NEW ZEALAND’S SYMPATHY

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26397, 16 April 1951, Page 7

NEW ZEALAND’S SYMPATHY

MR HOLLAND PRAISES MR BEVIN

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, April 15. The Prime Minister (Mr Holland) has sent a cablegram to Mr Attlee expressing the sympathy of the Government and people of New Zealand in the death of Mr Bevin.

“Mr Bevin was not only a great servant of the United Kingdom, but also a very great servant of the Commonwealth and Empire,” said Mr Holland. “We remember the part he played as a member of the National Government during the years of our common struggle. “His term as Foreign Secretary covered one of the most critical periods of history, and it was notable for his keen appreciation of the fateful issues facing the world, his unswerving loyalty to his high ideals, and his devotion to duty in the face of physical burdens that must have been almost unsupportable. , "He contributed notably to the solution of post-war problems, and I believe his name will go down in history as that of a great Foreign Secretary and a great statesman.” The Leader of the Opposition (Mr W. Nash) said to-night that Mr Bevin was a great example of a practical statesman. He brought to the Government of the United Kingdom during the recent war a knowledge and understanding of the world of labour that probably achieved greater results than could have been attained by any other man. . “His acceptance and advocacy of the Marshall Plan made its working easier, and brought the great results achieved," said Mr Nash. “In Labour circles in Britain, both industrial and Political, no single individual has made a greater contribution to the advance of the people and workers in other countries.”