THE PRINCE AT AUCKLAND

Evening Star, Issue 17336, 26 April 1920, Page 2

THE PRINCE AT AUCKLAND

MILITARY REVIEW ON ' SATURDAY. The address which Mr Massey presented to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales at Government House", Auckland, on Saturday was enclosed in a cabinet of New Zealand woods. The address was as follows: . “His Majesty’s Ministers, on behalf of the Parliament and people of New Zealand, desire to’ offer to your Royal Highness a sincere and cordial welcome. We assure your Royal Highness that all of us' recognise that the visit of the heir to the throne of the great Empire of which wo are part* is an event of real public importance, and a testimony of the interest with which His Majesty regards his most distant possession. Within a few miles of the building where this address is presented the first emigrants from the Mother Country,' under an ordered’ system of government and control, landed only 80 years ago. Through- ; cut the years since "that foundation the (•people of New Zealand have continued (•loyal subjects of the Crown, but never ‘ in our brief history has personal regard for the Sovereign and the Royal Family been greater amongst us than to-day. Never has there, been a stronger sense of the value of the King to his Empire, You yourself, Sir, have borne your full 1 share of the dangers and sorrows of the ; recent years, and our soldiers, who know of your services, have claimed everywhere ■ to be amonjr the first to welcome yop. ; We aro confident that your visit will he i of advantage to this Dominion, and we I hope that in the years to come your ’ Royal Highness will have none but pleasant, memories of your stay and travel amongst its people.—Signed 011 behalf of His Majesty’s Ministers for the Dominion ;of New Zealand, this 24th day of April, 1920, W. F. Massey, Prime Minister.” THE PRINCE’S REPLY. The Prince, standing on the dais in i front of the members of his staff, made : the following reply:— . “Mr Prime Minister and Gentlemen: This is a very great occasion for me, • when yon are representing the Parliament and people of New Zealand and hid me welcome to your splendid Dominion, the Britain of the Southern Seas. I have looked forward to this visit for a long time past, and I shall never forget the day on which I first set foot upon New Zealand soil. It was a great disappoiri};ment to me that an unfortunate epidemic - in the splendid ship which brought me out, - His Majesty’s ship Renown, delayed my start from England by a week, and I hope that- you were not put to great inconvenience in readjusting yopr arrangements for ray visit, to which I know you have given much thought and care. Now that I am “here at last, I feel myself no stranger in a strange land, but one of yourselves and amongst my own kith and _ kin. How could I in this great British Dominion feel anything but at home? I have served'with my New Zealand brother officers and men in the great war, which made all nations of the British Empire doubly and trebly kin. I have seen the Ministers of New Zealand taking their places as representatives of a nation in the framing and signing of peace. - I have shared to the full your pride in that achievement, the sign that this young nation has nobly won its spurs, and I have felt as defcply as you for those brave men and women who sacrificed their life, their health, or their happiness for ,the victory of our cause. You will understand, therefore, gentlemen, that my thanks for your most cordial welcome are no mere form. I am deeply torched by your expression of devotion to my father, the King, and by your reference to the place which His Majesty fills in the life of the Empire to-day. I am also more than grateful for the much too generous things which you have said about myself. I know that my time amongst you will be not only a keen pleasure, but a great experience. I am looking forward to meeting old. friends and making new ones throughout the Dominion, and though X cannot go everywhere in a month, I hope I shall see something o! -all parts of the country and of all sections of its people before I leave. There will be much to tell yon of my experiences later in my tour. In the meantime, Mr Massey, I beg you to thank all New Zealand bn my behalf for the warm and generous welcome which every part of the country has prepared.” The Prince then stepped down from the dais, shook hands with Mr Massey, and proceeded to examine the cabinet with great interest. The Hon. Mr (Mac Donald, Leader of the Opposition, and Sir Joseph Ward were introduced to the Prince by the Prime Minister, THE MILITARY REVIEW.

