ROYAL JUBILEE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22568, 11 May 1935, Page 13

ROYAL JUBILEE

THE LONDON CELEBRATIONS ORDERLINESS OF CROWDS FERVENT LOYALTY DISPLAYED (British Official Wireless.) 'UDited Press Association.) fßy Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) RUGBY, May 9. To-day's ceremony at Westminster Hall, when the King and Queen drove there in an open carriage, without military escort, along a route lined, not by troops, but by great crowds of their cheering people, was marked by quiet dignity and moving simplicity. It was memorable for the remarkable speech by the King, one passage in which was an eloquent vindication of the British Empire as a Commonwealth of Peace.

" In these days," said the King, " when fear and preparation for war are again astir in the world, let us be thankful that quiet government and peace prevail over so large a part of the earth's surface, and that under our flag of freedom so many rcillions eat their daily bread in far distant lands and climates with none to make them afraid."

The King's voice at one moment only showed a tendency to falter. It was when, half turning towards the Queen, who sat ar his side, he said: " I have been blessed in all my work in having beside me my dear wife, of whom you have spoken so kindly." As the King ended his speech, the Lord Chancellor called for three cheers—first for the King and then for the Queen. Afterwards their Majesties drove back to the palace through a crowded and cheering throng. Hardly at any time, day or night, has Buckingham Palace been without a crowd, and this afternoon, when the Queen drove out on a private shopping expedition, she received a remarkable ovation.

London crowds have been getting steadily bigger in the parks and streets, owing in part to the enormous influx of visitors. The authorities expect that the Saturday night crowds will exceed all others.

There has been no departure from good temper and orderliness; the police courts have had fewer cases to deal with than in a normal week, and it was mentioned in the House of Commons to-day that, despite the vast numbers of people who made use of the parks, no appreciable damage has been done, and, notably, there has been no damage to plants or flowers. PARLIAMENTARY ADDRESSES SCENE IN WESTMINSTER HALL LONDON, May 9. . The scene in the great Westminster Hall was unequalled in history. Four hundred and sixty-four peers and 455 members of the House of Commons assembled to hear the addresses of both Houses, which were read by Lord Sankey on behalf of the Lords and the Speaker (the Right Hon. E. A. Fitzroy) on behalf of the Commons in the presence of representatives of the dominions, former Cabinet Ministers, and judges. Their Majesties entered by St. Stephen's porch beneath a scarlet and gold canopy, headed by the Sergeant-at-Arms and the Speaker in full uniform. Members of the House of Commons formed fours, the first of them being Mr MacDonald, Mr Lansbury, Sir Herbert Samuel, and Sir John Simon. Then came Mr Baldwin, Major Attlee (Labour), Mr Lloyd George (as father of the House), and Sir Austen Chamberlain.

Their Majesties, seated on rose-gold coloured thrones, were flanked by their four sons, fronting the T rliamentarians' War Memorial. The sons sat on the traditional red leather benches.

The Lord Chancellor (Lord Sankey), in offering heartfelt congratulations, said: "Into 25 years has been crowded the fierce ordeal of the most desolating war in history, the toil of rebuilding, which has shaken the structure of our common life, and the slow and arduous endeavour to regain prosperity and establish peace. Elsewhere thrones and Constitutions have failed to last out the strain, yet in this realm the development of public rights and liberties has not been arrested, but made wider and surer. His Majesty rules over a nation of free citizens. The throne stands more firmly than ever before as the centre of the national life. His Majesty's own personality has made the throne not merely a symbol, but a loved and living reality. It has given a new meaning to the name of King. Her Majesty's unfailing interest in the lives and homes of the people has won for her a place of her own in their affection. In your sons, always active in every part of the world in the public service, we have the sure confidence that when this generation has passed and this week's bright pageantry becomes a distant memory, the House of Windsor will still reign over a loyal and united people. From the depths of our hearts we pray that God will bless your Majesty." The Speaker followed in a similar strain and concluded: "By the gracious aid of the Queen you have won by sympathy and kindliness something warmer than allegiance and more profound than loyaltv. To-day you are more than a Sovereign. You arc head of the family. We offer with deep respect and affection the homage of a free Parliament, and pray that by the blessing of Almighty God you may long continue as Sovereign of a proud and devoted people." KING'S REPLY TO SPEECHES LONDON, May 9. The King, replying to the speeches at Westminster Hall, said: " I thank you from my heart for the loyal address and for the words of devotion and affection for myself, the Queen and our family. Your presence, accompanied by the dominion Prime Ministers, gives rise to many memories and thoughts. The Mother of Parliaments and her children have grown to full estate and stand now on equal terms in their common allegiance to the Crown. The unity of the British Empire is no longer expressed by the supremacy of the time-honoured Parliament of Westminster. The Crown is the historic symbol that unites this great family of nations and races scattered in every quarter of the earth. Never before in history have such wide varieties of speech and culture been brought into the Commonwealth of Peace. I especially welcome the representatives from my Indian Empire. " This, my Palace of Westminster, is the very cradle of our envied parliamentary institutions. Here is the anvil on which our common law was forged to become the joint inheritance of the United States of America and our own community of peoples. Beneath these rafters of'mediccval oak, witnesses of historic tragedies and pageants, we celehrate the present under the spell of the past. It is to me a. source of pride and thankfulness that the perfect harmony of our parliamentary system, with

