VIEWS OF ENGLAND

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIV, Issue 118, 18 April 1934, Page 4

VIEWS OF ENGLAND

A VISITOR’S IMPRESSIONS. LUNCH CLUB ADDRESS. A r iews of England and Scotland as lie had seen them during his recent trip abroad were •j'iven by Mr AV. F. Durward in an interesting address to the Palmerston North Citizens’ Lunch Club yesterday. Mr A. M. Lascelles presided over a good attendance, visitors welcomed being Messrs D. E. Ireland and AV. J. Honore. His principal impression of England when he arrived as spring was merging into summer, said Mr Durward, was the beautiful greenness and tidiness of the English countryside, with its trim well kept hedges and neatly cultivated fields. However, it was a strange commentary to have to make that the flowers in English cottage gardens were not of the same standard as those grown in New Zealand gardens. Returning after an absence of 43 years, said Mr Durward, he had found the school children much better dressed than they used to be, and l>etter than children in New Zealand. This was amazing in view of the fact that so many of their parents were on the dole. There had been a tremendous improvement in the educational system, under which the primary schools were formerly a rather poor type of church school. Methods were very up-to-date, although tire speaker did not agree with some fetatures of the system. Scotland, where pupils used once to graduate direct from primary schools to the Universities, had foolishly adopted the English system providing for primary, intermediate, and secondary schools.

Road improvements had been vast, bituminised highways having everywhere replaced the old rough metalled roads. The most wonderful thing about London was its smell. There had been a serious newspaper discussion on the use of gasmasks. It was not as bad as that, though certainly bad. Because of the sickening effect of fumes from engines, one New Zealander had said he never ventured to take a walk until after 10 p.m. The smell was overpowering in busy places such as Hyde Park. Corner. London, nevertheless, was a wonderful place for the adaptable young man. The smoothness of the organisation with which the great city provided for all its requirements never ceased to be amazing. The speaker was satisfied that the business men of London carried out their work much more capably than those in America, and with less fuss.

During his stay, in England, continued Mr Durward, he had encountered the hottest and driest summer they had had for 80 years, with the temperature varying from 80 to 90 degrees in the shade. Most of the country places were facing an absolute water famine, drinking water having to he carried half a mile in some places. In one of the villages he had met Rev. H. G. Blackburne. formerly of Palmerston North, the latter being very interested in this centre. It was typical of old-fashioned England that at one small place, though less than 100 yards from the waterworks, people could not obtain water because the supply was in a different parish, whose inhabitants would not give or sell a bucketful to people outside. This was in spite of the fact that the water was piped from the neighbouring parish. Edinburgh was even more beautiful than ever, concluded Mr Durward. The AVar Memorial was magnificent and he did not know how anybody, after looking round it, could talk about the next war. The speaker was accorded the club’s vote of thanks on the motion of Mr G. D. Pattle.