BLENHEIM GIVES ROUSING WELCOME TO SIR J. G. WARD.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18769, 27 May 1929, Page 13

BLENHEIM GIVES ROUSING WELCOME TO SIR J. G. WARD.

ENTHUSIASTIC SCENES MARK FIRST VISIT OF PRIME MINISTER. Per Press Association. BLENHEIM, May 25. It is doubtful whether a politician or statesman ever received a more rousing reception than that accorded Sir Joseph Ward on his arrival in Blenheim, on his first official visit since he became Prime Minister. The motor run from Nelson was in the nature of a triumphal progress all along the route. Wayside townships turned out to welcome and cheer the popular Sir Joseph. A very large crowd of people waited patiently in Market Square in Blenheim for over an hour, the party being delayed along the road till considerably over the schedule time. The town ■was decorated with evergreens, bunting and coloured electric globes, presenting a gala appearance, which must have been heartening to the distinguish, ed visitor. The local pipe band met the ministerial party, which included the Hon W. A. Veitch, at the borough boundary and escorted it to the rotunda in the square amid cheering thousands of people. The Mayor, Mr M. M’Kenzie, informally welcomed Sir Joseph Ward to the town, and Sir Joseph returned thanks for the wonderful welcome, remarking that he would have something to say later in the theatre about the railway. After another outburst of cheering the crowd sang “ For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow,” and the informal ■welcome was over. TUMULT OF CHEERING. , . May 26. Enthusiasm had not waned in the evening, when the Prime Minister addressed an enormous crowd in the theatre. He was greeted with a storm of applause, on taking his place on the platform, the crowd rising and singing For He s a Jolly Good Fellow,” with rare vigour. The Mayor extended a formal civic welcome on behalf of the citizens, and conferred on Sir Joseph Ward the freedom of the city. The Mayor of Picton joined in the welcome and the chairmen of local bodies also had some words to say. Mr T. M’Donald, M.P., expressed a welcome on behalf of the natives of the South Island, and in doing so paid a tribute to Sir Joseph Ward’s legislation in the interests of the Native race. Sir Joseph Ward, in replying, was greeted with a tumult of cheers lasting several minutes. After thanking the Mayor and people for his wonderful welcome, the Prime Minister went on to speak of land settlement. “ By opening up the country to small farmers we shall settle the unemployment problem,” he said. “ During the last seven years the number of people on the land has decreased by fifteen thousand. These people now are in the towns and this has given ’rise to our unemployment problem. The only way of providing against this congestion in the cities is land settlement. The prime necessity of the day is the acquisition of estates for closer settlement.” While in Nelson, Sir Joseph said, he received a telegram from the Minister of Lands announcing that eight estates already had been acquired bj' the Government. This was the commencement of the policy which the Government had asked the people for authority to carry out. It had been started and it was proposed to take authority next session to spend more money . to settle people, so that the sixteen thousand pupils turned out each year from the schools .mentally equipped for the battle of life, might be found openings. There had already been expended sixty millions in advances to settlers and workers. When the Government came into office it found the Advances Department clogged and able to function only in a minor way. In twelve months only £BOO,OOO had been placed at the Department’s disposal. Now all back payments to borrowers had been met. SOUTH ISLAND MAIN TRUNK. Sir Joseph replied on familiar lines to unfair criticism of his election proposal to borrow seventy millions for advances to settlers and workers and railways. Ten millions of that money would be used to complete long distance railways Sir Julius Vogel, in the seventies, proclaimed that trunk railways should be made from end to end of New Zealand and side lines come in as required. For some unaccountable reason the south trunk line had got only fifty-three miles from Picton and then stopped. The Government proposed to pick up the work where it had stopped and obliterate the gap from the map and put the railway into operation, doing the same with the West Coast to Nelson line. In three or four years the south trunk would be finished. Sir Joseph said that at the present time they were balancing one against the other routes for the proposed line between Taranaki and Auckland, which would mean a saving of one day travelling and a reduction in freight charges between the two points The actual cost of the five long distance railways it is proposed to complete would be only 7i millions, leaving 2£ millions to overhead charges, engines, trucks and carriages. The country should learn that short distance lines should never be made again and some that are down should be stopped. The loss could not be allowed to go on. They could not possibly compete with the motor. As Minister of Finance he was bound to submit proposals for the adjustment of the taxation in a sound degree. Concluding, Sir Joseph said, “ You will have your railway all right, and so will Nelson and the West Coast We will finish the North Island lines too.” Later Sir Joseph Ward was entertained at a social. He will leave for the south on Monday morning. Arrangements have been made at various places to give him a reception en route. The Hon W. A. Veitch and other members of the Parliamentary party, excluding the Prime Minister, visited the Marlborough Aero Club’s aerodrome to-day. All went on short passenger flights. DAY OF WONDERFUL RECEPTIONS. (Special to the “Star.”) BLENHEIM, May 26. Tremendous enthusiasm attended the Prime Minister’s visit to Marlborough. From the time the Ministerial cars crossed the provincial boundary on the Rai Hill, until they pulled v.j( in Blenheim at 5.45 on Saturday, Sir Joseph’s progress was in the nature of a triumphal tour, and little crowds assembled at every crossroad to give him a cheer as he swept past, while every little hamlet boasted its bunting and its waving crowd. Receptions were accorded Sir Joseph at Rai Valley, Havelock and Renwicktown. The concluding stages of the journey were made in darkness, but nevertheless mothers with their children, or little groups of neighbours, waited patiently just to see the cars flash by. Blenheim’s welcome was a fitting climax to a day of wonderful enthusiasm. The Prime Minister was met at

the borough boundary and escorted through cheering crowds to Market Square by the pipe band. The town was gay with bunting and evergreens, while coloured lights added to the occasion. Market Square was so densely packed that the cars had the greatest difficulty in forcing their way to the rotunda, where Sir Joseph Ward was briefly welcomed by the Mayor amid scenes of spontaneous enthusiasm and storms of cheering. The crowd sang, “ For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow ” till they were hoarse. The Prime Minister had another great reception later in the evening at His Majesty’s Theatre, when his speech followed the usual lines. His references to the South Island main trunk railway were the signal for remarkable enthusiasm. At the conclusion of the speech the crowd rose to their feet as one man and cheered until the din was deafening, following this with a rousing rendering of “ For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow.” It was a spontaneous and sincere tribute, if demonstrative, and Sir Joseph was deeply moved. Sir Joseph Ward goes south in the morning and will have further evidences of popularity thrust upon him at stopping place.