THE NEW YEAR.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 January 1918, Page 7

THE NEW YEAR.

MESSAGE FROM THE GOVERNOR AND LADY LIVERPOOL. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Dec. 31. The following message has been addressed by their Excellencies to the people of New Zealand:— We have now spent live years among you, and we feel that we should like to take this opportunity of sending to all New Zealanders, whether in this Dominion or abroad, our warmest good wishes for 1018. The past five years have for the greater part been times of stress and difficulty, calling for energy, resolution and perseverance on the part of every individual throughout the Empire. It is true that New Year's Day is but a milestone in the epoch of time, yet it is also a moment when our thoughts should turn to hopefulness for the future. Let us, therefore, all with quiet confidence take courage for that which lies before us, stimulated as we are daily by the valiant deeps of our sailors and soldiers, who have borne the hardships of nearly three and a half bravely and cheerfully, and pray that the victory for which we so earnestly long may through an allwise Providence be attained during this New Year which has just dawned. (Sgd.) LIVERPOOL/ANNETTE LIVERPOOL. . .FROM THE PRIME MINISTER. Wellington, Dec. 31. .The following New Year message has been issued by the Minister: — fellow citizensT The year 1917 will be recorded in history as one of the moet eventful which the British people have ever experienced, taking the leading part in a struggle which dwarfs into insignificance all the wars in which at any time they have been engaged. They have known during the year both successes and disappointments. There have been times when victory appeared to be almost in sight. There have been other times when the very foundations of the Empire seemed to be shaken. They hav'e seen one of their most powerful Allies broken by internal dissensions and cease to be a factor of any importance in carrying on the war. They have seen another nation, a people kindred to themselves, take up arms and make the necessary preparations for coming into the war, and for what may still be a protracted contest. They have seen British troops take possession of Jerusalem, the sacred city, and the cross once again triumphant over the crescent. ! Now at the beginning of another year we see the British Army representative of every country and every race in our great Empire still fighting with unsliak- : en confidence side by fide with the gallant soldiers of France and Italy against the combined forces of the Central Powers, slowly but steadily in France and Flanders. They are driving the enemy back towards his own country, and we realise now that on the western front, and perhaps during the coming year the decisive battle will be fought, which we trust will restore pea.ee to this war-weary world, and give liberty and security to its peoples. That is the position which we have to face and prepare to deal with accordingly. We have to remember, too. that unless this war is fought to a finish and Germany is forced to acknowledge defeat it will he a victory for the Central Powers, and any peace "that may be arranged will be temporary rather than permanent, lasting only long enough to allow Germany time to renew her strength and prepare to attack the liberty-loving nations of the world again. That is what we are up against, and in our inmost souls we know it.

The patriotism of British citizens has stood successfully every test, which has been applied to it in three years and five months of horrors, for which the Kaiser and his advisers are responsible. During this period the best blood of greater Britain has been poured out like water, but the end is not yet. Further and more severe tests may be necessary; further and greater sacrifices may and probably will be required; but there will. V no shirking or weakening 011 the part of the people as a whole. Whatever measures the leaders of the Empire t ink necessary to win the war will be cheerfully accepted. We know perfectly .well that within our imperial gates we have a proportion of pacifists and antimilitarists and others whose national sympathies are doubtful. Some of them sire dangerous, some harmless, but all of them people who in a time like this are a hindrance rather than of any service. Such people have to be taken care of, i>nd, if necessary, dealt with by a strong 1 and while an overwhelming majority of loyalists join in the march and permanent peace, without which being attained there will be no or shadow of turning. We know there is as British citizens not in any lialf-hearted carry on until victory comes, to carry on as British citizens nt in a\y half-hearted manner but with a strong and steadfast determination which will overcome all difficulties and remove all obstacles to our progress.

New Zealand as no unimportant Dominion cpn and will continue to do its. tfii'll- duty to the Empire and to its gallant soldiers on the different fighting •fronts. Both • soldiers and sailors are (doing their duty to us, and look to us for •reinforcements and supplies, nor must we allow them to look in vain, and, if iipcesjarv, our duty must be to measure not in proportion to our population but •o.v wi'at along with our fellow citizens in other parts of the world in a supreme nid united effort wo may be able to accomplish. We are passing through the •neatest crisis the British race has eve* known. Let us prove ourselw.a worth* of the heroic men who died en our bcl.alf whose bones to-day lie in foreign soil, and also of the mothers who taught their sons to respond when tire Empire called, even though they knew that sacrifice? were certain and that many would r.<ver again see their own country. Let us prove ourselves worthy of our gallant Allies, worthy of the pioneers of civilisation, who laid the foundation of cur Empire, and handed down to us a 1 acred trust which at any cost must be preserved Intact and passed 011 for the h'.'refit of humanity even more valuable than when it came into our possession. ,Dur duty In this New Year as citizens t>f the Empire and as citizens of New Zealand is to thank God and take courage to stand fast for freedom and liberty and to carry on for victory and peaee. W. F. MASSEY, Prime Minister. Wellington, December 31, 1017, SIR JOSEPH WARD'S MESSAGE. Wellington, Dec. 31. Asked for a New Year's message to the people, Sir J. Ward sends the following: ;• Courage, (feterraination, hope and sacrifice, let this lothe motto for the iviyear. The fitwco files of sacrifice to iajt #£ whU»heat K

