ANNUAL DINNER.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3176, 23 March 1911, Page 5

ANNUAL DINNER.

GISBORNE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE HON. R. McKENZIE AMONGST THE GUESTS. OUTLINE OF‘LOCAL PUBLIC ' WORKS POLICY. The Minister for Public Works, the Hon. R. McKenzie, was last night entertained at the annual dinner of the Gisborne Chamber of Commerce in AVoottcn’s rooms. There was a large and representative attendance of commercial gentlemen, and Mr. John Townley, chairman, of the Chamber, presided. Seated on his right was the Hon. R. McKenzie, and on his left His Honor Mr. Justice Chapman. Mr. AY. A. Barton. S.M., and Air. AV. D. S.' AlacDonald, ALP., were also amongst these present. After a most 'tastefully served dinner had been partaken of. the toast of ‘•His Alajesty the King” was proposed by the Chairman, and loyally honored. Air. AA r . L. Rees then proposed the toast of the “Commerce and Industries of the East Coast.” In doing so he said that the Chamber was the natural guardian of the commerce and industries of the district, and ne felt that in the Hon R. AlcKenzie they had an able coadjutor aud a powerful friend; one who always left behind him. pleasant memories of premises that had been redeemed and not forgotten. The East Coast district had many great natural advantages—the quality of its soil, the climate, and probably the best natural sources of water supply of any district in Australasia. Other things being given, to promote commerce and industry, no part of Australasia could he more premising in regard to these matters than the East Coast of New Zealand. One of the principal disadvantages, however, was the want of union in the public bodies of the district, and the lack of effort on the part of those in different parts of the district in the past. ' He was glad to say, however, the feeling of non-union he had referred to showed signs of fading away, and there appeared to. be a more gradual drawing together of the public men in the district. Only in the 4 ‘Times” that morning they had seen where' the Mayor, after a conference with Air. Holmes, had made a statement that he could now. see eye to eye witl. an acknowledged expert, the Borough Engineer. (Applause.) Continuing. Mr. Rees said that the visit of the Hon. the Alinister for Public AA’drks, and the banquet to him by the-Chamber of Commerce, as representing the commercial interests of the place, marked an epoch in the history of the district. He believed that in future the spirit of united action would grow m strength, and a. feeling manifest itself amongst tli3 public men of the district that- they recognised the absolute necessity, of members of public, bodies, not seeing what, could .be gained .by quarrelling, but rather - fi riding" out how' best they could serve’- the district by agreeing amongst, themselves. They, now, in *-A-;, this district had three freezing works, a great number of small industries all prospering, and their great staple products, wool, meat and dairying produce. ThereAvas also an ever increasing shipping industry to carry away the produce of the district and bring back m return all) that was required from far-off lands. The main disadvantage, however, of the district was its isolation by sea. and by land. Particularly were they isolated in regard to ra.ilH ways, although many other smaller and less important districts were much more well served. Now. however, they were glad to see that the Alinister was pushing the work on to enable them, to get communication with Auckland and Napier. The railway, so far as it had gone, was most useful, and he trusted that it would go oil, continuing to, give an impetus to the advance of civilisation and the- march of progress. Air. Bees concluded by referring to the increased rents which would be available Loir Tauwhareparae —a gam of £SOOU pe r year, and advocated the immediate commencement of the construction of an outer harbor. Air. Bright, in responding, referred to the good work which had been accomplished in the past. No eulogy could be too high in respect of the pioneers of the district. He remembered when the products of the districts were very small. One vessel at long intervals was sufficient then to carry away the output. Now the port was visited nr many coastal steamers, in addition to the finest of the ocean-going steamers. Then', again lie could carry his mind back to the time when the value of sheep ,was very small compared with their value nowadays. There could be no doubt but that tlie le Kara'ka line had been of vast assistance to the. district. The Government, was now. doing its best to provide the district, with Luther much needed railways. He. had also 'witnessed the working of the. Land 'Settlement Act, which had enabled many people to be settled on the land. It was his opinion that ere long the A lot u would be dotted with many dany farms, and the export of butter and n ilk from this district would be an increasing quantity. _ They now had two freezing works, which had a total killing capacity of 5000 per day. He concluded by declaring that the great and mving want of this district stcl was further roads and bridges. To-day there were many settlers who had only a pack track to their properties. He trusted that - in the immediate future Un Government would be able to see its way to provide further for this district in this direction. He knew that other districts also _ had many wants, but, none were more deserving than this district. There was much hill country which could carry two sheep to .the. acre in the winder. Had- they got sinu--IH. land in the South Island? Not as far as he had been able to learn. His view was that Poverty Bay was the richest and most prosperous district in the whole Dominion. (Loud applause.) “OUR LEGISLATORS.”

