THE CALL OF EMPIRE

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2226, 12 August 1914, Page 7

THE CALL OF EMPIRE

PATRIOTIC DEMONSTRATION

CHEERING CROWD AT THE TOWN HALL ■v MONEY FLOWING IN EVIDENCE OF A"UNITED EMPIRI together at very short notfo the citizens of Wellington gave, a voi nno lead to Now. Zealand laat night I load which the-Prime Minister sail ■mas expected from this city) when great patriotic demonstration was hel in the Town Hall. Three thousand ct thusiastic patriots attended, and the- pr< ceodings were one continuous eviden< of unswerving • loyalty to the Empin The members of the Cabinet, His Hoi 1 our Mr. Justice Hosting, and niembet of the City Council wore, among thos present. The speeches were punctuate , with applause and cheerej arid reference to Britam'a allies were heartily'welcome by the big audience. Belgium, in fad got tho ■ reception of the evening. j collection taken in,tho hall totalled J!S2E which included ;E2OO ,from the Welling Provinioial Industrial Association, arid ..£IOO from. Mr.'"William Ferguson Tho.-gathering unanimously: , resolved t , nssist. the Empire's ca-Usa m' : every way and to help the. Government to that end « . The'.Mayor said thatthey were all me together, on one of the most importani occasions which had evoK stirred. thi hearts of the' Empire,-, and the gatherin; ■ was only one of very nlany which wen being held, throughout" the. British Em pire. New. Zealand and Wellington de sired to .-take : a part in'the ■ defence ol the-Empire. iThey realised,the.serious ness of .asking our boys to go to th( front, but it was.a duty. New Zealand owed ; much ; to. .the Old Country; th( people who eeUled this land were the best of the Old Land. Anyone who hac wealth 1 now had an opportunity of doing good. The boys who would goto the front would, do honour and credit to the country, but those whom they could not send on active'service could help; in other'.ways. Britain was, not alone in this, fight. There were our brothers of France—(applause)—and our comrades of Russia. (Applause.). ' .Voices: And'the Belgians! .;- The -Mayor: Yes, snd the Belgians. '• Ono of the audience i Three cneers for the Belgia.o3! . ; The audience rose and gave three 1 hearty. 6heera: for the /country which has made suoh a gallant resistance against the' Germans, v.'■- ■'~'■ . . The. Mayor said: that Now Zealanders personal enmity to the Germans, but it was the system of tho German''authorities which was objected to. In Germany thore was a highly perfected machine made'for the destruction of tbe British Empire. That was a Siabolical all hpped would fail; They 1 nil hoped for peaoOi and felt confident that Great Britain would cement that peace. (Applause.) He moved: ,:'!The citizens of Wellington will use all their resources to assist the Government with men, money, and - goods to stand by the British Empire until the ooncluaion of the war, and His Worehip the Mayor shall convey this resolution'to the Right Hon.. the Prime Minister." - .- " City Councillor W.-.H. P. Barker seconded the resolution. .■■■.'.- • The Prims'-Minister Speaks, - The Prime Minister (the Right Honi W. P. . Massey), who was, received ;rith loud cheering, congratulated; the audience on •the very fine-resolution that had just -been put. What had. been resolved' here was being thought in other parts-of New Zealand. New Zealand had looked to Wellington for a lead, and Wellington had not disappointed the country. (Applause.) The war "of< to-d'av was the most , important war.since the .days of Napoleon, at which time", Britain was allied with the Prussians against "Erance. y T6day_ she was standing in with,' Franco against.Germany, who- had not scrupled to break treaties and endeavour to snppress;..small .langdoiri3.'; He .Relieved that - -theresult 'would .be similar, to. that'last freat war- in which Britain was engaged. Iritaih .aad her .eons were standing together to-day otittinst the tyranny of oppression. : Germany had built many ship?;;siiid all knew the purpose for which •they were biiilt.