FRIENDS, OR MONEY

Dominion, Volume 16, Issue 224, 9 June 1923, Page 7

FRIENDS, OR MONEY

WELLINGTON AND AUCKLAND CANDID AUSTRALIAN CRITIC “THE TRUE SPIRIT OF EMPIRE” “Wellington seems to the stranger to be in a hurry to make friends, while Auckland seems to be in a hurry to make money. On the eve of his departure from New Zealand, Mr. C. M. Jenkinson, ex-M.P. . of Queensland, and former Mayor of Brisbane, thus sums'up his impressions. “Apart from the smaller places I have seen,” he says. “I have been enabled .to make comparisons between the Empire and the Queen cities, Wellington and Auckland, but I distinctly wish you to understand that I am. not posing as an authority. They are just the opinions of a muchtravelled man—one who travels with his eyes and ears open, and with a receptive mind. Nor do I wish to pose as an expert, as I am not unmindful of; >the obloquy heaped on tho late Lord Northcliffe, and. before i him, Foster Fraser, who galloped through Australia and_ gave as matured opinions what could have only been fleeting impressions, likely to be,revised after closer investigation.

Claims for Posterity. ' “While I Was in Wellington, residents were constantly apologising for the state of the weather, and referring to its name as Windv Wellington, as a name generally given to it. Now, from what I was able to see—and several of your good citizens, notably your Mayor, gave me an opportunity of seeing quit© a lot— l call it Wonderful Wellington, 1 with its marvellous reclamations, its municipal ao- i tivities, and its singular beauty. From beginnings which would have broken the heart of most people, Its .pioneers pegged out claims for posterity,. and succeeding generations, have built * city set on a hill, which should be a pride to all its inhabitants. The business premises have an air of permanence, and are fit to meet the expansion that must come,. end that must exoeed~thfi anticipations of the most sanguine of your people. In the daytime it is pretty, at night It is exquisite.

Auckland and Its People. “Auckland made no such impression on me, for the weather was vile while I was there. There are certainly some very fine buildings, but it ie not bricks and mortar that make a city, it is the heart of the people which really counts in the long run. I found the Auckland people—speaking generally, although there were notable exceptions—cold and stand- j offish comnared with those of Wellington. It may be that the Scotch element of cautiousness is more pronounced there, that people have got to know you first, that vou must .be properly introduced and serve a period of probation, during which the X-rays are put upon your every action, end probably your banking account, before they are willing to extend the hand of friendship. Wellington, in short, seems to the stranger to be in a hurry to make friends, while Auckland is in a hurry to make money.

“Long-Suffering people.” “The Wellington tram system is a leng way ahead of Auckland. I have been astonished with what they put up with in Auckland. They must he a long-suffering people, and have grown tired of asking for improvement, or else they have been taught to bcl’eva that what was . good enough for their grandparents is good enough for the grandchildren. The traffic arrangements are a scream, at least they would be if to those who like good order and control they were not almost a tragedy. At busy hours, the prYcipal street is thronged with people pushing and bustling along, obierving no rule of the road, and the general jielief is that, if you get knocked over in the strife, that’s your funeral, and you can get even by repeating the operation on some other unfortunate. It was not so in Wellington, for, whereas the crowds at similar, hours were just as large and just as impatient to get to their destination, the rule keep to the right was more rigidly- observed.

Patriotic Civic Spirit. “Auckland is, no doubt, pretty, that is, it has many natural, aoran- I tages, and these have been acded to during successive generations, but, after all, it is the people who reside there that really make a city. . If they are animated by a tine patriotic spirit, , if they have civic pride, they ml! naturally want to make their city attractive -to a stranger. And, to do that, there is nothing like the hearty, handclasp, the hearty greeting. Not done with the idea of, how much money am I going to make out of this man, but how can I make his stay pleasant and attractive, so that he will take away good impressions of. our jlacs, bo that others will want to come. I said earlier that there were exceptions to those who only looked one up and down, ana gave one a look out of ihe ice-chest. 1 met several very genial nen, who were cheery and kindly, but they only gave the conduct of many ’others a more irritating aspect. I no huger wonder why the capital was removed from Auckland to Wellington. It must surely have been because the people of Wellington have a broader outlook; that their vision is not so cir- , cv.inscribed 5 that the red. corpuscles, which mean so much more to the life of a nation as they do to an individual, are more abundant, throbbing, and thrilling; that the stranger within the 1 gates is made to feel at home away from home; that, in short, Wellington has conceived the true ►pirit of Empire, while Auckland only mouths it. During tho war, lip-service was roundly condemned; it is equally repehen- ; sible in times of peace. “I leave New Zealand, after my first visit, with a great opinion cf ths country, amazed at its natural beauties and wonders, a profound respect for the members of local authorities who perform such yeoman service out of love of country, and an earnest desire to return and spend more time in some of its attractive centres. I takp back with me some fond memories or Wellington—the graciousness of its Mayor and of many of its citizens.”