A UNIQUE WELCOME

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2827, 19 July 1916, Page 6

A UNIQUE WELCOME

AT THE TOWN HALL GATHERING OP THE ALLIES The Ministers, of the Crown, tho Mayor, and other citizens who assembled at the "own Hall yesterday morning to. welcome back a contingent of New Zealand's own soldiers from the hospitals and - homes of Egypt, were repaid by being ■participants in a welcome of a triangular charaoter. In. addition to tho 46 • men who camo out from Egypt by the tllimaroa, thero wero 21 French soldiers from Papeete, and a fine healthy squad of a hundred Cook Islanders, who came down from the Islands by tho Maitai, and 'aro-to go into camp at Narrow Neck (Auckland) to-day. The "Anzacs" —now proud they are of that starry - from the south at ail ' early hour by the Mararoa, and rc- . coived a very hearty welcome home . from anxious friends and relatives and tlio pu.blio generally, -and a similar enthusiastic greeting was given to the representatives of La Belle France, and tte dusky dwellers by reef and: palm. •Tho proceedings, as usual, opened with the singing of a verse of the "Old Hundredth,' with Mr. Bernard Page at the organ. The Mayor, in extending a welcome to •nil; stated that the. present was perhaps the most interesting period of the ivar sinoe it began; nevertheless the.y were glad to welcome home to New Zealand Lieut.-Colonel Hughes, D.S.O.— ''Jacky" Hughes they called him—and those with him. (Applause.) They were all proud to thinlc. of the splendid' showing they had made at Gallipoli and,the .great fight the men were now putting up in France.. (Applause.) - The Mayor spoke of tho splendid feeling that had J i'l between tho officers and the men, and the splendid sacrifices both were prepared to mnko for their country, kith and kin. fiehting with credit, side bv Bide with the Australian and British woods to free the world from the threat of Prussian trranny.. Mr. Luke also welcomed the Cook Islanders, and the I renchmon, who wore going home to take : up. their shore of the burden in this stnigglo for freedom. (Applause.) sir Joseph Ward, in offering those T>rejont a warm welcome home, for tho absence of' the Prime Minister who was unable to be present owing to a temporary, indisposition. He was however, sure that lie was with them in spirit. He" (Ire"- attention to the in,portant events that were-now happening on all fronts, nH the developments that • must follow.. They had now reacKed tho end of two years of war, and it found ..the Allies,particularly . the. British, stroller than ever. (Applause.) On all fronts the Allies had turned a defensive into an offensive—for the first "time since the beginning of the war. The determination of England, France, and Russia Ta "i than *ver it was, and they wore now certain, that thev were o, U hel l wa y fo v 'ctoi-y. (Applause.) The Hon. W. 11. Homes said it gave 1} * asur °' to witness finch, a. , Erathermgr of tlio "Allies, and. he srnve some ' vigorousHaerenmig" as a special greetinß' to the 'Rnrotougaus. .Th© .Hon.. G. W; Russell also added words of velcomp.

Limit-Colonel Hughes. D.5.0., who was Teoeived with a hurst of checrs.'said that tho fleahmd mpn thev wero welooman£ landed with a cloan slient—every 0110 of tliem. CApnkuse.) .Tie believed' that thj« was +V fast: function >f the held yi,'Wellington from which Mrs. Lukft had been absent;. They .'.nil knew fl.t the frnnj: what JTrs. .Luke had dono n-iul wn.s, doinir, and tho appreciated it. (A pnlause.) General Go (I lor was putting his whole life into, the war, and was looking n fter the. New Zealandfws He li-nl now charge.of the whole of the New Zealand Forces, mid it waff wonderful iiow he Ind Irent liin henlt.li and strnnp+h so well. jMl'the New Zealand»rs had done .excellently, and their dipo.inlin*> was remarkable for an'arm" which had Wn rais-d like this one. In Inndon. Fgyrct, Colombo, and Albany, the New Z«alnnders had a snlendid Temitation. Colonel Hughes paid a. tributo to "the doctors, padres! stretc.her-bearors. nurses, .ind Medical Corns—the"- were all heroee. and had crone into Hi" fWnir "rea when thev might hav" remained behind. He honed: that' the Rarotongius would follow in the" footsteps of Mie M-ieris.. Tf they did th"* they' would do all right, because th» Maoris w«re magnificent, and an object lesson to them nil.

' Mr. George Snit'z. who was in charsre of the French soldiers, saiH he was nroud to have been bom at Tahiti; and ws proud to be anions New Zealand.ers. His men highly appreciated tho reception accorded tliem. Sr»nki'ig of the New Zealanders and Galling, ho said there were some neonle. mostly Americans, who regarded that campaign as a. failure, but. the Fronch did ""t think so. Tl'ev held up a big Turkish an»->\ nreventwl the Turks ev<;r reaching France, and made Hu«ia's task in the Caucasus much easier. They appreciated the way England had -given nn ber men, munitions, and brains. (AnpHusn.)

Mr. Pa?e; playd the "Marseillaise." ■which' was sunn- .by th» TVer'-bmen. and the "Singing- T slander=" (nil Rnrntongans sing) sang "T'tinerary" and "TTero W e 'Aro. Again." LaW the Harotongans maTche'l thiwi<?n' 'TJo citv. singing.-"Tirmerary" with wonderful spirit arid »lin.