THE PRINCE OF WALES

Waikato Times, Volume 94, Issue 14585, 7 February 1921, Page 7

THE PRINCE OF WALES

HIB DOMINION TOUR. GREAT WORK FOR THE EMPIRE. To the precious gift of perbonal charm (says a London paper) the Prince of Wales is adding a reputation for oratory. When ut London Guildhall tie was welcomed by the City ou his return from his Empire tour, he spoke with a clear, far-reaching voice, and delighted his audience by the statesmanlike qualities of his speech. The citizens of London turned out in their tens of thousands to cheer him as he drove to the Guildhall . In his reply to the address of welcome presented by the City Corporation, the Prince said: "You have addressed me in the name »f the whole City of London, which I, in common with all my fellow-Londoners, regard as the greatest city in the world. It Is an ancient, City, but it is not old in spirit or In power. Distant travel gives me an ever-increasing appreciation ol its Influence and charm, and I find that 1 love it better every lime X come back. The British peoples were never more firmly united in devotion to the Empire and the King. It has been no merit ol mine, but merely my good fortune, to enable that devotion once more to show its strength. But I value none the less the generous congratulations you have offered me to-day on such small service as my tour has rendered to that great British comradeship of which this great city is the heart." Mr Lloyd George, who proposed the health of the Prince at the subsequent luncheon, said: "It was about a year ago that we met at the Mansion House to congratulate the Prince of Wales on his triumphal tour in Canada and the United States. The most difficult thing In the world is to repeat a triumph. The Prince has succeeded in doing that. It has become a commonplace that these visits by the Prince arc landmarks in the history uf the Empire. He lias Strengthened those Invisible Ties that keep us together. Fortunate countries are those which produce men for emergencies. The 'Prince is such a man. Nothing but a Constitutional Monarchy would have suited the requirements of Hie British Empire. No President could have done what the King has achieved for the Empire, and no President's son would have the position to accomplish what has been done by the heir to the Throne. He has the position, he has the personality. The Empire knows to-day what we knew before: the charm, the remarkable, winning, .joyous charm of* his personality. In many ways he was just at home in the wilderness as in the city, and lie won the hearts of all. Wc wish him health for the sake of the great Empire, whose strength is essential to the good of the world." The toast was drunk with the utmost enthusiasm, cheers ringing out for several minutes before a fanfare ol trumpets announced the rising of the Prince to respond. The Prince rrecUu-ed he was glad to he back in the of London, and still more delighted at the prospect of an undisturbed I"2 months in the old country, a treat he had not had for six years. Telling the story of his great tour —Portsmouth, Barbadoes, Panama, .Mexico, San Diego—he/spoke ot the latter place as "a fine city in the State of California, the garden of the West, where the kindness and hospitality of'the Americans, which I experienced there as well as during my (wo visits to Honolulu, make me look forward to paying another visit to tiro other great English-speaking nation." From Honolulu, with his advice to the Lord Mayor to take a holiday in Hawaii, with its surf-riding and famous music, he passed, in his narrative, to Fiji and New Zealand. "Crossing those immense distances in a magnificent ship like the Renown makes one realise what was the spirit of those men of old Who Faced Unknown Dangers and uncharted seas in ships not onesixtieth of the tonnage of a modern battle-cruiser. The same spirit is still alive and making British history in our own time miles away. Australia is a wonderful land, a land ot great spaces, immense resources, and vast possibilities. I was much struck by the capital cities, which are an impressive sign of the, quality of the people who are building them. l found in buth the Dominions that the ex-Service men were the backbone ot the country. Think what they did. volunteering in thousands to face the great adventure of war for the Empire, thousands of miles away.—But, then, all ex-Service men are the backbone of their people*, whether here in the old country or in the Dominions and colonies. I know we shall do our utfost to show our gratitude to the men, to whom we owe victory, and who must all be given a chance. The younger nations need our help and sympathy. We have the population to spare for them, but the purely business method of emigration is no good nowadays. Flaming prospectuses will not draw emigration steadily from the Old Country. What is wanted is just plain human co-operation. We should never feel that we are populating places that will he lost to us, while they, on their side, should welcome our emigrants as friends and comrades the moment they arrive, and make them feet at home — and that they really are wanted there. British population is a valuable thing nowadays, and we must see to it that it all remains British. It we are to restore our well-being and our credit in the world, it is necessary that every nation of'the Empire should pull together with a true spirit of comradeship and co-operation."