WARM WELCOME

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 78, 29 September 1938, Page 24

WARM WELCOME

MR.. SAVAGE IN

DUNEDIN

THE EUROPEAN SITUATION

(By Teleffraph —Press Association >

DUNEDIN, September 28

Something in the nature of a triumphal progress from the railway station to his hotel was enjoyed by the Prime' Minister (the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage), when he arrived at Dunedin by the express this afternoon, accompanied by the Minister of Mines (the Hon. P. C. Webb).

As the train drew in there was a crowd of several hundreds on the station, and Mr. Savage and Mr. Webb alighted from the Ministerial car to the accompaniment of loud cheers and the strains of "The Bluebells of Scotland" played by the Forbury School Band, which, in its kilted uniform, gave the Ministers a characteristic welcome to the Scottish city of New Zealand.

The Prime Minister and Mr. Webb were welcomed by the Deputy Mayor, Mr. Cameron, and by members of the civic committee of the City Council, as well as local officials of the Labour movement. Mr. Cameron apologised for the absence of the Mayor, Mr. A. H..Allen, and called for cheers for the Prime Minister and Mr. Webb, which were given with enthusiasm. After a liberal round of handshakes the Ministerial cars moved off behind the band, which led the procession with a vigorous rendering of the wartime song. "Keep the Home. Fires Burning." All the1 way to the Grand Hotel a crowd of ardent supporters surrounded Mr. Savage's car. At the hotel another crowd gathered, and as Mr. Savage and Mr. Webb stepped out of their car amid cheers and cries of "Good old Mick," «there was such a press as almost to prevent them from reaching the dqor. "Ladies and gentlemen," said Mr. 'Savage, pausing on the steps, "I thank you sincerely for the reception you have given me, and I want to assure you again—if assurance is necessary— that you have not backed the wrong horse." Mr. Savage and Mr. Webb were guests of honour at a Labour Party social tonight in the Pioneer Hall, where the chairman of the Otago Labour Representation Committee, Mr. P. j'.'G. Connolly,, presided. The Ministers were given an enthusiastic reception. "A Lf>NG WAY TO GO." "The worfd is mfiviag, all right," Mr. Savage said, "but we have still a long way to go before we reach sanity. All you have to do is to read the current cable news to see how slender a hold of civilisation we have. It looks as though we are ready to go back to the jungle at any time. I remember speaking at the fountain in Dunedin in 1911, and a great deal of water has flowed under the bridge between that time and the time when I, as Labour Prime Minister of New Zealand, represented this Dominion at the Coronation of our. King and Queen. : "We have a long way to go," Mr. Savage continued, "and we must realise what a slender hold we have of what we have been pleased to speak of as "civilisation. When I was at the Coronation no one talked about war, and representatives of various nations seemed to be impressing one another, Jout how shallow it must have been. I said then that unless we were at peace in the industrial world we could never be properly at peace, and it seemed to me that if we could get representatives of various nations round a table we could see what was wrong. If we had started then to get-the nations together and talk to them quite frankly we could have seen, what they thought was wrong and- tried to straighten it out. "I don't think ayone wants trouble," Mr. Savage said, "but there seems to be something fundamentally wrong. It seems to me that we will never solve it except by discussion around the table. Nevertheless we have made some progress in New Zealand, because when I used to speak with other members of the Labour movement in various parts of New Zealand I never thought I would be visiting Dunedin as Prime Minister."

Mr. Savage described his early life in Australia, and his struggles for a living, and said that without the support of members of the Labour Party throughout New Zealand neither he nor the Government could do anything. He urged, the people of Dunedin to return Labour members of Parliament again at the coming election. COUNTRY CONVERTED. "Wherever we go we find that oldtime battlers in the Labour movement are thrilled with the work that tlie first Labour Government in New Zealand has accomplished," said Mr. Webb, in replying to a toast in his honour. "Nevertheless w.6 would sooner be defeated and retain the good-fellowship of our friends in tlie movement than sacrifice that good wiAl and remain in office."

Mr. Webb said the business. men of New Zealand had netffcr enjoyed real prosperity until the bulk of the people "Had money to buy things they needed, and the extra £33,000,000 in the national wages bill had done great things for the business community as well as bringing about the annihilation of the unemployment prpblem as it. was known three years ago. This year the Government had managed to organise work for every man who could do a job, and that had never been done in this country before. "We have converted this country in three years from a misery hole to the best old /possie' you have ever had," the Minister continued, "and I doubt whether any of you thought three years ago that it was possible. I believe that where we stand today the world will stand tomorrow, because we have a glorious opportunity of carrying the banner of progress to all corners of the world."