FLEET WEEK.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 274, 12 August 1908, Page 7

FLEET WEEK.

CEiEBRATJONS at AUCKLAND.

SEEING THE S|PHT3. THE BAILORS ENTERTAINED. (BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION.) i\uoHlan(j ( August 11. The prjupipfil functions pf tPrday. in connectipn.,with tUo. yieiji af the Fleet'wore tho %ypf(il reception in the afternoon and the Stato'ba]l at night , ' " 'V " ■laph AshqrQ. ■ About 1600 American sailors were landed in the morning for a whole day ashore. They spent most of tile time roaming round the city, and fraternising with, the residents and visitors. A thousand of them werp taken for round trips on decorated tramcarß.' Half of this number went to Mount Eden, and after climbing to the Bummit returned to thp Royal Albert. Hall to lunch

Tlid other 500 |vpre taken put to Onehunga, wliero they were welcomed by tlio" Mayor oi that borough and' leading residents, and met by the town band, veterans, and cadnts. Lunch , was "provided in-the drill hall, which had been gaily decorated.

liV the afternoon (inotber party pf 1100 lyitnpssed (I niatipea pprfprmgnpe ■ fit.- His Mnipfity's . . 11l r tha" oyening tliero were .ppjicoyts and spsiajs fp|-Visiting Jack Tars.. ■

The pefenpe pounp{(' Tfef Wornjng Rear : Adtmrtl Snprry received tho Now Defied' on. lioard. the Connecticut. ■ Tlio'Couhoil"'was' repre-sented-by Colonels Robin, ■ - C'.B,-, Davios, C.8., and Collins, who,were accompanied by Lieut.-Cpl. Wolfp ( , .Qlficer Commanding ' tha District, ' and 'their 1 respective' st'aif pfpeers. Tho visitors stayed on board oorivoi'sinjj'with' the Admiral nbpiit half ai| hour. , Parliamentary Party, This afternoon tho Admiral of .the American Fleet received, "the Prinie "Minister"of Tew Ward) pjlfl wie iiipmbers .of tlie New Zealand: Legislature;- with' their wjvps, Tfi'e pqrty- ou£ in tho Tutanekai, and were cordially received QU board tli* flagship. ' 1 ! pfficja! Visits.. Admiral Spei-ry, returned jiho Mayor'? official '. vjsit:. this; and' ajsp'. paid "an official 1 ball on tho Premier, all "the Cabinet Ministers now jh Auckland being present. The Mayor's Reception. The reception by'the Mayor and Mrs, Myers in'the Military Hall tit 3 o'elotk irat very largely attended, ■

The State Bali. . Tho State ball to Admiral Spprry and hi& pfflcqrs' Va? triljiant function ( and oveii "witji t|ie 'roomy annexes which havo lately been added to Government' House" tho accommodation wag far from sufficient fpj 1 tbr numerous guests. , V, Tip City fjt Night. ' Tlie streets were dgajn brilliantly illumk nated at nights anc)-tho warships outlined iii eleotric lights pd playing searchlights on tho pity presorted a brilliant spectacle; Queen Street a))d 1 tj)p ws}t«r front ysrei densely* tjironged. ' The oQaling of, tho warships bas begun. : ' Plctura Postcards At the jSeneral Post Office this afternoon, between two and fivo o'clock, an offioial 1 stamped BS2B ' postcards' destined for Ariierica, which were dispatched by the' Visiting sailor?. , '!Unspoj|t Body of Centjpmen." When the Supreme Court criminal session, pppjiedtp.day, Mr. Justice 'Edwardsexpressed' kee.ii regret that it "was necessary - for t-lio Court to sit during Fleet week. Hp said bo 'bad jiovpr' jriefc''ft'more manly, frank, unspoilt body of gentlemen than the officer? of the. Amoritian Navy, and "wo should do opp -'upmost 'to"pufeftiiiil'' th®p>;" Ho would Plate' the duties "of 'jurors as' light as possible, to' eijablo . thorn to do'vete as njucb tiino as possible 'to ■ tj}o entertainment' oi thejr : A'meri,caj)' guests/ ' '

