DOMINION OBSERVANCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17622, 8 November 1920, Page 7

DOMINION OBSERVANCE.

TWO MINUTES OF SILENCE. [BT TELEGRAPH. — SPECIAL BEPORTEH.] WELLINGTON. Saturday. A cablegram from the Secretary of State for tne Colonies, Lord Milner, detailing the manner in which Armistice Day was to be observed in the United Kingdom was read in the House of Representatives to-day by the Prime Minister.

The message stated :—" It has been decided that on Thursday, November 11, being the second anniversary of the Armistice, the Cenotaph in Whitehall shall be unveiled by His Majesty the King, and that as part of the ceremony on that day there shall be buried in Westminster Abbey an unknown British warrior, whose body shall be taken from among those buried in France. Every precaution will be taken to prevent his identity being known. The coffin will be brought to the Cenotaph, where it will be met by the King, attended by representatives of the whole Empire. There will be a short service at the Cenotaph, consisting of the singing of the hymn, ' O God Our Help in Ages Past,' and the Lord's Prayer.. This service will be so timed that the unveiling of the Cenotaph takes place at 11 a.m. exactly, after which there will be two minutes' silence, followed by the * Last Post.' Wreaths will then be laid by His Majesty, the Prime Minister, and representatives of the Empire. The funeral procession will then proceed to Westminster Abbey, j where the funeral service will take place, the body being buried in a grave in the nave of the Abbey. It, is proposed thai, just as last year, there should be during the two minutes' sHence complete suspension of all normal business, work and locomotion throughout the United Kingdom, that the thoughts of all may be concentrated on the reverent remembrance of the glorious dead." Mr. Massey said he need hardly state that in New Zealand we were equally interested in the observance of Armistice Day. He proposed on behalf of the Government to ask the people of the country to celebrate the day in a manner similar to that detailed for the United Kingdom, particularly by the observance of two minutes' silence at 11 o'lJock exactly. He was asking the Minister for Internal Affairs to instruct his department to circularise requests to this effect. Mr. J. P. Luke (Wellington North} asked the Prime Minister if he would request the ebbrches to hold cervices on \ that day. Mr. Massey said that of course it was open for any church to do so. He would I consult Cabinet and decide whether requests should be -ent as suggested.