ENGLAND HONEST, THOUGH OLD.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 9404, 31 December 1910, Page 2

ENGLAND HONEST, THOUGH OLD.

AND STILL BEATS YANKEE . ' . ".SMARTNESS."' ' ; ... After Purveying mankind from east to west and back again—the United States, Canada/Britain, and the Continent, India, China, Japan, and the Philippines—Mr Geo. Elliott (of Messrs W. and G. Elliott, of Auckland), has returned to Auckland with one dominating impression—the absolute , honesty of the -British nation, and it is satisfactory to add he further finds that honesty in nations, as in individuals, is still the best policy. It comes about in this way: Some ■years ago the feeling widely prevailed that -all success belonged to the ."smart" American system. The British manufacturer built as for all time; the American. built for the moment. The American motto was "something cheap and light, to be scrapped very shortly to~ make room for some new improvement." In the Old Country they ■adhered 'to the traditional thoroughness, arid;were-called prejudiced and hidebound. ". And the doom of British manufacturers was foretold. Instead of that, Mr Elliott found the British manufacturer "quite ",at the top of the tree." Moreover, he even found''an American manufacturer who was prepared, to ~recant. This man, whose line was machine tools and such

like -stated" that the day was gone by She'll they British heavy machinery ae behind hand. The Americans had" found that Britain was right. They had . changed, their policy _or building light machines to last the moment,, and-they were now building even heavier. machinery than Britain. The faithfulness of British workmanship .is thus vindicated m one important' department, and Mr Elliott finds that British honesty is similarly prevailing ,in all directions. It is so popular to praise the cult of smartness, and to depreciate thoroughness, that the oversea Dominions have a wrong idea of ttie Mother Country. They do not fully appreciate her resources, and her immensity.