EVOLUTION-NOT REVOLUTION.

Hokitika Guardian, 2 August 1924, Page 4

EVOLUTION-NOT REVOLUTION.

STIBBINO SPEECH BY TillPB EMI EH.

MB BAMSAY MACDONALD AT XYEMBEKY.

LONDON. Miiv 0,

Mr Kalusay Mai Donald made an important ..tatemonl on the .subject of Empire Wireless, on the occasion ol his first visit to the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley, tlie main purpose of whieh was to declare open the Pi ess C Itth. This club—very comfortably lieused on the first Hour ol the Palace of Industry—-forms a useful ineetiu- place for Press representatives from all parts of the world, and small rooms are provided where the working journalist can obtain the necessary privacy to prepare his ‘‘copy” with all speefl. 'lhe spacious room has a wide balcony, front which an attractive vista over the -rounds is obtained. A lar-e and repro-eutative assembly nave the Prclnier a most cordial welcome, fie was iv'eiviil hv. lb* Duke of Devonshire (chairman of the Executive Committee), Lord Stevenson 1 chairman of the Board of the Exhibition), Sir Travers ( larke .chief iulniinxtrntor of the Exhibition), I,old Bidilol. and Sir Harry Brittain, .XI.P. chairman of the Pro-s Hospitality Committew), who prosidwi at th- opeuin- ceremony.

Others present included: Mr .1. 11. Thomas. M.P. (Colonial Secretary). Lord Bnthermere. Sir .lame- Allen ili-h Commissioner for New Zealand end member of the Board of the Until h Empire Exhibition . Lady Brittain ( idouel XX'. C. Bcrsey, (Controller of Adininstral ivi* Services, British I*.lupin*), .Mr 11. A. Beckenham (Secretary lo l.rittsh Empire Exhibition), Sit Hu;:!’. Denison, Mr Bobert Donald '.hairmau of British Empire Exhibition Publicity Council.) Major Frank Fox, All's C. drove, Colonel E. F. Lawson (reprcseiitin- the Empire Press I'nioit Oil Press Hospitality ('ninmitlee). Colonel C. d. Liddell (Deputy Adminstrator, British Empire Exliihitioti', Sit Fl ank New ties (lepresentin- Exhibition Publicity Ci hi licit on Publicily Hospitality Committee), Sir deor-e and E.iilv Fenwick, Sir XX. Beach 'fiumnis, .Xli.-s .XI. F. Billiu-ton, Mr d. E. Fairfiix. Sir .1. Foster Fraser, and Sir Bode rick .Jones. Sir Harry Brittain welcomed tlte Premier in a breezy and tcllin- speech. Ile d •-I'rihcd the club a- hein- re;dly the ! ::n—-i list a nee loud speaker of tin* Exhibition, lor it was irom there that tile visitors and the huver- were suni-

ua ui'd, and it was on the answer to this summons that the stiei ess of the Exhibition depended, lie referred lo the lirescnee ef the chairman of the Empire Press I'nioii respectively of Australia and New Zealand, lo the Press Club many old friend; hips would In* cemented and thousands of new friendship- would he horn and thus its est e.hlishnu 'll would prove to lie very well worth v. hi 1 :*. Ihe thanks id all were due lo the Premier, who was thus -iviu- a litr-e part of his liti-y day.

The i’reniier, who had been niakin- , a tour of a small portion id the Exhibition, di'M-ribetl the great enterprise as "a doll's house representation” of the -real Commonwealth of British Elates. "\\'e have lirc.U-ht our eivilisal lon. our activities. our indiistrie-, our arts of government.. and li.'i'e in an exceedingly small eompass tvs ask our friends In.m iiver.'-ea- ami inreign neighbour' to eon: ■ an I behold our great. moniiii'S. I In: u• slii'i e-- (it the mo A tinhound'd ehiiraeier will aitcml our eTort- and nitir elfnrl-. Ip to now v. hat We have Iven fixing to do has Le-.'II to make the word Wembley dignilieil. It has I.ecu a task, Iml T think tin- Exhibition, with the display of i*nl u-1 rial activity, and with your iissi-tain c. will ..'.teieeil ill making the wild XX’emhlev .oinelhin- that ii duemil lend , I am all.ml el lie I'lesen! men.-M! n, - mam neople. In keep log ,mr I. oiiinn u w cull h tn-ctirr. nine and nen in-, there i- no agency that Im- to play a -renter part than tic* Press. EITH ! ENT FA! PI l?E WII! KITTS. "His Maiestv came to ooen the I’xhibilieu. and by the tipplii alien of th".*a ext laoi'dinary di-coverics ilnil 1 I! i 1 ik v. dl nrohahly win lor this -eneratinu the iiam- of the Oeneration ol Wonder, his tiniest whi-per was carried iirouitd the whole earth and reac!i----l eil the e.ir- of million- ol expeetaut peopl •. But journalists have bee i pur--uing linn ceinpal ion Im years; and we have been einirelin- ihe -lol'e Hot

