MR. J. F. FRASER.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 625, 30 September 1909, Page 8

MR. J. F. FRASER.

ARRIVAL IN WELLINGTON. ■■INTERVIEW AND -RECEPTION. " The^i reaH' John Foster- Fraser, - or John Foster Fraser "as ho-is," stepped ashore-from the Hoana yesterday; just the stamp of man .that, from his writings and his often adventurous travels, on? would picture him to be: A toll.man, apparently in .his forties; with a strong well-knit figure and a keen eyo; the typo ot man that might be an explorer or a tracker of big game; quick to' note a point or apprehend a question and with a readiness of vivid speech-the hunter of literary game, the author of his books. Politics Eschewed, ,JST' a .. re Pjesentativo of Tra Doicinion called on him the keen eye was very kindly. Ihe owner expressed himself as " glad to meet a fellow pressman." His joy, of course was *• declined nrmly tL? 11 ! 11 I ! oli, ? cs ' & m Sb "e stated tho ™«'d be the Samsay Macdonald, Socialist.' Ho did not th election could possibly* tike place before next January. • If it should fall much earlier, he feared that ho would have M U K. ft H r e -n^ tno m ™ ol Politics that T 1 nJ?f Cd „ S0 muoh about ">• ""rid that I have lost all souse of distance," said «r r r„ *'T' '""ply ; to a simple -inquiry, of Bottom London to' New,; York or Canada or Eussia is .to me■ no more travelling than I suppose it would be for many people here to go from Wellington to Lyttelton. I SSerfAn? 1 of Sf r " n ■ i fin i (l "! y lnterest »> People, institufe. s f lal development, and i am particularly interested in imperial affairs." - 1 No Australian Type, fiiLif X triß ?- to learn that teV^ 6 '? ■fMff*» t 'y a real, Canadian, there is no real Australian. "No," Mr Fra- ■ tvn/ln ? m PhaticaUjr— there- ia 'no separate type m Australia. The people of Australia SrJSnv at S Uritish pe V' - TbVCanadian u I very like man o>f the United. States, 'jIS I the-AustraUans-if you could be dropped down suddenly in ,ne-of the big told n^'- y i U t woul if ay {, * am in a big English New Zoa landers b also! so' ■K™. leaser could note in the obsorvaS ?/ a few hours, were "just English people.' But he admitted those were very - uT en?' obserTatioll3 01, which to found a The Admirable Chinese. "I admire the Chinese," he said. "The Chinese is one of the finest men I hare- ever come across. He does not believe,, -like the Japanese, in imitating Western ways. If is no use talking to the Chinese about civilisation as represonted'by the things that.we can show -steamships, rai ways, and so forth. Ho looks on them precisely' as an Oxford ,Don-'might look upon a model of Westminster done in corks. It might be very clever, but it. would notbe art, itj would only be the work of a good ; mechanic. So tho Chinese would'say of our appliances.. They are very clever, .but-they ?J' ? wl c ' T '| ,sation '" " Mr - Fraser does not think that there is any danger of a military yellow Pfril," so far as tho-Chineso are conibo Chinaman, in a way, is 'too' civilised to. bo a-fighter, if I may put it so." Ihere is nothing, to compare with the high commercial' morality of. tho Chinese. Mr leaser _told an interesting personal experience to illustrate the cheapness and hardness' of their labour, which possibly may make them'' some, day an-industrial peril.'. When he was in; Western .China ho wanted to send letters to :French Tonquin.-.r-He: found a man' who- was willing to act as carrier. •He had to "run .thirty- miles a day ! fof eight days/Test during' four days,,and run back in oight. Mr. Fraser paid him twice as muoh as a Chinese would have given, and .the sum was .'only' fournence a day. . • •• .. ... : ■ Japanese Development—A Doubt About It. The Japanese,.Mr. Fraser admits,-have made wonderful progress, in development, but what T?.- a F e doing .now, he urges, is not an evolution ot their' national, character, but' an imitation. Ihoy.may develop - permanently on these foreign lines, but if they, do it will be the farst time that, such „a thingihas happened in history...•Tie,, normal ..development,, of .any people must take place in their oyh'manner, and not in an 'adapted manner./ And the old, characteristic, magical Japan is almost dead.

