ENGLAND REVISITED.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17342, 31 December 1921, Page 4

ENGLAND REVISITED.

DEAN CARRINGTON'S IMPRESSIONS.

The Very Rev. Dean Carrington aud Mrs Carrington, who left about a. year ago for a trip to England, have returned to Chrifitohurcb, and are again in residence at The Deanery. Ihey had a pleasant holiday, spent mostly among friends in different parts of England, and it is pleasing to record that both have returned in excellent health. Dean Carrington will tako up his duties as Deun of Christchuicli after the holidays, and he will preach at the Cathedral to-morrow. The return journey, via the Panama Canal, was made on the Kuahiuo, and except ior two or three rough days in the Atlantic, the parage was a wonderfully smooth one. They wero fortunute that during their visit England was oujoying a n exceptionally long and h' le Slimmer. It is 20 years since Dean Carrington left England for New Zealand, and he was naturally greatly impressed with the changes effected in London aud elsewhere during that time, but after the first day or two ho felt quite at home in the capital city. Only a short time was sp&nt in London, however, and the greater portion of tho trip "Home" was taken up with renewing old acquaintances in Somerset, the Dean's native county, and in the North of Wales, where Mrs Carrington £ormerly lived. Some time was also spent at Oxford and Birmingham, Dean Carrington gave some of tno impressions ho bad' gathered on his visit -to a "Press" reporter yesterday. Regarding the industrial situation. hj« said that" when they landed things looked bad, on account of tho threatened great "triple alliance'' strike of minora, transport workers, and railwaymen. He felt that tliev wero on the eve of an English revolution, but fortunately the strike collapsed. "In my opinion it was the last Btrike, because it haa been proved to the workers that a big strike is of no us 6 in settling disputes. On 'tho whole, tho British working man is a sensible person, and the Bolshevist minority has ceased to hold sway over tho workers," remarked the Dean. "There is a better fueling now between employers and workers, but there is the financial difficulty now causing unemployment. The miners are willing to accept a reduction in wages, and this indicates that they understand the position. Bolshevism proved such a failure in Russia that the extremist element in England became scared off." * Regarding the present financial stringency, which liiad the effect ofi preventing English factories running to their full extent, Dean Carrington explained that European credit was the cause.' It was not so much the rates of exchange as the quick ohanges in. those rates, thus affecting the orders from abroad for contracts. In his old parish in Staffordshire, in what was called the ''Black Country," because of the smoke and smut from the mill chimney stacks, he found the air quite clear, as the factories were closed up because of the want of trade. ® The small farmers in England were prospering, especially those who marketed their own goods. They have not been hit so hard by the high taxation as have the middle-class, who previously gained their income from investments in industries, many of which do not now return any dividends. The hardest hit are the large landowners, and those owning city mansions. There have been considerable changes in these properties, the old owners being compelled to sell, and Americans ana war profiteers are the new "landlords," They are not popular with the tenants,: The country people liked their old landlords, whose families had been so long established, and who took an interest in them and knew tbem all, But it is not so with the "new rich," who do not understand the people, and cannot win the respect held by those whose places they-now occupy. . In spite of the unemployment and the talk of poverty/there seemed to be a great amount expended in travelling, restaurants, theatres, and dress. In this respect, the Dean noticed a great change from the old customs, and on the surface it looked as if the country was flowing with money. Asked if he had anything to say_ regarding Church matters, Dean Carrington said that although desertion from churches was so much read about, ho did not see the least sign of it. Wherever the clergy showed themselves to be leaders and active men, the Church went on with enthusiasm. In the Church of England there were no signs of empty churches- The much-talltqd of unsetilement about Church doctrine had little existence outside of a small circle of academic people. "I still think that England is the best and prettiest place in the world," said Dean Carrington at the close of the interview.