PRINCE AND "DIGGERS"

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21560, 3 August 1933, Page 9

PRINCE AND "DIGGERS"

EMPIRE SERVICE LEAGUE J TRIBUTE TO AUSTRALIANS LONDON, July 25 ; The Prince of Wales, who presided this evening at. the Empire Service League dinner, said he was not aware whet,her he met Mr. A. Ll Robb, of. Sydney (one of the guests)' during the war or in Australia, hut-anyhow ha could call him "Digger." Britain thanked him and the other Australian., delegates for coming to London, whera probably they did not havo a bad time. Mr. Robb said Australians had taken the Prince to'theiy'hearts when he visited the Commonwealth. The. ex-servicemen's -organisations in A us- , tralia had secured positions for 4197' unemployed.ex-soldiers without respect to their countries of origin. The next conference of the British Empire Service League possibly will b«j\ held in Melbourne during the c6a-") tenary celebrations, or at the latest in 1935. • ' "lihere never was more .reason to be proud of our citizenship in the British Empire than there to-day," said the Dominions Secretary, Mr. <J. H« Thomas, in opening the conference. . "We are to-day more confident of the future of the Empire and more devoted to its supreme head," ha stated. Earl Jellicoe, who presided, said the bad times wore passing, and it was hoped that in a very short time tha settlement of ex-servicemen on th* land in the Dominions would be resumed.