LORD ALLENBY.

Waikato Times, Volume 100, Issue 16711, 29 January 1926, Page 6

LORD ALLENBY.

WELDING OF THE EMPIRE. N.Z. FIT TO BREED HEROES. (Times Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, Thursday. The civic reception to Viscount and Lady Allenby to-day was one of the most enthusiastic gatherings of its kind ever held in Wellington, tne large Town Hall being crowded with a cheering, tumultuous crowd. When Lord Allenby rose lo reply to the welcome which had been voiced by a number of the Dominion's leading citizens, he was greeted with prolonged cheering and applause, and for a few minutes he could not be heard. Just as quickly as the enthusiasm started so it waned, and his loud, -sonorous voice was heard distinctly in all parrs of the building. In opening he paid a tribute to "your glorious weather," "your magnificent country," and "your beautiful city by the sea," and acknowledged the' generous and whole-hearted welcome he said they hid received. "We feel that we stand here amongst friends," he remarked amidst applause. Lady Allenby and himself had done a good deal of hard work together in the last eight or ten years, and at the end of his period, in Egypt they had agreed to take-a long breath and go for a tour. Lady Allenby suggested that they should go to the Great Dominions, where they would meet many: of those who had fought with him m the war, and where they would meet people of their own kith and kin, and see the lands they both desired to see, and in which they would learn something more of the Empire. (Applause.) He felt now that Lady Allenby ,'had been absolutely right in her choice. New Zealand Warriors. Since his arrival in New Zealand, he continued, he had had the pleasure of meeting very many of those gallant warriors who carried through the'campaign in Palestine and Syria. He hoped to meet many more before he left the country. He had only been in the Dominion less than two days, but he had seen sufficient to say that it was a land that should breed heroes. Ho did not think he had ever seen better products of a hero-grow-ing land than the warriors from this country-with whom he had the honour to "be associated in the Great War (Applause.) They were worthy or their Mother Country, and the Mother Country was worthy of them.. He was sure the Dominion would go on turning out men of the same stamp—men who would make Nov/'Zealand a great nation, •as she was intended by Providence to become, a mighty nation to bold its own and yet remain a loyal unit of the British Empire. The Dominions had been bound . together more than ever before by the stress of the great conflict they had gone through. Tne Empire had been blended in a way that no other experience could give. The war had shown the Mother Country what she, owed to"the Dominions, and vice versa and the Dominions now realised what they-owed to one another. The whole Empire was bound together in one great family. He had found that the dominating sentiment wherever he had been—and from what little ho had seen of New Zealand he had found the same feeling as in. other parts of the Empire—loyalty not only to • the Mother Country, but to each other.. Strong in Unity. Lord Allenby quoted the moral of the Aesop fable, "Strong in unity. weak individually" and pointed out that we now had the experence of past events to guide us in the future. Wc could learn from previous example what was bad, and profit by what was good. (Applause.) Experience had to he bought, and we could benefit byit cheaply and very much below its market price by observing what had ffone bsforc, and by following the path trodden by the giants who had walked before us, and profiting by their success we should achieve oven greater things. The Empire would then go on and on until it had power to hold humanity and civilisation together. (Applause.) We must be strong lo command respect, and to be strong we must be upright and gtraieht-forward. That the Empire always had been, and he believed and trusted it always would be. (Applause.) . „' He concluded with a brief reference to his coming visit to ihe South' Island, and said that nothing could surpass the reception he had received in Wellington. "We thank you from the bottom of our hearts," he said as he resumed ' his seat amidst loud applause; ■ ' • t ' Cheers again and more hana-clap-plng, and "then spontaneously the gathering took dp "For They;are Jolly Good Fellows," with 'bheers yet again. Ths National Anthem played from the organ, the whole hall joining in, and as.the guests left the pjatfarm and "moved to the door those near at hand , stepped out to express an individual greeting. Not for a very long time 'has Wellington expressed such a welcome to any visitor. "

SCENES OF GREAT ENTHUSIASM.

WELLINGTON, Thursday.

A welcome wonderful in its enthusiasm was tendered Lord and Lady Allenby to-day at the civic reception in the Town Hall. ;/

The Mayor, Mr Norwood, .extended the city's welcome to the distinguished visitors. On the platform were members of the Ministry, representatives of judiciary and civic bodies, returned soldiers, and • Government departments. As the visitors walked up the floor of the Mall the organ burst forth, but was quickly drowned by a storm of cheers from all parts of the building. The Mayor said he understood the town was on holiday, and this was not'the time to rehearse the great achievements of'the visitor. Wellington honoured him to-day as one of the Empire's greatest men, one who rose, to the occasion when his country was most in need.

The Minister of Defence, Hon. F. J. Rolleston, expressed a welcome on behalf of the Government. Other speakers were the Chief Justice, Sir Robert Stout, City Councillor H. D. Bennett, and Mr W. Pascoe (Returned Soldiers' Association). When Lord Allenby rose to replj' there was loud applause and cheers, jjo acknowledged the generous welcome. Since his arrival in Wellington, he said, he had had the pleasure of meeting many of those gallant warriors who .carried through the campaign in Palestine and Syria, He had only been 30 hours in the country, hut he had seen sufficient to say it whs a land which should breed heroes. They had shown the Mother Country what she owed the Dominions and vice versa. The essence of the whole thing was the great loyalty, not only to England but to each other. When the speech ended the crowd sang "He's a Jolly Good Fellow," cheers following with much enthusiasm. -