ITALY OF THE SOUTH

Grey River Argus, 8 April 1911, Page 8

ITALY OF THE SOUTH

THE GLORY OF (NEW ZEALAND'S STARRY NIGHTS. ! PRAISE- FROM -ROME. "New Zealand: the Italy of the South," was the subject of a lecture delivered at Rome on February sth, in the "Aula iMagna ;> of the Roman College, under the auspices of the Italian Geographical Society. The lecturer was the Rev. Dr Joseph iCapra, who some two years ago was commissioned^ by the Italian Government to visit Australia and New Zealand and report on the conditions of the lalians settled there. The great hall was well filled by a specially-invited audience of considerably more /than a thousand persons, including members o fthe Ministry, many senators and deputies, and a larg;e "number ot notabilities in Ahe scientific world. Several New Zealanders 1 were among 1 the audience. ■From the very .beginning the rev. lecturer captivated >His audience with a description of the wonderful natural beauties of New Zealand. With the aid of the lantern slides obtained during his stay in the dominion, be passed in review the grandeur of mountains, -glaciers, (gorges, cascades, rivers, lakes, forests, and fiords, none of which need fear comparison with the best in these countries. Lake Wakitipu, with its blue resplendent waters and various scenes specially attracted his attention. That an Italian should have been struck with the clear blue s~fcies and the glorious beauty of its star- • nights' is surely no small compliment to New Zealand. But what impressed him most •of all, and what mos'V irttereslfed liis hearers, was the thermal wonders, especially of the Rotorua district. "No other part of the world presents such a great supply of marvels, or more astonishing manifestations of the earth's activity, and the interest in these phenomena is greatly enhanced iby the legends and myths which the iMaories have so charmingly woven about their origin." From <the worlc of nature, the lecturer passed to the work of nvan, and gasve his audience a short but clear -.arid comprehensive account of the chief industries and also of the progressive legislation of the country. He explained to them how "in all its proceedings, in the development of all trie organism of the State, and of all the sources >of national wealth, in its land, labour, and social legislation, New Zealand was at ■the head of the nation?, and ' in many things had left them far behind. Tihe most -advanced theories of advanced nationalisation are realised in New Zealand. There is, in •fact, the boldest legislation to favour the workman and to prevent the accumulation of riches in the hands of the few and the formation of special or privileged classes."' The lecturer : dealt next with the national resources of the ■ Dominion, the use which is made of Minchinery on every possible occasion, and remarked also on the general air of contentment and prosperity everywhere to be found. Moreover, he paid a warm tribute to the kindness and hospitality which he had always met with. But perhaps the most interesting part of the -lecture was reserved for the end, that, treating of the Maori race. There could 6e no doubtingthe genuineness of the speaker's admiration as he narrated their history, describing their splendid physique, and gave a brief account of their customs and ithe sterling cp.\aiities they have proved 'themselves to possess. The lecturer concluded .by wishing New Zealand and trie Maori people an ever-increasing prosperity, and hoping 1 " that the Italians, like the Maories, might ever have a greater and greater love for their native land. But perhaps more than .'one of his audience' was that evening guilty of Ms first unfaithfullness in doubting if "his own country was really "il piu bello paese del mondo."

The State Department of the United Sitates Government ,has sent a special consular Representative, Mr D. Baker, to New Zealand for the pupose of reporting on trade conditions in this country. Mr Baker, who formerly was a Chicago journalist, "Was -appointed consul at Hob-art three years ago, and a year srr-cfe was detailed as vice-consuligeneral t:• Australia, with headquarters at Sydney, where he wrote a series of reports on Australian trade topics which have since been published in the Daily Consular and Tirade 'Reports, issued iby the Department of Commerce and Labour at Washington. Mr Baker arrived at Auckland from Sydney on the Maheno last Sunday week. iHe will remain in Auckland a' few days, and then iake a trip . through every part of New I Zealand too gaiter 'informiaition for his trade reports. iMr Baker is the son of the late 'president -of (the World's Fair at Chicago in 1593, and j of the Chicago (BoarS of TraHe.

"The fact is that the Maori ;:»* ioday is a totally different person frm the Maori of yesterday," savl Mi Massey (Leader of the Opposition) to a Christchurch reporter. He added that the whole of the Maori land legislation from top to bottom fhi-ulcJ be .revised in orde rto bring 't imo line with modern condftions s . A- an illustration of this, lie mentioned the town of Kawhia, on the w-est cast. He said that it had f a splendid' harbour—<juite as good as . Ly :t lctn.i — and ifirst class Maori land in abundance all around it. Some day Kawhia would be a large city, but not before the tracts of Maori land tfiat encircled it were thrown open to settlement. . ■ .

A correspondent from Millenton vigorously protests against the stoppage of Sunday picture exhibitions there.