TOURING THE EMPIRE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15390, 27 August 1913, Page 11

TOURING THE EMPIRE.

VISIT OF BRITISH M.P.'S.

ARRIVE BY THE MAKURA.

"ENTHUSIASTIC WELCOME.

IMPERIALISTIC SPEECHES.

PARTY LEAVES FOR ROTORUA.

The delegates from the United Kingdom branch of the. Empire Parliamentary Association, who are on their way to Australia at the invitation of the Commonwealth branch of' the association, arrived at Auckland by the R.M.S. Makura from Vancouver yesterday. The delegation is the first party of members of the Mother Parliament to visit the Overseas Dominions under the auspices of the Empire Parliamentary Association, which now has strong branches representative of each Parliament, in all the self-governing Dominions. The association was formed at the coronation of King George Y., when representatives of the various Overseas Dominions visited the Old Country and ware lavishly entertained by members of the English Parliament. Such tours as the British Parliamentary party is now engaged on will, it is considered, be a most successful method of cementing the broad brotherhood of Empire. The visitors left England on July 16, and proceeded direct to Canada, where they spent a fortnight. They then came to New Zealand, the fire port of call being Auckland. The members of the party are as follows : Lord Emmott, P.C., UnderSeeretarv or State for the Colonies since 1911 Lord Sheffield, formerly M.F. for Oldham; .Mr. Will Crooks, Labour M.P. for Woolwich ; Hon. Charles B. StuartWortley, Unionist M.P. for the Haliam division of Sheffield ; Mr. A. J. Sherwell. Liberal M.P. for Huddersfield; Mr. Ha mar Greenwood, liberal M.P. for Sunderland ; Mr. Donald Macmaster, K.C., Unionist M.P. for the Chertsey division of Surrey; Mr. Edgar Jones, M.P. for Merthyr;" Mr, Duncan Vernon Pirie,. Liberal M.P. for North Aberdeen ; Sir Stephen Collins, Liberal M.P. for Kennington division of Lambeth; Hon. T. Lough, Liberal M.P. for Islington 1 West; Col. Sir Hildred Carlile, Unionist M.P. for St. Albans Division of Hertfordshire ; Mr. A. W. Black, Liberal M.P. fox Biggleswade division of Bedfordshire, ant 3 Mr. Howard D'Egville, who was secretary of the Lords and Commons- Committee formed for the purpose of entertaining overseas politicians who attended the coronation, and who is now secretary to the United Kingdom blanch of the Empire Parliamentary Association.

The ladies of the party are : Lady EmTTiOtt, Lady Carlile, Miss Carlile, Lady Collins, Mrs. Lough, Mrs. Hamar Greenwood, Mrs. A. Sherwell, and Miss Pirie. Mr. L. C. M. S. Amery, Unionist M.P. for South Birmingham, who is accompanied by his vrife, Mr. J. Norton Griffith, Unionist M.P. for Wednesbury, and Mrs. Griffith, other members of the party, will not visit New Zealand as they are going to Sydney direct via Suez. Sir Joseph Walton, Liberal M.P. for Hnddersfield, arrived at- Fremantle yesterday. The visitors were met at the wharf by ths Hon. H. D. Bell, K.C., Minister for Internal Affairs, Colonel Boscawen, honorary A.D.C. to' His Excellency the Governor, Mr. A. M. Myers, M.P., member o:f the New Zealand Executive of the Empire Parliamentary Association; Mr. B. M. Wilson, director 'of the Tourist: Department and ■ Colonel Logan, 0.0. Auckland district, and. were : welcomed to New Zealand. They were, then ' driven ' to the' Town ' Hall, where they -were accorded a civic reception by the Mayor, Mr. C. J. Parr. , Subsequently they were the guests of the Government at an informal luncheon ,at the Grand ' Hotel, at which there were also present the Hon. H. D Bell, Minister for Internal Affairs; Mr. A. M. Myers, M.P. for Auckland East the Mavor and Mayoress; Mrs. R. J. Seddon: Mr, T. E. Y. Seddon, M.P. for Westland; and Captain R. J. Seddon, who has just returned from England. In the afternoon motor-cars were placed at the disposal of the visitors, who drove round the district. The party, ' with the exception of Lord and Lady Emmott and Mr. Will Crooks, M.P., left by special train at 11 p.m. for rEotorua. Lord and Lady Emmott left % special train at 12.25 p.m. for Wellington, while Mr. Crooks accompanied the Hon. H. D. Bell to Wellington on the Mail; Trunk expre>«. ..,■■ From EotOrua. the party will proceed to Wellington, and will then leave for Australia. A month will be spent in touring the Commonwealth", after which South Africa will be visited. From South Africa the party will go straight back to England. "■■:'.'

