A TRAVELLER’S IMPRESSIONS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21242, 24 January 1931, Page 2

A TRAVELLER’S IMPRESSIONS.

Written for the Otago Daily Times. By George M, Mont. IV.—ENGLAND SINCE THE WAR. MOTOR, TRANSPORT. In the last decade many changes have taken place in the everyday life of nations and peoples. In England some of these changes of manners, modes, and customs are very subtle and difficult to discuss, while ' others are obvious and even blatant. One of the most obvious is the development of motor transport. Although the number of cars per head of population is not as great as in America, the area in which the cars are confined and the comparatively short lehgth of road at their disposal have made the road traffic very much more dense. Taxation of motors and petrol has provided ample funds for the care of the roads which have, therefore, been enormously improved to keep pace with increased traffic. Operations of straightening and widening have provided splendid arterial highways such as the Great West Road, which has ample room for four lines of fast traffic. Second and third-class roads, and even many unimportant country lanes, are all tar-sealed, and the topdressing is usually repeated annually. An ordinary gravelled or macadamised road is regarded as quite poor, even though its surface might be better than that on many of our important New Zealand roads. On the Continent, road improvements are to be observed everywhere, but it is a sign of the times that Germany has had little money to spend upon either motor cars or roads.

Motoring on the main roads becomes a matter of joining a procession at 40 or 60 miles an hour, but for those who prefer to see the scenery the unfrequented by-roads and lanes still provide an unending succession of picturesque and beautiful scenes. A weekly feature of the Observer is a description of tours along such lanes, and these articles, gathered into a small book, form a useful guide to the motorist with leisure. The excellent roads in England have enabled the motor vehicle to become an even more serious competitor of the railway than it is in New Zealand.. By extending their excursion facilities the railways are now carrying more passengers, without ap* preciable change in their revenue from fares. The broader gauge and greater density of traffic enable the railways to retain the advantages of speed and comfort, especially for long distance journeys. The majority of motor drivers in England are highly skilled, especially the, drivers of heavy lorries and buses, which are continually on the road. These men are usually very courteous and give prompt and accurate signals when necessary, so that driving on the English roads is less difficult than might be expected. Road accidents reach an appalling total, but many of them are due to the minority of unskilled drivers, among whom must be included those who" are selfish, discourteous, and lacking in imagination. Road signals are acknowledged by the recipient to a surprising extent. A pedestrian or cyclist who signals to a driver on a blind corner or intersection usually receives i salute of acknowledgment. This courtesy is also regularly extended by a driver in meeting another who has made way for him. The dimming of headlights is usually practised, even when meeting cyclists. The smooth-surfaced roads are not all joy to drive upon, especially at certain times of the year. In the autumn the damp fallen leaves become a slimy mess, which creates very treacherous conditions, In the frosty winter mornings the roads are very dangerous, and large staffs of roadmen must, be available to scatter gravel to. minimise the risk of skidding. _ The English roads are exceedingly well sigmposted, and through routes are in addition marked with a serial number. _ On most of the narrow roads white lines are marked along the centre at bends, while at dangerous corners warning words “ Slow ’’ or Stop ” are painted in white on the road surface. The narrow streets in many of the towns and villages cause groat delay to traffic, and leave little room for parking cars. Consequently where authorised parking places are provided a charge of fld or Is is almost universal. Such a charge is nearly always levied in the vicinity of cathedrals, castles, and other places’ of special interest to tourists. Every motor car in England must carry its license in a neat little circular holder on the windscreen or at the left-hand side, whore it is always visible to police or traffic officers. This arrangement obviates the need for changing the number plates annually, and appears to be a much simpler and less expensive method than that in use in New Zealand. NEW SUBURBS.

