THE SOUTH SEAS

New Zealand Times, Volume L, Issue 11423, 20 January 1923, Page 14

THE SOUTH SEAS

LURE OF THE ISLANDS EXPEDITIONS LEAVING ENGLAND. The lure of the South Sea Islapds has for countless numbers of years fired the imagination of men, and from the days of our earliest navigators there have been expeditions laboriously fitted out for navigating the then little known waters of the South Pacific. At the present time there are four crafts in England being constructed for a cruise in the South Seas, and a “Times” repoiter yesterday bad an interesting chat with a- gentleman who arrived by the Maunganui as an advance agent for his party. “England is weary,” he said, "and there are hundreds of people in England to-day- who would vacate their offico stools to-morrow if only the opportunity of visiting the Islands presented ilself, and as the news of further proposed cruises to the South Seas is known, there are dozens upon dozens of applications for the -trip made to the originators^ "Although we do not propose to stay indefinitely in the South Seas,” he paid, “wo hope to.spend at least twelve months cruising round, and we shall go from the Pacifio Coast down through the Marquesas, the Ellice Group, Friendly Islands, Fiji, and on to the more outlandish islands of the New Hebrides “When I left England,” ho continued, "there was a party of eight men just ready for their trip; they, however, were in search of the usual taxless isle, and propos’d to establish a miniature colony in the Marquesas. All of them were strong healthy young fellows and they hoped to cultivate copra, establish trading concerns, and run an embryo Long Island.”

There is another party leaving England, a lone three, a man, his wife and a boy, who intend cruising around for a twelve month with periodical rests- at whatever island happens around. "With such publicity given to these expeditions,” ho continued, “it is no wonder the seed of unrest is being sown, for the wanderlust is strong upon many at Home, and if any more expeditions are made, there will be an exodus from England. The clerks will throw down their pens and rise from their stools, the typist will abandon her powder puff and chocolates, while companies will be promoted for jaunts to fairyland.” He smilingly contrasted the jaded English people to the happy-go-lucky native, who never stood half an hour struggling with collar stud fn his dress shirt, who never had mud splashed over him from road hogs, or had to tear ofl to the corner house for lunch, back at two. "No,” he concluded, "the native knows not of those things-and is happy, but”— here he moved away ns a car arrived to take him to the station —“if they have a nagging wife—well they find another.” The car sped rapidly round the corner and left the reporter standing on the kerb. He is going to join the expedition when it arrives.