TEE CIVIC RECEPTION.

ENTHUSIASTIC GATHERING.

WELCOMED BY THE MAYOR.

An enthusiastic civic reception -was accorded the visitors in the council chamber at the Town Hall at half-past ten o'clock. The chamber was crowded. Amongst those present were members of the City Council, the Hon. George Fowlds, and the Hon. G. Jones, M.L.C., Dr. Valintine (Chief Health '.'■■:■ Officer), Messrs. W. A. Beddoo (Canadian Trade Commissioner), H. Horton, T. W. Leys, G. J. Garland (chairman of the Education Board),- E. C. Cutten, S.M., S. J. Nathan (president of the Chamber of Commerce), and E. Anderson (president of '■': the Auckland branch of the Victoria League). The visitors were warmly applauded when they entered the chamber. '"We feel particularly honoured to-day by the presence within the city of so distinguished a company of English men and \wmen," said the Mayor (Mr. C. J. Parr) in welcoming the visitors. Citizens of Auckland were always glad to see people Iron", the Homeland. (Hear, hear.) They were particularly pleased that day to see eue'ii people of note and authority from the Homeland, people whose voices were heard in high places, people who spoke with effect and authority upon many questions, and upon many phases of intellectual and political activity. "T venture to say," proceeded the Mayor, " that seldom has bo many-sided a company visited these shores. Hero to-day among wir guests' we have represented commerce, law, literature, politics, and sociology. (Hear, hear.) The people of New Zealand believed that such visits by people- of nark and distinction from the Homeland to this new and comparatively small and insignificant country would do good. Everyone regretted that the visitors could not spare more than four days to stay in New Zealand." The visitors would find one or two outstanding facts regarding the country. They would find wherever they went that there was not a people more loyal to the British Elms and the British flag than the people of New Zealand. (Hear, hear.) "The V lesson has been well taught us by our sires/' added the Mayor. "We love the '" " Old Country, reverence its great name.and traditions, 'and feel that its literature and ' the great names of its literature belong to ;:: us as much as they do to you. / (Hear, bear.) All the glorious past of the English '•'■'''-. people we revere and love, I think, just as much as the people who are born in the British Isles. And I venture to say that our children who arc coming along to take v our place will be just as loyal to the *i ■ British flag and name, and to the old V: traditions as we and our fathers were. fi-" The visitors, he continued, would see •;; that universal military training was adopted cheerfully in New Zealand. (Hear, hear.) , Both political parties, with equal emn phasis, had laid down the principle that . there must be compulsory training, and ' the whole population, almost without exception, had accepted the principle. They ••; , would find one or two dissentients .to the

