MUST NOT FAIL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24634, 16 June 1941, Page 4

MUST NOT FAIL

HELP TO UTTERMOST VICEREGAL APPEAL "THE HOUR " It must never be said of us that we failed our Empire in its hour of greatest need," said the Governor-General, Sir Cyril Newall, making a stirring appeal, in the course of his reply to a welcome at Gisborne, for the utmost effort by every individual during the present time of crisis. Every generation since history began had. he. said, thought that their yoUng men were not as good as their fathers were before them, That was probably never true, but never had it'been. > so abundantly proved to be a falsehood as it had been proved to-day. "The boys—and many of them are scarcely more than children—in the Royal Air Force who.saved England last autumn, the sailors" in British ships in all the seven seas, and your own kith and kin who have made«history in Greece and Crete, will continue to do so—they are all heroes, worthy successors to such man as Captain Cook," his Excellency said. * ' > A Debt of GraMtude ■■.. "They have set us an example ~to which we cannot fail' to respond. Wa may not be - called upon to risk bur lives, as they have "Been/- But there is not one of us who cannot do something to further the cause which has demanded so much of them and ,to which they have given .so much so freely. '■■ ' ' ■ "-■•■'■"■■ " "Our gratitude to them is too deep for words. We can show it only by our actions. It is up to every one of us—this applies to both men and women—to examine ourselves thoroughly and ask ourselves whether we are honestly doing everything in our powe'r to help win-the war. Each of us in our own way and with our own talents must do bur uttermost and nothing less. ; , •■:'.■ : ■ - * L ' ' ■;

The Strongest Weapon

"But even this is not enough. We must sacrifice our. personal pride and prejudices to the common effort. -We must concentrate on co-operation. Tln» free co-operation of- a free people is Ihe strongest weapon democracy possesses. It is a weapon which a dictator nation from its very nature cannot have. It is up to each of us to see to it that the Empire has full use of that .weapon iri -its full power:" : . If one of us fails its strength, is impaired. "Our very existence, and that of,our children, depends on,, victory, and to be victorious we must work together as a team, Rink all; our differences, aim'ingat one thing only—the downfall of the evil things against which.we ar« fighting and the triumph of right(Applause.) ' . .. "We are all extremely proud to be members of the British Commonwealth of Nations, and that is a privilege none of us would forgo. We have at this present time a chance to prove how much we value this privilege. Let us prove it beyond all shadow of doubt. Let us each be sure that we are now bearing our share of the burden and are worthy of those who have made the supreme sacrifice for us arid all we cherish so dearly."-