"RUMMY COUNTRY."

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 165, 13 July 1940, Page 12

"RUMMY COUNTRY."

CONDUCTOR CRITIC.

SIR T. BEECHAM'S COMMENT.

NOT INVITED TO SPEAK. (Special—B.v Air Mail.) SYDNEY", July 10. Sir Thomas Bceeham, noted conductor, who iis in Australia conducting for the Australian Broadcasting thinks thic. is "one of ! lie runiniiest countries in the world." Explaining why lie thought this ho said: "Jftro I mil —.someone who spends his whole life talking—and no one, not one single club, person or organisation, has a.-ked me to <-pcak «ince I have been in Australia. I know more about France, Germany. Italy and Kiwsia than anyone else in England. Winston and I are the two beet talker* in the country. All these committees and so on ask mn my advice when anything is to 'be done.

"I used to spend six weeks or two months of every year in Germany. I know everyone. I know Hitler, Goering, Hess, Cioebbels—ail the Nazis. I talked to them, I lunched with them. They tell me things that they wouldn't say to any politician. And I know all the antiNazists, too. I know Mussolini, Ciano, and all the rest of them—and I know the anti-Fascist* as well. I can tell you exactly what's goinjr on. I have better information than anyone else. But no one imagines that 1 do anything else except conduct. It's grotesque." Mr. Norman Lindsay also appeared as a critic of Australia this week. He has sent a collection of his pictures and statuary, which has been insured for £80,000, to toe exhibited in the United States, and was questioned about it. In reply he said: "Patrons of art in America are almost certain to -support •the exhibition. In this mad world art of any description is a refuge, but Australians do not seem to realise that. No one ir sufficiently interested here to buy pictures, and art penerally is not taken seriously. Culture is at its lowest ebb in Australia."