LINKS OF EMPIRE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 755, 2 March 1910, Page 6

LINKS OF EMPIRE.

THE VICTORIA LEAGUE. . ■ ADDRESS BY LORD PLUNKET. There was'a Very large attendance at . the] annual- meeting of the; Wellington branch:.'of. the, Victoria League,., which ,-was, held last-night. His Exoellency the ■Governor '(Lord Plunk'ot), presided, and eetits on-the ..platform 'were occupied'by lady .', Ward, (president), Miss Richmond, Mrs".-,'Chatfield, • Mrs.' Harris,. Mis Talbot . (general secretary of the -Victoria League hi; London), the-Mayor (Dr. .Newman), Hon.' Dr.; Findlay, Hon. J. A. Millar, - Mr.'Herdmah, ; M.P., and Messrs. Morri-Go'n.-.andvPowles. Apologies, for unavoidable absence-were read from Bishop Wal- '\ lis, -his i Grace Archbishop Redwood,- Ven. •Arohdeacon Fancourt.and the Rev. T. H. . Sprott.."''.'.. Annual Report.' • The annual report (which was adopted without discussion)'stated,that the committee';nad oontinued to -encourage' the Imperialistic spirit among the ohildreh. By means", of correspondence the linkingup of schools at Home - and in New Zealand had been' considerably furthered. The. ease of books.sent out by the Victoria .League at Home had for a time ' formed! an itinerant library among the country schools', .but'.it was found that, it- incurred' too much .' expense,, and the books had. now been sent to' one 'school ' . where ;they would'form, the nucleus of a'library. There was still a great demand,, especially from the backblocks. for books and periodicals, and the committee would be glad'.to receive any spare -books - from, memhers and their friends. It was ■ with deep regret that members had learned of the -death of Mrs: T. W. Hislop, who lad been'a vice-president 'of the league once its inception..' The.membership of !tbe league now totalled 400,- which madelit, the-largest branch outside London. iMuch good, was expected to..result from (the, visit of Miss Talbot. The balanceisheef showed that the cash in hand at ~~" Ithe end of the year was. .£3O 19s. New Officers. - /' j ... Office-bearers for .the ensuing year were i, . then -appointed as under:—President, Lady Ward;-.vice-presidents,. Mrs. Grace, .. Mrs. Tuckey, Miss Coates;' committee, Mrs.'-Corliss, :Mrs. Harris, Mrs. Larnach, Mrs. Algar'Williams, Mis....Stott, Mrs. Hislop, :Gorrigan, Miss Richmond, '-■':'-. Miss-..Holmes, Miss Harding,' Mrs. J. iLuke, 'treasurer; Mrs.' Cha'ffield,'hon;' sec. Miss Talbot: Aims of the League. ■ . .-' Responding to a cordial welcome exttended to 'her,by. Miss, Richmond on.'be- . foalf.df the-local branch' 'of the- league '• (Miss Talbot said'that .the'league was l&'un'ded. on: the belief ..that if the Empire [were; .to remain .a.'great family of'nations , - lit;, was; absolutely "-'necessary that ;its ' jpeople'shbuld-'ha've'a living, understand-! Sng-.'with bide another: Ther.underlying principles', of .'the. league .were: "(1), that .— ■' the work should: be independent of party - • poliiiosi (2) .that it-should do. practical jpprkj.'.and. (3) it should ,be "a; common >ror^.of man and'women--.re_preseintati7e '•- _ of. all "classes "of the community.; It .was "• ?' hoped that .before long a.conference. wpnld ' be .held in. London!! on ion-political, lines between' delegates from all parts of the > Empire. interested. in ' industrial and social questions.'.-' One. of ; the., principal ob- . jeots' of the league was. to.".maker.it' easy lor; people- of "aIL classes ,to meet.one anA :. '■ other and;feel when they were travelling r>V- ;•■ anywhere under the Union Jack that, they iwerein-'a. part l ,of\nome.,\ ..'..,' •. ■;-.Lord piunket's- Approval. :..;■.'. His Excellency . the . Governor;, .in the kouree of, an!interesting, address, stated that there was at.-Home in the Foreign ' Office list an official known- as the.lntroducer of Ambassadors, -: and he (Lord , Plunket) had always had.it.in his mind , ~ lhat ; the league,, practically represented inch an. official for, the Empire-as a V i whole. . It-would be av great ■thing...-if ".('.': the.