VISITOR FROM ENGLAND.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 496, 1 May 1909, Page 6

VISITOR FROM ENGLAND.

A DISTINGUISHED HISTORIAN. .'.VIEWS ON IRISH LAND MATTKBS. ifrc rELEOEAPB—BPECLIi COBEEBFONDBHT.) - ' Chrlstchurch, April 30l ' , Christdmroh is just now honoured with a vdeit 'by Dr. Thomas Hodgkin, :D.OJj., Litt. D., a distinguish6(l English banker, historian, and writer. ; Dr. Hodgkin has spent a few wtoks in the Dominion ( .and/after a short stay here ho intends .visiting. Wellington and Auckland, Prior to leavingt for Australia en routo, for Homo. Dr. Hodgkin mat with a slight accident in _Dunedin, which will keep him confined to his hotel for a . day, or two. It is hoped, however,, that before he leaves : Christchnron ho will bo prevailed on .to give & lecture on an historical, subject, "Italy and • her invaders," on which ,ho has written a • standard work. ' Dr. Hodgkin is accompaniod hy Mrs. -Hodgkin, and their son and daughter. They ore of the Socioty of iErkmds, and tho chief object of their visit ■ia to meet > members of tho society. Dr. Hodgkin was not able to goo of tho southern part::of tho South Island as _ho would' have likisd. .However, he paid a visit , to Lake WakatipuT and :was charmed with tho scenery. Dr. Hodgkin is very keenly interested in university worhu and is one of tho eldest graduates from University College, London. He had a largo share in tho foundation of what lyns called tho Physical .. Scicinco , College at Nowcastlo-on-Tyne, but is .now 'known, .as Armstrong College, named ofter-tie great engineer, . Lord Armstrong. . sDna oollego is affiliated to DuAam .University,' which grants its: degrees. The collcgo has: specialised. very 'much in technical education,. , engineering, ■ - shipbuilding, ooal- • mining, ,'agnculturo, and ' other 'professions end'trades. "So far wo have not.done much-on the literary sido,"_ Dr. Hodgkin ■ continued, in conversation with a "Press" reporter. .'Wo Jiaro classes, and to 1 have more, jbut so (far. they .have_not: progressed ,eo satisfactorily teihase treating with mors material things." Archaeology and History. Dr. Hodgkin is greatly interested in othnoSogy and archaeology. Ho was much pleased "with tho Duiwdra museum. Tho field of work far the archaeologist is:rather limited in Now . Zealand, but .Dr.. Hodgkin recognised that -ithoro ia'same-scope for tho activities of the : in the- old - Maori - civilisation such ' to <it was and the curious Maori .carvings.. ■FI ain rather interested in tho Maoris," ■Dr.^Hodgkrn l remarked. 'Indeed; it was my nncle. Dr. Thoa. Hodgkin. who. was the - founder of tho Aborigines' Protection Society and le took a great interest in tho discussion on ffcho-Maoris during tho war." ■ Eogarding future excursions mto the fields «f historical research, Dr Hodgkin said thai jißorder history had been claiming his atten <bon for somo'tnno post. lf l am now livmg oloso to tho Border, anc [Jook right into Scotland. Tho Border history las extremely interesting to me. Border law wore very canons indeed. The provisaoni [■which .wero-made for regular raids on cattle -~i3iei.roneh' ]ustico :'wlnch'. was. meted "out oi "the Border between tho wardens on the ..vEsh and Scottish- sides, make a peculiar ant fascinating'chapter of history." Ireland. , i !De. Hodgkin has taken a very great in - terosfc; m. Iridi land matters. ■ He has -as • socuatod himself withfhoso wiio are'emdeav , ourmg to -solve, tho ; Insh land problem; ant , fhas wcxrked for tho cause of the smaU farmeo .Kith both energy and enthusiasm.- • " : "I am a fnond and admnor of Sir Hoiaw JFluukot, .. who has been .striving to promote welfare of Indand on i non-party lines;' .£&id Dr Hodglrm "Sir Horaco Plunkot'i ~ object was to:promote co-operation, anc v Lpartacnlarly : co-oporative farming - where th< .... holdings - ore. small.:'... The scheme . has sue :; \ceeded remarkably well, and- wo hopo .thai it will go further forward. There haa jtrsi fccen presented, to Sir Horaco Plunkot-v I : : house m Dublin called :Flunkot House, : whiol • -is .to bo the. headquarters of tho movoni'ciit .. .It id hoped ( to mako it an institute ■ for ■ th( , promotion and;...:..devolopmont of. agriculture . His posnt is that much -.has ..been- done foi tho'development of manufactures and the - promotion of tho.socnaJ: improvement of the ■ towns, and that-not nearly onough has beer doiK) on snnfla-r lmos for fcho'country.- There must bo. a. sustained and thoughtful effort ■ towards co-operation in-order to Tjnng : np tin HKncultnro of. Irokmd—tiixl Sir Horace says :of vAmenaa ;alH>—to anything Kko tho eamo . fcvd which* is..occupied by .wio great urban - . industries.. Ore of the>tlungs wfcoh' has^interested mo 33 an ex-bankor has boeai tfic .. estobfcahment of: Haffeisen ■. idea .borrowed^^from;SDeaia. Tho object of theeo , teaks is io promote / bans to "small /„ fanncta , 'snnia on. very modeiato Uu-ma. -Ii delivers them from what ffl rn lro- . land a tot serious - evil—l 4© bondage 'of what is called the "gombeen man.'. ! the . toonoy Imdor. Tie loana,'vihi<m -are for eomo agncnltural pnrposo, are guaraartecd tho borrower's neighbours. 'N6 . jodvaiice until the matfs neighboura .Bay,. that, tfcoy think it is safe, and in the voiy rare cases <rf\ default'tho neigjibours v few© to mako goed tho deficiency. :Thjit enr ablos.the loans to -be mado on very moderate ~ terms, the mteraet being something, leas than R 0 ? c ™ this joint and sov- . eral liabikty over resorted to, but :: it and .to,a certain ertent it farms a sort rf guarantoo of the safety of tho Toon. . The schemo is oto of tho many ,0- ... LjUi.u.tions of tho puncaplo,of co-opemiioji. Wih the changing circmiistauces of IrohiirL, tolattd passing mto tho ownership of - ' them zmporfcctjy odn- ; oatod, m jmppitent that this co-oporathio along sido by side dango._ It has lossons for other .... feck to &o hmd ia ano-of jho (&eeds> nt 002 cmrntfy, Emigration. fErom CT-oiy pooirt of view, jnocd, phvst- , and poldaca£ I have very efcrong foeling ~+ rf ought to bo at work promoting onagpbon fan tho 6kl comrW H fPly ,h"ri onr wasters out T 3 ' M 0)10050 1310 emigrants raroMy andsard them out aocoidms to tho dd Greek system under which fannies and > yholo villages were rant away. Thus old broken when thev grt mto the now country. If this wero 1. y u Iwck-to-tho-land move- " ?is,i a moTfccnent, thai ; . •labour party should have any fear of. Tt ivould do moro than many battleshim to socure tho, country mvaswn. Judiciously is «ho tn» defence of . Australia,, and I only wish ■ that- it had ■ been Bot about a few ytstrs ago."