WELL LIKED AT HOME

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 80, 1 October 1924, Page 9

WELL LIKED AT HOME

NEW ZEALAND'S HAPPY

POSITION

A TRAVELLER'S NOTES.

"A New Zealander going to England cannot help feeling that Mb cotintry stands very high at Home," said Mr. R. Caughley, who returned to New Zealand yesterday with Mrs. Caughley. Mr. Caughley found this to be particularly the case as compared with visitors from other parts of the Empire, and he thought that it might bo due, in part, to the very much more appreciative attitude of New Zealanders towards the Old Country and its institutions. At Bisley, where Mr. Caughley competed, it frequently occurred that range officers, on seeing his card, would say, "Neiv Zealand! By j6ve, that's the country we want to go to." A wellknown business man told him that i£ New Zealand would spend £100,000 in accommodation at tourist resorts similar to that in Switzerland, it would be a splendid investment; and he quite agreed with him.

CROQUET AND BOWLS.

Mr. Caughley, who was president of the New Zealand Croquet Association, took part in the Surrey championships, and got into the final of the A grade handicap against Colonel Robinson, of Roehampton, to whom he was conceding 2^ bisques, possibly in consideration of Mr. Caughley's 1921 title of New Zealand champion. This proved to bo a very good handicap for a player of Colonel Robinson's calibre. Croquet at Home, Mr. Caughley found, was played by a great many experts, who competed continuously in tournaments throughout the season. The lawns were particularly fine, especially at Roehampton. Mr. and Mrs. Caughley were very hospitably received by croquet players, and were invited to their houses and spent some memorable week-ends among them, bosides being made honorary members at the very exclusive Roehampton and Hurlingham Clubs.

Bowls, Mr. Caughley found, -was played more particularly in tho manufacturing districts, where largo firms' had bowling greens for their employees. But the greens he saw did not approach the Now Zealand standard.

SUZANNE. THE GREAT DRAW,

At Wimbledon, Mile, Lenglen was the great draw, and when she was playing a glance was sufficient to show which court she was on. She mußt have represented thousands of pounds in revenue to the club, even though her games were most uninteresting until she met Miss Ryan.

Miss M'Kano, tho English lady who beat Miss Wills in the final, was. an emEloyeo of the great catering firm of yons, and learned her tennis on tho firm's courts.

Tho Bocial aspoct seemed to bo tho first consideration of Wimbledon, according to Mr. Caughloy's observations, but ho was greatly improsscd with the splendid arrangements for seeing the play. From the big concrete stadium, for instanco, it was possible to sco three important matches without moving. Although tho summer was wot, Mr. Caughlcy thought that tho newspapors made too much of it. At ono stago they went frantic over a "heat wavo" in London that sent peoplo flocking to tho seasido with tompcraturo no higher than 70 degrees. Ho was bound to cay, however, that 78 in London was as bad as 88 in Now Zealand, as tho heat seomer to bocomo congested, liko tho traffic.

PASSING NOTES.

Tho great patienco of tho English crowds was a never-failing source of wonder to Mr. Caughley, but in his opinion tho thing that struck tho colonial most forcibly at Homo was tho wondorful control of tho traffio, which has*increased 50 per cent, in tho last ten years, and at the present rate- of increase threatens, according to the authorities, to ho impossible to handlo, tho avoragc speed of a London bus being now only seven miles an hour. Tho courtesy of policomen, bus drivers, and others was another thing that mado the colonial feol at homo hi London.

The amallness of London theatres was very striking, Mr. Caughley remarked. At tho Wyndham, whore Gerald dv Maurier was playing a very fine thing, "To Havo tho Honour," tho number of rows of seats on the ground floor was only thirteen. This smallnoss was a trompndouß. holp in hearing. Tho variety thatros, of courso, wore much bigger. Mr. Tomplor Powell, a ChHstchurcli man, was joint manager of a lino play which was having a great run in London, "Whito Cargo."

A PEEP AT THE DERBY,

Mr. Caughley saw the Derby, and wne fascinated by the wondorful traffic control, directed from the air by observation balloons and wireless. It was a frightful day, and the gypsies mndo a harvest hauling cars out of tho mud. Ono well-known London firm sent out a, char-a-banc full of American tourists at. 9 a.m. to see the Derby, and they got back to London at 6 p.m. without seeing the races, as they only managed to get into tho returning stream of traffic in the middlo of tho afternoon.

SEA ROUTES COMPARED,

Coming through tho Red Sea on the Osterloy on the way Home, tho temperaturo of the water was 94 degrees. In tho tremendous heat three third-class passengora died. In _ the tropical heat, as one of tho 630 third-class passengers remarked, the conditions were an enduranco test. Mr. Caughloy remarked that oven in tho first-class ho would not undergo the same experience for a small fortune. Ho found tho trip to London by Panama much more happy.