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Taranaki Daily News, 11 November 1915, Page 4

LORD' MAYOR'S DAY. Although Britain is in the throes of the greatest war that has ever been known, tlie annual pageant attendant on the presentation of the Lord Mayor elect of the City of London to His Majesty's judges was carried out, with all its gorgeous trappings and dazzling State uniforms. For centuries has this custom been observed—by water and by land—each year's procession having some special feature of interest. That of Tuesday reflected the all-absorbing feature of the day, being largely composed of the defenders of the Empire's honor—our brave soldiers. The presence of New Zealanders and Australians was evidently a source of much gratification to the citizens of the metropolis, and the cheers which greeted these sons of the Empire testified to the high appreciation in which their brilliant services are held by the people of the Homeland. It Is, however, upon the speeches at the banquet in the Guildhall in the evening that the attention of the whole civilised world i 3 invariably centred, as it is customary for the Ministers of the Crown to take advantage of the occasion by making pronouncements on the important questions of the day. It was only to be expected that war topics would this year form the one great theme, and in view of recent events, including the criticisms in the House of Lords, the still more important departure of Lord Kitchener to the Near East, and above all the operations against Serbia, it is safe to assume that the public awaited the report of the speeches with far greater interest than on any previous occasion of a similar nature. The brief epitome of these speeches which appears in this morning's cables is far from doing justise to the utterances of the distinguished speakers, but it is clear that the 'Ministers spoke not only in carefully selected phrases, but with a sincerity and convincing earnestness that should have an inspiring effect on the people of. the Empire as well as on our Allies. Mr. Balfour's review of the position as it is at present, emphasises the fact that, but for the security given by the British fleet, Germany's initial advantages would have proved overwhelming, rfis tribute to the new armies which the genius of Lord Kitchener had raised was generous and fitting. Whilst disclaiming the role of prophet, Mr. Balfour expressed the

opinion that the German advance into Russia, had reached lugh water mark, and that the pause indicates that the tide of the enemy's success has turned, leaving only the ebb to follow. His warning to the press relative. to the misuse of its powers for raising up new enemies and increasing the shedding of blood, besides adding to the strength of the enemy, was well timed and fully justified, especially in view of the recent suppression of The Globe. On the subject of the duration of the war, and of its decisive point, Mr. Balfour rightly had nothing to say, but he pointed to the fact that the Allies' strength was growing daily and that the strain on the enemy was becoming intolerable, deducing therefrom the comforting assurance that we can look forward with confidence to the fruit of our noble sacrifices. Mr. Asquith had a somewhat uncongenial task to perform, inasmuch as he had to deal with the "plentiful crop of criticisms" regarding the Allies' diplomacy and strategy, both of which he was confident wonlil be justified when the time arrived fok - full disclosures to be made. There was no ambiguity about his reference to Serbia. "Wo (France, Russia, Italy, and Britain), arc resolved and determined to secure for Serbia the future her heroism and sacrifices so well deserve." From these words it may be gathered tlint from now onwai'ds the Allies will devote tlieir resources to ejecting the invaders of Serbia. and will persevere until the object in view is attained. And the same policy is to be carried out in other theatres of war. ''Be the journey long or short, we shall not pause, we shall not falter until we have secured for the smaller European States a charter of independence, and Europe, as well as the world at large, a final emancipation from the reign of force." These eloquent words used by tlic British Premier sum up the trua object of the war from the Allies paint of view, and they should be deeply graven on the hearts of the people.