THROUGH AMERICA

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 84, 6 October 1933, Page 9

THROUGH AMERICA

HIGHLIGHTS OF TOUR

MR. FRANK MILNER'S VISIT

TALK TO KOTAEIANS

Highlights on ' Ills tour abroad, together with studious thoughts on current international affairs, were related to Wellington Eotarians and guests of the club at a luncheon today, by Mr. Frank Milner, C.M.G., rector of Waitaki Boys' High School. Mr. Milner returned to the Dominion on Monday after representing Now Zealand Botarians at the international Kotary convention at Boston. He also attended the conference of the Institute of Pacific; Relations at Banff, and went on a lecturing tour throughout the United. States on behalf of Kotary. Mr. C. J. B. Norwood, president of the Wellington Kotary Club, apologised for the absence of the Prime Minister and welcomed the Minister of Education (tho Hon. K. Masters). Mr.-Nor-wood described Mr. Milner's mission to America 'as representing in effect New Zealand Kotary's contribution^" to tho goodwill and better understanding of tho. two groat • English-speaking ilations. : His tour, said Mr. Milner, had been a post-graduate form of education in international affairs, of the very highest value to him, and he hoped it would prove beneficial to tho Dominion. He went on to refer to what he said Americans call "highlights of one's experiences" on his tour. First of all he wanted to say that he had a 'marvellous stage entrepreneur in Mr. T; 0. List, district governor of Rotary in New Zealand.' He found that when he arrived in America he was already a myth and ho became a pcripatetie legend. At the conference at Boston, at which he had" the privilege ,of delivering the preliminary address before 10,000 delegates, he received a hearing which to him was astounding. He was invited to give addresses throughout America, and he nvent on a .very representative" tour, • involving 20j000 miles of travelling, most of it by ah', and a good deal by rail and car. Tho tempo of life in America was very, niueh., accelerated, arid Mr. Milner gave some amusing experiences which befell him, reculling that in ono^igh. speed, rush in which aeroplanos and cars were used to get Jrim. to a place to delivqr an address his hair looked like the quills of the fretful porcupine. , On his arrival he was told to cut out tho.thrills and put plenty of pep. into his speech. He did, .with, as he related, amusing results. , ' , .'-..'.. VISIT TO WHITE HOUSE. Describing ,the visit he and Mr. List paid to President Roosevelt at White House, Mr. Milner said that they were tremendously impressed by 'the personality of the President.' They were struck by his mental alertness after >a heavy! day. He was working out the N.R.A. scheme then,,' and that meant attention to a multiplicity of points. Not only .was he . lMntalty alert, but the President was bright, sunny, and optimistic. The way ho triumphed over his physical disability filled one with a sense of his power. President Roosevolt spoke of , Rotary in a most enthusiastic way. Ho was a combination of the'politician and the- statesman. In his radio message to the people he took everybody into his co-opera-tion in running the affairs of the nation. The President had conferences with Press representatives. He called these representatives by their Christian names,;and there; was an. atmosphere of informality and goodwill on all sides. ; President Roosevelt, continued Mr. Milner, was tho galvanising focus which had caused the tremendous change of opinion in tho United States today. He came into power with enthusiasm and determination, and it was because; of his enthusiasm and determination that the N.R.A. plan was functioning so well. Mr. Milner sketched the broad grounds of the plan, and said that wherever: ho went in America he found general endorsement and unanimity of-view in •regard to the success of the N.R.A. Personally he did not see why it should not be a perfect success. It was a wonderful and bold experiment, wide in scope and vision. It really amounted to thiss America had raised the banner of an altogether new social era. They were really witnessing a revolution without the usual military ; Concomitants. ' ■'■ Mr. :Milner also, r«ferred to -his attendance at the conference on Pacific Relations' at Banff. He said it was a great privilege t6 him to be present, because in a humble way he had been a student of international affairs for the past twenty years. ' It was a great thing to be able to go to world-wide authorities and have one's doubts resolved and one's speculations satisfied.