THE GOVERNOR.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7203, 11 February 1892, Page 3

THE GOVERNOR.

FAREWELL LUNCHEON The farewell luncheon to his Excellencj the Governor and the Countess of Onslow took place at the Tuatn street Hall thif afternoon. The hall was handsomelj decorated, and an excellent luncheon was provided by Mr 3uggey. About two hundred ladies and gentlemen eat down to it, and there wera also present a number of ladies in the gallery, where they were served with light refreshments. At 1 p.m. his Excellency the Governor and Lady Onslow entered the room. All the guests rose to theii felt. The chair was taken by his Worship the Mayor, who had his Excellency the Governor on hia right, and the Countess of Onslow on his left. On the right of his Excellency were Lieut.-Colonel Gordon, Captain Guthrie, and the Hon J. T, Peacock. On the left of the Countess ol Onflow was the Hon J, G. Ward, Post-master-General. The toasts of " The Queen " and " The Royal Family " were duly honoured. The Chairman proposed the health of bis Excellency the Governor, expressing the regret of the citizens at Lori Onslow's departure, and their appreciation of the manner in which his Excellency had discharged the duties of his high office. The toast was drunk with musical honours, amid cheers and great enthusiasm. His Excellency, who waa heartily received, said that he first had to offer an apology. When first they offered the present invitation to him, he never contemplated the possibility of breaking his engagements. He could assure them that he had left nothing undone to combat the elemonts, but the elements had been too powerful for him. He had to thank them for the idea of the manner in which they had enabled him to say farewell to the citizens of Christchurch. What had taken place here led him to see the truth of what he had heard, that the people here were not anxious to know what kind of a man their Governor was to be, but they were anxious to know what sort of a woman his wife was to be. (Laughter.) He could not help thinking that a Governor should be looked on not only as the representative of the Queen, but the envoy of the British Parliament and the British people ; that he should be looked on as the interpreter of the languages of the people of both sections of the Empire. He could never come to Christchurch without thinking that Canterbury had been founded by one of his father's oldest friends, John Robert Godley. (Applause.) We were disposed to undervalue the labours of the pioneers. What must have been the feelings of the first persons who found themselves confronted with the swamps and barren plains, with the tangled supplejacks which bound together the giants of the New Zealand forests! What was formerly an uncultivated plain now supported a thriving community, who sent Home their meat and grain, took the products of the Old Country, and not only imposed on them an import duty which pressed heavily on the people of the Colony, but provided the Agent-General with the wherewithal to pay the interest on the Colonial debt. It had been said that England treated her Colonies no better than she treated the foreigner. He considered that though the present English Government had not made many failures it had made one in regard to the granting by foreign States of the bounties on sugar. One of the most important actions of the present Government was the holding of the Federation Conference of 1887 ; and with regard to the reciprocity question, he would point out that the exports from Englanl to foreign countries were twothirds of the whole, while those to the Colonies were one-third. The imports to England from the Colonies were one-fourth of the whole, and from the Colonies onefourth. It would have been advisable bad more attention been paid to the proposal of Mr Hofmayer, of South Australia, for the imposing of differential duties. There was, on the part of the English people, a disposition to make some sacrifice for the sake of the Empire at large, and if it were not that it would be the duty of one party in the State to propose any measures with that intention, and the duty of the other party to oppose and criticise them, he would have better hopes that something definite would be done in that direction. He thought that it waa a matter for congratulation that there was at the head of affairs in England a statesman with such erlightened views on Colonial questions aa the Marquis of Salisbury. (Applause.) No one who had not been present at the Colonial Conference could have any idea of the good done by that Conference in removing misapprehensions and bringing about a better understanding between Englishmen and Colonials. A good deal had been said about misrepresentations of these Colonies, but after all, what had been said applied as much to New Zealand as to Australia. Mr Fortescue had said nothing about New Zealand, except that in common with other colonies it had a large debt and a very Democratic Parliament, two facts which he thought no one would deny. Mr Christie Murray had said some unpleasant things about Australia ; and the New Zealand Press, jumping to the conclusion that he included New Zealand in Australia, had attacked him very fiercely. But when he .came to writ? of New Zealand he blessed it altogether. He (the Governor) had come to the conclusion that the mißrepreßtntatives of the Colony were among the Antipodeans themselves, Now the people at Home did not know of the details of politics in New Zealand, and they were apt to be infinenced bj lettera Bent Home by Buch per?ons as a man who was a holdor of, say, 100,(XX acres, and a Director of the Lend-to Anybody-Company, and who wrote Home that there was a general scramble on th« part of the Have-nots for the property of thf Haves. Now, misrepresentation of that sorl waa worse than unpatriotic. (Hear, bear.] He believed that there was" no one in th! Colony who wished to drive capital out o it ; capital was as necessary as currency and no sensible person believed that it w& possible to do without either. He believei that the large companies did no want to hold more land than the; could profitably use. (Applause.) Tb tendency # of legislation in the Colonj he considered, was in the directioi of putting more of the public burdens o: the shoulders, ot those; best able to tea

