INTERESTING EVENING

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 10985, 22 August 1921, Page 5

INTERESTING EVENING

ANNUAL BAKERS’ DINNER 'roll of honour unveiled by 1 MR G. MITCHELL, M.P. I The annual combined dinner of the Wellington Master Bakers’ and Pastrycooks' Association and the Operative Rakers' Un-ion was held at Dustin’s Hall. Cuba street, on Saturday night. Jlr T. Rowell (precedent of the W.M.B. and P. Association) presided over a very large attendance. Among those present were Dr. A. K. Newman, M.P., the Mayor (Air R. A. Wright, M.P.), and Air G. Mitchell, AI.P. The toast list was a short one —“The King,” honoured with enthusiastic loyalty; “The Combined Trades.” proposed by Mr C. E. Bell (Alaster Bakers’ Association), and responded to by Mr F. W. Brewer (president of the Operative Balters’ Union); “Parliament,” proposed by Air F. Alawhin-n'o-y (treasurer of the Operative Bakers’ I Union), and responded to by the three members of Parliament present; and “Old Members,” proposed, by Air Charles Bevnon and responded to by Air A. Collins (secretary of the Operative Bakers’ Union). "A very excellent programme of songs, recitations, music.iT monologues, etc., was contributed bv Messrs W. Thorn. A. F. Tonks, F. Davis, A. W. Parton,,.D. E. Dustin, and others; and a most enjoyable evening was spent. ROLL OF HONOUR UNVEILED. A SPLENDID RECORD. In unveiling, during an interval, the handsome roll of honour of the AA’eli lington Operative Bakers and Pastryi cooks’ Union, Air G. Alitchell, M.P., said that cne heard so often such exI pressions as “Oh, we shall soon all be j forgotten,” “The people will soon for- ! get us,” that to one who had had some experience of the war, who had been privileged to play some small part during the war, who knew our men, saw their deeds, knew their valour and greatness, saw the hardships tliev had to put up with, and Knew their sacrifices, it was a pleasure to , come there and take part in unveiling that memorial in their honour. (Applause.) He was pleased indeed to sec that the bakers were not forgetful of their own comrades. (Applause.) Ihe roll of honour included the names of 72 members who left with the Expeditionary Force. Of these, four were killed in action—E. Cosgrove, T. McCarthy, T. Mulluny, and A. R. Pallant; and some 23 members were either wounded or disabled by gas; while J. Edney won the D.C.M. and was decorated by H.R.H. the Prince of Wales during his recent visit to New Zealand. (Appdatuse.) Let him say that a inan who won ii D.C.AI. had to be iV- soldier indeed. He took off his hat every day to a man who wore a D C.M. (Applause.) It was only got by hard fighting and by continuous diligence in duty. It was next to a V.C. Four bakers’ apprentice® had also joined the forces; and one, ' E. Andrews, had died in France. “WAR IS HELL.” “I think,” added Mr Mitchell, “that the people realise now what we have been saved from by the sacrifices of these men. (Applause.) I want to say that soldiers who have had service, who have seen the devastation, the misery, the slaughter, and the ! wreckage of war, never want to put jon a uniform again, »pever want to • take up arms again. It is (hellish, | indeed, to see the very finest of your I manhood mangled on the battlefield. ! But I want to say to you that these j men, to whom we are unveiling this 1 memorial, those 17,000 men of our j own country who died on foreign battlefields, died to save our Empire to i us, to save all the privileges we enj joy, to save our race, our women, our children, and our homes, that we might go on a free people. . . It is our duty, it doesn’t matter what the cost, to see that we don’t dishonour those who died, and that we do our part in maintaining the Empire and the country and the race for which they died. (Applause.) “THE FINEST THING.” “If our Prime Minister and the other Prime Ministers could have solved the armaments problem, that would haive been the finest thing that men could do for the good of our race. (Applause.) But much as we would like to put away our sword, we cannot make it into a ploughshare while other nations keep their swords on the grindstone. (Hear, hear.) And I would like to say that, at the present time, we are in very grave danger of losing all we won, all that these men sacrificed their -lives for. We won the battle on the field, but we must not forget that a greater battle is going on now. That battle must be fought, and if we are just to ourselves and to those who will come after us, we will fight just as hard in the economic battle of the world as our soldiers fought on the battlefield. . (Applause.) "Unless we sot to work and make good the ravages of war, we will lose to those who are quickest to get to work. Germany has been saved the expenditure on armaments, and with ‘peaceful penetration’ she will win the economic battle, unless we set to work to win tITe battle of peace as we set to work to win the battles on the field.” (Hear, hear.) As a member of Parliament, he said in conclusion, he felt it his duty at all times to stick to his comrades, their brothers. (Applause.) So long as he had the power to do anything for them it would be his privilege to do il. He had great pleasure in unveiling their roll of honour; and he hoped with all his heart they would never (have occasion to have another. (Applause.) “Gentlemen”— pulling aside, as they all roso to their feet, the Union Jack which veiled the roll of honour —“such is the honour we pay to your comrades of the Bakers’ Union.” (Applause.)