CIVIC DINNER. TO THEIR EXCELLENCIES.

Waikato Times, Volume 107, Issue 18030, 27 May 1930, Page 7

CIVIC DINNER.

TO THEIR EXCELLENCIES.

LORD BLEDISLOE’S ADVICE. KEEP PRODUCE UNIFORMLY GOOD. PRESERVE DOMINION’S SCENERY. There was a large gathering of public men and their wives at a civic dinner given to their Excellencies, Lord and Lady Bledisloe, at the Hamilton Hotel-last night. His Worship the Mayor, Mr J. R. Fow, presided.

After honouring the Royal toast, His Excellency said that quite irregularly and contrary to the programme he would give them 1 another toast—that of Her Majesty the Queen —because it was her birthday. He was sure all would be pleased to honour the toast of the first lady of the Empire, the first .socially and the one who was entitled to the respect of all, a woman who had been an ideal mother and wife. (Applause.) His Excellency said he did not think he was exaggerating when he said that but for Her Majesty’s assiduous care for our beloved King, His Majesty would not be alive to-day. (Applause.) The toast was drunk enthusiastically. In proposing the toast of their Excellencies, the Mayor said he esteemed it a great honour that, so early in their sojourn in this country, their Excellencies had found time to visit Hamilton. We in New Zealand, he said, had been exceedingly fortunate in the various representatives of the King we had had here, and as we looked over the past, we could not but feel that,we were indeed a generation that God-had blessed. Invariably we had been furnished with Governors who had lived to the highest ideals of British gentlemen. We welcomed the gue'sts that evening and hoped they felt that while' in a new land they were not in a strange land. , (Applause.) To come here meant freaking up home ties, and it, was a great sacrifice in other ways. "When,” said the speaker, “I noticed that her Ladyship oame from the land of romance, of poetry and musicWales —I wondered how her homeland competed with New Zealand in its place-names.’’ (Laughter.) He thought that as her Ladyship went through this land, the wonderful scenery might help to compensate for something she had lost of home life. New Zealanders were proud of their country. Many a land smaller than New Zealand had produced wondrous and-lasting things. New Zealand believed she had a destiny. (Applause). lje hoped that our distinguished guests would' come to realise that New Zealand was a piece of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, all flourishing under brighter conditions than obtained in the northern hemisphere. (Hear,, hear.) New Zealand desired to associate herself more and more with the traditions that-' had been handed down- from the Old' Land. (Applause). Concluding, Mr Fow said he hoped, before their Excellencies departed, from these shores, they would" pay Hamilton a further visit, when they would find the .town, which had started as a mili-tary-encampment a little over 60 years ago,-had grown to a city. (Hear! .hear!)

- , Loyalty of New Zealanders. Mr T. Hinton, Waikato County Chairman, was very pleased to join with., the Mayor in extending a very hearty and loyal welcome to the representatives of His Majesty, the King. He spoke of the very great loyalty of New Zealanders to the throne. New Zealanders were very pleased when they learned of the capabilities of the present Governor-General and of his great- interest in farming and the farmers of New Zealand were looking for some tip from His Excellency before he left (laughter). The Dominion was able to produce a great amount of stuff of value to the Old Country, but something went radically wrong between the time the produce was manufactured and the time it reached the consumer. He hoped Ilis* Lordship, after several years stay in New Zealand would he able to place his finger on the weak spot..and indicate it to the farmers of this country. (Applause); -y . "Mr D. Seymour, president of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, was delighted to associate himself with the previous" speakers in welcoming their Excellencies to Hamilton. He referred to the close ties which bound New Zealand to the Mother Country, and so the Hamilton people would look forward to 'many visits from Lord and Lady Bledisloe to Hamilton. The Waikato had been described as the dairy farm of the Empire and he was sure the farmers would "appreciate any advice His Excellency could give them on methods and agriculture. (Applause). The gathering then sang “ For They are Jolly Good Fellows.” • His Excellency, who was greeted with applause, said -his wife and he, already had, during their short sojourn in New Zealand received many hearty welcomes, but he thought Her Excellency would agree they had received none so hearty, felicitous or more eloquent in their peculiar way, than they had received that night. The 99 per cent, loyalty was so sincere, so obvious and so immortal that it became unnecessary to stress it. lie only ventured to-hope that five years hence, they would have justified that anticipatory description given of them of “ jolly good fellows.” His Excellency said Her Ladyship and he could hardly have done otherwise than' pay an early visit to Hamilton, as the first invitation they received, while still on the boat and while they were still the victims* of mal de mer, was . one to visit Hamilton. (Laughter and applause). His Lordship said he had learned from' the Waikato Times that Hamilton was a very important place, that it was the centre of Waikato, and that Waikato was the Empire’s dairy farm. It only required the additional mention of the latter, to cause them to pay a hasty visit here.

