STATE LUNCHEON

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 6 December 1940, Page 2

STATE LUNCHEON

LORD GALWAY HONOURED j WORK IN NEW ZEALAND PRAISED GAVE LEAD IN PATRIOTIC EFFORT [United Press Association] t WELLINGTON, This Day. 1 A distinguished gathering joined in ? paying tribute to the work of the Govi ernor-General. Viscount Galway, during his term in the Dominion, which is i soon to expire, at a State luncheon in i his honour at Parliament Buildings, - Wellington, yesterday. The Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. P. Fraser, who presided, said Lord Galway l was taking back to His Majesty the > King and the people of Great Britain - New Zealand’s admiration and gratid tude for the fight they were putting up 5 for themselves and for the peoples of i the Dominions. ? Proposing Lord Galway’s health, Mr - Fraser said that the Government had ? been pleased to concur with the wish of His Majesty the King that his Ex- - cellency should remain in New Zea--1 lend a year longer than the ordinary f term of office, and that now this period r was up he had urged his Excellency to 2 slay for another year or at least till the 1 end of the war; in fact he could nomir nate his own time. Mr Fraser said he ? could not pay a greater testimony to 1 any Governor-General than that. Lord 5 Galway, however, felt that his place r was back in his homeland at the presi ent moment. t Mr Fraser also referred to the great l lead his Excellency had given as chairI man of the National Patriotic Fund 1 Board in New Zealand’s patriotic ef- - fort. His Excellency had been quick i to express the thoughts and the hearts - of the people of this country when London suffered its first devastating air ■ attacks. Immediately his Excellency i spoke for the people of the country in ; offering help and in sending money to - assist those who had suffered. > Special reference was made by Mr - Fraser to Lady Galway. He said that ■ no more gracious lady had ever graced - Government House. There had never • been a national effort more uniformly j t and generally successful than the Lady > Galway Guild, which was established ■ for the provision of clothes to Euro- ■ pean refugees and those of our own i people requiring assistance. . “The period during which his Excel- ) lency has been here.” said the Prime i ■ Minister, “has been most difficult inter. I > nationally—probably the most difficult ■ in the history of the Commonwealth. Ultimately there came threats of war : and finally his Excellency had the duty > of proclaiming the stand of this country ; side by side with the Motherland and j 3 the other nations of the Commonwealth, j J With a unanimous voice we say ‘Well done and thank you!’ ” t Further tributes to Lord Galway’s > work in the interests of the Dominion t were paid by the Leader of the Opposi- ■ tion, Mr S. G. Holland, and the Hon. D. r Wilson. Leader of the Legislative J Council. ! LORD GALWAY’S REPLY 1 Expressing thanks on behalf of him- ‘ self and his wife for the kind remarks ‘ made on what they had attempted to 1 do during their time in New Zealand, - Lord Galway said they would leave ? with very deep regrets and would al- ? ways remember the kindnesses that had been shown during their stay in J the Dominion. They would strive to do whatever they could when they were 5 Home for the prosperity of New Zealand and her people. Lord Galway thanked all who had ; worked in the interests of the National ; Patriotic Fund Board and the Provincial Patriotic Councils, and all the * women who had helped his wife’s patriotic guild. Already 600 tons of 1 clothing had been packed and despatched. Every ton of clothing contained many thousands of pieces of all sorts and kinds. Altogether some milj lions of pieces had been sent, and every piece had been cleaned and mended. This was like some millions of tokens of goodwill that had been sent overseas. England was deeply grateful for what was being done. Lord Galway said, and for the £IOO,OOO which New Zealand cabled within a few hours of learning that London was being bombarded. He knew that at Home there I was an unbounded feeling of admiration for what New Zealand was doing and what she would do in her war effort.