Another very notable change which has taken place in England since the war is the reaching out of the towns into the country. This is very largely the result of the improved roads and the road motor services. Houses have sprung up all along the principal arterial roads as well as along many second and third-class roads traversed by bus services. Many of the houses are of the bungalow type, cheaply built, with low roofs and small rooms. With their bright red brick and red-tiled roofs, these “ bungaloid growths,” as they are called, have become: an object of scorn to the average Englishman, who has a strong prejudice in favour of a solidlybuilt two-storey house. Unfortunately, many excellent and attractive types of bungalow are thus condemned, because of the monotonous arrays _ which have been constructed by jerry builders in some districts. On the outskirts of many towns and villages estates have been subdivided, frequently by the local authority, and large numbers of new houses built, usually of the semi-detached type. These often form an uninteresting collection, which is but one stage better than the older typo of rows or terraces without any space between the houses, and little ground either in front or behind. Whether the new bungalows meet with approval or not, it is much better for people to live out in the country, where they have space for a garden, than to be herded together in the cities with scarcely room to breathe. The. “ urbanisation ” of the charming English countryside has come to stay, and its extension in the future will take place with less encroachment upon the beautiful parks, for public feeling in England is beginning to realise the harm done by the sacrifice of age-old rustic beauties to make way for rows of ugly structures. Here and there very successful efforts have been made to build new houses in the old styles. Such houses are, of course, more expensive, but they are usually quite attractive. Impressions of age are given by the use of half-timbered brickwork without too much, respect for horizontal and vertical lines. Old and mossy tiles are much valued for such houses, but it is now possible to obtain new tiles which develop an old and mellow appearance in a year or two. Sometimes leaded windows and thatched roofs are used to give the impression of age. In Now Zealand we are so accustomed to associate old buildings with rusty corrugated iron, lack of paint, and other signs of dilapidation that we can _ scarcely understand the veneration which is bestowed upon ancient structures in England and Scotland. At Home many fine houses in brick or stone go back a century or two, while some of the very finest structures in the land, abbeys, cathedrals, churches, and castles, were built five, six, seven, or more centuries ago. Ancient customs, too, are maintained with an almost curious yet impressive persistence which one might associate only with the observance of a religious ritual. One evening the writer listened to a remarkable, wireless broadcast incorporating the rounds of the “ Keys,” the escort which accompanies the officer who locks up the Tower of London at 10 p.m. Tins ceremony is said to have been executed in practically the same way every night for 600 years! WIRELESS SERVICES, Most visitors to England whose stay is short and occupied with travel or business have few opportunties for realising the development of wireless broadcasting. Apart from the excellent national and local programmes to be hoard in England, a very great variety of Continental programmes is available to English listeners who possess an up-to-date set with as few ns three valves. For some reason atmospheric interference in Western Europe is very much less serious than it is even locally in New Zealand, so that conditions for flic reception of distant stations are very much more favourable. It is very interesting indeed to be able to turn the dial and listen one after another to French, Italian, German, Dutch, and Scandinavian stations. In England one is so much closer to many foreign countries that the value of a knowledge of