Importance of Dairying. Speaking of the importance of dairying, His Excellency said lie was sure Mr.J. A. Young must be a proud man indeed to represent such a city, the centre of an industry which was one of the main sources of the Dominion’s revenue. He could not help thinking that the pioneers were men of great foresight in faking steps to see that the town was properly endowed. “ Although,” added His Excellency, “ I have come here to sit at the feet of the cow cockies to learn, I do -think you should keep in mind what the British public wants and keep conscious of its changing tastes. Although the taste of the British con-

sumer might be peculiar and change from'time to time, it would pay New Zealand to watch that taste and respond to it even if that taste is unreasonable and unnatural.” He believed this district w r as capable of providing an immensely larger output than it was producing to-day, and of commanding a market for its produce so long as it catered for the taste of the consuming public and sent over a produce -that was uniformly good. In saying uniformly good, His Excellency thought that while high quality was important, unformity was more important still. The British Housewife, when she came across any food she liked, would go to her grocer for a repeat order, but once she found that commodity of a varying nature, she would quickly vere off in another direction. It was, added the speaker, not so much in the production, but in the marketing of a uniformly good product that New Zealand must look -to maintain an ever increasing market in the Old Country and elsewhere. • Lord Bledisloe remarked that he was in New Zealand, however, to learn rather than to preach. If it was within the province of a Governor-General and representative of His Majesty the King to help the Dominion at the head of whose Government he stood He believed it might be possible, aft r studying the conditions in this country, for him to lend some small assistance in indicating how the British market could best be won and retained. (Applause). A Wonderful Country.

Speaking of New Zealand s sceneiy, His Excellency said no place in the world possessed within so small a compass the beauty and variety of scenery which New Zealand possessed. Many of the centres of population in the Dominion, he was glad to note, had realised how important it was to preserve the natural beauties and he was pleased to know that Hamilton had a Beautifying Society. If there was one organisation to which he wished all good luck, it was the Beautifying Society. (Applause). The society, in Hamilton was doing, within its own limited area, what he ventured to predict New Zealand as a whole would do in the future. As wanderlust increased and means of travel became easier, New Zealand, with all the available assets to attract tourists, should- be able to earn a very considerable revenue outside that derived from her exports. He expressed the sincere hope that the country would be preserved from the vandalism that was perpetrated in the name of commerce, as had -happened in so many parts of the Old Country. While much beautiful bush in New Zealand had already been destroyed, the past could not be recalled, but he hoped the process would not continue. He thought it would be found in the long run that to retain the bush, would be to the economic advantage of the country. The Old Country was beginning to realise, alas too late, that it was a mistake to allow industrialism to. despoil the face of the country. His Lordship said he belonged to the Society of the Preservation of Rural England, whose object it was to try and stem the spoliation of the face of that beautiful Old Country in the so called interest of industry. , . ' His Excellency concluded his address by remarking that he was immensely impressed with what he had so far seen of the Dominion. New Zealand was a wonderful. country,--which was producing men and women beautiful in outlook, a country that was destined to become the brightest jewel in the crown, of the British Empire. (Applause). Hjs Excellency observed, before resuming his seat,- that Her Ladyship and. he would certainly again endeavour to visit Hamilton, where they had found such loyal and hospitable people. (Loud applause).