ENGINEERING IN U.S.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 172, 24 July 1933, Page 9

ENGINEERING IN U.S.

NEW ZEALANDER'S IMPRESSIONS.

(By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.)

DUNEDIN, this day,

After two years in the United States, as the holder of a Commonwealth Fund fellowship, Mr. T. G. Beck, formerly assistant district Public Works engineer at Dunedin, recently returned. In his two years' study of hydraulic problems in the United States Mr. Beck spent most of his time in the fourteen States west of the Mississippi, and for most of the timo he was working under the direction of the Bureau of Reclamation of tlia Federal Government, his principal jobs being oil the Hoover dam', on the Colorado River, in Arizona, and the Sacramento flood control project in California. Mr. Beck said that in public works undertakings American engineering was very well organised. The quality of the work, design and construction were all excellent. Americans never lost sight of tho facts of the economics of the undertakings; they did only what was needed, and 110 better. Tho feelings of Americans toward the British were of the very warmest, said Mr. Beck, and he enjoyed wonderful hospitality everywhere. Once it was j known ho was a representative of the! New Zealand Government 110 information was withheld; in fact, he was given information by officials that they would not give to their own people. The unemployment situation in the United States was unbelievably bad. It was estimated that 25,000,000 people were starving or living on charity. The banking situation had greatly improved since the Roosevelt Administration entered into office. The optimism of the people was supreme; even the thousands who were face to face with starvation had something bright to say. As to the future, optimism was very marked. Americans were an irrepressible people, who fought their way out of their difficulties.