THE CIVIC RECEPTION

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 157, 31 December 1937, Page 12

THE CIVIC RECEPTION

TOWN HALL GATHERING

The city's .welcome to Captain Burgess was extended by th« Deputy Mayor, Mr". M. F. Luckie, in the Concert Chamber of the'_--Town Hall shortly after midday. The hall was well filled, and Cap-!' • • tain-Burgess, accompanied by.his chief officer, Mr. C. F. Elder, received a very hearty welcome from the gathering as he proceeded - tothe platform with the members of the official party. Those present on the platform included a number of Ministers of the Crown and City .Councillors, .Captain J.W. Burgess, sen., and Mrs. Burgess,father and mother of the commander of the Centaurus, and a brother, Mr. W. W. Burgess. On this, "the last day of a very eventful year, said Mr. Luckie, the citizens of Wellington had been privileged to witness an event of outstanding and epochal importance, one that would have more far* reaching effects on the future of this Dominion, and, in particular, on the future of the British Empire, to which they were all so proud to belong, than any of them could fully realise at the present time. In the old days they used to count distance by miles, today and hereafter in New Zealand and throughout the rest of the world that hacl been changed into minutes,or hours. They would never forget today. The unity of the British Empire was largely due to the faith and confidence of its people, but it was also very much helped by the means of communication, and with the (shortening of the time between. England and New Zealand from months to a comparatively few days, New Zealand and the Mother Country were so much more easily and fully bound together than ever they had been in the past. It was most fitting that the man who had command of the Centaurus on her survey flight should be an old Weningtonian. (Applause.) Mr. Luckie said that he was also proud to be able to say that he - - and Captain Burgess, as so many others were, were old boys of •-, Wellington College.

Continuing, Mr, Luckie. said that he believed that Captain Burgess and the members of his crew were delighted to see the flags flying all over the city today. He desired to tell'them that the flags were not for the purpose of telling them which, way.the wind was blowing, because it was unnecessary, and it would not have, told them anything in any event had they relied on them.1. ■ . ■ .■ ' - : ■ ' ' The Centaurus landed on' 20,000 acres of deep water with ■ more than 2000, yards of runway in any one direction.. Wellington had been favoured by the gods. s6 far as the weather-was concerned. ■ '■■•'• ,•, _ The Hon; P; Fraserr It is ari'average Wellington day. (Laughter.) His legal-training, said Mr. Luckie, always /made., him look on .the worst side of "things. On behalf of the citizens of' Wellington. it was his very great privilege to tender their most grateful thanks and congratulations ■'. on the • successful result of 'the wonderful performance; To Captain Burgess,himself,- the boy who had left these shores seven years ago to, return today in command of the Centaurus, it must indeed be a triumph that he: would never, forget; ; (Applause:) ON BEHALF OF THE GOVERN- ■ : ■ ■ MENT. "■ .'. ' ■ : Speaking on' behalf- of the Government, the Minister ' of Finance.(the Hon. W. Nash): said .that;this was a moment in: his, life, .which gave him particular pleasure because .of /the fact that during the'lasfyear or so" in company with other colleagues; he had been very closely. associated with the negotiations: that would-he hoped in. the ultimate, result in a flying, service- of fairly -good regularity between Australia and New. Zealand,, and also the extension. of ;that. service, right through to the United: States and subsequently on 'to • Canada. ■.Negotiations -of this kind in their: preliminary stages were difficult because, of the new ;f orm of transport, the fact that .the/service could not' be. normally, run entirely by private enterprise owing.,to the limitations: in - resepct.. to the. carriage of. passengers. The povernment hoped that within a comparatively' short time there would be a fairly regular service across the Tasman Sea; Mr.- Nash paid; tribute .to the work of Captain Burgess, who,,-.in the Centaurus, had linked.up New Zealand with- the Old Country.; He had done-the pioneering work from a commercial point of view. Captain Burgess -had destroyed distance as a divider of peoples.'.■'. Mr. Nash also referred to the. service being rendered in New Zealand by' Union Airways. .'■ Union Airways was now linked, up with Imperial Airways as its' agents in:this- part of 'the world, and it may play some part in the service to .be inaugurated. / That service, would link together, ,three great parts of :the British ; Commonwealth. The Government was seized of the importance'of; air transport, and as soon as it was passible for the Government to take the necessary steps it would do so and..co-operate with the - other countries, Imperial 'Airways, and other companies to bring the service into being.. Mr. Nash- expressed the hope that the; service would in the days to come be regular and ordinary, linking New. Zealand more closely with other

countries and that amazing little en- ■ tity of the Northern .Hemisphere called"" the British Isles. (Applause.) It"' would be a pleasure and a privilege to the Government to do- all it ■. posY: i sibly could for Captain Burgess and'-:-his crew while they were in New Zealand. ■[_ '" COMMERCIAL INTERESTS. The president of the Wellington , ■ Chamber of Commerce; Mr. A. J. Curtis,': representing • the commercial interests of Wellington, said /that the inaugurated service would be of great benefit to New Zealand generally. Duri ing the last twelve months the Cham- 'i ber. 'of- Commerce had been1 the pn> : pelling force in regard to this.matter,:o He was pleased-to be associated with^the official bodies and those concerned in honouring their guests ■; on this historic occasion. ~" . ■ ■ ',■■/.-.■■ ■"■:1r;~'S! "As far as Wellington is xoncerned/'-V-;; : he said, "we;are' very':pf'oud of bur 'pond,' and as you- will' have observed the tide is always with us. As a youth," he said,. addressing.. Captain" Burgess, i'you were well known:to us, and.nobody should know more, about our harbour and .its capabilities .as. a place -for such a craft. May the initial flight' convince the authorities';, that /the hub.of New Zealand is. at Wellington." CAPTAIN BURGESS'S REPLY. ; Captain Burgess thanked /Wellington for its marvellous' reception. "It was a great honour, to bring the boat out as commander, but I alone have-H done nothing. The crew, organisation, and machine are everything. It is an Empire flying-boat, ■ ; and everything throughout is purely British;.'which to me means a lot, and I think to you also. We came put through..an allred route .as fat as possible; except fbr t a few places like the Dutch-East Indies, where we had; the utmost help-from the Dutch authorities. On the majority, of the. route we have/been, however, over British territory,'' As. far-as Singapore we relied on ourovvii, bases.. Her.etc we are relying on the Union: Airways:'i ~ You can realise, with: what flying; has £ already been done by;them,.that theyis are really : the;lmperial.; Airwaysofr:the Southern Hemisphere. . ./■■>/•' : HOME AGAIN- :c. -:'/?B / "It is. a great day for me to come/" back to Wellington, my own'home . town. I,do enjqy coming here., .Wei-' • lington. is'^ the /same. ;as '; years ; ago, except that there are a few; more buildings here and there.. This flight . of ours is a continuous flight, in which, we left England on. December 3, and' have come out in a leisurely way, calling at approximately 30 places pn .the way out. i The total, distance to .Wellington is about.; 14,000; miles.; I only wish you could have.seen .this"boat.!, being built at/Short's' at Rochester,A where some 28' of them have already,;--been ' built.. , We: have /come' out." with-.;: ' out any trouble. .There'were' placear'where they had not prepared for' us,;1, butiwe had no-difficulties. ::, My'first;; officer's father and.grandfather , were;: New Zealanders. ' With Australians wa A are a.mixed crew, but purely Britisli'. throughout. We' all of us : thankV yduJ, for this reception, and I would like""" you to know that we »all appreciated it, with the whistles blowing and tha greeting crowds."/. . .... ~ /