-people here could .; understand .the ■ : , general thoughts.and ideas of-the .people. . at- .jHome and ;.those rin .other parts, of.. the Empire. ' ■ (Hear, hear). . There, were ', inany people at. the Town' Hall to see the. great Field-Marshal 'Lord.'Kitchener, ,—fc?howished :io' help.New Zealand.to de>r tend itself and he would" have liked to '' .: have seen, the meeting of .the league as. numerously attended for the;.work of the .. league; was also of the. utmost '. import T • BneeY' (Applause.) Some-people .who went Ebme saw, through distorted spectacles, End under any circumstances would be Difficult' to please,- but he personally . " knew of 'instances where colonials had liot enjoyed themselves in the Old Country, simply.,because they-never. got-into, true touch with the people' with whom they oam'e-into contact But the ■:. out in the \colonies who .were going Home cow had'', the' chance if, they associated . themselves with', the league—he did not mean,.by paying the, small, subscription fee, but. by bringing .themselves, in. contact with its magnificent wori—of. being assured-a hearty'welcome aid' facilities in', a number .of , directions... They had : merely to mention the .fact thai they are '--;. going Home "to the league's'office-bearers, tipplause.)- Doubtless there', were'some •whomight think, that, that, would place, ; ■ itham under • an. obligation to the league, ; jbut.be could assure them that the oppo- ; . eite ; was the'.' case:; • At"Home .the league : Kxmprissd v all ; classes—from' 'the small tiiopkeeper in the' East End of London '. ' to the \Dukss on; their they . 3rad any any longer.'"(Laughter and, ■ nlansa.) He hoped" that the league in : Hew Zealand would prosper. ""'\ ' i ' Rsmarks by tha Attorney-General. i The Hon. Dr. Findlay. said that.; he : Sonld.nbt forget the kindness,which was < sbobended to Mrs, . Findlay and 'himself ' by "members "of the ,league when ; they irisited'"England; some years ago. The »6rk" of the league was.done, so unosten- . tatibusly that-to, a great;extent it escaped due: recognition.':- lx; it did happen, that ~'■ the great bulk-of those who were furthering the' objects of the- league were women, : ft-, only ..meant-that-' it was bound to,! continue to make great strides., .it was to . be. regretted'that the aims of the league jsrere so.little known. '. He took it thatfiiey.were chiefly to vitalise' the true ties. ' of., kindred' among the .great nation'; to i promote:'one-great national unity—the ; unity, of ■ national, heart—and; he believed i that; the "league was doing the work, effec-' ( . tively.- During recent; years the ties"of ■ kinship between the-, various portions of ; Bie.'Empire had been very' appreciably strengthened. He wished to'move that i Miss Talbot be heartily thanked for her instructive'address,;ah?o on account of' ] the noble work which she had- performed in, the. service of the league. / •Dr. Newman's Address, Dr. Newman, in,seconding the.motion, y remarked that it was a great coincidence : that-only .last' week . the/people of Wei- : lington ■ met to welcome an Englishman who wished to help' New Zealand to iset,up its .defences, whilst, that evening ■ they were honouring an Englishwoman who : ■ iad-.come to assist; to strengthen the. : Tionds:of affection between the people of j !New Zealand and the people of fiieHome Country. As his Excellency the Gover- : Tiorhacf said, colonials.found the people in; the Old -Land '.rather, cold, but an. -improvement .'.'was;'; how. .-noticeable-in that. • Tegard. : H-,New;.Zealah'ders wished to be receiyed kindly, wherever,' they went at Home,; thejv'must/show, themselves to.be. friendly.'. . "\ -,'.'"' , 'The -motion, was then carried by acelamatiph^,,. . . ;...'' ; Tribute'to His Excellency. Mr.. Herdman, M.P.,. moved a hearty vote of thanks to his Excellency. for presiding at the'.meeting. -He said! that Lord Plunket had in 'all his public addresses voiced, the sentiments of . tho league;- Frequently his Excellency had expressed sentiments of Imperial, unity,. i ' and expressed-them well. (Applause.) The '■work of the league would help people all . iover the Empire to think Imperially. He i(the speaker) was not a pessimist who fpelieved that the Empire was in a dejcadent state. (Miss Talbot: "Hear, skear.") Institutions similar to the league ■were doing a grand work. Upon Lord Plunket briefly returning ttanks the meeting closed.