MR. FRASER'S TOUR

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 172, 23 July 1942, Page 5

MR. FRASER'S TOUR

AUSTRALIAN VISIT

Inspection Of Jap. Submarines At Sydney Rec. 11 a.m. SYDNEY, this day. Mr. Fraser, Prime Minister of New Zealand, spent a most interesting afternoon yesterday inspecting Japanese submarines which raided Sydney harbour, the action being explained to him by Rear-Admiral Muirhead-Gould. Last night he was the guest at a dance arranged by the New Zealand Auxiliary War Unit in honour of New Zealand soldiers. Mr. Fraser said he had been invited by Mr. Curtin, Commonwealth Prime Minister, to attend a meeting of the Australian War Council to be held next week, and will be pleased to accept the invitation. Mr. Fraser to-day met Mr. Curtin, General Mac Arthur, Admiral Leary and other officers of the Services. Brigadier-General P. J. Hurley, United States Minister to New Zealand, was also present. Later, Mr. Fraser spent an hour with General Mac Arthur and discussed at length the war situation in the Pacific and the world generally. Meets Men From Middle East Mr. Fraser also attended an informal reception at the rooms of a New Zealand war unit, where he met a number of New Zealand returned soldiers, most of whom have been prisoners of war in Italy. Mr. Fraser told them the exploits of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in Greece, Crete, Libya and Egypt have been most favourably commented upon by General Mac Arthur and by high Australian officers, also that Mr. Churchill, in a recent speech in the House of Commons, had singled out the New Zealanders for special mention. Mr. Churchill had sent to New Zealand a verbatim copy of his speech.

Mr. Fraser told the men their deeds had won them part of New Zealand and the Government would see that it would be given them. Mr. Fraser spoke to each officer and man individually and sought information regarding places he had visited during his visit to Egypt and the men he had met.

The Prime Minister said all would be pleased to know that LieutenantGeneral Sir Bernard Freyberg, V.C., Commander of the N.Z.E.F., had so far recovered from his wound that he was attending a conference of commanding officers in Egypt. General Smuts, South African Prime Minister, had offered to fly General Freyberg and Lady Freyberg to South Africa, where the general could recuperate, but General Freyberg preferred to remain near his division.

Mr. Fraser said he was greatly impressed by General Mac Arthur's extraordinary knowledge and wide grasp of the world situation, also by his dynamic personality.