ROTARY CONFERENCE

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 60, 8 September 1931, Page 7

ROTARY CONFERENCE

VIENNA GATHERING

Of the 6S countries in the world *rhich have Botary organisations, 64 were represented at the international conference held in Vienna. New Zealand was represented by Mr. H. Guthrie, governor for the Dominion, and he •/as accompanied by Mr. F. B. Burley, *wernor for Queensland and New esouth Wales. Both returned by the Aorangi, which arrived at Auckland from Vancouver on Sunday. Mr. Guthrie said the recent conference had been an outstanding success. The House of Friendship, where the delegates met, was a beautiful building, with furniture taken from the old Aus-tria-Hungary baronial halls and castles. The fact that all but four countries were represented proved the international character of the conference. At former conferences half of the delegates did not speak English, but this time the English language had predominated. Of the number of delegates . attending the United States had the largest representation; then came Great Britain. Tho language problem had been overcome by having the various speeches circulated in English, French, and German. The two main points discussed were international peace and economic problems. This year's conference was presided over by Mr. Sydney Pascall, of London, whose election was unanimous. It was the first time that an international president had been elected from a country or State other than in North America. There had been two British presidents before, but both came from Canada. One of the features of the conference was a farewell message delivered by Mr. T. C. Thomaen, of Denmark, in ten different languages. During his address, Mr. Thomsen said that in Eotary Internationals the people got to know how much alike they were, ■ and not. how different they were. In answer to a question, Mr. Guthrie said he was firmly convinced that the international Eotary Conferences, and especially the ono held in Vienna, had been responsible for creating international friendship of a binding nature. Mr. Burley said that the war debt announcement by Mr. Hoover was a most fortunate coincidence with the holding of tho conference. A happy note had been struck when the president of the Austrian Republic had announced tho offer; also the Bank of England's loan to trio Eepublic. The effect of those happenings was most marked, and rightly or wrongly, Eotary was_ given a little credit for the happenings. After the conference, Messrs. Guthrie and. Burley went to London, and later visited the headquarters of the Eotary movement in Chicago. Mr. S. Pascall has intimated that he intends visiting Australia and New Zealand in the near future.