H.M.S. NEW ZEALAND.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1668, 7 February 1913, Page 5

H.M.S. NEW ZEALAND.

. INSPECTION BY. THE KING. ! EVE OF DEPARTURE. INTERESTING INCIDENTS. i Br Tdearaoli-Pr«si AMoolaUon-OoDyriirht . . London, February 5. n : His Majesty the'. King'to-day paid his s visit of inspeotion 'to 'the gift battle- a cruiser New Zealand at Portsmouth, prior I to, the vessel's departure for New Zealand, t Admiral Sir Hedworth Meux, K.C.8., c Commander-in-Chief at Portsmouth, and 4 RonrrAdmiral Herbert Leopold . Heath,- t Superintendent of Portsmouth Dockyard, c received hi 9 Majesty on his arrival., J The King was accompanied by Sir i Joseph Ward (Prime Minister of Now 6 Zealand when • the gift of the. vessel was a made);it'the'. Hon. .Thomas Mackenzie t (High Commissioner- for New Zealand), I the Hon. James Allen (Now Zealand Min- i ister for-Defence), the Eight Hon. Win- I ston Churchiir(First Lord of the Admir-- c alty), the Eight Hon.. Lewis /Harcpurt 1 (Secretary of -State for the Colonies), the 1 Eight Hon. <T.• J. Macnamara - (former! i Parliamentary';; Secretary.' to -the .'Admir- ( alty),'yice'-Atlmiral Sir John Eushworth, 1 Jellicoe (commanding the Second Squad- ' ion), Prince Louis Alexander of Batten- t berg (personal, ; aide-de-c(imp to the King and a Lord, Commissioner of the*Admir-- c alty), and others!•'■-. :"■'-:: '.': , ...j-. \ The King devoted, over an hour on a" general tour of the ship, and was par- * fcicularly interested in the barbette,'where , the. crew'operated the 12-inch guns and , also the gyroscope coinpasi. His Majesty: ; was greatly, amused at the decorations : of : the^gun'-room,: which somewhat resembled. | a, lady's .boudoir. •'•''.'..-'. '"'''■■'. ■ "'■'■ - :.-. Before leaving, his Majesty' was" photo- , graphed 'amidst' the New Zealand's offi- : i cers, and he expressed to Captain Halsey,- : (commander, of,:the. New .Zealand) his. gratification, and wished the officers an ': enjoyable voyage. ''■■ *~'■' M .'."■■-..' ... j The New, Zealand-born officers'and men '] on ; the New Zealand -weije presented,' to the-King.'.- ' . ;■. V,': :.;.;i': -•'- '",.'. •:/ ';''■„ AN OF, POMP/ '? ; ': '< ":']:':■: INTEEESTI.NG INCIDENTS. : V>\ ( y''[:'•,"■ (Eeo. February' 6, ; 9.35,p.m.) ..-,' 'J- ' ;V ; V'.; .;;|.- ; ; ','.; ; '. London, 1 February.'6. '. ; There was,'a complete-, absence of '■ pomp. ' and.>■ ceremony -in connection • .with; ,the' '•': visit to 'the New Zealand.' ■..•: "'■■"■.'• ij',. : His,:Majesty, first .inspected 'the bakery - and examined - the white bread. He re-calledhow;-when, he; was first at sea, the. bluejqekets. hadito'.put up.'with,weevily' biscuits .and maggoty,'flour.-!'.■;',-■'',/■ ". ,-'. "'-.-■■ ,' .'..'The King-then -inspected the hydraulio loading for; the twelve-inch;guns,' which 'works; at. tho rate 'of; three rounds', a minute.. Engineer-Commander Turner also. ■showed the neW|machineTy ; ln the;engineroom., ■.'•;■,';..'. '••.■•!' ■;'';.■':' '''-.C,; :; .' ; .On seeing 'the mauve,- white,- arid green Upholstering;in .the gun-room his.Majesty; ...remarked .-thiifc it was'-more;like a -lady's •boiidpir; :^ 'general .laughter when someone pointed but that. the. upholstery was; in,-the,suf l - l ' fragette colours.' ! . .';';'"-; r:!^-:-.^*.-**'?■.' ' '.- The crew introduced the ship's mascot, . ■% bull pup named Pelorus Jack.' l '•.';■ . '- .'..The,!King\ ; wasrphotographfed''"ibeneath''.' the! shield bearing the New Zealand arms: i. inspected 1 the ' jiron Duke;: Fifth^and'thi).',: Queen 'Elizabeth;; the "latter -of -which 'is -asyetan inert.masS-of ribs and plates.• Be.then.visited-the floating dock and the : jlatest; submarine.;':;' ; - : . ; NO';EMPTy. ( FbRWALITY;; : " : ■'' : A, SOimClJ OR PEIDB'TO ALL' 1 ,';.:,/-:;■..;. v : ;BETTpNS. / •,:,::' |':>:-'?;.'(Be& Tebru'ary, 7, ,0.20 a.m.):.: ' '■'.-■'' : ' ■. ■■ •;>;■ -'-'~' London, February 6. '■ ; ; /^e;' , D^l^:lele6rap'l» , '..Sßys the. King's, inspection, was no.empty formality for a! practical "sailor ■ is .-now ,the, inheritor .of ■ the. wardenship of the'seven seas. The New. Zealand «is; an emblem of a hew era,, tho.'nrst 'gift: of the. daughter-lands to: the. Navy,-qn which' every.lmperial, interest', depends. The, vessel: is i source, of pride' to every. Englishman, and the subject: of , amazement:to'those who thought to wrest Britain's sea supremacy.:'' ! The/ -New Zealand will carry British ideate' of efficiency ground the globe, and she ; will be charged', With the aspirations of the Empire; which is-searching for.mearia of translating, the proverb. that union, is strength into terms' that the worlcl-wiiruriderstand..,' /■' '■■'. • •"' THE NEW ZEALAND'S PEOPEE" ::■,;;.;, , :^:.'':.place.. : ';.;;■; ; ■'■;■.•;,• ■ ' •'''':.:.';''-: "' London,' February 5! ! ; The "Graphic", says; that the, battleship. New' Zealand's proper.place is.as a-unit, of the Paoific fleet, and not; standing;in; lieu of. a.ship which-ought to be built by* the Home Government .'.■'-.,. t':' 'AIISTBALMN .COMMENT.: '■ ,',:■-,. -, Sydney,-February 6. , The."Daily Telegraph" 'says: "The Empire's grateful recognition jof New Zealand's.action in presenting » battle-cruiser is '.another; example of the large-hearted: manner,; in- which the colonies are treated ; by; the Mother Country. -' We "have just. as.much -it stake upon Great Britain rev taining command of the sea as any other' portion,of the Empire; yet; when.action' ; is to be taken to show that we realise the'justice—not, to -.Speak of policy—of. talcing the'share of the burden belonging to! us, British "public .opiraion expresses ; itself as if we. were conferring somefavopr onyifhe Empire, which would willingly have gone.cn providing for, our. defenceWhether we:did.so or. hot,. xln,.strengtheningths arirt'of the Empire in the North Sea we aro simply making provision, pro tanto, for our,own safety. 'It is ah Min-. ontly praotical thing to, do, but tbat it • involved any 7 special display of an altruistlo spirit which one might imagine from ■the comments by some sections of the British press is somewhat difficult 1 to, dis- ' cerh.".. ■', ■'■■; '" ■ -'"■',; . ;.