CITIZENS' RECEPTION

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16415, 8 January 1919, Page 7

CITIZENS' RECEPTION

GREAT OVATION TO GENERAL PATJ. From the point of view of th© general public the most important fixture in connexion with the arrival of the French Mission in the city was the civic reception tendered to its members in the Theatre Royal at noon. It has been already noted that the visit of the Mission accentuates the necessity for a town hall in which such receptions could be fittingly held, and yesterday's experience went to show that, commodious though the Theatre Royal is, a larger building would have been overtaxed to accommodate those who desired to do honour to the representatives of Great Britain's firm ally in the great war. Some time before the appointed hour the Theatre began to fill, and those Whc thought that it w;as unlikely that ther« would be a large attendance at such an hour on an ordinary working day Boon had reason to alter their view of the matter. In fact, when noon struck there was scarcely a vacant seat in tlio whole building. . On the stage, when the curtain was raised, the Mayor (Mr H. Holland), who and who had on his robes j and chain or office,, had on his right hand General Pau, and on his left Sir James Alien, the Acting-Prime Minister, and M. le Commandant d'Andre, the other members of the Mission being also seated in tbp front of the stage. I An outburst of cheering, lasting for several seconds, and cries of "Vive la France" heralded the uprising of the curtain. There was also on the stage a large gathering of prominent citissens, amongst whom were the Hon. R. Moore, M.L.C., the Hon. W. H. Triggs, M.L.C., Mr L. M. Isitt, M.P.» his Lordship Bishop Brodie, the Very Rev. Dean Csirrington, Mr S. E. McCarthy, S.M., Mr T. A. B. Bailey, S.M., Superintendent J» Dwyer, Mr Geo. Scott, Mr H. B Sorensen, Mr A. S. Taylor, Mr A. Dudley Dobson, and many; others. Tho function Opened with the singing of "The Marseillaise" by Miss Millicenfc Jennings, who gave a Bpirited in* terpretation of the French national anthem. Upon the call of the Mayor hearty cheers were given for France and for the French Mission. THE MAYOR'S WELCOME. The Mayor, after presenting to General Pau tho cordial welcome addressed to the General from the Christchurch Returned Soldiers' Association, _ said that he regretted very much that it was impossible for him to address their distinguished visitors in their own language, and asked them to take the will for the deed. "General Pau and members of the Freiich . Mission," his Worship continued, "on behalf of the i citizens of Christchurch —and I feel justified in including the people of Canterbury, because I am sure the whole province would like to be associated with 'the city's welcome to our distinguished visitors. (Hear hear.) I desire to extend to you and the members of your Mission a most hearty and sincere 'welcomo for vour Own work, for the work vou have done for the cause of humanity. (Applause.) I very sincerely and whole-heartedly welcome you because vou are tho representatives of the French. Government and the people or Franco —(applause)—that g rea t democracv that wonderful nation. In» Mavo'r then referred to the recent vißit of 'the French Art Mission which, he. said, had told them that /a* ,000 French soldiers had been blinded by the enemy —men who had gone through awful carnage without a single word of complaint. (Applause.) For more than four vfcars the lirave soldieTs and sailors or France had stood side by sidd and shoulder to shoulder with the dominion's young soldiers, and had fought and died together for tho, liberty ana freedom of the whole world. (Applause.) In snmo small measure the people of the Dominion had tried to share tho sorrows and sacrifice of France, and! that day they rejoiced with thenFrench allies on the victory achieved bv tlie united .action of France and the Allies. (Applause.) Ho desired to assure General Pau and the members or the "Mission that though they wero far from their own countrr and personal friend?, they were, in Christchurch, in the midst of a large number of most warm-hearted friends and sympathise!*. Ho hoped that while in this city they would find in. it a homo aivny from home. (ApplaitwO The citizens eordiallv admired the bravery and heroism ff the French soldiers, tho uncompromising attitude of the French nation, and tbev recognised how much they owed to Marshal Foch. (Cheers, .md renewed cheers.) Many parts of Franco would be always sacred to many fathers and mothers of the Dominion whose sons lay buried there, and it was particularlv pleasing to laiow that tht» women of "France had undertaken the work of caring for those graves. (Applause.) It was particularlv pleasing to know that tho French people desired to cultivate a closer business relationship with the people of tho Dominion, .nnd to capturo some of the trade that for* nierlv went to Germany. (ApplausoJ In that respect he honed that the Miiw gion would be exceedingly successful.

