CONTRASTS

Evening Star, Issue 21992, 30 March 1935, Page 2

CONTRASTS

HEW ZEALAND AND AUSTRALIA [Written by Harry Dawson for the ‘ Evening Star.’] Having travelled extensively in .Australia and New Zealand, and Inning rubbed shoulders with all kinds of people in both countries, permit me to pass on some impressions and observations. Undoubtedly between the two peoples there is an ever-growing bond of unity. To cope with the increasing demand of tourists to this country, the huge P. and O. Com.pany’s Strathnaver, the largest mercantile ship of the southern seas, lias in recent months made two special cruises to New Zealand from Australia, on each occasion with over 1,000 visitors. The Orient S.S. Company Ltd. is sending its largest 20,000-ton vessels across on special cruises. On the other hand, thousands of New Zealand folk crossed the Tasman for the Melbourne Centenary. Some contrasts arc of interest. When the Australian youth wishes to give expression to something which pleases him very much he says: “ It’s bonzer.” In New Zealand the youth would say “ it’s corker.” But the boys are not the only ones who use slang. The New Zealand shopkeeper wishing to draw attention to a bargain, labels it “ A Snip.” In Australia it would be called “A Snap.” The “ Aussie ” enthuses more than the New Zealander, and takes more risks, while the latter is more cautious and more conservative. Like New Zealand, Australia suffers severely from great floods, and in addition is the subject of extreme . visitations of violence, such as tornadoes and cyclones of a kind unknown here. During the early part of this year, the weather conditions appeared to be working in reverse order. While Australia was experiencing an abnormal rain season such as is far more common in New Zealand, in this country from end to end there was an “ Australian ” heat wave. I was in Trangio, about 4QO miles west of Sydney, a couple of days after a tornado had torn to shreds about a third of the homes of the town. A Sydney man owned three weatherboard cottages. He thought they might have a barge board or a sheet of iron ripped off, and as cottages were scarce and hard to get, he was mean enough to write to his agent: “ Should it happen that any of, my cottages are damaged at all, then they’ll have to be repaired at the expense of the tenants.” As a matter of fact, the whole of the three places was razed completely to the ground, and lay a tangled, twisted, splintered mass of wood and iron. The agent, a bit of a humourist, did not inform the owner that his properties no longer existed, but simply wrote: “Don’t worry old fellow, there’s nothing to repair.” What contrast there is between the natives of the two countries! Generally speaking the Maori is far more intelligent and capable than the Aboriginal. He enjoys, .however, far more privileges. The biggest proportion of Australian blacks are compelled, to live in camps isolated from society, and under Government supervision. - Some years ago I journeyed up c tjie north coast of New South Wales through territory I had not previously visited I arrived at a little one-eyed place called Smithtown late one Saturday night. On the. Sunday night 1 went for a walk for some distance along the river bank. The M'Leay is a silver stream with the full moon shining upon it as it was then, and at places is over a mile wide. I was tired and a little depressed, when from far across that stream I heard voices singing ‘ Shall We Gather at the River.’ Until that moment I had no idea that anyone lived across that river. I learned later that an aboriginal camp was there. The next morning I got one of the natives to row me across in his canoe. _ There I found two broken-hearted white , women who had spent some years working among these dull, dusky, unimpressionable people. One of them mourned the loss of her husband, who three weeks previously had been drowned in the river while crossing in one of those aboriginal canoes. I paid them a second visit about six weeks later, and in the meantime was able to interest quite a number of churches in them. I also addressed the natives at several meetings. The last I saw of that little widow woman as she gripped my hand when stepping into the boat was when she said: “Thank God, I now realise that my husband’s life work has not been in vain.” ... The dull intellects of the aboriginals cause some humour at times when they get into trouble and have to appear before a magistrate. One dusky warrior in. the back blocks of Australia was charged with assault. They are often charged with assault, and knowing their ignorance of the laws of the land, the magistrate frequently takes a somewhat lenient view of the offence. This “ abo ” had pleaded not guilty.” Seeking to help the accused, the magistrate asked: “Did you hit him on purpose?’’ “No” replied the native, “I hit ’im on dor nose. How different are the Maoris. Two years a<n> I was on a beach about two miles south of the Hokianga harbour when I observed a Maori driving a four-wheel vehicle, held together with pieces of rope and wire. The harness was more rope than leather. Questioning the Maori about the paiticular make of his vehicle, he replied, “It is the latest model.” It is amusing to note the dread tho people living in Australia have of earthquakes. 1 believe if'they actually experienced one of New Zealand s minor shocks, many of them would die of fright. It is equally amusing to hear quite a number of New Zealanders asking about snakes. The fact is that New Zealanders don’t worry to any extent about earthquakes, nor Australians about snakes.

The New Zealand farmer seems more scientific than his Australian cousin, who does not “ boost ” his land to anything like the same extent. Australian "areas, however, arc much treater, and the fact that the land does not produce so much per acre is of no great, consequence to them there. What they regard as more essential in recent years is a large silo to conserve their fodder in case of drought. They call a drought in Australia a spell without rain for over twelve months. In New Zealand it seems to he over one month. For three months after mv arrival in Auckland the sky could do nothing but ween. Eventually it did fine up for a couple of weeks. Imagine my thoughts when I heard some farmers who had come to town discussing the drought! Very entertaining are the folks in back blocks of both countries. Quite recently an aged Maori lady in Stewart Island asked me about somebody’s sheep station in the city of _ Sydney. In an isolated little farm village in

the very far north of New _ Zealand where perhaps four motor vehicles pas* along the road daily, a very enthusiastic lady remarked to my wife “ you would be surprised at the great traffic wc get on this road.” In the sam* centre we met hoary, hairy old farmers, some of whom had never seen » train, but most fervently asked my opinion about Douglas Credit as though it were the sole hops of the world. My own little girl when she first came to New Zealand at four years of age was most interested in the Maoris. Seeing some brown cows a few days after we arrived she remarked: “Oh, daddy, look at the Maori cows.”