BRITISH LABOUR M.P.

Grey River Argus, 23 March 1940, Page 2

BRITISH LABOUR M.P.

Visit to West Coast MR. D. R. GRENFELL VISITS STATE MINES. Mr. D. R. Grenfell. C.8.E., M.P., representative of the British Parliament at the New Zealand Centennial Celebrations, was vestsrdav a visitor to Greymouth. On Thursday, as the guest of the Government, he made a journey by aeroplane from We.Hington to South Westland, where he visited the glaciers, being accompanied by Mr. F. B. Stephens, of the Department of internal Affairs. Yesterday Mr. Grenfell motored to Greymouth, where he was welcomed on arrival by the Deputy Mayor, Mr. H. Herring. Hon. Jas. Goodall. Councillor J. B. Kent, Messrs Hutchison (Public Works Department), and Lewis (Mines Department).

After lunching with the Deputy Mayor and Cr. Kent, the visitor was accompanied by the party on an inspection of the new State colliery, the Strongman Mine, and of the James Mine binns. The manager of the Strongman Mine. Mr. P. Outhwaite, accompanied the party, who at once perceived that Mr. Grenfell was quite in his element undergroundMr. Grenfell,' who is 58 vears and is the representative of the Gower Division of Glamorgan County in the House of Commons (his majority at the last general election having been the substantial one of 13,393 votes) remarked that, he had twenty years’ experience as a miner in Wales He discussed the coal formation and other aspects of the mine, being keenly interested in all he saw. He contrasted the height of seams here with some of onlv 17 inches worked in the Old Country for an output of four tons dailv. Mr. Grenfell vesterdav afternoon gave an interesting broadcast from Station 3ZR from 2 till 2.20 p-rn., showing himself a fluent speaker in dealing with the war issues, and elucidating the democratic, ideal lor v'hich the Allies were lighting. He demonstrated also the urgency of a stand against aggression and despotic government, pointing out. that uiu future safety of British communities -was also an issue bound up in tne outcome of the momentous campaign now being waged. . A Mr Grenfell, accompanied by Mr. Stephens, left by car yesterday afternoon for Westport, where he arrived about 6.30 p.m. He proceeds th.nc to Wellington, where he will on Mondav the Easter Conferef.ee of the New Zealand Lacour Party.