The most impressive ceremony of the day was the military review in the Domain. There must have been 20,000 people present. The Prince took the salute standing beside the flagpole of the Royal Standard, and then proceeded to minutely inspect the parade, shaking hands with the officers to whom he was introduced and saying a few words to each. It took a long time to pass through the ranks, but the Prince wished to see all the soldiers assembled, and the waiting crowds appreciated the thoroughness with which he insisted on the detail of the inspection. To the right of the stand were seated the red-capped nurses, who, as they came on the ground, were given a special ovation. Beside them were some of the wounded and sick soldiery in their hospital blue, several in wheeled chairs and unable to walk. There were three V.C. heroes in the. parade, one carrying the colors of his regiment. These were • Lieutenant Cyril Bassett, who had been a bank clerk and had gained his award on Gallipoli for brave %vork done under fire with the signallers; Private Creighton, of the Second Aucklands; and Second Lieutenant Judson, who wore in addition the ribbons of the D.C.M. and the M.M. At the conclusion of the inspection the Prince- pinned medals to the tunics and coats—for several were in mufti—of men who had won distinction in the war. For each one, as he shook him cordially by the hand, he had a few cheery words. • Then the Prince took ,the final salute from the troops and the review was at an end. The Prince entered his car, and . for a mile along the route back to Government House he t drove to the concluding cheers of the day. On Saturday night Queen street from .end to end was nine dense throng of ’ humanity parading up and down, looking at the decorations of flags and lights and at one another. All wheeled traffic was suspended. ’ . AUCKLAND'S GREETING. THE PRINCE’S REPLY. The reply of the Prince of Wales to the greeting from Auckland at the Town Hall was as follows - “I am very grateful to you as representing the city and metropolitan area of Auckland for your kind and loyal address. Auckland is the first city in this great Dominion in which I have had the honor of setting foot. It has long been known to me as the first capital of New Zealand, closely bound up with the earliest history of British government in these islands, also as one of the finest harbors in the southern seas. ... If anything could enhance my pleasure in being here this 'morningdt is the warm/ friendly welcome which the people of Auckland have given me.': I shall always look back upon this as one of the red-letter days of my life, for, gentlemen, this is iny first sight not only of Auckland, hut of New Zealand—the gallant Dominion which won its place amongst • other British nations as one of. the Powers which fought for, framed, and signed tho Peace of Versailles. I hold it a great honor to have been the comrade in arms of your splendid troops in the war; and I hope to see many of them again on parade to-day. Auckland, I know, contributed most worthily to the fighting strength of, the New Zealand Divison, and' many, also, of her sons served in HALS. New Zealand and other ships , of the Royal Navy, which onoe ■ again asserted and held for the Empire, with our gallant Allies,

■the command of all the seas. Your losses, I fear, were heavy, and I offer my deepest sympathy to all who have been"visited with Suffering or loss. I shall be proud to convoy your assurances of loyalty to my father, the King, who keeps the happiest memories of his visit to New Zealand 19 years ago. . . . Mgy I ask you, gentlemen, to -convey to all the citizens of Auckland my most genuine gratitude for their welcome, and my heartiest wishes for their welfare and happiness.”

To the address from the Harbor Board the Prince replied : “I am’very grateful for your cordial welcome and loyal address. I shall not forget the day on which I first entered ’ this magnificent harbor of Auckland, which owes so much to your care. You have spoken much too generously of myself, but I appreciate your gikid wishes very much. May I wish you in return increasing prosperity and success in your moslT important work.”

