WANT TO COME TO N.Z.

Grey River Argus, 12 October 1944, Page 4

WANT TO COME TO N.Z.

PEOPLE IN BRITAIN N.Z. Labour Secretary’s Impressions (Rec. 1.15.) LONDON, October 11. “Almost everyone I have met over here wants to live in New Zealand after the war,” said Mr. Michael Moohan, the National Secretary of the New Zealand Labour Party, who represented the Dominion at the recent Labour Conference. He is returning to New Zealand shortly. Mr. Moohan added: “I have found New Zealand’s prestige very high throughout this country on account of the excellent behaviour of her men in the forces.” In addition to visiting Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh, Mr. Moohan has also spent a few days in Dublin and in Belfast. He is of opinion, as the result of his travels, that New Zealand has nothing to learn from Britain for the improvement of her working conditions. He found the general conditions to be more or less .as he had expected, but his admiration grew the longer he stayed for the people’s attitude towards the bombing. With Mr. Jordan, he went to a spot where a flying bomb landed the other night. He was amazed at the extent of the damage caused, and was equally impressed with the system of dealing with the “incident.”

■Mr. Moohan expressed the opinion that the average citizen was doing a marvellous job. He said: “I do not know how they stuck it I” He sad he was greatly impressed when visiting the factories of the Co-operative Wholesale Society at the range of work being done —from making of wings for Mosquito aircraft to building a one million sterling flour mill on the outskirts of London.

Mr. Moohan spent some time at the New 1 Zealand Forces’ Club in Charing Cross Road. He said: “I think it a very good club. It is a credit to the people in charge of it.” While there, he met many New Zealand servicemen. He was continually asked if the Government were going to extend social security after the war. “I told them that we are going to continue to expand it after the war, and will revert as rapidly as possible to the 40-hour week, and give * the highest possible wages to our people,” he said. Mr. Moohan added that he found the highest appreciation among all New Zealanders of the work of Mr. Jordan and Mrs. Jordan who had done “an excellent job." He went with Mr. Jordan to see the Pakehas beat the Maoris in a match for the Jordan Cup, and declared it a good game. Mr. Moohan flew the Atlantic going to England, in an aircraft piloted by a Wellingtonite, Captain J. W. Burgess, and he hopes he may have the good luck to make his return flight with him.