A HAWERA RESIDENT ABROAD

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXIX, Issue LXIX, 10 September 1915, Page 4

A HAWERA RESIDENT ABROAD

some o!p his impressions.

Interesting letters hare come'to hand from Mr It. G. Cellar, who says that he is in capital health, better than he has been tor some years. Ho went across td Liverpool in the 5.6. St. Paul. Extrordinary precautions were taken at New' York before sailing. It was just after the attempt on the life of J. P. Morgan. »The perpetrator was said to have placed bombs on certain ships, and therefore the shipping authorities were more careful than usual. "They caused. ' says the writer, "every piece of luggage to be boarcned—nicely packed trunks, suit cases, and hand bags—all had to be turned out, and the things took, some putting back." Mr Sellar was not much struck with the p'eopie of tUe States generally, who, he thinks, have 41 vi.oat d.-nl of time for themselves. "1 heard it said by many," he adds, "that they are the only people who could have stopped the 'iermans." When he landed iie was classified by the Customs authorities as an alien, and this probably did not increase his opinion of them. "They are," he says, "a very suceessrui people. They are after the dollar, but they like spehdmjr it also -'I heir, offices appear to work longer horns than is the average in New Zealand. Visits to the famed Wall Street, to the Courts, where he saw the notorious Harry Thaw, to the top ■of ' the Walworth building (the tallest in New York"), and a yachting trip round Manhattan Island gave him a good idea of the greatness of the city and the extent of its shipping. He was much struck tvith the traffic organisation, a huge problem when one considers that in some,, parts; there ara live. lines, one t^'»ther--underground. sabway, street level tramway, and two elevated railways, one. over the other. It is estimated that five million people are t-arried daily. lie says thi.t apparently New Zealand ?s too scuall a?vJ too far away for rhopeopie to worry about. . A few days , 'afterwards'-Mr Sellar wrote; "There is great excitement because we are in the war zone. Most of the passengers slept on deck that night in deck chairs, with lifebelts tucked away underneath them. Every precaution is being taken • lifeboats are swung out • the ship has been illuminated at night to show up the American flag. The name of the vessel and its country are painted in large white letters. Wheu one is on the sea one realises how dastardly is the act of the Germans iv attacking innocent and unprotected shipping."1 A copy of the "Trans-Atlantic American," a stuall four-page paper printed and published on board the St. Paul, gives all the latest news received by wireless, so that passengers are kept right up-to-date. Jn his next letter Mr Sellar waxes enthusiastic over England and his first impressions on landiug. He frays: —"It gave me quite a thrill to set foot on English soil, the land of iv.y ancestors, the land to which we have been accustomed to look for protection, and I felt immediately at jiome in it. At Liverpool it took quite three hours to get free. I found. Mr Massey's letter and the letter from the Hawera Borough Council of ■ groat-'■use.-'" In'-'Man-chester, after a day or two looking up people to whom I had letters; ■'■1 happened.- in the course of my wanderings, to go through a : park called Platt Fields There I found 3000 of' Manchester's poor children being {riven a day's outing. It made ray heart sore to s>ee the poor little things, some iv rags and very 'dirty. On the way to London I passed through some of the most beautiful rural districts of EngUnd, It was delightful to get to -En^J land. London is grand! The streets just throng with pesple. One after-1 noon^ I found myself quite near St. Pauls,-and, going inside, a most beautiful service was being held—this, too, right in the middle of'thronging London. ■ Of Westminster Abbey he says. •It sunplvr fascinates me. I visited the beautiful Henry VII. chapel. I saw the tomb-of Mary Queen of Scots, Queen Elizabeth, Oliver Cromwell the shrine of Edward the Confessor. I stood on the snot where Charles 11. is buned and actually saw and touched 'though this is not allowed) the Coronation Chair and the Coronation Stone the armour (saddle, shield and helmet) worn by Henry V. at Agincom-t, the sword and shield of Edward I.'* Amongst the New Zealanders he saw were Mrs and Misses Nolan, Mr and M u S B"ck!e?, and Mrs (Dr) Harrison. i Altogether Mr Sellar is having a most ! interesting tour, seeing aiid hearing all there is to see and hear. In a post script he adds: "I must try to get some work to do in connection with the - war."