GREETING FROM DUNEDIN. ‘ His Worship the Mayor (Mr W. Begg) forwarded the following telegram to the Prime ‘Minister :—“ Would you kindly convoy to his Royal Highness the Prince of _ V ales a hearty welcome from the citizens of Dunedin. We all hope that hie Royal Highness’s stay in New Zealand may be crowded with happy moments.” 'Mr . Mhssey replied as iollows :—" I have had great pleasure in conveying to his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, as desired in your telegram, a hearty welcome from the citizens of Dunedin.” THE VOYAGE FROM FIJI. HVM.-S. RENOWN TESTED. The following is the description of the final stage of H.M.S. Renown’s voyage to Auckland given by the official of the Press Association accompanying the vessel : The Renown steamed out from Suva- at 6 o’clock on Thursday morning, with the obligation of reaching Auckland—l,lso miles away-—in 53 hours. Instructions were posted to make all snug, as the ship would be steaming at high speed into heavy sea?. So it proved. Commander Campbell called upon the engine room for 204 re volutions per minute, producing a sp&ed of 251 knots. The Renown rushed forward to meet the high seas from the strong south-east trade wind. Her course was. nearly due south, so that she met the heavy weather 011 her port bow. This was the first time since leaving England that the opportunity occurred of seeing the Renown driven at high speed in heavy weather.

A magnificent spectacle was presented to the watcher on the flag dock looking forward as the engines, developing 120,000 horse-power, drove the battle-cruiser into the head seas. Her immense length—780ft—enabled the ship to ride half a dozen * waves simultaneously; nevertheless, with her low freeboard, she thrust her nose_ regularly into the oncoming seas, causing them to burst over the port bow, and sending huge cataracts of white water high in the air, to fall with the sound of thunder on the steel of the forecastle deck, passing off to starboard. T3ile pumps were kept going constantly to clear the chain lockers from the inpouring water._ The battle-cruiser under these conditions conveyed a staggering impression of sheer power. The muzzles of the big 15m guns, protected by their brass caps, were constantly drenched by- the torrents. The little three-pounders on the nynig. deck were completely enveloped by them water-proof coverings, and the batteries of the four-inch guns—three on each side of the flying deck—wore waterproof coverings like running drawers, giving a- singmar effect of athletes ready for a contest. It was a fascinating spectacle to watch a ship of 32,000 tons springing against the high wind and heavy seas at a speed of nearly 28 land miles per hour, hurling immense masses of roaming water as high as the navigator s bridge, to sweep harmlessly over the atarWd side of the forecastle deck, vet abaft the foremast nothing was visible to indicate the heavy weather. The decks were so steady that the Prince continued his favorite- exercise of squash racquets during the aiternoon. 1 Commander Campbell, the navigating officer in an enclosed eyrie halfway up the foremast, pursued his calculations wdh ruler, pencil, and charts with entire disregard of the falling torrent* on deck He remained that most ships steaming mat speed in the teeth of such heavv weaJier would be swept by seas from end to end. He considered the Renown by reason of her great length, an exceptionally dry ship. Commander Campbell mentioned that calculations had already been completed sufficiently far ahead to enable him to state the exact times at which the Renown would enter the different New Zealand and Australian -ports on the dates already fixed For instance, she is timed to enter Wellington at 10.30 in the mornmg.

