THE WARSHIP.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1729, 21 April 1913, Page 8

THE WARSHIP.

\ SATURDAY'S GREAT CRUSH.

THOUSANDS ON BOARD.

: OFFICERS & "THE ORPHANS."

The fine weather of Saturday and Sunflay offered porfect . conditions for sightseeing on tho warship, and during these two days, when tho battle-cruiser was open for inspection, thousands of people, including big contingents from tho country schools, journeyed across the few hundred yards of blue water that separates the New Zealand from the shore. In fact, so great was tho crowd on Saturday afternoon that hundreds of peoplo were unable to gat on board tho ferry steamers. Tho school contingents which visited the warship on Saturday w.ero from; along'..the Manawatu line from Ngaio as. far As ,Lin-, ton, in addition to which were somo_from and Foxtort. -

A number of members of Parliament visited the warship on Saturday morning, and in the afternoon a big -contingent of Boy Scouts went on board ( on a tour of inspection. TO-DAY'S EVENTS. Captain Halsey's engagements for toiiay are fairly numerous I .' In tho forenoon lie will meet- members of ' the Wellington anil Wellesley Clubs, tho adult members of. the . Navy: League, and the niembei'9 of the various committees of the citizens' fete. ,

The Masterton district schools will arrive in town at 10.50 a.m. to-day,. leave for the boat at 11.30, return to wharf at 1 p.m., and leave for ltome at 3.20 p.m. T he children from the north of Masterton ns far as Hukanui .will arrive at. 12.50 p.m., leave for the boat at 1.30 p.m., return at 3 p.m., and leave for homo at 5.20 p.m. ; .

Tho children from Catholic schools will also visit,the vessel to-day' at 2.30 p.m. by the Tutanekai....

At 9.30 a.m. somo of the officers will be taken over the Minimal' borough by motor, under the conduct of tho Mayor of Miramar. '' . ''

In the afternoon 200. of the ship's com- ■ pany will -be taken across to Day's Bay, ns- tho guests of tho Wellington Ferry Company. i This evening, the'officers of the warship ... and 150 of the men will attend the performance of 'Tho Blue' Bird" at, the ! ' Opera House. , . ! '• BUSY EXCURSION.STEAMERS. Yesterday was another busy day on board tho warship, and in the afternoon ; the crowd , was probably a • record of adults to date. Tho weather tempted somo thousands of citizens abroad and everybody's • thoughts appeared to carry them in the direction of the. warship. . In spite of. the fact that the steamers ; Duchess, Cobar, Admiral, and Pilot, and ; the launches Moturoa and Waitara were ■ steaming to-and fro as fast as they, could load and_ unload, there always appeared to be a waiting crowd on the jetty. On ! -board the warship there was barely room L to move, every quarter being crowded with visitors from the shore. On several occasions it is stated women and children .. were, overcomo in the crush, and had to /. . receive a simple, course of first , aid. It .' 'is also reported that the denso crowd enabled tho enterprising pick-pocket to ; ' ply his 'illegal calling. At least two losses } of purses are said, to have taken place. INSTITUTE CONCERT. A concert party from H.M.S. New Zealand gave # an entertainment ill the Seamen's Institute on Saturday night in aid of tho Missions to Seamen. Tho Rev. A. :\l. Johnson welcomed Lieutenant Garsia f aud his party in a speech, that was'pat- ; , riotic and humorous by turns, and after Lieutenant Garsia had acknowledged tho ; . welcome the fun began. Tho programme ' was by no means all comic, ;l>r the sailormen retained very well their reputation 1 for versatility, The band opened with a selection of operatic music, and then .< there followed a comic song by Stewart (stoker) and then a good song by Good--1 . man (shipwright). The latter lias a fino baritone voice, which he uses with tasto and effect.. Ball (stoker) and -Smith ! . (stoker) appeared, in a song and dance net, which was very amusing,; and Petty ' Officer Prince mado music with a con- ;-. certina. Tho Handcuff King (Blackmore, [ A.B'.) mystified everybody with' his act. In the second-half of the programme, tho i "Onward Hornpipe Party", danced a i sailor's'hornpipe with "much dash and / vigour, and Bombardier Cooper, a man ; . of mirth, sang a comic song, "Royal • Jlarine." Tho chorus was sung with i great enthusiasm, and the song made a fitting end to* a fine programme. Other contributors were:—Edwards, E.R.A., i Pte. Copp, Macdonald, E.E.A., and Mugford. E.K.A. At the conclusion of the entertainment, Mr. W. E. Cocks,, t tho mis- : sioner, thanked Liteutenant Garsia and his . men for the very good programmo they had provided, and tho audience ac- ! corded thanks by acclamation.'

