GOVERNOR ENTERTAINED.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 133, 7 June 1910, Page 7

GOVERNOR ENTERTAINED.

LORD ISLINGTON DINES WITH WEST INDIAN CLUB, i HIS WOKE IN NEW ZEALAND. "AMPLE SCOPE." (From Our Special Correspondent.) LONDON, April 20. New Zealand's new Governor, Sir John Dickson-Poyndcr, or as he is now called, Lord Islington, was the guest of the West Indian Club at a dinner this week at the Howard Hotel. Sir Daniel Morris, a fellow member wiUi Lord Islington of the Royal Commission on Trade Relations between Canada and the West Indies, was in the chair, with the new Governor on bis right hand, and the Hon. \V. Hall-Jones, High Commissioner for New Zealand, on his ileft. Among those present were Kir Charles Lucas, Sir Owen Phillips, M.1 , ., the Columbian Minister and th-j Charge d'Afl'aires for Bolivia. " AN IDEAL GOVERNOR." Proposing the health of Lord Islington, the chairman eulogised the excellent work which Lord Islington rendered on the Royal Commission in the West Indies. His lordship had been an indefatigable and faithful member of the inquiry, an.l liad sjjared no efforts to solve the many problems which presented themselves. Since the arrival of the Royal Commission on this side their guest had received signal honours at the hands of hi.-; (Sovereign. He had been appointed Governor of New Zealand, and had received the distinction of a peerage of the United Kingdom. They tendered to him their very hearty congratulations.

In the sister nation of Sew Zealand! Lord Islington would meet with conditions of a singularly interesting character, and in his Lordship the people of New Zealand would find an ideal Governor. Lord Islington was young enough to be energetic, and full of hope and imagination. He was possessed of tact and courtesy, and would be able to carry through successfully the numerous and important duties which would be entrusted to him. He would be in special sympathy with agricultural developments OS well as with matters collected with the social life of the people. Lord Islington's training aiui his services in. the field in the South African war should prove most valua'We in those questions relating to military defence. The toast was received with musical honours, and dicers were given for Lord and Lady Islington. GOVERNOR REPLIES. Lord Islington, in his reply, said he deeply appreciated the great compliment which the West Indian Club had conferred upon him that evening. He assured them he felt the responsibility attached to the post of Governor of New Zealand as mush as he did the honour attached to it. He was all the more gratified at their reception that evening when he felt that in regard to the work with which he had been immediately concerned he was somewhat of a delinquent. He deeply regretted, and it was his only regret, that his early departure for New Zealand would prevent him giving detailed work to tho framing of the report which ho ehould have felt it his pleasure nnd duty to have done. (Applause.) While, he relinquished with deep regret this detailed work, he looke<i forward with hope and pleasure to tho prospect of taking up tho high and responsible positon in New Zealand to which he had been called. Tho task that lay before him was one into which he should throw himself with all the energy which lay in his power, and that task would, ho was sure, be made easy for him because of the character and the quality of that section of their race which inhabited those distant territories of the King's dominions beyond tho seas. (Applause.) THE WORK AHEAD. He looked forward in a few weeks' time to throwing himself actively and sympathetically into the. work which properly lay within the domain of a Governor of .New Zealand. There was ample scope to be found for work of that character both in regard to the social and the industrial life of the people who inha-bited the Dominion. There would also be that important task which always fell to the lot of a Governor, which would be to play his part, as he hoped he should play his part, in assisting and developing that desire so keenly manifested by those in New Zealand to strengthen the ties of friendship and affection which bound them to the Mother Country.

