H.M.S. NEW ZEALAND.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1700, 17 March 1913, Page 5

H.M.S. NEW ZEALAND.

4 VISIT OF INSPECTION. SOME INTERESTING SPEECHES. ( London, February 4. His Majesty's ship New Zealand, which is to le-avc Portsmouth on Thursday oil a voyago round tho world, was visited yesterday by a party of nearly three hundred New Zcaianders, who (travelled from Waterloo by a special train provided by ■ tlio London and South-Western liailway Company. Tho spedial train drew up nlongsido tho battle-cruiser New Zealand, which was bertlved alongside the South Jetty in tho Dockyard, nnd when the High Commissioner and the Defence Minister went on boaj-d they were received bv Captain Lionel, Halscy, who is in command of the ship, and a guard of honour was drawn up on tho'quartor-deck. After tho visitors ;vere seated under a canvas awning covering- the quarter-deck. Captain IlaJsey formally introduced tho High Commissioner to _ the assembled com-' pany, after which Commander Henry 15. Grace (commander of his Majesty's ship' Zealand) introduced (ho High Commissioner to the senior petty officers individually. High Commissioner's Address. Mr. Mackenzie, after remarking: "Overhead, above tho arms of the 'Dominion,' .vou will observe the figure of the British lion aud the Union Jack floating proudly over all"—(loud cheers)—went on to say that ho would ever feel proud of having boon a member of Sir Joseph Ward's Gov. ?rnmont which had decided to olTer the battleship (o the Navy of. the Empire.! (Hear, hear.) The following was the cablegram making the presentation": "New" Zenmud Government offers to the British Ciovcrnment at least one (and if necessary two) hrst-class battleshins of the Dreadnought or latest types." To Hint Dominion belonged the honour of havimr lx>en the lirst to make tho definite offer of a ship. (Hear, hear.) Of course, they were proud that New Zealand calne firpt, but Australia" quickly followed, and was nowi having a Fleet of her own. (Hear, hear.) Then came the proposed gift of Canada— (cheers)—and he was sure thot South Africa, so ably represented by Sir Hichard Solomon, India, and other portions of tho' Empire would do their nart right well n't tho right time, such as the Malay States were now doing. (Cheers.) The long voyage upon which this shin was about, to set out was of more than "ordin- . ary importance; it was a great demonstration. It showed that England, by. trusting her overseas possessions and giving them tile power of self-govermnont and _ tho privilego of working out their destinies on lines which, in their opinion, were best suited to their circumstances, received from them their willing nnd spontaneous support of Empire—(hear hear)—whereas when it was attempted to forco from the colonies of North America a contribution towards defence, that attempt cost us those important possessions. (Hear, hear.) •' .Force to be Reckoned With, This voyage was also an indication as well as a tiwnonstralioii. It indicated to any. ambitious, envious rival that the Mother Country coulit not be threatened or menaced without his having to reckon with the Daughter States—(loud' cheers)— ior the x "Hands oil !" would come from tho cannon's mouth oil behalf of these daughters. (Hear, hear.) This ship typified the power ot our Empiro at sea. Many a time and off. in. times gone by had the Navy stood between Britain and humiliation, if not annihilation. Our power at sua must never be successfully challenged, for the oCean ' was our highway and our freedom, and . should- tho i\avy ever'lis unequal to the task ot maintaining our supremacy, wo should then becoiiio the victims of tho. sea. Napoleon stated that if he had six hours' freedom of the Channel, tho empire of the world would be his. Tlmt/frecdom. must nevpr be given to anyone. The meteor flag of England must still float proudly on, \ bacaiLse it represented the pcaco of tho world and civilisation. It is the emblem of personal freedom and liberty, as firm as. the earth and as wide as. tho.sea." (Hear, hear.) New Zealand, in common -with other possessions, was exceedingly anxious that the Navy of our Empire' should be equal to any challenge. They realised that in times past the deponitcncies of countries had been constantly exchanged