ANZAC DAY

Evening Post, Volume XCIII, Issue 96, 23 April 1917, Page 8

ANZAC DAY

AN ENTHUSIASTIC CELEBRATION

To commemoration of,Anzac Day an enthusiastic^ gathering took place'alt' Inidday to-day iii t*he'Commercial Travellers' Club. Mr. F. W. Manton presided, and the speakers included the- Hoh, A. L. Herdman, the Hon,™ G. W.. Russell, the Hon. Ai M. Myers;- and Sir-James Carroll.' Refe.rprice";w*as."riiade'by'each of the Ministers to the coalminers' strike, and the remarks on that subject are published elsewhere in this issue.

Mr..Manton, in Kis openingl remarks, ■paid' a'"strong'"tribute td the Anzaos, ■whose deeds,'he said; ■ could->never be excelled. .Ha,urged a-11, to.think deeply of the great responsibilities which the war had thrust on Ihemj* and to "get in and do'something to heip."- • '

... The Hon. A. L. Herdman said that with .all,his heart he joined in paying a tribute' to the gallant men' who, with 6oldiers from Britain and other parts of the King's Dominions, had fought on Gal--lipoLi,—lt...itas-a--piu^ilege-to-be-able to claim kinship with the Anzacs, whose deeds were equal to the finest deeds in yth'e „arinals 'df^BriEielLtarms. There was nothing on. the horizon'to, justify him in .' predicting^ an early, end of the war. Vio■tory might be within ;th«ir grasp, but if they'were really animated by a desire to pull down the German Emperor and his barbarous minions from their high places 'there never a-'time'when there was a -greater need' to take "a ■ long- pull and. a pull altogether.■',......'. i. v . A glowing eulogy of the work of the Anzacs was given by the-Hon. G. W. .Russell, who',promised. .legislation to ensure that- in the years to come local elections would not' be'aUbwed to "interfere with the celebration of Anzac Day on the proper .date, 25th' /April..' The Minister also referred to the magnificent effort New Zealand had made in connection with the,^wa.r l .,and paid a tribute to the • pioneers." - -'/\tfe are going on," he 1 said, "until the war ia ended, and Britain has -won;"' ,' - " ■'" ';> '.'; %' '■ ' -;. ' ' •.'' • !'• ■ ' ' „..The';Hoji,."A. M. Myers,referred to the righteousness >of the Allies', cause. He, too t .,spoke, in terms of high praise of tho men of Anzac, and the ; they had achieved. lid, "as Acting-Minister: of • Finance, thanked: the 1 :people '..-for; the way they'had responded >in the matter of war taxatidn;'':and said that'the war to date :had-cost'New Zealand about £24,000,000, irrespqetiye of pensions .^.for.' widows, orphansi. and; disabled: men. He would like, f"l 'assure"'the' people "that the' Governbnt, .'•■■'•while extending-its; sympathy, to c" relatives of the fallen, was quite sensible of-its responsibility to those who -would Toturri, -and. the- Government would le«We nothing undone to bo worthy of that responsibUity. ■ "Sir. James ■Carroll-'added his tribute to the-, great work- done on the«,_Gallipoli shoTes, and in the .course of his speech stressed the point that man power is the dominant problem of .the .war. . .. ■ Mr.. J.» "D. Harper,, on behalf of th© .Eetur'ned Soldiers','Assqeiatiori, ■ returned thanks, and' the singing-of the National Anthem terminated the function.-