ing on the flames every ounce pf which the natioii is capable of supplying. Each individual is capable of doing something. Do it. However small the effort may appear it will all couni up in the aggregate. Greater self denial must be practised. There must he no funking Action :s the only tiling that counts to-day. The year just concluded lias not realised all that we hoped for, but despite the Russian defection and the reverse to the Italian Arm}', sullieieut progress was made to show the whole world that there Kill be but one end to this awful war. America by throwing her whole weight iuto the scale has more than compensated for the disappointments of the past year, and the enemy knows that it is only a matter of time when she must be definitely defeated. That is why she 13 naming -jucli desperate efforts now to force a decision in the west, efforts that ave certainly doomed to failure. Without 1 the courage of faith in our own strong arm, without hope that the outcome will spell a glorious peace for Great Britain' trd her Allies and without the determination of •'sacrifice by each at;d everyone of us, we could not hope for vic'-ry, but we have all these attributes, and we are strengthened in our purpose because we know that in our nation there is strongly developed the spirit of equity and justice. We have faith in our cause and in ourselves, arid "this' gives us the inflexible will to make every sacrifice to bring about the desired end. The history of the nation is being written in the blood of our race. We v.-ouK be cravens all to allow such sacrifices to be made in vain. Let us then with the Motherland put forth all our mighty strength in the new year in a supreme effort to crush for ever a cruel foe that in the conduct of the war has shown neither honesty of purpose nor one generous impulse. Great Britain's record in the struggle has been a revelation to the Central Powers. A peace-loving nation, we were totally unprepared on land for war, and that was tlie main factor in German calculations when she hurled her mighty strength and organisation built up over p. period of forty years at heroic little Belgium, with a view to humbling France i'S a prelude to over-running the coninent of Europe and then defeating Great Britain and gaining world supremacy. The scene has changed, ;ind England has become the possessor of one of ihe largest armies in the world, second to none in courage, resourcefulness and equipment. Her territories are an armed camp, with mighty factories turning out at record speed guns and all the requisite munitions of war. The whole of her vast resources, material and human, are concentrated with her Allies (,n the defeat of the enemy at her gate. Such 1 recbrd of achievement has been previously unknown in the history of the world,' and will stand for all time as an object lesson of what a free and democratic country is capable of when forced ii to war for her honor's sake. The spirit of Ihe race is magnificent. The hearts of the people are staunch and true to their splendid traditions, and with qualities such as we possess together with a determination to put even greater effort into the conflict, there can be no doubt as to the result.

To the people of New Zealand, I would say that while this fair Dominion has done more than well, yet we have felt -,he stress of war less perhaps than any tther portion of the British Empire 'I lmnks to the British Navy and our mer. cantile marine our proi'uce has been cartied safely overseas throughout the war period, and the country unfortunately largely due to the war has prospered beyond all expectations, the cost of liv> ill", though it has been one of our greatest troubles and anxieties, is lower here than in any other part of the Brit sn Empire. The only time .that the war 's brought pregnantly home is when some one near and dear to us meets hiafnte on the field of battle, "goes west," as the soldiers say. Our hearts go ou l , in sympathy to the mothers, wives, sitters, Mid we pray that the comfort which can alone come from the King of Kings may gradually alleviate their sorrow. I would like to remind the people in appealing to them to put forth every effort in the coming year that the horrors of war are ever present to the dwellers in the. Mother Countrv. At every railway station in London throughout the day and n'ght long queues of waiting ambulances are firmed up, every train from the channel iowns bringing its quota of wounded from the battlefronts. This more than ?ny thing else brings home to the people H ere the stern realities of a brutal war. There are other ever present factors as well, including the ■ darkened st.wMs at night, and the searchlights that are constantly trained on the heavens for spying out the njArdering pirates of the air, which prey on defenceless men, women and children.

We have much to be thankful for in this far-flung post of the Empire, and surely it is not too much to ask the ] eople to be patient, to be still more self-denving, and in all their actions to l ave but one end in view, the winning of the war by unmistakable and unquestioned victory. Let the iew year bo a period of noble sacrifice, the beginning cf a year of c»urage and faith. No one can say when this awful struggle will end, but I <mb sure the people of New Zealand share with me the fervent hope that this will be the last year of war. To the New Zealand soldiers at hewe and abroad, and to the patriotic citizens of the Bominion. I wish every happiness and prosperity during the new year -T*t us all devoutly pray that the joy bells w ill soon proclaim' the glad tidings tff a glorious peace with honor for the British Empire and her Allies. J. G. WARD, Minister of Finance.