FOURTEEN MONTHS' ABROAD.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXIX, Issue 10795, 17 June 1911, Page 8

FOURTEEN MONTHS' ABROAD.

THE WOULD AND ITS MACHINERY. PKI-'P.S AT MANY LANDS. With aeroplanes. Transatlantic greyhound.-, -expresses, motor cars, and a thousand and other modern facilities lor tiavelliug tin- stay-at-home man is be'-ii'iriing every day more and more—if the term mav he. excused—a rani avis. Perhaps by-and-bye lie will become so ran- that specimens will lie stuffed —by tin- taxidermist oi course, not by the-trav-.-ller —and preserved in museums. Yet with all this advance of travelling few people undertake a tour such as thai ju.-t completed by Mr F. R. DennisriH. 'and fewer still are the number thai when thev travel note as much as Mr Den nison has done. Mr Dennison returned to New Zealand a few days .-'.go after an absence of about fourteen immths. during which time he travelled .!<».()'!',i miles and visited over sixty largo town* in various parts of the world. Tn a Mail reporter yesterday he com-muni'-ated some of the impressions -loaned abroad. Loudon to Mr Dennison ww the greatest <■■ -litre. He was impressed with its cleanliness, modern style,' and, when fomparod with foreign capitals, freedom from ,-mell. even in the East End. Th: climate, or 'rather the fog, London's .substitute for a climate, also impressed but not favorably. With all lamps alighteven in the'daytime he found that it wn.-, impossible to see more than a tev,yards ahead, vehicles having to make continuous use of bells; horns, etc.. to warn of their approach. In the summer one of the first things that struck him was the extended daylight which appeared to last until 11 p.m. The enormous traffic was controlled to perfection, and Mr Dennison experienced no difficulty whatever whilst motor-driving often attaining a speed of 35 miles an hour even in the centre of the city. '•lt would do some of our councillors and police good "' ho remarked, "to have a look at the London road traffic I am'afraid'some of the former would drop dead .with astonishment." Mr Dennison" "<Jid" Loudon thoroughly from the scene/of the HouiidscUtcli murders and the' Sunday morning market of the" East End to Hyde Parkfashionable parade on Sunday- morning and popular lecture ground In the afternoon. " '- ' J . •.'•: '_ \

PARIS AT WOSK'AND AT [ Paris withi'its .bronze 'st'atpes,' arches, and wide boulevards he thought a very beautiful ;city| -but- one which shared; with other foreign towns ..the. policy of "grab alb and'*give"''-preci6ris % 'little." "The town,'.' he said, "depends largely on the; moneyed:-visitor';'•'• 'Restaurants; arid cafes with their street "awnings;, tables, chairs, and hands of music of the popular ContiSiiffisrl type occupy th£ greater part.oF.tlie side'walks.' 1 Peoplei there appear ±P have nothing to do.-but; dririk;Trench'" w^ne., and' black '.'.jcoffeej;; smoke 'GovernmeD'tAiriade cigarettes, ea|.-, snails, and so on in these places. Bej--' fore ever- you- sit- dowit'th'e'drHbitiOuSwaitcr has'figured out what his tip wil). be; and y'mtafe treated'ac'crfrdingly with iWi' addition of abuse, if you-underpay him. While in Paris "L saw the able Bois-de-Bblogne ■ Aveiirie with, its crowd of Sunday strollers and lines., of autos. cycles; c'a|rria/Tes"a"rid'ho'rs'6s pa;ssiri'g up' and' 'down''on' , 'separate'''tracks. Eiffel Tower and the Big Wheel I visited, " Jils"« Quai de- la ' ' Valmy,.' 'where sVcoifd-han'd .dealers occupy "a space about"fiftv yards wide extending for a distance of "abpu.t two.miles"wi.th their teiits and barrows. . "When there is a holiday the Parisians seem to go mad. Men and. women of society' with five-cent' trumpets join I in with the crowd, throwing spools or ! colored ritbon and paper punchings at .each other and annoying the drivers of vehicles. The horse-drawn taxi is* the common victim, as it is always too slbw to get into a place of'safety. I was anxiously -watching, with my mouth open, one of these' cabs, getting tossed about, when suddenly my mouth and throat were filled completely with a handful of paper punchings, and next moment one of my friends was lassooed with a bunch of ribbons. All this gpes on midst a roar of exciteinent, no one taking offence at any action of devilment, and the police, tod, are often mixed up in the fun." Brussels was at its brightest when Mr Dennison made his* visit, the exhibition being the attraction. One of the many strange things that took his attention in Belgium were the dog-drawn vehicles. Vegetables, groceries, etc., are delivered in.these comical'concerns, and as the load gets light the old dame in charge with her clog-coyered feet usually squats in amongst the cabbages. CONFIDENT GERMANY AND ANTIQUATED ITALY.

