VISITING JOURNALISTS. VISIT TO WELLINGTON.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 75, 28 March 1912, Page 8

VISITING JOURNALISTS. VISIT TO WELLINGTON.

A number of Australian journalists who have been attending a conference in Auckland arrived here yesterday, and joined the gentlemen who preceded them by a couple of days to Wellington. Those who arrived yesterday are: — Messrs. T. Temperley, Bichmond River, New South Wales ; A. Asher, Bichmond, Victoria; A. Malcolm, Balranald, New South Wales ; J. Irwin, Warwick, Queensland j Hon. W.. Bennett, Dungog, Now South Wales; Daniele,' Goulburn,. New South Wales; Biley, Goulburh, New South Wales; Hungerford, Queanbeyan, New South Wales; Ken nedy, Muswellbrook, New South Wales ; A. J. Creagh, Tam worth, New South Wales; H. S. Robinson, Singleton, New South Wales ; Wm. Shaw, Mudgee, New South Wales. Mr. T L. Mills, of Feilding (president), also is in' the party. ' The party was welcomed at the railway station by Messrs. D. Robertson (secretary of -the Post and Telegraph Department), B. M. Wilson (director of the Tourist Bureau), L. Johnstone (private secretary to the Premier-elect), A. Blanton (Dominion), W. H. Gifford (Times), and.W. Blundell (Evening Post). The Hon. T. Mackenzie, Premierelect, was the guest of the delegation at dinner at the Grand Hotel, and an informal meeting was afterwards held. Mr. Mills extended the congratulations of -the conference to Mr. Mackenzie upon the new political honour which had just been conferred upon him, and thanked Mr. Mackenzie for meeting the party and for the courtesies extended to the visitors by the Government during the tour' of New Zealand.Several. of the visitors spoke briefly on matters of professional and national interest. ■>■ Reference was n?ade to the beauty of the country's tourist resoi-t«, and the assurance was " given that the&e would be adequately advertised when the delegates returned to the Commonwealth. The opinion, was expressed by Mr. Pinkstone that, as a result of the visit, thousands of Australians would cross the Taeman Soa.in search of pleat ure and health, as every delegate was " writing up" the Dominion. Mr k Mackenzie expressed great pleasure at meeting the delegates. He said (in reply to references made by delegate* to the subject) that ,at one time he had been disposed to regard favourably th* political federation of New Zealand with Australia, but he now thought it more desirable for the Dominion to work out her own destiny. It was, however, essential that there should be some central assembly at 'which the ideals and aspirations of the oversea parts of the Empire may be voiced, and he considered the time ripe for come Imperial representation. Referring to the cable question, he said it was specially under the charge of Sir Joseph Ward, who had made a great study of it, and had everything bearing on it at his fingers' ends. He advised the visitors to see Sir Joseph Ward on this matter. A vote of thanks was accorded, by acclamation, to Mr. Mackenzie for his address and for his courteous and generous treatment of the delegation since their advent in New Zealand. To-day the' delegates are being entertained by the newspaper proprietors of Wellington on a harbour excursion on the Awaroa, and tlie same hosts entertain the delegates u& ,a- theatre party at the Opera, House this evening. The party will bo officially welcomed to the city this afternoon by the Acting-Mayor of Wellington (Councillor John Smith), and for to-morrow morning his Worship has arranged a. tram car tour of the city. In the afternoon the party is to inspect the works of The Evening Post. Tomorrow evening or on Saturday a group of about a dozen of the delegation proi ceeds to the South Island, and on Sunday afternoon they will be taken on. a j motor car tour of Ih© city as the guests of the (Jhristchuich. Piest and Lytteltpn Times coxngattiifc