TRAVELLING IN EUROPE

Hokitika Guardian, 22 July 1926, Page 3

TRAVELLING IN EUROPE

(“ Lyttelton Times.”) ] Strong comment on the European ] passport system was made in an in- i teresting letter received recently in Christchurch from Mr J. E. Stevens, who was for many years in charge of '• the Sumner Institute. Air and Mrs i Stevens have heon .snending much 1 time travelling in Europe. _ * Describing one trip he.writes: —“Me 1 took a run up to Geneva one day from Aix. Geneva is -a most beautiful towii * with lovely situation on «i lovely lake just where the Rhone comes out beautiful bridges and islands guldens and monuments, and a splendid rush of green .waters over the noil. There is a fine view of Mount Blanc, and also of,the Jura Mountains. There had been a heavy fall of snow a !«'•' days before, consequently the scenery was at its best at the time of our visit. Unfortunately we were only able to stay a couple of hours owing to the time that it takes to cross the frontier, which we,-of course, had to do both coming and going. The passport and Customs examinations arc sickening nuisances, and it is a. inane to me how civilised countries put up with them. If only European statesmen would have the sense to see that free intercourse- of people and tue interchange of commodities between the irations is the surest and indeed the only way to lasting peace and concord between States as well as the highroad to general prosperity these petty and irritating restrictions would soon be swept away. I should Lkc to compel every member of lai I lament to cross a. frontier every day for ia month, and every Chancellor of im Exchequer every day for a year. " thev might begin to think n little. ‘‘Yoip / have no conception ot what u like to be herded along in a big crowd at Calais or Dover. Just •imagine the old rush for the pit m the days of Bland'Holt, multiply b> 100 and give everybody one or two Gladstone bags or suitcases, a bundle of rugs, a parcel or two an umbrella, and a: passport held open in his .and, and the other hand fumbling for be>» or guarding one’s pocket from P"kpockcts. and you will get a fa,n idea, of what one goes through. H • worse in France than m England, though if Churchill goes on muc.i longer there will not he much to choose between them. “J„ France they have Customs houses at every approach to ovct> town and village. They don t libel paving rates, or anything in the v.a of direct taxes in France and consequently they collect their local £«n«c in this antiquated fashion. I • be a verv expensive way of getting m , P as well as a fearful handicap to their internal trade, hut they will i P„t. up with any inconvenience mth,i than pay a direct rate or tax. “I forgot to mention that my « has been composing again. She had two of her pieces, ‘The Dream So o, t and a new waltz that she composed at Biarritz played twice by m orchestia

at a casino there, and they appeared to lie well appreciated by the audience.” . , “We have been hack in London a week now. and! have had mostly rain The-Derby was a record wet one. We did not go-lutd more sense. We went instead to a matinee of ‘The Plough and the Stars,’ the new Irish play bv Sean O’Casep. It was a wonderful piece of work, rather too tragic for my liking. T much preferred ‘Juno and the Paycock.’ The author is a young man, nearly blind, . who only learned to read when he was about sixteen.”