VESSELS MEET THE DREADNOUGHT.

Wanganui Chronicle, Issue 12883, 17 June 1913, Page 5

VESSELS MEET THE DREADNOUGHT.

~.-Just as .tho.. New, Zealand found her m'odrvng. place; tho Government steamer Tutanekai.set out.from Gastleelift with 500 local school-children, and immediately, following her the lighter Shamrock with tho official po.rty aboard cast her lines. Tho Himitangi, wit'i 200 youths from tho'College iSdiool pnssed_ Castleciiff at the samo. time. By thir. time tho wind had: changed to*;i moderate breeze. The passage acro» N tho bar was not as pleasant, as one "•oiild imagine looking; from tho wharf. Tho lighter was tossed about 0, wood deal, P.nd members of tho party were "ard fmt to it to keep their "sea-legs." Tho bar was crossed without incident, p.nd tho sea was not so heavy boyont* U. Much conjecture. however/ was 1 **- an to whether any of the steamers could, put--a party on board tho battleship, and -mudr disappointment was' expressed oiv behalf of-tho thousands of 'children,, who were assembling' at C:>.stfcV olitr' in anticipation of boarding t!iW shio. When tho .Shamrock- had mado nalf^.vav acrosrf. tlio intervening ox T>ansn. of water between tho v.harf ar:d tho New Zealand, tho Tutanekai lind arrived at rho visitor's side. It was then that a-true ido* cf her immense sijKv.coiiWbo ohtamod. The Tutaneka* looked liko >a cbvarf bcsido her, and' took up ?. very small proportion of the went length of tho cruiser. Exclamations of the raa^nificorit sight nresented by the battleship were heart! nn-a!l sides, and iheso were i"creased ar: the more minuto details of the Dreadnought camo :nco view. The gio--antjp proportions of tho vessel filled tha sjghtsoers with awo She towered s6 high and there was so much to J-o watched aboard hen-.: There- was sn much to.take-in from tho great hull to tb.y ivireles J>.erials sti-etehed from masthead to masthead. Every .detail presented something to wonder'at. Tho words New Zealand on the side of the vessel near tho stern sent a thrill" cf pndo to thoso who went out to tho sh».. Something in the sight *of the vessr-l rippoalod to tho emotions of tho people, mado them think imperially, and made tiiem feel strongly tho instinct of natiorahty. It was docidod that the official narty should board, and the master of the Shamrock, with creditable skill brought his littlp vessel alongside tho warship. Getting aboard was iho nexi question to bo face 1. Fenders were got out. and lines mado fast. Ah ordmary latkler from the Shamrock was run up. and tho topmost rung mado fast.to tho deck of tks Now Zealand One i>y one tho members of the partvcla.mbcrcd up thf» ladder. Tlio soa mado tho ascent' a- decidedly uncomfortable one. When on board tho battles.'vp cue felt at once a sens^ of absolute security. The little Shamrock \rn- tos.sed about liko n. cork, but tho gigantic ship of war did not make n perccptibio moven.enf in tho. sea When rm bo, a!" one's uonderuiont increased J no ship s Imird was playing "Life on til'/. Ocean W.nve, >J and a- larcro body <-F marine.; wero oxevehinfz. .There was « lot to cl.iim attention during the brief visit, and tho time was all too short.

the citizens of Wanganui, read a beautiful illuminated address, tho work of Vfr. L. Watkin. The following are tiw words:— ,

■Wanganui.. N.Z., 16th June, lia». , Captain Halsey, R.N., r : H.M.S". New Zealand. '''.:... Sir, —On behalf of the people of Wanganui and surrounding district, we desiro to extend to you, to your officers and men,.-a hearty welcome. Wo vegret that your stay with us mu<st be- for a day only, and on that account Ivo r.ro ahh to bestow upon you but meagre hospitality.: Wo assurt> tha ; u hat! circumstances permitted you +.-• land upon our snore, tno citizens would hayo gladly embnaced the opportunity of entertaining you in manner befitting, this most memorable occasion. ' WVaro indeed grateful to you for thin visit to our port, thereby affording n^ tho pleasure of viewing His Majes^ tvs battleship, one of the many vessels the greatest navy of 'the' world— tl"»t of tho British Empire. 1^; in tbr. ever cli»rishpd hor>e of tho •oval subiectf! of tho Dominion, "thai tho magnificent vessel under your co-n----mand will fulfil tho purpose' of New Zr,aknd's .q;ift—that of affordtnp; protection land assis+^g to maintain tho pefco c* the Avorld. "inur visit will bo always r^iriomberpdbv tho rising generation, and the cnurtesv extonded to tboso who.sr> privileo-o it.h.is h^cn to. visit you is highly appreciated. Wo wish yon.-a safe and 'pleasant voypjto to tlio othor Dominions of the Empiro and to the Motherland.. We havo tho honour to su-bscribc ourselves,

