GUEST OF ROTARY

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 22, 26 January 1924, Page 13

GUEST OF ROTARY

MR. MASSEY AT THE "LONDON CLUB

LORD MORRIS ON "SERVICE"

(reox ode oitk cokuspomnrr.)

LONDON, 13th December.

Among the many friends that Mr Massey has made in London is Mr L. G. Sloan, who is vice-president of the Rotary Club of London. It was probably through hiu agency that the Prime Minister was thp chief guest this week at a Rotary Club dinner given- at the Hotel Cecil. Wives of members were present, and theTe was a more, convivial atmosphere than one usually finds at public dinners in the West. End. The president (Rotarian Edward Unwin, jun:) was in the chair, and' to Lord Morris was entrusted 'the duty of proposing Mr Massey's health.

There were two important toasts, said Lord Morris, that of the King and that of the "King of New Zealand." The Botarians in this country were anxious that Mr Massey should go back to the Government and people of his great Dominion, and particularly to the Rotarians there, and take a message of goodwill, a/ message that would let them know that over here they were endeavouring to keep their end up. . Never in the history of the world was it so necessary to formulate those ideals which npt alone made character and influenced character, but also informed them as to their responsibilities. He did not know any other word better than "service," and the' Rotarians were very happy in the choice of that word as a synonym of .what they stood for. By what Rotarians stood for—service/to God, service for their country, service for their King —they ,were putting money into a bank whose doors would never close. They were making an investment with a sure return in this world and in th 6 next world. That was why on this occasion they were honouring a guest who had for a great number of years devoted his services ito King and country.

MB MASSEY'S SERVICE. ! / It had been his privilege in the years gone by to sit as a colleague with Mr Massey on several occasions .as a member of Imperial Conferences and as a member of the War Cabinet. >He had an opportunity of seeing what a sterling character he. possessed in relation to Imperial matters, and that was an illustration of what one could do in the way of service. So Ibng as men with the character of Mr Massey sat at the Councils of the Empire the Empire was perfectly safe. That was the kind of service this country looked for and this country expected. When.a man was seriously ill and was in need of an operation they sought for the very best surgeon to perform the 'operation. It was the same with a country. At the present time, when Great Britain was suffering from trade depression and unemployment, they needed the advice of experts, and he was quite certain they could learn a great deal from their guest which would be of great benefit to this country. Mr Massey announced his intention o! going back to his own home. He always felt at- home in London, he said, and he wished to thank the people of London, and the people of the British Isles generally, for all the kindness and courteous consideration they had extended to the overseas members of .the Imperial, and Economic Conferences. The 'Prime Minister went on to speak of the feelings of the people of the Dominion to the Mother Country! They sometimes forgot this sentiment which played a more powerful part in the Empire than anything else we said or did. If was going'to cover up the-results of the general election the other day. He hoped that the time would come when every person who went to the poll would do so with the idea that he was' voting for a man who was not merely going to manage the affairs of this country, but of the whole Empire. • - '. '

ENGLAND AND AMERICA.

He was not a member of a. Rotary Club, but he knew something about the movement. He knew how the clubs had grown up marvellously like a thousand mushrooms.. They had done a certain amount of good work in bringing together the two great English-speaking peoples, and whatever organisation did that was worthy of support. He had met hundreds of American Rotarians coming over to this country, and those people always went back with a more friendly feeling for England. . If there was ever to be a time when wars would cease it would be brought about by a closer union between the two great Eng-lish-speaking nations. It was quite impossible for the two nations to unite in Government, .but they might arrive at some agreement whereby, when any other nations threatened to go to war, they would exert their combined influence to prevent it.