NO TURNING BACK

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 97, 24 April 1940, Page 17

NO TURNING BACK

FIGHT FOR FREEDOM

SUPPORT FOR MOTHERLAND

LESSONS OF HISTORY

All that was represented by the beauty of the English countryside and the history of England was emphasised by the Prime Minister (the Hon. P.! Fraser) in an address given at the i St. George's Day celebration of the English Folk Association, which was held in the Masonic JHall last evening, j He declared that if Britain went down in the present struggle New Zealand would be treated just as ruthlessly and cruelly as Czecho-Slovakia, Poland, j Austria, and Norway. There was no, turning back from the conflict, into which the British Commonwealth was throwing all its resources. Mr. Fraser said that he was pleased to see sd many present at the gathering, since they must feel, as the Scottish and Irish and Welsh people felt, that they were ' none the less good New Zealanders because they tried to keep alive the associations and memories of the Motherland. He reminded his listeners, that right from the time that the rudiments of society were established in England, it was only when the people were divided by internecine strife that they were ever conquered. The struggle _ for freedom and for the elements of democracy formed an important part of English history. PEACEFUL REVOLUTION. Tracing the influence of the great masters of literature and other arts on the development of England, Mr. Fraser said that even looking back thirty years there had been wonderful changes, accomplished not to the roar of guns or the running of blood, but in a quiet, persistent manner, in something of. the .nature of a peaceful revolution. It was.'not yet complete or to the stage that it would eventually reach, but it- was quite wonderful none the less. He had seen the new housing schemes in many of the large cities, which were the result of determination by the Government and local bodies to see that the people had good homes. In education and health important advances had been made the Results of •which were already being seen in better physique, posture, development, and more joy of life among the people. "It is this country that you love, as you love New Zealand, that at the present time is threatened, and although: 1 would be the last to advocate boastfulness—and there has been no boastfulness about Britain's attitude—there has '■' been and is a quiet confidence and a" stern determination that, having taken a stand against aggression and tyranny, there will be no turning back tin til victory is won for decency of life, for international justice, and for fair relationships between nation and nation and between man and man. > j IMPRESSIVE SPECTACLE.

Mr. Fraser spoke of the most impressive and moving spectacle presented by the Motherland in her organised "efforts to■;defend" with all. her might what was worth while in life. Today, he said, the countries that the Motherland had treated fairly and liberally and on a democratic basis were rallying whole-heartedly to her support, because she symbolised freedom for all and was in the vanguard of the fight for that freedom. The chairman of the gathering (Mr. Karl Atkinson) had referred to various influences in New Zealand and other countries, and for his part he found it difficult to understand how anybody could fail to appreciate the issues that •were involved in the present struggle. In Europe today there was a power that was alien to them, a force and a theory which, if given full rein, would land the world in a morass from which it could never extricate itself. It was a theory that sought to dethrone ordinary humanity and to enthrone all the evil forces, of tyranny and misery and oppression. There would be no stopping place until the British Commonwealth and France stopped the'aggressors. Those present at the gathering would go forward more determined, stronger than ever in their resolves that everything they could do to help the Motherland would be done. THE FLEET OF ENGLAND. In welcoming Mr. Fraser and the Minister of Finance (the Hon. W. Nash), Mr. Atkinson remarked that it was with a sense of relief that the people*had noted that the Government had taken powers to deal with the enemy, within the gates. No Hitlerites or Stalinites were wanted in New Zealand. Mr. Atkinson also reminded the gathering of Tennyson's words: "The Fleet of England is still her all in all, and in her Fleet lies our fate." Mr". J. Malton Murray (Yorkshire Society) .welcomed the overseas artist guests, Mr. Anderson Tyrer (musical director of the Centennial Musical Festival), Miss Isobel Baillie, Miss Gladys Ripley, Miss Winifred Carter, Mr Heddle. Nash, Mr, Oscar Natzke, Mr. ; Raymond Beattie, Mr. Maurice Clare and Mr. Frank Birmingham. Replying on behalf ,of the visitors, Mr. Tyrer commended ,the Government's interest in music as shown by .its ■sponsoring of the musical festival, and gave an assurance that the performances would be well worthy ,of the Centenary. . Mr Will Appletpn (Yorkshire Society) and Mr. J. Meltzer (Northumberland and Durham Association) thanked Mr. Fraser for his address. The chairman extended a special welcome to Mr. H. J. Poole, secretary of the Society of the Men of Dorset, who is 84 years of age. '

An unusually large stingray, stated to be a rare tropical variety, - with numerous spikes along the tail and sting, was caught by a party of fishermen at the Sandspit, Lower Matakana, North Auckland, at the weekend, states ;he "New Zealand Herald." The fish weighed 4121b. and measured sft llin in length, and 4ft 9in across. The tail itself was 2ft 4in long, including the sin sting.