Passing Thoughts of a Stranger

Manawatu Times, Volume 60, Issue 196, 21 August 1935, Page 4

Passing Thoughts of a Stranger

New Zealand’s People Are Delightful

NEED FOR MORE PUBLICITY OVERSEAS

A lady who spent a few moments yesterday chatting to a “Times” representative was typically American. She was in a hurry. It was a holiday, of course, but she landed off the Marama in Wellington on Monday morning, had motored to Palmerston North for a visit of brevity, and left on the express last night for Auckland, where she will catch the Niagara this afternoon. Flying through the country, without awaiting the decision of the Co-ordination Board! Her previous experience of the Dominion is confined to a day in Auckland when the outward boat called on its way to Australia. Tho lady, who in spite of this haste found time to give utterance to a few passing thoughts on our laud and her own, is Miss M. J. Moore, of Washington, D.C.

“I would have had more time to spend in New Zealand but for the shipping hoi'd-up in Sydney,” said Miss iMoore. "But apart from that, had I known that your country was so interesting or your people so nico, I would have planned a longer stay here. L made the trip chiefly to see a number of cousins in Australia and Now Zealand whom I have never seen before. (Mrs W. J. Muir, of Langston avenue, with whom Miss Moore was staying, was the eighth cousin “discovered” on the trip. The ninth will be Mr J. Bambury, who has been electrical engineer on the Niagara for 22 years.) It has been a great pleasure meeting relatives with whom I had corresponded for many years, but whom I had never met.” New Zealand and its beauties were not sufficiently known in tho States, said the visitor. Some of the people of course ware well informed, but in Washington many would regard a trip to New 7 Zealand as one to the other end of tho world. The Antipodean voyage, however, was gradually becoming more popular; Byrd's use of Dunedin as a base had helped to put Now Zealand “on the map” over in the States.

More Publicity "I think there should be more spent on giving publicity to New Zcalaud in our country,” declared Miss Moore. "We Americans are great advertisers. For instance, our Sunday papers are inches thick. If this were done, more of our tourists, particularly those partial to a long sea voyage, would be attracted to your shores. There are plenty ready to come if the requisite information is brought to their attention.”

City Without Depression Those one in every nine who form the .New Zealand public service will best appreciate this remark: "There has been no depression in Washington; they are nearly , all' Government servants there. The businesses in the city serve the Government servants.” It was in the industrial centres that distress had been most acute, but there had been recent improvements, and Miss Moore hopes to return to a country. that is really round the mythical corner. Yes; the Americans were passionately fond of the cinema. Of course, they had some of the best films made in their own country. The League of Decency, which was sponsored by the Catholic Church and embraced by all faiths, had achieved its purpose of forcing the producers to offer films of a, better quality. Some States enjoyed their own censorship, but it had proved rather erratic and unsatisfactory.

That America was fully as sober since tho repeal of the Volstead Act as before, was another opinion expressed by Miss Moore.