of the Colonies P Mr Deakto told hia at<ory in Buch good grace that the august assembly qf aged statesmen had to acknowledge that they had a real live man amongst them. (Cheers.) These things had aroußed the people of England to the importance of the Colonies, and the result now was that the duties of AgentGeneral had been considerably extended. There was now a new duty which required attention The Agent-General had frequently to attend International Conferencea reapeoting matterß in connection with the telegraphs, postal arrangements, navigation and lighting the coasts. These conferences required the attendance or some representative of Great Britain, which was not accorded any more representation on them than that possessed by Belgium or Switzerland. It of ten happened that the Colenieß had an interest in these conferences, and it was not unfrequently the case that some person who had the confidence of the authorities, and commanded their respect, was employed as their plenipotentiary, and it not nnfrequently fell to the lot of the AgentGeneral for New Zealand to attend them. (Cheers.) The Agent-General had much to do in counteracting the gross ignorance i tbat prevailed in England in regard to I New Zealand. It was part of the AgentGeneral'e duty to tell, as Sir Juliub Vogel had done, the exports of the Colony, and how last season how exceeded any previous year and had this season promised to far exceed any yet seen. He could compare this Colony with New South Wales very much to her advantage, and show that the death-rate only reached two figureß per thousand, and was only half the rate of England. Then there waa a great deal to do in connection with the tourist traffio, and this was a direction in which Mr ■Perceval'B personal knowledge would be of great Bervice to the Colony. But he must not say too much about the exodus. (Laughter.) In fine, an Agent-General s life was one of constant activity, and one in which, though there were many social .advantages, there was much work and anxiety for the welfare of the Colony he represented. He (his Excellency) hoped before long that Parliament would obtain a clear understanding as to its attitude with respect to immigration. He had spoken before on this subject. The people in the Colony wore too apt to say that they would agree to the'introduction of men to work in the bush and take up land there; but there were not many men in England who couU be persuaded to emigrate with that prospect only in view. His advice waa to induce the sturdy agricultural labourer having, in the first place, experience in farming, and in the second a little capital to become settles. Such men would make a desirable class of immigrants and it was Buch they wanted. Let such men go to the Agent-General's office and be able to get the correct information, and not be misled, and they would risk making the trial. These were the duties of the Agent-General ; ' and, among his other qualifications, he must have a good and strong character. Mr Perceval took with him a blameless character, and the record of an honourable career; therefore his success in the poaition was assured. (Cheers.) He wiahed Mr Perceval many yeara of unbroken success, and of thoße years he trusted that none would be more successful than the three spent aflyAgentGeneral for New Zealand. (Loud and prolonged cheering and waving of handkerchiefs.) Band : " For He's a Jolly Good Fellow," repeated by the company. Mr Perceval, whose rißing waß the signal for most enthusiastic applause and " musical honours," spoke to the following effect : — He thought that the usual way to commence a reply to a toast was to thank the proposer for the able way in which ho had proposed it, and then to thank those present for the way in which they had responded. He must Bay that he could see no reason why ha should depart from that commencement. He could not help thinking, while his Excellency had been referring to him in such gracious language, that it was extremely fortunate for him (Mr Perceval) that Lord Onslow did not know him aB many of those present knew him, for if he did he would have been too conscious of his (the speaker's) many shortcomings. His Excellency must have been speaking, not of Mr Perceval, but of the Agent - General, who, as Agent-General, had taken no false step. (Applause.) Those present had received the toast, as they had always received him, with the greatest kindness and consideration. (Applause.) He owed to the people of Christchurch his present position, and he was fully sensible of the kind manner with, which they had always treated him — (applause) — during his political career and while he had lived amongst them. (Renewed applause.) He would never forgot it; and, if anything was wanting to convince him of their goodwill, their presence there that night showed that he owed them a deep debt of gratitude, which he could never hope to pay. (Cheers.) Many things had been said of him, and there had been attributed^ to him good qualities which he would take rather as objects to be aspired to than as qualities he actually possessed. (Applause.) He recognised to the full the difficulties of the position he had been placed in and the responsibilities attached to it ; and this was particularly impressed upon him when he thought of the illustrious gentlemen who had preceded him. He still thought that it ought to be a happy day when a colonist went Home to represent New Zealand. (Applause.) He only quaked when he saw that his wish had been carried into effect in his own person. (Applause.) He thought it would be a good thing to show the people of England what New Zealauders were, and to show them a man who had been brought up and educated in New Zealand. (Applause.) It would be hiß ambition nor, to disgrace Young New Zealand. (Appl^'se.) Ho was pleased to see there that n. .lit bo many young men who had grown up with him, and it would be his hope that he might not disgrace them in tho Old Country. (Applause.) Now, perhaps, they wanted to know a little about tb«> policy of the Agent-General. His Excellency had told them the position he (Mr Perceval) held and had given them rather an arduous programme bb far as he, as AgentGeneral, was concerned. He hoped he ini ght not disappoint his Excellency. At any rate his heart was in the work, and, with God'a help, he meant to carry it out. (Applause.) The Agent-General, after all, waa an administrative officer who had to carry out his instructions ; but he was more than that. He had to be in evidence, he had to advertise his Colony, and to bring it into prominence and to educate the Old World into a knowledge of the advantages