••Yours faithfully T. BOSWALL. WILLIAMS, Mayor of tho Borough of Wanejanui. W. A. VEITCH, MP. for W'anganuiV W. J. POLSOX, Chairman of Wangauni County. . ' W. RITCHIE, Chairman Wmtotara County. A. G. BIGXELL, Chairman Gonville Toim Board. C. M. CRESSWELL. Chairman Castlecliff Town Board. J. B. MURRAY, Chairman of Wnnganui Harbour Board. Tho Mayor mado tho presentation, and in doing so made a. brief but handsorno speech on behalf of the eiti--srenr; of Wanganui. He expressed pleasure jat tho visit of the battleship to tho Wanganui roadstead. Ho did* hot say port, but he hoped that next timo Captain Halsey. camo that way there would bo ft port. largo enough for a ship hko tho Xew Zealand to enter. Captain Halsey was probably a ware that it was along tho Wanganui coast thax most of tho fishtins; with the Maoris took placo in the early days. He was nleased to say that many" of tho rativen wero loyal to tho Queen;'and fcughc bravely with the British in defence of iho Queen's cause. It pleased him to say that thp.ro wero natives with him that diay._who had taken part in '.-thewarn on ,tho side of the British. Tl>t> people of Wanganm. in' common with all other peoplo of the Dominion, real-isedi-that their gift -was for the object ■.ox keeping open tho trade routes of tho Empiro. particularly those in tho~. Southern Hemisphere. Tho people iV New Zealand could not livo uithout «-«' navy, and they realised that by placing their faith, in such men as had cliarjro of th<j Njpw Zpnlind. there wos littlr< chanco ef trouble coming. Mr. liam- '.snid that tho' visit" of tho~ Xcw Zealqucl would-be tho - greatest object' l^soii to 'the Children who had insnor-t-' ■ etl/-h"ei'\ and'thb'l-Pinembf.inpo. of tft» vessel' and 'the Ipsso-»s'lcirnod woull live lontr of^pr tho Xew Zealand had left. Mr. Williams regretted that th.? battle&hip could not stay more than ,ij day v a,t Wanganui. Ho concluded by p?ain welcoming Captain Halsey «nd tho ship to tho roadstead/and handed to him <ho illnmir.ated "rldrep-?. Mr. W. A. Vpitch. M.IV. oxtendw! a hearty welcomo from the ncoplo of th«» Wanganni electorato to Captain Hc"lsoy a»d hi-, f.no ship. Tho visit of iho ship, ho ttaid, was a great occasion for tho children, and oito that would help them to realise. tho"michtine«;s of t)K? Empire to which they'belonged.-Though" Xew Zealand year, -but->a littlo .part of tho British Empirfi, she rtlaimecl th«t sbo was tho most patriotic nart of the Enipiiv. In saying; that tho spencer ■"did "ot want to disparago any other.Ppjmnion. Tho visit of tho baitieshio to Xe^-'Zealand would tend to elevate the. mind« of tho children fl^d strr>rie;thp-. the.ir patriotic, zenl,- Wo relicd 7 mr tbo British navy to keep onbn tho trnpfci • of commp.rcß. More than-that. w« telied<m tho British navy to maintain tho P&acp of tho. world. Xew Zealand's diii^ vas .to thn Emnire. and in -presenting!' ; tho boHlesh'r) Xew Zen lard f.o the Km' - niro. Xew Zp.alfmd; h,qd realised avlkH i+- ow-ed t0,,t,h0 British navy. The shins r-f tho .navy wei-A manned by mo-i or integrity .i"d i^ielli^encp. «-,nch as iho;«« who wero in charge of tho .Xew Ze?^ land, and s o lone; as that"1 *.v.is main-, tamed tb^. object of'tbo Xavv.irfls. assured. TTio people of Wanffn^^i hflrl' experienced a Piea+i .-lenl of fcrou-blo n'!«-.!i tin natives, Mr. Veitch. went on. The "Stives, in eoniiiGcto welcome Captain Halsey. .wd-^tho Dreadnought ttynt day, knew tho influence thn British rnvy bad exercised, all over the -world. M>:Veitch roprretted timt tb« officpf"? conM not land. bn'f. said that Wanaraniii's v:l----,cornr> wnuld bo rone the less warm for that. Ho extended to Ca«+ain "RTalseV | :v very henrty welcome. Ho knew of j no motto, ho concluded thn h iv<is better than that of t]ie ship, "Fear God. ! Honour tho Kinp\:J ' !