THE IRISH M.P.'S.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1117, 3 May 1911, Page 6

THE IRISH M.P.'S.

1 ~r— CIVIC RECEPTION. A MESSAGE TO NEW ZEALAND, . THE MAYOR'S WELCOME. The Irish Nationalist. envoys, Messrs. R. Hazletou, W. A. Kedmond, and J. T. Donovan, were received by. tho Mayor, Mr. T. M. "Wilford, in his room • at the Town Hall yesterday morning. Alost of tho city councillors and the principal officers of tho corporation were present. Tho distinguished visitors wero introduced by Dr. Cahill, chairman of the reception committee, and were accompanied by Mr. Martin Kennedy, ,and members of tho committee. The Hon. G. Foivlds, Minister for Education, was also present. The Mayor's Address, The Mayor, addressing the visitors, 6aid ho desired, on behalf of tho City Council, to extend to them a hearty welcdme. to New Zealand. They had come as the representatives of a great people, and.although. "Wellington as a city had no politics—for no municipality in this country had any politics, and he hoped none ever would—yet they, as representatives'of the citizens of .the. iimpi.ro City of New Zealand, welcomed their guests, that day and. wished them long iife. and prosperity. ' Although, as members of tho Imperial Legislature,, t.hey wero necessarily in close touch with this far-off-British possession, yet they would gain from. their visit tho advantage of being able to speak as. eye-witnesses, arid not as the scribes, and this.would also of advantage to. New Zealand. They welcomed them here as men who had -non their places in. the councils of their nation,' men of intelligence, . of high thoughts, and great personal ambitions for great causes and great deeds. The council which they were meeting that morning was the first municipal council elected on a purely, adult suffrage hml tho popular vote had returned as, councillors men who had tho confidence of the city. They also had iu this city the system of rating on unimproved values, and it had worked well, so that, although there was. power to change it, there was no movement to do so. , I he visitors would therefore bo. able to tell their colleagues at Home that the people of .Wellington were satisfied with the system of taxing land values for. municipal purposes',and that tho new adult franchise had so far been exercised properly and wisely. They would not.see in New Zealand anything like the abject and dire poverty that existed in their own country, biit, after travelling in Ireland, he could tell them that they would behold scenes which would remind them' of that land. They would *ee, for instance, the green fields of laranaki.'but they would notice, by way of contrast, the great numbers, of the stock pasturing there, and the thickly-settled slate of the country. They would.realise afco that New Zealand was a country of great resources, and had national assets 'that were as yet absolutely undeveloped, and so when. New Zealand went to the London market for money they would recognise that it was not for squandering, and that it. was wise,, ttj Peek capital for developing the. national estate In this connection the, Mayor made special reference to the ironsand deoosits and the. discoveries of mineral oil. Ho concluded by reiterating a hearty. welcome to the visitors. (Applause.)' Tho Senior Councillor. Mr; John Smith, as senior councillor; also welcomed-the envoys,-and. said they would see that New Zealand was'a selfsupporting part of the Empire, and though she borrowed money she had something to show for it. We wanted a little more money and a great many more men to go on the land. This was not a great manufacturing country, and he supposed it never would be. He hoped the visitors would have a pleasant and profitable time in New Zealand. (Applause.) '".". The Visitors' Thanks. Mr. Ha'zleton said that his colleagues and himself deeply appreciated tho welcome that had been accorded to them. They recognised that it was giveu, notion personal grounds, but because of the position they were proud to occupy, and the people they were proud to represent. Ho agreed that it was useful for the people of the Old Country to travel as much as' possiblo in newer countries like this. There was a great deal to bo learnt from' New Zealand, and the intercourse ' nii"ht be beneficial.to both sides. The. Mayor had said that New Zealand must go "occasionally to the' Old Country for capital to develop her resources.. For his own part, he thought people could come here from the Old Country to develop their ideas, which ,was equally important. As one who was interested in municipal government—ho was a councillor of his own city—he had found it very instructive tc listen to what the Mayor had paid of municipal government in Wellington. Peoplo were often inclined to attach too' little importance to this branch of government, on which tho health, prosperity, and general well-being of a community largely depended. He looked forward to gaining in Now Zealand much knowledge and experience that would bo useful when he returned to tako part in the affairs of his own country. (Applause.) "A Democratic Party." Mr. Redmond said ho would like to express his deep sense of gratification at the kindly, and hearty reception. That they, arriving as almost utter strangers, -.hould be thus received, 'was true evidence of tho sense of justice and fair piay, tho honesty and hospitality, which 'were characteristic of new countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia. He recognised that they were received wholly and solely in their official capacities as representatives of the Irish nation. What the Mayor had said of the franjhiso for the City Council indicated a state of affairs that could not be equalled anywhere in tho world; He had often heard it said by people who had _ travelled in this part of the Empire that nowhere in the world . was there to be found a truer understanding and practice of democracy than in Now Zealand and Australia. Tho party of which they were members was a truly representative and democratic party, which had supported every ofTorc that had been made to remedy tho disadvantages that tho ordinary working man laboured under in tho Old Country as compared with New Zealand, aud it was a great gratification to them to find that in this thriving and progressive land the ideals they had been fostering at Home had borne such good fruit. He congratulated New Zealand on being, like Ireland, an agricultural country, and lie hoped that neither would ever become a manufacturing country, and resemble some of those districts such as most of England, was becoming to-day. They hoped Ireland would soon become more prosperous than it had been in the past, but they did not •want to see it a country of 'chimncyhtacks. It would be a great gratification to Irishmen at Home to know of the welcome which their representatives had received in Wellington. (Applause.) Message to New Zealand. Mr. Donovan also expressed thanks. Ho said lie recalled with great pleasure his visit to New Zealand some four years n;:o, and was glad to meet again tho friends who wero so kind to them then. He knew of no people who had a larger conception of civic duties and broader .ideas of government than the people., of New Zealand, and he was glad that his colleagues, Mr. Hazlefon and Mr. Redmond, would now be ablo to verify what he had told them about this country. New Zealand's example was being copied in many of the reforms that were being introduced into Great Britain and Ireland, and it would bo an advantage if they could copy also the examples of New Zealand in keeping politics out of municipal government. They came to New Zealand with a message of good cheer and hope. They believed that with the assent of tho British democracy and the Britishepeaking people throughout tho world tlioy were at last about to obtain a.ineaBiire of the national self-government which New Zealand so well and Wisely enjoyed. This would contribute not only to the poaco, prosperity, and progress of Ireland, but also to the solidarity and strength of the Enipiro with which they were proud to be incorporated as a free unit. When that. came about, in .18 months' or two years' time, they would have to thank the people of Australasia

for their practical sympathy and help. He heartily reciprocated the good wishes that had been expressed. (Applause.) Tire guests then inspected the Town Hall buildings under the personal .conduct of Hie Mayor.

; Subsequently the envoys were welcomed by a deputation representing the ladies of the Hibernian Society (as reported elsewhere), and called upon the ActingPrime Minister (the. Hon. J. Carroll). They lunched with his Grace Archbishop Redwood, and dined at the Wellington Club , us the guests of Dr. Cahill. To-night Messrs.' Hazkton, Redmond, and Donovan will address a meeting in the Town Hall on behalf of the Home Rule cause. The Mayor will preside. . FEEUNG AT AUCKLAND. Auckland, May 2. A public meeting.to arrange a reception to the Home Rule envoys carried a resolution extending a welcome to the envoys. The sum of 7&120 was subscribed at the meetina for the Irish Parliamentary fund.