THE OFFICIAL DECEPTION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9321, 22 August 1908, Page 7

THE OFFICIAL DECEPTION.

SOME NOTABLE SPEECHES. SYDNEY, August 21. Lord Northcote, -addressing Admiral Sperry, congratulated him on his safe arrival. He fully appreciated tho skill and seamanship whiph had enabled the Admiral to bring his fleet so many thousand leagues across the sea. Australia also appreciated the kind feeling that prompted the Government of the United States to accede in so magnificent a manner to the invitation to visit tho Commonwealth. • They felt that from the visit they, had much to learn. It should be an object-lesson to Australia as to what national defence should be, and what was entailed on the people He hoped that they would profit by America's example. Sir Harry Rawson, Governor of New South Wales, said that as a naval offi- : cor he was pleased with the exhibition of the fleet coming here, for it spoke highly of Admiral Sperry's skill that he should bring the fleet across and arrive in the manner he did. Mr Deakin. on behalf of the Commonwealth, extended tho warmest greeting of kinship. He hailed the arrival of tho fleet witb great confidence in its results to the two great nations they represented. He trusted that in the reception accorded by some hundreds of thousands of the citizens of this country the admiral would realise that tlie greeting was in essenco and in truth from the whole people of Australia. Mr Wade, Premier of New South Wales, in his speech said : " We in this country feci keen interest in the visit, because, like you, we hare sprung from English stock. We have similar problems to encounter, and we hope to learn from your success the best way of our success in the future. The Lord Mayor presented Admiral Sperry with an illuminated address of welcome from the city. Admiral Sperry, in reply, said: "Let me say that at daylight yesterday we found more people than wo ©ver saw assembled on the cliffs around, and when we thought that the supply of people was exhausted we saw ou the downs more and more, till it seemed as if there must be millions of people giving us welcome. Such a greeting could not but impress one. It must have been something more than mere curiosity,, it must have had some deeper meaning, tho sympathy and feeling between. Eng-lish-speaking people." After thanking Lord Northcote and the Federal Government for the glorious welcome, Admiral Sperry continued: "Nothing could have been more grateful to us than the remarks of the distinguished admiral, Governor of this State, in welcoming us as a sailor. We learned from the glorious traditions of the British Navy to hope that our people under the shadow of the fleet might rest secure without undue and burdensome military expenses. Nothing can cross in the face of the fleet as long as the flag floats

over it, and if they did cross they could 1 not maintain their position. We hope, as in the days when gallant admirals maintained their position -in winds and weather, siokness and shipwrecks, in tho storms of tho Channel and off the coast of Toulon, and watched over seas that great fleets might not combine against you, we hope now, and very I happily not in war but in peace, to j learn that same lesson of concentration and of development of a symm.etrical fleet, complete in all its parts, information, supplies and personnel, and our lesson has come from the glorious traditions of the British Navy."