JUDGE JOHNSTON'S HEARTY SUPPORT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5874, 12 March 1887, Page 4

JUDGE JOHNSTON'S HEARTY SUPPORT.

His Honor Mr Justice Johnston, -who onTrisirig waa enthusiastically applauded, [ Raid he felt that the honour conferred upon i him was one for which he ought to be truly gratified. lie regretted that 6inoe he had received the invitation to he present at the meeting the exigencies of his professional business had prevented him from thinking I out how he should second the resolution. , The remarks of hia Worship the Mayor, ■ and of his Lordship the Primate, obviated any necessity for him to say much, but having had the honour of serving Her i Majesty for considerably more than half a ' century, he could not be satisfied with a mere formal and perfunctory reconding of the resolution. (Applause.) He had cr»rae i from Scotland to England just before Her { Majesty ascended the f hrone.and had been 1 present at her coronation. He had, before i he left England, seen some of the most splendid demonstrations of loyalty and admiration of her persoral character, but, from his knowledge of the Colonists, he ; believed that the inhabitants of New Zea- j j land were aa loyal as any of Her Majesty's subjects, who numbered three or four : hundred millions of people. With regard to Her Majesty's connection witltthe people, r# ; would point out that she had gone out of i her way to make all classes recognise that ; her sympathieb were witii trdm. Who ever heard of a fatal accident or an untimely death and the Qneca was not

among the first to condole with the be-^ reaved P She had endeavoured to let her subjects know the details of her inner life ; and in return for that confidence there had been on the part of her people such demonstration of personal affection as that never-to-be-forgotten manifestation which followed the untimely loss of her noble and grand husband, and the universal sympathy when there was a fear that she would lose her eldest son. Who could not recollect that great event of her public thanksgiving in St Paul's Cathedral? (Applause.) These facts showed how great was the respect felt by her people not only for her public lite.but also for her private life. (Applause.) j as he waß seconding the motion, he would j like to distinguish the two parts in it. The present was only a preliminary meeting, but the steps proposed to be taken were two in number. One was the construction of a substantial memorial, and the other was a fitting celebration of Her Majesty's Jubilee and demonstration of our feelings towards her. With regard to the first, i* should, he thought, be something which would be permanent and affect the eyes of our children aud our children's children — (applause) — something to remind them of how great and good a Sovereign this Colony had been fortunate enough to be under. (Applause). Mr F. Garrick, M.H.E., who was received with applause, rose to support the motion. THE INTERESTS OF COMMERCE. Mr JohnCooke (Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce) also supported the resolution. His loyalty would not allow him to shirk the responsibility placed upon him. It was equally appropriate that the mercantile interest should be represented as that the Church, the Bench and the Parliament, whose representatives had already spoken, should be. (Applause). At a meeting of the Chamber of Commerce, held that afternoon, he bad been asked to express the complete sympathy of mercantile men with the present movement. (Applause). He thought no more fitting occasion could present itself for giving expression to the feelingsof loyalty in the Colony. The various nationalities were well represented on the platform. The Primate and the Chairman were English, His Honor was Scotch, Mr Garrick represented the Colonial Empire, and, for himself, he was proud to represent the Irish nation. (Applause.) This was a fitting opportunity to show our adhesion to the grand institution of a constitutional monarchy, (Applause.) Though there had been depression, he believed that a revival was at hand, and that nothing would bring this about sooner than a display of British pluck, devotion and confidence. (A pplause.) He thought, however, that no definite scheme should be adopted until the matter had been thoroughly discussed. (Hear.) He was proud to see that the commercial element was largely represented both in the body of the hall and on the platform. (Applause.) The resolution was carried by acclamation.