H.M.S. NEW ZEALAND.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 192, 14 August 1911, Page 9

H.M.S. NEW ZEALAND.

If SCENES AT THE LAUNCHHIG I CEBEMONY. DOMINION'S GIFT CRUISER. rjffRESSIOXS OF A MEMORABLE DAY. (from Our Special Correspondent.) LONDON, July 7. i. event unique in British history took ij£ on Saturday afternoon last, when [latest Dreadnought cru.ser New ZeawLthe gift of the Dominion to the Sria Navy- and the first gi't of its JB-.W15 named and launched 0, '-ady the British and the Fairfield »£ Lnildine Companv. numbers of New Ma Vthis country were .hie to be present at the ceremony and at the LivUies in connection with it. and » EttoniUhed company gathered round Jfgrcat vessel as she loft the ways. uJ. some *ot> or more guests were enUrUined by the Fairfield Company In the evening about 40 guests of the, British Empire League set out for a .lepht.nl 'lav in the Highlands spending the night at the picturesque Tw»* Hotel and. next day. visiting the firfamed hcmities of Loch Katrine and Locn Lomond, and reaching London by special sleeping cars earlv on Monday morning. U I l.'. puncluallv the service commenced—the service to be used at the launching of ships of His Majarty« Navy. U opened with Psalm evil.: They I that go down to the sea in ships; and occupy tli<-ir business in c reat waters; the=e see the works of the Lord, and 1 is wonders in the deep." etc.. chanted by the special choir in attendance. And the Lord's Pravcr said by all. Then, shouted from thousands of throats, came the invocation, so full of the sound and strength and pitilessness of the sea itself, "Eternal Father, strong to save." The hymn ended, the blewins 'The Lord ble«s us and k;ov us, the Lord lift up the light of His countenance upon us and give us peace, now and for ever more"— strange petition as wp send a mnn-o'-war out to be ready! and its '-Amen" was said. ' Lady Ward pressed the button which set in motion the electric releasing apparatus and rang the bell that indicated that the vessel was then free 'o leave the berth on which she had b-en built and enter the waters of the Clyde. So quickly did the New Zealand take the water that in less than a minute from the time she beean to move the launching was over. Much, however, was lived !n that minute. As she began to descend the ways huge logs and beams fell hef >re her on both sides into the water, mid Lady Ward, breaking on her stern a bottle nf YVhangnrei wine, snid: "I name rou His Majesty's ship New Zealand. f!od protect her. May she never be called. npnn to engage in battle; but should it lie otherwise, I pray that victory will be hers." Swiftly and steadily, with a wonderful dignified grace, and casting into the water a* she passed lo<j3 and beams that danced fantastically into the air. and then foil back with splashc: and fuss, the Xew Zealand left the wars to the triumphant strains of "Rule Britannia" from the hand of the bovs of the Empress training ship. Then, before anyone eou'i believe it. she lay in the waters of tiV> Clyde, as impassive and massive aa before, but with, as we all knew it, another stage of her career passed. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE OCCASION. Sir Joseph Ward, stepping into full view, made a short speech, drawing attention to the iinmcn&s significance of Miloccasion in its relation to the development of the Empire. It «ould make, he sail, the men and womea in the newt r lands feel that they were not divided > v the seas from the Mother! nd, and would show that in times of strtss there would be no division of opinion in connection with the defence of the old and new parti of the Empire. The people of New Zealand had given the money for the onstrttction of that ship without a murmur, because they realised that the defence of the old parts of the Empire meant the def»ncc of New Zealand. (Applause.) Cheers were then given for Lady Ward, Sir Joseph Ward. Mr. and Mrs." O-raoie. and for New Zealand. At the close of the cheering for New Zealand a dramnt-c and unrehearsed incident occurred. Five representatives of the New Zealand Territorial Coronation Continent which has accompanied the Trimc Minister's party during the Coronation visit were among the crowd on the platform, and as the cheering died away they gave the war cry of New Zealand. At first only the New Zealanders present realised "wlrnt was taking place, but very soon everyone was aware that a scene distinctive of rhe Dominion was being enacted, and attention was focUHsed entirety on that corner of the platform. When the final ind emphatic "Ra" of the war cry melted away into the calm afternoon air. Sii Joseph Ward, not content with this informed performance, called the five troopers into the centre, of the platform and asked them to arm in give the war cry. This they did with even more vigour than before, their joint voices sounding all over the crowd as they declaimed with appropriate gestures the "Maori Haka": Ka mate, ka mate, Kia ora, kia ora. Tenei te tnngata puhuruhuru • Nana Koi tiki mai, whaka whiti te ra Hupane, hupanc, kaupjne. Whiti tc ra. So ended a memorable ceremony. SPEECHES AFTER THE CEREMONY. Speeches followed the launch, a reception being held by the Fairfield Company, at which 700 guests were present. Mr. Alexander Uracie, M.V.0., chairman of the Faiiiield Company, presided, and proposed " Success lo the cruiser New Zealand, prosperity to the Dominion, and the health of Lady Ward," whom he presented with a gold casket containing the axe with which she released the vessel, as a souvenir of the launch of the New Zealand. Sir Joseph Ward, in replying, said that it was no disparagement to the -Mother Country to say that in the next quarter of a century those countries which a few years ago were regarded as the children of the Mother Land would have a fur larger population than was contained at present within the four corners of the British Isles. They must look forward to the time when" these land- would cense to be regarded as dependents of the Motherland, and would be recognised as partners i : . the strict and Imperial sense of the term. (Hear, hear.) When they found strong and growing parts of the old family realising that they were beco'iing by degrees individual Lowers, it was of immense importance to the' future of the British Empire that the new countries and the Old should realise that with this tremendous evolution there must be the creation of a syst*

