PRESENTATION OF FLAGS

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 792, 15 April 1910, Page 9

PRESENTATION OF FLAGS

WELLINGTON (N.Z.) TO ■WELLINGTON (ENGLAND). - On Monday morning, at the Terrace School, the flags (Union Jacks) subscribed for by the pupils of Wellington schools for presentation to the schools', of AVellington (England), were dnly saluted. This week they are to be- forwarded to their destination. / Accompanying them is the folloiving letter:— ' "The Mayor of Wellington, England. Dear Sir,—The pupils of tho public schools of the City of Wellington, New Zealand; have recently procured,a: Union Jack for presentation to the public schools of your. city, and we now have the pleasure of forwarding this flag to your care, with this covering letter of explanation. ... 1 "Our 'Wellington' was named after the ffimqus field-marshal, and not after any particular town in the Homeland; but the identity of name is quite a'sufficient reason for the :desire ,to get into closer touch with the 'Wellington' in the British Isles. ■.. '~ . .

"The sentiment which prompts this gift of a flag from school children to school children is an excellent ono, and one to be cultivates in the risinff generation' in all the scattered Stares and Dominions of our Empire. , . "Young New Zealanders are quite as loyal to that. Empire as. are the oitizens of tho Old Country, and. they, realise quite as keenly tho necessity for its continued unity and continued progress; tho 13,000 miles of seaway .intervening forni no barrier to their lively interest in the welfare of their fellow-citizens in the British Isles. . ; ..

"When our New. Zealand.flag is flyijisf, from the flagstaffs of our "schools,..our'.' young people's thouEthtsare directed there-, by—not only to New: Zealand, their,natiya| land—but also,to the.British Isles,"for in' the corner of our national flag,, prominently displayed,-Is "the''.Union Jack...'. So would we 'wish that those who are young-, in Great Britain should' sometimes have their thoughts directed-to the fact; that there is another Britain at. the Antipodes in ; which they ought to be interested; and a race Browing up under southern sides which has, on more than one occasion, shown its willingness to make sacrifices for the Empire, and which', cherishes, the sentiment that it is not for-, gotten ,in the Homeland, of the race. It is not without significance that the Young Australian and the Young New Zealander who have never seen, and who probably: never will see,, the historic islands in the North Atlantic, constantly, refer to thd British Isles as 'Home.' ■ .

"We are proud of our Motherland and its history— -liopeful of o* own future as a portion of the Empire; and anxious that our children and your children should grow up resolved to stand by each other in whatever, times of trial tho future may have fqr us. This flag which we send to you has been duly saluted by our school cadetST-cadets that form an integral part of the territorial' forces or our Dominion; and now, on behalf of tho children of Wellington, New Zealand, we bes to remain, in terms of loyalty and affection, yours, etc"