ROYALTY ON TOUR

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 106, 1 November 1939, Page 9

ROYALTY ON TOUR

AMERICAN WELCOIVIE

NEW ZEAUNDft'S COMMENTS

Two close contacts with the recent -j||| tour ;of the North American coniin- Q i|| ent by their Majesties King George7b|y| and Qiueen Elizabeth were made 'by AZ§% Mr. E. G. Robertson, of; Brooklyn, Wellington, who returned a few "-days ZZ ago from a combined business -and; ,;,;;| pleasure tour; extending .over -'twelve a'AZ: months. He was accompanied byr,bbis;3|| wife. Mr. Robertson: is a .director,'and 'XAZjt general manager of Market Gafdjeriers, «^ Ltd., fruit auctioneers, Wellington, and Z*i& is also. one. of the merchaM;:membe^ of the New. Zealand : Government's >||J Onion Advisory Committee, and dur-y ||| ing his trip he sought to gain asmucli..- ,;|| information as possible about r|# ing and storage of frmt andyprodtice in. other lands., An account <of,"someb'bvyig of.-'the. 'more interesting, 'incidents-" of XxM his trip,was given by Mr; Robertson {S|| in an .interview with "The Post"- to- -v^ day. .'•'.-.;■:/ ..■.:■■..''.'.' xAa'aA^M Journeying to Canada via Suva and Honolulu, Mr. Robertson madeV" Chis;; y|^ thirdvvisit to Vancouver, and. he said ||4f that, in spiteof a lapse .of-;.-;fbrty.» 'Xlk years ~since his last visit, he was able ';;'|| to,note* some.; of the old landmarks ,i|§ that he;: saw" there, when Vancouver ; -;i|i was the jumpinig-off place for 'the Z;£s Kloridikevgoldfields. . . ;i|| Mr. Robertson visited the Okanagen;.''.;■ :||; Valley, a few .hundred miles from; ; oli Vancouver, whence New Zealand has ?Cg| for many ■' years -t past' drawn certain ZAM, supplies, principally onions. There.:he ; s;|p was courteously receivedby the priii-' ;,^| cipals of the two largest groups of AA7AM onion growers in British Columbia and?- :|p gathered much - useful information. In '70 Toronto he.'was shown, over the pro-: ;cif| perty. of Terminal Warehouses Ltd.;--^^ Canada's largest dry and cold. stor-^ibM age plant, which possesses l,000;OOG^Kff square feet of storage- space in^art^Sp eight-storey .reinforced concrete build- rt| ■ing.",-.v-.v; . '■•'-' T''-.'.!" .;-.: : ;'".-■ AX '-llf Leaving Toronto for New York, via v'|i Niagara,;Mr;>and Mrs.ißobertson. were AXAAm caught up in " the vortex of;excite->ii§ ment" Associated with-the crossing~from'H;?S| Canada into fee United States b£the^j|| King and Qfleen.. ,Actually, the.': Zealanders 'crossed-"the boundabry'bhly AA-AsM five minutes -in front of the * - ito^sll ZXm party; and obtained -two; close-up of their Majesties' the same. evehihg.bj.;:b^4-^ AMERICAN : ENTHUSIASM^ '^AaZAM ■ ■ "It ■- was • useless- :tb : -. endeavour^-;;vto,p||| keep-'- to. any schedule .'SoWgreat'W-was'.^^f the excitement and : enthusiasmo£;the;:p|§ American people, of -'whom' ttiohsands^^ upon thousands had been pouring into: 'AAAM Niagara fbr days previously," said^ljl Mr. Robertson.. "It .was perhaps .their3^| only -opportunity of. gUmp^g^; jtheVi^ Royal; couple during' their;'.brie£;yStay;^lHf ih the UJS.A. The wild ; enthusiasm b~o|f| of the,peoples of both Canada'anid-the^p U.S.A.. shown during the 'Bbyal-.-visit-.^f^ stood out vividly and quickly'-.piut AMi ;li§| rest any suggestion;that Canada-wbuld^^ not?be^ with the"Mother Country in;•the,::f;.f;|'|f event of war." ■'■■ ■ ;'''-.". ■■■■•■-.'; yAA:AZxxiAAA-^ The visitors went si'gta-seeeing/;.''::sa.i-;-3ltj|' New; York in the care /of.;, a ''■New''';Zea^ 'j-^p land friend, formerly xat Blenheim^ ibiit if# a heat .wave '-wasr ph^andtMr/Roßert^.is;>,Sl son said that under the cbnditiohs^bho day at the World '-Fair ; ;pdjved>siifß-b'Si^ cient. "With a kindly police escbrt^l;3||| was able to • spend;:: a- few ■bhourslafteri.