Tlie next toast was that of Our Legislators,” which was proposed by Mi” J. E. ICirk, who, in the' course or His remarks, referred to the legislation of the last few sessions of Parliament. Outside New Zealand he said they were apt to hear that the legislation of the Dominion was of a somewhat experimental nature, hut the best commentary on it was the fact that older countries were following the lead that little New Zealand had given them. So far the legislation of New Zealand had unVdmibtodly proved to be in the right The personnel of the Government was something to be proud ot, and at the head of affairs they ought to he glad to know that they had an Imperialist to,the very heart; they had reason to. feel proud that Sir Joseph Ward would shortly be representing them in London at the great^coiinpil 8 of the Empire. In regard to the Minister for Public Works/ they could not

failto bo impressed _ with the amount or time he was spending in the district. Mr. MbKenzie had evidently seen that the land was good a,nd was alive to the requirements of the district. He challenged anyone to say that when Mr. made a promise i't was not fulfilled. He (Air. Kirk) firmly believed that . the Administration of the present Hay did not seek the establishment of the merely popular, but rather of that which is just. Mr. Kirk conpluded b.v paying a tribute to the good work done by the Opposition, members in the House and the very results Which had attended the. labors of Mr.' W. D. S. AlacDonald, member for the Bay of Plenty . THE, MINISTER’S SPEECH.

