FAME FOR OTAGO

Wairarapa Times-Age, 3 October 1938, Page 3

FAME FOR OTAGO

BRITAIN LEARNS SETTLEMENT STORY PRESENTATION OF NEW ZEALAND NEWS. OPINION IN GREAT BRITAIN. (From a Special Correspondent by Air Mail.) LONDON, August 24. In the last few days many Britons have learned more_about New Zealand than they ever knew before. No fewer than 34 newspapers have published Lord Strathspey’s story about the origin of Otago Settlement based on the 93rd anniversary of the holding of the public meeting in the Glasgow Trades Hall at which the historic community emigration plan of Captain Cargill and the Rev Thomas Burns, nephew of the poet, was launched. New Zealanders are doubtless au fait with the main outline of the story, but Lord Strathspey, Chief of Grant. Otago-born and old Waitakian, must have gone to infinite trouble to dig out the details. Rightly he observed that the episode “deserved to rank with the sailing of the “Mayflower” in the chronicles of British colonisation” and he recommended to students of history the “marking of this simple episode in their calendar of momentous historical events.” Otago Scots who retain their pawky Caledonian humour will chuckle over Lord Strathspey’s statement that they bear with equanimity the compliment to their financial skill and enterprise contained in the Sassenach appellation “mortgagees of New Zealand.” Lord Strathspey has done a signal service in so widely proclaiming the splendid foundations of Britain’s furthermost Dominion: visiting New Zealanders might well remember that sweet are the uses of “advertisement” —of the right kind. By the way, the Glasgow Trades Hall remains, the oldest public building in the Scottish city. It is not trade union headquarters, but the home of the craft guilds.

MARKETING. Opportunism is an important factor in marketing. The New Zealand marketing authorities in London lie watchfully across the path of stalking chance. At Newcastle the other day, there was launched a ship, Dominion Monarch, largest of the food freighters, and judging by the number of newspapers which tied up the launch of this new Shaw Savill vessel with the origin of the refrigerated meat trade from New Zealand in the old Shaw Savill sailer “Dunedin” one would think that the launch was for the especial purpose of telling the world of the progress (and excellence) of New Zealand’s meat produce. The Fruit Board and. Dairy Sales Division have cashed in heavily on Empire Exhibition publicity; the former to date has disposed of 119,500 samples of fruit to the public at the Exhibition, the latter of 50,361 samples of butter and 87,471 samples of cheese. And, of course, the Dairy Sales /Division did not neglect the close of the marketing year as a medium for publicity; many of the newspapers carried interesting reviews of the marketing scheme and some kernelised the whole story of New Zealand dairying since Captain Cook tried abortively to introduce the first cow!

COMMENT ON LEGISLATION. And here’s -what the representative British newspapers say about New Zealand finance and legislation:— “The New Zealand Labour Government ■ hopes next year to launch its first instalments of Utopia . . . .This will remain very pretty reading until the people of New Zealand are faced with finding the cash.” —“Daily Mail.” “Would the statesmen of this land would launch upon the great adventure of creating conditions of social security for all the poor, the underprivileged and the unfortunate.” — “South Wales Argus.” “In the long run we should consider it most unlikely that New Zealand would default, and for the most numerous non-active class of investors, who are prepared to see markets fall without losing sleep over it, we believe that New Zealand issues remain a safe source of income.” —“Investor’s Chronicle.”

“The example of »the Dominion should give an impetus to the campaign on behalf of the aged poor in this country—a campaign that ought to command the sympathy and support of every thoughtful person .... One

point of criticism, however, is the ability of New Zealand to carry through the scheme were financial conditions to deteriorate, but the people of Britain of the Pacific hope and work for the best.” —“Edinburgh Evening News.” “New Zealand cannot go on indefinitely raising her standards of life without people in this and other countries wanting to copy her.”—“Daily Herald.” “Although the New Zealand Govevernment has now introduced its Social Security Bill prices for the Dominion’s securities have remained quiet and firm. This is in strange contrast to the attitude of the market a few months ago.”—“Financial Times.” “New Zealand at the present time is a land of bold social experimentation, but it may be doubted whether this attempt to socialist the Inedical service would prove popular in practice.” —“Daily Telegraph.”