Lögberg-Heimskringla - 03.09.1964, Side 4

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LÖGBERG-HEIMSKRINGLA, FIMMTUDAGINN 3. SEPTEMBER 1964
FORSÆTISRÁ
Lögberg-Hcimskringla
Published every Thursday by
NORTH AMERICAN PUBLISHING CO. LTD.
Printed by
WALLINGFORD PRESS LTD.
303 Kennedy Street, Winnipeg 2, Man.
Editor: INGIBJÖRG JÓNSSON
EDITORIAL BOARD
Rev. Philip M. Pétursson. Vancouver: Dr. S. E. Björnsson.
Montreal: Áskell Löve. Minneapolis: Valdimar Björnsson.
Grand Forks: Richard Beck. Reykjavík: Birgir Thorlacius.
Winnipeg: Dr. P. H. T. Thorlakson, chairman, Haraldur Bessa-
son, Rev. Valdimar J. Eylands, Caroline Gunnarsson, Jóhann
G. Jóhannson, Thorvaldur Johnson, Jakob F. Kristjánsson,
Akureyri: Steindór Steindórsson. London: Dr. Karl Strand.
Subecription $6.00 per year—payable in advance.
TELEPHONE WH. 3-9931
Authorized a> second dou moil by the Post Office Deportment, Ottawo,
and for payment of Postage in cash.
Ræða fylkissfjórans
Enginn vafi er á því, að ekki hefir vinsælli maður setið
fylkisstjóraembættið í Manitoba, en Honourable Errick F.
Willis og er kona hans, Mrs. Willis, honum einstaklega sam-
hent í þessu starfi hans. Hafa þau bæði sýnt Islendingum í
Manitoba vináttuhug og heiður á ýmsan hátt og nú síðast
með því að bjóða gestum þeirra, forsætisráðherra Islands
dr. Bjarna Benediktssyni, konu hans og syni að dvelja á
heimili sínu meðan þau voru í Manitoba. Þau sóttu og flest
samsæti, sem haldin voru gestunum til heiðurs og fylkis-
stjórinn flutti ræðuna fyrir minni Canada á 75. íslendinga-
deginum. Þau voru okkur örlát á tíma sinn.
Hon. Errick F. Willis er sérlega góður ræðumaður,
kryddar oft ræður sínar með' góðlátlegri kýmni, en hann
leggur jafnframt mikla hugsun og aflar sér mikillar þekk-
ingar um það ræðuefni er hann velur sér. Okkur er það
heiður og mikið ánægjuefni að mega birta ræðu hans. Við
söknum margra gamanyrða er hann lét fjúka inn á milli,
en sannarlega mun ræðan ná takmarki sínu með því að vekja
marga til meðvitundar um, að við eigum því láni að fagna
að búa í einu bezta landi hnattarins — Canada.
* * *
Speech by His Honour, the Lieutenant-Governor of Manitoba,
Honourable Errick F. Willis:
75fh Anniversary Of lcelandic
Infernafional Day Af Gimli Park
Monday. August 3rd, 1964.
We welcome today the
Prime Minister of Iceland,
Dr. Bjarni Benediktsson, Mrs.
Benediktsson and their son
Bjorn. We are honoured they
are staying with us at Gov-
ernment House, and each day
I learn more about Iceland.
One half of those who left
Iceland came to Canada and
of those, more than fifty per
cent came to the Province of
Manitoba.
We acknowledge, with
thanks, the great contribution
made by these cultured im-
migrants to Canada.
I am happy to point out
that persons of Icelandic des-
cent have achieved many of
the most important positions
in Canada — in the judiciary,
field of medicine, as profes-
sionals in the other profes-
sions, and also in the field of
politics.
In Canada we are all im-
migrants, or sons or grand-
sons of immigrants. My people
left Ireland at the time of the
last potato famine and I
think they made a wise choice.
Immigrants came to Can-
ada from Iceland seeking in-
creased opportunities, cheap
land and good fishing. I be-
lieve they have achieved all
of these purposes and they
are certainly among our best
citizens.
The girls from Iceland were
beautiful and the men were
aggressive and consequently
they were soon assimilatec
into the fabric of Canada, to
the great benefit of our
country.
»
The geography of Canada
shows that we occupy the
northern half of the North
American continent, with the
friendly American people oc-
cupying the south half of the
same continent. At the same
time we are a nation of only
nineteen million people anc
the United States has a popu-
lation of one hundred and
ninety million people.
