COMPLIMENTARY LUNCHEON

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3122, 28 June 1917, Page 6

COMPLIMENTARY LUNCHEON

BRITAIN IN WAR TIME FULL VICTORY TO BE GAINED The Prime Minister and Sir- .Joseph Ward were entertained subsequently at •a civic luncheon in the Grand tlotel. The Mayor of Wellington (Mr. J. J\ Luke, C.M.G.)' presided, and those present included members of the National Ministry, city councillors, and prominent citizens. The first toast was that of''The King," proposed by the Mayor. The Mayor, after reading some apologies for absence, proposed the health of Mr. Massey and Sir Joseph Ward. He said that as a public man he wished to take the opportunity to express his appreciation of the courtesy and assistance on many occasions of the Acting-Prime Minister, Sir James Allen, who had faced and overcome very great difficulties.- The returned Ministers who were being welcomed that day had been fortunate in the colleague they had left in charge in New Zealand. ■ The health of the. two Ministers was honoured with enthusiasm. The Prime Minister, in tho course of his reply, congratulated Mr. Luke on the honour that had just been conferred upon him by the King. He said that he did not believe that thore were two people in New Zealand who had worked harder in the cause of the war and for the good of the soldiers-than Mr. and Mrs. Luke. (Applause.) He was not quite sure that Mrs. Luke had not worked harder than the Mayor himself, and that was saying, a very great deal. Mr. Massey proceeded to say that he was glad to find on his return to New Zealand that the country was still prosperous, optimistic and patriotic. New Zealand had done particularly well in the | war. That fact was widely admitted. But theTe was much more to be dono. and although the losses suffered by the troops in the field had brought homethe war to the people of this country he did not think that even now they had quite the same sense of it» magnitude and intensity as the people of the United Kingdom. They were not made to feel the war in the same way. He spolte of the situation of millions of , British people who lived in daily expectation of the visit of enemy aircraft, who saw great masses of troops, and who watched tho return of the daily train-loads of wounded. The war was a very real and a very terrible thing to the people of Britain. It dominated their daily lives. .But the great British people—and he had not appreciated till lie reached Loudon how truly great they were—were ■neither depressed nor excited. They were grimly, silently determined to see the war through till the day of victory, and they were usiug the whole of their resources to the. one end. He and Sir Joseph Ward had taken part in the campaign connected with' the raising of the Victory War Loan, and one of his own visits in this connection had been to Great Yarmouth. He had been told before his departure for London that there was no money to be secured in Great Yarmouth, fhe place had beeu visited by the Zeppelins thirty-two tifnes; its fishing trade was gone, and its business was almost at a standstill. But he had addressed in that town one of the most enthusiastic meetings he had ever faced, and the subscriptions from Great Yarmouth' to the Victory War Loan had amounted'to JQ600..000. That fact was illustrative of the spirit that pervaded the United Kingdom, (Applause.) There might be a few people in England who were not y;orth fighting for, but, there were not many. . The British spirit to-day . was as good as ever. Politicians might rave and ] newspapers might raise cries about certain aspects of the war. .But tho Brit- ; ish people were_going to see the war through. Referring to the change of Government in the United Kingdom, Mr. Massey said that the incident had impressed him as the result of a demand by the nation for it, "change of bowlers." The people had not thought that the wickets were falling 'fast; enough, and they wanted to see other bowlers given 'a chance. But they had no intention at oil of abandoning the game before they had won, ■

No Peace This Year. '(.Before we left London we were informed confidentially, that it'was intended that the New, Zealanders should take Mcssines," said Ml'. Massey. "We were not told-that they were going to 'attack' Messincs. \V'e were told that they were going to take it. , You all know thai; they did take it. I heard all round in the Old Country that when men with plenty of courage and fighting capacity were needed, the New Zealanders could be used with confidence. That the war is going on for a considerable time I am afraid is beyond question.! I would like to think that it was going to end during the present year. I. am bound to say that it is not impossible that it,will end this year. Germany is in serious,need of very many things. , But I am afraid that Germany will carry on. still for a considerable time in order that she may make the best possible bargain with Britain and Britain's Allies. I am not a. particularly vindictive man, but Ihope that when the time comes to state terms we are riot going to be too generous to Germany arid the countries that are lighting with her. (Applause.) Generosity of that kind is a, thing of which I am afraid. We cannot afford it. After this war, and after the part Hint Britam has played in it, we mav be sure that if Germany is left with the power to do it, she will put. a. knife in Britain's back »t the very first opportunity. T hope that wo .shall be able to dictate terms. But there is in England the illit nonce of the hidden hand, aud I do not know how far it goes. Nobody can tell. Thero are people in the United bingdom to-day who would he glad to see the war stopped to-morrow, and who would be prepared then to liny German goods if they could get half'per cent more profit; on them than on British goods. Wo liavo got to safeguard our. solves against that sort of thing." Mr. Massey added that post-war frade was one of the matters that hoi would have to discuss on another occasion. His present purpose was to impress upon the people of New Zealand that it would he a national calamity to stop short of complete victory in the present war. (Applause.) The nation had suffered, aud it might, hav« to suffer a great deal more. But when peace came it must he a peace worthy 0 r the sacrifices that had been made. That was. the big thing. The blood lhat had been shed must not be shed in vain. (Applause.) hi conclusion, Mr. Massey referred lo the entry of -the United Stales into .the war, and told the gathering of the honour, that had been conferred upon New Zealand in the raising of tho status of the Governor lo that of Governor-General. Tim Social Revolution. Sir Joseph Ward, after the usual acknowledgments of the compliment paid to him. spoke of the times to come at the end of tho war. Whoa tho war

