LIFE IN IKE ARGENTINE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1686, 22 June 1904, Page 72 (Supplement)

LIFE IN IKE ARGENTINE.

(Prom Our Special Correspondent.) LONDON, April 29. Amongst the New Zealanders who have arrived in London witb.u the last few weeks is Mr A. C. MacDiarmict. of New Plymouth, who has just been through an eventful experience in South America. Until lately Mr Mae Diarmid was fourth engineer on the s.s. Kent, whieii for the past two years has been trading from New Zealand,Australia and the Argentine to South Africa and England with frozen meat. Last January lie was taken ill with typhoid fever in South America, and so was left behind in the British Hospital at Monte Video. This hospital, according to the New Zealander, is extremely wellconducted, and lie nas much pleasure in recommending it in case any of his fellowcolon'ials should have the bad luck to be taken ill in that part of the world. After nine weeks’ careful nursing Mr Mac Diarmid was sufficiently improved in health to embark on the P.S.N. Co/s Orissa, arriving in London about a fortnight ago. “During the time I was in Monte Video,” lxe says, “there was a terrible revolution raging all over the lXepubiic. One can hardly believe that such wars can rage in this century and the world hear practically nothing whatever about them. However, I suppose this is due to the strictness of the censors, the local papers there only being allowed to publisn news handed to them by the Government. We were expecting the town to be taken at any moment, but up to the time of my leaving, the rebels bad not succeeded in entering, although battles were of daily occurrence outside the town. “All the police and air men under the age of forty-fivo years had been called upon to fight, so you may imagine the state of the etty. No natives were allowed to leave the country, because they were required for military service. I may mention that some men were found trying to escape, disguised as women. Even 1 had some trouble in getting away. First of all I had to prove to the British Consol that I was a British subject. He gave me a pass describing my appearance to the Chief of Police, who after satisfying himself that I was the person described, gave me a passport out of the country. “In the Argentine we loaded meat at Buenos Ayres and Campana. The latter is a small town up the Parana river, and is one of the early Spanish settlements. In this outlandish place I came across a “nest” of New Zealanders, among whom were Mr Hamilton, of Hawera, and Mr Skerrett, I think of tv ellington. One need never be surprised at meeting New Zealanders in any part of the globe. I come across them everywhere, i understand Colonel Gorton, of Rangitikei, has two sons in the Argentine. In London, I have met several New Zealanders, among whom were Mrs and Miss Allan Douglas, of New Plymouth. Although New Zealanders seem to wander a great deal, I think we all come to the conclusion that it is hard to beat our own little country.