His Worship then briefly referred to Canterbury's reputation as a producer of meat and tvool, and gave a brief description of th© municipal progress of Christchurch. Concluding, he hoped that the Mission would carry away pleasant memories of its visit to Christchurch, and assured its members that nothing would ever damn or chill the affection of the people of Christchurch for the people of France and what they had accomplished on behalf of humanity. (Continued applause.) SIB JAMES ALLEY'S SPE'TH. The Acting-Prim© Minister, v. im nrse amidst applause, after brief reference to the death of Mr Roosevelt —an announcement that was received with expressions of sorrow—said that at Wellington the previous day he had the pleasure of welcoming General Pau and the French Mission, and it was with groat delight that he was in the South Island to welcome them to the island that was peculiarly Iris own. (Applause.) He had already expressed his admiration of the work done by the French, and the soldiers of the Allies, in the causo of freedom and liberty, but lie desired to express the gratitude of New Zealand for the great work done by Franc© and heir allies, and also their appreciation of that great general who united the whole of the Allied armies, who waited his time with patience, and had struck the blow when the time was ripe—and won. (Continued applause.) Tney looked. forward to the day when the final -peace would be established on terms favourable to Belgium, to France, and to the rest of the Allies. He did not think that they in New Zealand had realised what the war had meant to those who were closer to it. It had come home to him when talking with one of the members of the Mission, a manufacturer of woollen goods, who had employed 2000 hands somewhere about Roubaix. His large factory had been working when the brutal Huns came and destroyed everything. What had happened to' the 2000 employees he did not know; many of them were women; what had happened to them he oould not say ; but if the stories they heard regarding the treatment of women by the Huns —then shame upon a nation that had committed such horrible barbarities! (Cries of "Shame!") Of the men, some had passed away and "gone* west" —all honour to their names! That was a sample, of what had taken place in Belgium and France for. which reparation had to be made. (Applause.) And reparation could only come from those who committed the crime. (Applause.) He hoped that the time would come when France would bo Fully ' restored to prosperity,, and all her industries reinstated. (Applause.) In New Zealand they had suffered little •—none of its industries had been destroyed, though they might have been hampered by want of labour: in France and Belgium they had been destroyed, and it was surely their duty to do what they could to assist, first the Mother Land—(applauso) and then to assist Belgium and France. (Applause.) The French Mission had come to learn abont New Zealand, and he hoped its members would go away with the kriowJfdge : that the people of New Zealand were a grateful people—grateful for the sacrifices' -Franc© had made, and ready to respond to it, ready -to help the French people in the restoration of their country, ready to trade with them and do all v they could to help . them. (Applause). There were opportunities now, and opportunities that would increase as tne years went on, to make closer the relationship between France and New Zealand, and h© hoped that relationship would continue to be close in trade and commerce after the war. (Applause). He expressed his gratitude to General Pau and the members of the Mission for coming to the Dominion. The Commonwealth of Australia had invited them to that country, and as soon as the New Zealand Government learned of it they invited the Mission to visit New Zealand, and they were grateful n that the invitation had been accepted. "We welcome them with all our hearts," Sir James continued, ''we feel that we have been brothers in the greatest crisis of our lives. (Applause). In the future we hope to make our peoples secure during a lasting peace that shall have been won by the arms of France * and Britain and our Allies." (Continued applause). GENERAL PAU'S SPEECH. When the Mayor called upon General Pau to reply to the welcome, the audience, as if it were one man, rose and chewed and ' cheered again, and flags and hats were waved in a tumult of enthusiasm. General Pau spoke ini French, his remarks being interpreted by M. Louis Leclerq-Motte. "Mr Mayor, Mr Prime Minister, ladies and gentlemen," General Pau said, "it is a great honour to speak, especially in'the name of France, to such an. audience of It is with great emotion that I do it —I dare say I am scared in doing so after such eloquent speakers. (Applause and laughter). Your Mayor and your Prime Minister have reminded you that the names of France and of New Zealand are now associated for ever. (Applause). I am grateful for the homage rendered to my beloved France, especially as in the years before the war France. was rather deprecated. But you have,.rendered to ner the homage that she has deserved, which she has always deserved, and will; always deserve in the future —(continued applause)—by what sho - has done for suffering humanity. (Applause). I thank the Government of New Zealand for the courtesy extended to us in asking us to come here: they have fulfilled our des*e and the desire of the French Government, and we were delighted when in Australia to receive that 'invitation. For a time we feared that we would be unable to come, on account of the epidemic and the disorganisation of the steamer service, bat-when we heard that a steamer was leaving we came the very next day by the very first boat. (Applause). Only one of our number had been to this country before, and. since we landed in Auckland we have been accompanied everywhere by the enthusiasm of the whole population—both British and Maori. We French have also in one of our colonies some brethren of the same race as the Maoris, and they also are represented in Parliament, which shows that both our countries respect the rights of human beings all over the world. (Applause.) The British and French people have many things in common, but, above everything, their ideals. We have the same aims in our private tires and in our life as nations. In

