SIR JAMES PARR.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19805, 18 December 1929, Page 13

SIR JAMES PARR.

TRIBUTE PAID TO HIS WORK FUTURE MOVEMENTS UNCERTAIN. (UimXD PSISS A33OCTATIO>- —BT ELECTSIC TELEGEAPH—COFYEiGET,.' (Received December 17th, 10.10 p.m.) LONDON, December IS. At the New Zealand Association's farewell luncheon to New Zealand's High Commissioner, Mr James Parr, Lord Passrield (Dominion Secretary \ who presided, paid a tribute to Sir James. He said that as a farmer, lawyer, and politician Mr Winston Churchill was his only rival. This multiplicity of offices was a notable education. He recalled his own visit to New Zealand thirty years ago, when he was impressed with the infant welfare campaign, which had reduced New Zealand's infant mortality to the lowest in the world. Sir Jamas Parr, responding, said that the constitutional conference had managed to work out a most difficult programme, under which it expected to reconcile the laws of the old colonial days with the new principles of constitutional equality, under which the Dominions were sometimes tempted to think themselves better than the Old Country. New Zealand was fortunate in the succession of great Admirals and Generals who had held the Governorship; now she was getting Lord Bledisloe, who is a great agriculturist and able to talk in the farmers' own language. Referring to his own future, Sir James Parr mentioned that he had two invitations to contest New Zealand seats, and it appeared that he was expected again to partake in public affairs. "If such is the case, I am sorry for the present to disappoint you," he said. "New Zealand has given me almost every public office, and for the moment I have no political ambitions in New Zealand, and I do not desire to return to politics. My line will probably be cast in other places. I would rather try to help New Zealand in its business here and otherwise for the moment. England has a great interest for me where there are fine possibilities for useful work. It may be that I shall return to London and engage in private employment, but I can sa.y nothing definite at the moment. - ' *