THE WAR

Levin Daily Chronicle, 7 August 1917, Page 2

THE WAR

THllt.l) AjNN I VE/tttiARY OF DECLARATION. MEETING OF LEVIN CITIZENS. SOME vSTIUKIXG SPEECHES. The meeting o>f citizens called for Saturday night last, in tlie< Century Hall was attended by some fifty The mayor of Levin (Mr Charlies Blenkhorn) presided', and is addressing the gathering lie said that last year they had met with some realization of what war meant, and with a hope that the ensuing year would see it endtd; but that bad not been realized. But our lads bad done their gallant part (applause) and were determined to see things through. Mr Blenkhorn said that they were met that night to record their determination to see the war through"to a successful issue. That might seem superflous, but there could be no doubt that such a resolution as they were asked to pass would be a potent weapon if passed unanimously through out New Zealand, and would h'elp to •onvince the enemy of the determination and one-neiss of the British Empire. Mr James Prouse said the resolution was of "the most momentous iucrest. There never before had baon the world's history as great a com•it as was raging to-day. The beginning of Germany was as a community of robbers, and eventually •imler Frederick the Great 'l'russan 1 Austria fell out after having •hindered the Schleswig-Holstein provinces from Denmark. By the use. of the needlegun the Prussians slew -ax Austrians to each lost Prussian and won. Then the German CVrfederatioin was formed, and 'JVa Weed to fight the confederal'' n. France had not wronged 'Germany any more than, in later years, (Belgium had; they both were in the path of the robber. That, still was the German method, and that method bad to be combated to the bitter end: there must be no paltering with l "the latest Hun and the latest Atttiila," Emperor William, the head of a robber nation that was not to be trusted. It was a nation that had slaughtered 30,000 Hereroes {Black African Christians) for the alleged murder off one German child. The Germans had sftood by in the last year and permitted the massacre c{F the Armenians, when a word from the Kaiser would hatfe prevented it. What they had done or allowed Were they would da in England if the chance came to them. They preached "Hate'

•nd no Briton could consent to bowdown to tli em; they would fight as their forefathers had done, for liberty and justice. And if this great war accomplished a.ll he hoped, the British Empire would start upon a new career and its end would be even more glorious than its beginning.

Lieutenant Vincent took it that by asking him to speek at that night's meeting the mayor of .Levin had paid ' tribute to "the boys" fighting over m Europe. Those men were farina great tnals, great hardships; the men "ixm the sea were facing a pirate as "ntlesß as any of the old pirates of 10 sea " - Dad anyone 'realise fthalfc must be supported; where to-night , °T weight - Jt was the last drop of water that overflowed the cistern; et each one in Levin do what he could. Lieut. Vincent went on to speak of a German atrocity tli'nt lie

hoard of personally, from eye-witnesses : wounded Canadians done to death and their major nailed to the door of the building in which the wounded were left; a Gorman doctor who picked up a riflo and fired it in the direction <.r an officer of Lieut. Vincent's acquaintance, who fell and died. Heir handiwork was of boll, and they viust be beaten. The resolution must b» carried that night with enthusiasm, and the enthusiasm translated into ac tion for the good of the "boys" and the welfare, of humanity.

Mr Tuiti McDonald, on behalf of the Maori race, said that as a Maori and a members of one of the smallest raccs under the p rote Li on of tb'nt dear old flag of Great Britain's he was proud to be associated with that nation. Germany was out tro conquer the world, but she would find, as Napoleon and the French had done. H*•• Great Britain would be the riy.i obstacle in the way. The present war was the greatest in history, :m:il if must bo seen through. Under the British flag in New Zealand the iM;r r: had enjoy d freedom ind justice, rnd the Maori ".'anted i: ermti'-ui: <:f that (iipp'.:'"-") Tin'! «•."••• '•I '' (lie Maori Wii- fiirliliusr '''-day; that W'-i' why tli ' I'l'vc- of the European race and the Mrri >:• -th . 1-1 bander] together at i!i ' hi'tf'-if ,'iinding o.i tho roc-ks -of tiro Argeiin Sea, why the bones of ninny of them to-day were bleaching on the shores of Gal.liipoli. And that blood must not be p' lowed to have been shed in Tain; the M nori and tlie New Zealand! white.' men must stand shoulder to shoulder and continue the fight to n successful issue. At this time, when tile wih'ole foundation of freedom and justice was being shaken in the fight to maintain those attributes' of tlio Briti nation, any man who rose up in Parliament or elsewhere was a traitor to tho cause of freedom and justice r the British Empire (applause).

Tlie mayor of Levin. before putting Mio jwoliitiion, said it would bo. 'fitting if the gathering would rise and show Its sympathy witli tilt' relatives of flip honored dead ; there wore over ee-v/rti 's)lic«nsnnd dead' Nte-w ,Z'ivlh'j' soldiers, and lio would liko to see respectful tribute paid to their memory in tlio wjiv lie lind suggested. After the audience had stood in signification of its appreciation of a,ll the dead lioros. a resolution was put and carried, and' carried, amidst loud ap-

plause:—

"Tliat on this, tlio third anniversary of the declaration of a righteous war, this meeting of citizens -dip the Levin district records its inflexible determination to continue* tio a victorious end tliie struggle in maintenance of those iedals of liberty and justice wliich are the common and sacred cause of the Allies."