the past we have fought one another, but we have always respected and appreciated one another. (Continued applaubc.) For those who, like myself, have the privilege of belonging to a military family, which for several hundred years has been fighting for its country, it is well-known that the Britisher, even when he be an adversary, has always beon a man most noble and gallant. And we know, too, that our adversaries on the other side of the Rhine are servile— they are brave, but brutal and wily. That has been true for many centuries. When the Germans lifted up their heads and met with success nearly 50 years ago, it gave them each a degree of pride that they wanted to be masters of the world; but thoy have shown themselves onlv barbarians. (Hear, hear, and applause.) They axe still as they were more than 2000 years ago, in the time of the Romans. That they showed when they declared that treaties were only 'scraps of paper,' and that might was more than right; when they invaded Belgium and spread false reports, accusing France of having attacked them first. Then both countries stood up and said, 'You shall go no further.' (Applause.) "France was unprepared for war because she was a peaceful nation. She had no desire to sot the world on fire : she did not even seek' vengeance for Alsace and Lorraine. But she knew, when she accepted the challenge, that she was not only staking the lives and prosperity of her children, but her very existence. And Franco accepted that challenge because she preferred anything to shame. (Applause.) She knew, too, that she would not be by for during the past years there had been some wise men leading the great British Empire, at the head of them the late King Edward Vll.—(cheers) —to whom now in the name of France I render respectful homage. Those men understood tho danger that threatened, and there was an arrangement that when it came they would go hand m hand to meet it. There was no paper, only the word ? but between France and Great Britain the word was enough. (Applause.) Immediate triumph was impossible, but the German attack was steadied; and we have to thank God and our armies for the first result of the war—the victory of the Marne. (Applause.) That was certainly the beginning of the great victory which had now been achieved. "Great Britain mobilised . all her people, and New Zealand, was among the first to 'go. Her men were in some of the hottest places, too—Gallirjoli, Egypt, and Northern France. Her sons made famous the name of Anzac, and they shed their blood and gave their, lives side by side with the French soldiers. Now many ofthorn are sleeping their last' sleep among their French comrades, and under French soil. "My time is too short to express, as I would like to do, the admiration of my fellow-citizons for your soldiers: I can only say a few words in fulfilment of my mission: To render homage to that fine army—to them, their I parents, their wives, their, sweeti hearts, their children—to those wno sent such fine soldiers, citizen soldiers, who gave such an example of the finest military virtue. (Applause.) They stuck to their job under the most adveJrse circumstances—in the mud, in the hard weather—and did it because they knew it was their duty. Not, only Have they been good soldiers, but displayed .the feelings of humanity to the populations living near the firing-line. If you find soldiers in their letters stating that T they have been well-treated by civilians, be not surprised—it was only reciprocity ; your soldiers behaved like sons and broth ere to our French peasants near the firing-line. .You praise us French and our good qualities, but in doing this yon praise yourselves, for it is you who have discovered the good qualities in ua which* you praise. (Continued applause.) In the name of , France I now render a tribute to those ' who wept: It will be their consolation' ' and will make their burden lighter to laiow that those heroes fell in the greatest cause in the world. (Applause.) I know that mothers here, as well as in France, accept that sacrifice, and have reward "in the knowledge that those heroes have done their duty. In tTiose populations in France who have been so cruelly tried I have seen admirable resignation; though their homes were in ruins, their only question was about, victory. (Applause.) Even in our big cities, even in that Paris that was so

calumniated, the population has been praiseworthy. I know' understand me, Because of your applause; but your applause does not go to me— it goes to France. (Applause.) It goes to the hearts of your friends; hearts that have been beatidg in unison with yours for the last four years, find which are beating again now in unison with yours in the feeling of triumph given us by victory and by the success of the cause of justice. The end has now come —thank God, and thank our armies, and thank our statesmen. But we nrosti not forget that victory has been brought about by unity. Unity has been necessary in war; it will be necessary in peace if we want that peace to be fruitful. (Applause.) The enemy*talks now of establishing a great federal republic, and General Hindenburg boasts tnat he will give them a more powerful army than ever before. They may conclude peace with us by treaty, but we knowthat treaties with Germany are only 'scraps of paper.' (Applause.) They will try, according to the Kaiser's word, 'to keep their swords sharp and their powder dry.' They only bow their head before strength, and you know that union, is strength: we must keep united —we must keep the union of our hearts and arms—ana the object of our mission is to consolidate that union by peaceful means. (Applause.) When you are united in peace there is every chance that you will remain united in war." (Applause.) Concluding, General Pau said that they would tarry back to France the recollection that m these lands they had found themselves amongst friends—(ap- • plause)—and would tell their people that the people of 3Sew Zealand had the same feelings and the same spirit as those of France. They had learned to know and to appreciate one another; they were now brethren in a friendship .tnat would never cease. (Continued applause.) The singing of a verse of "God Save the King" concluded the.function. Out.siae the theatre, as General Pau and the members of the Mission left, they were heartily cheered, and there were many cries of "Vive la France!'*

