THE PRINCE ARRIVES.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 April 1920, Page 5

THE PRINCE ARRIVES.

AUCKLAMD'S GREAT WELCOME.

BRILLIANT CIVIC RECEPTION.

PRINCE'S REPLIES TO ADDRESSE S.

The Prince of Wales arrived in Auckland on Saturday in fulfilment of the prpmise made by the King that the Heir to the Throne would visit the principal Dominions as a token of ciation of the spirit of loyalty displayed during the war. In fine weather, crowds assembled to give the Prince a wonderful welcome, and the day was crowded with many expressions of deep and sincere loyalty. Where the Prince drove through the city to receive the civic welcome he was greeted with one of the most brilliant and enthusiastic scenes ever witnessed in Auckland. In the afternoon the Prince—a soldier himself—attended a spectacular military display, where he saw the people, the returned soldiers, and the school children. Yesterday was one of New Zealand's most sacred.anniversaries—Anzac Day—and the Prince participated in two commemoration services. Again the streets were lined with cheering crowds, and everywhere the Prince received a splendid reception. To-day the Prince spends in Auckland, and to-morrow he will receive a unique Maori welcome at Rotorua. From Eotorua the Prince proceeds on his tour of the Dominion, visiting Taranaki on Friday.

VOYAGE FROM SUVA.

A HIGH SPEED TEST. SCENES IN HEAVY WEATHER. By Tclepapt.—Press Association. Auckland, April 24. The Renown steamed out of Suva at six o'clock on Thursday morning with an obligation to reach Auckland, 1150 miles away, in 53 hours. Instructions were posted to make all snug, as the ship would be steaming at high speed into heavy seas. So it proved, Commander Campbell called upon the engineers for 204 revolutions per minute, producing a speed of 23i knots. TKe Renown rushed forward to meet a high sea and a strong south-east trade wind. Her course was nearly due south, so that she met heavy weather on the port bow- This was the first time since leaving England that an opportunity occurred of seeing the Renown driven at high speed in heavy weather, and a magnificent spectacle was presented to a watcher on the flag deck looking forward. As the engines were developing 120,000 horse-power they drove the battle cruiser into the head seas and its immense strength enabled the ship to riae half-a-dozen waves simultaneously. Nevertheless, with a low free-board, she thrust her nose regularly into the overcoming seas, causing them to burst over the port- bow, sending huge cataracts of white water high in the air, to fall with the sound of thunder on the steel forecastle deck, and then parsing off The starboard pumps were kept going constantly to clear the chain of lockers from the inpouring water. The battle-cruiser, in these conditions, eonveyed a staggering impression of iheer power. The muzzles of the big 15-inch guns, protected by brass caps, were constantly drenched in torrents, and the little three pound guns on the flying deck were completely enveloped in water-proof coverings, while the batteries of four-inchers, three on each side of the flying deck, wore water-proof coverings like running drawers, giving a singular effect of athletes ready for ■ contest. It was a fascinating spectable to watch, the ship of 32,000 tons springing forward against the high wind and heavy seas at a speed of nearly 88 land miles per hour, hurling immense masses of foaming water as high as the navigator's bridge, to sweep harmlessly over the starboard side of the forecastle deck.

Yet aloft there was nothing visible to Indicate the heavy weather. The decks were so steady that the Prince continued his favorite exercise of squash racquets during the afternoon. Commander Campbell, the navigating officer, in an enclosed eyrie half-way up the foremast, pursued his calculations with a ruler, pencil, and charts with entire disregard of the falling torrents on deck. He remarked that most ships (teaming at that speed in the teeth of rack heavy weather would be swept by leas from end to end. He considered ' the Renown, by reason of her great length, an exceptionally dry ship. The rommander mentioned that calculations irere already completed sufficiently far ahead to enable him to state the exact times at which the Renown would en> ter the different New Zealand and Australian ports on the dates already fined. For instance, she is timed to enter Wellington at 10.30 in the morning. The last stage of this wonderful voyftqe provides a fine test of efficiency of the Renown's engines and personnel. The whole voyage from Portsmouth to Auckland on the course travelled is 14,056 miles, of which the last 1150 were done at twenty-three and a half knots- During the voyage it has been necessary constantly to replace damaged fire bricks in the furnaces with new bricks, and this operation is difficult when a high speed is maintained continuously. At present 39 furnaces out of 42 are in use, and further repairs must wait until Auckland. On the Prince's recent visit to the engine-room he entered a furnace which had been allowed to cool for the purpose of repairing firebricks, and he watched the aen who were doing the work in order to understand all the duties of the engine-room ratings. The supply •f lire bricks is almost as necessary as oil for oil-driven cruisers, and the Renown brought 12,000 spare bricks from England, of which 100 have been used •toady.

