THE FREEDOM OF LONDON.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15776, 18 December 1916, Page 2

THE FREEDOM OF LONDON.

STRIKING SCENE IN THE GUILDHALL. MR MASSEY HONOURED, (FROM OCR OWN" CORRESPONDENT.) LONDON. November 7. Mr W. F. Massev received yestordav the highest of tlio honours * which it is in the power of the City of Loudon to bestow —namely, its Freedom. The scene in the Guildhall on the occasion was a verv striking one. Ihc dais, of course, was occupied by the Lord Mayor, the Sheriffs and • Aldermen —many of whom had passed the Chair —in their magnificent sci-ilet robes of office, the functionaries of the Corporation, and a number of distinguished visitors, including Sir Joseph "Ward (who was himself made a 'Freeman some years ago) and Lady Ward. Lady Hardwicke, Earl Grev, Mr Bonar Law, the Right Hon. Will Crooks, Sir Thomas Mackenzie. Mis s Mackenzie. Lord Ualfour of Burleigh, Sir George Perley (High Commissioner for Canada) and Lady Pcrlcy, Mr Andrew Fisher (Hieh Co'vmis'.ioiier for Australia) and Mrs Fisher, Sir T. Parkinson. Mr and Mrs Robert Mi!!, and many more. Just below the dais were seated the members of the Common Council of London, numbering more than a hundred, in their picturesque mazarin blue fur-trimmed lobes. In the body of the hall were a considerable number of guests, including many Now Zc.nlanders. and the gallery was filled with wounded New Zealand soldiers who had came up from Hornchureh. The band of the Royal Artillery, under Bandmaster E. C. Strettun, played for half an hour during the arrival of the guests, and at intervals during the ceremony. Among the Now Zealanders present one noticed: —Mr J. 11. B. Coates, Lady Findlay, Lady Mills, Mr and Mrs Gilbert Anderson, Mr and Mrs Irven W. Raymond, Mr and Mrs G. H. Scholefiokl. Mrs Empson. Mrs E. A. Wilson, Mr and Mrs T. H. Boves, M.r and Mrs Moss Davis, and Mrs Malcolm Ross. In the courtyard of the Guildhall was a guard of honour, composed of New Zealand troops who had come up from Cod ford. in charge of Captain Mackay, of the Wellington Battalion. Most of the men had seen active service, and bore the badge for wounds. When Mt Massey, accompanied bv Mrs and Miss Massev, arrived, the guard of honour presented arms. The Premier was escorted by ushers of the Common Council through the corridor, which was decorated in pink and white for the occasion, and thence into the Guildhall. When they appeared in the doorwav the whole audience rose and the band struck up the scarcely known New Zealand anthem, "'God Defend New Zealand," which Mr Strctton had stumbled across cruite accidentally a few days before, and put into practice at once as an appropriate item. Punctually at tiie hour appointed the Lord Mayor announced the intention of the City to confer its "greatest gift" on the .Premier of Nov Zealand. The resolution 1 of the Council was read, and it was solemnly announced that Mr Massey had been found of "good name and fame" and that he was prepn-ed tci "pay hi.= scot and bear his lot" like an upright Frecma.il of the City. THE CHAMBERLAIN'S ADDRESS. In presenting Mr Massey. the Chamberlain. Mr Adrian W. Pollock, recalled that the Prime Ministers of Canada and Australia had already been made Freeman of the City during the war, while General Louis Botha, that great soldier and statesman, had been a Freeman for some years. That day's ceremony was double welcome in affording the Corporation the opportunity and satisfaction of offering the same honour to their distinguished guest, Mr W. F. Massey. Although now a devoted New Zealander, Mr Massev was by birth an Irishman, and Ireland was the poorer to-day for the loss of those fine qualities of mind and heart) which had been of such inestimable value to the land of his adoption and to the Empire. Leaving Ireland as a boy he settled in New Zealand, and after much useful experience m local government administration ho entered Parliament in the year 1894. He held successively the positions of Chief Opposition "Whip and Leader of the Opposition, and in the year 1912 lie attained the great position he now held. The first two years of Mr Massey's record as Prime Minister were overshadowed by the magnificent services he had rendered since the declaration of war. One of the great tasks which lie accomplished was the full application of the Defence Act. which provided for compulsory military training. Mr Massey was also responsible for the passing of a Military Service Act, on the lines of our own, which gave the Government power to introduce obligatory service if the l'ate of recruiting should justify the step. New Zealand had the distinction of being the first of the Dominions to pass such an Act, and more remarkable still was the fact that it had not vet been found necessary to exercise its power—(cheers) —for the fine and splendid reason that New Zealanders were voluntarily joining in sufficient numbers.