-b^if midnight <at jthe '.great >'centoal v naarkejk5 >; :AM for the disposal of farm.; prodhce:"a^ol;;;;'lS so on," he said. "Sales' are^cohducted{;?:|i; between'midnight and sa;m; daily^ 'ex-^i;S^; elusive: of soft - fruit:. and'-'citrusr;sales,?'i!iyM which are held by 'auction later Sin^'l^ the day irom the railway and ship--,-vgs| ping; piers.: evierythuig is/dis^i^l posed of on bulk scale, the- mini- ;. mum lot being a single carload."' X7XAZA S Returning to Canada, Mr.^Roberfepbafi?fs broke his'jbum^'^lto^ *M hei met certain business people withSl f| whom he has been trading in: the'paisiKl^ and -witnessed at first hand the ver^^S modern methods ured i in. the\maniuiac^^|| turte;of/lihenb and jhte^food- c6ritjain^?^ # "Onehuge .;m^hhle'sim^abr^.'a^iiews^^ papet: printing press, /was .?tumine.iQiilb>|*i printed lineds flour , bagsi; just, as via|stg<S as ; newspapers; are printed " he saidt | "fl "Another niachihe, fed from a: huge^?l* roll of open mesh jute cloth, was busy;;^ folding the cloth ,to the required len^i^|S until. the; stack was'-''-seYer^d^^ thick, when .an electrio, saw abixfoihal;i6- % M ally came into action and cut the. elbthi M just as easily as one could cut a pound ZM ot butter with a knife. A third machmie^S was busy printing and cutting squares^ '1 for small salt bags. . v,^| ■'■; ;SAMJTEvAT SEA.; ; . ~' | The travellers embarked on .toe Enipress of Australia [at, Quebec for $ M bourg, Prance, and passengers ' v . were AXm fortunate to obtain a glimpse Oi their I|\| Majesties, who had cbncliidedb;thelrcf American tour arid we^re returhmg4 tb.f M England on the Empress of Brxtaii^;|;;i About ,100, miles ~off. Land's; End"!-;:hist» 'm Majesty, had the Empress'- r oi£\:,3BritaiUi.;^ m slowed down to '(BnaWe-'.tHe^^Mess/^i^s of Australia to approach; close enough ;|« for greetings to be exchanged betweehi^j| the two liners. "Their Majesties cbuid'f \« be clearly ' discerned waving their |>f«rl acknowledgments to; a vociferous wel-"; M conic. extended to them imder ;some-y;; € what unusual conditions," said Robertson.- X-A ■"■A.X-Z-Z^m A large part of the New Zealanders* ?i >| tour of England and Scotland w£s dbhe?§df by; charabanc.': "Themagnitude of 'the;^v^| cauliflower production.; in Cornwall was ',A lj% a- surprise," said Mr. .Kobertspn. were being t^entb;,London rejgt^itiy^* % by the trainload. The Climate andi•sdil£yin that locality haive proved ideal for v^| the cultivation of that edible vegetable^'j % It was, however, left to Lincolnshifej; and Yorkshire to furnish tiie !^eater surprise. These ;two -'counties;:;;are r;;-;|;;?| revelling in the production of-grain AxXyA^ and produce crops. We saw - I thousa(hd3 ■ XAO; of acres of ripening com, and '-hundreds; :iSg of acres of potatoes just reachihig;mai;;:;^ turity .were a common sight."--;;; : ?;;.;";';;;|M The travellers toured extensively .-.-'iv ; ;,||g Scotland before returning to London,||S to prepare for their departure fot Newjvg% Zealand, which coincided with .the ; ;6uti^|^ break of war. "After seeing the xh^gnW s|^ ture of prepsuiredness oh .'every;-.hand*igl| throughout;the :hundreds,'<rf'; miles^pt Asm ouirtour, it became difficult to:,t^te^'vil§ that Hitler would be so foolish as ttb;ip enter uipon' a war with ..Britain,^, .said ? |f| Mr.'Robertson. ■ ' A- .XyXAA7.ZA.XAM irfrJ Robertson said that the-^ulft a(i and unostentatious msmner^^-in^hi^ilS^ the great Reserve Fleet of Ihe^Brifish Navy was assembled was!an -eye-opener ;;|;|| to all colonial visitors to England. 'AXXAxAAA?^ "Of the cities visited (durrhgiburstrip;^!^ Sydney stands out;clean .and,;'igight'4§|j with Toronto a good second," heiM^> w;