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Hokitika Guardian, 12 July 1920, Page 2

During the course of the presentation of the Freedom of 'London on him. Lord .Tcllieoe New Zealand’s next Go-vernor-General said it was the task of the Navy to see that in peace and in war shipping continued its work unimpeded. The empire l depended solely upon its sea communications. “I have recently travelled by land and sea. 56,000 miles and T have only set foot in one territory—.the United. States of America—which is not a portion of the

British Empire. (Cheers.) It is an Empire of which not only the inhabitants of these islands are proud, but those of the oversea Dominions. Evidence of their loyalty and pride is given day by day during the visit of that great ‘Empire Ambassador,’ the Prince of Wales. (Cheers.) I and mv wife and children look forward with equal pleasure to the five years we are. about to spend in the beautiful Dominion of New Zealand. It is a fact that our sea communications depend upon the British Navy and the Navies . ' the Dominions which may lie brought into existence to help the British Navy in that task. We have recently been engaged in a great war. There ar; measures in existence at this'moment the object of which is to see that that war does end wars. Nobody will wish thise efforts greater success than sailors and soldiers, but at the same time l should like.to issue just one word of warning. It is that we do not let the strength of the Empire Navy fade away until we are certain that lies'' measures are going to be effective, and until we are certain that no men ace to our sea supremacy nxfsts in the. world. (Cheers.) There are some who think that this war has shown that some class of ship, some particular weapon lias been rendered obsolete by the introduction of some other class of ship or some other weapon. All I would say is this; that it is our duty in this Empire, which has been handed down to us by our forefathers, to see that we are supreme in every weapon which goes to safeguard our sc ( communications ”