RETURN OF THE MAYOR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17347, 19 December 1919, Page 10

RETURN OF THE MAYOR.

. . ; HIS HEALTH RESTORED* ' AMERICAN OBSERVATIONS. PROSPERITY AND EXTRAVAGANCE. -. Among the passengers -who returned e to Auckland by the Niagara yesteri day was -the. Mayor of Auckland, e Mr. J. H. Gunson, who, -with Mrs. • Gunson, has been . engaged on a trip ':»' through the United States and Canada, j for the purpose of recruiting health that f- had been undermined by his whole-hearted 0 work during the war period, in connec--3 tion with jsatriotic movements within the • Dominion. „■ Mr. • arid Mrs. 'Gunson, on ... landing, appeared much benefited by their » tour, and the Mayor expressed himself as r being quite ready to take tip the reins, of '' municipal government againnot merely * back to his state of health in the times a immediately preceding the war pressure, a but better and more- fit for work than he y had been for years.. Indeed he proposed l ' to < resume his Mayoral responsibilities and £ duties immediately. t In the course of his tour, Mr. Gunson . travelled more than 12,000 miles, visiting ' over 20 States. He found New Zealand f to be little known to Americans, and by many people taken to be part of Ausf ' "tralia. He considers it would pay New > Zealand to spend money upon the adopp. tion of attractive methods to encourage t tourist traffic from both the United States ! and Canada. Anglo-American Friendship. I Britain's efforts in the war, Mr. Gunson 8 found to be thoroughly appreciated .in 8 America, and he considers the interests of i the two nations have been greatly t cemented by the war. The United States T nation,, great as she was before, grew a enormously rich and prosperous during the - war, her internal and export trade both r show great growth, and consequently a everywhere signs of abundant prosperity r abound. Enormous expansion of trade in- » terests—-chiefly manufacturing concerns and s shipbuilding—as ' well as the development d of land resources in most of the States. 1 is taking place. The growth of many of s the cities is remarkable. Detroit, in 1900, l had a population of 285,000, while today the population exceeds 1,000,000. I Prices and Strikes. Prices in all lines are much beyond, pre- ," war levels, and wages correspondingly 1 advance. Strikes of workmen in ships' building and upon the wharves have been *? general and protracted, but have not 1 stopped the .flow of business. When he " left San Francisco the shipbuilders were 1 returning, and a settlement of . the port ' dispute was in sight. A much" more seri- ? r ous position was that oi the coalminers. 1 The issue appears to be one of constitu- ' tional government and law and order, as " agairist revolution, and there is ho-doubt i that the people of the States will stand ' by the Government, as Mr. Gunson befc lieves the great body .of workers will do 3 when- the issue becomes clear. 'The oouh- *> try is very anxious" about the future of its - trade with, the resumption of conditions 1 more nearly normal in European coun- • tries and in Great Britain. ' The r cost of living is the chief problem i confronting legislators, and only overt shadowed for , a time by the miners' disf pute, and the league of Nations tangle. Extravagance Everywhere. In the cities extravagance is apparent, particularly in dress, and while the savings bank deposits show an unprecedented increase, yet the people never spent as much. The spending power oi the community is very high; they think no more . of a dollar than we do of a shilling. In the thickly populated parts of New Ifork, Chicago and other large cities, where in 1902 he* saw much poverty and, distress, , he found on'this occasion a transformation. Children were mostly well dressed, while at evening, in large groups, there was an atmosphere of happiness and con--1 tentment. This appears a strange con- ) tradiction to'the unrest prevailing in leading sections of the big labour unions, and ' goes to show that in many cases there is ' more than the question of wages .at trie 1 " bottom of the unrest. ■ i - •••'■' - livestock Pre-eminent. 5 Comparing the stock which he saw at i three great agricultural shows, Mr. Gunsoh i said the cattle were wonderful, particu- , larly the Kansas stock, but he saw no sheep in America to approach New Zea- ' land "flocks. He often told people we have ' more sheep in New Zealand than they : have in America. The dairying, too, is primitive, *%nd it is impossible to obtain. good butter, which they do not understand; now' to make. " : :'.■..':•.'":y '-". . Mr. Gunson has brought back with him a large amount of information relative to* .) municipal developments "in America, which he is sure will .be of great importance to the Auckland City Council. '•, M ;- :"■ ■ « - - ■ ■■■ ;■- ■'■- — "fr, '