Y aKi official reception

s SPEECH ,BY ME. FRASER. '■'■>■ ". i „ A ? o® o ' 4l reception' was given to Mr':' John ' in the. .Mayor.'s' room, in'the Town Hall yesterday afternoon.' In the absence from Wellington of the Mayor (Dr A K. Newman), Mr. J. P. Luke, M.P., presided. Therefore present .several members of tho , City-Council, the Hon.' Dr. Findlay, Hon. T :, Mackenzie,.Mr. A; H. Wright, M.P., Mr. D' '; M'Laren, M.P., and a number of other leading citizens. :\, .::. ■■. - .'■■." - , Mr.-Luke, after apologising for the absence / of' said 'that in welcoming ■ Mr. ~ Ji'raser they were welcoming one whose name . stood'.very: high>niong English writers- of the present day.- .They were very pleased .to make ', Mr.'-irasers-.acquaintance, and they hoped that his visit Mould be one of \profit and experience, and-: that, the results of his obssrva- . uons would find expression in a work that would, do credit to this Dominion, and honour to himself.- Here in Now Zealand he win many, people who were thoroughly .British in ideas, and who. while cherishing the. Imperial he, were ■ working out their own destiny free. from the trammels of outside authority. Of the oity of Wellington he could say; in no boastful spirit that as regards publio utilities it was not second to any city in the world, and aesthetic deficiencies, suggested by : the poorness of its^t.gallery, would bo overcome in time. l\ the name of the citizens of Wellington, 1 on behalf of the.Mayor, and uath tho co-operation of the City Council, ho extended to Mr. Fraser a very hearty welcomo to this oity. (Applause.) .Mr, Fraser in Reply. '.-.% Mr. Fraser, who was'received with much ap. plausej said that' it was most gratifying. to him. to be so welcomed within .a few hours of his arrival. Ho had lauded ■ that ■ morning in the forty-eighth country of his many wanderings, and ho was quite certain that he would, leave New Zealand with the conviction 'P,^. 1 ;" 6 } vas a conntr y notonly full of .possibilities, but a v country that was going to put its possibilities into practice-and achieve the great ambition which he knew ■was in-the -hearts 'of; most,' and indeed he, might say all its inhabitants.' They at Home had their eyes roaming- round tho world, seeing what took, place in every part of it, and he was just one of those writiuc men who' went -wandering. from' one land to another, seeing what took place and trying to give those who. had not' the opportunity to travel some of his conclusions as to the;merits and possibly the demerits of other countries. There was no part of the oversea Dominions which was regarded, by the people at Home with more esteem, and,;he might say/more affeotion ,than Now Zealand. .They recognised the work that had been done hero, not only in municipal We, but in advancing tho general welfare of the people. They . knew that ,we'were the fore-runners, of Imperial penny' postage, that from this part of tho Empire the first - contingent 'went out.to South Africa, and he would always remember the great wave'., of enthusiasm which went/through Great Britain when the news came that this country was going. to. offer a Dreadnought-to the Mother country, not because wo were in. need of any ' assistance from the Dominions over the sea, but ■ .because the people of New Zealandthat they were a part of the British Empire, and-were willing to bear their full part in maintaining the honour and-prestige of the British Navy." .--. ■ A Most Instructive Lesson. * .Even in the-tew. hours that he .had been here, ho had been impressed with'the progress '5?.,. m i' 1S most "harmingly-situatod city' of Wellington. He realised the disadvantages that must have faced its citizens when they wanted to extend their town, to reclaim' more foreshore, and erect,,the wharfage and ship. ! ping, accommodation, in respect of which he Wellington led the whole of the Southern Hemisphere. What had been done ! here and throughout the wholo Dominion was certain y a most' interesting and instructive lesson,to,the rest of the world.. He was sure ' .that, no ono,«eiccpt those descended from the ! British race, could-have attempted the great ' work which tho people of Now Zealand had ' not only attempted but accomplished. '■ Ho •' would > bo returning to Wellington in a few ' weeks time,, when, he hoped an opportunity ■ would ba given him to make investigations into ' those economic questions' in whioli- he was E interested, and perhaps ■he "would be able to " give his impressions to'the people at Home and » m other parts of the, British Empire, who did ft um the .honour of reading las books'. When * ho. visited Wellington again he would .lecture a ousomo of tho other lands he had visited, a such as tho United States, Russia, and the f Balkans. A great deal of kindness 'and: good e fellowship, had been shown him throughout |b Australia, aud ho would olwaya remember With t BJ*»J. appreciation the wcloome he had just h