IN LONDON

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 141, 18 June 1927, Page 10

IN LONDON

NEW ZEALAND DINNER

A DOMINION MENU

MR, AMERY FARE-

WELLED

(United Press Association.—Copyright.)

(Received 18th June, 2 p.m.)

LONDON, 17th June.

Four hundred enthusiastic guests were present, at the New Zealand annual dinner at the Mayfair Hotel, at which Sir James Parr presided. Mr. Leopold Amery, Secretary of State for the Dominions, was the chief guest, among the others being Lord Jellicoe, brilliantly bemedalled, Sir George Cook, Sir James Mills, Lord Islington, Mr. Douglas Hay, the Bishop of London, Eail Liverpool, Mr. J. Huxam, Mr. Robert Bell, Mr. P. A. Brett, Admiral Beal, General Sir B. Chaytor, General Sir W. Furse, Mr. Peter Larkin, Mr. Hyland, and many shipping, banking, and produce representatives. Lord Vestey and Mr. H. T. B. Drew were also present.

The menu was outstandingly characteristic of the Dominion, and included toheroa soup, rainbow trout, sent by Mr.-Coates at the request of Sir James Parr, Canterbury lamb, and passion fruit. A sensation was created by the appearance of an ice image of a kiwi. The floral decorations included pohutakawa, native ferns, flax, rimu saplings, and nikau palms. Sir James Par rbade Mr. Amery Godspeed on his Dominions' visit; and invited him to essay Mount Cook. Mr. Amery's legal and journalistic training, fortified by hi 3 military and political career, enabled him to soundly appreciate the Dominion temperament, and only good could result from his Dominion visit. Statesmen of such calibre, as well as others interested, should follow his example. Mr. Amery, amid cheers and cries of "Kia Ora," saidr "An artist in ice last year thought that ! those present at the New Zealand dinner would be flattered by an ice kangaroo, but to-night's artist was on safer ground with a kiwi." The Imperial Conference, he continued, demonstrated that the Empire was not an administration governed from one centre, but a Commonwealth under a common crown.

"A GREAT HEART." At intervals between the conferences it was desirable that British Ministers should go out and get into personal touch with overseas colleagues, said Mr. Amery. This was particularly applicable to the Secretary of State for the Dominions, for which reason he-looked forward with great pleasure to tis visit to. New Zealand. He recalled his visit there in 1913, and hoped to extend his volunteering exploits, which were then confined to Mount Eden. He hoped to meet the colleagues' who were building up New Zealand, which he considered was a little nation with a great heart. The Anzacs demonstrated this, as he had seen when visiting Russell's Post (Galliopli) in the days when all had deemed victory near. New Zea-: land's Sanioan administration was a true exemplification of the mandate. WARM-HEARTED WELCOME., ; The Bishop of Londpnijsaict it was'one! of the cheeriest dinners he had ever attended, and he hoped it would make all the other visitors go to New Zealand. He referred to the glorious and warm-hearted welcome 'he had received, specially at Christchurchj from /the Mayor, who was a Baptist minister, a Labour member, and a jolly good fellow, too. The Bishop said he never felt more at home than in New Zealand, whose Archbishop and bishops were the finest men he'had met in his journey round the world. It had been reported that he said in a letter to "The-Times" that after seeing the Gov-ernor-General, the Prime Minister, and the Labour Party in New Zealand, he had formed the opinion that only ten thousand people could go to New Zealand. He wished to make it clear that the Governor-General had never said anything about migration. | Sir James Parr interpolated a. farewell toast to Sir Joseph Cook, who is returning to Australia, and said ho felt sure all -would join in wishing him many years of activity and usefulness. Larl Jellicoe, in proposing the health of the chairman, assured him of the sympathy of every New Zealander in carrying out his important work.