COOK CELEBRATIONS

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVIII, Issue 285, 30 October 1928, Page 4

COOK CELEBRATIONS

SIR JAMES PARR’S MESSAGE. (Australian Press Association —"United Service.) LONDON, Oct. 28. “Hail, Yorkshire, from far New Zealand” wired Sir James Parr in response to a request for a Cook celebration. Sir James added: “Mlien Captain Cook landed on the beautiful shores of New Zealand, it was a land of mountain, forest and lake populated by fierce savages. Cook planted the English flag and made New Zealand British forever. . “New Zealand to-day is perhaps the most interesting and certainly the most fertile and productive of all the great Dominions. All this is due to. the humblv-born Yorkshire lad who loved the beautiful new country he discovered. Every New Zealander reveres Cook as one of the greatest of Englishmen.” Among a mass of wreaths placed without ceremony, in drizzling rain, on Captain Cook’s statute at the Admiralty Arch, were those from the Commonwealth and New Zealand. New Zealand’s wreath was deposited by Sir James Parr. GATHERING IN SYDNEY. SYDNEY, Oct, 29. The Captain Cook bicentenary was marked by a great gathering in Hyde Park. The speakers included the Chief Justice, the Attorney-General and Sir Joseph Carruthers. EXCURSION TO SHIP COVE. Per Press Association. BLENHEIM, Oct. 27. In commemoration of the bicentenary of ■ Captain Cook’s birth an excursion was made to-day under the auspices of the Captain Cook Memorial Committee to Ship Cove, a favourite haven of the famous navigator. About fifty people journeyed to the historic spot. Mr TV. J. Girling, M.P., represented the Government, Mr J. L. Jones the port of Pi.cton, Mr R. P. Furness, president of the Cook Memorial Committee, represented that body. The first part of the proceedings was the unveiling of two cannons of" Cook’s period, presented by the British Admiralty. These have been placed in position at the base of the monument erected at the Cove. The ceremony was performed bv Mr Girling, speeches being delivered by Messrs Jones and Furness also. Tho last-named speaker made interesting references to the links in, the chain, starting from the of New Zealand by Tasman to the present day. Cook forged a link between Tasman and the Tasman flyers, he said. One hundred years after Tasman discovered New Zealand Cook ran away to sea and about 200 years after Cook’s birth, alipost to the month, the Tasman Sea was crossed by air. ( It was not generally known that Smith and Ulm flew the Southern Cross over Ship Cove and encircled the bays in the vicinity while picking up bearings on arrival over New Zealand and before appearing over Wellington. It was at Ship Cove when unveiling the monument being visited that Lord Liverpool received a wireless message giving the news of Captain Scott’s glorious achievement and death in the Antarctic. The message was picked up by the Tutanekai in Ship Cove. 4