THE MAYOR'S SPEECH.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXI, Issue 54, 5 March 1900, Page 2

THE MAYOR'S SPEECH.

His Worship the Mayor was the next speaker. He said: I feel it to be a very great honour to be allowed to take part in this demonstration on the eve of the departure of this, the Auckland portion of the Fourth Contingent, for the Transvaal. Although the number we are sending to-day may be numerically small, still the spirit that has prompted us in this, the hour of England's danger, to send from our shores not the overplus of a congested population, but the flower of the youth and manhood of New Zealand, whom we can ill afford to spare, must be taken into consideration. We send them from a sense of gratitude to the dear Old Motherland, which in the. time of our peril sent to this colony men such as those that our Contingent will stand shoulder to shoulder with on the battlefields of the Transvaal and Orange Free State. Such men, we say, were sent here in the time of our danger and willingly laid down their lives upon the battlefields of Rangiriri, Orakei, the Gate Pa and the other battlefields in the Auckland and Taranaki districts, and so we torday from a sense of duty are in some slight way trying to return the kindness then shown. 1 rejoice to know, that (thanks to the Hon. the Premier) New Zealand can claim the honour of being the first Parliament in the British dominions that gave its sanction to the enrolment of volunteers for the Transvaal, and from the Treasury provided the means to equip them and send them forth to assist their MotherCountry in her endeavour to give to her subjects in the South African republics that freedom of .thought and action which should be the birthright and privilege of every free man. I trust that what we and kindred colonies have done, and are doing, will have a beneficial effect upon the world at large. It should teach them that lithe struggle for freedom of thought and action (within of course reasonable lines) in which we are now on behalf of the Uitlanders engaged, any attempt made by tb»ra to prevent the accomplishmenv. of this will not only: be met by the United Kingdom, but that she will be assisted by her dependencies; and although this to-day may not mean as much as we should like it to mean, still they would do well to remember that we are growing fast in numbers, material wealth and influence. Since I arrived in New Zealand'• the population has almost quadrupled itself, and as time rolls on we shall go, on increasing until we and the other British dependencies Will become powers that will have to be reckoned with in any death struggle that may arise between the Mother Country and Continental nations). This fact has been made manifestly clear by the troops we are sending from our shores fiom time to time, and should tend tff peace. To the Contingent I would say: You are going from our snores to stand shoulder to shoulder with some of the best .fighting men the world has ever produced. We look to you to sustain the credit of Auckland, for at the cost of her citizens you are \ being sent forth. Of your bravery we hae no doubt, but ever remember that bravery without discretion and implicit obedience to those set over youmay become powerless to effect any good. See to it that you maintain the best traditions of the race to whom you owe your existence. And now, on behalf of the citizens of Auckland, I. wish you God-speed, trusting that yon will in the good order of His provl* dence return again to our shores none the worse for the conflict. But if ft should be otherwise, then worthy oi the assistance which your feilow citizens shall deem it an honour to bestow upon you. :'_