The Dominion. THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 1937. THE PRIME MINISTER'S MISSION

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 153, 25 March 1937, Page 10

The Dominion. THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 1937. THE PRIME MINISTER'S MISSION

The enthusiasm of proceedings m the Wellington owi i Hall I. st night, when the Mayor and citizens tendered a farewel to the Pr c Minister, now almost on the eve of his departure for he Uoronaton and the Imperial Conference, was something more that a tribute to Mr. Savage, and something more also than an exp , of Wellington's feelings. The occasion was one on which the . UVI ■ < city, although acting in its own behalf, might be said to be pa I >, for New Zealand. And New Zealand was honouring her I ii.c Minister not only for himself and for his office, but also fm the national and Imperial mission upon which he is about to embdis. - ■ Savage possesses personal qualities which commend him o the goodwill of manv thousands of people who are not his political suppot ers. Not the least of these arc his evident sincerity of motive and i manifest desire in all matters affecting the welfare of the But sh Empire to speak, not for a section of the people ot New Zeai.mm but for all of them. He is to sail on Saturday m company wt..i the members of a New Zealand cricket team ; and he, just as much as they, and in a much more vital sense than they, will sail as a i epi esen a ne of the Dominion. It is not surprising, therefore, that there should have been a large attendance at last night's gathering, nor that the tone of the speeches and their reception by the audience should have been consistently commendatory and encouraging. Since Mr. Savage took office, the Empire has passed through the great sorrow of King George V’s death, and the gi eat constitutional testing of King Edward VIII s abdication. Each o iese crises demanded from the Prime Ministers of the sovereign Dominions something more than formal speeches and actions dictated by pre cedent. Mr. Savage rose to the need. He has shown that he believes in the Empire and subscribes to its fundamental ideals: the Government’s intention of strengthening the aerial defences of New Zealand and of co-operating in Imperial defence is one proof; New Zealand s strict regard for unanimity of expressed Imperial opinion on such matters as Pacific shipping and Pacific air services is another It has not been unknown for a Dominion, although not New Zealand, to send to an Imperial conference a representative predisposed to be unsympathetic to Imperial unity. There is no suggestion of tnat about Mr. Savage. By political faith he is a constitutionalist; almost by nature perhaps, considering his upbringing in Australia and New Zealand, he is a British Imperialist. Nevertheless this mission will not be all plain sailing fur the Prime Minister. His chief usefulness to his party in the held of domestic politics has been his ability, as a soothing speaker, to indicate Labour’s hopes and dwell upon its visions rather than to omlme policy, even in broad essentials. He has made many public speeches, but without a great deal of variation in them; and according to what he told an audience recently, he is going to speak at the Impelial C onference just as he has spoken to the people of New Zealand. It may be conceded at once that his fellow delegates will be attiacted by his earnestness of purpose and the deliberateness of his deliyeiy, and favourably impressed by the soundness of his Imperial beliefs. Lut the main business of the Imperial Conference will be to discuss and deal with complicated questions of foreign policy and of defence. Talking as Mr. Savage has talked on the political platform in New Zealand will not help much toward the solution of pressing international problems. The conference, that is to say, will have to get down to brass tacks, a line of procedure in which our representative is not at his best. He is fortunate that he will be supported at Home by Mr. Nash, a Minister whose fondness for detail will go some way toward balancing the Prime Minister’s preference in the other direction. Moreover, the expert secretarial assistance which Mi. Savage is taking with him—an expensive but seemingly essential appendage to every such undertaking by statesmen —will keep him well briefed for conference discussions.

In any event these are bridges tu be crossed when they, ate reached. What matters for the moment is that the good wishes extended last night by the Mayor and citizens of Wellington are echoed by the citizens of the rest of New Zealand, irrespective of political party, or of differences of opinion on internal political issues. In all affairs touching the well being of the British Commonwealth, with which their own safety and future are so irreparably bound up, the people of this Dominion speak with one voice—a voice of loyalty to the Throne, devotion to the principles of democratic government, and steadfast adherence to co-operative effort in maintaining, strengthening and extending the Imperial structure. In turn the voice has issued from the lips of Mr. Seddon, Sir Joseph Ward, Mr. Massey, Mr. Coates, and Mr. Forbes. This year, with Mr. Savage the speaker, it will be none the less the voice of New Zealand.