EMPIRE EXHIBITION

Otago Witness, Issue 3595, 6 February 1923, Page 18

EMPIRE EXHIBITION

REPORT ON NEW ZEALAND. LONDON, January 28. It is understood that the report to which Sir James Allen objected is being rewritten and parts deleted. This is the result of the Duke of Devonshire's intervention. He disclaimed responsibility for some of the statements, which are regarded as irrelevant and wanting in accuracy. Mr E. A. Belcher, in replying to Sir James Allen, says that the report was a private document for the executive, and was impartially discussed. Various views were conveyed to him while he was m New Zealand, and he followed the same plan in reporting on the other dominions. He did not approve of the publication of the extracts in the newspapers. As regards the inflation of land valuations, Mr Belcher says that this was instanced in all the reports. It also applied to Britain. No figures were given in the report except such as were supplied officially. The general trend of the New Zealand report was to emphasise the variety of wealth and the undeveloped resources of the dominion ; also the remarkable jump in the quantity and quality of dairy produce. No criticisms were made on any dominion except those based on local expert information. January 29. Referring to Mr Belcher's cabled report, Mr Donne, •of the New Zealand office, said that as soon as Sir James Allen received the conv he wrote to the Duke of Devonshire protesting that, apart from their inaccuracy, the statements were most irrelevant. The Duke of Devonshire replied admitting the unfortunate irrelevancy, but said he understood the report was confidential. Mr Wintour took the same view. “It is a little difficult,” said Mr Donne, “to accept the management’s explanation. The report was widely circulated and extracts were furnished bv the publicity staff to many provincial newspapers, one of which headed them, ‘disastrous results of inflated land values.’ The extracts stated that, despite New Zealand’s prosperity, the farmers were in a perilous position. The report proceeded to say that many farmers had been ruined and -others were so loaded with mortgages that they owned neither farms nor stock. How can the management claim that the document was confidential?” concluded Mr Donne, “when the publicity staff issued it to the press?” ■ Mr Wintour attributed the publication to the mistake of an over-zealous official. MR MASSEY’S REPLY. WELLINGTON, January 31. In connection with the statements contained in the report of Major Belcher’s Empire Exhibition Mission to New Zealand last year the Primie Minister, in the course of an interview, said: “I think we understood in New Zealand when Major Belcher and those associated with him came to this country last year that their special business was to ascertain what support would be given by New Zealand to the forthcoming British Empire Exhibition, and I cannot understand now why the members of the mission should have deemed it any part of their duty to report upon the financial or commercial position of the country, or whether its producers happened at the’ time to be prosperous or passing through a depression. As a matter of fact, while the mission was in the dominion the ‘slump, as it is called, was uppermost in the minds of most of the people of New Zealand not only among her public men but the producers themselves. As for the value of land, land can be bought in New Zealand from £1 to £2OO per acre according to its quality, the improvements thereon, and whether accessible or otherwise. I know of a district in the North Island where the settlers make a speciality of potato-growing, and I have heard it stated frequently that during the present season it has not been unusual for settlers to have made a profit of £IOO per acre. I do not know what Major Beleher, or the members of the mission, would think such land would be worth per acre, notwithstanding the fact that this season happens to be a particularly good one. It is quite correct that for the past two years most of our settlers have had a difficulty in making ends meet, but I t'hink I am right in saying that New Zealand was not an exception in this respect.

The position has changed, I am glad to say. The prices for our primary products are very much better, and the outlook has improved accordingly. As for our railways, I do not know whether the members of toe mission profess to be experts in railway management, but they must have noticed that our railway gauge in New Zealand was only 3ft 6in, as compared with 4ft Biin in older countries. We are handicapped, at any rate, to this extent, but have heard men with great experience of working railways state that the business done by our gauge for comparatively long distances was really wonderful. I know, of course, that toe New Zealand railways cannot compare with the British or American lines, but the system on which we started oannot be changed except by the expenditure of an immense amount of capital, time, and labour, so that we have to be satisfied with what we have got, and with careful administration make the most of it. This is altogether apart from local criticisms which we hear. But in spite of everything said to the contrary the financial results of our railways will compare favourably with those in other parts of the Empire, specially during the difficult times through which the world is passing since the Great War. As to the grading of our dairy herds, we may not have done everything possible in this respect, but I venture to say that we in New Zealand are miles ahead in the grading of our dairy herds as compared with any part of the United Kingdom. The line of criticism taken by the members of the mission who visited the dominion does not tend to encourage that friendly feeling between the people of this country and Great Britain which New Zealanders all desire, nor does it inspire confidence, so far as the exhibition is concerned. I sincerely hope that tne exhibition will be a great success. In promising an expenditure of £60,000- from this country I, as Minister of Finance, went as far as was possible at the time, but if we can afford a larger expenditure, and if it is necessary, I am sure there will be no cheese paring. New Zealand will do her share in proportion to her population and resources, and I think that is all that can be asked for. As for the remarks of the mission in respect to hotel accomodation, I do not pretend that the hotels in this country can compare in magnitude with the Hotel Cecil in London, for instance. New Zealand has not yet reached that stage, but I have done my share of travelling in the dominion, and I can say I have been as comfortable and as well looked after in hotels in different parts of New Zealand as I have been in much larger hostelries in the older countries of the world.’’