SOCIAL LIFE IN LONDON

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21912, 22 September 1934, Page 18

SOCIAL LIFE IN LONDON

HOSTESS FOR NEW ZEALAND 2 MRS. E. STEVENS RETURNS A passenger by the Rotorua, which arrived at Wellington on Wednesday, was Mrs. Eric Stevens, who has been spending some months in London. Mrs. Stevens left New Zealand in March last and has been acting as official hostess for her father, Sir James Parr, High Commissioner. " I saw Ascot on one of its gayest days, but was not greatly impressod with the women's dresses," she stated in an interview. " They did not come up to the wonderful descriptions in the press, though one-thing remarkable to the Now Zealand visitor was to see the multitude of well-garbed men. There was a sea of thousands of men in the regulation costume—grey vest and tall silk hat and the dressy umbrella. Really the men looked much better dressed than the women. " The New Zealand Women's Association was very kind to me, and I was appointed president. They had some pleasant functions. My father (the High Commissioner) attended one, and he was so assailed by numerous New Zealand ladies living in London about the high exchange that he could not be induced to attend another 1 Unfortunately ho did not seem to be very sympathetic with their woes. As High Commissioner he has had a very anxious time over New Zealand produce, hut keeps remarkably fit. " Rural England is most charming. I was motoring in Norfolk and Suffolk at Whitsuntide, and was taken to see dozens of old churches. I believe there must be more churches than houses in Norfolk.

"The London season has been a most interesting one. I noticed a good many changes since I was there in 1927. Never before were there so many visitors to London. The newspapers said that there were 100,000 visitors from the Dominions and colonies, apart from foreign countries. This brings a huge revenue to the shopkeepers. The shops were very attractive, with their new fashions. The extraordinary thing is the frequent, almost weekly, changes in women's attire.

" The Royal Courta were gayer thaix ever. The Queen looked marvellously well, and it is extraordinary the number of engagements the King has to keep almost every day. The New Zealand debutantes this year looked charming, and were good representatives of our Dominion. 14 It was wonderful weather all the summer. I was there for four months and did not use either an umbrella or a mackintosh once. Certainly there was some talk of a drought, and it was wonderful to think they got

through the dry summer, with nine millions of people, in London, without any serious restriction of water. " I had a trip on tho Continent—visiting Holland, Belgium—and thoroughly enjoyed it, but my visit was all too short. " Notwithstanding the interest and charm of London, I am glad to Ik> back in New Zealand. 1 am satisfied that one does not realise the advantages of living in Now Zealand until one goes away. One comes back more than ever in love with the country, the scenery and the simple pleasures. I am sure that persons with incomes are infinitely better off and much happier in New Zealand than anywhere else. " The High Commissioner's office is making a drive to get more people to visit our country, and I believe more and more tourists will come over to see us."