A TRIP ABROAD DEPRESSIONS OF LONDON

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LIV, 8 October 1921, Page 5

A TRIP ABROAD

DEPRESSIONS OF LONDON

INTERVIEW WITH MR W. A. DEE

Mr, W, A. Dee, who travelled the United Kingdom as a member of the New Zealand team of bowlers, returned to Nelson a few days ago, alter a very enjoyable trip. Mr Dec, who was .accompanied by Mrs Dee, Fit the Dominion last February, travelling via the Suez Canal, and returning home via Canada. During the course ol a ehat with a Mail reporter some interesting details of the trip were obtained. Speaking more particularly of the hospitality lavished on the team on - all hands, Mr Deo put it down to the splendid name left by the New _ Zealand soldiers when in Great Britain. There was great rivalry to obtain matches with the visitors, and nothing was too good for them. I he greens played on wore not always,f lu l best obtainable, but wen; chosen mainly from the jKiint of view of accommodating the crowds wishing to sec the games. AM the greens were of Cumberland turf, and the people at Horae played in their ordinary clothes, flannels, as in New Zealand, not being donned, even for the big matches. The greens right through were described as poor compared with the New Zealand ones, and were not so numerous. Greens were more numerous in New Zealand than in Great Britain compared with the population. It was tbo opinion of the New Zealanders, that _ tho. best teams in Great Britain Would not bo able to, hold their own against the chosen of New Zealand. One amusing feature of the Scottish bowlers was their keenness to get up to the jack before their bowl reached it. After a skip delivered bis bowl ho rushes up to the other end and gets there before his bowl, and if ho gets tho shot everyone shakes hands with him. As a joke, the Now Zealanders often did the same, to the amusement ,of the spectators. Wins were only a secondary consideration with the New Zealanders, and the same team was never played twice, in the same position. “If we had been right out to win,” said Mr Doc, “we could .have won more of our games.” Not a game was won on heavy greens.

Fortunately a dry season was oxpen- • ertced, hut" the lengths of the greens —nothing under 40 yards—were too long for the team, and they found it very difficult to get up. The greens varied and puzzled them a lot. One game was played on a crown green, but it was not liked, and tins class ot green in England was not as popular ns the flat ones. A number of greens a.ro attached to hotels, and there are hundreds of public ones. The public greens do not play against_ the pi ivate ones. In every town visited the visitors were met by representative people of all classes, and the -New Zealanders’ song of welcome took the public by storm. On entering the greens the spectators stood and cheered when the song of welcome was <riven as well as the Maori liaka. I' oi the liaka, people came miles to see it, climbing every vantage point m the vicinity of the greens. As holme stated, lavisli hospitality was bestowed on the visitors, and at every place visited they wove taken residents and shown round the biauty ■“‘"New Z»l.wl tcrlrd Ww*. » ™ stated, take 18 inches mom o IOCU than the British tested howls.

INDUSTRIAL CON DITIONS

“What about Hie industrial eo'nl>Hons ?” queried tlui . yZ manufacturing town, -AL Du , ing the large number of pcop‘ •*«* *as pired to be very laWndcd D^c^spok o^to' scvcraWnfluential mag So realised tho tion against them ami the " ou have to drop and were piepmul to accept tho position, it was imd - ed m passing that plumbc.s were 2* 6d anjiour m most I"-- it G Tbfrf'Sncm P l<.y«l.cnt, «. m>* a»i Mr B™ ttgp 30.000 of them, and a moic peaceful crowd die had never sum.. Jim m m-is ■£»« w«n-d rs «i On one of the greens- *L l ee versing with some of the players a d said “I suppose ;"i r’-'ps Jl, ° gers?” “Ob, no, we arc miners, aren b we Jce?” replied mie r.f tlnm mi eating to his compaa-on. While in Bradford, it was noticed that many factories were closed . lb was stated that as a consequence the an- was purer than it had been for years, as there was no smoke to pollute the at Biosphere. Much of the plant was being converted to use oil, ,r > orc e l’ l ° some extent to do away with labom difficulties.

“Tlie great thing O at tlrucic r.ie m Loifdon was that the people are so .peaceful and quiet. I did not sec anv rush or bustle. I saW more rush and bustle on the Niagara when wc arrived at, Auckland than I did ni the whole of London . The crowds are wonderfully managed, and everything seems to be clone the right While in London many_ sights of interest were visited, and in this connection Mr Dee was greatly impressed with the tube system. The escalators (mow ; ng staircases) caused a great deal ot fun, and one of the timid ladies of the party was so excited by, the novelty of her first experience that sho nearly fainted. In common with most overseas visitors, Mr “, eo had a good word to «ay lor the London policeman, and said it was wonderful to see them directing the traffic while on point duty. Nevei onco did I receive a snub from a London policeman” said Mr Dee. At the time of hia visit (lie theatres were very slack, though the prices remained high. RATES’ AND TANKS

Mr Deo made considerable inquiries relating to' rates and taxes, and his impression was that New Zealand people have very little to grumble about. Based on rental value (which was not low) it-was found that the lowest rate was 7s lOd in tho £ and th© highest 32s 6d. In Glasgow, which . is looked xipoii as one of the model municipalities, m the world, it was 14s 6d in the £, and was expected to advance another fis. IffDurham, with a. population of 17,000, tho rale was 18s 6d in the £. I

VISIT TO THE BATTLEFIELDS After Die English tour a visit was paid to the'- battlefields of Belgium !, nd Eraiice. ' A. landin'; was mode at tcridi going thereafter to Bruges, l.viii;> , . C Lille, A inirnt!, 1 >im>t<l <>. Eprc". and many o'her pom!,. of n-<* An extended tour of 180 mi hr? ' v; n doua on the Gomnie. pitting through Albert. Baupaume, Ferormc, and many other places. The cemeteries were beautifully kept and clean as a, new pin. The battlefields were being cleared up, and the crops were stated to. be the best ever experienced. “After what I have seen,” remarked Mr Dee with great sincerity, “I take off my bat to every returned soldier, and I take off my bat to yon,” concluded Mr Doe to the fnii'rview'T, who happened In ha-vc served: 1 in France.