SIR WILLIAM HALL-JONES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20501, 31 August 1928, Page 16

SIR WILLIAM HALL-JONES.

—r HONOURED BY HIS HOME TOWN. FREEDOM OF FOLKESTONE. (From Ock Own Correspondent. ) LONDON, July 27 In 1873 Mr William Hall-Jones, at the age of 22, set out from Folkestone for New Zealand. Last week, Sir WiUiam Hall-Jones received the highest honour any town or city can confer upon one of, its own citizens—the freedom of the borough.' , The Mayor (Alderman It. G. Wood, J.P.), who presided at the ceremony, said they had been called together to confer the honorary freedom of the borough on a Folkestonjan who had been in the course of a distinguished career Prime Minister of New Zealand. There were to-day, continued the Mayor, four names on that roll. The late Sir Stephen Penfold, one of their own distinguished members, was the first. There was Sir Lewis Coward, who had been recorder of Folkestone for 35 rears, then Admiral Sir Roger Keyes, who played such a distinguished part in the Dover Patrol operations during the war. and then Alderman G. Spurgen, who had rendered signal services to the borough throughout his lifetime.—(Applause.) The fifth name to be placed on the roll would be that of Sir William Hall-Jones.— (Applause.) They had asked, him to come there that afternoon because it was the / wish of the aldermen- and councillors, as representatives of the burgesses of Folkestone and the inhabitants generally, to pay a compliment to One who had rendered such distinguished sCr- ; vices and who, at the same time, was a native of their town—(Applause.) He had indeed proved himself a worthy son of Folkestone. — (Applause.) HIS OWN INITIATIVE. The Mayor gave some details of Sir William’s career. His determination to go overseas was all the more noteworthy because his father did, not open a banking account at Wellington for his son, as many fathers did to-day. Sir _ William knew that his success depended on his own initiative and gaining the confidence of the people with whom he had come to live. If he bad not money he took the nest best thing with him —the knowledge of a trade. He had his trade,, and he knew no one could take it fi'otvi him. lue possession of the knowledge of that trade enabled him to win the confidence of those with whom he went to live. He (the speaker) was wondering whether that ceremony that day might not have a ™- reaching effect on the young men of today.’ He hoped that many of them would decide to follow Sir William’s example. It was very easy for Those who desired to go to all parts of the British Empire to-day, far easier than in Sir William s time. He hoped many would decide to seek their fortunes overseas too.— (“Hear, hear.”) ~ . , \U of them were delighted to think that Sir William after his great services had had the health and strength to permit him to come back home once again, a journey of 12.000 miles.—(Applause.) Alderman G. Spurgeon, J.R., tae Deputy Mayor, in the course of a brief speech, said they looked upon Sir William as an Empire builder.—(Applause.) It was men like Sir William who had made their Empire what is was to-day. (Applause.) • PEARL WITHIN THE EMPIRE. In the course of his reply. Sir William Hall-Jones touched on the subject ot UJ not forget,” he said, “that there is one -necessary thing the young people who migrated must have, and that is the little word ‘grit.’ - Firmness, determination that whatever they take m hand they are going to make a good thing ot; whatever is entrusted to them they are going to do their very best, and if a boy goes with that determination to do his best there is as great an opportunity for that lad as there was for me. “ I had to fight my own battles, and so it would be with many young men who mav choose to go to that country. Sir William said that as he had always looked upon Folkestone as the Queen ot Watering Places, so he had looked upon New Zealand as the pearl within the Empire. In New Zealand they were great producers. There were not more than one million and a-half people ,in the whole country, but they were going to export this year some sixty millions of their products. They were one of Britain’s best' customers, and per contra Britain was their best customer. . •‘You have a great Empire, feir William said, “represented in every continent and every sea, and yet, while there arc over four hundred million people in it, not more than sixty million of the people are of British birth and descent who live' within that Empire, including this country. Not more than sixty million people; don’t forget -that. Do not forget that the Empire is made up so many units. I believe that in my dailv life, in the ordinary vocation of the day I have often given expression to the opinion that every one of us can do something to make the day happier for somebody-,- by a kindly word. By a kindly word, by doing or saying something, we can make the day, a little brighter for somebody, and as it is with the individual in this way, so it is in Empire matters. We can all do something to make this great Empire greater even, and stronger than ever it has been before. "ij