THE NAVY LEAGUE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1302, 4 December 1911, Page 9

THE NAVY LEAGUE.

ADMIRAL WELfcOMED. THE ANNUAL DEMONSTRATION. ; Tho annual demonstration of the Wellington branch of tho Navy Leaguo was hold in the big Town Hall on Saturday night. His Excellency Admiral lungIlaJl, of tho Australian Squadron, was present, with other officers of H.M.S. Powerful, which is now in port. Thero were also present Major-Genornl Godley and a number of tho officers of the General Staff of the Wellington Garrison. Welcome to Admiral King-Hall. Mr. J. B. Harcourt, president of the Wellington branch of the league, was in the chair, and upon him devolved tho duty of tendering tho league's wclcomo to Admiral King-Hall ou this his first visit to Wellington as Admiral of the Australian Squadron. It was not, as Mr. Harcourt said, tho first visit of Admiral KingHall to Wellington, for he had been here 45 years ago, when tho population of tho town was about 7000 people. Tho chairman tool; the opportunity to thank the officers of tho Powerful, who are shortly to return Home, for tho very liberal assistance given by them to the Navy 1 League. The Admiral's Speech. Admiral King-Hall acknowledged tho compliment paid him, and thanked the chairman on behalf of the Old Powerfuls who were going llomo for,liis kind references to them. Himself a member of the Navy League, ho was glad to bo present at a meeting qf "the Navy Leaguers, and he had been much struck by the. interest shown'in the Navy by tho branches of the league in New Zealand." Ho thought the Navy League deserved support. Its object was. to educate and inform everybody, old and.yoiing, as to the importance of tho Imperial Fleet to the Empire. Any .thinking person.who looked at,the. international situation to-day and cpnBidcred -past, history would see that our Empire was dependent on the fleet for its very existence and safety. Ho hoped that there would be many recruits from New Zealand for tho ship Dominion which this country'had presented to tho Navy. There wore now some 140 New Zealandcrs in tho fleet, but that number could well be increased. ,-.:■• Ho . was particularly . pleased . to . see among the audience' a number of our' old voterans, in ono ; .of whom, Mr.-Walton, he had .'a special, interest.in .that many, many years ago Mr. Walton had served with his (the Admiral's) father, in, the Russian, and the China wars. Tho work of the Navy League out hero in New, Zealand, had, it seemed to him, borne more.fruit than in any other part of tho Empire, for ho believed the. people of New Zealand were reallv alive to the fact .that .the existence of the Empire depends on, (ho Navy being, supreme and having command oi the sea. "I. ask .you young people to join the league and to become. Navy Leaguers," he concluded.. "You young people will inherit an Empire such as the world has never seen, and we look to you to keep •this; Umpire united and strong. You can do it by holding high, conceptions and nigh ideals; and working for thorn. .If ,you do that thero is no fear about the future of this Empire to which we all nave, the honour to belong." The Entertainment. Tho entertainment part of the pro- : gramme consisted partly of kineraatograph views of some of the. wcll-kncw* ships, of the fleet and of blueiackets at work at sea and ashore. The title; of the films were -.-"British Wnrshins of Today," "Bluejackets Training," "Swedish Drill, Whale Island," ."Launch'of JUL Dominion," "Scenes from Turco-Italian War,"- and "When Jack has got his Pay." Music incidental to the pictures was supplied by tho flagship's orchestra. The second half of tho, programme' was supplied almost entirely bv, man-of-warsmen. A novel item was that provided by ' Stoker Penny, "The Knot' King." Twice , ho wa3 trussed up with stout rope by membors of the audience, but each'time . he released himself from apparently hopeless bonds with comparative case. The ' other items supplied by bluejackets were 1 comic songsaud sketches; In'tho-course 1 of tho evening tho prizes awarded < to yonnjr' members of the Nnvv''League who had been-.successful in the'annual ' essay competitions v.-ero presented. ..,