PRESS CONFERENCE.

Waikato Times, Volume 107, Issue 18024, 20 May 1930, Page 8

PRESS CONFERENCE.

DOMINION DELEGATION.

ARRIVAL IN CANADA- “ VERY HOSPITABLE PEOPLE.” The New Zealand representatives en route to the Imperial Press Conference at London via Canada found the people of our sister Dominion wonderfully hospitable and keenly alive, riot only to the scenic beauties of New Zealand, but to the possibilities of increased trade. Honour for Waikato. Mr A. E. Manning, managing director of the Waikato Times in a letter to one of the staff, who replied on behalf of the New Zealand delegation at a luncheon by the Mayor of Victoria, 8.C., the first function to the visitors on Canadian soil, remarked that he was naturally proud that the Waikato should have the honour of providing the speaker. Praise for Hamilton. On the trip across Mr Manning met many Americans and Canadians who had been in Hamilton. They were loud in their praise of the town. Among them was a tourist agent who had conducted several New Zealand tours for an American agency, and who in future intended to include Hamilton in all tours. The agent remarked that he was greatly pleased with the new Hamilton Hotel. He considered the river and surroundings most beautiful and picturesque. Another passenger was a wealthy Canadian who had been to Matangi to see Ranstead Brothers’ shorthorns. He considered they had a fine herd, one cow in particular being the finest he had seen. This Canadian was greatly impressed by the Ruakura Farm, and spoke highly of the courtesy extended to him by Mr A. W. Green. All the Canadians and Americans were enthusiastic about New Zealand and its people. On the day of their arrival in the British Columbian capital the New Zealand delegation was greeted by the following editorial in Victoria’s morning paper, The Daily Colonist: — OUR N.Z. CONTEMPORARIES. If in the course of the daily round and common task to-day any of the people of Victoria should happen to meet strangers who appear somewhat above the common order of womankind and mankind, the women more than ordinarily beautiful and well and tastefully dressed, the men obviously of a superior type intellectually and physically—let the people of Victoria, noted for early rising and diligence in business, pause for a moment while we introduce the strangers within our gates to them. The visitors are representatives of the press of the far-off sister island of New Zealand. Make a lowly obeisance to them and pass upon your several ways. The moulders of public opinion from down under ” are on their way to the seat of Empire in London. They are passing through Canady, where they will make notes of what they see and be entertained as they pass upon their way, and be joined by representatives of the Canadian press, who will also take part in deliberations which may have considerable effect in moulding the destinies of the Empire—-and there are many people of pessimistic views who sincerely believe that the destinies of the Empire require considerable moulding at the present time. There are no pessimists in Canada, of course, for, like New Zealand, Canada is not confronted with a crisis of any kind at the present time, although the present year may prove a momentous year in our economic history for we are facing a general election and a prospect of disruption of our business relations with the United States. The first will do us no harm and may do us much good. The last may have a disturbing effect for a time, but in the end it also will do us good. It will make us more dependent upon our own resources and convince us of the necessity of cultivating trade relations with the sister Dominions of the Empire, particularly with the great Dominions in the Southern Seas, with the Mother Country, and with all nations willing to do business with us upon mutually advantageous terms._ The press conference which will take place in London shortly will be followed a month or two later by an Imperial Economic Conference in the same place. We look forward with hope to the results of both those important gatherings. . If it is true that the British Empire is facing serious problems of a political as well as an economic nature, the Imperial press representatives will have important business on their hands, and we have confidence in their capacity to dead with that business. We have been told by other visitors from New Zealand that climatically and physically the island in the South is very much like our own loved island in the North and that there is no part of the world in which New Zealanders feel more at home than they do here. So The Colonist-extends a cordial welcome to the newspaper men from the South and trusts that their visit to Canada may be thoroughly profitable and enjoyable. *