WELCOME TO RETURNED SOLDIERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 November 1919, Page 8

WELCOME TO RETURNED SOLDIERS.

FUNCTION AT TIKORANGI, ■Settlors of the Tikorangi district have the reputation of being very thorough in whatever they undertake, and certainly this reputation was maintained an Thursday in the heartiness with which they welcomed back to the district the returned soldiers, the last of whom returned recently. The function took the fprm of a dinner in the Public Hall, which was tastefully decorated with greenery and bunting, whilst the tallies, at which over 100 were accommodated at one sitting, were also beautifully decorated with flowers and laden with all good fare, comprising poultry, ham, tongue, trifles, jelly, etc., to which full justice was done, a bevy of ladies of the district catering expeditiously for the wants of all. Mr. J. Hine presided, and seated on either side of him were Mr. W-. T. Jennings, M.P. for the district, the Hon. Major J. B. Hine, Minister of Internal AiFairs, and Mrs. Hine. Others at the official table were Mr. R, Morgan, Mayor of Waitara, Mr. C. H, Burgess and Mrs. Burgess, Lieiit.-Colonci Weston and Mrs- Weston, Archdeacon Evans and Mrs. Evans, and Major .Toll, The Revs. Gavin, Lawrence, and Perkins were also present. The returned boys from the district, present were: Messrs 0. Jury, R. Jury, Harold Alexander, Henry Alexander, R, Whitehead, A. Whitehead, H. AVhitehead, N. Sarten, Cunningham, S. (>, Cunningham, H. Cob, E- Allen, H. Davis, L. Lye, C. Woods, N. Terrill and W. Ridland. Elying Cadet H. Hine and Private IT. P. Sarten, who were prevented by sickness from leaving New Zealand, were present as guests. Four lads from the district.—E. Alex, ander. W. Terrill, C. Furze, and J. Furze —made the supreme sacrifice. After dinner a toast list was discussed, the chairman proposing "The King," which was loyally honored. PROUD OF THE NAVY. The Army and Navy was proposed by Mr. C. H. Burgess, who remarked that since our school days we had all beer proud of the Navy, but never did we feel prouder of their work than . at the conclusion of the great war. One hardly realised what was owed to the Navy. One must not forget the work done by the trawlers and the men of the mercantile .marine, nor of the air service. Britain never laid too much stress on the Army, hut all knew what our small Army had done in the early stages of the war, and the achievement in raising Kitchener's Army. He could not but refer to the work of New Zealandcrs, and to the fact that this small country had sent away over 100.000 men, who had done great work, and the thanks of the country was not only due to those men, but also to the parents wlio had sent themVIEW OF THE RETURNED. Lieut.-Coloncl Weston, in responding, said that the feeling of most of those that got buck was one of unfeigned gladness {o see the last of the war. He considered that an army was a necessary evil, and though there was a tendcttey in some parts to deprecate military training, he hoped if the occasion ever did arise, this country would be equally as prepared to meet it or even better than on the last ocacsion. iVlien away, he had hoped to have the opportunity of meeting the boys who had served under him and their parents together, and of telling the parents how wonderfully the boys had turned out when away from them. Parents could lie quite sure that when they allowed their boys to go away they gave them the opportunity of earning a name for themselves, and for this country that would never be forgotten. Now that all the men were back they should turn to and forget the war. There was no doubt that the returned soldier, though some might .be unsettled for a few months, would settle down and make useful members of the community. They would he all the better for the experience, and would help to make New Zealand a great country. There need he no fear regarding the repatriation of the men, as the Repatriation Department had been well arranged, and the circumstances of the country made its working easy. They must, however, remember to make adequate provision for those who had come hack maimed or wounded, because it would bo found as the vears went by, that their wounds would come back on them. It had been I]is dream that the Government should live more duties to the Repatriation Committees and transfer to them some powers regarding pensions and medical aid, which should be available for the men immediately they wanted assistance. Major .Toll also responded, referring to the great work of the British* .■.rmy and also of the New Zealanders, who had earned a reputation for bravery in the field and manliness off it. He paid n tribute to the fine work carried on by Hhe ladies of the district in forwarding parcels.

WHAT OUR MEN DID. The chairman then proposed llic toast of "Our Returned Hoys." In doing so. he said sad memories were recalled 01 several occasions when he had the promt privilege of bidding many of them goodbye on the eve. of their departure on the Great Adventure, and some there were who would never return. Tliov ■rave all, their hopes, their aspirations, even life itself, and were now lyinnr in a soldier's grave beneath the hallowed soil of (iallipoli or France. They made the supremo sacrifice in order that we might live in peace and freedom, and to their sorrowing parents and relatives he offered sincere and respectful sympathy. To those who were present; lie extended a cordial and hearty welcome iiome. and assured them how pleased and thankful the settlers wore to have thorn back again. They had taken an honorable -part in the great fight for freedom, and it was to the everlasting credit of our hoys that not a single one who succeeded in passing the medical test failed to join the colors, and this was, lie ventured to say, a record of which any district might well be proud. They accepted the condition unconditionally, and boldly faced danger, discomfort, and death in their behalf. The powerful and repeated assaults of- a determined and unseriinulous foe. the. rigours of the F.nropoan winters, or the scorching heat of the Jordan Valley were all borne uncomplainingly, and now they hud returned, (lie Loys had ouietly resumed civilian life, and in doing so had set an example in keeping with their military record. Tn this peaceful and prosperous land, far removed from the scene of bitter conflict, it was povhaos impossible to fully realise the awful horror of war, or the unspeakable agony and suffering of the people in tlve invaded areas, and they could never be sufficiently thankful that tilty were spared such a fate, a fate

