CELEBRATED AT PETONE

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 9955, 26 April 1918, Page 7

CELEBRATED AT PETONE

N.S.W. AND N.Z. FLAGS UNFURLED SPEECHES BY SIR J, G. WARD AND OTHER MINISTERS. Petone railway station and the approaches thereto wore gay with flags and greenery yesterday afternoon in celebration of Anzac Day; and speeches were delivered by the Right Hon, Si” Joseph Ward (Minister for Finance), tho Hon. W. H. Herries (Minister for Railways), and tho Hon. T. M. Wilford (Minister for Justice and Marine and member for tho district). The Petone Senior Cadets acted as a. guard of honour. the Trentham Band was in attendance, and ably rendered a fine programme of patriotic and popular airs; while tho school children, accompanied hy the hand, and assisted by tho large gathering, sang with great gusto the National Anthems of the British Empire and her Allies. Lady Ward was among those present. The Mayor of Petone (Mr J. W. McEwan), who presided, apologised for tho unavoidable absence' of tho ' Prime Minister (the Right Hon. W. F. Massey), the Defence Minister (the Hon. ,Sir James Allen), and the Hons. G. W. Russell, A. Myers, W. D. S. MacDonald, J. A. Hanan, and W. H. Guthrie. They were met that afternoon, said tho Mayor, to commemorate the third anniversary of the landing of tho Anzaes at Gallipoli. Whatever might he said of the Dardanelles campaign and its results, nothing could dim, the glory of what our boys had done—(applause)—and wo ini New Zealand should not be content merely to, celebrate Anzac Day once a year, but should resolve that this world of ours should be the bettor for their great sacrifices. (Applause.) FINANCE MINISTER'S SPEECH. Sir Joseph Ward, who was sroceived with applause, said that it was a pleasurable, but in some respects a sad duty, to meet for the purpose of commemorating Anzac Day. (Applause.) So long as history lasts Anzac never would ho forgotten, because of the extraordinary circumstances accounted for the creation, of the name. (Applause.) The work that the 1 New Zealanders and the Australians were called upon, to perform on Anzac Day four years ago was almost an impossibility. Tho Turks were entrenched, and folly prepared to meet them, and the Gormans had declared that the Peninsula was impregnable, that a landing could not be effected in face of tho great natural and artificial difficulties that would have to be met. But the brave New Zealanders and Australians turned back from • nothing. They landed, and they remained upon the Gallipoli Peninsula for nearly ten months; and they almost triumphed in the impossibility they had undertaken. (Applause.) History would show that compaign to have been one of tho greatest and most remarkable series of incidents connected with the, war, - oven, including the present great defensive, and offensive operations on the'Western front. (Applause.) The total of the New Zoaliuid'casualties iu Gallipoli and Egypt for the campaign was 7939. Of these, 982 wore killed,' 562 died of wounds, 263 died of disease, 5099 wore wounded, and 33 wore prisoners of war. That whs by far 'the l largest toll that had been made upon the New Zealanders in any one area hitherto. Was it, then, to be wondered at that the people of Now Zealand ’wore assembling in groat numbers all over the Dominion that day to show their • respect, their reverence, and. their gratitude to tho iron of Anzac, who had gone forth to keep this country free for them and for those who were to follow them? (Applause.) All over New i Zealand, from end to end that day, wore to bo found the relatives of tho bravo men who had made the groat sacrifice at Gallipoli, and on an occasion such as that it was impossible tor us not to recognise tho poignancy of gnof m tho hearts of those relatives Cur hearts went out .to them, and they had the consolation of realising that so ; Jong as history lasts there would be iii™n n lffl ' Pr T d >. g° lden Jotters upon the nunds of those who were to follow them the memory that these heroes had died in defence of all tlmt was .right and host for tho Brit “h Empire. - They had left behind them timn rao '°iV V v llcll t!loir for ail time might bo. proud. (Applause.) . SACRIFICES MUST NOT BE IN VAIN. . * .

