MR MASSEY'S MISSION

Te Aroha News, Volume XIXXX, Issue 6382, 23 August 1923, Page 2

MR MASSEY'S MISSION

SENTIMENT OF EMPIRE

BRITISH PREFERENCE

COM PUM E NTARY DINNER

SPEECHES

The complimentary dinner tendered to the Prime Minister (the Right Hon. W. F. Massey, P.C.) by the Wellington Chamber of Commerce at the Empire Hotel on Saturday, on the occasion of his leaving New Zealand to attend the Imperial and Economic Conference to be held at London in October next, proved a most successful function. There was a large attendance, the great dining-hall just comfortably accommodating those present. Mr J. Myers (president of the Chamber) occupied the chair, on his right being the Prime Minister and on his left the Mayor of Wellington (Mr R. A. Wright, M.P.), and other distinguished guests were Sir Robert Stout, P.C., K.C.M.G. (Chief Justice), the Hon. W. Downie Stewart (Minister for Industries and Commerce), Mr N. Elmslie (H.M. Trade Commissioner), and Mr T. M. Wilford (Leader of the Opposition).

‘The People are Behind You.”

After the usual loyal toast had been duly honored the chairman said:— “We come hero to honor our Prime Minister, who is to be our representative at the Empire Economic Conference.” On behalf of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce he extended a very hearty welcome to Mr Massey and the other guests. They thought, he said, that the least that the Chamber of Commerce of the Empire City could do was to give the Prime Minister a good send-off on his important mission. (Applause.) Several weighty matters were to be dealt with at the conference, and meetings of the Chambers of Commerce throughout the Dominion had been held to discuss those in which they were chiefly interested, the questions of trade within the Empire, and the resolutions passed had been forwarded to Mr Massey so that he might know that he had the people of New Zealand behind him in his work at the conference. He hoped that he would have a safe and pleasant trip., and that his representation of the Dominion at the conference would he productive of great benefit, not only to New Zealand but to the whole of the British Empire. (Loud applause.) He only regretted that the state of Mrs Massey’s health was such that she would not be able to accompany her husband, and they all wished her a speedy recovery. He gave the toast “Our Guest,” which was drunk with musical honors, followed by applause and cheers and a cheer for Mrs Massey. L .

The Prime Minister

The Prime Minister, who was received with loud and long-continued applause and cheers, and “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow,” thanked those present for their kindly welcome, and for the very kindly thought which had prompted that important and representative gathering. He could assure them, he added, that he appreciated everything that had been said, and before going - further, he wanted to take the opportunity of thanking; the president and the vice-president for their very kind reference to Mrs Mastsey and himself, and all the members, of the chamber for the presentation, of the fountain-pen, which soemed to be a particularly handsome one. He could only say that he would us.eit on every official occasion, and not'for any common purpose. When his signature was required to be appended to some official document, then, the pen would be forthcoming and used for the occasion. (Applause.) He hoped that at ■ the forthcoming Conference he would be able to do some little good for" the country he belonged to, and possibly some good also for the Empire: of which they were all proud to be citizens. (Loud applause.)

A United Empire. In proposing the toast, “The British Empire,” Mr Wilford said that he had no difficulty in accepting the invitation to the dinner, because there was no difference between the LiberalLabor Party and the Reform Party on the question of Empire. (Applause.) There never had been, and there never would be while he remained the Leader of the Liberal Party; and there was no toast which in any English-speak-ing country of. the world found n

readier response, than the toast which, he was called upon to propose. Especially was this the case in our little country, which had been rightly described aV, more British than Britain horsell. (Applause.) With so far-flung

an Empire as ours, it stood to reason J that the greatest brains and thought 1 were required to concrcle t lie different j count l i.'S, the dillVmil, nn< iunolil ew '

almost, because many of them had different nationalities within their spheres, into a homogeneous whole, and that was the duty of the statesmen of the Empire.. What was the spirit in which our representative would go to the Conference? It was the spirit and the belief that, not by written documents nor signed pacts could our Empire be maintained, but by mutual understanding and goodwill, based on fair reason, fair judgment, honesty of purpose, and consideration one for another. Those were the plain points which must be kept in the back of the mind, and would be kept in the back of the mind of the representative who went to the council tables of the Empire on behalf of this small portion of the great whole. (Applause).

“Sentiment of Empire is British.”

The sentiment of the Empire was British, but one of our greatest difficulties was that, out of its 450 millions of inhabitants, only from 60 to 70 millions were white. The population of the British Isles was practically 46 millions, and that of the overseas dominions 22 millions. If they were to be maintained as white countries, the dominions required that their empty spaces should be filled up by white immigrants. But, even during the present hard times, Britain had only U million unemployed, and Australia alone needed 20 millions. Britain had not got the millions to give. Let us by all means get our share of immigrants from the Motherland; but, in order to fill up the empty spaces that would still remain to be filled, he sugested that the dominions should also welcome to their shores the .Swedes, the Norwegians, and the Danes, many of whose fellow-countrymen had already proved themselves such good colonists. (Applause.) Dealing with defence matters he stressed the necessity for New Zealand contributing her full share to the naval defence of the Pacific, and strongly supported the construction of a naval base at Singapore. He also emphasised the need for preference within the Empire; and suggested that possibly the best way for Britain to give a preference to New Zealand would be by subsidising the shipping companies trading to this country, so that lower freights might be secured for our produce. (Loud applause.) The toast was drunk with great enthusiasm to the strains of “Rule Britannia.”

\ Critical Period.

His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (Mr N. Elmslie) suitably responded. It was his honest belief, he said, that the present time was one of the most critical periods through which the British Empire had ever passed; and its healthy development, if not its existence, depended upon the wisdom with which its affairs were handled in the near future. The coming- Imperial Conferences were, however, of ever greater moment than appeared from the Imperial standpoint alone, because the peace of the world depended upon the continued unity and strength of the British Empire more than upon anything- else. This was the first occasion on which a definite economic conference had been held- alongside the Imperial Conference; and that noteworthy event showed the great importance now attached to economic questions.

Prel'erence Difficulties

The difficulties in regard to a British preference to 'the dominions were very great, because the Continent of Europe still took twice the amount of British goods that the great dominions which gave a preference to Britain were taking to-day; so that, if the British preference to the dominions were to result in a tariff war with Europe, the dominions would need to take three times as much as they now took from Britain to make up for the loss of her Continental trade. But the dominions would have to grow greatly in population and productivity before that could be done. Further, as against any proposal to give a preference on our meat, it must be remembered that there were 400 millions of British capital invested in the Argentine, and that most of the produce grown there was grown by British settlers; while the Argentine took from Great Britain half as much more in goods than New Zealand did. However, there were other ways of giving’ a British preference to the dominions—

that, for instance, suggested by Mr

Wilford; and, under the seven head-

ings that it had to discuss, he hoped and believed that, Britain being so

anxious to reciprocate, a way would f be found to give the dominions prej; ferencc in return for that they had

i granted the Mother Country. (Ap--1 .clause.) lie joined in wishing the •Prime Minister bon voyage, a safe 4’siturn, and every success in his imp,«rtant mission. (Loud applause.) /.\ verso of 1 lie National Anthem la . 11 !vht | be proceeding's lo a close.