RETURN OF MINISTERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 June 1917, Page 5

RETURN OF MINISTERS.

THE INEVITABLE INTERVIEWS. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Auckland, June "25. Mr. Massey and Sir Joseph Ward were ontcrtained at a civic function followed by a luncheon at the Town Hall to-day. The Mayor of Auckland presided, and Sir James Allen and Mr. Myers wfro, present.; There was a good display of bunting in honor of the Ministers' return^ "As_for the end of the war," said the Prime Minister, "Xo man pan tell when the war will end. All I can tell is that we will go on until we win. Great Britain and her Allies have made up their minds on that point. The feeling is exceptionally good, there being no jingoismor hysteria, but a steadfast determination to go on until we can dictate our own terms. "We visited France and were with the soldiers there for a .weeE. We saw many of the New Zealand troops, but, of course, not all, because of the huge area of ground over which they are posted. They were all 1n good spirits, cheerful and confident. They are determined not to stop at anything short of a decisive victory. "I am glad to notice the esteem in which New Zealand and New Zealanders are held. I don't think there.is a centre in which New Zealand soldiers cannot' be found, either being nursed back to health or on leave. "While passing through Canada we had" a few days before sailing, and spent these in visiting several of the grea£ Canadian cities. I can assure you that' British citizenship counts for a great deal nowadays. Wherever New Zealanders put in an appearance they are welcomed." Questioned as to Canada's attitude to- • wards our methods of reinforcing the New Zealand forces, Mr. Massey said: "Imitation is sincerest flattery, and in regard to the supply of reinforcements Canada has proved that our methods are such that they are worthy oi copying. They are doing theere what we did 12 months ago." In an interview, Sir Joseph Ward said: "What is uppermost in tha minds of the peopie at Home, as in New Zealand, ;i» the problem of winning Sie war on such a basis as to ensure a victory that will enable Britain and her Allie* to dominate sufficiently to make neace terms of such a kind that there will he no possibiltty of a recurrence in a period of years of another such war, and that the ideas which have dominated the Kaiser aM his associates will never again be worth while attempting on the part of anv mad-brained autocracy who, under a system of vicious militarism, may attempt to dominate the entire world, and in doing so suppress. the finer side of humanity. "In the Old Country we have associated with British Minister! in helping to bring about the end. I have suggested that tho .war is not over, but the calculations of the enemy have, in my judgment, been completely upset so far as their reliance on the starvation policy is concerned. Their last trump was, and is, the submarine policy, and their greatest activity in this has succeeded only in sinking three per cent, of Britain's mercantile marine. "It was apparent before we left England that failure awaits them in this last horrible development of submarine warfare. Though the losses have been great the Germans are not going to starve England. Without this their possibilities of success disappear for ever, and it is only a matter of time before the war ends in victory for Great Britain and her Allies." A CIVIC RECEPTION, Auckland, l*Bt Night. Mr. Massey and Sir Joseph Ward were given a civic reception to-day, the Mayor presiding. Mr. Massey, in the course of his reply, said one of the most important features of the conference was that it set a precedent, and that conferences, not war conferences, would be held annually, at which representatives of all the Dominions, including India, would be present. Sir Joseph Ward said the war had consolidated the Empire as all press writing and public speeches in the past had never been able to do. "Have no fear of the result," he said. "America has filled one possible weakness, but it might have arisen a year or two ago, that of finance, and the Old Country will be able to See the war right through." THE PENDING WAR LOAN SIR JOSEPH WARD OPTIMISTIC. Auckland, lLast Night. Reference to the financial market and the prospect of cheftp monoy after the war was made by Sir Joseph Ward; at the luncheon. Referring to the pending war loan, he said a large sum would be neocssary, and he appealed to business men. in their own interests as well as those of the State, not to assist any movement for raising the,rates of interest to an abnormal extent. The trade conditions of the Dominion after the war were likely to be very favorable, fl s there would'be much to dp in re-building the devastated countries and transferring men from the Old Country to all the Dominions. Contracts for enormous amount# had already been-entered into by the British Government. "I/(lo not believe we are going to liave a tight money market for long; after tho war, he said. Within two years lifter the war ends .we are going to have cheap money. Some people think otherwise, but I do not." People in the Old Country who before the wbt invostcd millions in Germany and other Continental fcountries would require an outleb for their capital. These people were .now |rovldice over 450 millions of new mono# lor fresh investment. After The war .^J ere would be no great navies to be built or great armies that the exigencies bf the great war had necessitated. New Zealand had provided during the last three vears for the war and other purposes no less than twelve to fifteen millions. Altogether the prospect for the successful conduct of New Zealand's ordinary affairs was very bright indeed. I UNPLEASANT EXPERIENCE IN CAN ABA. I ■. Auckland last night. Chatting about the incidents of the trip, Sir Joseph Ward said that coming across Canada he stayed over at Calgary. Their car was taken off the train and another substituted, but when the train reached a distance of forty miles on, it went over a bank owing to a washout in the Rocky Mountains, and the engine and the carriage that took the place of the one Sir Joseph'* party had travelled in were derailed and rolled devnx % ifuljy. being damaged imrely.