THE WHITE FLEET.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9174, 25 August 1908, Page 5

THE WHITE FLEET.

GOVERNOR GENERAL AND PRESIDENT. EXCHANGE OF MESSAGES. Received August 24, 9.19 a.m. SYDNEY, August 24. Lord Northcote, Governor-General of Australia, sent the following message to President Roosev. It on lhuisday:~ Australians, hundreds and thousands of whom are gathered along the shores of Sydney Harbour to welcome the battleship fleet ot the United States, at thi« moment entering the Eastern Gateway of this continent, unite in cordial greetings to President Roosevelt. The people of the Commonwealth gratefully appreciate the generous response to their invitation by the President and citizens of the great Republic, and rejoice in the opportunity afforded by this demonstration of the might of American naval power, to express their sincere admiration of .your sailors, and their esteem and aftection for a country whose -glorious flag they hope to see always floating beside that of their Motherland. Mr Roosevelt replied "I desire to express to the Governor-General and the Government, and through them to the entire people of the mighty°Commonwealth of Australia, the appreciation which the American people feel for their generous hospitality to the American fleet and the peopte. Their Republic hold in peculiar esteem and admiration the people of Australia, and it is a very real pleasure for me, on behalf of the nation, to accept the generous hospitality preferred by Australia to the fleet on its voyage of peace, ior the American Navy is a menace to no Power, but is, on the contrary, as we believe, an asset of high importance in securing peace and justice throughout the world.

TWO SAILORS DROWNED,

Received August 24, 10.12 a.m. SYDNEY, August 24. Fifteen thousand persons inspected the fleet yesterday. Two sailors of the fleet were drowned yesterday, one through the capsizing of a boat the other through falling off tha wharf.

LABOUR LEAGUE DECLINES AN INVITATION.

Received August 21, 10.20 a.m MELBOURNE, August 24.

The executive of the Political Labour League declined an invitation to attend the American Fleet reception. They consider the money would b- better in relieving the un employed.

QUICKENING OF THE IMAGINATION. A SUGGESTION. Received August 24, 10.35 a.m. SYDNEY, August 24. The "Herald" says:—"One result of the cruise of the American Fleet is sure to be.a quickening of the imagination of Australia, of Canada, and of South Africa to a sense of their part in the sea power of the Empire, and it would be shrewd, sound policy, worthy of a great statesman, to contrive that a great British Fleet should in a similar way visit the King's dominions beyond the seas. But though the Imperial aspect of the visit is fraught with deep meaning, perhaps what is uppermost in the minds of the majority is the happv parallelism between America and Australia as Pacific states. In a dim Wriy we realise what the future of the Pacific must be, that the centre of gravity of the world's commerce is moving towards a point within it, and that bound up in this manifest destiny is the manifest destiny of amity and concord between America and Britain."

REVIEW OF NAVY AND MILITARY FORCES. 1 A BRILLIANT SPECTACLE. / A GREAT BOAT RACE. Received August 24, 5.40 p.m. SYDNEY, August 24. Two hundred thousand persons witnessed the review of the naval and military forces at Centennial Park. Fourteen thousand men and cadets were under arms, including 2,600 American sailors and marines. Lord Northcote, Sir Harry Rawson, Admiral Sperry and other Admirals, Mr A. Deakin and 1G captains of the American fleet were present at the saluting base. The review was the finest ever seen in Australia. The troops, after the review, were marched to Sydney. The streets were thronged with hundreds of thousands of spectators. The glorious weather enhanced the brilliancy of the spectacle. A grea*; boat race between the champion cew f"orti the Louisiana and a dozen of tho Illinois' best men for a stake of 28,000 dollars was rowed across the heads from near Manly to Clark Island, a distance of three and a-half miUs Each ship contributed 14,000 dollars. The Illinois' crew got away first, but the Louisiana crew, rowing, better, drew level in the first quarter of a mile, and at the mile post had six lengths advantage, eventually winning by tvventy lengths.

Re,-Jived August 25, 1.10 a.m. SVDNEY, August 24. The illuminations its the city, and warships, and the Continental Domain were partly spoiled by the rain. Notwithstanding this, there were immense crowds in the streets and the Domain. Lord Northcote's ball at Government House was a brilliant function.