Citizens' Lunch Club

Manawatu Times, Volume 69, Issue 208, 2 September 1944, Page 6

Citizens' Lunch Club

“Experiences and impressions Abroad,” was the topic of yesterday’s address given by Mr. Graham Crossley at the Palmerston North Citizens’ Lunch Club. Mr. Crossley was personal assistant to General Puttick when the delegation of Prime Ministers met in London recently. The whole of the journey was made by plane and Mr. Crossley had a wealth of information for his listeners. The delegation left Auckland in a flying-boat bound for Noumea and Honolulu. He said that the latter was an interesting place but there was evidence of war everywhere—raised ships and bombblasts. From Honolulu they went to San Francisco, which is the longest ocean flight with the exception of one. It took 15 hours. Mr. Crossley was impressed by the size of the next “port of call,” Los Angeles. The population was terrific and the city was on a gigantic plain, terminated at the north by the famous Hollywood Beverley Hills. The crossing of the States took 24 hours and he -went on to mention some of the cities he bad seen— Dallas, Ilpasse and St. Louis. Washington was a magnificent city, he said. There he saw more State buildings than in any other place in the world. They were all new and were of the highest grade in architecture. The surroundings were beautifully kept and the gardens perfect. What impressed him most, he said, was the National Gallery of Art. Tt was a delightful build fag, with not a single window in its construction. The light was let in by huge slats set slantwise. The interior was floodlit and any picture of paramount importance had ts special system of lighting so as to throw out its good points. Mr. Crossley saw a large area of the farmlands throughout those areas. The standard of living was d<mlorable, lie said. The population lived houses which New Zealanders would not call houses. From Washington they went to New York and then to Prestwick in Scotland for a few hours, where they saw, among other treasures, Bobbie Burns’s fcottage. In London the first thing one thought of was how much damage had been done. There was colossal damage in some parts and in others there was no evidence of it at all. The delegation was in London for the first fortnight of the flying-bomb menace. Mr. Crossley had the good fortune to meet Mr. Churchill, the Royal Family, and various American officials. Among all whom he met, Mr. Crossley said that the outstanding personality was General Jan Smuts.