LORD NORTHCLIFFE

Hokitika Guardian, 20 May 1922, Page 3

LORD NORTHCLIFFE

AtomUAN AND It.z. CABLE AHsOOIA I lON LONDON, May 18. Lord Northeliffe. in a. speech at the Hotel Ceci/, at a gathering under the auspices of the Australian and New Zealand Club, dealt with his observation* of Australia. He first made reference to the .Australians’ practice of designating British immigrants as “pommies.” Ha said he did no undersand what it mean, hut it was regarded as an insult.

A gentleman seated near Lord Nortliijiffe’s table interjected:—“Rosy cheeks”

Lord Northeliffe, provocatively, replied:—“Like yours!” Lord Northeliffe said he would sound « note of warning about the large number of Italians who were emigrating to Australia. There were several kinds i>£ Italians. “Are you getting the right Type?” he asked. AVe hope to hold Australia British.” He stressed tho necessity for a careful handling of immigrants on their arrival. He paid a tribute 'to the Dr Rnrnardo Home for boys. He claimed they were the host type of immigrant. A man of 35 on emigrating became “a grouser.” He s*id: —“I met nlenty of them, such as they are, slacking alx>ut from town to town, getting the extraordinary hospitality that everybody gets in Australia, and cursing the country.” Lord Northeliffe then launched into a discussion about the feeding of the Australian workman. “He is ns wellfed as anybody in this country,” lie said. “The workman of England has no idea how well the Australian work man is fed. No man in England can imagine what Australia is like until he sees it. There are all sorts of unexpected things and places which you can never contemplate. What surprised me was the beauty of those places. AVe have heard for the last 20 years more about New Zealand than Australia.” Lord Northeliffe said lie deplored Labour's attitude in certain Australian states. “There is no place in the world where labour is king to such a great extent, and in Queensland it is dictator.” A contrast ‘to Australia was Canada, which had not tied herself to a ridiculous labour leadership. Canada had not made labour so dictatorial and costly that it could not he an exporting country. This was true of Queensland.” 1 became unpopular there,” he declared, “for saying these things, but lam used to unpopularity.” Tri New Zealand, f nlmur seemed more orderly and less arrogant than in Australia. Australia was so far away that the Australians bad no standards of eamparison. They had made beautiful things, hut they did not admire them, heaau.se they lacked any means of comparison with other raoes. “In Australia,” he said. “I was asked to admire second rate buildings and bridges but not the magnificent physique of the people, which is the best in the world.”