ORPHANS' CLUB WELCOME. •. TO CAPTAIN AND OFFICERS. Not a 'single available seat ros vacant nt the Town Hall >on Saturday ovening, when, tho Wellington Orphans' Club enter-, tained Captain' Halsey, commander of H.M.S. New Zealand, and his officers. Incidentally the occasion was the opening ■night of the club's season,- "anil also "Ladies' Night," and these factors, taken together ■ with the special "object" of the function—the welcome to the naval officers —caused a big run on tho tickets, and inspired tho members of the Executive Committee to excel themselves. The result was one of the best entertainments in tho club's brief history.Tho, gay festoons that adorned the esilings of the ihall, the. ferns and other decorative plants that ornamented the platform, and the evening dress of the Orphans, their ladies, and their guests, invested the sccno with the spirit of a festival. Captain Il'alsey and his officers were received in tho main vestibule by Colonel R. J. Collins, C.M.Or., president of tho club, and'at the door of'the hall by. a lusty-throated party of Orphans, who sang an ode of welcome.a-3 their guests'passed through. Tho orchestra (under Orphan M'Laughliii) then led off " with. Von . Suppo's popular overture, "Light Cavalry," and the programme was carried through with n swing. Host of the items convoyed a. .whiff of tlio sea, as was fitting to the occasion. Orphan C. V. Mohr's, •Ml!,", "Umpiro of the Sea," was sturdily sung, his singing being enhanced by the Drchfstral accompaniment. The Wellington Liodertafel, conducted by Mr. Robt. Parker, contributed one of tho best itema :>f the -evening—a selection from C. Villiers Stanford's setting of Henry Newbold's "Songs of the Fleet." Tho selection included "Sailing at Dawn" (baritone nolo and ehorlis—solo by Mr. Hugh Wright), "Tho Song ofl tho Son'-Wester" /baritone solo and chorus—solo by Mr. i\ V. Waters), and "The Little Admiral" (baritone solo and chorus—solo by Mr. W. H. Warren). Of tho three, certainly the most inspiriting, and that .showing both author and composer at their best, ■jvas "The Little Admiral":

Stand by to reckon up your battleships, Ten, twenty, thirty, there they go. Brag about your cruisers, liko leviathans— . , A thousand men apiece down below. But here's juaj on® little Admiral, _ We're all of us liis brothers and his Amfho's worth, 0 he's worth at tho very least, • Doublo all your tons and all your guns. Both soloists and choma gave a fine bTiivura performance of the glowing stanzas, and wero heartily applauded. Another performance of note was the "nori." peruperu, and haka ( Battle "War Dane*," and "Spur to Wattle"), by, a party of young clueftama of tho Nativo race. The spirit o£ this rlpo was appropriate to the occasion. The "NeTi." ll'iil to the treasure that .is ours, the ' Great War Canoe, Bring her here to the Great City, Wellington; , May slio ever be strong m War, Anil may fortune jest lYith hor always.

The "Peruperu." i Let us put forth our might, . Behold! Havo wo not the great Monster of the Sea, Who glides on his majestic course, Laughing his foes to scorn.

Tho "Haka." Arise, ye braves! Be over watchful lest you are surprised

That traitors he nigh; To-<lay is yours—to-morrow you aro lost. Charge to tho battle—chargo to the battle, Ris« in your strength, Victwy is yours and honour is won.