ARRIVAL AT AUCKLAND.

BRILLIANT SCENE ON HARBOR. RENOWN'S PICTURESQUE WELCOME. Auckland, April 24. "Veni, Vidi, Vici." The words which summarised one of Caesar's expeditions abroad from Imperial Rome nearly 1900 years ago might aptly be used to describe the present progress of H.R.H. the Print* of Wales through the Dominions of the British Empire, with the important differences that he needs no armed cohorts to conquer the peoples among whom he goes. It is by his winning personality and quiet business-like manner that the hearts of Britons everywhere are captured, and Auckland to-day had an opportunity of experiencing that captivating influence, to which it responded in a manner that must have given the Royal visitor the keenest sense of pleasure aa he drove through thousands of acclaiM* ing citizens along the benagged and garlanded streets of the Northern capital of the Dominion.

The day was typical of autumn—a FOft haze in the morning hanging above the mirror-like surface of the harbor, upon . which a faint westerly breeze raised no ripple- People early moved towards the water front to vantage points on every elevated part of the city and suburbs, and to Queen Street —some to view the panaroma of the harbor as the Renown steamed in. others to watch the procession as it wound it way from the wharf to the Town Hall.

It was indeed a wonderful picture that unfolded itself t( the observer who made the ascent to any point overlooking the waters of the Waitemata. A great fleet of yachts and motor craft, like a flock of giant sea birds, floated on the harbor's bosom, and slowly made their way down to North Head," where they formed into two lines, making a lane through which the warship came slowly in to take the berth prepared for her at Queen's Wharf.

It was barely ten o'clock (sooner than many people dreamed it possible) when the Renown came into view down the harbor, and as she rounded North Head the guns at the forts boomed out their noisy welcome. Big ships, be their purpose war or peace, are no novelty to Aucklanders, but the picture made by the long, grey hull of the Renown, with her towering superstructure and stern looking l6ng guns peering out from the turrets, was one that will not easily fade from the memory of the beholders. As she came slowly in, nearer and nearer to the city and the waiting multitudes, loud huzzas of welcome rose spontaneously.

People found themselves realising afresh, in a new light as it were, what the possession of great ships like the Renown means to Britain's world wide Empire. The ship before their eyes typified the power that maintains command of the seven seas of the world, and which protected the ideals of freedom and justice, for which the flag under which they sail stands. More than this, however, to-day was in the minds of the vast multitude which watched the great ship slowly warped into her berth. Not only was x she one of our shipsj but she carried a precious freight in the person of the young Prince, destined one day to rule over the world-circling Empire that includes these Jslands, so aptly called the Britain of the South, in the farthest corner of that Empire. It was this thought above all others that must have pulsed through the minds of the people, then, and later when they looked upon his youthful features as he passed through their midst, smiling and saluting acknowledgement of the acclamations of the multitude. At last the ship was manoeuvred alongside and made fast without incident. The harbor officials had everything in complete readiness and they were not hampered by crowds, as the wharf was kept clear of all but those who had official business.

The Governor-General then arrived and proceeded on board, being received by Admiral Sir Lionel, Halsey on the quarter-deck, where the ship's guard of honor was stationed. His Excellency was escorted, to the Prince and formally introduced. Then the Prime Minister and the Hons. Sir William Herries. Sir William Fraser, J. G. Coates, and C. J. Parr were presented. After the Cabinet Ministers came Major-General Sir Edward Chaytor, Brigadier-General G. S. Richardson, Colonels J. L. Sleeman and H. R. Potter.

THE PRINCE LANDS.

THE' FORMAL RECEPTIONS. 'PEOPLE'S WARM WELCOME. Auckland, Last Night'. These formalities over, His Royal Highness came ashore to proceed to Government House, whither the Gover-nor-General had already gone. As the Prince stepped ashore guns fired the Royal salute. His Highness inspected a guard of honor furnished by returned soldiers and then he was introduced to the chairman of the Harbor Board, Mr. H. D. Heather. Proceeding afoot to the gates marking the boundary between the Harbor Board and the City Corporation territories, the party came for the firat time near enough to permit the people to get a clear view of the face that every eye desired to see, and as the Mayor, in his official robes, was introduced, the enthusiasm of the crowd was let fully lose. Cheer followed cheer, and like the circling waves from a disturbance on a still water surface, the sound of the cheering undulated joyously along the radiating streets as the people preyed Up the sound that indicated something was in progress, and passed it. It mattered not for the moment that they could not see what caused the outburst. They were out to cheer and give a glad welcome to their future King, and they meant to do it.