was over, he said, tho education wo woro receiving i» this great stru«»le would produce results that would "revolutionise the world. From every part ot (lie British .Isles ,had gone to light men whoso only assets were their stroii" arms, ami with (hem had gone members o. tin. nobility. These men had ioughV s boulder to shoulder. J This experience alone must bring better understanding, and n breaking down of ninny of tho class prejudices which existed in England Moro the war. After the war no attempt would he made, except, perhaps by a lew stupid people, to return to the conditions which were the cause before llm war of a great deal of the trouble W existed. (Applause.) And there would be a reflection of what was takin« place there radiating out to all the over*, seas dominions. There would be new conditions m this country as in the Old Country. As 'soon as the war „- a " over the people of the Old CountO\. who Wore the war had been receiving a wage which was a disgrace to humanity would be put on higher stale, and men ol means wh„ misunderstood the position would be.prepared to meet new. conditions, and social hapniness would permeate the Old Laud. New /calami and every part of the. British Empire would have a part in this social regeneration, which would be one of the thf'i'l 0 !-..: H'c .post-war problems, one of the biggest things we had ever had to handle .riie regeneration would show to the ordinary worker the necessity for lovgetting sonic of the. political acerbities winch have been part of this creed for so long, and for using his brains to help the country to prevent anv of the people now our enemies from getting any of our money Mind using if to build up their strength to enable them to fight us in the future. (Hear, hear.)' Mr. Alassev and himself had had the honour of being m the inner circle of men in chargo ot anairs, at Home, and had there gained some knowledge of their intentions for the social regeneration of the Mother Country, there would have to be better understanding between capital and labourafter the/war (Applause.! And there must boino desire on the part of men with large means to make more money unless the men who were assisting t'o make the money for them were able to live in .such condition as to be reason, ably satisfied with- their lot. What would have to bo fought, against in all parts of the British Empire was the desire on the part of sections of the peoplo to run too fast. Great difficulties, were presenting themselves for settlement in .Britain. Jt was already recognised that the present 'administration was onlv a stop-gapuntii after tho war, and that to provent internal revolution and the coming of a worse state of things than existed prior to the war .the British administration would havo to be changed. Employers of labour in the Old 'Countrv had' changed all their ideas as.to the requirements of the toilers in* flic mines and the factories. This was one of the offeets of the war which was going in the end to make for the great good of the country as a whole. . "

I Sir Douglas Haig. •'Speaking of his vi.-it to France, Sir Joseph Ward said that the man who was the greatest authority on the war at the present moment, the man upon -whom wo wero relying to see this war tlirouglv—General Mais—hud no doubt about, the, outcome of this war. (Applause.) Sir Douglas Ha is had =aid so, and one hadonlv to know him to. realise that behind his handsome face there was a powerful brain, a. resolute man determined to go through with this work allotted to him. General Haig had never hud a doubt, pi videdlho reinforcements and tho munitions were supplied to hini, and his demands in this' respect hod bseirmet. From the verv beginning tho New Zealand Defenco "Minister had realised ..'the importance of Keeping up reinforcements, and this country had been doing it magnificently, ft was a source of great satisfaction to everyone in thi» ,country to know that this was so. Never had they met in their travels in the/British Isles a single instance of anybody running down the f™',^ 1 ', 1 *". On tho contrary, they had the"satisfaction of hearing that they were amongst the finest troops of th'o King taking part in this war.

End of the Ware He lielieved that next year, probably early in next year, there would be an end of this war. it was the opinion of many men in the Old Country that the enemy was getting to the end of his abiity eveii to keep oh ( bluffing. NW that the financial resources of the United Mates were added to those of Britain Germany s chance of winning the war had/ vanished. Already the enemy's man power was Jailing". Horrible us the war was, it would be more' horrib e still if by any weakness on the part oi the British authorities they were to yield at the wrong time, for this h«i d t 0 ? Iy f me f? «iis war'wquld .h.ue to be fought again in the course of a year or two, and fought by Britain without the help of Continental allfcs ir H,'fT,r ol ', Britai » »nd the countries oi the, Allies had made up their minds that-everything must be done, and nothing must bo left undone, to maintain civilisation and the peace- of the Wor in the years to come. - There y;ere two other toasts. Sir James James Al en ;,reposed'the was of 'Th, Navy and Armv," the tu.isMw.frio I'orted by Mr.' 'jusHcV Cajnu" sponsejyns made on behalf 0 \ tlie Nan by uiptajr, Hall-Thompson, and «i bU iKe the'lWrprop^^