the constitutional monarchy, has survived the shocks that in recent years have destroyed other empires and other liberties. Our ancient Constitution is very adaptable to change. It has during my reign faced and conquered perils of warfare never conceived in earlier days, and met and satisfied new democratic demands, both at Home and overseas."

The King continued: " The system bequeathed to us by our ancestors and modified for the needs of a new age has been found once more, as of old, the best way to secure government by the people, freedom for the individual, ordered strength of State, and the rule of law over governors and governed alike. In looking back over the 25 years of my reign, the thankfulness I feel to-day is chiefly for the escape from a danger greater than ever before which threatened our land. I can never forget how the peril from without at once united all parties, classes, Governments and races in the Empire. Let us net, in this hour of thanksgiving, fail to remember those who crave their lives, or are now maimed or blinded, that we might continue to e.ijoy the blessings of life. In the aftermath of war, in a world exhausted by its ordeals and impoverished by its destruction, we set ourselves to resume our normal ways, to re-create the structure of our industry and commerce, and to respond to the urgent desire to improve the conditions of life. "We were treading unfamiliar and broken ground, for there had been farreaching changes, especially in economic conditions, everywhere. A feeling of uncertainty and a lack of confidence hung like a shadow over human endeavour, but we made headway by the earnest goodwill, prudence and stability of my people. To-day the country has attained to a measure of industrial success which gives it confidence for the future. I am very conscious that these years brought hardship and often disappointment, and I have been moved to profound admiration for the great-hearted-ness of my people and the steadfast fortitude and unbending will to overcome them.

"I sympathise deeply with those who have endured the sadness and burden of unemployment. It is a source of comfort to me to feel that, from these times of trial, there has grown up throughout our community a stronger feeling of fellowship for one another. I give thanks to Almighty God , who has so far sustained me and my people, and pray that we may continue to pursue the cause of freedom and progress in the spirit of peace, tolerance and understanding." WELCOME FOR VISITORS LONDON, May 9. As it is estimated that 53,000 Australians and New Zealanders are now in London participating in the jubilee, Mr H. K. Hales will ask M; J. H. Thomas, in the House of Commons on May 13, to consider the organising of an official welcome in Albert Hall to demonstrate that their visit is appreciated. STATE DINNER AT PALACE LONDON, May 9. Mr Forbes and other dominion Ministers and their wives attended to-night's State dinner at Buckingham Palace. It was a brilliant spectacle in the State dining room on the first floor. The guests were seated at a great horseshoe table, with their Majesties at the top and members of the Royal Family nearby. After dinner their Majesties mingled with the guests. Mr Lloyd George and Mr Winston Churchill were included among the guests. ENTHUSIASM UNABATED LONDON, May 10. (Received May 10, at 9 p.m.) The jubilee enthusiasm is unabated. A multitude reassembled at the palace, cheering and singing and repeatedly shouting, "We want the King." The demand continued throughout the State dinner, and a terrific roar of welcome went up when their Majesties appeared at 10.30 p.m., and the tumultuous cheering was renewed when the Princess Royal, the Prince of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of York, and the Duke and Duchess of Kent also appeared, and when Mr Ramsay MacDonald and the dominion Prime Ministers joined their Majesties the crowd became wildly enthusiastic. The unforgettable scene lasted for five minutes. The royal party seemed loth to depart, and' stood waving and smiling with unmistakable delight. Even when they went in, the cheering did not abate, thousands remaining to sing " God Save the King" and " For He's a Jolly Good Fellow." JUBILEE THANKSGIVING SERVICES Special thanksgiving services for the protection afforded to his Majesty the King during the 25 years of his reign will be held in all lands throughout the Empire to-morrow. The Federal Council of the Free Churches of Great Britain, realising how fitting it i.v that on the occasion of the national thanksgiving there should be some tangible expression of a unity of feeling, has recommended that the Free Churches (non-Anglican) shall use the same form of service as will be held in St. Paul's Cathedral, London.