Having now been formally admitted to the city's territory, H.R.H. proceeded to Government House. He was motored there to receive the official welcome from the Government on behalf of the Parliament and people of New Zealand. This was strictly a formal function, only Ministers, with -Sir Joseph Ward and the Hon. W D. S. MacDonaid (Leader of the Opposition) and official visitors being present.

THE GOVERNMENT'S ADDRESS. The text of the address is as follows: "To His Royal Hjglmess, Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David, Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester in the Peerage of the United Kingdom: Duke of Cornwall, in the Peerage of England; Dnke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, and Baron of Renfrew, in the Peerage of Scotland; Lord of the Isles and Grand Steward of Scotland, K-C, G.M.M.G., M.C., etc., etc. "His Majesty's Alinisters, on behalf of the Parliament and people of Now Zealand, desire to offer to your Royal Highness a sincere and cordial welcome. We assure your Royal Highness that all of us recognise that the visit of the Heir to the Throne of the great Empire of which we are part, is an event of real public importance, and a testimony of the interest with which His Majesty regards his most distant possession-

"Within a few miles of the building where this Address is presented the first emigrants from the Mother Country, under an ordered system of Government and control, landed only eighty years ago. Throughout the years since that foundation, the people of New Zealand have continued loyal subjects of the Crown, but never in our brief history has our personal regard for the Sovereign and. the Royal Family been greater amongst us than to-day. Never has there been a stronger sense of the value of the King to his Empire.

"You, yourself, sir, have borne your full share of the dangers and sorrows of the recent years, and our soldiers who know of your service have claimed everywhere to be among the first to welcome you. We are confident that your visit will be of advantage to this Dominion, and we •hope that in the years to co:.ie your Royal Highness will have none but pleasant memories of your stay and travel amongst its people. "Signed on behalf of His Majesty's Ministers for the Dominion of New Zealand, this 24th day of April. 1020 W. F. MASSEY, Prime Minister. THE PRINCE'S REPLY. The Prince replied as follows: "Prime Minister, and Gentlemen, — "This is a very great occasion for me when you, as representing the Parliament and people of New Zealand, bid me welcome to your splendid Dominion—the Britain of the Southern Seas. I have looked forward to this visit for a long time past, and I shall never forget the day on which I first set foot upon New Zealand soil. "It was a disappointment to me that an unfortunate epidemic in the splendid ship which brought me out, His Majesty's ship Renown, delayed my start from England by x week, and I hope that ybu were not put to great inconvenience in re-a'djusting your arrangements for my visit, to which, I know, you have given mtich thought and care. "Now that I am here at last, I feel myself no stranger in a strange land, but one of yourselves amongst my own kith and kin- How could lin this great British Dominion feel anything but at home? I have served with my New Zealand brother officers and men in the Great War, which made all nations of the British Empire doubly and trebly kin. I have seen the Ministers of New Zealand take their place as representatives of a nation in the framing and signing of peace. I have shared to the full your pride in that achievement—the sign that this young nation has nobly won its spurs—and I have felt as deeply as you with those brave men and women who sacrificed their life, their health, or their happiness for the victory of our cause.

"You will understand, therefore, gentlemen, that my thanks for your moat cordial welcome are no mere form. lam deeply touched by your expression of devotion to my' father the King, and by your reference to the place which His Majesty fills in the life of the Empire to-day. lam also more than grateful for the much too generous things which you have said about myself"l know that my time amongst you will be not only a keen pleasure, but a great experience. lam looking forward to meeting old friends, and making new ones throughout the Dominion, and though I cannot go everywhere in a month, I hope I shall see something of all parts of the country, and of all sections of its people before I leave. There will be much to tell you of my experiences later in my tour. In the meantime, Mr. Massey, 1 beg you to thank all New Zealand on my behalf for the warm and generous welcome which every part of % oeuntrj hag prepared/

DRIVE THROUGH CITY.

WILD ENTHUSIASM SHOWN. CIVIC TRIBUTE. ' Auckland, Last' Night. Prom Government House the Prince returned to the wharf, where, upon a raised dias a little way inside the gates, Hi 3 Royal Highness was received by the chairman and membei'3 of the Harbor Board, and presented with an address, to which he replied as follows: — "I am very grateful for your cordial welcome and loyal address. I shall not forget the day on which I first entered this magnificent harbor of Auckland, which owes so much to your care. You have spoken much too generously of myself, but I appreciate your good wishes very much. May I wish you in return increasing prosperity and success in your most important work." The guard of honor at the gates was then inspected, after which the Royal progress to the Town Hall began. This, of course, was the citizen-' first real opportunity of getting a good view of the slim, boyish figure that occupies so lug a place in all British hearts, and as the procession moved up Queen Street at rather a rapid pace—for the programme had fallen a little in arrear —the scene was one of the wildest and most joyous enthusiasm.