rl might on for a ] ong R°" od : rt .was impossible to say wh£ ion huT" ?° Ion ? or BhMfc duration, but whatever the period might ho ± r bulk of the people right over the Empire were one in spirit and rffiei 11 f 1?, ongln K ho P° tliat tho sacrifices of the men of Anzac and of the ■in °the" fipb' f f f. llow « 1 thorn since iLr *- fight i for , ,Ustlce > freedom, and omhsation, should not have boon made T7 (a ? P aUSe) ~ that: a great vic-toi-y in tlio long run would bo won, and a lasting peace be secured, (Applause.) As .Henry Campbell had said famous poem, “The l)ay (quoting tho word's), Germany had had hor day—" The Day" of which she had boasted, "Tho Day" aho had toasted but “After the day there’s a price to pay"; and Germany would ■have to pay it in full. (Applause.) in one of them could have believed that the war could go on for four years, bringing about' internal revolutions in practically all parts of tho world. None of them could have behoved that their young men to tho number of 100,000 could ho taken from civil life, trained ns soldiers to stand against the host-trained troops of Germany, and prove themselves, in the opinion of such men as General Birdwood, General French, and General Joffre, second to none. (Applause.) So they paid their just tribute of admiration and respect to the brave men of Anzac, and they firmly believed that when tho war was over the'British Ensign,' tho flags to ■ be unfurled that day, and the flags of tho Allies, would float over Berlin. (Applause.) Ho was glad to see present with them that day so many returned soldiers, some of them from Gallipoli, and some'who'had won the D.S.O. in that campaign. (Applause.)' MUST SEE IT THROUGH. The ensign was then dipped in honour of the men of Anzac, after which tho Hon. W. H. Herrios, amid loud cheers, unfurled tho Now South Wales flag (sent by tho Now South Wales railway workers to the Petono railway workers in exchange for a Now Zealand flag), and tho‘Now ' Zealand flag. Our dead on Gallipoli, he sgid, must not ’6,-1 ict'ot io bzua- j[

go unavenged. We must see the war right through to the end. (Applause.) The Empire had, called for more men, and those who were fit would have to go; while the rich would have to unbutton their pockets and pour out their' money, like water. (Applause.) Sacrifices must bo made, and would be cheerfully made, because we were not’ going to go hack upon the bravo lads who had left - their' bones under those white crosses at Gallipoli. (Applause.) It was fitting. that the great Railway Department should be among the foremost in celebrating Anzao Day, for 7000 of. their men' had gone, or were going, to the front; the names of 310 wore numbered on the roll of honour, and of those nine had gone from the Petone Workshops. (Applause.) The Hon. T. M. Wilford, as member for tho' district, heartily thanked tho Trentham Band for their presence, the Patriotic Committee who had organised tho. gathering, .and tho school children who had sung the Allies’ National .Anthems. ■ “THE PRICE TO PAY.” Ho paid an eloquent tribute to tho heroes of Gallipoli; and, referring to the line quoted hy Sir Joseph Ward, “After the day, there’s a price to pay,” he declared that, the mark of the boast would bo on every German's forehead for centuries to cornel (Applause.) Although one of tho great men of the past had said, “You cannot indict a nation,” Germany had been, indicted at the. Supreme Court of Civilisation, and had been found guilty of every possible breach of international law; and ho said tlmt at the end of tho war they were entitled to place in tho archives of civilisation a black list of those murders and torturers whose names had been carefully and faithfully kept by the French and British Governments from the outbreak of the war. (Applause.) When the great day of reckoning came, as surely it must, might they see the lllags of Britain, her Dominions, and her Allies floating over tho Kaiser’s Palace .in Berlin. (Applause.) On the call of the Mayor three hearty cheers wero given for Sir Joseph Ward, Lady Ward, Mr Herries, and Mr Wilford. Sir. Joseph Ward called for three choers for tho Mayor and the Hon. T. M. Wilford, which Were giv on with a will; and the National Anthem then brought the proceedings to a close.