A VISITOR FROM GERMANY.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14347, 6 May 1912, Page 3

A VISITOR FROM GERMANY.

j.nti:rvikw v.jtti mi: a. \ MWICTHK.

j All interesting visitor from Germany ! 'in the pcwun ol' 2VIr Alfred iSpaetho, , j member of the well-known: firm of piano < j manufacturers, arrived in Cbristehurch j yesterday. Mr f>paetho has only been in Xevv Zealand a- few days, and "Wellington and Christehurch aro tlio only \ ! two centres ho has visited as yet. He. J intends, however, if tlio weather does j not become too cold, to make a tour j through the Southern Lake* district, i i and to see something of the weenie i I beauties of the iSouth Island, (t is also ; his iutention before he leaves New Zealand to return to the North Island .-sml make a, tour through tlio thermal and i scenic districts there. j "From what T have seen of i(,' ! Mr | Spaethe said to a. "Press" representa- i the yesterday, " Now Zealand j is ji yraml little country." It j is my iii'st visit here, and j J hope to see as much f of it as I can i during my three weeks' stay. New I Zealand also seems to '>< wonderfully j prosperous, and as far as our own lisim- j ness is concerned, it. is really astonish- i my; where the, people conic from to buy pianos in this country. Considering the population, I think New Zealand ! must hold tho record in the matter of j the piireha.se of pianos. That- not only | proves the prosperity to "which 1 imve ! referred, but also indicates that tin; ; ];eopki of Now Zealand are really a | musical 'people," who have the ability I and inclination to gratify their tastes, j which tho hulk of the people of older countries do not possess." ' Mr Spaetho's first few hours in New ; J Zealand were anything but pleasant, j j He arrived, he said, in Wcllinsrton with : a fairly lariie amount-of luggage, neces- : .sary on account of the extended world ; tour he was at present making, but the j difficulties of landing and getting j bJsll.JjijaJat'fi' ..tbe Customs - • and reaching his* hotel >vero-/ such, iis ..ho had , nevo". «jx- j ivericuced in anjr part of tlie -world..before. Ho was of course a. i>erfect stranger, and did not know- liou- snrh matters were arranged at Wellington, but ho could 7iot find anybody in authority -who could help .him and givo him what information he wanted. He applied to one man in uniform, hut the only β-eply lie got "was "Dimno.'V an<l ho had to let it go at that. It was really hours before he recovered'his luggage, and was properly installed tit his-hotel. "Some bettor and more "iip-to-dato system." ho added, "should by adoptwl at Weilington to lelieve ynmcwhat the cares and troubles of ovt-rsea visitors arriving there for the first time. Asked as to whether New Zealand was ever hoard of in Germany. -Mr Spaethe. said that until our compulsory military service system was adopted few people had ever given a thought to this country. The adoption of that) system, "however, had led to a consider-1 able interest U'iug takeu in New Zealand, and in the working of tho system. Personally he thought tho scheme was a splendid one., and although it might not be properly appreciated, now, ho felt sure it would be in the future. The scheme was nothing like as stringent a.s the German system, and should really not be compared to that system. In Germany every man had to be a soldier, and for two years had to l-.-ave his ordinary avocation to undergo his military training. Tho military work was at first, pwhaps, distasteful to many, but when they became accustomed to it they liked it well enough, and the training really did them good. •. With some the training had curious re-, suits. The Polish recruits, for instance, arrived in barracks frequently tindor-fed and thin. They came Jroin district I - where men were plenty, food staroe., j and were more or less acou'stomwl to. I eat, only when they could g<>b i'o(;:l. The regular life and meals at the ; barracks caused them to put on weight amazingly, and after they had .served '.i little while as soldiers they ; . \ven> finite different men. "Jt really astonished mc " added \fr t>jKiethe, '• the interest tho people of Australia and New Zealand Uukc«; in politics. In Germany we take a certain, amount of interest in politics but nothing liko to the same extent that you do out hero. We have threo political parties, tho Conservatives, tho people who own. the land, the Liberals, professional people ami fa> i tory proprietors, and the Socialists. Our t>oeialists, however, ccwcspou-J----more, nearly with your Liberals or 3>ffnocrats. Their chief plank is tint of endeavouring to lessen the cc.it ci (living which in" Germany is very high, • /and as part of that propaganda they 1 are ondeavounns to secure an alter.i- ---'. lion in the law to permit of tin; iin- | j poriation of frozen moat from th» I Argentine and other moat producing : eountrii-s. In this endeavour they j have so far met with htrong opposition. ■ principally from tho landowners, but I 1 think that the timo will come wlil:i I they will carry their point." Mr Spaethe, in the eours*? of his travels, visited various parts of Somh Africa and was very much struck uitii ; tho prosperity and activity of cbe. j I Transvaal and other colonies. In J German "East Africa farmins I practically tho only industry carried ion and tho country consequently was j not booming to the same extent as th<* British colonies where tho diamond mines and other industries added :o much to the general wealth. Paderewski, the famous JPolish piaru:>t, was making a tour of South Africa at tho time Mr Ppaetho was there, buthe had tbo mi?fortuno to follow on th«. heels of a big opera company, and seemed to be doing very poor businessIn Durban, for instance, he would not ! give a second recital on account of the j poor patronage accorded the first. I