AT THE TOWN HALL

Evening Post, Volume XC, Issue 13, 15 July 1915, Page 8

AT THE TOWN HALL

Long before the procession had reached the wharf that part of the Town Hall which had been set apart for the public was crowded. The hall was made gay with bunting, and the lower portion was set out with tables bearing light refreshment and prettily decorated with flowers and greenery. Among the occupants of the stage were His Excellency the Governor, His Honour the Chief Jus. tice (Sir Robert Stout), the Prime Minister (Right Hon. W. F. Massey) and Cabinet Ministers, Sir Joseph Ward, and other members of both Houses of Parliament, and their wives. It was nearly a quarter to three before the men entered the hall, and they met with a reception which was a worthy successor of that which had been accorded to them en route. The main body of the men, with their .relatives, entered the hall amid a burst of enthusiastic cheering, while the organ pealed out triumphant strains, which were almost drowned in the sustained cheers of the people. The dense crowds which had been surging against the ropes for an hour or two previously broke through the barriers at this stage, and, cheering the while, rushed forward. As a demonstration of popular appreciation the inspiring welcome was one of the finest exhibitions that Wellington has yet made. CONCESSIONS InIsTEAMER FAEES. The Minister for Defence this morning received the • following intimation : — "In response to your enquiry, the manager of the Union Company at Wellington states that Christchurch, Nelson, Picton, Westport, Greymouth, Timaru, Oamaru, Invercargill, and Dunedin have been instructed to grant return tickete at single fares to parents or next of kin proceeding to Wellington this week only to meet wounded soldiers arrivine by the Willochra."