MEMORIAL UNVEILED

Manawatu Standard, Volume L, Issue 253, 20 September 1930, Page 2

MEMORIAL UNVEILED

LATE MR W. F. MASSEY. CEREMONY AT POINT HALSWELL Per Press Association. , WELLINGTON, Sept. 19. The memorial at Point' Halswell to the late W. F. Massey, former Prime Minister, was the object of, a large pilgrimage this afternoon, when the official unveiling ceremony was performed by the Governor-General, Lord Bledisloe. The acting Prime Minister, Hon. E. A. Ransom, said it was regretted that Hon. G. W. Forbes could not be present, also Dame Christina Massey, who was indisposed. The fact that the Prime Minister was on his way to the Imperial Conference recalled the debt of gratitude that the country owed to the late Mr Massey, who had rendered valuable services not only to New Zealand, but also to the. Empire on those occasions when he attended similar conferences. His utterances at these conferences and the part he took in them were regarded os being of Sreat value to New Zealand and the impire. During the war’ Mr Massey rendered valuable service 'to New Zealand, and during the post-war period he was willing to set aside anything in the nature of Party politics, being prepared to associate himself with other parties of the House in the restoration of this country to prosperity. United sympathy went out to Dame Massey and the. relatives. The memorial was the result of contributions from private sources and from the Government, sa’id Mr Ransom. It was situated on the site ot the old military fort erected in the earlier days for the protection of the citv, and surely no more fitting resting place than that could be found. “Beneath our feet on this lovely promontory in sight of ships arriving from the Homeland, as well as of the capital of the Dominion, which he served with unswerving 'fidelity and unflagging zeal, rest the human remains of a great practical Imperialist, William Ferguson Massey,” said the Governor-General.

“It is not perhaps inappropriate that the space where once stood a battery to defend Wellington’s beautiful harbour should now contain the body of a statesman who, with a view to world liberty and the honour of the Empire, took so prominent a part in the efficient prosecution of the war and tho attainment of the blessings of peace. William Massey, like so many men, sprung from the soil and normally employed in winning a living from it in all conditions of weather and fluctuating fortune, was a man ot simplicity of life and faith, of robust courage and unquenchable hopefulness. He was a shrewd formidable fighter, but his force of character, coupled with his sincerity and honesty of purpose, impelled a measure of confidence and respect such as surely few Parliamentary protagonists have enjoyed. “From a life such as his we learn the value of the subordination of self to service and the sinking of personal ambitions and interests in, zeal for the public weal. These are the attributes of all statesmen who have left their mark on history, and without them no man can live permanently in the memory of his fellow countrymen. “It is my pleasure and pride now to declare this memorial open and at the same time to express the sincere hope that many will arise in all classes and. parties in this Dominion and help in the shaping of its destinies who will seek to emulate the robust simplicity, piety and honesty of him whom it so fitly commemorates.” < “We can truly say that the passing of Mr Massey marked the loss of a statesman and a true son of the British Etnpire,” said Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, Leader of the , Opposition. “We can speak of him as'a friend, as a colleague and a man in whom eacb and everyone of us had implicit faith and confidence, a man who carried the mistakes of others, who never whimpered nor complained. He was a rock and an. anchor, and it is these characteristics that his colleagues to-day call to mind. We remember him, as a straightforward and unselfish man. He saw his duty and did it. It was that faith which, I think, radiated out to- the people of this country in the very darkest hours of our trial. —The memorial was not too beautiful for the man. It was possibly the finest tribute to any single individual in the world. His example would be a guide and a lesson to the men and women in the future.

The speaker believed that in the heart of the people that day, whether they supported Mr Massey’s particular form of politics or not. there was no man held in deeper respect than the memory of the late Mr Massey. Mr Coates wished to thank the Government for the arrangements it had made in connection with the ceremony. “I would like to re-echo the sentiments expressed by each of the previous speakers,” said Mr H. E. Holland, Leader of the Labour Party. “As you know, Parliament is a battle ground of ideas and on the floor of Parliament buildings,-especially in the chamber of the House, men come into conflict with one another, and I think that those of us who figured as opponents of Mr Massey knew one side of hint probably better even than those who were his close colleagues and were in line with the policy he advocated. \Ve got to know the human side of him. For somewhere in the vicinity of seven years I was associated with him as an opponent in the House of Representatives and, a 6 leader of a party always in conflict with the policy laid down by him, my experience was that whatever arrangements, we had to make with him once his word was given we never had any rjeed to worry about what followed. It is fitting that he who gave the better part of his life to the turbulent fighting in the realm of politics should sleep his last long sleep here surrounded by the magnificence, of the hills, in view of the harbour where all God’s wildest storms will reach.” The Rt. Rev. Dr. Sprott,. Bishop of Wellington, led the gathering in prayer at the opening of the ceremony and gave the benediction, while Rev. George Budd, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand, conducted the dedication service.