—(Hear, hear.) <• Further, Mr Massey had played a great pari in this <vrisis, and instead of taking any credit for his whole-hearted and untiring efforts ho had used words which the Citv Chamberlain thought were typical of the spirit of New Zealand to-day. Mr Massey had said:— "We have simply done ,our duty, a duty we owe not only to the Motherland and to the Empire, but to ourselves, £or we realise that this war affects us by threatening our liberty, well-being and progress almost as gravely as it threatens far older communities much nearer the actual scene of conflict. Germany aimed deliberately at the overthrow and disintegration of an Empire of which NewZealand is proud to be a part, and until this menace is finally and for ever removed New Zealand vHll voice no desire to sheathe the sword. (Cheers.) Whatever further sacrifices may be demanded, New Zealand, in unison with aU the Oversea Dominions, is prepared to make them to attain this vital end." My Lord Mayor, in this spirit and in tne simple unostentatious manner that is characteristic of its people, New Zealand has made heavy sacrifices in the great <At»se. The Empire vfill remember with everlasting gratitude the glorious record of bravery and deter- | mination shown by Now Zealanders. not only on land but at sea-^cheers) —for "we know and ap*l preeiate the distinguished part played | in the Battle of Jutland by H.M.S. New Zealand, the battle-cruiser presented by the Dominion to the British. Navy before the war. (Cheers.) The Corporation offers a warm welcome to the brave soldiers from New Zealand who are attending to-day's ceremony —(cheers)—men who have been wounded fighting for the Empire in as just ; and noble a cause as a people could wish. They are typical of the splendid fighting force which has upheld the honour of New Zealand on the rocky » shore of Gallipoii, in Egypt, and on the bloody battlefield of the Sonrme. Their conduct in the field has won for them glowing tributes from the two men of all others best qualified to judge. The goal for which we are striving has been set forth in most eloquent words, a goal for which we have poured out, and are still pouring out millions of money —for which we have sacrificed a-nd are still sacrificing the blood of some of our bravest and best; but in the great task still unaccomplishod, and which day bo • prolonged

bevond the expectation of many of us, we are glad a P roud to know that, under the able guidance of their Prime Minister, we have and shall continue to have the brilliant co-operation—the more precious for being so freely rriven—of the brave and patriotic people of the great little Island Dominion of New Zealand. ' The Chamberlain offered Mr Massey sincere and grateful welcome m me Citv of London, and extended him the right hand of fellowship, and te d him as a citizen. He also begged his acceptance from the Lord Mayor, the Aldermen, and the Common Council, of a casket in gold containing a certifacate of the Freedom, "in token of t eir lastiivr gratitude and admiration for the splendid work you life done and arc doina for New Zealand the Mother Country, and the Empire. (Loud applause.) , , , , . Mr Massev then proceeded to take tlic accustomed oath that lie would not exercise his new honour in deroga of the King's authority, and that he wou'.d carry out faithfully the duties of a Freeman. He then formally signed the roll. u ' THE PRIME MINISTER'S SPEECH. In his rejjlv, Mr Massey thanked the Lord Mavor and the Corporation most warmly for the honour conferred on him. and, as he took it. unon the citizens of New Zealand. British history recalled nothing finer than the response of the Dominions to the empire's call when the war broke out. (Applause.) As a resident of the Dominion, it was not for him to boast of what had been done, but he gloried in what had been accompttshed, and the brotherhood which had been established between the different parts of the Empiie. (Lcurl applause.)- There had been 110 exception ?.'> far a? the Dommions wore concerned. (Hear, y c, J , All had done well, and he included India —(cheers)— Straits Settlements, Federated Malay States, the Is.andsof the West [lidies, and ihc Islands of tile Pacifu —each and every one having sr>nt its representatives to the front. New Zealand's own aboriginal natives, the .Maoris, were fightine side by side with the sold'ers of the Empire. But lie Thought that perhaps the most striking instance of loyalty had been shown In- the Nine Islanders, and it was not their fnv.it that they had been unable to stand the climatic rigours of thi« side, of the world. So loner as the citizen* of the Empire did their duty, so long would the Empire WITH ALL OUR HEART, SOUL AND STRENGTH. Mr Massey mentioned that he had had the opportunity during the last lew days of' visiting France and of seeing the magnificent work that has been "done by New Zealand soldiers there; lie saw the dangers they had to face, and the hardships they had to put u„ with, but he was particularly struck with their cheerfulness despite hardships. . The Allies were now arriving at the most serious and the most dangerous part of the war. The troops /.r the enemy, particularly on Western front, had become demoralised. We were winning the war, und wo wore going to win it, though exactly when no one could say. "But we have got to prosecute the war with all vigour, with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our strength. We have, got to keen up our reinforcements