DOMINION'S FUTURE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 20127, 21 April 1928, Page 8

DOMINION'S FUTURE

NO NEED FOR FEAR GOVERNOR-GENERAL CONFIDENT [ Special “ Chronicle ” Service ] AUCKLAND, April 20. Provided the present generation of young New Zealanders are trained in the same way as their fathers and grandfathers were there need be no fear for the future of the Dominion. That was a point made by thc Gov-ernor-General. Sir Charles Fergusson, in addressing thc Auckland Chamber of Commerce at its monthly luncheon to-day. "It is three years since I last had the pleasure of addressing you,’ said Sir Charles. "In that time I have wandered round a great deal of the country trying to learn what 1 can; I have visited factories as well as farm lands in an endeavour to learn about your secondary as w r ell as your primary industries, and the three years have been very interesting ones to me.” One significant comment w;w; made by Sir Charles in telling of his visit to New Zealand’s dependencies. "We visited the islands in the South Seas where New Zealand is administrating native races in the way they should be administrated,’ he said. "One feels proud of the race which can produce such administrators. ’ ’ Pioneering Spirit Still Lives. "What have we learned from our travels throughout New Zealand?” asked his Excellency. The first point, he added, was that those touring the country should ever bear in mind that New Zealand had been built up in 80 years by a small population. Accordingly tourists should marvel at what they got and not grumble at what they did not get. To travel thc country filled one with intense admiration for the work of the early pioneers. One learned that the old spirit of pioneering was not dead. It could be seen in thc backblocks districts to-day, where people were miles from roads and were for many months of the year completely ' cut off from communication with the outside world. Provided the young people of New Zealand were brought up in the same way as their fathers and grandfathers were there need be no fear as to the Dominion’s future. Schools were making every effort, he felt sure, to develop that spirit. No Doubt of Loyalty. "The spirit of hospntality and social service is predominant in New Zealand above all other countries I know,” declared his Excellency. "New Zealand may show its institutions before the world and be proud of them. That does not mean, of course, that no further improvement is possible. Ninety-eight per cent, of thc people are British in character as well as in race, and that fact is most

encouraging for the future. There are admittedly a few cranks, but loyalty to King and country is the mainspring of all.”

Concluding with an offering of what he termed " a few platitudes,” Sir Charles emphasised that the prosperity of the country depended on the development and expansion of its export industry and on the development of the home market. There should be no interference, however well meant and however fruitful of immediate benefits of the normal workings o'* the ordinary economic laws. "You canndt have any great increase in the home markets and industry u ss you have a sufficiently large population, and that leads one to the thorny subject of immigration,” added Sir Charles. "You must remember that Immigrants are not people who take bread out of the mouths of other people. If they are the right sort of immigrants and can be employed in production they have a purchasing power which assists industry. ’ ’