FORTUNATE NEW ZEALAND.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19016, 12 November 1923, Page 10

FORTUNATE NEW ZEALAND.

HARD CONDITIONS AT HOME CHAT WITH COLONEL BRITTAIN. After all that has been said about the, backward condition of hotel accommodation in this country, it was most refreshing to an interviewer to hear such an experienced traveller as Lieutenant-colonel W. B. Brittain say that the excellence of the hotels in New Zealand for the size of the country had been a revelation to him. He has been in other British colonies with considerably larger populations where conditions are nothing like so_ good. In particular, .he considers the dining rooms and the cooking excellent. Colonel Brittain is the Eastern director of the great Sheffield steel (irm of Sanderson Brothers and Newbould. Ho is going to settle in Auckland and to make New Zealand his business headquarters for the whole of the East. His reason for selecting New Zealand instead of Australia is his preference tor New Zealand as a. country in which to live and bring up his children. He painted a somewhat dark picture of the Old Land. Lately, he says, it has become' a very unpalatable place to live in. There has been so much depression since the war that much of the old joy of living has gone. Not only have the times been bad but the whole mentality of the people seems to have changed. That is particularly noticeable in London. "I have been in over 50 countries since the war.” said Colonel Brittain, “and it is a verv curious thing to note that there is no countrv I have visited that has been less spoiled by war conditions than New Zealand. The keynote here is simplicity. The keynote in all the other countries lias been feverish searching rfter pleasure and no contentment or satisfaction with anything, In New Zealand you have indeed a lot to be thankful for,, particularly in vour young neople. They have not got those •high faintin’ ideas as to what their rights Brittain illustrated the prevalent conditions at Home by reference to his own citv of Sheffield, -where, in a population of half a million there hive been 45.C00 unemployed for the past two years. The rates have gone up to a greater extent and have out manufacturers out of business. He did not see that there should be any labour troubles in this country. ‘They have nothing to trouble them. >y hat New Zealand wants, he considers, is & proper co-ordination of immigration interests. He knows dozens of good tradesmen, who only want a lead to come out here, and what is wanted in London is a really qualified employment bureau giving direct touch between 'definite employers out here and workmen at Heme. Colonel Brittain does not see much future for Great Britain in Central European trade, which used to ho one-third of her total ’ trade. He has been right through Central Europe, and cannot see where that revival is to come from. The people want the British goods, but they cannot afford to buy the sterling to pay for them. Russia" has gone. She is still in a very hopeless condition. Britain’s only salvation is the colonies. South America, and the Far East. Colonel Brittain is not, however. very hopeful of the preference move on the part of the British Government. There is* almost a superstition among the working people on the taxation of food products. He had often addressed meetings on the subject in the northern counties, and he always found that the people listened very attentively to any talk on tariff reform until" the breakfast table was touched. Apparently thev would not remember that a good many breakfast items, such as tea and cocoa, were already taxed. The educed ciasses, with few exceptions, and the manufacturing classes arc strongly in favour of some form of tariff reform and certainly of preference, but it is very difficult to get past the popular vote. People here have but little conception of what British manufacturers are up against. Even up to 1921 the manufacturers were still paying away 60 per cent, of their excess profits to the Government and 6s ■in the £ on the balance. That and the excessive rates resulting from unemployment have made -the British manufacturers’ position impossible. Colonel Brittain intends to remain here another week co-ordinating various business interests before returning north, but he expects to pay a longer visit to Otago in the autumn.