IMPERIAL TOPICS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17328, 17 November 1916, Page 6

IMPERIAL TOPICS.

OVERSEAS CLUB'S SYMPOSIUM

( SOME INTERESTING SPEECHES. Under the auspices of the Overseas Club the first of a .series of meetings was held last evening at the Chamber of Commerce Hall, when addresses on various topics of Imperial significance were delivered. Tho Mayor presided, and there was a good attendance. Tho proceedings were opened with the singing of tho club's opening odo. CHAIRMAN'S ADDRESS. Tho Mayor briefly referred to ll 'o history of the Overseas Club in Christchurch. It was established in 11)12, but had not flourished, and '.t> had been reviVed three months ago with a membership of sixty-six. In September tho membership had grown to '2lO, last, month it was 275, and at the present, date tho membership stood at 346. Among the. club's activities was the collection of funds for a military aeroplane for use by the Canterbury battalion at the front. The cost was estimated at £1509, and'a. small start had been, made with the collection already. A cryptogram pu<wle competition* had been initiated to assist, the Aoroplano Fund. The speaker appealed to ladies to become members of the ladies' committee, on which there were several vacancies. Ho read a copy or a letter from tho Right Hon D. Jiloyd George to the organiser of the Overseas Club, returning thanks for the efforts of the club, which had presented seventy-four aeroplanes to the fighting forces. The chairman added that one of the speakers that evening would be tho Hon H. F. Wigram, M.L.0., who had given the question of air defence close study. Mr "Wigram was convinced that aircraft would play a highly important part in. the defence of New Zealand in the future. Mr Wigram had nuido representations to the Government on this subject, and had received but .little encouragement. With characteristic energy, he had thereupon decided- to do something himself, and had the establishment of a, flying school for Canterbury well in hand at present. ABOUT THE WAR.

Mr E. D. Hoben gave an address on " Facets of the War," in tho course of which lie described the recent operations on various fronts in Europe. Turning to Australia, he said the country was at present in a starte of chaos and anarchy bordering on rebellion, but the leading men of Australia were banding themselves together to quell the forces of anarchy, which were preventing the nation putting forward its full strength in this war, and there was reason to hope that Australia would continue to send her full quota of men to the front. German propaganda had triumphed temporarily in Australia. Germany believed now that if Rumania could be crushed the determination of the Allies would receive a fatal blow. That was an indication of the erroneous deductions into which Germany had been led by her lack of acquaintance with tho psychology of her enemies.. As a matter of fact, the overrunning of Belgium, of Northern France, of Montenegro and of Serbia had successively strengthened tho dotermination of the Allies never to relax their efforts until peaco terms could be dictated to Germany. IMPORTATIONS AND MANUFACTURES. Mr J. B. Laurenson delivered an interesting address on. the resources of tho Dominion and the problem of trade after the war. Ho gave figures concerning annual imports into New Zealand, exclusivo of duty, overhead \ charges and profits. Wearing apparel and textiles accounted for £4,750,000, 'and if New Zealand could manufacture half of that the industry would maintain the people of a city the size .of Duncdin and suburbs. Oil and fat to tho value of £851,000 Aver© imported, and that was surely unnecessary. Iron and steel and machinery to the value of £4,750,000 wero imported. The Dominion had ironsand resources which could at least be used to manufacture the enormous quantities of steel rails used in Now Zealand. Earthenware, china and glass goods imports amounted to £307,000. New Zealand had the raw material for these wares. Lea'ther, sheepskins and lambskins were imported to the tune of £151,000 per annum. Why should they import sheepskins and lambskins to New Zealand? Asbestos slates and tiles to the value. of £37,000' were imported, but they could get the raw material for these in New Zealand.

The speaker went on to draw a moral from Germany's phenomenal trade expansion, which was due to the fostering of home. industries. New Zealand imported £500,000 worth of fruit, £19,000. worth of preserved milk and cream, £522,000 worth of confectionery, and £9OOO worth of jam, which there was no real necessity to import at .all. New Zealand had been "hiding its talent in a napkin," in the phrase of the Biblicnl parable, and it was time the country woke up and made better use of tho .wealth God had given it. NEW ZEALAND AND THE AIR SERVICE.

The Hon H. F. Wigram, M.L.C.. in the course of a brief, address, thanked the committee of the Overseas Club for the opportunity given him. to speak on a subject npon which ho felt. very keenly. The objects of tho club'' were very nfiieh the same as his own. While the club desired to send an aeroplane to the Canterbury troops, the speaker's desire was to train men to man the aeroplane. The speaker disclaimed any attempt to teach tho Government anything on the subject of air defence. Ho had not tried to do that.

The necessity for a- flying school in Canterbury was becoming every day more clear. Thirty-seven applications from intending pupils had been received already and applications were coming in daily. Many of the applicants wore young men of a good stamp, who would bo a credit to the Dominion. The company which -was to establish 'the flying school had secured 100 acres ndjoining Plump-ton Park, within handy distance of the city, and •arrangements would be made to accommodate the pupils comfortably. They would run their own mess, on tho lines of -an officers' mess. Tho objects the promoters of the school had in view , were two-fold. Firstly, they desired to. help to win tho war by training aviators for the Royal Flying Corps. There was no lack of prospective flying pupils in Britain, but there were not schools enough there to train all the young men who were offering. Secondly, ii'(io promoters had in viiew the future defence of the Dominion, a subject upon which the speaker had expressed his views very fully on previous occasions. The capital' of tho Canterbury company wan £20,000, of which about £7OOO had been subscribed to date. Ho Would suggest that if any of his hearers had capital to invest they would not find a. more patriotic investment than shares in the company. There, seemed very little chance of the company losing money, as it was on the direct lino of the Sockburn tramway service, and tho exhibitions of flying which would be given should attract good attendances of tho public The speaker believed that ait-or the war the -S'uu' Zealand

Government would take lip the subject of aviation, arid would either tako over the Cn.ntcrbu.ry Flying School, or would establish another school on another site. .There might be excellent strategic reasons why the "Plumpton Park site might ho unsuitable for tho military flying school, permanently established. The chairman invited comment' on the subjects touched upon in the addresses, aurl members briefly discussed some aspects of tho question of local industries.

Mr H. Lightband reported that very encouraging returns were, being made by collectors-on behalf of the Aeroplane Fund. Only that day a donation of thirty guineas had been received. Ho proposed a vote of thanks to tho speakers, which was carried by acclamation. During the evening musical , items wero contributed by Messrs T. M. Charters, M. W. Gillmore and L. Bloy, and a recitation was given by Mr A.. Bartlctt.