THE MERCHANT MARINE

Hokitika Guardian, 28 August 1930, Page 8

THE MERCHANT MARINE

A WARM TRIBUTE. WHAT EMPIRE’S SAILORS HAVE DONE. WELLINGTON, Aug. 24. An impressive tribute to the work el' the merchant navy was paid by ais Excel.ency the Uovernor-Geuera* wao, as its patron, was the cliici guest at the second annual dinnei of the New Zealand Company of Master Mariners on Saturday night. The president of the company, the Hon. Sir Charles Statham, Speaker of tin jioiipo of Representatives, was in the .•hair. Other guests were the Speaker of the Legislative Council (the ilon. Sir Waiter Car across), the Minister of Railways (the Hon. W. A. vX'itch), (the Bishop of Wellington (the Rt. Rev. Dr Sprott) and Captain J. S. G. Fraser, D. 5.0., R.N. (chief officer of the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy). Members of the company were.-present from various parts of Now Zealand anu from a number of snips.

In responding to the toast of “Our Patron.” proposed by Sir Charles Statham, .Lord Biedisloe expressed his appreciation of the cordiality, and loyalty shown him as representative >f the King m this Dominion. It was indeed true that there was no more loyal body of men in the British Empire than the masters and officers of the merchant marine, and he regarded it as a very high privilege to hold the office of patron. After remarking on “The gene rows and high-minded decision to send New Zealand’s representatives to the Imperial Conference with the solid hacking of a united nation and confidence that they would express the people’s will,” bis ■ Excellency .later in the dinner gave a toast to “The Merchant Navy.” Lord Biedisloe sai<j that from the earliest days British mariners had been mainly responsib'C for the development of their- country and the' Empire, which had . been largely built up by enterprising and courageous seamen. In recent years, ais events had shown, no two countries had depended more for their existence and prosperity on the efficiency of the merchant navy . than had Britain and New Zealand. That had been forcibly demonstrated again and again since the days of Captain Cook and those of the great pioneer settlers of the ’forties and ’fiftiep of last century. Britain had long since ceased to be self-contained in the matter of food supplies, and the war had proved that- but .for. the skill an ! d dauntless courage of the men of the merchant iiavy her people would have starved. c

Speaking from personal experience as a member of the Ministry of Food control in .1916-18, and particularly as Sugar Controller, Lord Blpdisloe cited facts which had caused, “some of us landlubbers to realise what the merchant navy meant to Britain. Since those days ‘I have realised the enormous dependence of the nation on the skill of the merchant marine and their calm judgment and selfless courage in the face of emergency.”

Lord Biedisloe concluded by remarking on doughty deeds performed at sea, “since the time of Noah, the first master mariner,” and made, humorous references to the despotic powers that could be wielded by sea captains, and their extraordinary capacity for the retort courteous to nervous landlubbers.