He could conceive no finer or more congenial task for anyone occupying that position, and if it were given to him to have any measure of success in those endeavours he knew he should not owe it to himself, but to those loyal subjects of the King with whom, and for whom, he should be working in the immediate years to come. That dinner, he thought, might be characterised in a peculiar degree as an Imperial dinner. In addition to the West Indian Colonies, they had with them representatives from the other parts of the Empire—for instance, there was the Hon. W. IlaJl-Jones, whose courtesy and kindness he ha-d had an opportunity of enjoying during the few weeks since he had been appointed to the high office of Governor. He could assure them that from the Dominion of New Zealand he should look with keen interest upon their efforts to obtain closer trade relationships between Canada and the West Indies. In conclusion, Lord Islington again thanked them for the honour they had conferred upon him, and said that that function would W one of the cherished memories of his life. NEW ZEALAND EXPERIMENTS, Sir Owen Philipps, MJ , . (chairman of the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company), in proposing the toast of the Dominion of New Zealand, offered a welcome to the Hon. W. Hall-Jones as representing that great Dominion. New Zealand was a nation of which all Englishmen were proud, and it was a country which was not afraid to carry out experiments which they in the oldest country at least watched with interest. While New Zealand carried out experiments in legislation, its inhabitants were not content with that alone, but they were ready to come to the help of the Mother Country in times of trouble. He thought New Zealand was fortunate in being represented in London by a High Commissioner like Mr. Hall-Jones, and the v Dominion was further fortunate in having secured the services of Lord Islington as Governor. With Mr. Hall-Jones in London and Lord Islington in New Zealand, lie thought that Downing-street would run no risk of being referred to in terms of contempt, or that lack of respect to which Kir Charles Lucas had referred in his recent memorandums.

The Hon. W. Hall-Jones, replying, said it was a pleasure for him to attend that night, as he recognised there was a tone of Imperialism about 'thai meeting wfcitih. be scarcely expected to find when he received their very kind invitation. There ■were representatives there from variowT j&fe o| the IJa^^tft^^tiifrfl^ ' -.-_ ,as«a jj* c ; ■ -■*« s -

ideals and working towards the same ends. He was glad to hear what had taken place between Canada and the West Indies, because the country which he represented had also given effect to reciprocal trade arrangements with other parts of the Empire. DOMINION'S GROWTH. It was- only 70 years ago that New Zealand was proclaimed a British possession. It was only the lifetime of one individual, and yet in that period wonderful and remarkable developments had taken place. They had a population of one million souls, and last year their trade amounted to £20,000,000. They also had public buildings, roads, bridges, railways, telegraph lines, that were equal to anything they could find in this country. They could not forget that while they wore called the Britain of the South, it was a fact that their country was more like Britain than any other part of the Empire. It was a country where the winter was not so cold as England's, and certainly much brighter, which in summer was not so hot, which produced everything they prodiieed here —only more so—a country capable of development which those who had not seen could scarcely realise. He believed that New Zealand was destined to occupy in the Southern Hemisphere that position which Britain occupied in the Northern. He could assure them there was no part of the Empire where there was greater lovnlty than in New Zealand.

He felt New Zealand was very fortunate in the present selection of a Governor—Now Zealand, in fact, had been extremely fortunate in her long succession of able Governors. They could scarcely realise what it meant to have a Governor who was interested, not only in what was immediately around him. but also in the whole development and trade relations of the country. He re-α-rotted New Zealand was so far away, because he should like to extend a cordial invitation to everyone present to go and visit that country. BASED ON COMMONSENSE. A gentleman had asked him that nigbt if New Zealand had been making any more experiments. He wondered at first to what the observation referred, and at last it dawned upon him that New Zeaj liind was considered by some to be a groat country for carrying out experiments. He agreed they had made some experiments. For instance, they passed women's franchise, and they had seen no reason to regret having done so. New Zealand was none the worse for it, and, as one who took part in the passing of that measure, who had had considerable j experience of its operations, he said he believed it had been beneficial to New Zealand. They had had experimental legislation with regard to a great many other things, but he could assure them that behind all those experiments there had been a sound basis of commonsense and consideration for all concerned. (Api plajise.) What Now Zealand had done I had been largely followed by other counI tries. He would give them one New Zealand experiment. Last season they passed a law providing for universal service. Ho was satisfied New Zealand was goinji to be none the worse for it.

Ho could not help thinking that if in England a great many of those young fellows who now sold bunches of violets and primroses and boxes of matches— if they had had some systematic training or camp lifn in their earlier years, they would be bettor fitted, morally and physically, to he good citizens of the Empire. Now Zealand had taken in hand this universal service, in common with other parts of tho Empire, in order that she might be ready for any contingency. H was not solely with the idea of doing their duty. New Zealand was always ready to do her duty, and had always been prepared to take her share of the burden in the responsibilities of Empire. (Applause.)

Mr. R. H. McCarthy. C.M.G., the Technical Adviser to the Royal Commission, proposed tho toast of the Dominion of Canada. He said lie should be much surprised if. pome time in the future, when T/ird Islington was delivering some important utterance at tho Antipodes, some such words as West Indies and sugar did not slip out. (Laughter.)