RETIRING U.S. CONSUL

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIV, Issue 97, 7 April 1934, Page 9

RETIRING U.S. CONSUL

Impressions of Dominion By Telegraph—Press Association. ' WELLINGTON, April 6. After a little over three year s as Consul-General for the United States in New Zealand, Mr Calvin M. Hitch, accompanied by Mrs Hitch, left Wellington to-uight for Auckland, sailing by the Mariposa to-morrow for Los Angeles. Mr Hitch will reach the retiring age of 65 in July next, and is returning to the States to have a holiday before actual retirement. Mr Hitch said that he and his wife had greatly enjoyed their stay in New Zealand. He had found the Government officials courteous and obliging, and the people had been very kind and hospitable. “I was surprised when I landed hern to find the country had made such wonderful development in the very short time since the first settlers came to New Zealand. Your public roads are wonderful, and taking all thing* into consideration the development has been somewhat in advance of the population of the country. With your presept development, New Zealand could easily accommodate double or three times the population you have, but these things of course will come aloug in the ordinary course of affairs,”' Mr Hitch said. “1 was particularly interested to find New Zealand so well supplied with first-class newspapers. [ think it remarkable in a country the size of New Zealand and with the long distance yon are from other centres of population, that your newspapers should be able to carry so much foreign news eneb day.” Mr Hitch said he also had been particularly impressed with the agricultural and trade journals in the Dominion.