EMPIRE ON THE MARCH

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 215, 30 November 1927, Page 18

EMPIRE ON THE MARCH

NEW ZEALAND’S MESSAGE MR. AMERY ENTERTAINED BY GOVERNMENT I Special to THE SUN.) “New Zealand wishes to live within the Empire, to trade with the Empire, and to grow by means of Empire migration.” 'PHIS was the message that the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, asked Mr. L. S. Amery, Secretary of State for the Dominions, who was the guest of honour at a Government luncheon to-day, to take back with him to England. About 600 guests were present at the function, at which Mr. Coates presided. After reviewing Mr. Amery’s c areer the Prime Minister mentioned among other things, his great capacity as a linguist, pointing out what an enormous advantage it was to have a statesman who could address people of various nationalities in their own language. Mr. Amery replied in a speech on broad Imperialistic lines. New Zealand, he said, had never failed in her share, she had shown herself willing to join in all Imperial matters in the maintenance of defence, not only on her own shores but at the Singapore base, which was an act of co-operation and not of menace. What New Zealand had done was deeply appreciated by the people of Britain. He alluded to what the army of Britain, at first small and then swollen to enormous dimensions, had done, and what the navy had accomplished toward the successful termination of the war. BRITAIN “CARRIES ON" He went on to say that what amazed him when he looked back over the years that followed the war, was the way in which Britain had carried on. She had met her debts and had never weakened the fabric of her credit. Britain had unflinchingly faced industrial problems, and had found the means of coping with them. There might be Individual cases where men were willing to live on the dole, but the great mass of the people were anxious and willing to work. The great bulk of men wanted to get rid of the dole as soon as it was possible. Despite all difficulties of the Great War, Rrttain had gone on more boldly w ith her social reforms than ever before. Money was being spent in i .search into the productivity and development of industry, and every

year a richer and richer harvest would be gained from this expenditure. Fiscal preference also had been changed from a theoretical matter to a practical one and there was a new aspect of Imperial responsibility. There were many parts of the Empire whose whole prosperity was dependent upon the operation of the fiscal system. He could not doubt that there was no limit to the prosperity and development we could create in a generation or two. The immense development of the United States in the last 50 years on a far smaller area, and with far smaller resources, gave some idea of what could be achieved. We had a larger area, and more recent science to aid us, and as far as they had gone, we could go much further yet. VISITOR’S BUSY DAY FOURTEEN ENGAGEMENTS Press Association. CHRISTCHURCH, To-day. Mr. L. S. Amery arrived this morning from Wellington, and was met at the station by the Mayor, the Rev. J. K. Archer, and members of the reception committee. Later he visited various institutions in the city and then attended a civic reception, followed by a citizen’s luncheon. An address to a gathering of farmers, a garden party and a public address in the theatre in the evening, are included in his engagements which total 14 for the day.