TOUR ABROAD.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 304, 21 November 1935, Page 2

TOUR ABROAD.

IN MANY COUNTRIES. WARLIKE PREPARATIONS. Some impressions of his travels abroad were given to a “Standard” reporter to-day by Dr. F. G. Scott, of Palmerston North, who has just returned from a world tour embracing 37 different countries and taking over 17 months to complete. He travelled over 13,000 miles and used nine different ships, and on only two days at sea throughout the whole tour had bad weather.

In a letter Irom Hamburg to a friend published last month some interesting details of Dr. Scott’s _ tour were given, covering his experiences in U.S.A., where he spent a year and took his degree at Harvard University. for the doctorate of dental medicine, and his trip through the British Isles, the Continent, the Balkan States, and hack to Britain again. From Britain he returned to New Zealand via the Mediterranean,. Colombo, and Sydney. Speaking of the Continent, Dr. Scott said that his chief impression had been one of preparation for and against war. Everywhere were soldiers and military displays. When he had arrived in Paris a huge aerial display was being held, ’planes from all parts of France converging on the capital. Even in peaceful Switzerland, the stations were thronged with soldiers returning from camps. In Austria and Hungary he found the people very bitter against the treatment they had received through the Treaty of Versailles and wanted back the territory they had lost. Much propaganda was being circulated to secure this end.

“I was told by responsible people in Hungary that the situation was so acute that it would be difficult to prevent a war within a year.” said Dr Scott. “In Yugoslavia, where the French influence is predominant, the country resembled an armed camp and even little countries like Latvia seemed to be preparing for. the worst. In Scandinavia and Finland I gained the impression that their military preparations were being made for only protection. In other countries like Germany and, of course, Italy you find soldiers wherever you go.” Dr. Scott said that on his return trip he had travelled on the R..AI.S. Orion which was the largest boat on the Australian run and was specially constructed for the tropics. She piit in at Toulon, the French Alediterrnnean naval base, where there were nearly' 70 French vessels of various types at the time.

There was plenty of evidence of Italy’s preparations for war in Naples where he got ashore. In the port were a warship loaded with troops, five submarines which had just returned from a sea voyage, and seven large tramps, two of which were laden with field-guns. On the streets, soldiers in Abyssinian campaign uniforms, topees, etc., were saying goodbye to relatives of friends. He wanted a photograph of the scene and took out his camera to snap a soldier, but next moment it had been knocked out of his hand. Nobody is allowed to take snaps of soldiers in Naples. He had had a similar experience in Kiel coming through the Canal. He managed to get some snaps without /being seen, but a friend had been detected from the bank using his camera and as a result the ship had been informed and the films confiscated. He thought the Italian soldiers did not appear very keen about leaving Italy, but they did not seem unhappy. Passing through the Canal, Dr. Scott said that three empty ships had been seen on their return to Italy. At Port Said, a transport of sick men was being farewelled on its departure home. At Aden an interesting sight had teen an Italian ship laden with ambulances and what looked very much like ammunition. Nineteen British warships were in port there, some dark and some light grey—the dark grey signifying units of the Home Fleet and the light grey, units of the Singapore squadron. At Colombo, the next port of call, two British submarines arrived from 4 Singapore while the Orion was there, and even in Australia, at Fremantle, there was a. British warship in port and three destroyers had put in an unexpected appearance.

From the last-named port. Dr. Scott returned home via Adelaide, Alelbourne (where he stayed for the Alelbourne Cup), Sydney, and finally Auckland. His welcome home to New Zealand had been an unusual one. Some small nieces had come down to the wharf to meet him and on seeing him had waved the red flags they were carrying at him. It was known that he had paid a visit to Russia and, said Dr. Scott, in conclusion, the officials began to suspect him of Communistic tendencies. Everything was satisfactorily explained, however.