THE PRINCE'S SPEECH

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 34, 10 February 1933, Page 7

THE PRINCE'S SPEECH

SPECIAL BEOADCAST

HAPPY MEMORIES OF VISIT

Owing to the hour of the New Zealand dinner being unsuitable for overseas broadcasts the Prince of "Wales volunteered to repeat His speech, from a studio in Broadcasting House so that it could be transmitted through the Empire short-wave broadcasting service at a convenient time, and this was fixed at 11 a.m., corresponding to li o'clock last night, New Zealand time. The broadcasting "was extraordinarily successful.

His Koyal Highness was introduced by Sir Thomas Wilfoid, High Commissioner for Now Zealand, who, ia tho course -of Ms speech, said that in future New Zealand Day would be held on 6th. I February, the anniversary of the signiing of the Treaty of Waitangi. -Sir iThomas then gave a brief description of the proceedings at the inaugural dinner held on the previous night. The Prince of Wales said that it was only a short time since he had had breakfast, while those listeners who were sitting up in New Zealand would shortly be going to bed. Distance had been completely annihilated by Tadio and another notable step had just been j made in reducing the distance between the various'parts of the Empire by the record-breaking" non-stop flight carried out by the B.A.I1, monoplane. He had always regretted that the time required' for the long journey- to New Zealand] made it difficult to arrange a second visit, and he therefore welcomed all the more any such progress as was achieved by British pilots and ma-! chines. Referring to his presence at the New Zealand Day dinner, the Prince said that Canada and Australia hadi their distinctive national days, and it was only right that New, Zoalanders should have theirs—an anniversary on which, in' the Old Country, they could meet and invite others interested in the Dominions to join them in blowing their own trumpets just for one night. . It was just ninety-three years since the signature of the Treaty of Waitangi, by which the full sovereignly of the North Island was vested in Queen Victoria and her heirs and successors for ever, and in the same year at Cloudy Bay British supremacy was declared over the South Island. Lord Bledisloe I had presented to the Government and i people of New Zealand the site where j tho Treaty of Waitangi was "signed, and he expressed appreciation of this generous action.

New Zealand, the old Dutch, navigators called it, and it was a proper name. The life and scenery were largely of the sea. After referring to the shortness of New Zealand's history, less than a century carrying a wonderful story of romance, His Highness spoke of • the co-operation of pakeha and Maorij the two races were essential elements in the life of the Dominion, vying with one another in their loyalty to British traditions :,nd working together in a spirit of Jo-operation that might well serve as an example to. others. Ho had many happy recollections of his visit to New Zealand more than twelve years ago, and would always recall his meeting with the Maori race and their great gathering at Kotorua, where he was welcomed by thousands to the accompaniment of hakas and poi dances. Everything at that gathering went off, as far as he could remember, according to plan.with the exception of one very insubordinate geyser—Pohutu, ho thought it was—which in spite of liberal applications, of soap absolutely refused to perform. His visit to New Zealand was all too fhort and time prevented him from travelling through many of the less settled districts and I seeing as much as'he should have liked of up-country life. He would never forget the hospitality and kindness that were shown to him on all sides. The whole would had troubles to face, some j parts would face the issue, whatever it I might be, with courage and determin-1 ation; others would face it with timid-' ity, hesitation, and irresolution, but he knew New Zealanders as he knew his own countrymen, and he felt sure that they would be self-reliant, courageous, and triumphant ia these times of trial and show the same pluck and endurance as they showed during tho Great War.