STATE LUNCHEON

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 50, 27 August 1925, Page 6

STATE LUNCHEON

TO THE DELEGATES

FUNCTION AT PARLIAMENT

HOUSE.

The visiting members of the Empire

Press Union were entertained at luncheon by ihe Government at Parliament House to-day.. His Excellency the Governor-General (General Sir Charles Jiergusson) presided. On his right he w;is supported by Viscount Burnham (l.uiidon "Daily Telegraph."), and on Ins left by the- Prime Minister .(the Hon. .).. G. Coates). In addition, those seat-

Ed at the. head table were Ministers of

tne Crown, the Speakers of the two Houses of the Legislature, the Leader ol the Opposition, Sir Edward Iliffe, M.l. (Periodical Trade Press Proprieties' Association), Sir Frank JSlewnes (George Newnes, Ltd., and Weekly iScwspaper Proprietors' Association, London), the Eight Hon. C. W. Bow- "' "I'vimui, M:P. (president National Printing Trades Federation), Major the Hon. J 3,1. Astor, M.P. (chairman, London •limes" Publishing Co.), Lady Burnhiim. Sir George Fenwick (chairman New Zealand branch Empire Press

''■ LiLon), Sir Harry Brittain, M.P. (Empire Press Union, London), Captain ■"".AiiUuihy Eden, .. M.P; ("Yorkshire lust"), Mr. J. Bassett (Montreal "Gazette "), and the Right Hon. Sir Joseph

\v-ai-d. :' "There was a large gathering of memburs of the General Assembly and New Zealand newspaper men. The arrangements for the luncheon were earned out .. by tlie staff of Bellamy's, Miss Black supplying the floral decorations. TJie" toast of "The King," proposed by His Excellency, having been honour- . eil, the Prime Minister gave "Our Guests." . They were assembled, he said, to do honour to the most influential gathering of journalists that had met together at uify one time in the Dominion. New •Zealand in the past had had occasional visits from newspaper men of high standing .mid world-wide repute, but on _no pluvious occasion. had they been priviJe.'cd to greet so many eminent members '■■■ .of the Fourth Estate.- On behalf of the Guvernmtnt and people of the Dominion, and particularly of members of Parliament, lie extended to their distinguished visitors the most cordial welcome to this Britain of-the South. "Wo have recently had the pleasure <i! welcoming in our waters the greatest lUvt of warships ever gathered together ia 'these .Southern Seas," said Mr. ■•■ - r --iilffi.. 'We have fraternised with the ■ -ii liiri's ami men of the United States II ct. ;mil we feel that nothing but good (••in wine from this friendly intercourse with uur American visitors. . They haveloft us with a better knowledge of our ' intioiial ideals and aspirations, and we few Unit their visit will still further hhciiillicn the friendship and goodwill IxjfwoVn their country and ours. We feel, however, that in our visitors to-day ;*---iY~:-;trc • greeting-a- greater- and- wore influHiitiaf power, for it has been truly said ■■■"liiiit 'the pen is mightier thnn the sword, and those who wield it indeed

-...-• i.;'\i;riTsi' a 'mighty influence for good or ''"^ev.il."'.'■ ISiilisli. joimnalism has set and '■■'. niniiifiimcd a4righ-standard of excellence, S^-'-imii£ f ain glfid to ' say^.lhat its best tra(litiims liavc always been a keen, inspiia- • t;i'ii in-the conduct and management of the ii::«>|)apevs in tliese lands beneath t .,tlie Suiitlieni Cross."

PARTNERS IN THE EMPIRE

i ' Tim information which the visitors wou'd bo a!ile tc- collect, he continued, would give them.more accurate knowhdtfe of the Dominion, its productive rapacity, its potential wealth, and indiis-..-tiial possibilities, and, above all, its loy- , ii'.ty to .the Motherland. This know- ■' le"?l*ge? duVj-yptK-iit first hnnd,-would bo of ■ ""h-'iiefi't, not 'only to us blit to" the Em]'iro. "May I suv," he said, "that we ■;■ )>)\y, to gain and "profit by your cxperi-"-piic'e.'- . ■ " We are aways ready to acYopt advice honestly intended to assist ■^.iv the l)!iilding : up of our young nation. We are proud to feel that we are-part-.'l- hits in lf-ie greatest Empire "the .world ': hiiV ever known. New Zealanders yield to w.me in their patriotism and loyalty ;r..'.'.'to the Throne and Constitution, which has hern the bulwark of our safjty from the days of our national infancy; We.beIreve the British Empire to be one of the gi-eatest factors' "in the preservation of the "World's'peace. We are fervently desirous of perpetuating in these faraway '- ' Kinds the same ardent spirit of British enterprise and courage, which characterised those intrepid pioneers who braved the perils of thousands of miles of- ocean to carve out homes for themselves over- . ..la'eas, and whose.work is a lasting monu- — merit to British colonisation.

A FIELD FOR INVESTMENT

Mr. Coates quoted statistics as to the value of the Dominion's exports and •-progress in recent years, and remarked tiat it could be safely asserted that the British capitalist .need have no fear as - -t<r the security of- New Zealand as a field for investment of capital. Our desire was to assist the Mother Country iv every possible way. Unsolicited, we h.id given preference to British goods and manufactures for many years past, "•■"iiwd our trade with the United Kingdom last yenr-represented nearly 70 per cent, cf the Dominion's total trade. . Approximately 95 per cent, of the Government's orders for machinery and material, etc., were placed last year in Great Britain. Turning to the subject of migration, the Prime Minister emphasised the fact that 95 per cent, of the population of

New Zealand was pre-eminently British, '.">' and the policy of the Government was to "' give opportunity and encouragement to our kith and kin in the United Kingdom to make their homes with us. The number of.such migrants must be governed by our capacity economically to absorb them into our population,"and to find employment and housing for them upon their arrival here. It was estimated that up to the present time ten thousand assisted migrants annually • represent the Dominion's capacity in this respect. To bring out large numbers of inexperienced men and place them on . ; -unimproved land, difficult and expensive .-. ._tn work, was only inviting almost certain *"• $nlnre, and perhaps disaster. ■ .

MORE MENTION AT HOME

"While our journalistic friends are with ns to-day," said Mr. Coales, in closing, *'I cannot, refrain from bringing to their notice a subject winch is a source of comment among our. people who visit the Old Country. J refer to the paucity of Dominion news in the British Press. It .seems to me .that with, the increasing status of th e overseas Dominions some more generous measure- of treatment might be accorded in this connection, and I venture to commend the suggestion to Lord Burnham in his capacity as president of the Kmpiro Press Union. Of recent years a good deal has been done to improve filter-Imperial communications. The speeding-up of our means of communication is most necessary in promoting .tire unity of the Empire, nnd T take advantage of tin's opportunity to say that the Government is at. present negotiating for. a 30-day service to the Unit'

Ed Kingdom. Both the Meat and Dairy Export Control Boards are being asked to give consideration to the proposals." He hoped the visitors' stay amongst us had been both interesting and pleasant, and he expressed the sincere wish that the important conference which they would attend in Melbourne would be fraught with results that would material. !y advance tha progress and prosperity of our glorious Empire. *