OVERSEAS EDITORS IN LONDON

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 312, 21 September 1918, Page 8

OVERSEAS EDITORS IN LONDON

DOINGS OF THE NEW ZEALAND PARTY..

VOYAGfi OVER AND FIRST DAYS IN LONDON 'The Press Association has received the- following:— London, July 30. The party of New Zealand journal-' ists who ard to bo tho guests of the British Government for the purpose of seeing tho varied activities of England at war arrived in London on Friday night, after an unusually long Atlantic crossing. - ■ . The party leift Vancouver for ■ the journey across Canada on July 4. The passago of the Rocky Mountains and of tho great prairies to the cast of them, just now giving promise of a most abundant grain, crop, was very impressive to all tho members of the party, although some of them had mado the journey before. At Monti ciil the .Canadian host was Lord Atholstan, owner df the "Daily Star," whom, as Sir Hugh Graham, Mr. Femvick bad met as one of the Canadian delegates at tho Empire Press Conference of 1909. Lord Atholstan entertained them throughout the day a'j luncheon and driving round the city,and in tho evening they were tho guests of Mr. M. E. Nicholls, the official representative of the Dominion Government. The C.P.R. had ap< pointed Colonel George Ham to be the official conductor of tho party to New York, and they loft the some evening. The whole df the arrangements in Canada and "tho United States of. America had been made by the C.P.It. on behalf of tho 'British Ministry, of Information, and they left nothing tobe idesired, either in comfort or hospitality. At New York the delegates stayed at.the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.

Under Convoy,

The Atlantic passage is very different from that experienced in the days of travel before the war. .It was full of interest from beginning to end, from tho. time when the delegates boarded the White Star liner Adriatic, on Sat urday, July 13, until they were- put ashoro in Liverpool. It was one continuous fascination. The convoy system, with nvhich we are now so familiar on this side of tho Atlantic, is a matter of routine on tho American sido also,, and it was very impressive to the New Zealeand delegates to see tho convoyed vessels', all of which, were crammed with American troops, forming v,p as the waters of the bay widened out, with destroyers and 'chasers on each. side ; and their observation balloons, dirigibles, and seaplanes overhead. The Adriatic herself was carrying 2500 American troops, chiefly from the Middle West, and it is scarcely necessary to say that the New Zealand delegates spent many hours of tho voyage in conversation with theso splendid young soldiers. There was a great air. of confidence and buoyancy about these troops. "They struck us," said Mr. Earle, "as a. very fine body of men. They wero very largely from the Wostern districts, and tho spirij; which they evinced was exactly what wo like to seo—full of confidence and dctermina* tion. In fact, thoy.pub us in mind very much of our,own New Zealanders.

First Hours in London

On Saturday morning the delegates first called 'upon' Mr. Massey and Sir Joseph Ward at tho Savoy Hotel, and tho rest of the morning was taken up with the necessary formalities of receiving callers, giving interviews, and so on. The party was entertained at luncheon by Lord Beavcrbrook, the Minister of Information,' and most of tho heads of Ms Department were also present. The Minister spoke very frankly and candidly of the objects of tho visit and of tho Department, and the delegates were very much pleased with his interpretation of "propaganda." "Tho best propaganda for us,-" lie said,' "is tlie dissemination of truth. .Wo do not ask .anybody to say anything that iB not true. What wo proposo to do is to show you every: thing that you will bo interested in, and leavo it to you, as wo feel w6 can confidently, to toll the truth about them. That is tho only propaganda that the cause of tlie Allies requires. Wo wish to create'a closer entente between the Dominions and the Homo Country by a better understanding overseas of the efforts of England." On Saturday afternoon the editors motored down to Walton to be present at the-sports at the No. 2 New Zealand General Hospital. They were received there by Lieutenant-Colonel E. J; O'Neill, D.5.0., Matron Wilson, and other members of the staff. The Prime Minister (Hon. W. F. Mnssey), Sir Joseph Ward, and Colonel tho Hon. R. Heaton Rhodes were also present,, as well as Brigadier-Geiseral G. S. Richardson, Colonel Parkes, D.M.S., Col' onel G. T. Hall, Major T. H. Dawson, the Matron-in-Chief (Miss M. Thurston, • R.R.C.), Lady Godley, Lady. ■Findlay, Mrs. Richardson, and Mrs. Parkes. ■ While the sports were on the delegates-saw a good deal of this fine hospital, and chatte'd with many wounded soldiers, including Private H. J. Nicholas, .V.C., Canterbury Regiment, who a few days earlier had received his decoration from the King at Buckingham Palace. During the afternoon Mr. Massey presented a few medals, and in the evening the party, returned to London.

DINNER AND FELICITATIONS

1 ' London, September 19. The Overseas Journalists' Circle entertained the Dominion journalists in the Oonnaught rooms. Mr. J. 0. Fairfax ("Sydney Morning Herald ) and other delegates paid a tribute to the manner in which the Dominions bad been supplied with cabled ana other correspondence ...throughout ihe war, despite the difficulties of the cen-sorship.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.