The Northern Advocate Daily SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 1937. THE PRIME MINISTER’S DEPARTURE

Northern Advocate, 27 March 1937, Page 4

The Northern Advocate Daily

SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 1937. THE PRIME MINISTER’S DEPARTURE

Registered for trannmiaslon through the poet ae a Newspaper.

The Prime Minister, the Right Honourable M. J. Savage, commences this evening his historic voyage to Britain. He is to represent New Zealand at the Coronation of King George YI. and afterwards will take part in .an Imperial Conference. To Mr Savage has,come a unique opportunity as it will be the first time in the history of the British Empire when a Prime Minister of the Dominion will have been present at the., coronation of. a King of New , Zealand, such '■ being the outcome of the Statute of Westminster, which makes each Dominion separate and distinct, but unites all through one Sovereign. That Mr Savage will worthily represent New Zealand is not to be doubted. So far as the Imperial Conference is concerned, the responsibility resting upon the representative of each Empire unit will be of a very weighty nature. In the past, there have been momentous gatherings of the Empire’s statesmen around one common table, notably during the war years, but the conference to be held next May is fraught with peculiar significance.' The changed status of the Dominions, 1 but more especially the world! economic situation that has de-, veloped, has created, new problems which must be faced with .judgment aijfcd resolution. In yptfino- nnf intrm lik o-rent mis-

the sincerest good wishfes of the great majority of the people of New Zealand. The past few weeks have witnessed remarkable demonstrations of the people’s goodwill. On the part of some there has no doubt been_ merely the lip-service of convention and expediency, but there" is no room for doubt that, in the mass, the people of the Dominion have been wholehearted in their expressed appreciation of Mr Savage’s personal worth, and their hope that his visit to Britain may be pleasant and profitable. Peeling that he has the people’s sympathy and support, Mr Savfage may with confidence set put upon his important mission. It would be idle I to suggest that the Government of which Mr Savage is the head, has the unanimous support of the electorate, but there is none who will not agree that the Prime Minister is on the right road when, he pleads for the preservation of democracy as the only alternative to the dictatorship Of Fascism or Communism. There , ‘are few people in this country who really desire Fascist 01 Communist rule, but Mr Savage speaks truly when he declares . that failure of a Government or a people to act along the lines of practical Christianity is the surest way by which democracy may lie I made the victim of dictatorship. ' The Prime Minister emphasised this when speaking at a big farewell gathering in the Town Hall at Wellington on Wednesday evening. If this great end is to be achieved, there must be deter-, mination on the part of all classes to act with scrupulous fair-: I ness towards one another. “If democracy is to live in New Zealand,” said Mr Savage, “we want L the assistance of all engaged in , industry, wage-earners and emj ployers alike, to see that things - are*kept running.” This is the expression, in homely language, of a fundamental need. In these farewell words, the Prime Minister has made an appeal to the people of New Zealand, and 1 especially to his own supporters, - to keep the flag flying during his absence. To use a wellknown phrase of the Prime Minister, it is “up to” the people of the Dominion to do this.