ELTHAM SALVATIONISTS

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 15 January 1930, Page 7

ELTHAM SALVATIONISTS

WELCOME NEW COIV

COMMISSIONER

There was a full capacity attendance at the Salvation Army Hall, Eltham. on Monday evening on the occasion of the hist- official visit of Commissioner Cunningham, the newly-appointed head of the Salvation Army in Xew Zealand.

The audience comprised, in addition to a full force of members of the local organisation, a contingent of 30 Army members from Hawern. who were accompanied bv Major and Mrs Wyatt, Commandant and Mrs Atkinson. Mrs Adjutant "Robertson (Hamilton) and -six members of tbe band ; 40 members of tbe Stratford Corps under Ensign and Mrs Armstrong, and a fairly representative sprinkling of unattached citizens of Eltham.

Commissioner and Mrs Cunningham were accompanied by an official party comprising Mrs and Colonel Taylor (Chief Secretary) and Brigadier Scotney (formerly in charge of the Salvation Army Boys’. Home at Eltham). Tn the absence of Commandant Calcott’s successor (Ensign Barker), who is expected to arrive in Eltham on Thursday next, the visiting officials were introduced by Sergeant-Maior S'. .Jenkins. who stated that he had previously met the Commissioner only once-—on the occasion of his public receotion at Xew Plymouth recently, but the geniality of Commissioner Cunningham was such that one felt he had known him for years: he had the harpy faculty of making everybody feel at home in his nresence.

The Mavor (Mr T. J. Bridget), who. with the Rev. W. W. Avery. occunied a seat on the platform, in extending to the visitors a. heartv welcome, said it. gave him much pleasure to meet the new Dominion leader of the Salvation Armv for the first time in Eltham. which was looked upon as a small centre, but he could assure the visitors that it was nevertheless an important. centre for various reasons, not the least of which was its close connection with the work of the Salvation Army. He trusted that in the work of administration of Salvation Army affairs in New Zealand the Commissioner's efforts would he crowned with success.

Addresses of welcome, in both serious and humorous vein, were voiced hy Field-Major Wyatt (Hawera), Adjutant Bogan (officer in eharge of the Bovs’ Home). Rev. W. W Avery and Lieutenant Hight (Bovs’ Home)/while as leaders of the organisation, on a less eyalted scale. Colonel Taylor and Brigadier Scotney gave elociuent expression of their wishes that the verv hest results in everv way would attend the new Commissioner’s labours and administration.

Brief and sincere acknowledgment of the spontaneous welcome and expressions of goodwill accorded them was made hy Commissioner and Mrs Cunningham, after which the former delivered an interesting address dealing with the work of the Salvation Armv in the cause of suffering humanity during certain periods of his 44 years’ connection with the organisation. Xew Zealand, lie said, was not his first overseas appointment, and he outlined Jiis experiences—some sad. some joyous—in South Africa and in the Dutch East Judies, where the Army is held in high esteem, if only for its early establishment of leper colonies and the humane treatment of the unfortunate victims of the fell disease. The speaker gave a harrowing description of the horrors attending the contamination of thousands of the inhabitants of the islands before the successful intervention of the Salvation A now

Tnterspersing li is narrative with cheerful anecdote, the speaker held t'--- rant attention of his hearers. TV’ring the evening the hand rendered a march. “The Crusader,” in capital style and accompanied the singing of appropriate hymns.