THE HON. JAMES CARROLL

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2583, 18 August 1909, Page 3

THE HON. JAMES CARROLL

COMPLIMENTARY SOCIAL.

GATHERING AT THE GARRISON HALL.

There was a gratifying attendance at the Garrison Hall last evening, on the occasion of the reception tendered by the public bodies and leading citizens of Gisborne to the Hon. Jas. Carroll. The social took the form of a welcome home to Mr. Carroll in his capacity as Acting-Prime Minister of the Dominion. The large drill-hall w-as nicely decorated with foliage and - bunting, and presented a brilliant spectacle -at 8 o’clock, when dancing commenced. The many lovely dresses worn by the ladies presented a dazzling scene of color, while the bright uniforms of the members of the East Coast Mounted Rifles, Gisborne Rifles, and Defence Cadets, lent a pleasing contrast to the sober hues of the orthodox evening dress of the other male guests. On his arrival at the hall. Mr. Carroll was received by His Worship the Mayor (Mr. W. D. Lysnar), the Hon. Oapt. Thicker (Chairman of the Cook County Council), and Mr. J. Town ley (Chairman of the Gisborne Harbor Board). Dancing was commenced with the lancers, the Hon. Mr. Carroll loading out the Mayoress (Mrs. Lysnar). Mrs. Townley and His Worship the Mayor being their vis-a-vis. The floor was in capital order, and excellent music was provided for the programme of fourteen dances by the Gisborne City Band, under the conductorship of Mr. Lawrence, while the music for the extras was most acceptably played by Mr. A. F. Wootton’s orchestra. The duties of M.C.’s were capably carried out by Messrs W. Webb, A. Sawyer, T. G. Lawless, W. Miller. H. Miller, and F. Lowndes. A first-class supper was provided, Mr. S. Wootton’s catering leaving nothing to be desired. Chief credit for the success of the gathering must be accorded to His

Worship the Mayor, who took a leading part in working up the arrangements, while Mr. R. D. B. Robinson carried out the secretarial duties in a conscientious manner. Mesdames Scott. Little, Hales (Tologa Bay). A. Wootton, and Stevenson, and Miss Pearce also worked hard before and during the social to make it a thorough success. Amongst those present were Mr. W. D. S. MacDonald, M.P., several members of the local bodies. His Honor Judge Jones, the Rev. Father Lane, and many of the leading residents of Gisborne. The social was highly enjoyable’, and dancing was kept up with spirit until after 2 o’clock this morning. THE PRESENTATION. .* The presentation was made from the band stand in the centre of the hall. The Mayor (Mr. W. D. Lysnar) said he had received apologies for the unavoidable absence of Messrs W. L. Rees, W. Morgan, and G. Darton. Continuing, the Mayor said that the gathering was for the occasion of presenting a testimonial to their worthy member for the Gisborne electorate, the Hon. James Carroll, congratulating him upon his elevation to the high office of Acting-Prime Minister of New Zealand. The wording of the testimonial was as follows: —

“To the Hon. James Carroll, representative of the Gisborne Electoral District, Acting-Prime Minister of the Dominion of New Zealand, — ; “Honorable Sir. On your appointment to the distinguished position of Acting-Prime Minister for the Dominion of New Zealand we, on behalf of the electors of the Gisborne district, desire to offer you our heartiest congratulations. That you have been honored with such an appointment is a matter of special interest and pleasure to us, who, as your constituents, recognise that the district which you represent has itself been honored through you. The fact of your being so closely identified with the district all your life, and being the first New Zealander to achieve the highest position open to you, causes your constituents the greatest pleasure. It is our sincere and fervent hope that He, by whose grace rulers are privileged to exercise authority, and governments are alone maintainable, may grant unto you many years of usefulness to this Dominion and its people, and that He may keep you in perfect health and strength to perform the duties from time to time assigned to you, and to enjoy the privileges bestowed upon you. (Signed) . D. Lysnar (Mayor), W. H. Tucker (Chairman of the Cook County Council), J. Townley (Chairman of the Gisborne Harbor Board).” In continuing his remarks, Mr. Lysnar said that when he looked around the hall and saw the large number of people present, he thought Mr. Carroll could have no more fitting testimonial, especially as the gathering was entirely a non-party one. It was a proud moment for one and oil when it was realised that to their member had been assigned, by Sir Joseph Ward and bis colleagues, the office, duties, and responsibilities of Prime Minister, and he (the speaker) felt sure that their worthy member would hand back that office to Sir Joseph Ward on his return with the confidence that he had faithfully at-tended-to all the important duties that the office commanded. It was a special privilege to the people of Gisborne to be able to show their appreciation to their member as the Prime Minister of the Dominion, especially as Mr Carroll was the first New Zealander to occupy that high office, for no other Premier of New Zealand had been born within the Dominion. The ordinary person hardly realised the many important duties and the heavy responsbilties that devolved upon Mr. Carroll in the office of Acting-Prime Minister. Telegrams and. cablegrams dealing with important Cabinet questions were continuously being received, and his office in Wellington was kept busy attending to the

