Departure of North Island Battalion.

Feilding Star, Volume XXIII, Issue 1410, 15 April 1902, Page 2

Departure of North Island Battalion.

Telegraph. Frees Association, Copyright Wellington, April 14. Though there was no organised attempt to give the Tenth New Zealand Regiment a public farewell to-day, the departure of the troops and the Premier was witnessed by many thousands of people, who occasionally cheered loudly and heartily. Additional interest was given to to-day's proceedings through the departure of the Premier with the troops. When the troops arrived at the head of the wharf they were received by General Babington, Lieut.-Col. Newall, C.8., and Captain Lomax. The men were enthusiastically cheered by the crowd as they passed through the gates and on to the wharf. No time was lost in embarkation, and the whole force was aboard the steamer by half-past 8. For the next hour or two the men, who were in the best of spirits, amused themselves by singing and shouting to their friends on the wharf. As the evening drew on the number of onlookers was gradually increased by the arrival of people from shops, offices, and factories, and by a little after 5 o'clock the whole of the Queen's Wharf was covered with sight-seers. Shortly before half-past five the Premier arrived at the head of the wharf, with the members of his family, and was loudly cheered on making his way up the gangway of the vessel. About 100 ladies and gentlemen, personal friends of the Premier and Mrs Seddon,and Ministers went down the harbour on the troopship, and they assembled in the saloon when the vessel left the wharf for a final and general leave-taking, and Sir Joseph Ward in proposing Mr Seddon's health, made an appropriate speech, wishing his chief " God speed " and a successful mission to the Old Country and a safe return. Mr Seddon, in reply, said the gathering was to him pleasant in the extreme, and he had to thank everyone for the cordality they had wished him "good luck " while away. He mentioned the fact that he had received a cable intimating that Lord Kitchener desired that he should pay a visit to Pretoria, travelling by way of Durban. This he would have much pleasure in doing. He was, as everyone knew, going to call at Sydney on his way to Africa, and though the Australian journals were using him to harass the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth, he had no doubt the leading statesmen of Australia entertained as cordial feeling towards him and New Zealand as in the past. Personally, he desired this colony to be on terms of close friendship with Australia. When the Commonwealth had settled the tariff it would be time for his colleagues to consider what this colony was prepared to do. Then after a general hand-shaking, and a parting cheer, the visitors left the troopship for the shore in a smaller steamer, and the Drayton Grange steamed out to the heads. The Premier's party on the Drayton Grange consists of Mrs Seddon, Miss Seddon, Miss May Seddon, Mr and Mrs Dyer, and Mr Thompson, Private Secretary.