OUR LIEGE LORD, EDWARD.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1509, 31 January 1901, Page 30

OUR LIEGE LORD, EDWARD.

(“N.Z. Times,” January 29.)

Yesterday’s proclamation was not oriy the first official act of King Edward the Seventh’s reign; it was the first proclamation in New Zealand’s history of ® royal accession. The Queen’s Sovereigiftjr was proclaimed after the Treaty of Waitangi, at which time the Queen, nad reigned some years The ceremony of yesterday was suitably impressive. The King’s representative and his Executive*, after taking the oath of allegiance, were at Parliament House at the appointed! time, ready to make the proclamation;., the people were there in goodly numbers to hear it; the troops of the garrison were present, and the grand old navy of Great Britain was represented by a detachment of its historic bluejackets. The Consular body was there in full uni--’ form, to give the international spice customary on these occasions, and every department of national life, political and professional, was well in. evidence and well to the front. Amid these surroundings the proclamation was read by the Acting-Premier, and “God Save the King 7 ’ was heard for the fir»b time in this country. It was an occasion to be remembered, on account- of its historic interest. Australia, can have had no such experience at this for the Mother Colony saw the- proclamations of George IV., William IV., and Victoria; and all the States but one of the Commonwealth drew their history from the Mother Colony; and the exception, South Australia, dates back far enough to include the proclamation of William IV. If any stayed away from our ceremony yesterday under the delusion that they would sets nothing more unique than the installation of a Governor, or the opening of a Parliament, they have probably by this time discovered that they blundered rather seriously.

One thing was wanting to what may be called the higher harmony of the proceedings. Tho proclamation ought to have been not only in line, as it wasr, with all the proclamations throughout the Empire; it ought also to have beesn made simultaneously. Eveiry centre of this great Empire’s population ought to have been listening to the proclamation at the same hour. A simple computation of time and a fret® use_of the telegraph wires of the world were all that were necessary to organise the thing. From London to Wellington, from Hongkong to Labrador, from Capetown to Cairo,, every British subject would thus have heard the proclamation of the new King at the same hour, and the Effipkro would have been girt about by a ring of acclamations. No doubt something of this kind would have! been attempted, after the fashion of the attempt on th© night of the Diamond Jumlee to let the Queen’s ; words tso her pelople reach them at a given hour. But at the critical moment the wires connecting the important States of Australasia with the great edntre of th# Empire broke down, and the Empire had to be content with a not less comprehensive but much less organised demonstration. In this important moment the cable has reminded ns that at a not lea® important but possibly far . more critical moment it is capable of leaving us “in the lurch,” perhaps disastrously. Th® present breakdown’ ha® therefore sup<plied us with a powerful justification c# the Pacific cable, which now forms the subject of. a contract, and' soon will be sending.us inessagee by a new route.

Mourning will be all over the Empire to-day, but this knowledge did not detract" from the warmth -with which fcb© Empire sang ‘‘God Save the King” yesterday. 1 His, Majesty will want that impressive prayer,; and h© may be sure that the loyalty of all sections of his subjects will ensure him its regular continuance. In the first place, he has to fulfil the duties of his high station, j Secondly, he is under the obligation to. live up to hiss predecessor’s great standard of fulfilment. In the third place, being a nu®, he is" sure to be lesb indebted than a woman to the, chivalry of his subjects., and more liable to "their strictures. The training, and the examplehe has had,, together with his own - Character and achievements,' make the future hopeful for him. Nevertheless, he will, as everjr man would in his position, want the help of the mental attitude which is represented by “God Save the King,” and be will get it, we hope, for many years.