important matters of State. Ho. was pleased to see Mr. Carroll present, especially as their guest was in such good health in spite of the heavy responotbilties lie carried on his shoulders. All credit was due to. Mr. Carroll in.taking up tiie duties of Prime Minister so. as to enable Sir Joseph Ward to go 'to England to be present at that great conference that was to consider the allimportant question of defence, and also at the same time to make arrangements to relieve the financial tension that was being 'felt in commercial circles. He (Mr. Lyenar) expressed the hope that Mr. Carroll would live long to be of service to the Dominion, and when the time would com© that ho would not be their representative in Parliament, may he still enjoy good health and always look back to the occasion when the people of Gisborne held him in the highest appreciation. On behalf of the burgesses of Gisborne, he would offer Mr. Carroll his warmest congratulations. The Hon. Captain W. H. Tucker, M.L.0., Chairman of the Cook County Council, 6aid that upon behalf of those who- were present and those who were not present, he desired to offer Mr. Carroll the hearty congratulations of the ratepayers of the Co oh County. Hie had no doubt that there would have been many country residents present had not a heavy downpour of rain occurred at about four o’clock, giving many the impression that the night would be wet. He could only express regret at their absence, and ask Mr. Carroll to accept their good wishes and congratulations. The gathering comprised Mr. Carroll’s personal friends and constituents, who all desired to offer to their member their congratulaI tions upon the success he had achieved. They had all watched his career, and had seen him mount the ladder of public life step by step, until he had attained the highest position. Ho had been successively returnod by increasing majorities as the member for the district, and since first contesting an election had never been beaten at the .poll. Now he was at the top of the tree, to the appreciation and satisfaction of tho people he represented. He need not say that Mr. Carroll would fill the high position with credit to himself and to the Dominion; that fact, was obvious to all, and the fact that he had been chosen for tho office of Acting-Prime Minister by Sir Joseph Ward and his colleagues was proof that he possessed their confidence and the confidence of the country. He could only conclude by wishing Mr. Carroll the best of health -and long life, and offering the warmest congratulations. Mr. John Townley, Chairman of the Gisborne Harbor Board, offered Mr. Carroll the congratulations of the members of the Board. All present knew that the events which were moving within the Empire required the presence in England of tho great statesmen of the Empire, and the Prime Minister of New Zealand had been called to the Defence Conference at Home, fie (Mr. Townley) was glad to see so many volunteers present; he would like to see the hall lined with volunteers, because the men in uniform were bolding up the spirit that had caused the Defence Conference at Home. It was right that men should remember that it was their duty to protect tberi country. In the old days all men had to join the ranks, and lie thought they should be compelled to do it now. He wished to congratulate Mr. Carroll upon holding the high position of Prime Minister, and also upon the object of his visit to Gisborne. That object was the opening of the Tuahine light for which the district was under a debt to the Government, and he asked Mr. Carroll to accept tho best thanks of the Harbor Board

