PRINCE OF WALES

Hokitika Guardian, 9 December 1920, Page 3

PRINCE OF WALES

THE PRINCE’S TOUR. A GREAT APPRECIATION*. ~..MAI!*N ,<• N.Z. CABLE AHHO'I »TiriN • LONDON, December 7. The Prince of 'Wales continuing his speech said—“l landed at Melbourne on the Queen’s birthday. I had to spare you details of my New Zealand travels, and must bo still more sparing as regards Australia. I had a wonderful' time in, Victoria, but no better than in New South AVales. Comparisons are odious and both States together hold well over half the population of the Commonwealth. Sydney, os I told them myself, is indeed the London of the southern hemisphere. If any Sydney men are present,. I wish to tell them that not only did I see their harbour, but T appreciated it: (Great laughter). I only wish you could seo the kind enthusiastic crowds of those two great cities. I was welcomed with the same enthusiasm, on a smaller scale, in other States, and was able to visit several gildfields and get some idea of the life in the backblocks, on sheep and cattle stations. It would take a man at least a year to see Austtralia properly. I was sorry to leave, having missed so much. It was a land of great spaces, immense resources and vast possibilities. Its history was a century old and the continent as large as Europe with a population much less than London. A striking indication of Australia’s power and character is the size and beauty of the capital cities, which hold one third to one half of the population of their State. I thought those cities an impressive sign of the quality of the people who are building them and had developed an area of splendid testimony to Australian worth. Although the area to population is I fear but small in proportion to the size of the country as a whole., and of its cities. This is a situation which will' involve great responsibility but tlie courage and self confidence of Australians is amazing, and I can •assure you it requires both assets out there to success. The Prince then went on to describe the return journey and recalled two features of bis visit to Australia and New Zealand which lie said he bad very closely at heart in both Dominions. I was very much struck by the appearance ’and bearing of the children and the wonderful way the Governments are carrying on their Education. One can truly say of their systems that they instal discipline and patriotism into their youth, without militarism. Gatherings of thousands of school children were organised for me everywhere and I never saw a single child which did not reflect on its healthy, happy face the widespread well being which is the pride of those Dominions. This - is indeed a happy augury for the future. You all guess the other feature. I have very closely at heart the Australians and New Zealanders who fought and wen in tlie great war. I felt I was comrade to the “Diggers”. I first met them in Egypt and France, but had not landed one moment before I was hailed as a “Digger”, and by time I sailed, from Sydney in August, I hardly knew how to answer any other name.. Now I take that as a very great compliment, and hope they will always regard me in the same way, as I want all ex-service men of the Empire to look upon me as a comrade. The Prince Continued: —You will rot bo surprised to hear that in both Dominions I found ex-service men were the backbone of the country. (Checs). Thank what they did in volunteering in their thousands to face the great adventure of the war, for tlie Empire thousands of miles away! Can anyone dare sav in the face of that fact that the same spirit that took the old sea captains and explorers across the wirld is not only alive to-day, but thriving in the young British Nations. (Cheers ) But then all the ex-service men are tl:e backbone of their peoples, whether in the Old Country or in the Dominions. I have only one plea to make in this connection. All British nations must work together in n spirit of comradeship, if tlie Empire is to endure. The Dominions are putting their shoulder to the work of nation-building and development, but they need our : r'p and sympathy. We must do our lit most to appreciate tlieir viewpoint. There is a practical example of what I mean. All tho Dominions want population from us. We have spare pop i..ition, but only a purely business method of emigration, which is no good nowadays. A flaming prospectus will not draw emigration" steadily from the Old Country. What is wanted is plain human co-operation. (Loud cheers). They on their side, should welcome our emigrants as friends, and comrades the moment they arrive, and make them feel at home as they made me (cheers' - ■ make them feel they’re really wanted (Cheers). There is.no worse check tn emigration than emigrants that fail and no better advertisement than emigrants that succeed. British population is very valuable nowadays, but we must see that it remains British. (Loud cheers). Closer intercourse will make ‘.he movement of men of capital wirci n the Empire easier. The Prince concluded a forty minutes speech, delivered jn a clear strong lesonnnt voice, unhesitatingly and easily heard in the remotest parts of the Guildhall, by saying:-“The lesson T have learn from my fifteen months travel is that if we are to restore our , well being and credit, it is nocessa,y . that every nation of the Empire should i pull together with a true spirit of comradeship and co-operation in all our affairs. This can only be done by

maintaining, here the same spirit w.iich links the nations of the Empire to us. It is due to their ancestors who oiuearao the difficulties of their time, as ' well as the present generation, who're fought and won a great victory that their work soil not be in vain and it can be done.” (Great cheering.) -