The Dominion. SATURDAY, APRIL 17, 1920. A POPULAR APPOINTMENT

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 173, 17 April 1920, Page 6

The Dominion. SATURDAY, APRIL 17, 1920. A POPULAR APPOINTMENT

. It. is ...safe, to say that the news of--. Admiral-Loud Jellicoe's appointment as Governor-General, 'in : succession -to Lord Liverpool, will be received with , gratification and;hearty approval throughout .the.Dominion. Admiral Jellicoe received a flattering reception when he visited this country in connection with the naval mission he carried out last year, and he is assured, of at least as warm a welcome when,, he' arrives to take up ■his-, position as the King's representative. Certainly :no more popular appointment could have been made.than that of the distinguished officer- who was found worthy to command the Grand Fleet in the supremely _ exacting conditions which obtained in the, opening and early stages of 'the war, and who KiUisequontly. undertook the responsible duties of First Sea Lord. His appointment, sets a new standard and undoubtedly will be accepted as a compliment by the people of the Dominion amongst whom his popularity, strengthened by personal contact, is already high. Admiral Jelucoe's acceptance of the office of Governor-Genera' of New Zealand is in every way worthy of his;past career, marked as it is throughout bv active and untiring enterprise. He has exhausted the nossibilities- of naval promotion, sn far at least as active employment is concerned. It was doubtless orien. to'him to take the position of- Cnmmander-on-Chief at Portsmouth, ; Plymouth, or' the N.ore, but in piping times of peace such a command would doubtless have entailed • conditions : of stagnation which to Lord "Jellicoe, of -ill men, would,' bo distasteful. He has chosen -instead to enter upon an entirely new field of enterprise, though • one for which he showed himself to be_ well eauinped on the occasion of his visit last year. To the neople of the Dominion his demeanour was in some-respects an agreeable' surprise. Much had been heard, in particular, of his reserve and taciturnity, but in actual experience it' Was made clear that the man whocommanded the Grand Fleet in action, and is known to fame as an ,i'-on disciplinarian, k able to unbend in : the ' presence of popular enthusiasm, and speak warmly from his heart. His nersonal ponularity apart, the appointment of the frfatand distinguished 'Admiral as Governor-General will ; verv • notablv emphasise the ties wli>R link this .Dominion tn the Mother Country,_ and serve also to mark the recoOTition .of the new s'atiis wh'"h the Dominion holds in the councils of the Empire.