Germany he found to be the. land of. cheap labor and cheap goods. The manufacturing portions of that Country interested .him very much, •especially when the great foundries, rolling mills, and factories were working at night. The sight resembled that of the Midlands of Britain and Pittsburg, the great steel centre of America, and put Painc's fireworks absolutely into the shade. Berlin, whose life is most in evidence after midnight, is a city one would require to know the language "f to appreciate. The Germans he found to be very proud of their army and navv, thinking-it would be an easy matter to take Britain at any time' In Switzerland-, where goats' milk and health, abound, Mr Dennison saw hosts of British visitors. There was splendid hotel accommodation along the lakes and mountains of this little country.One of the tunnels he passed through while journeying in Switzerland was abont-ten-miles- - loffg:-"" i <-•••••- - s "I consider the best part of sunny Italv is in the north." continued Mr Dermisorif ""The people there; "too; are more civilised than those of the south. Milan and Turin are the'manufacturing centres, and some good articles are turned out-:. Like all other Continental countries, the ' "sirigle-furrow -plough drawn by "a mule, bullock, and sometimes a riiiliing cow plays a prominent part in agriculture.*' The-farmer turns ovier usuallv not more than two acres for each ' kind 'of grain, and this "draught-board" method of farming can he', seen all over that; out-of-date farmirtg'side of the world'/''■■* NE Wt ORE UNDER STRIKE. ';;;. RULE.. : ~ Crossing "the Atlantic .Mr "Dennison was struck" with the apparent danger in the'case of .a. or. earthquake from' the top-Tieavy skyscrapers which New'- ; Yorkers,' lacking ground space on their -tight little island/ have built tip amongst the olouds. -Tlie electric slifts in these structures the traveller found just .about-"as sudden' jis the enterprising Yankee dared make them. One feature of the city as seen from the-stearrief entering the harbor by"'nighti-was'the illuminatiori, making the night like day.-: Gigantic moving electric-lighted advertisements 'in color wiere a spectacle never>to be forgotten. The Ford Motor Company kindly putting a car at Mr. Dennison's disposal, he was enabled to travel far from the principal thoroughfares' of Fifth ' Avenue and Broadway—through Chinatown, and other parts where he could not have ventured on foot and outside the town to Coney Island, New Jersey, Brooklyn, etc. '-■■"."' Mr Dennison had also the sensational experience~of"seeing New York "under strike rule, the expressmen and drivers being "out." -Several serious riots took place,'arid it was' unsafe .-'to traverse some of the streets where the strikers were. Express and lorry loads o' goods for urgent delivery were driven by managers and clerks, each conveyance being guarded b.vvtwo to five police armed with revolver's and Winchester repeaters. Extra police were to heseen everywhere. Often shots were exchanced and vehicles upset, but the damage done was confined mostly to injured horses, broken windows, etc. The cab strike was hot quite so bad. but Mr "Dennison saw one taxi driver hurled off his seat, while the tires of his machine were ripped 'open. The Falls of Niagara, with the extensive electric stations supplying Buffalo ar.d other places with power, well repaid a visit. Detroit, "the Automobile City.' Mr Dennison thnuirhr one of the finest towns in the State. Witli about 63 per cent. of its population deriving a' livelihood, from the auto, industry, the city ha' undergone an enormous expansion commensurate with the up-to-dateness of the last few wars. Like New York. Chicago, and Paris. Detroit has nearlv all its auto, showrooms alonir the one avenue. .

"1 s:uv Chicago." said Mr Dennison. -tvirh it* factory smoko. meat-works, smell, mile miction yards, and mosquitoes swarming along the edge of the

