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3—All

Paris, and of the flags and piaster cherubs, the mirrors and large chandeliers of the giant converted hotel which is UNESCO House. There was also a plaster eloquence, a sort of chandelier glitter about a good deal of phraseology—at any rate in plenary sessions ; but this again is superficial. The building is sound enough and stands up. Perhaps UNESCO by this time is beginning to be fundamentally sound, and will stand up. It is certainly a good deal more than mere facade. One encouraging thing about UNESCO is that it is taken really seriously by serious countries. The importance that the United Kingdom and the United States, for instance, place on UNESCO is reflected in their excellent delegations, and in the care with which they prepare both for the Conference as a whole and for its individual discussions. The British delegation was led by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Education, Mr. D. R. Hardman, and included so able a man as Sir John Maud, the Permanent Secretary for Education, as well as several extremely able and experienced colleagues. The Ministry of Education has a considerable section working continuously on UNESCO affairs and continuously in touch with Paris. The American leader was the Hon. George V. Allen, an Assistant Secretary of State ; it included Mr. Luther H. Evans, the Librarian of Congress, Mr. Zuk, one of the outstanding educationists of America, and several other men of great acuteness and experience ; while it was accompanied by advisers, one of whom, Miss Myrna Loy, adviser on the film in mass communication, came at times close to " stealing the show." A number of other delegates, whose names need not be mentioned in these paragraphs, are well known both in their own countries and in international spheres for their union of scholarship and administrative ability. The Australian delegation was admirable in balance and knowledge. It is these men who give the General Conference its intellectual stiffening, and they would stand out in any assembly. It is by them that New Zealand must measure its own needs in representation; and we emphasize again the points made in the Introduction to this report. All these countries have continual close personal contact with UNESCO. Now that New Zealand has a Legation in Paris, it is perhaps relevant to suggest that such contact should be aimed at on our side too, as a supplement to the contact by correspondence of the officers of the National Commission. At the same time, any chance of seconding a really first-rate New Zealander into the Secretariat for a period should not be lost, for the benefit that would accrue to New Zealand in experience and knowledge would be not less than the benefit to an international Civil Service. We had ample evidence of the selfless and really brilliant work done