to meet the exigencies .ofj war irtfd settlement. They, in the Dominions, did not wish to'become mere pawns on tho chessboard, but wanted-to bo unitedly strong-, and effectively defended. The Dominions! must stand together; they'must feel the enormous power of Britain Whind them, Britain, on the other hand, must feel that; the yauthfuV, sinews of her Dominions' were daily becoming stronger, and that to tho'extent of their ability those Dominions would be with her. (Cheers.) The words of Kipling, tho lines addressed from Britain to the Overseas Possessions, fitted this situation: . Also,'wu' will multe So long as The Blood endures, 1 shall know that your good is mine; yo shall feel that my strength is yours; In the,, day of 'Armageddon, at the'last great .fight,of all,: . That Our' House stand together aiid the pillars'do not fall. >. ■' In conclusion, he wished tho captain, officers;' and. crew a prosperous voyage, nnd hoped that, they :mi,dit retum homo to this country in. health and ivitli a wealth of achievement. (Cheers.) Captain Halsey returned thanks on ljelmlf of the officers, non-commissioned officers, and crew. He said that the New Zealand was a great ship .-and she -was the great gift of a great Dominion—(hear, hear)—and he asked the people of that Dominion to accept his. hearty .'.congratulations on being the first to give the Empire a battleship. '(Cheers.) The New Zealand was the, first ship paid-for by a Dominion and given as a free gift to tho Royal Navy. (near,, hear.) "Your trust in us," added Captain Halsey, addressing the New Zealanders present, "will bo confidently held by us, and if the day should over come when we have to perform that duty for which this magnificent ship is designed wo shall carry out the_ duty laid upou us in tho way that will justify your faith in us "and our country's reliance upon us. (Cheers.) Wo hnve your honour in our hands and wo will keep it safe and unsullied." (Chcprs.) Mr. Allen's Speech. Colonel Allen, at Captain Halsey's irquest, also addressed the company. He said lie. was proud, as Defcnce Minister, to have this opportunity of )i:irtii!ii)iitini! in tho send-off to this great ship,which ill n day or iwo would bo leaving iheso Homo waters for another part of the Empire, which he honed would be,' some day, the New Zealand's home water also. (Hear, hear.) If the Mother Country wanted more ships he'was,there to tell them Oml. they would be given. (Loud cheers,) They, . ill the Oversea Dominions, were determined that as far as it lay in their power they would keep tho Flag, which meant so much to them, (lying all over tho world. (Cheers.) Those who had not been in (ho Dominions did not perhaps fully realiso how nnxions the people in those countries ivero that the safety of tho Pacific should be as assured as that of tho North Sea. (Hear, hear.) The day must come whin New Zealand, Australia, and all the oilier Dominions impinging on the Pacific Oceans must, put their heads together to devise a scheme that would ,■ensure th« safety of tho Pacific, and put theirhands into thoir pockets to finance it. (Hear, hear.) In ihe meantime they must depend upon tho British Navy, but ho for one would not bo satisfied until tho .Dominions not only gave more ships to that Navy, but moro men to man them, (Cheers.) Tho Dominion ho represented was only a young country, and it was not yet able to do all it desired to do, bu.' the conviction was growing stronge" among the people of that Dominion |liar. it was not. sufficient that Oicy contributed mnterial; they .must contribute to. tho manhood of the Imperial Navy. (Cheers.) New Zealand blood was British blood; Britain's traditions Were also New Zea- ' laud's traditions, and they wore held n s sacred by New Zealanders as by Britons. (Cheers.) He valued Captain Itnlsoy's assurance that Iho honour of New ZonjanA was in his hands and in tho hands of his brother officers and crew, and he (the , speaker) did not 'doubt. that tho trust would bp worthily fulfilled. .(Cheers.) Speeches were also delivered by Sir Hichard Solomon, High Commissioner for Smith Africa, Admiral Favkes, aud Captain Scddon, who presented a silver cup ( In be competed for annually by the ship'-; i boats' crews, nnd n framed photograph of i tho late Air, Seddon, i