'NEATH SUNNY SKIES

Evening Star, Issue 21055, 18 March 1932, Page 3

'NEATH SUNNY SKIES

A HEW ZEALANDER ABROAD IMPRESSIONS OF HAWAII AND CALIFORNIA Some interesting details of a recent trip to Vancouver via Honolulu and back to New Zealand by California were given to an ‘ Evening Star ’ reporter yesterday by Mr W. D. G. Hartley, of this city. Accompanied by his wife, Mr Hartley sailed from Auckland on the Niagara and spent some time in the Hawaiian Islands before proceeding to Canada. MANY JAPANESE. Ho stated that ho was surprised to leant that out of the 1350,000 inhabitants in Hawaii 13-1,600 were Japanese. They were a very mixed population indeed, and only about 20,000 were real Hawaiians. The Filipino population, with approximately 60,000, came next to the Japanese, while the total of American, British, German, and Russian inhabitants was 37,500. The balance was made up of Portuguese, Chinese, Caucasian-Hawaiians, AsiaticHawaiiaus, Porto Ricans, Koreans, and Spanish. American feeling against both the Japanese and the Hawaiians was running fairly high at the present time, the facts of the now well-known Massio case having added fuel to tho lire as far as tho latter wore concerned. It was rather significant that tho Japanese held ‘lO per cent, of tho total post office savings bank deposits of the Islands and controlled about 0,000,000 dollars out of a total of 33,000,000d0l in this bank. Pineapple growing was now a very big industry there, the exportation figures having increased from 2,500,000 cases in 1915 to 12,000,000 cases in 1930. The visitor described the scenic attractions as being very fine, one of the main features to draw the tourists being the volcanic regions. The tourist traffic to the Islands had increased 100 per cent, during the past nine years. LUXURIOUS MOTOR COACHES. While in California Mr Hartley was greatly impressed by the wonderful strides made in motor passenger transport. He said it was because of this that railway stock had shown signs of depletion. The coaches were very comfortabe to ride in and had regular stopping stations. In a sleeping coach they had travelled from Los Angeles to San Francisco at a lower fare than they would have had to pay in the train, and were comfortably housed in a two-berth cabin, fitted out every bit as luxuriously as a saloon cabin on a liner. The journey of approximately 500 miles was accomplished between the hours of 5.50 p.m. and 0.45 the following morning. CHEAP PETROL. Another thing which impressed him in California was the cheapness of petrol. Gasoline, as they called it over there, could bo bought at 9gal for Idol. Moreover, the petrol service stations were splendidly equipped, restaurants being attached to all such stopping places. Incidentally, good oranges, for which tho country was famous, could be obtained at eight dozen for 25 cents. Such things as light aeroplanes and radio sets were also cheap, tho former working out at about 1,500d0l and tho latter at 45d0l or 15dol for a table set. Blocks of ice were now being_sold from slot machines, so that for 25cents one could buy Icwt of ice without any trouble. LITTLE UNEMPLOYMENT. “ Wo saw no sign of the depression during our travels,” stated Mr Hartley. “ There seemed very little unemployment in California, and the business people there were inclined to deprecate the fact that New' Zealand was following the Old Country in introducing a kind of dole system. They maintained that if work was not productive it would breed an army of permanent unemployed. In each city they have a community chest which is drawn upon in cases of emergency relief measures being necessary. SOUTH ISLAND SHUNNED. “ Principally because they objected strongly to having to double back on their tracks, all of the forty or so wealthy American tourists—comprising two conducted parties—who travelled back with us on tho Monowai to Wellington refused to consider a trip down to tho South Island,” added Mr Hartley. “ I told them of tho wonders of our lake and mountain scenery, _ but they had the geography of the dominion at their finger-tips and said they did not fancy the idea of having to double back to the north before leaving for Australia. If they could have made a round trip out of it, leaving a southern port for, say, Melbourne, they would have been only too glad to do so. As things wore, they preferred to work through the North Island and sail for Sydney from Auckland.”