Tho performance itself was as praiseworthy as was tho patriotism that inspired he sentiments, and it is doubtful whether tho naval officers will see anything better of tho kind in their travels round Now Zealand. Others items included a laughable recitation by Orphan Zachariah, entitled "Clarence's Dream," to which much amusing effect was added by tho performer's use of a pseudo wocden arm; a tenor solo, "Littlo Maori Jlaiden," by - Orphan .Fletcher (encored); a display of conjuring and kindred mystifications by Orphan Samuel; Orphan J. Culford Bell's dramatic recitation, "Henry V"; a solo by Orphan Clavkson; "Rule Britannia" (by Orphan Molir and the orchestra) ; and a selection from "Maritana" by tho orchestra. ■ Mr. Herbert Bloy, who was to have contributed a violin solo, was unable to be present, boing indisposed.

During an interval iu the entertainment the president of the club (Colonel Collins) expressed the pleasure it afforded tho Orphans to extend, their hospitality to Captain Halsey arid' his officers. The bat-tle-cruiser, he said, had been tho inspiration of a. wave .of Imperial patriotism all over tho British Dominions, and tho presence of such a large gathering in the Town Hall that evening was an indication of public sentiment towards the Dominion's gift ship and cordiality towards her officers and men. 1 '

On rising to respond Captain Halsey was Rieeted with a great burst of cheering >ahd the rousing chorus, "For They are Jolly Good Fellows." Captain Halsey remarked, whimsically, that he felt rather a blot upon the stage—he could not nor recite, nor dance, and had come unprepared for a speech. (Laughter.) However, he wished to thank them and tho people of Wellington from tho bottom of his heart for the magnificent reception which they had'iaccorded them, and for tho very great kindness with which he and his men- had everywhere been treated. (Applause.) After tlieir stirring performance tho Maori party was presented to Captain Halsey. A"SOCCER" MATCH.

JACK TABS AND LANDSMEN. A very interesting, if not very scientific, game of "soccer" football was played at the Basin Reserve on Saturday afternoon between a team of Jack Tars from H.M.S. New Zealaud and a team of landsmen representing somo. of tho Association football Clubs in Wellington. Tho contest was distinctly ,one-sided, tho man'-o-wars-mcn being defeated by !) goals to 1. Judging by tlieir footwork and general style of play tho naval men were well up in- the finer points of the game, but lack of opportunities for training told on their combination. _ Thus it befell that the merits of their tactics and individual play were largely discounted by the lack of cohesion in attack, an inadequate understanding between the wing players and the centre,'two factors which constantly laid their advancing lines open to a break through by t'hedr opponents. The Wellington. team was superior in the two essentials wherein, .as above stated, tho nien-o'-warsinen were deficient, and this superiority more than coriipensated for a number of palpable shortcomings in individual form and stylo of play. The forwards and halves kept their moving lines steady and unbroken, while the centreing from the wings was accurate and well timed.

In the first spell tho going was rather sloiv, both sides taking somo time to getwarmed.up to tho game. As soon as each side had tested the strength of the opposition, the game brightened up' a little, and Wellington began to run up a scor-ing-account that read s—o when tho spell ended—Gibson (2), Hughes (1), Barnett (1), and Phillips (1), bsing the scorers. When' the second spell opened, the man-o'-warsmen moved 'with better / combination, and, playing cautiously,- outmanoeuvred ■ their opponents for onoe, and scored. After that tlieir ill-luck once more set in, and for tho remainder of the game Wellington had the advantage, scoring four more goals to their credit—Barnett (1), and Hughes (3). Mr. :Arthur Newbold acted ' as referee for the match, Vrhich was witnessed by about 500 spectators. • By way . of a curtain-raiser, a fourth division match, was played between Y.M.C.A. and South Wellington, teams, tho latter winning, by a fluke, by 2 goals to one. On general form, both sides were very evenly matched, and by all the rules of war it Should have been a drawn battle, but a Y.M.C.A. player happened to bo gazing elsewhere at a critical moment when the ball struck one of his own side and bounced between the posts, thus putting South Wellington a goal ahead. Mr. J. Hutcheson was the referee.

A match has been arranged between tho Wellington 'Tramway Football Club and a picked'team from the New Zealand. This match will bo played at Newtown Park this afternoon.

Among tho many visitors to the battlecruiser New Zealand on Saturday were somo 600 juvenile members of tho Navy League. This number was composed of pupils from Wellington, St. Patrick's, and Girls' Colleges, and Miss Babers's school. The party wcro taken out by the Amokura and were received on tho warship by Lieutenant North, under whose guidanco they spent an interesting and' instructive time.