SOUTH AFRICA'S STORY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22108, 14 May 1935, Page 6

SOUTH AFRICA'S STORY

BUILDING ON THE PAST OPTIMISM FOR FUTURE POLICY OF CO-OPERATION By a New Zealand > delegate'to the Empir* Press Union Conference in South Africa 'S No. VI ''j Early in the Imperial press conference deliberations at Capetown the delegates were greatly disappointed and sincerely regretted the sudden illness of General Smuts, who was to have addressed them on international affairs. There was therefore great gratification when it was learned that General Smuts had recovered and would deliver the speech of the evening at the dinner to be given at Capetown to their South African hosts by the overseas delegates —the farewell ceremony of a memorable congress. There was a brilliant gathering at the dinner which was held at the Queen's Hotel, Sea Point. Among the guests were the Governor-General, the Earl of Clarendon, and the Countess of - Clarendon. General Smuts said that for South Africa the visit of the delegates had been a great event. Standard of Civilisation "To the ordinary Casual visitor South Africa is interesting mostly because of two things: our natives and our game," said General Smuts. "These are the original inhabitants of the country, and I admit their importance and their interest for you. " The Europeans of this country and the Western civilisation which they have built aro commonplace and drab in comparison. And yet tbey are also important, even if they are not particularly interesting. " In this visit you have had this advantage over the ordinary globetrotter, that you have seen not only natives and game but also the type of Europeans we are breeding in this new country and the standard of civilisation which we are trying to uphold under the difficult conditions of Africa.

" It is not for me to describe your impressions, but I am sure that one thing must have especially struck you—the optimism, the Confident outlook of our people. That must have met you everywhere in your travels. Part Played by Gold

" Whatever our difficulties and our problems, there is nothing defeatist about the South African outlook. There is hopefulness, buoyancy, resilience everywhere. Not that we are out of the wood, not that we are not oppressed with difficulties and problems enough. But they do not unduly depress us. " I grant you that our gold means much to us and in many ways is seeing us through what might very well have been a most difficult situation. But there is more than gold. The people are more than the gold. The people of this country are really doing their best to set their house in order, to build on sound foundations as a State, and to secure the widest measure of public co-operation among themselves.

" Their differences of language, race, origin and tradition. makp this effort at co-operation all the more necessary and all the more difficult. Racial cooperation and goodwill have at last become the accepted policy of this country. It is the history of this country which inclines us to optimism. " Good Out of Evil " " Here we have seen how in a nation's story good oomes out of evil, how goodwill in the end smooths out the tangles and mistakes, how an era of construction follows the destruction and bitter struggles of races and of war. "It is this experience which has given us faith in human nature and which makes us believe that whatever the future may bring we shall not utterly fail. History, sunshine, religion, all Combine to make South Africans optimists on. the whole. " You will have learnt here the reason why not only I but South Africans generally, black as well as white, are on the whole inclined towards optimism. We carry our burdens lightly and with a smiling face. We do not believe in failure and do not think the end of the world is coming." " Golden Hospitality " The leader of the press delegation, Major J. J. Astor, said: "We have found this a land of gold and also a land of golden hospitality. It is a pleasure to meet the Afrikander and thank him for his pleasantness on many occasions. We know that on occasions in the past English and Dutch, have come into conflict, but what we have seen fills us with hope for the future of the world. "

" The ideals of peacie and liberty which animate our Commonwealth are challenged in various quarters. They can only be saved bv unity and cooperation. The future presents obvious difficulties. We hope that they too will be solved. ■ < '

" To-morrow we disperse with rich memories of friendships which we long to renew, and in achieving a sympathy with South African problems and furthering the ideals which we believe the Empire is championing we shall feel we have done something to repay the debt of gratitude which we owe you." With this function concluded, there ended the deliberations and round of sight-seeing of the press conference.