✨ Governor-General's Speech
Humb. 51. 1001
THE
NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE
EXTRAORDINARY.
Published by Authority.
WELLINGTON, TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 1918.
THE Fourth Session of the nineteenth Parliament of New Zealand was this day
opened by the Governor-General, when His Excellency was pleased to make
the following
S P E E C H.
HONOURABLE GENTLEMEN OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, AND GENTLEMEN OF
THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,—
The Imperial Government having informed the several Governments
of the overseas Dominions and Dependencies of His Majesty’s desire that
an Imperial Conference and a meeting of the Imperial War Cabinet should
be held in London during the present year, my Ministers have advised
me to convene the present session of Parliament.
You will be invited to consider the proposal that my Prime Minister
and Minister of Finance should represent New Zealand at the Imperial
Conference and War Cabinet and to make provision for the financial
requirements of the Dominion during their absence. During the present
session the legislation to be proposed by my Ministers will be limited to the
financial exigencies of the Dominion and such other matters as demand
immediate attention consequent on war conditions.
A second session of Parliament will be convened later in the year, for
the transaction of general business, and for the consideration of such
legislation as may then be considered necessary in the public interest.
The present moment probably marks the crisis of the war in which the
Empire has so long been engaged. The British Empire, with our Allies, is
defending civilization and the liberties of the world against the tremendous
efforts of an enemy whose victory would mean the triumph of unscrupulous
tyranny. Our own brave soldiers stand with the men of the Mother-country
and other portions of the Empire in the line which faces the enemy on the
Western Front, as well as on other battlefields. We are well assured that
the courage and endurance of our armies, now tried to the uttermost, will not
fail in the present or the future. We have the record of the past three years
to justify that confidence.
I do not doubt that both branches of the Legislature, speaking and
acting for the whole people of the Dominion, will join with my Government
in their determination that still further effort on our part is necessary to
ensure that New Zealand shall continue to assist, to the utmost limit of our
resources of men and material, the Mother-country in the righteous war in
which she is engaged.
I pray that Divine Providence may guide your deliberations.
By Authority : MARCUS F. MARKS, Government Printer, Wellington.
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Online Sources for this page:
VUW Te Waharoa —
NZ Gazette 1918, No 51
NZLII —
NZ Gazette 1918, No 51
✨ LLM interpretation of page content
🏛️ Opening of the Fourth Session of the Nineteenth Parliament
🏛️ Governance & Central AdministrationParliament, Session, Governor-General, Speech, Imperial Conference, War Cabinet
- Governor-General