Untitled

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 30 April 1913, Page 2

The widespread and enthusiastic interest taken in the visit of the) H.M.S- New Zealand is is powerful testimony to the presence of that healthy patriotic spirit by which the Motherland and the Overseas Dependencies are brought into closer understanding, to their mutual benefit. The event is certainly unique, has a great national significance, and it is therefore quite appropriate that the occasion should be made memorable. That the battleship was the. gift of this country to Britain, and was made at what was regarded as a critical period in Imperial affairs, is familiar history to everybody. The objections then raised were more apparent than real, and now that the gift has reached full fruition in the huge fighting-machine cruising round .our shores (which stands as an emblem of the bulwark of protection the Motherland has built up) ; there is every reason for congratulation in respect to the wave of patriotism which the visit has aroused, and the universal pride shown. Tremendous crowds visited the battleship when'in "Wellington, and this is sure to be the case while in Auckland. And it is not merely curiosity which prompts New Zealanders to bo so much interested m their battleship, but because it stands for protection of everything they treasure in home life, in addition to material possessions That she sho.ll never bo called into actual warfare is the fervent hope ol every true patriot; but while nations continue to strive for possessions and territories, it would ill become Britain to look icily on and be unprepared if it became necessary to take the defensive. The H.M.S. New Zealand, then, is a unit of that great naval strength to which we owe our present freedom aud privileges, and it was to maintain these high-prized treasures that she was ft'ivon to the Mother country. The career of this particular vessel will be closely watched by all New Zealand, and success hoped for if she engages in actual warfare, but it is sincerely hoped that this will never be necessary.