GOVERNOR-GENERAL VISITS TAURANGA

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume 49, Issue 7676, 22 April 1921, Page 3

GOVERNOR-GENERAL VISITS TAURANGA

ms MAJESTY’S REPRESENTAtive GREETED WITH enthusiasm.

Yesterday Tauranga was honourjjy a visit from His Excellency (jje Governor-General, Viscount Jellicoe. one of the greatest, men who has ever stepped ashore in New Zealand. Great naval deeds have ffo n for His Excellency a place in the annals of fame, and his genial personality has also earned for him |he greatest popularity in every town and district that he has visited since coming to this country as the representative of His Majesty the King- His visit here was looked forward to with eager expectation, and despite the late hour of His Excellency’s arrival there were fully a thousand people on the Strand last evening when he motored into the town, his arrival being heralded by the ringing of, the fire; 1 bell. The assemblage included men, women and children, and a large number of Maoris. Viscount Jellicoe was met on arrival by Mr. F. F. Hockly, M.P. (representing the Parliamentary representative for this district, Sir Win. Herries), Mr. B. Dive (Mayor of Tauranga), Mr. H. Southey (Chairman, of the Tauranga County Council), and Mr. R. B. Shearman (Town Clerk). Rousing cheers were given as His Excellency’s car drew up opposite the Commercial Hotel at 5.20 p.nu His Excellency conversed for a few minutes with Messrs. Hockly* Dive, Southey, and Shearman, and then prepared to motor to the steps on the southern end of the, Town Wharf. Re crowd again cheered heartily, and His Excellency bowed his acknowledgments. He thanked the people for their cordial greeting and said he was glad to he present and wished he could stay for a month. Then the assemblage cheered again and many voices called out You’re a genuine sport.” The car then sped down the wharf, but the crowd pressed forward and lined the wharf and the King Edward Esplanade. His Excellency then stepped aboard the Tutanekai’ launch, and «soon reached the steamer. ENTERTAINED AT DINNER.

At seven o’clock His Excellency waS entertained at the Commercial Hotel by the Reception Committee and representatives of the various local bodies. The arrangements were excellent, and reflect the-great-est credit on the proprietor, Mr. G. W. Henderson. During the dinner musical items were played by an orchestra under Mr. J. W. Carleton,

Dinner concluded; His Worship the Mayor, on behalf of the citizens w lauranga said he had great pleaslire in welcoming His Excellency to !«e" town, He. trusted Ids Hsit muW be mutually beneficial. They were pleased to meet him as the representative of His Majesty the amg and also as tie Commander of onr. great and illustrious Navy in the weat War., On behalf of the Cities he tendered His Excellency a very hearty welcome. HisExceHency in replying said he thanked has Worship warmly for the hearty welcome extended him on his, his first visit to Tauranga. so for his kind reference to his association with, that splendid ser™e. the Royal Navy. As the representative of His Majesty the Nog he wished to acknowledge their loyal toast to His* Majesty and the of the National Anthem, of loyalty were good to hear, except that they were Necessary from this Dominion, hey were an outward sign of what in the heart. As the represeubiwe °f His Majesty’s Navy he felt * specia! interest in the Dominion, Sf f ° like those of the pother Country, lay on the sea. The Lu 0 Zealand were full of r d Spinfc and grit, and he wished hem many you* of Health and mmty. He looked forward u ,i ; pßnsure to the years in he was, to represent the King 1 , 5 countr y, a ud was very proud finV f° i aTnon g s t a people more nw, than the British. No one d fail to be proud if only for reason. Deception at town hall. t xce H euc y t hen proceeded to o»i Hal! ’ wllich was Mled to m-Jtomng, many 0 f those present liearl ) 7 twenty miles, ititully-eolom-ed electric lights ? r ® eTler y H the main entrance whil o A al . produced a pretty effect, we interior was also nicely w bh flags and illuminated r* loured lights. The 38th lit. Senior Cadets, under AXeikle, formed a A,? °l Honour outside the hall. ' drove up at 8.20 “R, 1 uu *cipa] Band played : Je Britannia.” As he entered the . the amlieuce rose while the them r- pl v Ved the Naiional Ania a'< Excellency took bis seat on Jr 1 P ° sitifm 011 ll 'e stage, p w «-e also seated Mr. F. ia TOr ’Jv P -» His Worship the CW ’ tle t-eiuuy Chairman, the ( iIr ln “ a!l the Harbour Board {j v ' ' Eing), various tepresema■himbem ITh b °, dieS '. a " d many lad A - 01 t le lece pLon committee tL 61r w ’ ves - The Veterans of of t> War and a large number ted t Urned Soldiers, Territorials, f.w eidor Cadets occupied the 4 seats in the body „f the hall. Address of Welcome.

