NEW ZEALAND SOCIETY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23083, 8 January 1937, Page 14

NEW ZEALAND SOCIETY

AN INFORMAL EVENING (From Ovft Own Correspondent) (By Air Mail) LONDON, Dec. 19. The New Zealand Society holds many pleasant functions in London during the course of the year, there are few, if any, that are more enjoyable than the smoking concert, which usually takes place shortly before Christmas. This year's was no exception. Mr Walter Nash, Minister of Finance and Marketing, who was the guest of honour, declared that he felt quite "at home "in the congenial New Zealand atmosphere. The chief contribution towards the success of these concerts, attended by, many great New Zealanders and people associated with the Dominion, is the complete lack of formality and the spirit of good fellowship. Mr R. S. Forsyth (London manager of the New Zealand Meat Board), who presided in the absence of Mr W. J. Jordan in Geneva, was referred to by Mr Nash as just plain " Bob Forsyth," and on rising to propose the only toast of the evening he was greeted with the chorus, "Why was,he born so beautiful, why was he bbrn at all? " solemnly chanted by the whole room. This inauiry. received with equanimity, was treated with appropriate disdain by Mr Forsyth, even though the Minister, Mr Tom A. Duncan, Mr. J. Fraser (both members of the Meat Board) joined in. In the absence of toasts, an exception bein? made this year in view of the presence of Mr Nash, the chief ceremony at these concerts is the presentation of the "white rabbit." This is the society's golf trophy, but it is presorted to the loser of the competition and not the winner. On this occasion the rabbit was handed over by Mr Cecil J. Wray (Wanganui), who declared that he had almost won it outright, to Dr lan Mac Lean (Dunedin). A challege was immediately extended by the winner to the chairman, Mr Forsyth, the reason given by Dr MacLean being that he felt that "Bob" was " just about his meat! "< When proposing the toast of Mr Nash, the chairman referred to the nature of the Minister's mission to England. He had, he said, heard Mr Nash speak on several occasions. While it was possible that some people might not agree with all that Mr Nash had to say, there were none who doubted his sincerity and who were not attracted by the Minister's personality. He wished Mr Nash every success in his efforts in England. Mr Nash paid a compliment to Mr Forsyth, Mr H. Davis (London manager of the Dairy Sales Division), and Dr R. M. Campbell (economic adviser at the High Commissioner's Office). In the relations he had with the United Kingdom Government, said Mr Nash, it was necessary that he should be " reinforced" with information of certain aspects of New Zealand's trade. In this he had been helped immensely by Mr Forsyth, and he questioned whether there was any man more competent to look after the affairs of the New Zealand meat producers in England than "Bob" Forsyth. "There Is not a single thing that I could usefully employ in the negotiations that he has not given me," said the Minister. " Politics do not matter over here. There is not a thing that Mr Forsyth could do for New Zealand in London that he has not done."

Mr Nash also complimented Mr Davis and Dr Campbell upon the manner in which they had presented the new marketing proposals for butter and cheese to English business men. They might not have agreed with the policy of the New Zealand Government, and it was possible that the change of policy might have caused many difficulties, yet they had presented the Government's' case in such a way as to win complete confidence. The transmission from the old procedure to the hew had been carried out in the United Kingdom in a superlatively able manner.

" I have met in the United Kingdom the leaders of commerce, finance, and of the distributive and manufacturing sections." continued Mr Nash. "I have been received with nothing but courtesy, shown to me from the time I landed. I am hoping, naturally, that we shall succeed in inducing the United Kingdom and its people to accept our proposals, but whether we do or not I am satisfied that we will do nothing that will sever our relations with the Old Country."