THE “GENERAL'S ” RETURN.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1756, 1 November 1905, Page 12

THE “GENERAL'S ” RETURN.

(From Our Special Correspondent.) LONDON, September 15th. “General” Booth returned to London last Saturday after his prolonged motor tour of the British Isles, during which the veteran Salvationist has covered no less than 2,250 miles. His return was the occasion of two remarkable demonstrations, one at the Stratford Town Hall, andl the other at the Albert Hall. In spite of the outrageous character of the weather —rain was pouring down “in buckets” nearly all day, and wstfs driven by a wind that rendered umbrellas impotent as protection and! -a nuisance to their bearers —thousands crammed in to both places. At the Albert Hall the “General” arrived nearly two hours after his scheduled’ time, but) massed bands containing 500 instrumentalists, together with hymn singing and a really gorgeous display of animated views of the leader of the Salvationist's tour of the Holy Land 1 and the colonies helped the time to slip away quickly. The “General’s” arrival was dramatically arranged. A large orange-coloured pavilion stood on the platform, and the canvas walls of tins tent suddenly fell, showing the Army’s beloved Comma-nder-in-Ohief in the white motor-car which, has been carrying him round England And Scotland. Als he removed his motoring over-alls andl came down to the rostrum at the front of the platform thousands of voices gave prolonged cheers and thousands of hands waved handkerchiefs and caps. At the age of seventy-six, he said, he considered himself in the prime of life. The audience laughed, but the speaker almost justified the Statement, for his speech lasted an hour and a quarter, was heard pretty clearly at the opposite side of the hall, and showed as much vigour at the end as at the beginning. The most interesting passages were those relating to emigration and the unemployed. Australia, he said, needed more inhabitants. She had been asleep in that respect, but was waking up, and would be glad, he believed, to receive our surplus population. Only one thing would do good to the unemployed, and that was work, but where could they find it? Not in this country. They would have to go for it to the colonies. It was an idea which he had laid before the Government, prompting them to send Mr Rider Haggard on a mission of inquiry. Mr Haggard made a report, but he said, amid laughter and cheers, the Government remitted it to a Committee, and when it would reappear no one ota earth knew. Last year the Salvation Army sent 3,500 emigrants to Canada, and favourable reports respecting them were arriving. If the Government or the municipal authorities would place sufficient money in the hands of the Salvation Army it would deal with the problem of the unemployed. “General” Booth did not counsel anybody to emigrate without good l reason. For those who could earn a comfortable living there was no place like the Old Country, but our population included' many person® who could go to the colonies with advantage to themselves, to those whom they left- behind, and to those among whom they might settle.