EMPIRE’S PROOF

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20622, 25 November 1941, Page 9

EMPIRE’S PROOF

CO-OPERATIVE EFFORT BENEFIT AFTER WAR MR. DUFF COOPER’S VIEWS (Per Preaß Association.) WELLINGTON, this day. The Wellington Town Hall was crowded for the civic reception to Mr. A. Duff Cooper, British Cabinet reprepresentative in the Far East, and Lady Diana Cooper, whose arrival at Rongotai from Christchurch by air was delayed until 11.35. The welcome of the citizens was unusually warm and applause punctuated the whole proceedings. Both the Mayor, Mr. T. C. A. Hislop, and the Minister of Finance, the Hon. W. Nash, stressed the outstanding contribution that Mr. Duff Cooper had made to Empire politics, particularly during the present war. Replying, Mr. Duff Cooper said the welcome he had received in New Zealand had made him wonder whether he was not enjoying himself too much. There was no harm in pleasure t>n the legitimate occasions, but, as had been suggested by Mr. Nash, there were some people who did not realise the seriousness of the present struggle. He had met nobody in New Zealand who was not fully seized with the importance of the present situation facing the world. Aiming at World Conquest

It was clear that either Hitler and all who supported his cause must be utterly destroyed, or else the British Empire, every part of it and tTI it stood for would become but a memory. His aim was world conquest. Mr. Duff Cooper referred to the dark days after the conquest of the Low Countries and the collapse of France when Britain stood without allies except her Dominions. Referring to the closer co-opera-tion which would be brought about by his visit, he said that we must not expect when “cease fire” sounded that we could all walk into a Utopia. There would be a stern and terrible time to face when the war was over and the British commonwealth could take a step towards facing it by getting to know one another better, because it would oply be by some international effort that lasting peace could be secured. The British people had shown what could be done by co-operation and, after they had won the war, the Empire would be more solid than ever and more able to contribute to a finer and better world. .