only with whisper-. It ha- become our daily round and common task. All that I can hope to contribute i- that

in the (unr-e of a month nr two we may provide an ellieieiit Empire Wireless Service. I know how uece-sary it

it. 11 is the lle\( jrreat step We Imit tii lake in the <U'\<-I*:l>m<*nC nl nitt" imperial f-tiiiuiiiMti(-atii>iis. It in it- 1 li;‘ i*flit iflil. cheap. a:i<i nut as-arialed merely with dead iiM't-11 ii it is 111. \\'i' must yet iiit.i our service the very hast liraiii~ we eiiii cmiitniiiiil, s t) tliat every new development will lie e.\|ieriiiieiiteil upon, v. ill In* est jihlishell, mill will link it 11 ihe extraordinary seieiitilie attainments tlnit mi eilieient mnl i heap willies. servile mil-l have at it' disposal." I’KOI’I.KS AN'I) IMMim.KAI^. 'Dnriuc the e.iihly '"ii'iin li|inn uhieh We were enleriny. inn* ni the (treat sneei.'iele, ui iinr lni|ierial ct'eatne-s was in l.e n naval review ell' I*nrt sinentli." Mr .MaeDunnlil said. It witihl furnish evidence ui an extiaorilinary. i|iiiet, niii'sive service, that was the I'ritisli Navv. It wnnlil he seen sleepin.c in eaim waters, hat its very shell e V. oil 1 1 1 hlill.C tu illlf lllitlll' its eieinvuiis nnwer. •* I Jit! there is an even yreater strenylh tlnit Me have tn rail i I cur aid -the streiijitli that cntisists in :i laniieity tn enverti, ii e( .'tills lev Ireedem, a (rival in tailed tail and ni ir.il puwi r. a sincleiie', ul' purpose! and ii!'i'li'in with which we clothe our 1 ntjii/rial hands, a responsibility without whifh those litiinls ran lie ul nu (ireat value. Kvary generation nilisl prod it.".* its own problems : every eeneraliuii 1110-1 ha prepareil to aeeept its run ddiieult iei whether it he the prnhleni ui l;niv sell-coverniTic peoples, with capital eeiitra- mid I’mdimnents 1 huiisatnls ui niil'.'s away, with dill'erent 1 eeouoiuie 1 ireuni-taiKe-. and in some respects a efowinu: ditlerenee of men- 1 ta'ity. can observe tlieir own freedom, and vet he loyal imnihors of the (treat I Imperial rata. That problem chances fieneration after ceiieration. but its ehanci'iC i- an evidence ot the crowlli and cent timed lile el niir I'.inpire. When 1 illr Kmpire presents to each ceneratiuii that comes in it- paceattlry on to the -lace of the world, the same prnhleni'. it mean- that the lile ot our Kmpire has eea-ed to he vital am! we are cettiny old and decrepit. I am clad that the problems that rav eolleac'ies and myself are presented with are quite dilfennt trim those present, d t a eiir predare -01 s ot the la-l conoration. Alacrity ot mind, vigilance ot intellect, a hatred of revolution. and a warm welcome to evolu:ion that i- the yenius that is C"' 11 - to enahle the Itriti-h Kmpire to ecntiime vital."

iu'>Tox>miuTY or the prk c >. T! r> Pr- in tbe-.-. days, said the Prime .Minister, hinl the Empire very largelv in its keeping. Ho disagreed with the I’ress on tunny tiling,, Imt the plea lie presented was that they should, not oriticise each other narrowly or with Winkers on, hut remember that their task was too great lor them tck overlook any contribution from what-1

over party it came or from whatever angle it approached. That pavilion had boon, as it were, dedicated to the Empire Press Union. It was a wonderful union, one that had a -rent past and one that would have a great future. Yixtimnt Burnham's father—a

.gentleman with whom he once had business transactions of a nature with which they were all familiar—ought really to be represented there by his bust, because in many respects he was the father of it. . XX'II EBE "COPY” OB DONATED.

