The following is an excerpt from a 3 March 1885 newspaper, digitised by the State Library of Queensland.
(SUBHEAD)
The Premier and the Minister for Works at Stanthorpe
“As promised in our last issue we give below the speeches delivered by the Hon. S. W.
Griffith and the Hon. W. Miles at Stanthorpe on Thursday last; the latter has a special interest for our town readers.
The Premier, on rising to respond to the toast of ‘the Ministry’, was received with a loud cheer.
He said: ‘Mr. Noble, Mr. President, and Gentlemen, -in rising to thank you for the cordial manner in which you have received the toast of the Ministry, I will not detain you long, because this is a luncheon and not a formal dinner, and long speeches would probably be out of place; more than that, the time of many of us is limited.
But there are a few things, I should like to say to you before sitting down, and first let me express the pleasure I feel at being here today.
I am sorry his Excellency the Governor was not able to come.
I communicated with him last week, and he expressed his regret.
Noble gave us great credit for three good qualities.’”
The 1880s were part of the tin/mining boom in the region:
1885: Miners find it more lucrative on railway construction than on tin fields.
Government offers amounts of 250 pounds if an equal amount is expended by the prospector to forest interest in prospecting.