Bis Worship the -Mayor then caller 00 t!IQ Town Clerk (Mr. R. B. w»!, riUan ) to rea d the address of tw discount .1 ollicoe, the Lp J«Ug as follows: 0 Bis -Excellence John RushJuuth, Viscount Jellieoe, Gov-ernor-General of tin- Dominion a New Zealand, Admiral of (Infefct, Knight Gland Cross of • t ~ e Most Honourable Order of Bath, Member of the Order

°f Km S ht GraQ d Cross of the Royal Victorian Order. please Your Excellency. We, the burgesses of the Borough of Tauranga, and the inhabitants of the surrounding district, desire to express our gieat pleasure, at having this early opportunity of welcoming you as the representative of our gracious and beloved King and also yourself personally at a gallant leader of our glorious Kavv during the recent long years of war. W e . feel 'hat the appoint of Your Excellency to l>e our Governor-General is a happy augury for the development of our Dominion alonr lines indicated for it bv nature as a maritime country, and we trust that your term of office may be one of health and happiness for yourself, and peace, progress, and prosperity to "our country under Your Excellency's guidance. ” tor Tour Excellency s most obedient servants

B. DIVE, , Mayor HERBERT SOUTHEY, County Chairman

“April 2], J92J

Mr. Shearman then handed the address, which was nicelv illuminated, to 11 is Excellency, who replied in the following terns: Tour Worship and Mr. County Chairman 1 appreciate very deeply the kindly words of welcome which you address to me as the representative of His Majesty on this my first visit to 1 auranga. 1 feel very deeply the honour of being seleclod by the King tor the post which I now hold and it is a real pleasure to take some part in the affairs of a Dominion possessing such splendid traditions and with so promising a future. It must also obviously be of great interest to a sailor to be associated with a country whose interests, like those of the Motherland, lie so largely upon the sea. I am very grateful for your generous references to my association with the Royal Navy during the late war, and feel it to be a token of your appreciation of the gallantry and devotion to duty of the officers and men, both of that great service and of our splendid mercantile marine. I earnestly echo your hope that, during *' the years which I shall spend in the Dominion, to which I look forward with great pleasure, the prosperity and happiness of the people, will be ever on the in-

crease. I thank you most sincerely for your good wishes.” Presentations to Senior Cadets. At the conclusion of his address, His Excellency was warmly applauded. The Orchestra played a selection and then Lord Jellicoe announced that he had two presentations to make to members of the Senior Cadets. He presented the Lady Godley Cup and Medal to Sergeant W. Denuistou, who made the highest aggregate score in the 38th Company of Senior Cadets (Tauranga), and to Cadet C. L. Kerr he presented a medal, which was donated for registering the highest aggregate in the 39th Company of Senior Cadets (Te Puke). Lord Jellicoe then announced that he would like to add a few words to his formal reply to the address with which he had been honoured. He said it gave him very great pleasure to visit Tauranga. He was sorry he was not able to coin© by sea and had he done so he knew that a seaman’s welcome awaited him. On his way overland he had passed some of the most beautiful scenery in New Zealand. It was a great pleasure to associate himself with the Cadets, with whom the future lies. The Cadets have great traditions to which they must live up. He paid a glowing tribute to the Veterans for the manner in which they had carried out their military duties and pioneered this country. “All honour to those Veterans,” said Viscount JelJicoe.- - (Great applause). His Excellency, continuing, said once again it had fallen to the returned soldiers to uphold the traditions of their country and right worthily have they upheld it.—(Prolonged applause). —It lies with the Cadets to continue that prosperity which their forefathers had laid by a spirit of undying determination and energy.— (Applause). Lord Jellicoe said he thought there was a great future before this part of New Zealand and indeed the whole of this Dominion. He then intimated that he had asked His Worship the Mayor to give him the opportunity of shaking hands with the Veterans and Returned Soldiers present. (Applause).

Veterans and .Returned Soldieiv

Honoured

Mrs. H. Crump then favoured the audience with a song and was heartily applauded for her coutiibution. Hi? Excellency then proceeded to the body of the hall and shook In, i ids with the Veterans of the Maori War, those honoured by His Majesty's representative being Messrs, d. H. Griffiths, C. W. Eyre, M Knowles. E. Earl. S. Reeve, and Charles Oliver. The audience testified bv applause their appreciation of the honour conferred on the small band of Veterans, whose presence served to remind one and all of the fact that tins country was held and settled by an excellent class of pioneer. The Returned Soldiers then formed a double line down the middle of the ball, and Lord Jelhcoe shook hands with all of them. Tlune was a hearty round of applause when Hi> Excellency shook hands with Mrs, Davies, elder daughter oj Air and Mrs. C. N. Lasenbv. who performed splendid service in an ij uportaut department in the Old Countiv during the war period.