- He was. going to pre- : diet that in a very few weeks some of those German ships would be'at the bottom '6f the North Sea, or, better. etill, manned, \ by British sailors and officers, and flying the British ensign: The Gccinans: had thought to oatch the Empire disunited, but the internal dissension nad disappeared, and the Empire, woe standing as one man. It mnde one proud of being a British citizen—a citizen of an limpire which stood by its friends f\nd treaties whatever the cost'might be. The generosity displayed by the citizens of New Zealand in. the last few days had hardly been' equalled in the history of thn world. :Not only men 'of.'--wealth, but men of small means had'offered helphelp in money, kind, and labour. (Applause.) War might have its. side of black, but it had brought out Borne of the finest, qualities of, th'e human iacn. Slr.-Jlaasey referred to the patriotic , alti--•tude of thofee.whb had been called Red Feds.- B«d waa not the only" colour in their flag , to-day. ' 'L'hey had taken the 'White and the Blue,' also, and held' aloft the British ■ cmb'lem. (Applause.) . He believed, that it ■ the Labour men got to the front they ■would do well. .(App'ause.) "I am prouil of the fact that I am an Irishmau,- contieued the Prime Minister. A few weeks ago'"lrishmen had been looking at one another along the barrels of their rifles; to-day they-stood side by 6ide for Empire'. The , Germans would understand what that meant if the Irishmen got at them. (Applause.) ■ They would understand- it if Kitchener cume into conflict with' then.. Mr. Massey praised highly the-work of the. New Zealand women, who, led by the Countess of Liverpool, were preparing for the men things ihat i they would never think of them'sislves. The Government had redeiyed most pathetic letters fro.-n mothers and fathers asking that their sons (only eons in some cases), might be allowed to go to 1 tho front. (Applause.) . The Natives had offered to raise 5000 or 15,000 men, and ho lwped they would' got their opportunity, for the Maori was a fighter. (Applause.) . ..'.'• . - The Prime Minister's address was.followed by three cheers from tho audience. . The Father of tho : Force. "Tho Father of the Expeditionary Force (as the Mayor termed him), the Hon. James Allen, Minister of Defence ' lias -...received with great applause. He said that this was a time not for many vords,, but for action. The first thought had been to find out if New Zealand would respond to the call. New Zealand ■had responded. (Applause.).' Tho I.few Zealand young men , , were going to the iront, and he hop?d, and everyone hoped, i we would all see,.them back hero again. (Applause.) All felt perfectly confident that these bays would do honour to their ]and. It would be very, sad if they were going away in an unjust cause But the British Prime Minister (Mr. As(juith) waa... a man of cool, clear judgment, and when' he read' what llr.,Asquith had said of this Avar, he felt quite sure that England had taken up the sword in the cause- of righteousness. (Applause.) Now Zealand would not stand by arid see its friends laid in the 'Just./ (Applause.) Those who wore staying hero would not spare any effort in « equipping the Force. Our women were i working day and night, nnd what were the men going to do? They mnst not ] upare any effort, or avoid self-sacrifice, in \ order that when peace should be declared New Zealand would rest satisfied that she x had done her part well. The .Territorials j vho were staying at home were doing j. a service, as they were here to defend c the country. P.eace would not come without, due deliberation, nor until the end was as tho British Empire and her allies s wished, and not as the enemy desired. In the future (let all fervently hope) the A British flag would still stand for justice I and equity. It was riot a time for brigfindocio, and ho hoped that peace k. and prosperity would soon be restored. War "was'a thing which brought out some of a the best characteristics of the British C race. See them in England taking mat- <\ ters keeping, their works going! A That was one of our most glorious characteristics. Let us here follow their example by keeping our/ works going, and finding out what wo should do, and doing J , U. (Applause.) . ' '. - . ' ' fc Germany's Miscalculations. - ;.,. "National law knows no party," said Sir Joseph Ward, Leader of the Opposi- fl tiofl, whose rising 'to speak was loudly J '.

