FAVOURED COUNTRY

Hokitika Guardian, 14 July 1928, Page 1

FAVOURED COUNTRY

.NEW ZEALAND REQUIRES NO BOOMING. PRINCE OF WALES RECALLS HAPPY MEMORIES.

The Prince of Wales retains the happiest recollections of his visit to New Zealand eight years ago. His Royal Highness showed this plainly in a speech at the New Zealand dinner in London in May. “I am very grateful to the High Commissioner for his very interesting speech on the present economic situation as regards New Zealand and the Old Country, and also for his kind words about myself,” lie declared. “The chief guest at your last dinner was Mr Amery, and at the one before you liad my brother, the Duke of York. Both showed their appreciation of your very kind hospitality by visiting New Zealand within a year. (Cheers.) Ido not know whether your invitation to mo to-night is in the nature of a hint that it is about time I was back there again myself, but I am afraid that, although the spirit and the flesh aip both of them willing, I have other plans in view at the moment which will prevent this happening in the very near future. I shall have to content myself with memories, very happy ones, of my first visit.

“My brother arid I have compared notes of our two different trips,” lie proceeded. “We have compared our programmes arid our experiences, and I must say that in most cases we covered both in the North and the South Islands very much the same ground. Comparisons are odious, hut, when wo compared notes, naturally small differences arose, and one I noticed particularly concerned the goysers of Rotorua. Not only from what my brother told me, but from tbe newspaper reports, the geysers played up very much better for my brother than they did for myself. (Laughter.) “Then again we compared notes, and I told my brother that the New Zealand Government bad not provided him with one of those very slight, very peaceful, and short industrial disputes that happened in New Zealand. That was excluded from his programme. I told him that he had missed a good deal. Rut I had to assure him that T had never handled any of your officials so roughly as he, or maybe the members of bis staff, treated tlio Town Clerk of Nelson, for, if wo can believe tlio reports, be was literally pushed into the sea.” (Laughter.) “ Then Mr Amery has been to New Zealand. I have read of his trip, and I have read some of the admirable speeches he lias made. I have also read that lie climbed your highest mountain. (Laughter.) I could tell you stories and incidents—some of them serious, some possibly amusing—that happened to mo those eight years ago. I could talk to you on the subject of the recent development of the Dominion, but from what tbe High Commissioner says I do not feel that at this moment Now Zealand is in want of ‘ booming.’ (Cheers.) “I wish sometimes that New Zealand was not quite so far away. If it was not quite so far I might know it almost as well as I know Canada. I made the suggestion at the Canada Club dinner last winter that tlio people of Great Britain should, if they can do it with their own means, and, if they cannot, they should be encouraged to do so Inother means—-step right over and sec the Dominions for themselves, even if they do not mean to settle there. If they see the Dominions in the right way and come back they are very good agents for the Dominions. There is a scheme which carries out in practice the ideas I have often advocated. There has been recently a very successful tour of public school boys to South Africa. They-are to go to Canada this year, and I hope that a tour to New Zealand and to Australia is contemplated for next year. (Cheers.) 1 envy those hoys. I think they are very lucky to have this great opportunity. You cannot go away from this country too young. They will have an opportunity of really learning and getting down to bedrock.

“ With the advance of aviation,” concluded His Royal Higlinoss, “who know that one of those days 1 might not be able to fly to New Zealand ? Anyway, if that does not come in inv lifetime, the fact that I cannot flv will not stop me making every effort to return. (Loud cheers.) T always have a very warm place in my heart for Now Zealand. (Cheers.) _____