PRIME MINISTER'S BROADCAST FROM 5ZB

New Zealand Listener, Volume 1, Issue 23, 1 December 1939, Page 48

PRIME MINISTER'S BROADCAST FROM 5ZB

Gay And Informal Occasion

GAY and informal spirit characterised the visit of the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage) to the Centennial Exhibition on the occasion when he broadcast from both the National and the Commercial studios. A tremendous crowd was there to welcome him at 5ZB. As his car arrived, rousing cheers went up. Uncle Scrim met the Prime Minister and his party, including the Hon. D. G. Sullivan, President of the Exhibition, and Mr. T. C. A. Hislop, Chairman of the Exhibition. After the broadcast, Mr. Savage posed for a photograph, which has been reproduced on this page. The following broadcast was _ recorded and relayed over the Commercial network at 9 o’clock at night, arousing considerable interest.

The Controller, Uncle Scrim, opened the broadcast thus: "Good afternoon everybody. Just as I was bringing the Prime Minister into the Mobile Unit we paused for a moment at the bathroom, about which Mr. D. G. Sullivan ‘made some very facetious remarks, so as a penalty for that I am going to make him introduce the Prime Minister to you this afternoon, and if he commits any more misdemeanours we will make him say something else! Mr. Sullivan. The Hon. D. G. Sullivan: "Good afternoon everybody, I don’t know what to say about Scrim. I haven’t quite recovered yet from the devastating blast that he has just delivered, but as he has gone so far, I might as well tell the true facts. He met the Prime Minister courteously at the door a moment or two ago, and I followed the Prime Minister in, and just as we reached the door I heard Scrim directing the Prime Minister's attention to the fact that this was the bathroom. Well, as the Prime Minister was going to broadcast, I don’t know why on earth it was necessary for Scrim to refer to that! Now he is not

going to be allowed to speak again, so he won’t be allowed to reply to what I have said, " A Wonderful Welcome" "Well now, to be serious, everybody. It has been an infinite pleasure to the exhibition authorities and myself as President of the Exhibition, to have the Prime Minister here with us this afternoon. It was not possible for him to be with us at the Opening, and his visit to the Exhibition this afternoon aroused the most intense interest and he has received a wonderful welcome wherever he has gone-smiling facesand waving hands and handkerchiefs, and people shaking his hand. It is obvious that the people are delighted to see our Prime Minister about again, and in his

accustomed place right in the middie of the people where he belongs, and where he is so much at home, and the thing that has given me immense pleasure is this: To find that the impression that we have all formed of this great enterprise, this great Exhibition, is confirmed by the Prime Méinister’s judgment. We have felt that the job that has been done here is an adequate job. We are celebrating our Centennialthe completion of one hundred years of the pioneering and development activities of our people. A wonderful job has been done by the country, and the wonderful thing that has been accomplished in a hundred years has been adequately represented in what has been achieved at this Exhibition, and any words of commendation would not’ be exaggerated in paying a tribute to what has been accomplished here by the Exhibition authorities supported by the Government. The Government has done its part. Whenever I have gone to the Prime Minister and my colleagues "in the Government and asked for financial help for the Exhibition it has been forthcoming, and every possible help. and support ‘has been given. Mr. Hislop and his company, as well, have done a won-

derful job, and the combined result is something that New Zealand can be honestly and sincerely proud about. "Now the remarks that I have had the privilege of listening to from the Prime Minister tell me that the Prime Minister confirms that impression, and he as head of the Government and head of the country is indeed satisfied with the efforts of all of us to make this Exhibition what it should be, Now it is a very, very great pleasure to me, Scrim, to do what you have asked me. I esteem it a very great privilege to be asked by Scrim to introduce the Right Hon. the Prime Minister to you. Mr. Savage will now speak to you, and he will be followed for just a word or two ‘by Mr. Hislop, the Chairman of the Company." The Prime Minister's Remarks The Prime Minister: " Good afternoon everybody. I have just had the privilege

of making a hurried visit to some of the Courts of the Exhibition, and it has been a delight that I can hardly find words to fully express. It reflects great credit on those who have been responsible for it. It doesn’t matter where one looks, art and craft is to be seen on every hand, and to those who have been responsible for the Courts as one sees them to-day, I say that no words of mine can fully express our obligation to them, because without seeing the Exhibition you will never know what it looks like, you will never imagine what it looks like. It is one of the things that one has to see to fully appreciate,

as no one can tell you about it. All I can tell you is that I have spent a delightful two hours and I intend to spend many more in seeing the whole of the Exhibition, and I want to repeat what I said just a few moments ago on another station, that is that I hope that those who are responsible will see to it that the children of this country have an opportunity of looking at what their country and other countries are capable of producing. "New Zealand has nothing to be ashamed of. If people look through the Government Court, through the Dominion Court and a number of others, they will see New Zealand in the making; and there is no teacher who will say that there is any better way of making the children acquainted with their own country than by bringing them here and letting them see for themselves what is going on at the Exhibition.

