PROFESSOR P. H. POWELL.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18182, 19 September 1924, Page 13

PROFESSOR P. H. POWELL.

AN ACTIVE ROUND OF TRAVEL., (raoM oua oath coaasspoNuzinO LONDON, August 10. ' During the past few months Professor P. IL Powell (Canterbury College) lias been putting in a good deal of travel in tlic Mother Country. He lias been visiting University centres and many leading engineering firms, and lie was in Birmingham at the time of the British Industries Fair. While he was in Birmingham he came across various New Zealanders, including Mr W. "Wilson (Christehurch), an old student of Canterbury-College, who is liead of the Development Department of the G.E.C.; working with liim is Mr Coombs, while Messrs Cox and Bishop arc other New Zealanders attached to a different section of, the works. They all appear to bo doing well, and they are all former students of Canterbury College. Professor Powell has been several times to Manchester, where he is very much interested in the fine Technical School of which Professor Mills Walker is one of the most prominent men. At Stockport, too, he continued his usual round of enquiry work. In June he took a motor-car tour through the maiiufactuiyug centres of Ifochdale, Halifax, Huddersfield, Leeds, Gainsborough, Sheffield, and at each of these places lie -made several calls on firms and was interested in the educational centres. *

Earlier in the year Professor Powell had the misfortune to sprain his wrist while starting his motor-car, and for a time lie would do very little in this way. However, by June, lie liad sufficiently recovered. Ho found most of the roads excellent for motoring, but near some of the towns the selts arc rather trying. On sonic parts of the read lie found that one is practically in a town all the time, the trouble being to find where one big' centre ended and the next began. Many of the places are connected bv trams, which take up far too much of the road for tho comfort of the motors. In these towns the traffic is. quite as difficult to negotiate as it is in London, for the streets are narrow, twisting, and often very steep. Professor Powell remarks: "One sees at once the reason for the tendency of English manufacturers to make their cars narrow and small, for the roads are good enough to make the light car comfortable, even with a moderate amount of springing." 4 A g r u d deal of Jmy was spent on ri tow tkroadi the return to London being via Oxford. In the Metropolis. Professor Powell attended the World Power Conference, Forrest lecture l>v Elilui Thomson at the Institute of Civil Engineering, Decimal Association conference, Bislcy rillc meeting (as a spectator), Triennial Education! Conference, and a reception given in connexion with it, by the Duchess of Devonshire; Conversazione of Institute of Electrical Engineering; receptions of the University of London, the High Commissioner for Xew Zealand, and the Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth Palace. Other features of an interesting season included one of the P.oyal garden parties at Buckingham PalacQ and the 2\aval Review at .Spithead. AVhilc in London. Professor Powell met Mr 11. P. Cook, sou of the late Professor Cook, who is one of. the heads of tbe firm of Bowring and Company. Mr Cook is an old Canterbury College mart.