TOUR IN NEAR EAST.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 3 January 1928, Page 7

TOUR IN NEAR EAST.

NEW ZEALANDERS TRAVELS. GREAT FUTURE OF TURKEY. ' A New Zealander wlio has succeeded in getting well away from the beaten track of tourists during his travels abroad is Mr. Herbert Hall, architect, of 'Christchurch. Mr. Hall, who has been away for ten months, returned to Auckland with Mrs. Hall by the Ulinxaroa from Sydney this week. After visiting England, some time was spent in 'Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey and Egypt. Mr. Hall’s object was to visit the old civilisations about the Mediterranean shores, and there to pursue his interest in archaeology and architecture. Mr. Hall had opportunity to form some opinions on the Balkan situation, and one is that it was most unfortunjate that Britain backed the Greeks against the Turks in 1922. He believes that Greece to-day is thoroughly demoralised economically and more or less living on the charity of Americans. During the last few years the American Near Eastern Relief organisation had expended £26,000,000 in transporting Greeks from Asia Minor, where they were being literally driven into the.sea by the Turks. Mr. Hall was iu 'Constantinople for a considerable, time and visited Asia Minor. Generally speaking, the European is not welcomed in Turkey, but Mrs. Hall and he did not meet any serious difficulty. When Turkey becomes organised it should have a great future before it, because it holds great tracts of very fertile land in Asia Minor. iMustapha Kemal Pasha is at present organising an effective system of land registration. “A GREAT DICTATOR.” % ‘ ‘ Undoubtedly Mustapha Kemal Pasha is a great man, a great dictator,” said Mr. Hall. - He considers that Kemal is freeing Turkey from Mohammedan influence and from the corruption of the Sultans. Turkey will surely dominate the Balkans, and the Balkan countries realise that. Mr. Hall found Constantinaple to be a modern town of a million people, with the best and cheapest taxi service in Europe. The view from the Galatea Bridge across the Golden Horn with the minarets of 500 mosques and the infinite variety of shipping in the Bosphorus must be the finest marine view in the world. While in Constantinople, now known as Staniboul, Mr. Hall was able to see tlic wonders of the 'Sultan ’s treasures. For centuries these have been written about, but only during the last two months have they been exhibited to the public gaze. They form one of the most memorable sights of'the world. Among the countless treasures is a throne of solid gold, resplendent with 20,000 pearls and supphires and studded with diamonds every inch and a half all over the front of it. The headgear of the Sultans for many generations past is there. Some of them have diamonds as large as -walnuts. There is'the ceremonial plate and the Persian throne of flame-coloured lacquer studded every inch with precious stones and pearls. All these, which are being preserved by Kemal, are on exhibition in tlic , Seraglio Palace, on the Bosphorus, for visitors who obtain special permission. IMPROVEMENT IN ITALY. Mr. Hall was interested in comparing Italy of to day witli Italy of five years ago. With the exception of England, it showed more improvement than any other country he visited. The Government is harsh but beneficial to the country as a whole, and every traveller notices definite improvement. While Mr. Hall was there Mussolini was forcing down the prices of all commodities by 20 per cent. This he did by proclamation from himself, and wages had to go down accordingly. The position seemed to be generally accepted without trouble by both employers and employees. The now symlical laws by which Italy is going to be mobilised into a type of socialistic state, is one of the most interest- j ing of experiments in economies. Mr. and Mrs. Hall toured for 1500 miles in Soutnern Spain to see the Moorish architecture at Grenada and Seville. They found the country most beautiful and* interesting and the stately, courteous manners of the Spaniards were most impressivte. The most interesting and beautiful structure Mr. Hall saw on his travels was undoubtedly .the Parthenon on the Acropolis at Athens —more beautiful even than he had imagined. Ht places second the mosque of Santa Sophia.