THE NATION'S THANKS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3413, 13 August 1919, Page 20

THE NATION'S THANKS.

PASSED BY PARLIAMENT. TRIBUTES TO THE EiMPIRE'S TROOPS. MONEY GRANTS TO LEADERS. (By Cable.) LONDON, August 5. The votes of thanks proposed by both Houses of Parliament to the forces included thanks to the gallant troops of the dominions, India, and the colonies for the promptitude of their response to the call of Justice and Freedom, and the noble part they played with their British comrades in securing the triumph of Right over Wrong. THE PRIME MINISTER'S SPEECH. LONDON, August 6. Mr Lloyd George, in moving the resolution of thanks, opened with a glowing eulogy to Marshal Foch. ■ He said the war would' have been won by the valour, endurance, and resource of the Allied armies, even without Foch's leadership; but only Foch's genius made victory in 1918 possible. Germany's declaration of war -was a challenge to the nobility of our race, and no nation could have disregarded it without losing its self-respect, and being the despised of all people. We owed our thanks to Mr Asquith and Viscount (Sir Edward) Grey "for taking the decision which saved our land from shame. One of the most thrilling events in the history of „the world was the rallying of millions of men to the Flag. That episode would always be associated with the great name of Earl Kitchener. He doubted if in any war such multitudes of men had displayed such sustained character. And what was true of the battlefield was equally true of the sea. The mercantile marine had faced horrors even worse than those of the battlefield, and 15,000 had fallen victims to the cruellest and most dastardly piracy ever perpetrated. Everywhere —on land, at sea, and in the air—the strain on the heart, nerve, will, and courage of man was beyond anything described in the history of the world. It was a matter for just pride that Britain fought better, displayed f;reater daring and endurance, and deivered more vigorous, mightier, and more terrible blows in the last year of the war than .ever before. The Prime Minister also paid an eloquent tribute to the women and auxiliary services. Mr Lloyd George referred to the debt which Britain owed to the dominions. The timely, effective, and powerful aid and valour of their sons had won them a powerful place among the nations. Mr Lloyd George, after reference to the dominions and India, paid a tribute to the industrial workers, " to whom wo owed the celerity, efficiency, and completeness with which our armies were equipped." The House was deeply affected when the Prime Minister referred to the men and women who boro the racking strain,

anxiety, and grief. Only in that great Day of Judgment, said Mr Lloyd George, would we know how much agony had been brought to millions of homes and the measure of the silent heroism displayed. He believed those who had shown such great qualities would show them again to save" the Motherland from danger ..if the need were to come again through more subtle and therefore more formidable perils. In the course of his reference to the dominions Mr Lloyd George said it was only necessary to peruse the dazzling list of victories gained by our gallant overseas troops in order to realise the greatness of their share in the happy issues of the war. We would rejoice as much a 3 they that the dominions, through their sons' valour, had won prominent places in the fraternity of nations. The motion was passed. """""IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS. LONDON, August 6. Lord Curzon made a deep impression in the House of Lords when paying a glowing tribute to the dominions' efforts in the war. It was not the first time, he said, that the dominions in recent history had come to our aid. Canada, New Zealand, and Australia had aided in South Africa, but never before had they been converted into great armed camps, enforced in some cases by compulsory service, treating the struggle as though it were their own. The deeds of the dominions in France and Gallippli were already a national epic, enshrined in the glories of our race. Four hundred sixty thousand soldiers came from Canada, 400,000 from Australia, 112,000 from New Zealand, and 76,000 from South Africa. This million men had exerted a force that it was impossible to over-estimate, and had left an imperishable impression on the conscience of the world. Earl Crewe paid a tribute to Earl Kitchener as the onlv British Minister who had ever laid down his life in war. The Lords passed the vote standing. Lord Curzon, in the House of Lords, proposed a similar motion of thanks to the forces. THE MONETARY GRANTS. LONDON, August 4. Mr Lloyd George appeared at the_ bar of tho House and delivered the King's message recommending the House of Commons to grant Earl Beatty £IOO,OOO, Viscount Jellicoe £50,000; Admirals Madden, Sturdee, Keyes, De Robeck, and Tyrwhitt £10,000: Earl Haig £IOO,OOO, Viscount French and Viscount Allenby £50,000, Lord Plnmer, Lord Rawlinson, Lord Byng, and Lord Home £30,000; Generals Robertson, Birdwood, Trenchard, and Wilson £10.000: General Maurice and Lieu-tenant-colonel Hankey £25,000. August 6. Mr Lloyd George, in moving the money grants, pointed out that the pensions already voted amounted to £98,000,000 annually, this being incomparably the most generous treatment in Europe. It had been a difficult and delicate task to choose the names for the money grants. He paid

glowing tributes to each recipient, especially mentioning the organising work of Lord Jellicoe. The German account of the first battle of Ypres showed that Field Marshal French won against overpowering odds, and from that moment the fate of German military supre'macy was irretrievably doomed. Mr Adamson, Labour leader, on behalf of the Labour Party, moved a reduction from £585,000 to £200,000, on the ground that the monetary rewards were out of proportion to the rank filled by the recipients. Mr Adams on's amendment was .rejected by 288 votes to 66. Though the Labour Party moved a reduction of the total grants to the war leaders from £580,000 to £200,000 the grants met with general approval, and the criticism is directed against details, notably the smallness of the grant to General Robertson, the largeness of that to Lieutenant-colonel Hankey, and the difference between those to Earl Beatty and Viscount Jellicoe, also the "need for further recognising the Air Force. THE PRIME MINISTER HONOURED. LETTER FROM THE KING. LONDON, August 6. The-King has conferred the Order of Merit on Mr Lloyd George. In a letter to Mr Lloyd George King George said : "The honours and awards for the army, navy, and Air Force are now submitted to Parliament. I feel that the people share my regret that it is not possible to express the nation's grateful recognition of the pre-eminent services which the Prime Minister rendered, both in carrying to a victorious end and in securing an honourable peace. To mark my high appreciation of your services it gives me great pleasure to confer on you the Order of Merit." ALLEGED INVIDIOUS DISTINCTIONS. LONDON, August 7. The Australian Press Association ■correspondent interviewed prominent Australian officers, who complained of the invidious distinction against General Sir W. R. Birdwood in the war rewards, which, they declared, has raised acute indignation throughout the Australian Force. It was felt that the only reason for the discrimination was General Birdwood's wholehearted championing of the Australians throughout the campaigns of Gallipoli and the west front. The fact that General Birdwood was overlooked after the evacuation of Gallipoli has already been mentioned. It must be admitted that of the five army commanders who now have been rewarded General Birdwood received his army command most recently, but the other four receive a peerage and £30,000 and General Birdwood a baronetcy and £IO,OOO. General Birdwood had the difficult task of reorganising the Fifth Army after the German break-through, although engaged in little fighting afterwards compared with his strenuous earlier period. The discrimination has caused surprise in British army circles, because it perpetu-

ates the memory of the Fifth Army's catastrophe before General Birdwood was given command. Seniority has not been a guiding factor; General Birdwood stands third out of five on seniority. In the House of Commons Mr Inskip (member for Central Bristol) protested that General Birdwood had not received a sum equal to that given to the other army commanders, and said the differentiation had caused dismay in the hearts of the Australians, who regarded him with a devotion that was unique in the annals of the army.