lake divided from the city by Michigan Avenue, the only pleasant street, and, after, seeing it. I was glad that my home "was_in_New Zealand." THE "WORLD IN MECHANICS. "Visiting exhibitions and factories all over the world. I suppose you picked up n deal of information regarding mamachinerv?" remarked the reporter. '•Enough to fill a book," said Mr Dennison. '-At the Brussels Exhibition nearlv all niv time was spent in. the machinerv hall, which covered a "space of about "four acres, and contained an endless variety of machinery, the greater portion of it'in operation. The Turin Exhibition was practically a reproduction of that at Brussels. At the New York Electric Show there' was everything that could be operated by electricitv. from the cooking of a good dinner at the cost of two cents to the transit of power around Niagara. The much-talked-of Edison storage battery was also shown. It is certainly an improvement on the old type, but its price is so high that there is little choose between the two. For automobile use the new battery is far too expensive ox-opt- for lady drivers of wealth, who are not prepared to go far or fast. "One of the many good things at the Japan-British Exhibition was the New Zealand exhibit. A well-educated Australian gentleman whom I was with 1 Mould not believe that the blankets, rugs, etc.. shown in tin's exhibit were [of New Zealand manufacture." The British passenger trains Mr Dcn- ' nison considered the "best in the world, ' the third-class being far superior to New Zealand's first. This superiority I was mainly due to the wide gauge, the heavy rolling stock and rail track. The movement was so smooth that often one had to look out of the window to see if tin- train were moving. "I can tell | vou it is quite a picture to see the ' Birmingham-London non-stop speeding round a curve at a 60-mile clip with its" Bft. driving wheels and ' short cranks. The Limited American Pullman is perhaps equal in speed, but it has not got the same smooth running qualities." As regards underground tubes, the Paris Nord-Sud is the finest 1 have travelled in. New York and [ Chicago have also" the elevated electric ! trains, but - the •'' noise and darkness thrown on the streets by these, is-very ; disagreeable. Inordinary street trams' America has the best I .have seen/ i Their 'pay as-you en-ter; separate exit,! registering non-ticket system'. is very, simple,' "and their limited' 'long distance, carriages' compete ;aga"nstr the'-trains. In ocean travel my best trip- was:acrossthe Atlantic in the Lusitahia:' I should' advise anyone to pay'the "extra" to' sail., in one of these large liners. ■ The rough seas'seem to make no difference j:'o these 30-mileran-hbuiTnionstersJ- equipped- with \ all the latest appliances./ 'A'/daily'pa-' per is printed on board giving all the world's latest news received by trire-"' less." '''''•' '-''""' ''"' ■'"'■■■■ AVIATION ADVANCES. ';, \

Mi- Dennison spent ji lot; pf ( tim'.e,'i;.ttjie ' Belmont Park v ' iyiatibri 'riieeting,; when Grahaine-White. jvon ...the-' Gordon-; Bennett Cup for England arid the flight: round the Statue of Liberty, and John-; stone secured ari altitude record. .'Th.ef latter aviator performed a very daring, manoeuvre. After", he" had' ascended; as. far as his engiies. would '.carry hriri,with the petrol" cohsumed; he 'directed; liis machine "straight down.-' At /timesit seemed that he -<vas slightlj' upside down. When he had; attained a-speed of about 60 miles*an ! hour he'iiade a spiral descent for the rest of the'journey, landing 'neatly • on 'earth- andplacing his machine almost inside-; its' hangar. ''lt struck meat this -tithe' that he was 'going sbme' " remarked Mr Dennison, "arid ' only about two weeks/later he' met his fate while'peix forming the same feat;" "In Paris]"' continued Mr' Dennison, -"it is Tniite'a, common occurrence to see aeroplanes and dirigibles practising in the'air'. It ! is my belief that great' strides 'will -take. [ place in the heavier-tha'n-air machine; in the next few years, arid' that the' present aeroplane will give place to/' a safer machine of entirely different > design." ■ ■'■■''. ''•'_'' Improving the auto-car.

No trade involving so much capital aiid labor has bounded so rapidly into •existence as the automobile. _Slr Dennison found every manufacturer very busy, while several new. concerns were, springing up". So long as this was the condition of things, he stated,, makers were content not to look for improvements. When -a -slump came Britain would have to waken' 'up and' manufacture machines suitable for all countries. Then she would take the lead, as she has done in the cycle trade. Meanwhile America is securing a- lot of British trade in producing in'large quantities machines suita'bTe;for rough roads, "The "French makers built-up a name in the early' days, and T am afraid several of them are trading on this now. However' some of-therii,'also the-Ita-lians, are turning out some splendid cars that will' keep 1 up' the reputation and that find ready buyers on British soil. It is my belief that motor cars will bo made much'' lighter with the springing correspondingly more- perfect as time goes on. Torpedo bodies are fast becoming popular; no great improvements have been made in the mechanical construction lately. The "slide valve" engine, the 'worm' - drive, and 'wire' wheels are perhaps preferred by some. Personally, I have no'time for them:" As to the results of'jhis trip, Mr Dennison said that he had succeeded in selling three patents' ' abroad," had secured some first-class agencies for chassis, farm engines, ' etc., ~ and had received a thorough training in the new processes of welding- and casting metals, gear cutting,- case-hardenin'gj and vulcanising. This'made 'him satisfied with his trip, though' the expense' of the tour ■ had been about three times the sum he most' carefully estimated. ■