COALING THE SHIPS. "..V WORK AND MUSIC. . .(BI Tlf.EQlUJ'B,—sricur, OOEPEf pprrpENT-) Auohland, Angust 12. Tho tjifeo colliers in port''tiro' coaling tl<* Flgql> (it; tin average of oiio w'ifsjiip' per day each, the various battleships' t'skjng from twelve'to fourteen hundred'tons'apiece. Oh visiting, tho ships'it was seen that', tlje decks were cleared as for action,'and' innumerable bunker holes wero rec'ejving ttyeir share of tho' cargo. Eacli bunker lias its crew, and on tho completion of its loading thoy are free to ccaso work. Everywhere there was coal dust, tho deck in 'some being inches deep, ajid the perspiring, tolling sailots were covered from head to foot in a cloak '"of black overhead. On the upper decks of each battleships bands were playing, a circumstance in strarigo inconsistency with the busy scene beAil officer, when asked if the music was intended to urge the men to greater efforts, replied that tho bandsmen had to "work 01 play." Everyone "aboard had to help coal ship unless ho had special' duties, and the band had, therefore, to play or coal ship, and 110 shirking was allowed 011 tho part ol tho l}ai]ds.' They had to play as long as the ship coaled—a considerable test of endurance. . r. A CANDID CRITIC. - OPINIONS OF A BRITISH MAN-b'-WARg* > ■ - ' ' MAN/ -■ Auckland, August 12. He was a typical petty officer of His Majesty's Navy. One of those men of splendid physique and loyal, determined spirit on whom falls the work of keeping all a ship's life moving sweetly. Ho was telling Tnn Dominion special reporter what ho thought about the American Fleet and bow it is offi- ?' ered and manned. Hp was brutally frank, ut ijbviously sincere," and his companion, who was just such another as himself, agreed with what 110 said.

; " Tlicy don't kppw how to moor a fleet, When wo saw'them in the harbour on Sunday morning and drop anchor ono after another, wo'said thoy ought to go tp school Hg?in. If it 'had been a British fleet most of .Jho ships would havo'had to go out and conip in again until they could' do it better, and oven now they arcii't in.lino!"' I' '•Arid how do you like tho fellows whoa you meet them herq on shoro?" 1 "Oh, they aro right enough, but somo of them think tlioy know an awful lot, which they don't. We got on very well with them, but one don't forget that wo might bo at war with them somo day.''

"T|)oir officers seem to bo a more froe and easy Jqt tliaq yours," ventured'- tho reporter. . ' j " Our officers aro aristocrats.." was the reply, "aiid I think it is better so. It maj bo old-fashioned,' hut I'beliovo it makes foj ''discipline. There's something I can't oxplain about the way your officers arb respected and looked up to, and I don't think it could bo just tho samo if wo didnt know they" were aristocrats." " Isn't the jJiscipJmo of tho Americans as .good asyours?" was tho next query. The petty officer admitted that' lie didnM know, but his smilo showed that ho had an opinion. • : The roporter asked why tho Americans had come' ashore at eight, in tlio morning, while tho' Britishers had' not boon landed until ■the afternoon.

, " We can't, comp ashoro in the morning because jvo havo to drill. It doesn't matte; whore we are or what is going on, we have somo drill every day. We've got to keer ourselves rpady for war.''V : ANXIOUS iTO PAY. Tho froedpm Yanlcoe likes to pay his way, Tho'rank-and filo of America's Navy are in dependent. Many of those who went on til, special car trips to-day wore anxious to pay their rides and dinners. They lucgod

jut fat purses and argued with the conductor, endeavouring to force money into his -oluctant palms. "Some of thein seemed to think in their free-born American independence that a .free dinner approximated to charity, and they were, restively anxious to pay. It took some time to explain to the most obdurate' that' New-Zealand 'was honouring the representatives of the White Fleet, and:was: extending to them"a. New Zealand hospitality. -''Have one"with'me,"' was its everyday interpretation, "and 'whep' this was understood - Jack. Tar grasped the glad hand: "Say, you folks are too good." MESSACE TO METHODISTS, [BY MLEOEAPH—FRESS , ASSOCIATION.! , , - Felldlngi'August'll. : The Rev. C., E. Beecroft, 'President'of 'the Methodist' Conference of New Zealand, has , sent the following 'greeting- to the-Method-fits of tho American fleet:—"Lads, live up » your namel" '-. '' •' : OVERSEA PRESS. " . A WHITE ARM IN THE PACIFIC. MAKING. FOR, PEACE. TELIGEAPH—PKES3 ASSOCIATION —COPTEIQHT.) (Reo. 'August 11, 10180 p.m.) Now York, August 1L The, American Press bestow far-less notice on New Zealand's reception of the Fleet than;, do the British. . .. The Herald" and the "Phila-; 'delphia Inquirer" refer to 1 the common bond.! that Australia especially, and New . Zealand, ; I iave with the' United- States, owing to exposure to the- Yellow peril.< ; Both say that'l Ihe whites' in the. Antipodes are ' obviously i intensely'pleased with this tangible evidence ihat the United States mean to become powerful enough in tho Pacifio to be, if not their champion, a leader in any impending. race struggle. . ... The "New York Herald"- remarks that 1 'American strength in Eastern. waters should do much to ensure peace. , After alluding to the profound impression the battleships tave made' in Aiuckland, the- "Herald" , says it' suggests {Re moral effect that _may be produced upon, other, imore impressionable .people, by a visible embodiment, of the resources and, power of tb? United.States; and such'effect' can only make for peace. . i , London, August 11. The •''Daily Telegraph" refers to the cruise Us ono.oft-tbe greatest naval enterprises;-tho : world-has. known. . Nothing but good' ean result from such an historic incident., -