■file Ennctiuii Clo.-eS

i The Orchestra contributed another selection. and Mat N. Chater ren- ‘ der*d a song appropriate to the oc-

casion. The Orchestra played the Erttional Anthem, the audience join mg, and three ringing cheers were then given for Viscount Jellicoe. His Excellency returned thanks for the reception accorded him. He said he was sorry he could not stay longer in Tauranga, bur hoped it would not be long before he was hack again, and that Lady Jellicoe and family would then be with him. He concluded: “1 wish you all good night and good luck.' 1 His Excellency then took his departure, and hundreds of people poured from the hall into the street and besieged his car at the street inter-section. As His Excellency drove off he was accorded another round of cheering and so ended one oi the most enthusiastic welcomes that has ever been given in this town to the representative of the Crown, ijord Jellicoe certainly won his way m the hearts of the people here, and should be favour us with another visit, as he indicated last night that he would, he may rest assured that such an event would be hailed with delight by the people.

The details in connection with the i unction were admirably arranged, end much credit is due to Mr. Robbins, Master of Ceremonies, to the reception committee, Mrs. J. G. Green and the ladies who were responsible for the. arrangements. Several numbers were played outside the hall by the Municipal Brass Band, and many favourable comments were made on the good progress which it is making under Baud master Davison. A meed of praise is due to the Orchestral Society (conducted by Mr. H. Crump), whose selections were rendered artisi Tally and were much appreciated hy the audience. The decorations on the stage were tastefully arrang'd by Mrs. J. G. Green and members of the Borough electricity staff.

Visit to the Club

After tlie reception at the hall His Excellency motored to the Tauranga Club, where he was welcomed by the President, Mr. H. A. Sharp, and a large number of members. After a slay of about an hour His Excellency returned to-the ship. TODAY'S PROCEEDINGS His Excellency came ashore at nine o’clock this morning and was met on the Town Wharf by the Mayor (Mr Dive), the Town Clerk (Mr R. B. Shearman), the Chairman of the Harbour Board (Mr R. King), Colonel G. A. Ward, Rev. Mr Fraser, and Mr H. A. Sharp and Major Mirrie'ees. Viscount Jellicoe was accompanied by his private secretary, Captain Curtis. His Excellency visited the Western Bay of Plenty Re turned Soldiers' Association’s club rooms, where he was received by Mr C. N. Clark (secretary). His Excellency then motored to the Military Cemetery, where Colonel Ward gave a very inte resting description of the historical events that occurred dining the Maori War, and also incidents connected with the doings of the leaders on both sides. Major Mirrielees photographed the party, His Excellency standing beside the grave of Captain J. F. C. Hamilton, who was the Captain of H, M. S. Esk, and who fell at Pu.kehinahina on April 2Q, 1864. Viscount Jellicoe, stated that he would send the photo graph to Captain Hamilton, a son of the Captain Hamilton referred to above.

Address at the School

The cemetery was left at 930 and His Excellency then proceeded to the school, where he was received by the headmaster, Mr W. R. C. Walker, and tiie ActingChairman of the School Com mittee (Mr C Lowe). A large number of parents were also present. Tne pupils were formed up in the schoolgrounds and on the arrival of His Excellency sang ‘ God Save the King.” Viscount Jellicoe spoke to each member of the teaching staff and to the five pupils who wcie scholarship winners, viz., Edward Simpson, Nesbitt Smith, Locksley Withy, Marv Smith, and Elsie Smith, the first-mentioned being the top scholarship winner for New Zealand.

• Master Edward Simpson then read the following address : “ Youi Excellency ; As representative of the school children, I'am asked to tell you how pleas ed we are to be able to welcome you to our little township. We feel it a very great honour indeed to have in our own playground, as representative of our beloved King, the great Admiral who during the late war, by his bravery and skill upheld the supremacy of the sea and did so much towards bringing the wav to a successful conclusion. We want Your Excellency to know how much we appreciate what has been done for us by you and others and our wish is that we may grow up good, intelligent citizens loyal to those who have fought and died for us, loyal do our King, our Country and our God.” '

His Excellency, in reply, said it was a real honour to visit the school. He returned thanks for ihe welcome, which had been so well delivered by Master Simpson, whom he congratulated on his scholastic achievement. That example, be said, should be a great incentive 10 all the pupils of the school. He imped the pupils would be attentive to their studies and also to sport, both of which go together and promote the development of character. He hoped they would emulate the deeds of their forefathers and not forget the deeds that had taken place m tins district, and also the chivalruii' and human- conduct of the Min-rC. He wished them all good Suck and prosperity and hoped that they rouk! strive to uphold the high name the school had won. He then asked that tin- .scholars should Lsranted a holiday and wished them good-bye Ringing cheers were then given for His Excellency, Lady