"IDEAL TRIP”

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 515, 19 November 1928, Page 12

"IDEAL TRIP ”

Pacific Rotarians Charmed with Japan N.Z. DELEGATES RETURN “It has been an ideal trip. Every day was filled with interest, we met with unbounded hospitality, and the results of the conference cannot but be for good." Thus one of the New Zealand delegates to the second Pacific Rotary Conference, held at Tokyo, described his trip to The Sun 'when interviewed this morning. Four New Zealanders, Rotary delegates, returned on the Aorangi, which arrived in Auckland from Sydney this morning. They were Messrs. Charles Rhodes, ex-governor of Rotary, H. \ Dearsley, H. Goldie, and C. T. Salmon, of Palmerston North. The party left New Zealand on i August 28, 13 delegates representing the Dominion. Time has shown that the brotherhood of Rotary outweighed this numerical hoodoo, for those who returned to-day were unanimous in the opinion that the trip and its climax had been successful from every point of view. ORGANISATION PRAISED “The big conference lastsed four days,’’ said Mr. Rhodes, in referring to the principal features of the trip. There were 300 delegates, representing countries fringing the Pacific Ocean, including Japan itself. “Throughout, the organisation was splendid, and our Japanese hosts spared neither time nor trouble in making every detail of our stay as pleasant and interesting as possible. The beautiful, typically Japanese decorations were a feature of the functions. "We were given a warm welcome, and were received with the greatest hospitality everywhere. The Japanese Government gave all overseas delegates formal and cordial recognition, while the Prime Minister, Baron Giichi, entertained us at a reception and garden party, during which he made a friendly and understanding speech, endorsing the ideals of Rotary. “The aims of Rotary include the development of international understanding and goodwill, and I feel sure that the conference has enabled us to journey appreciably nearer to this objective.” PIRATE SEAS In discussing the trip, Mr. Dearsley said that the party nad travelled to Japan via Honolulu, and its members were met at Yokohama. The welcome at Tokyo was national in character, ministers and princes taking part. The New Zealand delegates found the Chinese and Japanese representatives of Rotary interesting and able men, and the visitors were given an insight into the magic of education that is sweeping the East. Journeys on the coasts of China, said Mr. Dearsley. were still dangerous because of the pirates who infested those waters. On the ship in which the delegates travelled were a number of people whose original ship had been captured, and they had described the methods adopted by the pirates in coming aboard as passengers, and waiting their chance to rise and overpower officers and crew. Special precautions were now being taken to ensure the safety of ships carrying Chinese passengers, and in I many cases the people were battened | below, with armed officers on deck j watchful in case of trouble. Mr. Dearsley paid a tribute to Mr. Rhodes for the part he had played at the conference, and the able addresses I he had made.