EMPIRE DAY

Hokitika Guardian, 21 May 1937, Page 7

EMPIRE DAY

MESSAGE FROM LORD BLEDISLOE WELLINGTON, May .24.' The following Empire Day message has been received from Lord Bledis.oe, president of the Empire Day movement : As president of the Empire Day movement in succession to the late Ad -nil nI of the Fleet Beatty, I address you this Empire Day in a spirit of deep thankfulness to God for the blessing, vouchsafed to us as members of tin Great British Commonwealth of Na tions during a period of almost unpre •edented unrest and uncertainty throughout the world. While many nations have been racked with interna strife and serious economic distress our fraternity of British people have renamed at peace, and trade and indus try have shown a steadily increasing prosperity with a substantial reductio.. jf unemployment. “The grave crisis which resulted in lie accession to the ’Throne of our pro sent King was faced by all classes, races, and parties throughout the Empire with a dignity, self-restraint and ■ommon sense which have enhan ed it prestige among the nations of the world, and cemented its internal solid irity in face of a common trial. It ha unerged from it with a sense or < r oa> :onfidence and conscious strength. “Our first duty this Empire Day is o acclaim with loyalty, and affection, king George the Sixth and his charm ng consort, and to wish for the former i long and happy reign over a united prosperous and contented people. We iave an Empire spread over a quarter if the surface of the earth, and on it i quarter of. the world’s inhabitants. Our influence and responsibility ex: eed hose of all other nations. Upon our vise leadership and the example which ve set will depend in large measure lie future welfare and progress of man kind. Let each and all of us with « lue sense of our individual responsinlities see that our influence is exert d, not only in the case of world peace ■>iit also in promoting all those causes oeial. educational, economic and spiri nal, that will make the world a hap >ier and better place to live in for all ■aces and classes of the eonunuirty. “I send you my warmest greet lie ind best wishes, in the confident hone that during the coining year the reople ■f the British Emnire ,v ‘av be knit mor •'oselv together in affection, mntna’ helpfulness and beneficent world infill -mop hv ever increasing mutual know’odge and svmpnt.hv.”