of the New, and all that he hoped to be able to do. (Applause.) He hoped to induce the class to whom his Excellency had referred to come out to this colony. There was bo doubt in his mind that New Zealand offered a better prosppefc to farmers thau any other Colony. (Applause.) If they looked around them in Canterbury who were the men they saw occupying the highest positions? The men who had come out from the Old Country after having leurned farming there, and who had worked their way up bore. (Applause.) These were the class o£ men wanted here now, and these were the men he would do hia best to induce to como amongst them. (Hear.) When they considered that some 200,000 adults sonfc Home nearly ten million pounds' worth of exports, of produce, was not thikt, in their opinion, a record to be proud of ? Certainly it was. (Applause.) Look at the expansion of the frozen meat industry. Was not .that a thing which would make the farmer of the Old Land wonder ?' Let them look at the prospect of the development of the dairy industry. He could see no reason why ten yeara hence that should not occupy as prominent a

position aa our meat industry now did. (Applause.) The Old Country imported nearly .£20,000,000 worth of dairy produce and of that amount New Zealand must get her share. (Applause.) Another industry which waa growing, and which was capable of an enormous development, was that of fruit growing. It was as yet in its infancy, but was capable of enormous expansion, and he looked to the people of New Zealand to assist him in his effortß to develop it. (Applause.) They had a climate suitable for the purpose, and a soil that could not be surpassed. All that was required was skill and perseverance to make it vie with the frozen meat industry. (Applause.) Then the tourist traffic in New Zealand was no doubt of great importance. Those of them who had been to Switzerland would know that that country reaped millions per annum from the tourist traffic. New Zealand was the Switzerland of the South. She had glaciers as large, and icefields as great, much larger indeed, as his Excellency reminded him. (Applause.) As to New Zealand scenery, he had travelled in all quarters of the globe, and had never seen any that could eclipse that of New Zealand. (Applauae,) Her southern sounds compared most favourably with the Norwegian fiords, and with her mineral waters those of Germany could not be compared. (Applause.) If they wanted people to come here they must make the Colony attractive. (Applause.) Visitors could not live upon mountain air ; their wants must be attended to ; the hotels and train service must be improved, and the roads must be made better. (Applause.) That waa a work which he thought had been sadly negleoted in the past. (Applause). It only wanted attention to be paid to this to ensure an enormous accession of wealth to this Colony. (Applause.) New Zealand was a moat attractive place for Australians to come to, and in time to come she would have hundreds, nay thousands, of tourists for every one she now had if she only prepared due accommodation for them. He hoped to see our ocean service greatly altered before he came back to New Zealand; he hoped to see our direct steamers going back by the Cape instead of round the Horn, and a large trade by the San Francisco boats. This, with cheap passages, would do mire for New Zealand, he thought, than any new policy which the Government could bring about. (Applause.) After all, the policy which suited New Zealand beat was a good price for wool and a good market for grain. (Applause.) A fruitful season was what she wanted. He could not promise this, although he had noticed tbat since he had been appointed Agent-General there had been considerably more rain than there had been before. (Laughter.) He hardly knew how to thank them for the very great honour they had done him that night at so short a notice. The compliment was all the greater, as it was only less than a week ago that he had made up his mind to leave. To have such an assembly as that to send him off was a very great distinction indeed. (Applause.) He was only glad that he had had the honour of introducing to them the Premier of Now Zealand, who, he hoped, before he went back to Wellington, would make himself better known to them by explaining under better auspices and in more favourable circumstances the little incidents of tho coach which had been referred to that night. (Applause.) Mr Ballance would, he was sure, explain many things they would be anxious to learn, and after they had heard him they would Bee that he was not the terrible dragon they had been led to expect to see. (Applause.) He was pleased that his Excellency, who was not; a stranger to Christchurch, had honoured that banquet by his presence. (Applause.) It was an honour to the Colony that one who had so distinguished himself in the Mother Country had been sent to govern New Zealand. (Applause.) This was a link in the chain which bound the Colony to the Mother Country. (Applause.) He (Mr Perceval) was happy to be able to say that there was no Colony in the British Dominion more loyal to the Crown than the Colony of New Zealand. (Applause.) If he was asked what was the characteristic of Young New Zealand, he would say it was a feeling of loyalty to the Mother Land, and an affectionate regard for the traditions for the social life and for the aspirations of the Mother Country. (Applause.) He felt that he would not be wrong in doing that, for he felt that every throb of the heart of British life vibrated here at the Antipodes. He knew that that was true, and he would not hesitate to say so on the other side of the world. (Applause.) He knew that he would be expressing what was the real feeling of Young New Zealand. (Applause.) Ab his Excellency had compared him to himself, he would venture on doing the same. His Excellency had said that when he waa appointed Governor of New Zealand people looked upon it as a new departure. If he (Mr Perceval) succeeded as AgentGeneral only one tithe as well as hia Excellency had succeeded as Governor he would be perfectly satisfied. (Applause.) He could not but admit that the experience he would have would be of great service to him, but he hoped it would be of cervice to New Zealand also. He was not going awav with the intention of never coming baok aeain. Hia intention was to return and bJ£3 ; the end of hh life where he had .

commenced it. (Applause.) If he was going Home to gain experience and further the interests of New Zealand there, he hoped that he might be able to work still more for their benefit when he returned. (Loud and long-continued cheers.)