LORDLY RECEPTION

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 3, 5 January 1932, Page 13

LORDLY RECEPTION

NEW ZEALAND, CHEESE

LONDON TAKES NOTICE

(From "The Post's" Representative.) LONDON, 24th November. A form of valuable publicity gained from a ceremony performed last week by the Lord Mayor of London on the arrival of the first consignment of fullcream cheese was a leading article in "The Times."

The triumphal reception of which Hay's Wharf, hard by London Bridge, was a day ov two ago the scene wonld have done honour to a victorious general coining home from the war (the writer of the article remark!!). Even a popular film star from overseas might not have disdained to bo welcomed on his arrival in London by the Admiral of the Port, in the person of the Lord Mayor, accompanied by the Sheriffs, a fanfare blow by the trumpeters of the Boyal Horse Guards,, a guard of honour from the Arethusa, and a bevy of curtseying English dairymaids wreathed with emblematic sashesi and supported by a chef, a brower, and a rhyming toastmaster with a pretty tastp for light verse. As it happened, the hero of tho reception ceremony was neither a brass hat nor an exquisite of the screen biit a barge-load of cheeses from New-Zealand, which were formally introduced to the Lord Mayor and the rest of the assembly waiting on the wharf by Sir Thomas Wilford, ..High Commissioner for the Dominion, as the cargo of the first ship. of its main cheese fleet to come to London. ■• In the inspired language of the toast master, these Brethren of the Curd (complete with vitamins) had come "from creamy pastures drenched in aun, to fight the fight, as you yourselves) for British cheese for British shelves, and make it every day much harder for foreign rinds to fill the larder." With these brave words ringing in their ears, tho company sat them down, in the good old. British fashion, to a frugal lun-. cheon of British cheese and British beer, enlivened by the Lord Mayor and others1' of the guests with eloquent speeches uring them to "Buy British and to drink to the success of the New Zealand Cheese Industry. y EXAMPLE TO BRITISH PARMERS; The" occasion^ it should-te said, was fully worthy of the cheerful and impressive dignity with which it was celebrated;' Last year New Zealand supplied this country with nearly twothirds of its total of about 155,000 tons of imported cheese. But it means to do better still. "With the establishment of its special, cheese fleet it will be able during the next twelve months to Bhip to-these1 shores 120,000 tons of British cheese and 180,000 tons of British butter. The barge-load honoured by the Lord Mayor brings us in fact a day's march nearer to the time when, given the true spirit of mutual goodwill throughout the Empire, the basic foodstuffs of this country •will be produced through in different parts of the world, on British soil. That, as the Lord Mayor-said, is the ideal conception,: and ■ Newi Zealand enterprise well deserves to be thanked for helping us''on toward^ its realisation. At the same time New Zealand will, be doing a furthei and peculiarly useful service to Great Britain and its farmers if its example stimulates them to make more uso of their surplus milk toy increasing their own output of home-made cheese. For the cows and pastures of this country are second to none in the world, and the value of: the cheese brought ■ from, outside last year and

sold iv the home market was well over £.12,000,000. ,

"The Times" had already fully described the eoremony at Hay's Wharf? on the previous day. "THE MITEY ATOM." The "Evening News" also, treated the subject editorially under the heading "The Mitey Atom."

The Lord Mayor of London, in robes of stato and accompanied by Sheriffs, trumpeters, a marine bodyguard, and other trappings of pomp and circumstance, marched down to Hay's Wharf yesterday and gave civic welcome to the first consignment of New Zealand cheese.

Far be it from us to belittle this happy event. We are for New Zealand and long may it wave. Figuratively we kiss the hands of the New Zealand dairymaids who, led by the High Commissioner, momentarily wedded beauty to commerce and youth to industry. We- shall even overlook the effort of.

the Mansion House bard who, in something more than poetic frenzy, made "sun" rhyme with "come." But shall we, when one o'clocK strikes, hurry round to our favourite restaurant and demand New Zealand cheese? Even .if we have steeled our patriotic; hearts against Brie and Cameinbert and Eocqupfort and all the other insidious products of the agricultural alien, shall we forget our ancient allegiance to Cheshire and Wensleydale, to Blue Vinney and Double Gloucester and Stilton?

Well,- it all depends on how good New Zealand cheese is. Let the Antipodeans impress us by the quality of their case-ous exertions ana we Bhall quickly impress them in turn by our patriotic example.