CANADA’S PART

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26532, 6 August 1947, Page 6

CANADA’S PART

BRITISH COMMONWEALTH HIGH COMMISSIONER WELCOMED “We in Canada are very proud of our association with the British Commonwealth of Nations—we sometimes pat ourselves on the back for doing something to create it,” said Mr A. E. Rive, the Canadian High Commissioner, yesterday, when he was entertained by the Mayor, Mr Cameron, at a morning tea function in the mayoral rooms. There was a representative gathering of citizens which included Mr W. Downie Stewart, Mr M. S. Myers, president of the Dunedin Returned Services’ Association, Mr C. J. Wood, president of the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce, Mr T. G. Tomkins, president of the Otago-Southland Manufacturers’ Association, the Rev. W. A. Stevely, president of the Dunedin Rotary Club, members of the local consular corps, and representatives of manufacturing and commercial inter6sts. “We read a good deal about New Zealand in Cfinada, and our ideas of New Zealand are perhaps somewhat better than they are about other parts of the world,” said Mr Rive. He added that during the war that knowledge was greatly extended because New Zealand had sent over a magnificent lot of ambassadors to Canada to take part in the Empire air training scheme. There were no more popular trainees than the men who belonged to the R.N.Z.A.F., said Mr Rive. * Example of Understanding Mr Rive said that members of the British Commonwealth of Nations had set an example of understanding which could be followed in the larger group constituting the United Nations Organisation. The fact that those in the British Commonwealth group had worked together and pulled together had been brought about by the fact that they were able to reach an agreement or to disagree amicably, and the latter was sometimes just as valuable

when the reason for disagreement was understood. The Canadian High Commissioner was welcomed by the Mayor, who said that this was Mr Rive’s introductory visit to Dunedin. Mr Cameron referred to the extensive preparations that were being made for the celebration of the centenary of Otago, and expressed the hope that Mr Rive would be able to visit Dunedin in centennial year. Endorsing the Mayor’s welcome, Mr Downie Stewart said that they all had pleasant recollections of previous High Commissioners and they were sure that Mr Rive would enjoy the same high regard as his predecessors. Mr Stewart spoke of the debt gll the Dominions owned to Canada, the senior dominion, which for many years had approached the status of a firstclass Power. Canada, added Mr Stewart, had acted as bridge between Great Britain and the United States, and it was due to wise statesmanship that the position had beer, established as firmly as it was. Modelled on Canadian System Mr Stewart said that the Canadians had evolved a system of constitutional Government with continued loyalty to the Crown, and all the pther dominions had modelled their systems of Government on the Canadian system. “New Zealand is under a debt to Canada for the hospitality shown to its servicemen in the last war and her liberality in helping Britain with hundreds of millions of dollars,” added Mr Stewart. “We must produce more, work harder and deliver more expeditiously if we are to pull our weight in the British Commonwealth,” said Mr Wood. “We know that Canada will not fail Britain, and we will do what we can in the dominion because if we pull together we can win the peace for the British Empire.” Mr Tomkins, who was also associated in the welcome to Mr Rive, referred to the necessity of planned acuon within the nations of the British Empire to assist Britain during the present economic crisis.