NEW ZEALAND ANNIVERSARY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20536, 11 October 1928, Page 10

NEW ZEALAND ANNIVERSARY.

RECEPTION IN SYDNEY. (From Our Own Correspondent.) SYDNEY, September 27._ The twenty-first anniversary, of the raising of the status of New Zealand to a Dominion was not allowed to pass unnoticed in Sydney, although the celebrations were confined to a reception at the office of Hie New Zealand pgent, Mr W. R. Blow. On Hie occasion the office was by no means overcrowded, which is surprising, seeing that, according to one estimation, there are at least 50,000 New Zealanders permanently settled in Sydney. About three years ago a proposal was made by a number of New Zealanders to form a New Zealand Association in Sydney, but the meeting that was called was sparsely attended, and the association was never brought into existence. This is a reflection on New Zealanders who have made their home in Australia, for thus was lost a splendid opportuinty to advertise their native country, of which they have so much reason to be proud. ■ . The attendance at the reception included a representative of the State Ministry, the chief Commissioner of Sydney (Mr E. P. Fleming) and the Consular representatives of Sweden, Holland, Greece, and France. Business, shipping, and travel were represented by the chairman of the Sydney Chamber of Commerce, and the State Tourist Department, the Union Shipping Company, and the Canadian Pacific Railway were also represented at the celebrations. Of course, such a celebration would not •have been complete had there not been greetings in the Maori tongue, and an exposition of that picturesque language. It is said that nobody present seemed to have a grip of the Maori tongue to equal that of Mr Jim Henderson, well known in football circles. There was laughter at Mr Henderson’s story of the message he cabled to the New South Wales Rugby Union on the eve of its defeat by one point by the Maoris. The cable, which was adorned with true Maori imagery, foretold the team’s downfall, but there was a suspicion at the reception that the florid sentiment and the imagery could be traced to the Rotorua cnicf, Meta, who was in Sydney for the Eucharistic Congress, and was a guest of Mr Henderson at the time the message was sent.