WORLD TOUR

Manawatu Standard, Volume LII, Issue 6, 7 December 1931, Page 3

WORLD TOUR

DR. ELIZABETH GUNN’S TRAVELS. INSPECTION OF FOREIGN 1 .. SCHOOLS. Dr. Elizabeth Gunn, medical officer attached to the Wanganui Board of Education, who returned last week from a 12 months’ tour, stated in the course of an interview in Wanganui that she had returned firmly convinced that we in New Zealand are not awake to the value of tree planting. “In every pnrt of the world where I travelled, ’ said Dr. Gunn, “the beauty of the trees impressed me very much. In motoring through Java, where they had wonderful wied bitumen roads with no footpaths, one saw avenues of trees on both sides of the road. The Java forest growth resembles very much that of New Zealand. The tree ferns resemble our pungas, and other ferns were much like the nikau. There were no trees resembling tho New Zealand native cabbage tree. In the Riviera and again in France the beauties of the trees while motoring were again manifest. For instance, one saw long avenues of oaks and in one district miles of poplar trees. One could picture, say a drive from Wanganui to Palmerston North, with rows of trees on each side of the road. In Hong Kong, where it is difficult to grow trees, every effort is made to do so.’’ To encourage trees to grow, they were planted in pots, and what they would rave about there we in New Zealand would almost describe as absurd. In Singapore Dr. Gunn noticed the people there also lxad great regard for their trees. Even where it was found necessary to build, and a tree happened to be in the road, the people would not think of cutting it down, but would build round it. In India considerable activity was being displayed in treeplanting and people could be seen resting under the shade of these friendly trees. Dr, Gunn spent some weeks in motoring from Busah to Bagdad and Damascus, and there was very little to be seen in the nature of trees except for a few date palms. Here the doctor could appreciate what she had seen in the way. of trees in her earlier travels and recall their beautv.. THE JORDAN VALLEY.

The doctor was fortunate enough to visit the Jordan Valley during its spring time, and to see the whole of the valley covered with the most bea,utiful flowers. At Leysin, in Switzerland, at Professor Rollier’s clinic, Dr. Gunn drove through the spring flowers, such as primroses, violets, cowslips, small daffodils, etc. At Les Vants the daffodils were in full bloom, and there were acres of them, the hillsides being covered with the pheasant-eye variety. The visitor had never seen anything to equal them. “In fact,” said Dr. Gunn, “in all tho large cities I visited the parks were wonderful, and the trees struck one ns making the city. What would Paris be, for instance, without its gardens ? or London without its parks, or Vienna, or Budapest? The thought flashed back to New Zealand with regret that so many trees were cut down without any excuse, and never by any chance replanted. I would like to see every man woman and child in New Zealand who cuts down a tree made to replace it with at least three others. In England and in Scotland one can drive for miles and see beautiful rows of trees.” Some people might say that rows of trees o,n either side of the road would promote accidents, continued the doctor, but in France she did not see a single motor accident, and the traffic was very much greater than in New Zealand.. SCHOOLS.

Dr. Gunn naturally visited a large number of schools during her tour and stated that schools in various parts visited were being built to give the utmost amount of sunshine and fresh air to the children. Where the opportunity was given teachers took the children out into the open to conduct the classes. This was being done in England and Scotland whenever the conditions were favourable. New Zealand was fortunate in the matter of heating schools owing to tho milder climate, and the demands in this respect were not so great as under more extreme climates. In some of the schools visited the floors were heated. Some had hot filtered air sent into the class, rooms and others were heated by water circulation. In fact, in some of them there was far too much heat and in a marked contrast to the air outside. - ARTIFICIAL SUNLIGHT.

Artificial sunlight was provided on very expensive lines at many hospitals and clinics, and children were taken there once every two weeks and for a few hours their bodies were fully exposed to this artificial sunlight. Sun baths, of course, must be taken under supervision, but Dr. Gnnn does nob see wliv they should not be possible if carried out at the schools. It would also lie possible in the homes if the parents had some instruction. Provided there was protection from the wind a sun bath should be available for all the niembers of the family daily just as it is hoped they all enjoy the water one. A VIENNA CLASS. In Vienna Dr. Gunn had an opportunity of giving a talk to a class o.f children on New Zealand. The pupils in this class were all taught English. “I felt very ashamed,” added the doctor, “that the children could all understand me and I had to acknowledge that I could not understand one word of their language. As a matter of fact,” added the doctor, “I had no difficulty in making myself understood in English in Java, Hong Kong or Canton.”

In Vienna the children were very interested to learn that nearly all the school children in New Zealand could swim. Some of the class said that they were going to be able to swim during the summer. Baths were being built by the municipality with artificial waves, and also tepid water.