ROTARY CLUB

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 44, 14 October 1931, Page 5

ROTARY CLUB

weekLy luncHeon. ADDRESS BY MR". T. FAHEY. An interesting address on the romance of the motor was delivered to the memhers ,of the Rototua Rotary Club at the w.eekly . lnncheon -held in the Government G-afdens on Monday. The speaker was Mr. T, Fahey, of Wellington, on the executive qf the General Motors "Gorporation. "In the '50's," said Mr. Fahey, "when .our fathers and. our, grandfathers were fighting in New .Zealand the battles which have always been "the lot of pioneers ; when they were, with their axes and slashers, strikittg the ihitial blows in a progress whieh, in a genexatipn or, two, has trahsformed a .rough, hush-pladl and roadless country into one of the inost advanced an.d prbductive lands on earth. ajb that almost recent date,, they knew little. of science as we know ffc to-dayj and less of engiheering . science, , "Our forefathers in those trying days could remember the first railway and the first steamship, and not all of them had seen either. Electricity was only an experiment. Electrie light bulbs, antisepties, anaesi 'thetics, the linot'ype, electric telegraph', telephone', phonograph, bacteriology, wireless, refrigeration, aviation, and the motor car were unknoWn. "For thousands of years men had moved almost imperceptibly. Less than a century ago he entered an age of transportation, and the world stafted to move f aster. It has moVed i inc'reasingly faster ever since, until ; to-day, with science supporting it on j eVery hand, it is moVing ahead at a speed undreamt of a decade ago, and still With UeW ho'rizons ahead. Behind . it all is 'moderU transportation, the motor vehicle and its engihe. The horse and other beasts of burden are almost discarded, and steam is fighting for its existe'nce. "There, seems little doubt that the ifiOtor car is- the greatest creator of wealth the World has eVer known. The increased use of individual motor transport has ushered in an unparalleled era of prosperity throughout the World. "It is no mere coincidence that national Standards o'f living are higher in almost direct proportion to the.extent that the motor car is used in each country. We see the results which have atten'ded intjeUsive distribution of automobiles in the United States, and We see the same results abroad as the world takes to wheels. New Zealand, here, is the most highly motorized country in the world, outside the United States, its. standards great as any other country, and its of living, education, and progress qs wealth per capita the greatest on earth. "I fir'mly believe that the greatest mistake any of ns can make Is to lose faith in the soundiiess of our institdtions and the steady growth of our country. Our progress is of a kihd that prevents our returning to the hahits and pitfalls of yesterday. Out of each trouble of the past we have gained permaneUce and stability and to-day we find our country With the greatest wealth per capita in the world. "So'me people f ocus their eyes on ' transient trifles and fail tb see the permaneht structure upon Which this ; country is bnilt. To such, the move- 1 ment of a blade of grass indicates not a breeze, but a hurricane. Compar- j ing the present day life of the eom-' munity with that of yesterday, and! With present coUditions in other lands, ; it is evident that our progress is rapid i and enduring. It is strange how bold j people get when they should be eatitious, and how timid they are when ; they should be unafraid. The present S is the time for the exercise of coulrage, sound sense, efconomy, and goodl judgment. Those who feel laek ofi confidence in the ability of these in- • dustrious, hygienid, electrically-lattic- i ed Islands of ouis whieh are con- ! stantly increasing in population and production, to ride steadily f orward in development and prosperity, ' are 1 looking dbwh into the past and walk- : ing in the wrong dire'Ctibii. "The motor spinning quietly in our car to-day, the aeropl'ane 'motor droning overhead, and th'e Wireless singing in our ears, are telling us of the immeasurable horizons beyond, and the greatest promise of all is the song of the motor with its individual transportation for you, for me, and for tHe great world about us." At the conelusion of the address Mr. J. D. Painton moved a very hearty vote of thanks to the speaker, and this was carried by acclamation.