A FAREWELL LECTURE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 416, 27 January 1909, Page 8

A FAREWELL LECTURE.

LIEUTENANT KNOX AND THE NAVY. SOME REMARKS BY LORD PLTJNKET. A farewell lecture was: delivered in the Town Hall by Lieutenant H. T. C. Knox, late -R.N.j last .evening, under the- auspices of the Wellington branch . of the Navy. League.. His Excellency.-the Governor attended, and there were also present the; Hon. Dr. Findlay (chairman) and Mrs. Findlay, Captain. Miller, of, the . Pioneer, Colonel Tuison, Captain Horne, R.N., ; Captain Hall, Major Hume, Archbishop Redwood, Bishop Wallis and Mrs. Wallis, Father Hickson, the I Rev. ,Wm. Shirer.' ■ ~ At the request of the chairman, the audience stood while, the first- few :bars of the I "Dead March iii Saul" were played in;mein- | ory of the Encounter's men drowned recently m Sydney Harbour. Dr. Findlay mentioned .that, some of_ these inen had taken a promihent part in the last Navy League fuhctioit held in Wellington. ; ..' - Dr. Findlay introduced •: Lieutenant ;En<ix» as one of tho sturdiest and best friends the Navy League possessed anywhere.' He agreed with their visiter that real Imperialism, began; in seeing that the main ; bulwark cif. our defences—the navy—was, capable of meeting the combined navies of any other two nations. ■■

Lieutenant Knox was greeted with enthusiastic applause. He said that' at the. timeof his departure from England he was not by any means but now he had the ■best of health. At .tuis his last lecture he wished'to express thanks to tbe Rail-svay Department/to. the Union Steam Ship Company, to the press, and to Mr. C. W. Palmer, hon. sec. of the Wellington branch of the Navy League, for assistance accorded him. He had spoken on; 25; platforms in New Zealandj and was gratified at the , interest taken in: the Navy League; His chief hope was that this interest would continue and - steadily • ' . . Going on /to the subject of his 1 lecture, "The- British TjTavy Leagiie, Foreign Warships, and' Dockyards," Lieutenant Knox pointed out that he had no' to: Bay against any foreign . nation: or against any individual.. But there was no half-way house between; safety - and danger, and he never failed to urge that Britain should have a supreme fleet.- It was important to remember that in the British Isles there were 43,000 niiles of cdast-lina to guard. ■ Lieutenant Knox suggested'that the-Navy League, map of the world should be. placed in every railway station. of the Dominion. " When -one has to wait, a minute for a train, he could' do much worse , than study one of' : these maps," said the, lecturer. "But, of;course," he continued, "you never have to wait on a train in New. Zealand.: (Laughter.) Occasionally we have a few seconds .to spare in the south .of England:" (-Lieutenant Knox mentioned that this ; map, dedicated to the' children of the Empire, was more numerously distributed ■in New Zealand in proI fortion to the population than in the British I Isles. :'-.

! " I was sorry : to,see:in, the_ cablegrams," the speaker• continued,'. that it. is. proposed to reduce "the speed of 16.of,the torpedo., boat;,destroyers .!n this year's' programme from,!B3 to 27 knots per nour." He hoped that such was not the, fact, unless the reduction 'had. been, agreed to by,.the, naval experts 1 on the Board of Admiralty.' In this year's programme it . would be; necessary 't6 include two Dreadnoughts, in order that the Navy should be'maintained" at the two-Power standard.; ;! i Although peace; was ■ fairly certain, war was always a possibility. More cruisers would a}so be required, and additional torpedo boat destroyers and submarines, although in the latter class ./Britain was . now ahead of any other nation. The, Neptune. : which was being laid down this month, would cost two and a'quarter millions, and would *bo far more.powerful than ships.of the Dreadnought class. 1 . . - ■ ' . Remarking on the necessity. for adequate docking facilities in all "parts of the .world, Lieutenant Knox expressed the'opinioii; that the Calliope/Dock in Auckland might one day prove of great value to the ships of the.Nayy. He had heard the rumour—only a rumourthat some day Wellington would have a similar dock.. (Laughter.). : ; His last 'message to New Zealand' people waff: Keep; command of the sea, as. you value national,life.. With.it you can without it you will, be blotted out of the list of nations. (Applause.) .' ■; His. Excellency, the .Governor proposed a vote of thanks to Lieut. Knox.fbr his lecture, and to Mr. 'Hunt, tlfe organist. Lieut. Knox, said his Excellency, had come out frpm Home for .the good of his health, and instead of enjoying a 'test, had'taken :up active and arduous work"in the. interests of tho Navy League.- This , was an example; of a genuine •.determination one's duty. Going over British history, - commencing , with the .little Revenge; and working on to modern times, when Lord; Charles Beresford .'.behaved so heroically 'in, Egypt, there .were countless instances'of steadfastness 1 and stubborn.pbsorvance.of. duty._ (Applause.). .And Lieut.Knox, a, representative of the British :Nav'y,,' was . doing his duty, on belialf of . the Navy League. (Loud applause.) ITo was glad-to'learn'that/ as' the, result of Lieut. Knox's, efforts, five: ""new' branches, of the league had been. formed and . the activity of, the other branches ; had increased.. , (Applause.) The lantern slides included, photographs, of bur-warship's of different types, foreign, ships and ..dockyard's, together with, portraits/ ; of leaders of the Army and Navy. , ' ■ ...

• A dozen members, were added to! the roll of tho Navy League during an interval, and Mr. Horace G. Hunt played two organ solos. Mr. HardieShaw hadcharge of a lantern specially made; for'this lecture Ky Mr.' E. IX Toomath. Tho guard of honour comprised the Zealandia Rjfles, under Captaiii Corrigan, ,the College Rifles, under Evatt: and No'., 3 Company, G.A.V.,-under Captain Hume.- •