Air AlaeDoimld feelingly expressed Ids regret that he was not working with journalists to-day. because of their great opportunity for excellent copy. .Sometimes journalists were driven to make bricks without clay or straw, and generally they succeeded—- : laughter)—but with the British Empire Exhibition and the Labour Government. bow rich was their raw material! Copy nine from two sources—the out side world and the head of the journalist. He preferred the latter for Hews, because il was always exhilarating. Sometimes they had to go to the other for facts—(laughter)— hut in these days iacls without imagination were death bill when one had an opportunity to use one's imagination up: u the pavilions at the Exhibition,

ami the wonderful Hall ol Industry, he was tempted to pulldor over the ile-irahle existence ol a competent journalist in these days. "Alav I remind you.” he cold Mined, "that we ni'ght get on without you. hut you lannot gel on without us? XX'iih what copy do we provide you I New t nailers are sometimes sold at figures beyond the dreams ni avarice, hut that is nothing to the womlorlul capital with w hich we present you ; and il is sn easy to draw upon it. (l.iiiigliter.) You need not come and -ay, Bv your leave.' I read of Cabinet meetings that are never held, controversies that never break out. dilliculties that I never dreamed 01. am! sometimes as I look at mysell in a mirror. I tear and tremble, and the Scriptural words eniiU' lo niy mind 'I low l-arl'n!ly and wonderfully are v.o made I’ ” Laughter.) |

lie referred with great appreciation m tlie newspapers ol Australia and New Zealand. He Imped the journal-[ ists from other parts would have

many pow-wows in that room, and that tliev would he brought closer to those of this rotiißrv ; and he trusted that wlieii they returned home they would take hack happy memories. (Cheers.)

At the iinieltisiou ol this ceremony, j the guests were entertained at iuni her n in flu* Lucullus Hestanrunt - eltcn I'l'l.'rred to as the "Gourmet s favourite haunt.” Before leaving, Mr AlaeDiinald spoke into a -ramiipliono reieivor, which will broadcast all over the Exhibition -rounds Ins npitiii 'I of Wembley. j DEAIOCBACY AND EAIIMBE. |

Commenting on Hie Premier’s speech, the "Daily Telegraph” says: "Mr AlaeDoimld never cultivated the rejmtnlion of thinking or speaking Imeprmlly, in the sense in which th? late Air Chamberlain used the phrase, until he stepped into the position which made him the Chief Alinist-r and Adviser of the Sovereign. But the speech which he mud.' ye.Terdny might j have been delivered by anv one of his j immediate predecessors, and no one J would detect in it any single passage lo indicate that lie desire- in anv way to niter tin* fundamental character of the British Empire. Air Aim I),mal l thus -lands in the Due -llcecs-ion ol lirilish Print:' Alinirler-. especially of Dios,. Libera! Premier- who have

spoken m very altered lodes ol the Priti-h Emoirc alter tis-iimin- re.-oen-sil.ility lor ii s widlare. "'lhe British Empire is a Dee a-su-i iatiou ol peoples, :nn| this freedom i- :: -uaranlee a-ailist reaction, and im j ilTest- tilde a-eiit it pro-ress. Inspired :'s it i- by the ideal ol enterprise.! iu-i doulin-. and individual ri-hts V Ilie!' lol'e lice" lnllnW*".l by ".oners*- j i ii :'.|ier -eiii'i'.i l ion ol ll.e British no ■. it l ou-ta itly I:lids maiiile-tiition j in various ways in the various Star:" ! of the Empire. lint, lion ever ililt'ereiit , the prohlems. nr the means by which iheir solution is atlempted. the nen-j , end nviiltant of this uneensin- evolu-j ( tieo ha-- been upwards and not winds, and only wise direction and j sympathetic co-operation are rof|uirt‘d to couiinui' the rei'ori! ol pro-rcss. No Empire in t!:. • world’s history can show ii (h'velupmi'in -o ereat and M '. ( thoi'i'ii—hlv based e»i democratic prilleiples, ami We would commend this ( coiisidenilii.il to Alt' MacDonald s 101-. { l iwi is when tli-y read his utterance.-' ( 111 vesterday. I mperiaiists w ill not ■ ( he-itate to aiemit Air Alaeltonald’s , f reiidin- of the -itimlion. They w ill! ( also he- him and his followers lo ap- j ( plv hi- test to the problem ol Imperial j ( Preference when it comes up again in j ( Cabinet and in tln* House ol Commons, | £ and they will look to them for aj ( broader and more -vinpathetie attitude |£ of mind than was recently revealed by j £ the Chs’.ncollor of the Exehei|tter. £