THE OATH OF OFFICE

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 2, 28 September 1920, Page 6

THE OATH OF OFFICE

PARLIAMENTARY BUILDINGS .CEREMONY THE OFFICIAL SPEECHES The new Governor-General took the oath of offieo at the main entrance to tho Parliamentary Buildings at 3 p.m. yesterday. A dais had been erected at the foot of tho big stono stairway, and here the Administrator (Sir Robert Stout), the Primo Minister (Air. Mas6ey), members .of the Ministry, members of the Judiciary, members of Parliament, find other invited guests awaited Lord Jellicoe. Territorial and _ Senior Cndet units- were paraded in the grounds opposite the dais. Theso units, comprising about 900 Territorials and 1600 Senior Cadets, were paraded a': the Buckle Street barracks, and they marched through tho' city to the Parliamentary Buildings, headed by tho band of the sth Regiment. The guard of honour, consisting of 100 men from the sth Regiment, had pride of place. The troops lined the streets in . the neighbourhood of the Parliamentary Buildings. Some thousands of people gathered in and around the grounds before the hour fixod for the ceremony, but the authorities, using tho troops to keep the lines 'clear, were able to prevent any encroachment upon tho reserved spaces. Lord Jellicoe, accompanied by Lady Jellicoe and members cf his family and staff, arrived just before 3 p.m. The National Anthem was played by tho band as the Governor-General elect left his motor-ear.' Lord Jellicoe inspected the guard 'A honour before mounting to the dais. The King's Commission, appointing Lord Jellicoe to bs. Governor-ttaiern 1 of New Zealand in succession to Lord Liverpool, was read by Mr. P. D. Thomson, clerk to the Executive Council. Lord Jellicoe th«n took th? two oaths required of him, first the oath-of allegiance and then the sp'eoiol oath of his new office, in tho following terms: T, John Rvshworth Jellicoe, Viscount, Admiral of the Fleet, do solemnly swear that I will duly execute the office of .GovernorGeneral of the Dominion of New Zealand and its dependencies, and that I will duly and impartially administer justice therein. So help me God. The oaths were administered by the Chief Justice, Sir Robert Stout.-After Lord Jellicoe had signed the official documents, Sir Robert Stout-and the Right Hon. W. F. Massey signed as witnesses. Immediately , after this ceremony had been completed, the samting guns began to thud from Defence Headquarters at Mount Cook. THE PRTME MINISTER'S SPEECH '.

"The coming • of Their Excellencies I Lord and Lady Jellicoe makes this » I red letter day for New Zealand, and I |11e«ire on behalf of all the people of this country to extend to Their Excellencies th» heartiest possible welcome, said the Prime Minister. "IW ceri tain, and so do all of you, that His Excellency the Governor-General and Lady Jellicoe will go in and out among the people of this country, sharing their everyday life, making the most and the best'of events as they come along, and leading us and advising us how best to do our duty as citizens of New Zealand and of tho Emnire. I hope that the slay of Their Excellencies amongst us may lis long and pleasant and productive of much good to the jjeople of this "We shall never forget that Admits] Jellicoe and the officers and men and ships under his command made it possible for the people of the Dominion to send their soldiers to the other side ot the world in comparative safety and comfort. We cannot forget that they; made it possible for us to send to Britain the raw materials and the foodstuffs reaiiited for the maintenance of the British armies in the field. I feel confident that as Lord and Lady Jellicoe go round this country they will learn that tho people of New Zealand are among tl o mosVloyal and patriotic of the people of the 'Empire. Our soldiers proved that on the'battlefields; the people who were left behind proved it. . Now that ■we aTe supposed to be entering upon a period of peace, a pentad which I trust will be lone. I believe that the people ot this country, by their energy and industry, will again prove their loyalty, -by making this country one of the brightest and most prosperous of the British Dominions. , . „,,..„ "This may be the day of small things with New 'Zealand. But we know perfectly well that New Zealand has many advantages, climatic and otherwise. Our resources are undeveloped; we have probably the purest Brit-jilt stock outside Britain itself. The pioneers, who came here sixty and seventy and eighty years ago laid 'the foundations of our country and of the prosperity that we now en joy There may be differences of opinion amongst us, local-and sectional, but when danger comes and the Empire calls, we practically all lay aside our differences, and join in doing our duty, each in his own' way. As it has been in tho past, so it will be again if the war call comes, as it may in the near or in the far distant future. , "In welcoming you, we welcome old friends-friends whom we have known and may trust and look up to-who will live up'to the very highest traditions of our race. This country is sometimes spoken of, and I think very properly, as the Britain of the South. I hope and believe that the time will. come, .thoitgn, not in the present generation, when this country will be able to do for the fltlior countries of the South Pacific and for humanity what the Britain away up in the North Atlantic has done for the neoplo of that part of the word 1 hone and believe that Lord and Lady Jellicoe will assist us to attain that ideal." Mr. Massey welcomed Lord and Lady Jellicoe again, aud hoped that they would have a very pleasant time in .New Zealand. (Applause.) '