VISITORS FROM AUSTRALIA.

Otago Witness, Issue 3030, 10 April 1912, Page 7

VISITORS FROM AUSTRALIA.

TRIP TO TAIERI MOUTH. The members of the Australasian Provincial Press Association who came to Dunedin on Monday were taken to Taieri Mouth on Wednesday as the guests of the livening Star and Otago Daily Times Companies. The clay was sunny and warm, and the beautiful bush scenery of the river gorge was admired by everybody. Mr M'Kegg's smart little oil launch Moturata made the run of seven or eight niilea from Henley to the mouth in good 1 time. An excellent lunch was provided for tho parly at Mrs Phillips's house, after which the visitors strolled about for a couple of hours to view tho many attractive snots to be found in this picturesque part of tho coastline. Subsequent to lunch, a few speeches were made. Mr G. Fcnwick (Ota#o Daily Times) said he could not allow the visitors to go away without saying how welcome they were to this part of the Dominion. On behalf of the newspaper proprietors ho had been asked to say, and hi said personally, that it had afforded i-hnm the greatest pleasure to extend a little hospitality to tho visitors. Ho recalled Hit: occasion three years ago on which he had the pleasure of meeting one of the most prominent members of tho pirty—•<genrleman who had taken a deep interest in cable matters for some years past. He referred to Mr Tcmperley —(Applause.) As one who had been associated with that gentleman at the Press Conference throe years ayo, he recognised Mr Tcmperley 's many good qualities, and especially the persistence with which lia pushed forward the scheme for chcapi r cable communication, which eventually oanie to fruition.—(Applause.) It had been a pleasure to again meet Mr Temper ley aid to welcome him and the other Australian visitors to New Zealand, lie thanked the guests for their visit, and hoped they would cany back with them to Australia the nic.it. pleasant recollections of Nov Zealand. —Applause.) Mr M. Cohen (Evening Star) also welcomed tho delegates to New Zealand, and expressed the hope that at some future time they would return to these shores, if not, in a representative character, as members of the community, and so renew friendships that, he hud' no doubt, would continue for many a long day.—(Applause.) Referring to the Press Conference, he hoped that if it re-assemb'.ed in the near future its members would have the hearty co-operation of the press of Australasia in the establishment of an Atlantic cable that would belong to the Empire and be tho actual property of the press of the Empire in so far as the transmission of news was concerned.—(Applause.) People had no id«:i. of what 'ay behind such a nrojeet The present arrangement was anti-Imperial and anti-English in every sense of the word, and, further, it was a severe handicap in the transmission of news to Australia, because the chargo over the Atlantic

cable, owned as it was by a gigantio monopoly, was 6d per word. He spoke of the work accomplished at the Press Conference to bring about improved cable communication, which had resulted in the establishment recently of the deferredcable system, from which, he believed, the pople would reap great benefit in the near future—(Applause.) He trusted that with ttie assistance of the Governments of Canada, Australia, and New Zealand an Empire cable would before long soon cross the Atlantic for the diffusion of news. He was sure it would prove a blessing to the world at large.—(Applause.) Again he assured their guest* of a welcome to New Zealand, and said if they returned at any time they would be greeted as heartily aa on tins occasion. —(Applause.) Mr T. Temperley (Ballina, New South Uah-s) acknowledged the welcome to the visitors. It was a pleasure to them nob only to meet representatives of the press bur also a number of the citizens of Dunedin.—(Applause.) It was a pleasure to him, too, to renew friendships he had formed at the Press Conference. He regretted that several members of the party had found it necessary to turn back without coming as far as Dunedin. Ho was sure they would have been well repaid could they have coino south and seen Dunedin as the company present that day had seen it.—(Applause.) For himself, he had been impressed with the capabilities of the city, with its size, and with its splendid commercial buildings; also, with the fine woollen mill they had visited on the previous day. He had also been delighted to come across so many Scottish people in and about the city. Ho had indeed been interested to find people replying to him in a dialect ho had also heard in New South Wales, and which ho always appreciated. Further, it had baen pleasing in this mild climate to see so many people with beautiful complexions, and to many lasses with pink cheeks. The tour through New Zealand had certainly been a very memorable one. The delegates, he was sure, had been impressed with the beautiful scenery it had been their lot to visit. They had seen Rotorua and the Waitomo Oaves; they had seen Dunedin, aiui now they were about to visit the cold lakes. New Zealand was perhaps the only country in tho world where the people could undertake to show both cold lakes and hot lakes, and it could claim, he believed, to bo the only country in the world which collected these natural wonders within its own territory. Switzerland had its beautiful lakes and glaciers which attracted so many people to that part of the world, but it had no hob springs and geysers. In New Zealand, too, they had the deep fiends of the Weeb Coast, which were equal in their grandeur and beauty to anything that could be seen in Norway. (Applause.) The Dominion possessed scenery and wonders which, were they only nearer the great populous centres of tho world, would attract visitors by thou-sands.-(Applause.) Ho was sure thab when tho visitors leturned to their own land they would let the public know something about the beauties of this territory. Descriptions of tho tour would be scattered far and wide throughout Australia, and would no doubt induce many visitors to come here. Speaking on tho subject of federation, Mr Temperley said it was generally agreed, wherever they had been, that it wouid perhaps be an unreasonable thing to expect that New Zealand should bo controlled in any degree by a Government so far away as Sydney or Melbourne. At tho samo time they realised that it was advisable to have a bond of union in many respects—a bond of union that would increase as the years rolled on, —and that in certain directions it might bo possible t° enter into reciprocal arrangements as far as Customs and other interests were concerned.—(Applause.) Ho also wanted to say that the delegates had been treated right royally in all parts of the Dominion, and their visit, in consequence, had been a most pleasant one.—(Applause.) They also appreciated the valuable privileges extended to them by the Government. Mr Asher (Melbourne) endorsed all that Mr Temperley had said. Tho delegates had been highly gratified at tho reception extended to them throughout Now Zealand. (Applause.) He wished to mention that it was to Dunedin that tho credit belonged for having introduced this party of pressmen to New Zealand. 'Without Mr Somervillo's hearty and very cordial invitation when he attended two conferences in Australia it was not likely that the trip would have been undertaken.--(Applause.) Ho was sure they were all thankful to Mr Somerville for his invitation.-(Ap-plause.) On the call of Mr 0. Briggs (Mount Morgan, Queensland) three hearty cheers wore given by the delegates for their entertainers. On the return journey to Henley a vote of thanks waa accorded Mr M'Kegg for placing his launch at the disposal of the partv, 3 and cheers wero given for Mr and Mrs' M'Kegg. The visitors left lor Queenstown on Thursday morning.