King Dick's Welcome Home

Free Lance, Volume III, Issue 122, 1 November 1902, Page 21

King Dick's Welcome Home

King Diok at Home v\ as not a circumstance to Kme Diok at home again. The largest number of persons ever gathered under one- roof (6000) listened to him in the Harbour Board's vast new woolsihed on Wednesday night. The Premier reminisced. At Albany, he kept tihe minaseed At Albany, he kept the African-bound siteamer waiting while he had tea with some New Zealanders m the land of sin, sweat, and sorrow, who hadi come three hundred miles to gaze on him. That delay made it possible for Mr. Seddon and others to rescue the crew of the Dutch boat Gertruida Geraarda. King Diok thought it was a good omen for peace that the eighteen lives saved were Dutch lives • • • Mr. Seddon seems to have a habit of stopping public conveyances. The nonchalant way in which he told how he stopped the train at midnisrht in order to feast his eyes on Majuba Hill, was exesremely characteristic of him. Nothing, in Mr. Seddon's opinion, equalled the reception he got at Durban, and, to let Weliingtonians down as lightly as possible, he ' said the Empire City could not hold a candle to Johannesburg. Anyhow, George Hutchison is there, which partly explains. Dick said that "distance and absence" evidently made George's heart arrow fonder. (A voice from the back of the woolshed asked if "George was a Liberal out there ?") Mr Seddon related with unction the censor incident, and the sudden rise of fd in Consols when his message to Sir Joseph Ward got through to London that no more Contingents were necessary. He had been to Scotland and Ireland, but not to Blarne\ Castle. A cheeky person in the audience remarked that it was quite unnecessary, as he had visited it some years ago. Isn't there a stone of some kind there? He had met a West Coaster in London — (Profound impression!) — -and that Coaster had expressed surprise that there were so few people from Greymouth at the* Coronation. l What King Dick said besides p Is it not written in the hearts of 6000 citizens who were there? * • * Mr. Ritchey, the secretary of the Reception Committee, is probably the best man Wedhngton could have got for tihe billet. The arrangements for dealing with that vast crowd were perfect-, amd Wellington is very fortunate in having secured his excellent services. Them, too, Mr. Ho well, of the Gas Works, who ht that immense place 1 brilliantly with the Lucas incandescent light, on the hotarir principle, must be given a high meed of praise. That Ducas light is bound to boom all right. # • • Mr Ferguson, the secretary of the Harbour Board, loves that woolshed. He insisted that Mr Ritchey should take out a fire insurance policy for £10,000 for the night, an accident police for £5000 covering possibilities of panic, and an indemnity bond of £1000 that the whole be handed over in good condition next morning. The audience was exemplary, and the eight artillerymen four fire brigadesmen and four policemen were courteous custodians of the

place. All the same, when the ball was packed, eight hundred men, arti 8 o'clock, swept over the guards and got in somehow, but, if there had been a panic, it is possible that people would have been trampled to death in the most good-humoured way.