WELCOME HOME.

Otago Witness, Issue 3806, 22 February 1927, Page 69

WELCOME HOME.

AN ENTHUSIASTIC RECEPTION. WELLINGTON, February 14. A large and distinguished assemblage at the Town Hall to-night participated in the city’s welcome home to the Prime Minister (the Right Hon. J. G. ■ Coates) and Mrs Coates after their Imperial tour. In extending a welcome back to New Zealand on behalf of the citizens of Wellington, the Mayor said that the Dominion was proud of the part the Prime Minister had played iij bringing about that unity in the “grand old family” which had resulted from the Imperial Conference. Sir Robert Stout said the visit of Mr and Mrs Coates to the Homeland would be ever remembered as having done much to promote a splendid feeling of kindliness and amity between the Dominion and the other countries as well as Great Britain and Ireland. The Prime Minister was received with great applause on rising to reply. He dealt briefly with the question of overimportation which, no doubt, led some people into displaying a pessimistic opinion. Such a feeling was to be deprecated, as there was no need for pessimism in any shape or form. — (Applause.) Speaking of the need of good fellowship, the Prime Minister heartily endorsed the views on that point expressed by the previous speakers. That spirit had been promoted in every way by the last conference. —(Applause.) Business people had told him that when they bought a sample of New Zealand produce they could always depend or. the main shipment being true to sample and of the highest quality.— (Applause.) Referring to his visit to I* ranee, the Prime Minister paid a striking tribute to the loving care paid by the people of Franco to the graves of the New Zealand soldiers and also by the War Graves Commission. His visit to France had made him resolve to urge that they should leave nothing undone to prevent such a war in the future.—(Applause.) Dealing with the question of the Dominion’s autonomy, Mr Coates scouted the likelihood of one part of the Empire making a treaty with a foreign country that would implicate other parts of the Empire. If any Government of the Empire desired to make a treaty or enter into an arrangement" with a country outside the family, it could not become legal until the whole of the Empire had agiecd to it.—(Applause.) He was in agreement with Sir Robert Stout’s statement that the party spirit should not exist whore Imperial Conferences were concerned, and he hoped it never would. Elaborating his earlier statement that the Conference should be held with greater frequency, Mr Coates suggested that not more than four years should intervene between the gatherings.