The last stage of this wonderful vovrmo provided a fine test of the efficiency of the Renown s engines and personnel. The whole voyage from Portsmouth, to Auckland on the course travelled is 14 056 which the last 1,150 were done a„ AU- knots. During the voyage it has been necessary constantly to replace damaged fire bricks in the” furnaces with new bricks This operation is difficult when a high speed is maintained conlinuousiy. At present. 39 furnaces out of 42 are in rise. Further repairs must wait until Auckland is reached. The Prince, on a recent visit to the engine room, entered a furnace which had oeen allowed to cool for the purpose of repairing tho firebricks. He watched the men who were doing the work in order to understand all the duties of the engine room ratings. . The supply of firebricks is almost as necessary as oil for oil-driven cruisers._ The Eenown .brought 12,CT0 spare bricks from England, of which 1 000 nave been used already. ' Lieutenant Deake, of Sydney, received a cablegram at Fiji inviting him to denver Letup at Melbourne and Sydney on the Zeebrugge Expedition, in which ho of •* Prominent part as commander ot the Ipnegema, the blockship which we tank m the harbor. Lieutenant Deake the invitation, and will feefunds?" be ° f ti!e Australian naval GIFT FOR THE PRINCE. RARE CASKET OF NEW ZEALAND . WOODS. Of exquisite fancy and delicate workmanship is the casket which contained the address which was presented to His Koval Highness the Prince of Wales at Auckland. Apart from its historical significanoe, the casket alone is a most beautllui bit oi artistic cabinetmaking, reflecting the highest credit on the expert workmen of the Post and Telegraph Departiiieuts workshops. The casket or cabinet IS constructed wholly of New Zealand woods, the only wood not strictly of New Zealand origin being Chatham Island ate ake, which may be said to represent the people of the Chathams in this notable connection. The casket stands 22iu high is 20m in breadth, and lOin in depth, and is of square finish top and bottom. The base is of polished puriri, the dark wavy grain _ and tone of which contrast very artistically with the. rich warm brown of the totara knot front, the dividing lines of bright yellow- being of the ake ake above mentioned. Quite original, too, is the design of the doors, which are swunt* on silver hinges that travel from the back ton to the front bottom corners, so that the doors consist of an oblique section of the cube. It is the throwing hack of the two doors that reveals completely the art employed iu the manufacture of the casket The centre panel at the back reminds one that not only are there “ tongues in the trees,” but pictures, too, waiting to be fashioned by the cunning hand out of the natural grain markings. The central panel is a faiyextending landscape (the perspective is admirably conveyed), with a rising sun peeping over the distant hills, encompassed in a halo of glory. Above is a wonderfully convincing sea of clouds worked out in wavy kauri, whilst in the ake ake foreground stands a flagpole, on which flutters the New Zealand ensign. The four side panels, too, are so ingeni" ously inlaid that one might almost say the workman responsible has been able “to snatch a grace -beyond the idea oi ark”

In one panel, on a rata background, is engrafted a Union Jack: on the one below are the four stare of the Southern Cross. The remaining side panels shot/ a frond of silver fern against a background of f“?oth polished' rata, with the letters N.Z. boldly emblazoned, and a New Zealand ensign flying from a staff head, puch acumen has been displaved in selecting the wood .to represent the* bunting that it looks as though it were the sport of a merry breeze. The receptacle for the address, lined in velvet of royal purple shade, is* across the casket at the foot of the central panel; and in the centre of that panel is a velvet-lined recess where there is to be suspended an historical greenstone tiki selected by the Government from the Dominion Museum. The tiki is 44in long and about 3in wide. °

The casket contains no fewer than 2,500 pieces of wood, and 26 varieties have been used, chiefly totara knot, totara root, wavv nmu and kauri, ake ake, puriri, rem& rema and rata. Beautifully engraved emblems in the form of the Prince of Wales’s feathers (old and new style) in eilver are attached to the casket, within and without, and centred on the base is a silver plate bearing the following inscription:—“ Presented to His Royal- Highness the Prince of Wales, K ; G., G.M.M.G., M.C., etc., etc., by the New Zealand Government, on behalf of- the people of the Dominion. April 24, 1920.”'

DRESS TO BE WORN. LOUNGE SUITSAT DAY CEREMONIES. Particulars of the correct dross for the v/rious . receptions and other ceremonies which the Prince of Wales will attend while in Australia were made available by the Commonwealth'organiser for the Royal visit (Major-general Sir C. B. B. Whyte) The ‘Argue’ publishes the following "particulars ; At Receptions on Arrival or for the Procession.—Official dress, morning dress (tall hat- optional), or lounge suit if desired. Dinners and Balls given "by the Gover-nor-General or the Lieutenant-Governor, and at Commonwealth or State Government Dinners and Balls.—Official dress or fuU evening dress, with decorations and miniature medals. Levees and Investitures.—Official-dress j morning dress optional; tall hat optional Ordinary dress may be worn if desired. Receptions by State Governments and Lord Mayors.—Ordinary clothes if in the daytime; _ official dress or full evening dress, with decorations and miniature medals, if in the evening. At all the functions mentioned “the Army ” will wear full dress. Naval Reviews.—Ordinary dress to be worn by civilians, and service dress by military officers. Private Dinners, Balls, or Dances.—Full evening dress, with decorations and miniature medals. People’s Receptions, Race Meetings, Agricultural Shows, Football Matches, and Similar Functions.—Ordinary dress. The full dress for the Army will be: For officers of the rank of colonel or higher, service dress, with breeches, boots or leggings, spurs, and swords; in the evening trousers to be worn instead of breeches, and no sword. For lieutenantcolonels and junior, service dress, with breeches, decorations and medal 4 trousers instead of breeches to be worn in the evening.