applauded. New Zealand, he wont to say, was doing all in its power to its share in this great crisis. Germa had miscalculated the temper and I character of tho British peoplo. As 1 Massey had said, they took advantage of t fact that there was discord within i Empire, but the moment tho Germ." , had attempted to touch Great Britain t northerners and tlie southerners of I land forgot tho localities thev lived .and united in (lie interests of tho Ernpi ; (Applause.) Then again, the Germa 1 miscalculated tho labour troubles , Russia, where a nation had united agaii a country which desired to own the wor (Applause.) Then they* misjudged B gium—thought she would accopt brib '» Instead tho Belgians had put up a defer J which would go down in history as o j 1 of the bravest resistances known to t ' world. (Prolonged applause.) He coil J not speak in terras of over-praiso of t 1 action of tho men who wore leaving the " shores in, response to. the call of the .Go " ornment.' (Applause.) Did anyone reali e the terrible responsibility of the Germi '• Emperor? It was a horrible thing " think of—the lives that were being saci ® ficed. What was tho German' Emper ? doing this for? His aim was not equalit but supremacy. He wished to bo dictat I of the 1 world, and thought (until the oth day) that, ho could take charge of. tl ' British Empire. However, that ambitioi monarch .had encountered nil opposite ; which had checked him, and the speak believed that he would soon enoount Japan, too. (Applause.) » ' An Act of. Fealty. 1 ' Mr. Justice Hosting said thai in the ol ; and simple times tho vasisal swore feall 1 to his lord. In (hfse more spacious timi they were performing a somewhat simil: 1 act. That riight they pledged themselve . their sons, and their possessions to. the: ' '-country, flag, and Empire. (Applause Mr. T. C. A. Hislop delivered a. brii but powerful speech in which he coi trasted. Germany's selfish policy with tli stand taken by.Britain in ths cause c honest dealing with the small nations c Europe.' Labour's Loyalty. Mr. M. J. Reardon, representing th Labour Party,'said that it was so genei ally recognised that England was fighl ing in a just cause that there fans a need to pledge the loyalty of Labour i: the present crisis. (Applause.) The; wore sending forth some of tho "best o their young manhood to serve the "Em prre; Those unablo to go would- fim their duty in work. New Zealand an< other. Dominions should it thei business: to attend to the oommissaria of the British nation whilo it waa at war Applause.) 'Tilings at present were no bright, but they could look to the futur with immense confidence; (Applause.) The Mayor then put the motion, whicl was carried by acclamation, tho. peopli standing. Mr.. Luko then moved that a stroni committee consisting of local body repre senfcatives and other prominent puhlit men be set BP to organise collections fo: the Defence Fund, nad called upon thi Hon. P. M. B. Fisher to second the mo tion. . "To Be or Not to Be." Mr. ,Fisher was saluted ".with . i great outburst of cheering. He sait that the German Emperor had recentlj told his peoplo that the issue was: Tc be or not to be? "Now," continued thi Minister, "what is it to be? We eay ai a people that wo are going to crush th< arrogance of this military Power. (Hear, hear.) 'We say that wo are not. going tc allow the German Eagle to threaten the Union Jack." (Loud applause.) In order to help England to-day, he continued, it was not necessary alone to pmide hei with 'men, ships, money and.guns; tliej must keep the labouring classes in Eneland employed. As Mr. Jtoardon had said New Zealand and the other Dominions must attend to tho commissariat of the British Army, which hp hoped that night was standing on tho German frontier with tho Belgians' and French—(loud anthey must maintaii the trade'that was the'backbone of the Empire. . (Applause.) The Mayor's.motion,was carried unanimously. " Ten Thousand Pounds a.Day. The audicnce before it dispersed, sang a verse "\>f the National Anthem., In bespeaking a vote of thanks to the Mayor for presiding, tho Prime Minister said that money contributions to the Defence Fund were coming in at the rate of .£IO,OOO a day and' they' hoped 600n to have i£loo,ooo with which) to equip their mon. (Applause.). Between five and six thousand pounds .had reached him that afternoon since -tho House rose. The meeting would encourage the Governmentto go'on with the great work it had undertaken. They had their ambitions, and ono of them was that New Zealand might be the first Dominion to send away troops to the assistance of the Empire. (Applause.). He still hoped to 6oe that ambition realised. That night they had between twelve and fourteen hundred men afloat, and although ho could not tell them the day and hour on which the troops would depart he believed the New Zealanders 1 would be first away; (Loud applause,). At the Prime Minister's call cheers were, given for the Mayor. Last and heartiest of all were v the cheers "for the boys who are going." HAD DIARRHOEA WHEN TEETHING. .'.'When teothing my little girls suffered greatly from Diarrhoea/' says Mrs. Alice A', Powell, Creasy, Tas., "When first attacked I took her. to the doctor, but his treatment did her no good whatever. As sixteen children had died of diarrhoea m the previous two weeks I was greatly alarmed. I gave her a few doses of Chamberlain's Colic and Diarrhoea Remedy, and the result was simply "marvellous. In a few. hours I noticed a decided improvement, and the child was Quickly well again."—Advt.