Queen Street's affluent thoroughfares were all densely packed, and every coign of vantage on buildings and the rising bits of ground held its full quota of people (in some cases very venturesome) bent on getting a good view as the Royal visitor passed. Arriving at the Town Hall; the visitors were escorted through a paekoa auditorium to the stage, the huge audience rising as the strains of the National Anthem pealed forth from the organ, and the people joined in singing a verse. On the stage were also naval and military guests, the Premier, and other Ministers of the Crown, Sir Joseph Ward, the Hon. VV. D. S. Macdonald, and representatives of the churches, legal and other civil authorities.

The Mayor (Mr. Gunson) read an address according a welcome to the Royal guest, and expressing loyalty to the Crown. The Prince, still dressed in the uniform of a naval captain, as when he landed, then rose to reply, but lie had to wait some moments for the great burst of applause to subside Speaking clearly and distinctly, His Highness made his reply in the following words: — "1 am very grateful to you, as representing the city and nietropolitan ar-'a of Auckland, for your kind loyal .address. Auckland is the first city 111 this great Dominion in whlc'i 1 have had the honor of setting foot. U has long boon known to me as the first capital of New Zealand, closely bound-up with the earliest history of British government in these islands; also as one of the finest harbors in the Southern Seas.

"If anything could enhance my pleasure in being here this morning, it is the warm friendly welcome which the people of Auckland have given me. I shall always look back upon this as one of the red letter days of my life, for, gentlemen, this is my first sight not only of Auckland, but of New Zealand—the gallant Dominion which won its place amongst the other British nations as one of the Powers which fought for, framed, and signed the Peace of Versailles. "I hold it a great honor to have been a comrade in arms of your splendid troop 3 in the war, and I hope to see many of them again on parade to-day. Auckland, I know, contributed most worthily to the fighting strength of the New Zealand Division, and many also of her sons served in H.M.S. New Zealand ana other ships of the Royal Navy, which once again asserted and held for the Empire, in conjunction with our gallant Allies, command of all the seas.

"Your losses, I fear, were heavy, and I offer my deepest sympathy to all who have been visited with suffering or loss. I shall be proud to convey your assurances of loyalty to my father the King, who keeps the happiest memories of his visit to New Zealand nineteen years ago. "May I ask you, gentlemen, to convey to all the citizens of Auckland my most genuine gratitude for their welcome, and my heartiest wishes for their welfare and happiness." A photograph of the scene was taken, and the Prince then stood on the lower step while the vast audience filed past on their way to the exits.

The Royal Party returned from the Town Hall to Government House, where the Prince had luncheon. The route lay along Upper Queen Street, Karangahap'o Road, and Symonds Street, and the Royal car's progress was cheered by thousands of people unable to pwtkiipitte in the earlier welcome.

A MILITARY REVIEW. VAST GATHERING AT DOMAIN. Auckland, Last Night. After lunch the Prince received addresses of welcome and loyalty from Veterans, and local bodies of the province. After this he attended a military parade in the Domain, where 5700 returned soldiers, territorials and cadets were reviewed. The returned men and nurses totalled 569 of all ranks. His Highness made a close inspection of the returned men, stopping occasionally to speak tj individuals whose faces caught his eye. Members of the nursing section and disabled men near the saluting base were also objects of special attention. The terraces surrounding the parade ground were packed with a huge crowd, who frequently broke out into enthusiastic applause and cheers as the Prince was observed to stop for his little personal talks, especially to disabled men and nurses. At the conclusion the Prince presented decorations to a number of men and then returned to Government House. The route both coming and going was lined with enormous crowds of acclaiming spectators. During the evening the Prince was the guest of the Governor-General at dinner at the Grand Hotel, and later he attended a private dance arranged at Government House for the entertainment of the officers of the Renown.

ATTENDS ANZAC SERVICE.

VISIT TO SOLDIERS' HOSPITAL. TO-DAY'S ARRANGEMENTS. Auckland, Last Night. Sunday's programme included attendance at divine service in St. Mary's Cathedral in the morning and the Anzacmemorial service in the Town Hall in the afternoon. After the latter the Prince visited patients in the soldiers' hosiptal at Narrow Neck. Thousands of people again thronged the streets to see the Royal visitor on his several passages to these engagements. Monday morning will be occupied with a children's review in the Domain, and i in the afternoon the Prince attends the races at Ellerslie, and in the evening a civic reception will be tendered to him in the Town Hall.