STIRRING FAREWELL SPEECH.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 30, Issue 19, 8 March 1918, Page 4

STIRRING FAREWELL SPEECH.

On the occasion of the departure of the Nelson draft of the Thirty-ninth Reinforcements on Tuesday, Mr T. A. H. Field (member for Nelson) made the following stirring address': Mr Field, speaking from the upper deck of the Patecna, (reports the Colonist), said that these farewells were milestones in the local history of the war. Little did they think. 3} years ago, when they met to say goodbye to the Main Body, they were going to meet thirty-nine times to say farewell to reinforcements for that body, The end was not yet even in sight. Little did Germany think when she committed the crime of letting the dogs of war loose on an unsuspecting world that instead of speedy victory she had entered on a long war. The Allies' had made mistakes, but Germany had made a great blunder when she calculated on a swift and glorious victory with huge indemnities, in six months. It was true that she had won victories, but she had not conquered. The entrance of the United States into the war had made assurance of victory double sure. The United States was a young and great nation. When she declared war on Germany she seized the German liners in American ports, including the Vaterland, of 50,000 tons. The German crow on board had done all they could to disable the vessel, so that the Americans could not make, use of her. They had not a dock big enough to repair her. What did they do? They towed her to the Panama Canal, into one of the locks, where, with only three inches of water to spare she was repaired, renamed, and the Stars and Stripes were hoisted on the mighty vessel. On her first and second trips to France she took 13,000 troops on each occasion, and on her third trip she. carried 3000 aeroplanes. What had made America go into the war? She entered the conflict because she found that Germany had planned the conquest and invasion of the United States; because she found Germany spending millions to corrupt her people—Boloism it was called, after the arch traitor Bolo; because she was inciting strikes and fomenting class trouble. America and France had taken steps to stamp out Boloism; to hunt out traitors who took German money to do Germany’s dirty work. England was only about to take steps. New Zealand and Australia had not even started to talk about it. “Do you think,” said Mr Field, “a nation like Germany, that prides herself on being thorough, would practice Boloism in every Allied country and leave New Zealand and Australia out?” Continuing, Mr Field said that the men who were going that day were going to face part in the struggle for the mastery of the world. It was a fight for autocracy and militarist against democracy and liberty and justice. Liberty was a plant of very slow growth, which was nourished by the blood of the people. Liberty did not mean license, such as they were witnessing in Russia, but true liberty. He then wished the soldiers good-bye, good luck, and God speed.