HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

Otago Witness, Issue 4028, 26 May 1931, Page 23

HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

ADDRESS BY SIR THOMAS SIDEY. The inaugural address for the 1931 session ot the New Zealand Historical Association (Otago branch) was delivered on Thursday evening by Sir Thomas Sidey, M.L.C., in the music salon of Messrs C. Begg and Co., Dunedin. Dr Elder, president of the association, occupied the chair. Sir Thomas Sidey said that though it had been announced that he would speak on “ New Zealand and the Imperial Conference ” he did not intend to give a set speech on what had transpired at that important gathering: he would rather devote the greater part of his talk to telling, in an informal way, some of the experiences of the New Zealand delegation on its trip to the Old Country last year. The trip in the first place was not a sight-seeing one; if it had been, it would have been taken at another time of the year. The party left New Zealand in the early spring, and arrived in England in the late autumn. On the voyage five hours a day were spent in going through the business that was likely to come before the conference. .Speaking of the hospitality extended to the party, he said that as official representatives of the Dominion every good thing was showered upon tliem, not only on the voyage, but throughout the tour. Reference was made to a number of trips arranged for the visitors to various parts of England, to Scotland, to Ireland, and to the wargraves regions in France and Flanders. It was 34 years since his previous visit to the Homeland, and he was struck with the many changes that had taken place in the meantime. Among the things he noticed was the disappearance of the horse cabs and hansoms, which had now given place to taxis — most of them, it seemed to him, old cars which were not to be compared with the cars in use in the Dunedin streets. From the historic point of view, many parts of London were full of interest, and however big New York or other cities might become they would never equal London, because they did not possess the historic associations. The speaker also dealt briefly with constitutional and economic questions which were before the conference for consideration, and added that whatever might be the tangible results of the meeting as far as the actual decision went, he was certain that the influence that must come from leading representatives of the various dominions meeting together side by side at public functions, as well as at the conference table for a perod of six weeks, could not but assist to bring about excellent relations among the various portions of the Empire.— (Applause.)

On the motion of Mr J. T. Paul a warm vote of thanks was accorded Sir Thomas Sidey for his interesting address.