.Ahe Hon. R. AlcKenzie, who l was received with considerable, applause, said lie was glad to be present at the gathering. A Chamber of Commerce could do' a lot for any district. He realised that unity .was, as Air. Rees had said, a necessity. There was everything here to encourage a very much larger population. Before many years, the isolation of the district would be a tiling of the past. (Hear, hear.) He went on to, say that there were a great many wants throughout the whole Dominion, and not as mulch .money as was necessary to meet them all at once. New Zealand had indeed been very fortunate in regard to its Parliament. He did not know a single legislator who had not tried; to do his best for his district. Chambers of. Commerce ought to take a great deal more interest in defence than they did. (Hear, hear.) If commerce were interrupted for only three months how much it would mean to New Zealand! For a long time we had been living in what was called a “fool’s paradise.” New Zealand could well afford to pay much more in the way of defence. The Government believedl that this was a question which the. taxpayers would have to look square m the fact in the immediate future. Defence was a question which would loom large at the pending Imperial Conference. He was sorry lie had not been able to visit the district more frequently, in the past. This was due to the .many districts which required his attention. The expenditure in his Department was over £2,000,000 per annum. and this involved great responsibilities. His visit was in connection with the East Coast line. He hoped that a start, would be made at Gisborne in a few months, and at Napier shortly afterwards. AA 7 hilst the North Island Alain Trunk line was in progress it had been impossible to push the railway along the East Coast. The East Coast railway would be the most important line on the programme. Next in importance came the North Auckland railway and the Stratford-ongarue line. He had no doubt that the line to Aiotu, which would be readied within eighteen months, would be the most profitable in the Dominion. He thought that the line would be down to Opotiki from Tauranga by the time the line was through from Aiotu to Opotiki approximately. It was estimated that the cost of the line from Aiotu to Opotiki would be as great as the cost of taking tlie line over the TaurangaOpotiki section, which was of much greater length. No doubt the residents too were interested in the proposed connection between Gisborne and Napier. There were, as was well known, some big engineering difficulties along the route, probably more than was generally imagined. There was within thirty miles of Gisborne a need for a mile tunnel. It was estimated that this tunnel would cost from £50,000 to £60,000. Between Gisborne and the point of the tunnel site, there were, however, .25 miles of fairly easy country, which went to counterbalance matters. He had learned tliat tlie coach rente from Gisborne to AVairoa was 75 miles, so they would be interested to- learn that tlie' railway was not expected to traverse more tha,n 49 miles. • (Hear, hear.) From AVairoa. southwards to Napier the length of line, according to. a trial survey, was 62 miles. He had not been over the country between AVairoa, and Napier, but he hoped to clo so in a day or two. The total length of line from Gisborne to, Napier would thus be 112 miles. It could not- be said that it, was a. very great undertaking, but still it would cost over one and a. quarter millions for tlie while distance. As soon as certain other lines were out .of the way more attention could he devoted to the East Coast line. It would only be a matter of a few years—ten years he thought.—before the line was through to Napier. The legislation which had been put on the statute book had been the means of much settlement. There, was no reason why the East Coast right to AVaihi should not have as large a population as any other portion of similar size in New Zealand. Aluch of the country would be found suitable for dairying. As to the. Rangitaiki swamp, he said l it would carry 4000 to 5000 people as against 60 people now, and the value would be. £2O to £3O, as against £1 new. Tlie climate of this district, he should say, was one of the finest in the world. There was no reason why it should not be developed as soon as possible. With regard to the Land Settlement Finance Act, he said that the measure would do as much as past legislation to settle people on the land. It provided for mutual agreements between intending settlers and owners. One of the greatest evils here was the large areas held in too few hands. If much of the land were cut up under the Act to which he alluded, it would be a great thing for the district. There was much unimproved land between here and Warpiro, which might be thickly settled. If he were a resident of Gisborne he would agitate, eternally until there was more settlement. He again thanked members for their hearty Wellcome, and the heartv manner in which they had toasted liis health. AIR AV. D. S. MACDONALD S VIEWS. Mr. AV. D- S. AlacDonald also implied, thanking those present for the kindly reception they had given the Minister for Works.' He hiiiiseir was only young in the Legislature but in following the political history of New Zealand lie was satisfied that they, had had great men ruling the destinies of the country and bringing it into the forefront of British dependencies, the present members were endeavoring to follow in these footsteps, and he believed that each and every one of them endeavored to reflect the mind mid will of the masses of the people. ; He was greatly pleased to notice the interest taken by members of Parliament, not only in their own constituencies, but also in Imperial affairs. This interest was necessary, as the Dominion is an exporting country, and must be protected by the British navy. He did not believe that any of the outlying dependencies have yet realised their responsibilities to the Motherland,..which was the prime factor in the development of these countries. Continuing, Air. Macdonald referred to his earlier, days in Parliament, and paid a tribute to the members who had , treated -him with kindness and consideration. Turning to local matters, he said that he had

been in this district since boyhood, and had, since entering Parliament, always felt that Gisborne, was in his own electorate. He was always glad to assist tho people of Gisborne in any developmental work, and when entering Parliament he had felt that perhaps his practical knowledge as' a farmer might be of benefit to the settlers of the district. If he had been of any use he was glad to think that such was the case. , fie-felt very satisfied at the progress made in the Gisborne and Bay of Plenty electorates during the last three years, and he felt that he should say that lie had always been treated with the greatest courtesy and kindness by Ministers of the Crown when approaching them in regard to any matters from either district. Dealing with works r.t present being, undertaken, Mr. AlacDonald referred to the drainage of lie Rangitaiki swamp as a national question, in so far as it was geingto render fertile 87,000 acres of hitherto useless land, and the importance of this wo i d be recognised when they remembered that the whole area of tlie Poverty Bay flats was 45,000 acres. Extensive purchases of land were taking place in tho Urewera country, and tlie railway works were being rapidly pushed ahead, until now the line was on the fringe of the vast bush districts of Aiotu and Taliora. This would be of immense importance to the district, and further in between Aiotu and Opotiki there was land which, while not undulating, was good pastoral country. Right from Taupo to the East Cape there was a great work of development going on, and all along were evidences of growing prosperity. He had been pleased to be able to. accompany the Alinister to AVaipiro during the last few days, and thought that the rapid strides being made on the Coast were a credit to the people of AVaiapu. After referring to the new freezing works at Tokomaru Mr. AlacDonald mentioned the disabilities the district suffered through lack of road and railway communication, and again returned thanks to those present for their kind entertainment of the Alinister and himself. He paid ah eloquent tribute to the work of the Hon. R. AlcKenzie, and expressed his pleasure that the people of Gisborne evidently appreciated the Alinister so well.