scheme, but such people did not really count in New Zealand. (Applause.) More Visits Desirable. . On behalf of the Parliament of Now Zealand, the Hon. H. D. Bell (Minister tor Internal Affairs) extended a hearty welcome to the party. If the lawmakers of hi; gland and her children could have a clearer understanding of what ruled the English people in different climes, by reason of their different circumstances, then the English pepplo all over the King's dominions would understand better that the laws were made without any feeling of hostility from one part to another. The speaker hoped that there would bo many such visits as that of the British Parliamentary party. Representatives of the aew Zealand Parliament who had visited the Old Country had been treated with unmeasured hospitality, and they now wanted to exhibit -the" same feeling here. The visitors were all the more welcome because they were members of both Houses of Parliament. , Solidifying the Bonds. Mr. A. M. Myers, M.P., said it gave him very much pleasure as a member of the executive of the Empiro Parliamentary Lnion, as well as the Auckland branch of the Overseas Club, to take part in welcoming the visitors, especially as they knew the visit would be a means towards solidifying the bonds of unity between the Mother Country and her Dominions. He was sure they would realise that the citizens of New Zealand were most patriotic. 'Statesmen would have to solve in the future the problem of making more complete the federation of the Empire, but it was only by observation and by travel that such an object could be consummated. The speaker agreed with the desire of tho Hon. H. D. Bell that this would only be the first of many visits from representatives of the Home Parliament. Whatever sacrifices were necessary in defence of the Empire the people of New Zealand would carry out their part loyally. (Hear, hear.) On the call of the Mayor, three hearty cheers were given for the visitors. Lord Emmott's Reply. When rising to reply to the welcome, Lord Emmott, leader of the party, was received with loud applause. " I desire to thank you, Mr. Mayor, ladies and gentlemen," ho said, " for coming here to-day to give us this really hearty reception on the occasion of our first landing in the North Island of New Zealand." The party came at the invitation of Australia, and they looked forward with immense interest to the few days that they were going to spend in New Zealand. The party were deeply grateful for tho civic reception, and they wished to recognise the kindness of the Government in asking the leader of the Legislative Council to receive them, and in asking Mr. Myers, an ex-Cabinet Minister to take part "in the reception. Lord Emmott expressed appreciation of the letter of welcome received from the Governor (the Earl o5: Liverpool) and the Countess of Liverpool. In Canada the party was warmly welcomed. " And now, in the moment we land here, we find your hands stretched out, and we ail shake' them, and thank you for your kindness in receiving us in this manner," he continued. The present was the first time he had ever been in New Zealand, in fact in the Southern Hemisphere. As he held the post of Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies, the visit would be of very great importance to him. The visit of the party was not a. formal one. He was quite sure they would all want to come to New Zealand again, and, if the Empire Parliamentary Association of New Zealand should think fit to extend an invitation to the Parliamentary Association at Home, he was sure it would be gratefully accepted. For his own part, he was sorry that he would see eo little of this beautiful island. Lord Islington's Message. How the people of New Zealand appealed to visitors from the Mother Country was well known afc Home. The lastnight before he left London he happened to meet the late Governor, Lord Islington, in the lobby of the House of Lords, and Lord Islington had requested him to carry a* message to the people of New Zealand. "I hear you are going to New Zealand," said Lord* Islington. " I want to ask you to give them my love." (Applause.) The speaker took the opportunity of delivering that message. (Applause.) -' " There was a great similarity between the people of New Zealand and the people of Great Britain," he continued. The United Kingdom and the Dominion were geographically similar. "In both cases we who live over there, and you who live here live in two islands of, shall I say, manageable size. (Laughter.) It is quite true that the similarity may not run very far. I don't think you get all the delicious thrills from your second island that we get from ours. (Loud laughter and applause.) Whether that is to our advantage or to yours I cannot say." (Renewed laughter.) Learning More of the Empire. There were certain matters in which New Zealand was immensely superior to England. The party had made the visit in an earnest desire to learn more of the great Dominions of the British Empire of which they all formed a part. They attached the utmost importance to the increasing of mutual knowledge, which alone could enable them to deal in the right spirit, and in the right way with the great Imperial problems which would lie before them, and which some day or other, must be settled. The hearts 01 the members of the party responded when the Mayor spoke of the pride which New Zealanders, as well as the people at Home, liad in the great traditions of the English race, in the noble history of its past, and the pride ; which they felt in the great literature they | shared in common.

The epeaker did not think that the settlement of Imperial problems could be Hurried for many of them were very difficult. "But." concluded Lord Emmott, - what we can, and must do, if we have the right patriotic instinct, is to cultivate the right frame of mind in which to approach these questions. (Hear, hear.) Short as our stay is in New Zealand, and short as it will be in Australia, I do feel that when we go Home we shall be better able to carry the point of. view of you who live in these far distant parts of His Majesty's Dominions, who are as loyal as we to the British flag, who are as desirous as we that the British Empire shall continue to be the greatest, the most progressive, and the most enlightened amongst the empires." (Hear, hear.) Full of Interest. Lord Sheffield, a member of. the party, also expressed thanks for the welcome that had been accorded the visitors. The visit to New Zealand would be full of interest to them, and would be impressed on their recollections. He was especially interested in 'the Maoris, a race of many fine qualities, and a fierce element of .savagery. "You have had tussles with them, and I think the result has been that you respect your Maori citizens," he said. "Tuey may be useful helpers to you in developing this country." The party would be struck with the attractive characteristics of New Zealand, they would see the English races standing out on a larger scale in Australia, and would have an opportunity of observing the complicated problems of South Africa. Ho hoped that the people of this country would hold to the best characteristics of the English race, which stood for freedom, law, order, and sell-government. (Hear, hear.)' Empire's Troubles Common. Mr. Will Crookes said it gave him great pleasure to again visit New Zealand. " The exceeding great kindness of the people of New Zealand attracted me back again." he remarked. " You will discover that human nature is much of a muchness, and our troubles are your troubles, and your difficulties are our difficulties. We are not a superior race, we are a pioneer race, and as such we must take plenty of knocks and blows from every side. There ?.s something in our character we cannot help. We are a peace-loving race, and if there is any fighting to be done we want to be in it. (Laughter.) The visit will be a memorable one." After the ceremony had concluded, the members of the Auckland branch of the Victoria League extended a. welcome to Lady Emmott, a member of the London, Council of the League, and the other lady members of the party.