foreign languages is very much more evident and commands much more attention than it does with us. _ Increasing numbers of people are beginning to realise how very much more valuable German is than French, not merely to travellers, but also to students of nearly all branches of knowledge. The British Broadcasting Corporation is a thoroughly national organisation, and, in spite of what critics say. the programmes it provides for a fee of 10s per annum arc exceedingly good and suited to all tastes. Alternative programmes are broadcast by its high-powered stations, while ’ local programmes are transmitted from suitable centres throughout the country for the benefit of listeners who have small sets. The best items from the principal stations are frequently relayed to the local ones, which are thus supplied with a very high class service, quite surpassing what is available in New Zealand. Occasionally special concerts have been relayed by. land line from distant Continental cities and successfully broadcast iu England. Improvements in this method of transmission are to be expected, and may in due course exercise an important influence on programmes in the Antipodes. Arrangements are often made for items of national importance to be heard throughout Britain. For example Mr Snowden gave a very interesting account of his effort at The Hague Conference; Sir John Simon spoke about the work of the Indian Commission over which he presided. At the last election the 8.8. C. made special arrangements for representatives of the three political parties to b'oadcast their views mid policies. The King’s voice is rarely “ on the ether,” but the Prince of Wales speaks more often, and is always worth hearing, for he is one of the finest speakers in the land. His English is faultless, his enunciation is pleasant to listen to, and he never seems to hesitate for a word. Public speaking and the ability to say the right thing at the right time constitute a great part of his work, and he has characteristically studied and trained himself to be able to do this without the aid of cumbersome notes. The Duke of York is sometimes heard, and he, too, by sustained effort and careful training, lias become a public speaker worth listening to. , The British broadcasting service has enormously • extended public opportunities for listening to leaders in all branches of national life, and for becoming more closely acquainted with many.' topics of importance, as well as for hearing the very best programmes of music and other forms of entertainment, SPOKEN ENGLISH. “ Although the efforts of the 8.8. C. are so. well directed, the influence which its programmes exert has led to considerable criticism about various matters, notably the pronunciation of its announcers. As very many English words have alternative pronunciations, the 8.8. C. has, with a view to simplifying matters, from time to time issued lists authorising its servants to use definite pronunciations for certain words. Consequently its authority has gradually superseded that of the Oxford Dictionary in pronunciation, even though this work is always consulted by the committee which makes the final decision. Great care is taken to get the correct pronunciation of proper names and foreign words. About a year ago, when a British football team was touring in New Zealand, the Maori names of places where matches were played were usually pronounced according to orthodox Maori rather than in our modified manner. Thus at the first news bulletin (G. 15) one evening, “ Timaru " was accurately pronounced “ Tee-ma-roo,” without any accented syllable. But apparently someone who heard, this sent a message to the studio givingthe New Zealanders’ pronunciation, for at the second news bulletin (9 p.m.) the word was pronounced “Tim-n-roo,” with the short-accented first syllable to which we are accustomed. The accent or intonation of the 8.8. C. announcers has given rise to much more serious discussion and criticism than its decrees about pronunciation. In choosing announcers great care is necessary about many points. An announcer must be able to speak naturally a standard of English which will be intelligible in all parts of Britain. The most standardised form of English is that spoken by the educated and leisured classes in the south-of England. Those who like to hear the picturesque dialects of the provinces fear, that these may die out or at least become so modified as to lose their individuality if people hear nothing hut uniform'speech. In deference to these views some,, euro: has been taken to choose local announcers' whose accent is suited to local conditions. The subject which is thus raised is a very interesting one, especially to anyone' who cares to listen carefully in the course of his travels. It is. however, one about which it is very difficult to write or talk because people are often a little sensitive about these peculiarities. The speech intonation, accent (or whatever it may be called) of, many educated people in the south of England has a natural smoothness and grace which makes it very pleasant to listen to. But in the last 10 years many of those who do not naturally speak thus have considered it desirable to try to do, so, with the result that they have overdone it. They do literally speak affectedly, and the tendency to exaggerate this form of speech has been so much , encouraged in certain types of schools and colleges that nowadays the caustic comments one hears indicate a considerable revulsion of feeling. Among the foremost critics of this type of speech arc Bernard Shaw, and St. John Ervine. The latter wrote recently in the Observer of an Austrian shop assistant who had never been out of her native land, yet spoke English fluently' with a slightly American intonation.: She pronounced her r’s very prettily, and when she had to say the word ‘ nature ’ she said ‘ nature/ not ‘nay-chah/ as the Southern English do.” Since the development of the talkies many leading American fi'm stars have made great efforts to affect “ Southern English,” so that their production may he acceptable to British audiences. , Their success is due to the fact that most people at first find it, difficult to distinguish between those who speak “Southern English” naturally and those who speak it as an affectation. On the other hand, many people find a delightful picturesqueness in the typical conversation of various districts, such as the accents and dialects of the West Country, Yorkshire, the Scottish Border, or Aberdeen. A pleasant Scottish voice is music, in the ears of many Scotch folk who live abroad, but harsh and raucous speech characterised by over-emphasis of the r’s may be just as offensive as the other extreme, the so-called “ Oxford drawl ” which eliminates the r’s altogether. A man’s speech should he judged not by whether it savours of Oxford, Glasgow, or New York, but by the accuracy and euphony of its sounds, and by the absence therefrom of any suggestion of harshness or • irritation. Although many English visitors to Now Zealand comment on the purity of the English spoken here, we are undoubtedly developing our own characteristic accent, which is not completely free from undesirable tendencies. Since environment exercises quite as large an influence upon accent as it does upon many other customs and habits, one may hope that in the future the influence of our nearer neighbours upon our speech may not altogether outweigh that of the Mother Country.