N.Z. PROBLEMS AHEAD

Grey River Argus, 6 December 1940, Page 8

N.Z. PROBLEMS AHEAD

SAYS LORD GALWAY Farewell Speech PRIME MINISTER’S TRIBUTE. [Per Press Association] WELLINGTON, December 5. Lord Galway was guest of honour, at a State luncheon held at Parliament House to-day to mark His Excellency’s retiremnt from the office of Governor-General'. Rt. Hon. PFraser presided, and others at the main table included the members of Cabinet and th e . War Cabinet, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr W. E. Barnard, the Leader of the Opposition, Mr S. G. Holland, Mr M. Myers (Chief Justice), Sir Harry Batterbee, and the Mayor of Wellington, Mr T. C. A. Hislop. After the loyal toast had been honoured, Mr Fraser proposed the health of His Excellency. He said he had hoped for a considerable period tiiat it would be a long time before they were called u'oon to drink that' toast. A year the King expressed a wish that. His Excellency should remain in office for at least a year longer after the ordinary term had expired. The Government of New Zealand urged His Excellency to accept, and was very pleased when His Excellency saw his way to agree. The Government would have been still better pleased if His Excellency had seen his way to continue for ‘another year. His Excellency certainly had been asked by th e speaker, on behalf of the Government —not only asked, but urged—to stay for another year, or at least until the end of the war. In he could nominate his own time. Mr Fraser said he could not pay a greater testimony to any Gov-ernor-General than that. He was quite certain, when h e voiced that sentiment, that he expressed the opinion of all the people of the Dominion. Lord Galway, however, had considered his duty lay elsewhere. They regretted hi s impending departure, but wished him and Lady Galway and their children th e very best of fortune. As Governor-Gen-eral His Excellency had not been surpassed. He had uphld the dignity and impartiality of the Throne. He had kept himself meticulously apart from anything like political partisanship, and had added to the lustre of of our democratic institution. His Excellency had been a New Zealander. He had entered into the life of the country, and had loved it, taking a keen interst in its many activities. Mr Fraser referred to the great lead His Excellency had given as Chairman of the National Patriotic Fund Board. In New Zealand’s patriotic effort, His Excellency had been quick to impress the thoughts and hearts of the people of this country when London suffered its first devastating air attacks. Special reference was made by Mr Fraser to Lady Galway. He said, amidst applause, that no more gracious lady had ever graced Government House. There had never been a national elfort more uniformly and generally successful' than the Lady Galway Guild. Mr Fraser recalled the interest Lord Galway had taken in the welfare of the outlying islands. As a soldier, also, h e took the keenest interest in the Defence, Force. His Excellency, Lady Galway, and their children were going back, to the green fields of England, which were shattered and torn by war. They were taking back to the King and People of Great Britain our admiration and gratitude, for the fight they are putting up for themselves and for the people of the Dominions.

“I want to assur e the British people New Zealand is with them to the last penny of our wealth, th e last inch of our properly, and the last drop of our blood,” said Mr Fraser. i The toast was drunk with musical (honours.

Mr S. G. Holland (Opposition Leader) said he was proud to associate himself with the eloquent and wellmerited tribute paid by th e Prime on? who had given outstanding service, not only toi New Zealand, but to the Empire, as His Majesty’s personal representative in this country. New Zealand would ever be in the debt of the GovernorGeneral. Five years ago he came to New Zealand as a stranger, and in the intervening period he had won hig way into the hearts and affections of all sections of the people. Hon. D. Wilson, Leader of_ the Legislative Council, speaking on behalf of the Council, said they had very many pleasant recollections of their associations with His Excellency. “During the past trying period,” said Mr Wilson, “you have cheered and sustained us and helped us to be worthy partners of the British Commonwealth of Nations. Having lived among us in peac e and war, you will be able to convey to the King that no Dominion in the Empire js more loyal to the Throne and more determined to stay with Great Britain until the end."

Expressing thanks on behalf of himself and his wife for the kind remarks made on what they had attempted to do during their time in New Zealand, Lord Galway said they would leave with very deep regrets, and would always remember the kindnesses shown during their stay in the Dominion. They had received a welcome they would never forget, and they would strive to do whatever the could, when tjiey were home, for the prosperity of New Zealand and it s people. Lord Galway thanked all who had worked in the interests of the National Patriotic Fund Board and ~the Provincial Patriotic Council, and all the women who had helped his wife's Patriotic Guild. England was deply grateful for what was being done, Lord Galway said, and for the £lOO.OOO we cabled within a few hours of learning London was being bombarded. H e knew at Home there was an unbounded feeling of admiration for what New Zealand was doing, and what sh e would do in her war effort. The Governor-General asked h:s hearers to be on guard against some great difficulties liable to come upon the country after the war; After the last war, people rather lapsed into a fool’s paradise, and forgot some of the difficulties. “I a.m not a pessimist,” Lord Galway said. “I am gn incurable optimist, but it is in your hands these matters rest, and perhaps it is just as well one should look a little bit ahead, and see some of the difficulties. We are convinced our cause will triumph, but you must look to it, then, as to what is going to happen. It is almost, certain that there will be a very violent

reaction, particularly among the young. It happened after the last war. Ther e Wl h. be a sort of revulsion from the douche of cold water which goes over a nation in wartime. There comes a sort oil feeling: War i s over—now We want pleasure! 'throw open the dance nails and cinemas! Let us forget what we have ben going through!” Lord Galway remarked that we lived in an age of speed. Everything had to b e done in a hurry, but speed without balance was liable to cause accidents. It was the same in 1/iblic! life. There would come a feeling of restlessness and the. adjustment necessary would require a great deal of forethought. • '

The Governor-General said that one disquieting thing to b e , noted m some of th e statistics was the prevalence of crime among the young. If the system of education wa s high, surely those figures should be coming down, and not going up? It was largely a question that mor e balance was required, and that could be adjusted largely by education. The young should be taught certain things wer e right, true, and just. In petty pilfering among the young seeds were sown of what later- became conversion. He thought this should be looked into. It was for his hearers to decide whether it was not better to correct the child when young, rather than after, when it had grown up and should know better. Dealing with the question of trade, commerce and finance that was going to . emerge, after the war, Lord Galway said he was afraid the good old days had gone, and they would have to face up to fact. All of Britain’s credits were passing to the United States. After the war there, would be little or nothing that the Home Government could not expect to try and reconstruct its own finance. He was afraid the Bank of England would be rattier in the state of Mother Hubbard’s cupboard, so far a s the Dominions were concerned. It was going to be a colossal problem. There was another very great problem, and that was the whole question of the utilisation of surplus products to see if there could be a more equitable distribution. For a time after the war there -would be a great demand for New Zealand butter, until Denmark and Holland once more became producing countries. Then ibe amount required from New Zealand would probably be reduced. The question would be could New Zealand surplus products be got on to a market and sold? H e recommended that Now Zealand should study the requirements of the consumer, which was sometimes rather difficult, to do. “In all these post-war problems, we have surely got to get together to think things out, and find what is going to b e best,’’ said His Excellency. “It is with the greatest regret I say goodbye. I thank -you all. for all the .kindnesses you have shown my wife and myself ’* The function concluded with the singing of “God Defend New Zealand,” and th e National Anthem