FLYING PRESSMEN

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20328, 17 August 1940, Page 6

FLYING PRESSMEN

AMERICAN PARTY ARRIVAL IN CLIPPER STATE DINNER GUESTS INTEREST IN DOMINION SURPRISE AT WAR EFFORT (Per Press Association.) AUCKLAND, this day. Pioneer voyagers on an aerial circuit of the Pacific, a journey now made possible by the new air link between Honolulu and Sydney, a party of 11 journalists, representative of the whole of the American press, arrived at Auckland by Pan-American Airways California Clipper for a brief stay before flying cn to Australia on Sunday and thence through the Far East and home again by the central Pacific route. The visit of so large a newspaper delegation to New Zealand lias not been paralleled since the party of British and Canadian press leaders, headed by the late Lord Burnham, spent about a week in the Dominion on their way to the Empire Press Union conference in Australia more than 15 years ago. The visitors were met by Auckland journalists at a reception given by the Mayor. Sir Ernest Davis. This was followed by a State dinner at which the Minister of Finance, the Hon. W. Nash, represented the Government. The importance of the occasion to the cause of closer international relations and the strengthening of cousinly ties across the pacific, was fully recognised by the Government, which deputed the Minister of Finance, Mr. Nash to come to Auckland and welcome the visitors. This he did when the Clipper berthed and again at the State dinner in the evening at the Grand Hotel. Greeted By Ministers There was a large gathering at Mechanics Bay airport to see the huge flying-boat touch down on the harbour at 2.40 p.m. at the end of her voyage from Noumea. When she had been moored at the pontoon and medical examination had been completed, Mr. Nash went aboard in company with the Minister of Marine, the Hon. D. G. McMillan, and gave the visitors their first official greeting. • Among others who joined in the welcome at the base were the United States Consul-General. Mr. L., C. Pinkerton. the Canadian Minister to New Zealand. Dr. Riddell and representatives of the Auckland Harbour Board. At 5 p.m. American journalists had the opportunity of meeting nearly the whole literary personnel of the Auckland newspapers As the guests of tlie Mayor, Sir Ernest Davis, at a reception in the City Council chamber at the Town Hall. Short speeches were made by the Mayor. Sir Henry Horton, Sir Cecil Leys and 'Mr. Nash. The welcome was acknowledged by Mr. Roy Howard, doyen of the American party and executive head of the well-known Scripps-Howard newspaper chain. Great News Agencies The American journalists will leave for Sydney by the -trans-Tasman airliner on Sunday morning. The Americans are a group drawn from tiie great news agencies, Associated Press, United Press, International News Service, Newspaper Enterprise Association and North American Newspaper Alliance and from several internationally-known newspapers, including the New York Times, Herald-Tribune and WorldTelegram, San Francisco Chronicle and Los Angeles Times.

Two of them Mr. Harold Callender and Mr. Ansel Talbert, as war correspondents. have seen much of the recent fighting in Europe and a number of others have travelled in all parts of the world. Yet, with the exception of three who own Australia as their birthplace, none of them has ever been in New Zealand before.

In the course of many conversations with Auckland journalists, the visitors showed themselves most eager to gather information about the Dominion. much more so indeed than to talk of American affairs. Their greatest interest, it soon appeared, was in New Zealand’s war effort and when the approximate recruiting figures were given them they one and all expressed the greatest astonishment that a small country should be doing so much. Common Ideals When told that New Zealand had undertaken to provide 4000 air force personnel of all kinds yearly, they were more amazed than ever. All the press agency representatives are sending home messages at frequent intervals and it is certain that their visit will bring New Zealand under the notice of millions of American readers as never before. The journalists, in addition to sending of day-to-day news of their trip, are also gathering material for feature articles which will be dispatched as the opportunity offers. At yesterday’s gatherings the bond of international brotherhood and common ideals was most evident in the ready friendliness that made itself felt from the outset and the common ground that the Americans and New Zealanders found at once in their conversations. It seemed almost superfluous for the visitors to Say. as they did, that intelligent public opinion in their country was wholeheartedly with the' British Empire in its life-and-death struggle. Perhaps even more heartening to those who listened was the absolute confidence that Americans showed in the ability of Britain to fight and win. One of them remarked too that America was Britain’s ally in all but one thing—she was not sending an expeditionary force to Europe.