SEEING THE WORLD

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 18 May 1928, Page 4

SEEING THE WORLD

ENGLISH GIRL’S ADVENTURE. BRIEF VISIT TO SOUTH TARANAKI. An interesting visitor to Hawera at present is Miss Herbert Smith, a member of a well-known Norfolk family, ivho is woncmg her way round the world. She left England two years ago with a good wardrobe, her passage booked to Canada, with high courage and a cheerful outlook, but with very little money. She had qualified in domestic science in England, where she had also been engaged as a lecturer under the Health Department, hut when she left the Homeland she had no idea how far those qualifications would carry her. She was anxious to see t-lie world as it lived, not as it was presented to tourist eyes and with this object in Hew she looked for work, being ultimately successful in obtaining an appointment as head of an immigration hostel in Canada. Her knowledge of immigration in that Dominion was thus gained at first hand and her views thereon are startlingly original, for, though ,-i keen lover of the Empire and ail things British, she proved in the course of an interview with a reporter of “The Hawera Star” that she abhors cant. She brings < a new light to bear on the Canadian attitude to tiie Empire and the Englishman, for her impressions were gained, not in high political circles, but among the common people. She made an excursion into the United States without going through the formalities demanded bv the immigration laws and got as far as Chicago. After an enjoyable trip she lound she had not sufficient money le t to return to Canada in the same comfort as she left it, but she got back by practising economy, travelling in a bus instead of .in a train and ling in a bus instead of in railwaysleeping ear. She has been in New ' Zealand six months and purposes leaving for India in August. Unlike the average touring journalist—for Aliss' Smith adds newspaper-writing to her many accomplishments—she does not pretend that she knows all about New Zealand, its past and its present and where it is going. She is gaining her impressions at first hand here, as elsewhere and doubtless she will have some interesting things to tell the readers of the big English provincial papers for which she is writing Happily she likes the country and the -people, but she is perfectly well aware that there is as much human nature in New Zealanders as in Canadians, Englishmen or Americans, and therefore is not likely to embarrass us by telling the world we are a great deal more wonderful than we are, even though we all have big bank accounts, according to the Government Statistician.

Aliss Smith has been in close touch with the Government Publicity Department since her arirval in the Dominion and it was on the advice of Mr Messenger that she visited South Tarzcnaki. She hopes while here to see something of our methods of turning butter-fat into wealth, besides something of the scenic beauties of the district and she is looking forward to telling .the English people in India, and her own people when she returns to England, something of the country. She is immensely impressed with the possibilities of the School Children’s Empire Reciprocal Publicity Scheme and has enthusiastically undertaken to do all she can to further it at Home and specially in Norfolk, where she is confident she can successfully introduce it to the educational authorities.

Aliss Smith, who is staying at the Egmont Hotel, leaves for Wellington on Tuesday.