BIRTHDAY HONOURS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21356, 9 June 1931, Page 7

BIRTHDAY HONOURS

CRITICISM OF THE GOVERNMENT EARTHQUAKE SERVICES UNRECOGNISED (Per United Press Association.) NAPIER, June 8. “ This is the first time for many years that the Government has made no recommendation for granting honours on the King’s Birthday, and I see that some newspapers have commented on this omission,” remarked Mr W. E. Barnard, M.P. for Napier, when speaking at Hastings on Saturday night. “At the same time,” he continued,one person who has been in New Zealand has received an honour. I refer to Commander Morgan, of H.M.S. Veronica,, who has received the order of C.M.G. I do not wish to criticise the Government, but, frankly, I feel that thefe were at least a few other people whose services might have been recognised. There were hundreds of thousands who did valiant service, but they will never be recognised. Those of you who served in the Groat War know that an M.C. was not really hard to win. In fact, I was a member of a battery which had to decide who was to receive the solitary M.C. allotted to the battery.” < “ There is one man, however,” said Mr Barnard, “ who might very well have been selected to receive some honour this time. I refer to Mr R, Girling Butcher. I was closely associated with him, and I say that no man did more to restore Napier to a workable basis in its chaotic time than Mr Butcher. There were local people whose services might be recognised, but\on that I have no desire to Say anything. I do say, however, that Mr Girling Butcher’s services might well have been recognised.”

AVERTING A PANIC STATEMENT STRONGLY RESENTED. (Peb United Press, Association.) NAPIER, June 8. “I have noticed in the press a-.para-graph concerning a presentation to Commander Morgan, of H.M.S. Veronica, in recognition of the services of himself and his men in Napier during the earthquake,” remarked Mr W'. ,E. Barnard, M.P. for Napier, when speaking at Hastings on Saturday night. ' “ This presentation was made by the Governor-General, Xiord Bledisloe, and, according to the paragraph, Lord Bledisloe made the statement that but for the presence and prompt action of the commander and his men there would have beep a serious panic in Napier. ■ Now I want to say here that that remark is over-stated.” A voice: I think so, too. Mr Barnard: I am quite satisfied that there would have been no panic in Napier, even if the Veronica had not been, there. 7 A voice; Or anywhere else. Mr Barnard: You must remember that Napier was a town of 16,000 inhabitants at that time, and the, total number of men on the Veronica was not more than 100. All of those 100 were not in the town, for obviously some men had to stay on the ship, so that -it is quite untrue that but for the presence of 60 or .TO men there would have been a panic. I have no intention of belittling the extremely fine work done by the men of the Veronica, and also the Diomede find the Dunedin, but I want to say that the people of Napier stood up to that tragic disaster in a most remarkable way, and in a manner which has reflected the greatest credit on them. I take this first opportunity of saying that there would have been no panic in Napier, even if the men of the Veronica had not been there, and the more one thinks of that disaster the more one feels reason to be proud to be a New Zealander and, in particular, to be a resident of Hawke’s Bay.”