A WORTHY RACE

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 3, 5 January 1932, Page 6

A WORTHY RACE

LECTURE ON DOMINION

SIR CHARLES FERGUSSON

(From "The Post's" Representative.) LONDON, 12th November.

General Sir Charles Fergusson in« augurated the series of Ayr Carnegie Library lectures with a lecture o» "New Zealand: the Land of the Long White Cloud." Sir Charles was accompanied by Lady Alico Fergusson, and both had a cordial reception from alt audience which completely filled tV£ -hall.

Provost Wilson introduced-the leo turer by remarking that it was singularly appropriate that the course should be opened by a distinguished Ayrshira man. .

Craving the indulgence of his audience because ho was not a lecturer either by training or profession, Sip Charles mentioned that his first ci* perience of New Zealand was gained some 55 years ago, when he spent tw« or three years there at the time his father was Governor-General. It was interesting to realise when he, went; out again that both Lady Alice and] himself should have lived in New Zeai land when they were young. Haying stated that 98 per cent, of; the inhabitants were British, and x large proportion of Scottish descent,. Sir Charles said that anyone going out to the Dominion was assured of a warm welcome, as the New Zealanders wer* a kindly, hospitable people, a peopla almost old-fashioned in their reverence! and affection for the traditions of the race ana the country from which theyj had sprung. They used the worij "Home" in only one sense—the homa across the sea, a home many of them' had never seen and which their fathers ana mothers had never seen, but oJ! which they had heard from their forbears. Unless people had been out there they could hardly realise howstrong was that affection for th». Motherland. It was amazing to think that New Zealand, which SO or 90 years ago was nothing but forest and swamp and scrub, should have been transform* ed until to-day it was one of the most prosperous countries of the world.

When referring to the fertility of thai soil of New Zealand —he showed a picJ ture of a crop of swedes giving SO tons to the acre—Sir Charles mentioned that under the scheme of State'afforestation, half a million of acres of trees had been planted. The standard of commercial morality in New Zealand, ha said, was extraordinarily high. The standard of living of the people was wonderful, and the country had the lowest death c-ate and the lowest infantile mortality rate in the world. Discipline and self-control were conspicuous, and he thought that was due to the fact that all boys were brought up as cadets from 14 to 18—he did not mean in a. military sense, but they were controlled and disciplined. They had State-aided and rate-aided hospitals, and these places were admirably equipped. It might tend to extravagance, but it also tended to good conditious out there. New Zealand was a democratic country. There were doubtless class distinctions, but no class consciousness. Pride of race was strong within them, and they looked on the Empire as a real thing. One had only to touch on the Imperial note and "the wßole peoplß rose to it. New Zealand was the most marvellous monument in the world to British civilisation and British colonisation. (Applause.) The series of slides which illustrate* the lecture was admirably displayed bf Captain Allan. ' — J-: ■ t-.'-- *