As a consequence many of
our young people have been
attracted to the United States,
and in the past we have pro-
vided that great country with
twenty of its University Presi-
dents, all of whom could have
rendered great services to
Canada.
I have been asked today to
speak on Canada. The first
thing I should like to say is
that our best Canadians are
those who respect and honour
their racial background.
Hin stóra mynd sem nú
birtist í blaðinu er af íslend-
ingum í Edmonton og um-
hverfi sem söfnuðust saman
föstudaginn 7. ágúst s.l. í hin-
um nýju heimkynnum Skand-
inava í Edmonton til veizlu-
halda, og sem efnt var til af
íslendingafélaginu í Edmon-
ton til að heiðra forsætisráð-
herrahjónin frá íslandi, dr.
Bjarna Benediktsson og frú
Sigríði, og fylgdarlið þeirra.
Á myndinni sjást 77 manns
en við þetta bættust þó nokk-
uð margir fleiri, og mun um
100 manns hafa setið hófið;
er þetta því vel sótt samsæti
sérstaklega þegar tillit er tek-
ið til þess, að þetta á sér stað
í miðjum orlofstíma fólks á
sumrinu.
Fyrr um daginn tók stjórn
félagsins á móti gestunum í
gestasal nýju flugvallarbygg-
ingu Edmontons sem nú er
um 22 mílur suður af borg-
inni, og er flugvöllurinn og
flugvallarstöðin ein með þeim
stærstu og veglegustu í Can-
ada. í broddi fylkingar var
formaður félagsins, Leifur
Oddson og frú hans, ásamt
meðstjórnendum, Mr. og Mrs.
Gunnar Thorvaldson, Mr. og
Mrs. Henry Sumarlidason, Mr.
og Mrs. Arason, Mr. og Mrs.
Archie Orr, Mr. Jakob Henrik-
son, og margir fleiri af eldri
og yngri Islendingum í Ed-
monton. Eftir dágóða stund
sem fór í samtal við gestina,
myndatöku, og blaðamanna-
viðtöl, héldu gestirnir ásamt
stjórnarmeðlimum íslendinga-
félagsins af stað í bílum til
Mayfair Golf and Country
Club til að þiggja boð fylkis-
stjóra Alberta, Hon. J. Percy
Page og Mrs. Page, í te-
drykkju. Þegar þangað var
komið var allareiðu saman-
komið fjöldi manns, mest-
megnis aðal embættisfólk
stjórnar, dómstóls, háskóla og
verzlunarstéttanna. Dr. Bjarni
Benediktsson, forsætisráð-
herra íslands, frú Sigríður og
sonur þeirra Björri voru
kynnt af fylkisstjóranum, á-
samt ræðismanni íslands í
Alberta, konsúl Grettir Leo
Johannson, sem hefur jafn-
framt Saskatchewan og Mani-
toba í ræðismannsumdæmi
sínu, og Mrs. Lalah Johann-
Canada Unlimited
I desire to speak to you to-
day on the subject, “Canada
Unlimited”, because I believe
that the future possibilities
of our country are unlimited
and that there is much in-
formation about Canada
which should be brought to
the attention of our own
people.
I feel that we should have
a greater pride in Canada be-
cause anything we are proud
of, we usually are willing to
work for and sacrifice for.
Therefore, I believe that we
should speak more frequently
in regard to the many good
things to be found within our
country, in order that we may
be happy to live here and
that our contentment will
spread within our own com-
munity.
I feel that many of our
young people have false ideas
of greater opportunities else-
where, at a time when if they
had the facts about Canada,
they would be fully convinced
that this is in reality the land
of opportunity.
I feel that on too many oc-
casions we have been ex-
porting our best brains to
other countries, and particul-
arly to our good neighbour,
the United States of America.
I have been informed and be-
lieve that we have furnished
presidents for twenty Amer-
ican universities, at a time
when they were badly needed
to become officers of our own
universities.
It is a fact that each year
168 million copies of peri-
odicals and newspapers come
into Canada from the United
States, bringing with them
ideas of the greatness of that
country, at a time when
practically no information in
regard to Canada is published
south of the border.
We also hear daily pro-
grams on television and radio
from the United States which
have their influence in mak-
ing distant fields appear
greener, and which have the
result that many of our young
people are leaving Canada not
to return.
There is also much incor-
rect information emanating
from the United States which
is read and believed by our
young people and which has
a detrimental effect on Can-
ada.
Recently in a Minneapolis
paper I saw the headlines,
“The dream in Canada is
over.” “The prosperity bubble
has burst.”
We read these newspaper
reports at a time when we
Framhald & bls. 5.