New Zealand Truth THE NATIONAL PAPER THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1930. Representatives Overseas

NZ Truth, Issue 1263, 13 February 1930, Page 6

New Zealand Truth THE NATIONAL PAPER THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1930. Representatives Overseas

WITH the departure from New . Zealand of Sir Charles Fergusson, this Dominion lost an excellent Governor, who leaves a gap which it will be difficult to fill. So deeply have Sir Charles and the Lady Alice endeared themselves to the people of^this country that Lord and Lady Bledisloe will not have an easy task when they occupy Government House. . « * . Not only has Sir Charles Fergusson carried out his official Gubernatorial duties admirably. He has gone out of his way on many occasions to perform acts of kindness and to become acquainted with all classes of the community. And the Lady Alice has cooperated with her husband to the fullest possible extent m this and m other respects. The solid popularity of^the late occupant of Government House serves to emphasise the fact that on the whole, New Zealand has been fortunate m its Governors. While the Home Office continues to send us men of the stamp of Lord Jellicoe and Sir Charles Fergusson, . there is not likely to be any advocacy of the appointment to the high office of ex-Ministers or other men who have participated m the hurly-burly of local politics, such as a section of Australians agitate for from time 'to time. . With the alteration m the relations between the Motherland and the selfgoverning Dominions, the office of Governor of New Zealand has taken on an added, prestige. The fact that now he. is -the direct representative of the King adds to his responsibility and makes it all the more necessary that the men chosen for the position should be blessed with the unique qualifications such a post demands:There is another aspect of the appointment of Governor which has an important bearing on the country's goodwill. Upon their return to the Homeland, Governors and their Ladies are regarded as unofficial, representatives of the countries where they have been officially representing the Crown. Lord Jellicoe, since his period of office, never loses an opportunity to "boost" New Zealand m England, and it is certain that Sir Charles Fergusson also will do everything m his power to benefit this Dominion at the seat of the Empire. It is essential that Governors of distant, Dominions should not only be qualified to govern, but ' should., also have the personal make-up which will inspire them to keep m close touch with all the varied interests of the countries m which they are terhporr arily domiciled, so that for the rest of their lives they may be regarded as unofficial, but none the less Invaluable spokesmen on behalf of Dominions where they represented the King. •