Tlie toast of “Local Bodies” was proposed by Air. T. E. Toneycliffe in the course of some appropriate remarks. He referred to the great- responsibilities which were involved in connection with the administration of the various local bodies. There were many local body members whose names would live long in the history of the districts for which they had worked.

THE AIAYOR ON PROGRESS. The Alayor (Ain AV. D. Lysnar), who responded, commenced by paying a tribute to tlie Alinister for visiting the district, and he also expressed regret that Air. R. AA r . Holmes, Engineer-in-Chief, and Air. C. E. Armstrong, Resident Engineer, were unable to be present, owing to stress of work. Dealing with the subject of the toast, Air. Lysnar said that a great deal undoubtedly depended upon how the public affairs of a nlace were handled. AVhile he would not say that public men could spoil the progress of a district, he would say that they could very considerably retard it. He hoped to see in the future a more progressive attitude taken up, and that public. men wpuld show a 'greater appreciation of the strength that was in them. They should proceed on sound lines, and see that they got full value for every pound spent. It was true that up to the present local bodies had not pulled together, but he hoped Jor a change in lit arenef Jr y.kkXJu a change in the near future, when the district would be lifted out of its old rut and placed in a proper and. progressive way. He did not approve of the suggestion that public men should fall in with popular ideals; at times they must go dead against them. It was very easy to drift with the tide, but it was' often necessary to battle against it. In the affairs of the borough of which he was the head, he looked for no blind followers, but men who would come to the poll and state their reasons for what they believed, and back their reasons up. They in Gisborne would require to look out, or, with the development of roads and railways that was going on, they would not be able to keep pace with the requirements of the district. In conclusion, Air. Lysnar advocated the necessity for an outer harbor, remarking that deducting 10 per cent, of to-day’s, value of the dredging plant, for depreciation, etc., it was costing the people £16,000 a year for the work in the inner harbor, while from plans and specifications thev had it could be seen that it would only require £2500 per annum more for an outer harbor. He hoped to see the works of the borough carried to a successful issue and make the place worth living in, so that in the near future they might all enjoy to the fullest extent the advantages of living in one of the best climates of the Dominion. “Agricultural and Pastoral Interests” was the next toast. Air. AV. L. Clayton, who ‘proposed it, said that the old pioneers had heartbreaking experiences. Few town residents, could realise the miseries which the back-blocks settlers had to endure. He hoped that isolation as far as this district was concerned would soon be a thing of the nnst. Mr. Clavton went on to say that he greatly appreciated the com monsense remarks ’’which bad been made by the Hon. R. AlcKenzie that evening. As to defence lie would noint out that most of the South African coutingenters were the sons of settlers. Though following the arts of peace they had with credit to themselves and their country turned their plough shares into swords when a time of trouble came. No other toast than that with which he was entrusted was entitled to be more heartily honored. . Mr. J. B. Kells responded, instancing the fact that in the last twelve vears the exports of the place bad doubled, and expressing the opinion that with the careful development going on they would be again doubled in the corresponding period to come. - “OUR GUESTS” HONORED. The Chairman then proposed the toast of “Our Guests.” In a reminiscent speeoh he outlined the efforts that had been made twenty-five years ago to have the district opened up, but stated that then thev could get nothing done. He felt sure’ they were all delighted to welcoine the Alinister for Public AVorks to the district, and also His Honor Mr.Justice Chapman. The, Hon. R. McKenzie, in reply, once again thanked those present for their kindly reception, and in the course of a happy speech gave his hearers some instances of the humorous side of receiving deputations in the country. He was always pleased, he said in conclusion, to come to Gisborne, and would always, be equally glad to do anything in his power to assist the develnoment of this rich district. Mr Justice Chapman said that it was a great nlensure to him to he present at the function. He could not help re-