The Acting-Prime Minister, the Hon. James Carroll, on rising_to speak, was greeted with applause. He said that if ho was to bo insensible to the honor that was being shown to him, or to say that he was unmoved by the presence of and the congratulations,, he had received from his friends in Gisborne, he would be less than human, for he knew those congratulatons and good wishes came from the hearts of those present. He had for many years represented the people of Gisborne in* Parliament, and be might be pardoned when he said that he felt proud to have held' the confidence of the people for nearly twenty years. Many men sought honor by serving the people and the country, while others sought honor in varied ways, but when a man in public life sought to do his duty to the people lie represented, to his fellow subjects, and to his country, then he could not go far wrong. He realised, however, that there were others more worthy to be called to the high position of ActingPrime Minister and others more able to carry out the responsible duties of that office, but the choice of Sir Joseph Ward and his colleagues had fallen upon himself, and he would do his best to keep up the high traditions of that office, and to assist, to the utmost of his ability, to use the furrow, so that a profitable harvest would be gathered in the future. It could be said that New Zealand had held some of the greatest statesmen that the Empire had ever known, and while it was hard to follow in the path of great men, yet it was comparatively easy, for New Zealand’s great statesmen had left their footsteps plainly marked upon the sands of progress, and their noble lives in the service of the people stood out like milestones along the way. In occupying the position of Acting-Prime Minister, one was assisted by the education the people had received in political questions, and in the ethics of democracy, for in no part of the Empire were the people so well versed in political questions or the aims of political life as were they in New Zealand. Those influences with the general trend of political life all combined to make public life more true, and public men to aspire to administer the affairs of the country for the benefit and upifting of the people. He did not claim any credit for himself, but for the constituency he represented ; _ because the electors had renewed their confidence in him again and again, and had so given him opportunities to study out political problems, and time to gain that experience which enabled him to qualify for the high office he now held. He was now reaping the reward of being honored by the people. It was true that they were living upon the edge of great and impending changes, stirring elements were visible, and were felt in this and other parts of the world, and those elements were pregnant wth events yet to happen and full of import. The people in this part of the Empire must be prepared to shape their movements to fit those changes, for new signs were appearing on the horizon that told them that trie changes were for the benefit of mankind as a whole. Politics were being carved and chiselled, but it was only when political questions were reduced to bedrock that great benefits would result. Politics lived in the forefront, and could be read as one might read, the stars as they come into the line of vision. In England there had been a great conference upon the question of the defence of the Empire, and great

results ,were anticipated. It was the first time that i-.ach a conference had dealt with, the c„.'.V;ee "question in a businesslike way, and b- .bolding its deliberations in secret, by 1 .earing evidence of an important •. htracter, by making careful calculations and-taking the advice of experts, would reduce their deliberations to a practical form whereby the Empire would be strengthened to still remain the greatest Empire among nations. New Zealand was taking no small part in the counsels of the Defence Conference, for anything that happened in the Old Country was correspondingly felt in the Dominion, for New Zealand’s export trade, commerce and the pulsating life of the people were all at stake should anything happen to Britain. It therefore behoved the people of New Zoaland to give England l support and assistance in every way, especially by sentiment, by enthusiasm, and by loyalty to the throne and the flag. (Applause.) He need not say how proud he felt at the honor done to him by the address he had received from the people of Gisborne. He was sure it came from their hearts. lie was sure that he posoessed their confidence. He wished to share their sorrows and pulsate with their enjoyments, and in the end know that whatever he had done he had won their approval and escaped their frown. (Applause.) TO-DAY’S APPOINTMENTS.

This morning, at 10.30 o’clock, the Acting-Premier will receive deputations from the various local bodies at the Borough Council Chambers, and _ this evening at 6.30 o'clock he will receive a deputation from the East Coast Trades and Labor Council, at the Farmers’ Union dub rooms, to request that workers’ homes be established in the district, while other matters discussed by the Trades and Labor Council from time to time will be mentioned. During the. afternoon, Mr. W. L. Rees, on behalf , of the Liberal Association, will present Mr. Carroll with a piece of plate in recognition of his elevation to the office of Acting-Premier. In the evening Mr. Carroll will bo entertained at Erskine’s Hall by the members of the Te Rau Bowling Club. Mr. Carroll will leave for Nuhaka on Friday to open the new bridge at Stewart’s Crossing, and will thence proceed to Wairoa and Wellington.