EMPIRE PROSPERITY

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 146, 17 December 1924, Page 5

EMPIRE PROSPERITY

CO-OPERATION BETWEEN

DOMINIONS

THE PART NEW ZEALAND

PLAYS

SPEECH BY GOVERNOR-GENERAL

Opening his mind to his audience at the civic reception in the Town Hall last evening, the Governor-Gen-eral, Sir Charles Fergussou, detailed the reasons why he was glad to come to New Zealand, and went on to say why New Zealand was such an attractive country. He also expressed hopes for the future prosperity of the Dominion, pointing out that New Zealand's prosperity meant Em-

pire prosperity.

Sir Charles said lie wished to explain how he was able to say in all sincerity why he rejoiced to come back to New Zealand. Putting it shortly, it was because New Zealand stpod for everything he believed in. First and foremost he placed loyalty and patriotism. In saying that lie was not speaking for the mere sake of speaking, for he had beard of Now Zealand's loyalty from many sources. Loyalty was a. real living force which permeated the community. (Applause.) Then, again, it appeared from what he had heard that the New Zealand community was imbued with the Imperial instinct. The Dominion's war record proved it; her system of training her youths proved it; her magnificent response to calls for financial contributions for Empire purposes proved it; and her readiness to go more than' half-way to bring her resources within reach of the Mother Country further proved it. That was not to say that the people of New Zealand did not have their political differences of opinion upon domestic matters, or even that when Imperial considerations came up they did not have different views, but when Imperial -considerations or questions of Empire arose, all local differences faded' away, and the people were united in love for the Empire. (Applause.) "It is Burke, I think," he said, "who declared that small minds and a great Empire go ill together. I thank Heaven that there always have been, that there are, and that there always will be great minds in New Zealand." (Applause.)

A COUNTRY OF PRODUCERS.

There were other points which mad* Mew Zealand so attractive, continued Sir Chayles. It was a country of sailors and soldiers. It was a country which appealed to the heart of any sailor and any soldier, because the spirit was there and the spirit was the right one. It was also a country of farmers. So was his own country. There was nothing he looked forward to more than the prospect of going about meeting the producers of the country, for, after all, they made the wealth of the country. (Applause.) New Zealand was a country of producers, and on the voyage out to New Zealand, addressing the immigrants on the Ruahine, ho had told them that before everything else they must become producers if they were to make good in the Dominion. (Hear, hear.)' His family in Scotland had been connected for centuries with the land, and he looked forward keenly to meeting the men who had built up the prosperity of this country and had done so inueh to consolidate and benefit the Empire. . It was no small consideration with him to remember that so many of the producers were fellow countrymen of his own, and he would be proud and glad to meet his "brither Scots" in a far away land.

He was also greatly interested in the fact that we lived side by side with the Maoris, who were our fellow citizens. New Zealand was a great example to the nations of the world in showing that right, justice, freedom, and liberty were synonymous with British rule. His father and Her Excellency's father had been greatly interested in the Maoris.

INTERDEPENDENCE OF THE

DOMINIONS.

Lastly he referred to Mr. Massey's absence, and said they regretted the cause of it. Mr. Massey had drawn a fine picture the other day of the future development of the Dominion, and he hoped and'prayed and believed Mr. Massey's picture of the future prosperity of the country was a true one.

He emphasised that the Dominions were inter-dependent, that the prosperity of one meant the prosueritv of all, and that New Zealand's weffare would thus be reflected throughout the whole Empire. So long as the different sections of the Empire maintained mutual goodwill, respect, affection,' and co-operation, the British Empire might hold up its head and face the whole world with confidence.

For that reason he rejoiced in what Mr. Massey had said. It was a fact that there were some peopje in England who did not realise the infmense potentialities of such nn alliance as he had Teferred to but, personally, he did not think that need cause great concern. Ho believed that m time vision would come to them, but meanwhile he wished to say for what it was worth that in his opinion the prospects of a great development of the Imperial idea and the consequent prosperity of the British Empire were never quite so bright as at present. (Ar>plause.) t v '