“OUR ELEANOR” ARRIVES

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 87, Issue 203, 28 August 1943, Page 5

“OUR ELEANOR” ARRIVES

MRS. ROOSEVELT IN NEW ZEALAND , “FIRST LADY” OF UNITED STATES (By Telegraph -Press Association—Copyright) (P-A.) Auckland. Aug. 27. New Zealand to-day welcomed a guest whose like has never visited this country before— Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of the President of the United States. America s First Lady,” affectionately known to her radio and Press fans in U.S.A, as Our Eleanor,’ is on a tour which includes New Zealand. Mrs. Roosevelt arrived at an air station near Auckland in a. Liberator bomber and was greeted by the Governor-General, Sir Cyril Newall, who had come from Wellington specially for that purpose. The Primo Minister, the Rt. Hon. P. Fraser, could not be present, but lie was represented by Mrs. Fraser and the Hon. Maltcr Nash, Minister of Finance, and Nrw Zealand Minister to Washington, who was accompanied by Mrs. Nash. The I’nited States ( harge d Affaires at Wellington, Mr. Raymond E. (’ox. and Mrs. Cox were also present.

1 he purpose 01. ?.lrs. Koos wh s tour is threefold—to visit units of the United States forces, to inspect establishments of the American Red Cross, whose grey uniform she wore on her arrival, and to sec as much as possible of New Zealand women engaged in war work. At the air station Mrs. Roosevelt made a short broadcast to the whole Dominion, was entertained at afternoon tea, and he'd a Press conference’. The whole official partv left at 5 p.m. by special train for Wellington which should be reached at 10.15 a.m. tomorrow. Mrs. Roosevelt's programme in New Zealand could not be finalised before her arrival, but according to tentative arrangements it was expected to include an official welcome by the Prime Minister and memb rs of the Government and Parliament at ton railway station to-morrow morning, and a Slate reception in Parliament House to-morrow afternoon. She will insoect American camps, hospitals and clubs in th? vicinity of Wellington. During her stay the’’’ she will be a guest at Government House. One day of the Dominion tour will probably be (L’vr.tc l to • ■fitln ' r'otnrua. and if this eventuates the Maori people there will tender a welcome. It is regarded as certain that Mrs. Roosevelt will spend some two days in seeing American establishments in and near Auckland. It is hoped to arrange a mid-day civic recetpion in the Town Hall. Accompanying Mrs. Roosevelt are Major George D. Dorno, Air Transport Command public relations officer and former White House correspondent, who had made many tours witn Pres.dent Roosevelt, Lieutenant-Com-mander Douglas Moulton, representing Admiral W. F. Halsey, commanding the South Pacific Area, and Miss Marie C. Ryan, supervisor ol the American Red Cross in the South Pacific Area. Broadcasting on her arrival, Mrs. Roosevelt said: “I am very pleased to land and see Mr. and Mrs. Nash waiting to greet me. I am very happy to have this opportunity of coming to New Zealand. It was a great pleasure to me and 1 wanted to bring my husband’s greetings and the wish that he was able to be with me. but as he could not I am glad I was ab:e to come, because long ago you were kind enough to ask me to come and see tlw work that the women in New Zealand were doing. That will be a great privilege for me. I was happy last autumn to visit Great Britain and see what, the women were doing there, and I shall be happy to s'e i. here and then to go back and teil our people at. home of the achievements of the women of this country. In addition, 1 am particularly glad to be able to come to see my own countrymen, who are so far away from their own homes, and in that connection 1 would like to say a word to th? women of this country: You may not. know it, hut already at horn? a great many mothers and wives arc grateful to yon because of the hospitality which you have shown'our hoys in this country. They know you have taken them into your homes, and for that reason we feel you have done a great deal for us. and in a curious way we already feel that we know you and we ar? friends. I hope to speak to you again before f go, when 1 know more about your country and when I know everything that your women have been doing.” A variety of topics was touched on by Mrs. Roosevelt, at a Press conference which she granted shortly after her arrival. “I have had a very fast trip and I am not in the least tired,” she said. “It has been smooth and very pleasant all the way. 1 have seen thousands of our sailors. Marines and soldiers. 1 saw as many of the troops as I could and visited numerous hospitals. To all I have carried a message from my husband, for beside my visit, to New Zealand, which your pcopl? have been kind to ask me to make, my husband felt it would be a very good thing for

me to stop and see as many soldiers a.< I could and tell them what a grand job Iwe at home think they have been doing.” ; Mrs. Roosevelt, admitted that she ,had been excited by all she had seen. “I haxe never crossed the Equator before,’’ she said, “or th? international date line, so I have had aH the feeling of a newcomer. At the first coral is’anj I saw I wondered how we ever picked such a tiny dot up and why the first wave which came along did not wash it away.” Speaking of the feelings produced by her visits Io servicemen in the Pacific. Mrs. Roosevelt, said they had been the s tme both during her present trip and during her tour last October to Great Britain. “1 was in Great Britain,” she said, “just before and during the landings in North Africa, and I was with the first American paratroop formation to be used in North Africa only two days, before they went into action. From ' them and from everyone else T have gained the feeling that they have no illusions about the glory of war, but they have a grim determination that thev are going to do the job. do it well, and see it through.” Answering a question about the Interest Americans now hav rt in New Zealand, Mrs. Roosevelt said that before the Pacific war there was comparatively little contact with New Zealand people. • “However.” she said, “since then th“ i boys have been writing home and saying what a nice country it. is. how well ihc people entertain them, esneciallv in their homes, and perhaps i how they would like to come back here after th? war is over to stay. [You would b' surprised how very iappreciative they are that they have ibe?n taken into your homes.” Of th? purnoses of her visit Mrs. Roosevelt said rhe would be particularly interested in seeing the work of th? women of New’ Zealand. She also wanted to se? as many American ’Servicemen as possible and what the i American Red Cross was doing toI ward their welfare. She said th? ' Director of th? American Red Cross ; had asked her to make the visit as a ■ special representative of the Red Cross and to take back to him a firsthand impression of what was being don n . Mrs. Roosevelt discussed several ouestions about the wav in which sh* thought women would respond to -war plans. “I think.” sh? said, “that the thing’ ?n? dreads are sometimes ant to be forgotten as quickly as possible. Because something is disagreeable, like war. we often try to forget it as soon ns it ic ov r r. But this time I am sure v? will realise we have to remember the dreadful things and try tn see that they do not happen again.”