The Quiet Hour

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 230, 28 September 1935, Page 3 (Supplement)

The Quiet Hour

I wonder how many of you during this past week noticed or remembered that Thursday,, the 20th, was commemorated as Dominion Day, one of the most important of all days in the history of New Zealand. In 1907 New Zealand ceased officially to be a Colony and became a Dominion. Australia and Canada, sister units of the British Empire made the change inevitable, as some time before this they, too, had changed their status from colony to dominion. But although the change was announced as momentous, the people of New Zealand received their heightened position without enthusiasm. Indeed, many regretted the passing of the old name of "Colony" and persisted for many years to give the country its old title. "Colony," they declared, carried with it a long and honourable history and a wealth of association. One way by. which this change was noted in the country was by a new issue of postage stamps. Hitherto, the stamps had been of a pinkish shade with the figure of Britannia in the centre and the words "New Zealand" in the scroll across the top. Now, however, in the

new issue the wording in the scroll was changed to the "Dominion of New Zealand." These early stamps of both types, and particularly the earlier one, are quite valuable to-day, and, of course, their value increases as each year goes by. Before this date, too, the King's repre-. sentative in New Zealand was known as a Governor; after the passing of the bill and the new name had been conferred on the country, this representative was known not merely as Governor, but as Governor-General, a position of higher trust and greater responsibility. On September 10, 1907, the Royal Proclamation was issued stating the change of the "style and designation of the Colony of New Zealand to the Dominion of New Zealand," and under that title our little country is known among foreign lands to-day.