PANAMA EXHIBITION

Evening Star, Issue 15344, 19 November 1913, Page 6

PANAMA EXHIBITION

UNITED STATES COMMISSIONERS VISIT DUNEDIN. The delegates from the United States Government, authorised personally by President Wilson to come to New' Zealand and invito our people to participate actively in the Exhibition which is to open in February, 1915, and last till December of the same year, to celebrate the opening of the Panama Canal, reached Duncdin yesterday. The members of the Commission are ex-Governor Alva Adams, of Colorado, a commissioner-general of the Exhibition ; Major Sydney A. Cloman, of the 26th Infantry, and on active service; Mr Thomas G. -Stallsmith, of' Chicago; and Mr O'Neil Sevier, of NewYork. Mrs Adams and Mrs Cloman accompany their husbands. Last night tho commissioners met a number of Dunedin merchant* in the Stock Exchange Buildings, the meeting having been arranged by the Dunedin Expansion League. Mr M. Cohen presided at tho outset, and introduced tho commissioners, and then, having another engagement, his place was taken by Mr A. Moritzson. Governor Adams, in the course of his speech, said that New Zealand had lots of things -that the United States people did not yet know of. New Zealand impressed visitors as an ideal State. There were no millionaires and no paupers. Tho vital statistics were marvellous. Tho products were varied and valuable and full of possibilities. It was a strong and confident country. The mission of tho visitors was to a6k the New Zealand peo-ile to use the Panama Exhibition as a means of making New Zealand known. The Panama Exhibition would be as far ahead of any other exhibition that had yet been held a.? an international exhibition w.-,s ahead of a country fair. The other members of the commission also addressed the Duncdin people present. Mi* John Loudon, as chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, extended a hea ■•:■%• welcome to the visitors. Yesterday afternoon tho commissioners were shown round the Koslyn woollen mills. This morning they visited tho T. and_ P. Company's dairy factory and Speight's brewery, being escorted thither by Mr J. L. Stewart Wright, A visit was also paid to the Town Hall, where the Mayor (Mr W.. Downic Stewart) informally welcomed the party to the. City. In the course of a. chat this morning the commissioners freely disclosed their plans and their hopes : "We are on a j 00,000-milo itinerary. We have done J Australia, with the 'exception of Queensland, which State we visit next month, being timed to leave Brisbane for Java on tho 16th December. The underlying meaning of tho mission was to make* the English-speaking people of the world feel a racial pride in the Panama-Pacific Exhibition, as marking tho completion of the most stupendous engineering work in all history. Australasia had everything to gam by this canal, for Australasia, was in the direct route, and would bo brought 4,000 miles nearer to the world's markets, and it was to Australasia that the people | of tho United States looked for needed supplies of food. New Zealand could tend America any quantity of meat. Why should the supply come 'from New Zealand instead of the Argentine? Because the Argentiue could not produce a. sufficient, quantity. Its great product was wheat. The bringing of the United States and New Zealand info closer relationship would bo of immense benefit, to both. They would become more friendly and understand each other better." These and other friendly sentiments were uttered j with the greatest heartiness by men who by their bearing and speech show forth the representative American of tho best type. Their sincerity and their friendliness appeal to our people, and bespeak a considerate hearing to the. stroiis; arguments that are presented in favor of m English-speaking bond of friendship. To-day, at 1 o'clock, a, complimentary luncheon was tendered to the visitors by the Dunedin Expansion League and held in the Y.M.C.A. dining hall. The attendance at the luncheon numbered about 60, mostly business men.

The Mayor presided, and tendered a, cordial welcome to tho visitors, expressing the hope that their mission would prove an unqualified success and that, their stay would be enjoyable. He had no doubt that the parly would find out all thev wanted to know about New Zealand. They came from .a people that observer! closely. Pome the most informative works on New Zealand were by American writers, and in the speakers opinion there was in America a more accurate and intelligent knowledge of New Zealand than in any other country except the. neighboring country ot Australia. Mr P. P,.. Sargnod welcomed the Commissioners on behalf of the Drmedin Fxpansion League, and paid in the course ot hie bnei speech that the Panama-Canal was an epitome of the sterling worth and the determination that characterised the great American nation. Governor Adams replied in !U i eloquent and brilliant speech. He Pr ,j (l in ' lho course of his remarks that he, had seen something of one part of this fine country and had heard a, great deal of its marvelous productivity. Statistics given to him by ,\lv Marshall and vouched for in writing by Mr Loudon—he had their signatures _foi it, eince the. statements were so astonishing that he was not satisfied with word of mouth—were to tho effect that on an acre in Central Ota go a, man raised a cow and a calf, two hoiees. two jugs, 40 ™' s > ; » r 'd. lw tlionght he. was told', four children as well. Further, ho was assured that in this land there were no snakes or scorpions—nothing but what wa.s sweet and fine. Also that nobody died here except when Duuedin had a. man to spare and Heaven needed another ant-el. (Laughter.) New Zealand had the "climate and the. soil, and God gave the, sun(dime, and the blessed rains." All these natural advantages were worthless unless the people, used their muscle and their brain ; but from what the paitv had seen of this land of plenty and jihertv tho people, were worthy of it, They' wore working, and they had dared to try new methods of social government, f-'o'me of the measures put on the .Statute Book might be a failure, but some would ho n success, and at any rate New Zealand had taken high ground in its endeavor for civic,and national liberty. America thought it was :i new country with new ideas, but New Zealand had gono a nlep further. It had proved that Democracv was not a mere name. In regard to these ma.ttere, America watched " sympathetically. There was much in common between the two countries. They were not sofar apart as the map indicated. Tn the veins _of the New Zealanders and the Americans ran the crimson thread of kinship. Their interests were identical. The Commissioners came here as to kinsmen, and asked New Zealanders to join in celebrating the greatest achievement in the material history of the world. The Exhibition to be held in Ran Francisco was not for the Americans alone. It was for every nation that has a ship to sail, for every country that desired the brotherhood of man. The Panama Canal would realise Columbus's dream of a short road to India. It would aleo be a .short road to_ New Zealand. Australasia was the chief factor in the Pacific, and it was New Zealand that would receive the greatest benefit in the way- of opening trade channels with America. Never before in thc_ world had there been an exhibition costing so much in genius and art and money as this would be, and tho Commissioners were empowered by President Wilson to ask New Zealand to participate and go and have the time of their lives.

The other Commissioners also addressed the meeting. The party leave for Chrietcrrurch tomorrow morning.