OBJECTIONABLE TERM.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3028, 27 April 1926, Page 3

OBJECTIONABLE TERM.

THE USE OF “AUSTRALASIA.” VIEWS OF PRIME MINISTER. The Prime Minister is entirely in sympathy with the desire of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce to have the term Australasia abolished. At a meeting of the council of the chamber a letter was read from Mr. Coates in which he expressed his appreciation of the action of the chamber in bringing about the alteration of the title of Australasian Trade Section of the London Chamber of Commerce to the Australian and New Zealand Trade Section. “I am entirely in accord with the views expressed by your organisation and will welcome any suggestions for the elimination of the term,” the letter stated. “The Government has previously approached the Union Steam Ship Company in order to bidng about a change in the designation of the Canadian and Australasian Royal Mail Line, but so far without success. It is pointed out by the management that it is generally known as the C. and A. Line or Vancouver Line, and that the alteration to. a more cumbersome title would not tend to bring about the desired result. “The High Commissioner in London is fully alive to the desirability of eliminating the term and during recent years has been responsible for decreasing its use in British newspapers and also for the alteration of the title of the publication, the British Australasian to the British Australasian and New Zealander. Moreover, the Wembley Exhibition and the increasing activities of the publicity office will be bound to have an effect and will in time dispel the belief that New Zealand is part of the Australian continent. All publicity pamphlets now being issued contain a map of the Pacific showing the trade routes to the Dominion and drawing attenton to the fact that New Zealand is some considerable distance from Australia.”