SWISS NATIONAL DAY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21868, 2 August 1934, Page 10

SWISS NATIONAL DAY

CENTURIES OF FREEDOM COMMEMORATIVE LUNCHEON To commemorate the 643 rd anniversary of the day when the leaders of thr£e small cantons in Switzerland met to declare their independence from Austrian dominance, members of the consular corps in Auckland, prominent citizens and representatives of the Swiss community were entertained to luncheon in Milne anil Choyce's Reception Hall yesterday by the Consul for Switzerland, Mr, A. <D. Blau.

In extending "the greetings of the people of Auckland to the Swiss nation through the consul, the Mayor, Mr. G, W. Hutchison, congratulated Mr. Blau on belonging to a nation which over 600 years ago had freed itself from the House of Hapsburg, and which, through all the recent troubled years had kept itsclif free from international complications. Mr. Hutchison also referrod to the happy spirit of the Swiss, and congratulated the Swiss Government on tlie excellent choice it had made in sending; Blau as its representative. In reply, Mr. Blau described the scene on August 1, 11291, when, on the Rutli, at one end of the Lake of Lucerne, grave and bearded men met around a camp fire to discuss the declaration of the independence of the central provinces from the Hapsburgs. After long consideration it was decided to form the constitution on tli»> basis of a confederation of States, and so, with a nucleus of the States of Schwyzj Uri and Nidwalden, the Coafederatica Helvetica was "formed. Through years of internal and external war, economic difficulty and thein prosperity, the confederation remained firm, and each year, on August 1, fires were lighted throughout Switzerland to commemorate the fire around which the future of the nation was decided. In conclusion, Mr. Blau referred to the friendly relations existing between his country and England, and thanked New Zealand for the way in which it had received those of his compatriots as had come to live here. "Let us hope," he said, "that the spirit of mutual esteem, friendship and cooperation, on which a family is based, will become more and more recognised in international relations throughout the world."