Many Headaches "Now, ladies and gentlemen, I was picturing a moment ago the work that had to be done in order to produce the Courts as we know them to-day, and I am bound to say that in my opinion there must have been many headaches in it all. It would not be fair for one to select anyone as carrying the major responsibility, but I would say that those who took the initiative; the pioneers of the movement for this Exhibition deserve the best that New Zealand can give them. (Continued on next page)

PRIME MINISTER’S VISIT

(Continued from opposite page) "Just for the reasons that I have already indicated it is something for the children to see as well as the parents; it is something that will let them know what is happening in New Zealand as nothing else will. But one of.the things that pleased me most was the crowd attending the Exhibition. I didn’t see any evidence of distress, You can’t find many serious faces here to-day. "Mr. Sullivan looked serious when Uncle Scrim was getting one on.to him a moment ago, and I think that was the only serious face that I saw since I came-in here this afternoon! But even that is worth while. What a glorious world it would be if we could all smile, if we could all make some attempt to help the other fellow. And when we laugh or smile the world will laugh ° or smile with us, and I think this is the time when we should try to do that, because after all the world is all right; it is what we make it. Praise for 5ZB " However, ladies and gentlemen, perhaps in the not very far distant future you will have an opportunity of hearing my voice again, because I want to get closer to you. I want you to know that I am on deck to stay, and despite the fact that one or two have been busy burying me, I absolutely refuse to lie 4 down! (Laughter.) Now, to the organisers of 5ZB I think I should say a word of praise. After all, we have some initiative displayed here to-day. "Well, I don’t know where the idea came from for this 5ZB; probably Scrim will have to stand the blame. He gets a lot of blame now, and I suppose a little bit more won’t hurt. The last stmw they say breaks the camel’s back, /Aput I think the camel on this occasion will carry it all right. However, I want to congratulate Scrim and all those who were associated with him in the development and administration of 5ZB, and all the rest of the B’s. (Loud laughter.) "You will know the race of people that I have come from, ladies and gentlemen, after that! The National stations, too-I got a word over their network

this afternoon, and it seems to me that the modern world is producing -something that will keep us going ahead whether we like it or not as long as the people can hear our voices, know what we are doing, that we are prepared to sink or swim with them. What else matters? However, Scrim and all the rest assembled here to-day-a thousand thanks for the privilege of being with you to visit the British Court, the Dominion Court, the Government Court -Waitomo Caves, I saw that in the raw state-it is well worth while, toofernery, Mr. Buxton — splendid! To everybody I say come and see it. "However, ladies and gentlemen, I am sure you will join with me in expressing our very sincere thanks to all who have played a part in the wonderful work that is displayed here to-day at this Exhibition." Uncle Scrim: "5ZB is on the air from the Fair. But his Worship has really carried a tremendous responsibility in this matter and we would like to lose no opportunity of saying how much we appreciate the part he has allowed us to play in it. Mr. Hislop, would you kindly round off the interview? Mr. Hislop: " Thank you, Uncle Scrim, for those references to myself, but there is one responsibility which I certainly gladly declined. That was when the scheme was brought up of bringing this splendid 5ZB Station out to the Exhibition. It was desired, of course, that everybody should know it was coming here, and in order that they should see it in the most easy way, the original proposal, which I think came from you, Uncle Scrim-was that it should be brought -this large railway carriage — should be brought through Lambton Quay, through Willis Street, through Cuba Street, right through the city, in the middle of the day. Well, we went into that matter and we found that we would have the utmost difficulty in turning any of the corners, even if we stopped all the traffic and removed all the population from the streets. (Laughter.) So, of course, it came out by boat and eventually down the road to this site.

Who Won the Bet? "T am sure also listeners-in will be glad to know that at the present moment Mr. Sullivan is smiling brightly and I will tell you why. When we were coming round this afternoon and saw this very large crowd in the grounds, I bet Mr. Sullivan a new hat (I hope there is no one listening who objects to an occasional innocent bet), I bet Mr. Sullivan a new hat that there would be over 50,000 in the grounds ‘throughout the full day and night, to-day, and he thought there would be just under it, so there is a hat depending on the attendance throughout the day. And now may I come to what I really want to say-and that is to express most sincerely on behalf of all my colleagues in this enterprise our appreciation of the Prime Minister’s views this afternoon. I can speak from personal knowledge of this enterprise right from its beginning, and do wish to say this-that right through the piece we have had great personal encouragement from Mr. Savage himself, and very great help from him and his colleagues, and Mr. Sullivan as the Minister principally concerned, right through the piece. It would have been impossible to put this Exhibition to the standard which it has reached without that co-operation, that very full cooperation given in respect to everything we asked, by the Government, and I am glad to pay my tribute to them for helping us. And now Mr. Prime Minister, thank you very~much indeed for coming here to-day. It is, I know, just the forerunner of many visits, and we hope that if you have seen everything you will have the satisfaction of knowing that this Exhibition has been not only worthy of the great occasion it has been put on to mark, but that it has been something that has delighted and inspired all the people of New Zealand--all the children and all the men, and all the women. Thank you for your visit this afternoon." . And so concluded the first visit of the Prime Minister to the Centennial Exhibition,