and our supplies of ammunition, and if we fail in these respects T am convinced that the blunder will be worse than a crime. In all probability the war will go on indefinitely, and in all probability for years, most likely ending in an unsatisfactory and incomplete peace unless we _ keep up our reinforcements, our munition supplies, and our other military requirements. e have got to sec that the sacrifices which have been made shall nob have been made in vain. Ihe little white crosses on the bleak hillsides of Gallipoli, the graves on the Western front where lie the of many a gallant lad, the murders which have been committed by Germans — such as the shooting of Captain Fryatfc and Nurse Cavell—the killing of noncombatants, the drowning of men, women, and helpless children —all these arc arguments against a premature and incomplete peace. Even the memory of Lord Kitchener must appeal to his fellow-citizens to carry on till the power of Germanv has been permanently broken. We are all anxious that this cruel war should come to an end, but | we must hang on with steadfast termination till it has been made impossible for a repetition of the horrors of the last two years to take place A great British historian once predicted that a New Zealander would stand on London Bridge and look down upon the ruins of this great city. So far the prediction has not been fulfilled, nor do I think it is likely to be. On the contrary there are many thousands of New Zealanders in London at the present time, most of whom have passed over the London Bridge as well as its numerous other bridges. They have seen the great city, spreading out on every side." Before the outbreak of war between Great Britain and the American colonies, London (through its Lord Mayor) pointed out the danger which would follow, and had his representations received the consideration to which they were entitled, the United States of •Ymerica would to-day have been probably part of the British Empire (Applause.) London to-day acknowledges the importance of the Dominions and dependencies, and admits that they should have representation in its Councils. It is to bo hoped that on this occasion the ooinions and advice of London will receive the consideration to which they are entitled, .and be given effect to, and that the opinion of London will be more respected than was the case a century ago. Mr Massey's statement about London's recognition of the imi>ortance of the Dominions and dependencies produced n vocnunding hurrah throughout the Guildhall. „„„, T r.nxT MANSION HOUbE LUNCHEON. Immediately after the ceremony at the Guildhall, the Lord Mayor entertained the new Freeman and a company of more than four hundred, chiefly New Zealanders, at luncheon at wie Mansion House. Mr and Mrs Massey sat at the Lord Mayor's right, and »ir Joseph and Lady Ward at the left of the Lady Mayoress. In addition to j those already mentioned as being present at the presentation of the Freedom, the following were at the luncheon :—Mr and Mi-b J. C. N. Grigg, Mr and Mrs C. Elgar, BrigadierGeneral and Mrs Richardson, Sir James Carroll, Mr R. D. D. McLean, Mrs S. H, Woods, Lieutenant T. E. Y. Seddonj M.P., Major W. A. Chappie, M.P., and Miss Chappie. Mr and Mr 6 T. Hamer, and Captain T. E Donne. In proposing the toast of the new Freeman, the Lord Mayor said that the name of Mr Massey was another to be added to the long roll of statesmen and soldiers and administrators which Ireland had contributed in times past, and in tire sent times, too —(loud applause)—to the loyal and devoted service of the Empire. (Cheers.) Mr Massey, in reply, said this war was not of our own seeking, but was being fought purely for the security of our own existence, for the honour of the race and of the Empire. If Germany had been successful in her first dash" to Paris, there would have been nothing between her and the object of her ambitions except the British Navy —(cheers)—-which had nobly responded to every call that had been made upon it. He wished to pay a tribute to the splendid Work thatjjad been done m this war by the women of the United Kingdom and the women of every other country within the Empire, and on behalf of New Zealand he wished to thajik the women of Great Britain for the tender and motherly care which they had bestowed upon wounded New Zealand soldiers from the time when the first man arrived in an English hospital. (Loud applause.) One of

the most vivid illustrations of the splendid spirit, inspiring the women came under his notice recently when he had to inform a New Zealand mother in a remote New Zealand town that one of her two sons in the war had been badly wounded. She wrote back that she thanked God that he had (riven her eons who were able and ready to play their full part in this great struggle. (Cheers.) In His opinion no nobler sentiment had ever been spoken by Roman matron or Spartan mother than that expressed by the wife of a simple New Zealand backwoodsman. the changes and chances of the early period of the war, he could not avoid the conclusion that tne Allies owed something, and a good deal, to the oversight of Him who watched over Israel, and who "slumbereth not nor sleeps."