aid £ cm * The P e °P le <>f Ifew Zealand wished m fif T* S ur !' *? do no more fcha ° *<> see tha ■»" the land of the Colony should be utilise. •P<i £r^ Profitable manner. (Applause. *« He had full confidence in the future of th, hi Co] °^l and * he » he was in Englan( ** again he would do what lay in his pW ■to advance its interests,. (Applause.) H( S ehe Z e i that T^ c F oo^ of New Zealand •M would bear Lady Onslow and himself it S " membrane , e -_ His Excellency expressed ies the regret of Lady Onslow and himself at parting from their friends in New Zealand. Sr v Councillor Bonningfcon proposed the »' health of " His Excellency's Advisers," n " coupled with the name of the Hon J. G. er j Ward. )V The tn«st was duly honoured I The Hon J. G. Ward thanked the Comio. mittee for re-arranging their programme 3 • , bo a3 to include the toast of hiß Excelas lency's advisers. He said that no Governor - ll and certainly no Governor's wife, had -n , made themselves so popular as Lord and - i Lady Onslow, and he (Mr Ward) shared in m ; tae general regret at their departure. B t Lord Onslow had remarked that 83 : he might be permitted to make one *> j reference to politics, and it would [ * ;do for him (Mr Ward) to make another '* : one. He would say, however, that he was 11 j not one of those who believed that a ~ gentleman in the position of Lord Onßlow, and with his knowledge, should not be at £ liberty before his departure, to give the !3 * people of the Colony the benefit of his ex's ] perience in regard to political inattars. No ' a ; one in the Colony regretted the departure 3 f iof the Governor more than did the i- Ministry, with whom he had always worked j* j most amicably, and to whom he had always been most courteous. fiir C. Louisson proposed the health of the Countess of Onslow, saying that Lady Onslow had gained the esteem and respect of all classes of the community by the manner in which she had helped Lord Onslow to discharge the social dutieß of his * office. Lord and Lady Onslow had confined their conrtesies to no class, and the 1 people of New Zealand would regret their * departure, and would feel that they had a 8 good friend at Home in Lord Onslow, 7 who would sympathise with them in their s sorrows, if such befell them, as they mast - in this life. ; » The toast was drunk with great f 'enthusiasm. 9 His Excellency the Governor said that he had vainly endeavoured to persuade " Lady Onslow to reply herself. He had 9 even pointed out what the effect would be r on those who were advocating the admission ? of ladies to Parliament, if the foremost b lady in the land could not make a » speech. (Laughter.) The help of Lady s On6low had been of the greatest assistance . to him in discharging the social duties of • his position. Lady Onslow and himself f had spent three very happy years in New - Zealand, which they would certainly never forget. Growing up in her household was 8 one who would, by his name and his birthplace, continually remind them of this * Colony, and when that son grew up to man- ? hood he would, doubtless, revisit the country s where he had been born, and where his b parents had apent such a happy time. - (Applause.) The toast of "The Ladies" waspropoFdi 1 by Mr J. Anderson, jun., and responded to - by Mr W. W. Edwards. His Excellency then proposed the health ■ of his Worship the Mayor, which was duly i honoured, and the party broke up. During the afternoon Cruda Bros.' • string band played Beveral musical • selections.