THE NEW ZEALAND ITINERARY, f To-morrow, at 9.30 a.m.. His Royal Highness leaves for Rotorua. Departure will be. taken from Rotorua at noon on Thursday. The Prince will be at New Plymouth on Friday morning, and at Wanganui on Friday evening. He reaches Napier at 3 p.m. on Saturday, On Monday. -May 3, the Prince will travel from Napier to Wellington via' Palmerston North. He will spend the Tuesday and j Wednesday in Wellington, and on the j Thursday he visits the Wairarapa, where j he will spend a couple of days on a deershooting expedition, The Prince reaches | Pictou on Monday, May 10, and travelling j via Nelson and the West Coast arrives at Christchurch on the evening of Thursday, May 13. He will be in Christchurch until Monday, May. 17. at 9.30 a.m., when he leaves for Dunedin. OUR ROYAL VISITOR. His Royal Highness Prince Edward Albert Christian' George Andrew Patrick David, Prince of Males, Earl of Chester, Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay. Earl of Garrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles and Great Steward of Scotland, High Steward of Windsor, K.G., G.M.M.G., G.M.8.E., Military Cross, Personal A.D.O. to H.M. the King, Colonel Welsh Guards, Colonel-in-Chief Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, j Colonel-in-Chief Royal Wiltshire Yeo- I manry. Colonel-in-Ghief Cadet Corps of United Kingdom, Captain Royal Navy, and Colonel Grenadier Guards, is the eldest sou of the King, and was born at White Lodge, Sheen, on June 23, 1894. The Heir Apparent to the Throne, if the eldest or eldest surviving son of the | Sovereign, bears regularly the title of- j Prince of Wales, hut by individual invest- | inent anti not by birth. The investiture ! of the present Prince of Wales took place j at Carnarvon Castle on July 13, 1911. He is by right Duke of Cornwall in the Peerage of ‘England. The title of Prince of Wales was originally borne by those native rulers of that territory who governed it | as suzerains of the English Crown ; and ; the commonly received stOry of the trans- I fer of the title to the heirs of the latter j is that Edward 1., when expecting the ; birth of his second son, promised the Vfelsh j to give them a Prince “ free from any i blemish upon his honor and unable to ; speak a word of English.” The title thus ; dates from the year 1284. The series of Scottish titles were conferred in 1469 upon the eldest son of the King of Scotland, and thus they naturally passed with James I. to the Royal House of Great Britain; in fact, there was prefixed to them, on the union of the two Crowns, the still loftier titles of “Prince of Great Britain and Ireland,” though this has never succeeded in supplanting the older one. ! The insignia of the Prince of Wales comprise, in the first place, the special feature known as the Prince of Wales’s , feathers, consisting of three ostrich plumes. At the base of these is an antique corn- ! net, pendent from which is a .“scroll with the motto " Tch Dien ” (old German for “I Serve”), both feathers and motto having been taken by the Black Prince from the head of the King of Bohemia, who was slain in the Battle of Crecy. In 1931 there was added the badge’of a red dragon, dcsigar*! to represent the Principality of Males. The Prince of Wales also has his distinctive coronet, which resembles St. Edward’s Crown. '