CONDITIONS IN ENGLAND

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20989, 18 October 1933, Page 9

CONDITIONS IN ENGLAND

—s— OUTLOOK MR >L J. GRESSON'S EXPERIENCES Mr M. J. Gresson, the well-known Christchurch barrister, returned io Christchurch yesterday from England, where lie appeared before the Privy Council on behalf of the Taranaki Electric Power Board, and the estate of the late air Ranald Muedonaid. Mr Grcsson, who appeared before ths Privy Council seven year; ago, found that among iho.se in England best qualined to judge, the impression v.t.s that the slump was beginning to lift. He found in Australia that the opinio:! was that the country had delinitely turned the corner.

"When I left New Zealand in April, the country had a gloomy outlook on affairs," said Mr Gresson. "People in England whose opinion counts think, that the depression has definitely lightened." Mr Gresson said that one indication was that certain classes of footwear, which factories had not been making at all in November, now required the full production power of the factories to keep up with the demand. The people had more money to spend, and were buving freely again. Mr Gresson found it extremely annoying to get no news of New Zealand in English papers. The only news he had was the Southland Power Board's refusal to pay its interest in sterling, a piece of intelligence which at once weakened the Dominion's credit. He nappened to be in the city on that particular day, and one bank manager told him that the security had been removed at once from the Stock Exchange list. Mr Gresson firmly believes that some form of censorship on New Zealand news going to England should be instituted, especially in matters affecting the credit of the Dominion.

j New Zealand Popular. j "New Zealanders are still very j popular at Home," said Mr Gresson, "and to be a New Zealander is a [ means of entry everywhere. It annoyed New Zealanders to find that J. R. Lovelock, the ..orld mile record | holder, was referred to not as a New ; Zealander, but as an Australasian." ! Mr Gresson naturally took a keen i interest in the sporting events held ! during his stay in England. He noticed |an enormous increase in the popuj larity of lawn tennis and athletics, I which had become particularly popui lar. "It was to me an almost incredible experience to go to the White City in London for several meetings and see attendances of from 15,000 to 20,000 spectators," he said. "The crowd looked bigger to me than the crowds at a good Rugby match at Lancaster Park. All classes of the community seemed to be represented | in the crowd, and the spectators were extraordinarily au fait with the performances of the runners. "In running, the distance performances of the Finns were extraordinary. The man who won the three-mile race finished just as fresh as he was when he star' d. 'me German-British meeting was very interesting. E. Borchmeyer, the German who beat G. T. Saunders in the 100 yards, is a very ugly runner, but he has enormous power and great length of stride. He won the hundred yards in 10 seconds/' The Wimbledon Tournament. While the Wimbledon tournament was on, Mr Gresson found that it was almost impossible to get near the centre courts without a great deal of expenditure. On the day before the match between Miss D. E. Round and | Mrs Wills-Moody, which was timed to , start at 3 p.m., a queue of women ! lined up outside the ticket box at 5 p.m.. They planned to wait till the ticket box opened, but they did not get their reward. At midnight a crowd of roughs broke up the queue and seized the women's places so that they could hold them for sale next day. The standard of tennis was very high, said Mr Gresson. He saw Cochet play in 1926 before he was champion, and thought that at Wimbledon he was as wonderful as ever, though rather slower on the court. J B Crawford was regarded as the perfect tennis stylist by all the experts. Jean Borotra was, as ever, the favourite of the crowds. In passing through Melbourne, Mr Gresson found the war memorial, a building to cost £250,0j)0, was nearing completion. Another, to cost £l5O 000* was m course of erection in Sydney ?™ "W c i,«zens, recalling the number of local memorials in the city, considered it a pity that so much money was being spent on another