which would assuredly have been-theirs had not the youth freely offered tnemselves as a living shield in their defence. Now that the peril of the last five years was happily past, let us, he said, remember that the qualities of loyalty, patriotism, and self-sacrifice were assets more vital to a nation in its time of need than much silver and gold, and let us not forget that the flower of our Empire made possible the final crowning victory, and the an.vieties and sorrows of the parents, the 'heroism and sacrifice of the sons would have been in vain unless we were imbued with a greater spirit of tolerance and generosity in our conduct towards one another, and also with a sense of gratitude to Almighty God for our merciful deliverance. In conclusion, lie said that he felt sure all would join in wishing the returned boys long life, happiness and all prosperity. Chaplain-Captain Gavin, in responding, said that he would have preferred to have heard a Tikorangi boy speak, but possibly they would sooner face the bayonets of the Turks and Germans. He expressed gratitude on behalf of the returned men for the welcome home. There were, lie said, a number of men who did their level best to get away to.the front, but on account of failure to pass the Medical Board, or for some other reason, were unable to go. On behalf of his comrades who had returned, he would assure these men that they regarded them as comrades, if not in deed, certainly in heart. Never in history had the soldier been treated so well as in this war, and if inclined to grouse at any time, the soldier only had to turn to history, which showed that in the time of Edward 111. soldiers received 2d per day. He considered that the Quartermaster' General's Department was magnificently organised. No one hardly could realise the responsibility of feeding such a vast multitude as was in France, especially as the men were always on the move. He paid a tribute to the work of the Army Medica* Corps, and to the care and attention the wounded received. New Zealand men and women did magnificent work in the service of their country, the women doing splendid patriotic work in sending parcels and comforts, for which lie expressed the gratitude of the returned men. He also expressed gratitude for the welcome home and the handsome manner in which the returned soldier was treated by the country. The war, lie considered, had given us a lesson that should be taken by civilian and soldier alike, that we must in human life, place the spiritual first and the material second. Private H. Alexander, on behalf of the local boys; also returned thanks, and assured the gathering that all were pleased to return home, and he added that while away they had been very grateful for the parcels, etc., sent by the ladies of the district. "Parliament" was proposed by LieutColonel Evans, who expressed his pleasure at meeting an old friend in Mr. Jennings, and also congratulated Colonel Mine on his elevation to Cabinet rank. He said that the British Constitution was the leader in democracy, and he looked forward to the time when the nations now in a state of fusion would take that as their ideal. New Zealand was living in tremendously serious times, and he did not envy the Government its Work in the future, as it would take politicians all their time to meet the menace of Bolshevism. What was wanted was true brotherhood. He suggested that Parliament should enquire into the questions of. profiteering, and the housing problem, which were sources of great discontent. Mr. W. T. Jennings expressed his thanks for the invitation, which gave him the opportunity of doing honor to the boys who had been to the front. Regrading profiteering, he could not understand why prices were raised so much after the war. The housing problem was a difficult one owing to the number of soldiers returning with wives who required homes, and the high cost of material, etc., for building. Some solution must be found, and would bo found it they put into Parliament men imbued with honest purpose and love of country. He hoped that the experiences the boys had gone through had made better men of them, and that that spirit of comradeship which they had felt towards their comrades in the trenches, no matter what their country or creed, would never leave them. Although war was a horrible thing, and was to. be deprecated, yet it made men who had gone through it more tolerant. If they had not struck a spirit of kindness, then the sufterings they had gone through would have been in vain. He was pleased that Major Hine, as a" returned soldier, had been placed in the Cabinet, pointing out that he was now in a position of responsibility to the whole of New Zealand.

Major Hine, as an old Tikovangi boy, expressed his 'pleasure at being present. Re would goo that the high standard always set by the ladies of Tikorangi had in no way receded. He had always appreciated the parcel sent him by the ladies of the district, and thanked them for their kindness in doing so. The result of the war iiad been to broaden the public mind, and he. was confident people did not want to get back to the old party cry. Men should be sent to Parliament Who were endowed with good, sound common-sense, and who were prepared to -combat men who did not respect the property of others. On one side were men who respected the property of others, and on the other side men who did not. That should be the. line of demarcation. Reverting to the soldiers, he said that the privates and non-commissioned ! officers bore the brunt of the light, the officers comparatively having an easy time. He urged them to be tolerant with returned soldiers, and pick up those, who fell and place them on their feet, even if they fell several times, for they had been through trying times. The daredevil undoubtedly was the best fighter As a Cabinet Minister he hoped Idealised his responsibility to New Zealand and as he was still a young man, and in good health, lie hoped to hold it, and In of benefit to Stratford and New Zealand for some years to come. On behalf of Mrs. Hine and himself he thanked them for their invitation to be present. "The Ladies" was proposed by Rev Perkins, who referred to the <n-eat work done by the ladies while th-ir°sons and brothers were away fighting in different lands. He instanced that function as a further instance. Mrs. H. Foreman, in responding said that the little tilings they sent the bovs were always sent witli a prayer that the boys might return, and the function thai (lay had been given as a labor of love. Other toasts wore the Press, proposed in a lengthy speeeli bv Mr. J. W Foreman, aiid responded to by the representatives of the Taranaki Daily News nad the Waitara Mail; and the chairman proposed by Mr. W, T. Jennings. Tho function was splendidly organised and carried out, great praise being due to the committee, of which Mr L Fa«H was chairman, and Messrs J, Garner and I