PLAINS BEST

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 59, Issue 4252, 8 March 1950, Page 7

PLAINS BEST

MR. H. H. HICKS’ OPINION

EXTENSIVE 2-YEAR TOUR

LACK OF GREEN PASTURES

After looking at pasture land in nearly every country in the world during his extensive twoyear tour, Mr. H. H. Hicks returned to his home in Turns last month fully convinced that the natural growth on the Hauraki Plains could not be bettered.

In fact, he said, he had not realised how little green grass there was in the world until he had travelled across Australia, Ceylon, India and North Africa. It -vtfas not until he flew across France that he saw the first really green fields he left New Zealand.

His first visit home—to Somerset, “where the cider apples grow”—after 38 years in New Zealand, commenced on December 14, 1947, when he left tor Australia. During his four months’ stay there he travelled extensively by train, bus and private car to Brisbane, Marybrough, Toowoomba, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and across the Nullabor Plain to Perth. From Fremantle, Mr. Hicks left by boat for Colombo, travelled through Ceylon, across Palk’s Strait to Southern India, thence by road to Trichinopoly, and up the Coromandel Coast to Madras. From there he went to Bombay and Karachi. Mr. Hicks was impressed by the striking contrast between Australia, “a country crying out for population,” and India, “a vast land teeming with an active, skilful and energetic people.” He arrived in April, just before the Monsoon rains, when nearly all the land was under plough, except in the south, where the rains had started and the rice was being sown.

“Labour must be very cheap in India,” he said, “for I saw women shovelling metal on the roads in the hot sun, and in Bombay they were carrying concrete on their heads. That would be much cheaper than machinery.” The Desert From the Air

“Flying across the Rjver Tigris passengers could see the date palms growing beside the irrigation canals. “They say that dates want their feet in water and their heads in hell—and they have certainly got it there,” said Mr. Hicks. From the Tigris their route took them across 800 miles of the Arabian Desert, with ite sparse green patches, surrounded by the Arabs’ black tents, visible from the air. The thin bitumen roads, constructed during the war, looked like black tape across the desert, and deserted tanks, remnants of numerous battles, were clearly discerned. On either side of the Nile were narrow strips of cultivated green land.

When his plane landed at Cairo, Mr. Hicks was disappointed at not being able to make a trip to Palestine but trouble was already brewing there between Arabs and Jews and visitors were not allowed to travel within 15 miles of the pyramids. Mr. Hicks then flew to Sicily where he spent one night before travelling over Mount Etna and landing at, Marseilles for lunch. Flying across France to Southampton, Mr. Hicks saw the first sizeable stretch of cultivated, green land since he left New Zealand. To a farmer, accustomed to the lush growth of the Hauraki Plains, it was a very welcome sight. Once in England he had many friendships to renew and relatives to visit, during the course of which he visited his home county, Somerset, and included in his tour Edinburgh, Glasgow, Belfast, Dublin, Paris and Holland.

After 38 years’ absence he noticed a vast difference in the Motherland. “All signs of extreme poverty seemed to have disappeared,” he said. The children seemed well-dressed and well nourished but the English people had a general message for him to bring back to New Zealand:—

“Tell the people to send us over more meat.”

“And they can certainly do with it,” remarked Mr. Hicks. Although it was not expensive, meat in England was in very short supply and the people needed bigger rations. A Farmer’s Viewpoint

In most butcher shops there were large, coloured plackards announcing “New Zealand Lamb —The Best in the World”—a compliment to Dominion farmers. As a farmer himself, Mr. Hicks took particular notice of English’ fanning methods in which he detected a marked change since he left for New Zealand. Farms were rapidly becoming mechanised nd the number of horses used for working had decreased considerably. People in England were

growing more and more crops of oats, barley and other winter food to make them independent of imported foodstuffs.

Even the types of cattle kept were changing. Friesian cattle were very, popular, due partly to the payment for milk by the gallon, while Guernsey herds were also extensively used, asa premium was being paid for their milk. He saw very few Jersey or Shorthorn cattle during his tour. Mr. Hicks travelled back to Australia via the Suez Canal, flying .to Auckland on November 18 in just under five hours.

His trip had lasted nearly two years during which time he had seen the greater part of th< world, visited his former home and Renewed friendships and- acquaintances- whiah had lapsed for 88 years. Altogether it was most educational and enjoyable.