TRAMP IN AUSTRIA

Hokitika Guardian, 16 October 1933, Page 8

TRAMP IN AUSTRIA

AUCIvLANDF'R’S IMPRESSIONS

MR H. P. RICHMOND’S TRAVELS

LONDON, September 6.

After five months’ absence, Mr H. I*. Richmond, of Auckland, is returning to New- Zealand by the Tamaroa this week. 'During the first part of his slay in London he was occupied with certain Privy Council Appeal ca s es, but he foui-d time t 0 make a tour -by erathrough many paHs of England and Wales..

Lately, Mr Richmond 'has spent three weeks in Austria, with- Mr JF. F. Platts-Mills, of Wellington. For several days they tramped with pack on back over the Aus-rian Alps and through the villages of Austria, end Bavaria. At one of the German villages they found a great gathering oi Nazi officials and Brown ShAt men. and next morning they discovered that Hitler himself had been in residence overnight. At Salzburg the splendid musical 'festival w s in progress. This w?s a:tended by visitors from the United States and many other parts ,rif the world. Peasants 'in different picturesque costumes were taking pa'rt in the festival. .Salzburg, with its castle on a rock above the rivers, says Mi Richmond, is like, the dream coy o-r.e re’ds about in medieval stories.

AH was prosperous and alive, but in Vienna the travellers were struck by the very small amount of Traffic on its wide, rubbled streets. The contrast to the activity in o-.her European capita’s was most marked. The people of the istrian villages seemed to be remarkably he'Tthy, however, and showed ro sense of depression. The cult cf b-fh-irg and sun-bathing .seemed to be universal, wlnile the greatest possible use was being made of the mime"Ous streams and lakes. Most of the be., bs wore provided with cafes. ,It was quite usual to s ee both sexes in the minimum atf're reading and sewing- and t- king luncheon between their dips. The visitors found the Austrian people ■p-’vticii-larlv courteous and helpful, and it was a, common experience, if one asked fo” direction, to be personally conducted by total strangers for quite long distances.

I.n London, saysT Mr Richmond, he lin s bean struck with the atmosphere of vigour 'and optimism which he has found among the business men.