AT OLYMPIA

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 7, 9 July 1923, Page 3

AT OLYMPIA

PRIME MINISTER'S OPENING

ADDRESS

IMPORTANCE OF SECONDARY

INDUSTRIES,

Wellington Welcome Week festivities were officially opened on Saturday evening by the Prime Minister, the Right Hon. Mr. Massey, at Olympia, the new and spacious Harbour Board shed at the Pipitea Wharf. There was a large pttendance at the opening ceremony. The fine new building was brightly decorated with flags, whilst pot plants, palms, and ferns were distributed about the magnificent display of motor-cars which occupied the ,platform along the centre of the hall from end to end of the building. Amongst those present were tho Mayor (Mr. R. A. Wright, M.P.), Sir John Luke, M.P., and a number cf members of tho Legislature representing other parts of the Dominion; also the chief executive officers of the Welcome Week organisation.

The Mayor said th"at the present Welcome Week 'display was the first held m the history of Wellington. The motor exhibition was, ho understood, tha largest, that had been hold in New Zealand up to the present time.

The Prime Minister, in his official opening address, congratulated those who ■had been .mainly instrumental in bringing, about the exhibition on the succesßful result of their labours. ' Judging by what he saw before him, and by what ha had seen, outside, the event was of considerable importance so far as the city of Wellington was concerned. Alluding to the splendid and costly display of new motors in tho building, Mr. Massey remarked that there was no doubt motors had come to stay. He could remember, and aq could many ot those present, when motors first inada their appearance in New Zealand. About twenty years ago one could almost-count* the number of motors in' the Dominion on the fingers of one hand, but now they could be counted by thousands,'and .the number was still increasing. Quito a large proportion of the bodies of motor vehicles were now made in New Zealand from New Zealand materials. Experts had assured him that tho motor bodies made in New Zealand were equal to those imported from other countries, some of the New Zealand timber being specially suitable for motor bodies. There was not the slightest doubt that the industry would grow, and before long the time -would come when there would be an opportunity of selecting cars made chiefly in our own country. There could, he added, be no question that the secondary industries of thi» country had grown immensely during the last few yeara, and there -was plenty of room for still further growth.

Proceeding, Mr. Massey remarked that motor vehicles were coming^ into serious competition in many places with our railways.- All the same, we- ■we'"amed«l them, although we might have to protect the railways to some extent; and in his opinion, the time was not far distant when we would have to nee motor vehicles with flanged wheels on branch railway lines where the traffic was not heavy. Such vehicles had been doing particularly well in Australia,' and in some other countries.- There was no good reason, therefore, why they should not do equally well here. , He welcomed motor vehicles because they were of immense importance as means of communication, and that was one.of the things urgently required in progressive countries. '

The Government was told, added Mr Massey, that motors required good roads and that our roads in New Zealand were not so good as they m jg] lfc be iv m districts. We would hare to. make our roads better. Great improvements had been made recently m 0111 . m ,, in d mid we were going ( o im prove t]lcn .till more. Even ,„ the WefUnglon X tncl ho could point to a lot of work

which had been done during the past twelve or eighteen months. Great improvements had been made on the Paekakariki Hill, for instance: a,lso on Die road from Wellington to tho Wairarapa. Cabinet had that day approved of a grant for improving the road in the Rangiriri district between the Waikato and Auckland.

Mr. Massey said he hoped tho Wellington Welcome Week • would prove a great success, and there was no reason why it should not be. Other- centres had had very successful welcome weeks, and in each ■ place a good advertisement had resulted. In regard to advertising, ho thought the 'Wellington people were far. too.modest. He had seen a suggestion that a winter show should be held in Wellington, and he saw no reason why- we should not have a very successful show here, although there' was the disadvantage that we hail a large A. and P. Society not far from the city. Still, we could enlist a, lot of surplus energy from other organisations. The winter shows at Palmerston North, Auckland, and Dunedin had been very successful. It waa very pleasant to see the very fine feeling that prevailed between the people connected .with the primary and the secondary industries at these exhibitions. There was no jealousy, no trouble of any kind; both country people and town people worked together for the general good of the community. If we wore going to make this country prosperous and liappy wo must work together. As in Dunediu. so m Wellington; we could roakp a winter show successful, but it would mean a lot of work, energy, and application. He advocated, enlistinc? the services of the Oc:.nme>:cial Travellers' Association in this jonnectiou. He ha 3 great pleasure ;n declaring tho exhibition open, and in wishing it and Welcome' Week the success they deserved - Hearty cheers were-' given' for the lnrae Minister, at the conclusion of his address. A selection of instrumental items was- given by Braund'a Orchestra during the evening, and by means of an aeriall withm the building broadcast concert item 5 were heard from time to I til me.