that would lift the iffnirs of the Umpire out of the parochial element, and place them on a structure which men of all shades of opinion in the Old Land and in the new would realise was created for the purpose of ensuring that those great, strong, individual countries would become stronger and stronger. (Hear, hear.) It was of immense importance to the future of the Old Land and to that of the oversea Dominions that that cementing of the tie which was being formed now was made still stronger. (Hear, hear.) At the Imperial Conference he bad ventured to sketch the outline of what he believed to be possible of achievement. A system, however, had to be born before it could grow. It might not be on the lines placed before the Conference, but the launch of the New Zealand would impress on public opinion in both lands the necessity for establishing some council or Parliament of defence which would be above and beyond all party, and would be clear of all local interest both in the Old Land and the new. (Hear, hear.) This was essential to the absolute autonomy of each.

After referring to the part which New Zealand took in the South African war Sir Joseph said he was glad that Mrs. SedJon was present with them that day. Mr. Seddon promoted to the best of his ability that evidence of the loyalty to the Old Land in that crisis in the country's history. (Hear, hear.) THE SPIRIT OF NEW ZEALAND. Lord Plunket proposed "The Fairfield Company." Many magnificent vessels, he said, had been built by the firm, but that day they had been privileged to launch, not only the latest ship of war, but the emblem of a new chapter in the history of the Empire. (Applause.) It had been his fortune to be for six years Governor of the Dominion, and he would never forget the day when bis Government asked him to transmit to Ule Imperial Government their offer to provide that Dreadnoughr, or, if occasion required, two Dread noughts. The unanimity with which thrj people of New Zealand approved that offer, the enthusiasm which it aroused at Home, the rapidity' with which it was followed by other parts of the British Empire, and the consideration with which it was received by Foreign Governmeuts were still fresh in all their memories. From the Prime Minister to the last back-block settler, and from the Leader of the Opposition to the humblest Maori in his native hut, he could 'testify to the Imperial spirit which animated them all. That ship was paid for by the land which sent the largest number of volunteers in proportion to its population, to South Africa, the land which, like Australia, had for years drilled its public school boys, the land which had voluntarily increased its contribution to the Imperial Navy, which voluntarily gave up the power to retain a certain number of ships in New Zealand waters, and the land that, like America, had not been at raid to call upon its tons, if necessary, to share in compulsory citizen service. (Applause.) Admiral Sir George Digby Mordant replied. Other toasts were: "The health of Sir James Mills," proposed by Sir Joseph Ward, and replied to by Sir James; "The City of Glasgow," proposed by Sir Wm. White, and replied to by the Lord Provost; and "The Chairman," proposed by Sir Joseph Ward. In the course of the proceedings the Rev. Mr. Matthews, on behalf of the British and Foreign 'Sailors* Society, presented the Fairfield Company, through Sir Joseph Ward, with a> plaque made of copper from Nelson's flagships Victory and Foudroyant, as a souvenir, in the name of the colleges and schools of the Dominion, of the launch of the new cruiser. Mr. James Hamilton, one of the directors of the Company, acknowledged the gift. LIST OF GUESTS. Among those present on the platform at the launch and at the entertainment later, were Sir Joseph and Lady Ward, Miss Ward, Mr. Vincent Ward, and Mr. Gladstone Ward. Mrs. Richard Seddon, the Misses Seddon, Captain Seddon, the Right Hon. Lord Plunket, the Hon. Sir E. P. Morris, Prime Minister of Newfoundland; Mr. Alex. Gracie, M.V.0., Chairman of the Fairfield Company, and Mrs. Gracie; Rear-Admiral Charles J. Briggs, Controller of the Navy; ViceAdmiral J. E. Bearcroft, superintendent of British warship construction en the Clyde; Lord Trovost A. M'lnnes Shaw, Glasgow, and Mrs. M'lnnes Shaw; AdniiraT Sir George Digby Morant; Sir James Mills (Dunedin) ; Judge and Mrs.Jackson Palmer; Mr. and Mrs. A. Kidd; Mrs. Can- Rollett; Mr. Norman Keanc; Mr. A. J. Entrican; Mr. Breckon (Hamilton) ; Mr. Seaton; Mr. Ziman, and many others.