PRESS CONFERENCE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19583, 12 September 1925, Page 8

PRESS CONFERENCE.

DELEGATES IN AUSTRALIA THEIR NEW ZEALAND VISIT APPRECIATIVE REFERENCES. (From Opr Own Correspondent.) SYDNEY, September 4. A feature of the interviews with the delegates to the Imperial Press Conference who arrived here on Tuesday morning, waa Uie reference of almost every one of them in interviews to their visit to New Zealand. And every one of these references was of an enthusiastic and appreciative nature. As a matter of fact, some of the journalists who interviewed the delegates were forced by the art of their profession to turn the delegates’ minds from New Zealand in order to gain an account of other matters. Lord Burnham, for instance, started the interview with a Sydney Morning Herald representative by alluding to New Zealand. “We were all delighted,” he said, “not only with the hospitality that was extended to us in New Zealand, but also with the development of the country as a whole, and the high standard of prosperity that has been achieved.” Than he commented favourably on the Dominion’s afforestation, concluding with the statement that he “was certain that in New Zealand the potential developments in regard to forestry were enormous, affording the opportunity for returns in time, not only for internal consumption, but for external trade.” Then to another interviewer, Lord Burnham said: “We have come away from the Dominion full of admiration for the polity as, well as the scenery and productiveness, of New Zealand.” Sir Harry Brittain was particularly appreciative of their stay in New Zealand. “The welcome and hospitality we received there,” he said, “was quite touching. We all felt very much at home in the Dominion. which in parts is more English than England itself. We were much struck bv the tremendous spirit of patriotism, _ and altogether ouri impression of the Dominion was a most favourable one. For the Maoris wo have conceived the warmest _ affection. There is. probably no more intelligent race to be found.” Others of the delegates were impressed hv the farming and dairying methods and the arrangements for reception of immigrants in New Zealand. The latter particularly struck Lady Burnham, who devoted the most of an interview to _ eulogising the sympathetic treatment of migrants. Mr N. B. Graham was most impressed by the great co-operative dairy-farming enterprise of New Zealand. He made the interesting suggestion that to follow up the tour of the press delegates there ought to. bo a tour of those interested in farming, so that England might know what mighty strides her dominions were making in that direction. New Zealand received a further advertisement through the arrival of the delegates bv the interviews with her four own ronrosontatives. They touched on many sides of New Zealand life and upon many problems and prospects in their interviews, and all of them were as interesting to Australian newspaper readers as the interviews with representatives of countries furIbcr away than the Dominion across the Tasman.