OCR Text |
Show CEYLOIM SHOWERS HONORS UPON ! OFPICifRS AND MEN OF FLEET I ! ' COLOMBO, Ceylon. Dec IS. The chamber of commerce and the Planters association tonight gave a bamine!. in honor of the officers of. the United .States b:itlleship fleet: bir Henry Ld-ward Ld-ward MrCiiHum, governor of Ceylon, in a speech, said it had been the good fortune of Ceylon to accord a warm welcome to the licet and that its pre fiico would bo instrumental in the continuance con-tinuance of peace. The prosperity of Australia. Hongkong and the blraits settlements was due. ho .said, to l-hc crown colony government and America would have adopted tins systom in the Philippine islands had its constitution permitted. Governor h"r, tho exemplary behavior of the Amer ican crews ashore. The ehairinau of the chamber ol com-nicrco com-nicrco said President RoohcvcIc doubt-loss doubt-loss had many objects .in view when he ordered, the battleship fleet . around ho world, and he trusted that the mont l'lslin" of these would prove to bo the consolidation of friendliness between nations. Admiral's Compliments. Bear Admiral Spcrry said that in truvoling in the hmg .s domains ho had been impressed mostly by Me solidity of tho commercial, political and ceo-noiTiic ceo-noiTiic situation. There was no. position , poss blc for the United States in a war where Great Britain was involved, tho admiral declared, except that of bcneV ilShf p2inttlon of 15.000 pounds of lea to the officers and men ot the fleet the president of .the Planters' as- sociafioii expressod his profound admira- ! tiou of the unparalleled achievement of marshaliug the American fleet in a ' stately procession from sea to sea. The ! Cc3'lon planters, he declared, in priding themselves on their independence, at knowledgcd that their prosperity was attributable to free institutions. They especially sympathized with the American Amer-ican nation and appreciated the absence ab-sence from its tariff of a dutv on ten. and also tho new puro food law, which was aiding the consumption of Ceylon tea. Admiration, sympathy and gratitude, grati-tude, tho speaker said in conclusion, prompted the gift, of the tea. Tiear Admiral Spcrry, in replying, said that unity of interest and ideas was a far stronger bond of peace than any i treaty. The development of Great Britain's Brit-ain's colonies meant a stronger bond in the union of trade for tho United States and Great Britain. lie added that the security of American influence in the Ceylon trade was due to tho vigorous vig-orous work of President Roosovclt for good legislation. |