THE MAYOR'S LUNCHEON. At the conclusion of the civic reception in the Theatre Royal, the members of the Mission were entertained at luncheon at Warner's Hotel by the : Mayor. On his Worship's right sat General Pau. Other guests besides members of the Mission were:—Sir James Allen, Acting-Prim© Minister, and his private secretary, Mr G. F. ' Dixon; Mr George Humphreys, Consular Agent for France; Sir Joseph Kinsey, Consul for Belgium; Sir John Denniston; Mr A. Williams, deputy-Mayor; Mr H. R. Smith, town clerk; Mr J. ""Wallace, Consular Agent for Italy; Mr H. P. Bridge, Consular agent for tho United States; the Hon. W. H. Triggs, M.L.C., editor of "The Press"; Mr M. L. Reading, editor of the "Lyttelton Times" ; Mr E. C. Huie. managing editor of the "Sun" ; Col. R. A. Chaffey, V.D., Officer Commanding the Canterbury Military District, and Major R. S. Matthews, N.Z.S.C.; Mr P. Davidson, president of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce; Mr A. Boyle, president of the Canterbury branch of the i\avy League; Mr Arthur E. G. Rhodes; Dt. C. J. Reafees, Director of Agriculture: Mr J. H. Barr, Tourist Department ; and Press representatives. Only two toasts were honoured, "The King" and "The President of France," and no speeches were made. RECEIVED BY BISHOP BRODEE. General Pau and Commandant d'Andre were received by his Lordship Bishop Brodie and the Rev. Dr. Kennedy'at the Catholic Presbytery, Barbadoes street, at 3 p.m. yesterday. Amongst those present were Dean Hyland (Rangiora), Dean Regnault, F-i ther.s Roche and Seymour (St. Mary's, Manchester street), Fathers Liston ana Morkano. Dr. Kelly, editor of the "Tablet," and Dr. O'Brien. A visit was paid to the Cathedra!, and the General expressed himself well pleased with the fine edifice and saidi that it compared favourably with those of his own country. The visitors were then received by the Mother-General of tho Convent of the Mission. Most of the sisters of this community are countrywomen of General Pau, which fact made ihe visit all the more interesting. In his address the General paid a warm tribute to the Allied nations, and said that a great deal had been accomplished by prayer. An address of welcome to the General was rend in French by one of the sisters. Altogether a very pleasant afternoon was 6pent. DYER'S PASS REST HOUSE VISITED. A fixture not on the pre-arranged programme for yesterday, was the visit paid by General Pau, M. le Commandant d'Andre, and M. Louis LeclerqMotte, to the Rest House at Dyero Pass, on the Summit road. Mr H. G. Ell, M.P., whose intense interest in all that pertains to the Summit road is well known, felt that the opportunity that presented itself of giving, the visitors from France of witnessing the fine view from the hills was too good to be missed, organised the function, and a start was made in motor-cars from' Cathedral square about 4 p.m. In addition to General Pan and the other members of the Mission and Mr Ell, there were also of the party the Hon. W. H. Triggs, M.L.C., Messrs P. Davidson (president of the Chamber of Commerce),' M L. Reading, E. C. Huie, J. J. Dougall, and W. Nicholls. The journey was accomplished in good time, and the party partook of a dainty after-, noon tea at the Rest House. General Pan and M. le Commandant d'Andre showed the keenest interest in the Res.t House, and its appointments, the general getting M. Leclerq-Motte to translate for him the mottoes and announcements displayed. The cuckoo clock particularly took M. le Commandant d'Andre's fancy, and that excellent soldier unbent so far as to give a very fine imitation of what the cuckoo does when it announces the time of day._ The visitors greatly enjoyed the outing and the fine view obtainable from Dyer's Pass, a view which would have been finer but for the Southern Alps being obscured by mist. A characteristic incident occurred shortly after the party arrived. General Pau happened to notice a returned soldier wKo had his right arm in a sling, and who was on his way to Governor's Bay. The general spoke to the soldier and enquired regarding his wound, and showed great interest in him. The party returned via Spreydon and Addington, in order to give the visitors an idea of tho city's suburbs. On the way to Mona Vale, Mr W. Nicholls's residence at Fendalton, General Pau and M. le Commandant d'Andre motored to'the Botanic Gardens, where they met Mr Jame3 Jamieson (chairman of the Domain Board's Garden tee), and Mr James Young, the head gardener. General Pau was greatly in. ; terested with what he saw in the gardens. At Mona Vale, which the party visited on tho invitation of Mr Wm. Nicholls. some time was spent in admiring the beautiful garden, the conservatory, and the, ferneries.