SCENIC BEAUTIES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23369, 8 December 1937, Page 14

SCENIC BEAUTIES

HIGH PRAISE FOR DOMINION AN ENGLISHMAN'S IMPRESSIONS GROWTH OF TOBACCO TRADE High praise for the scenic beauties of the Dominion was expressed by Mr P. A. Godfrey Phillips, a director of Messrs Godfrey Phillips, Ltd., and Abdulla Products, London, when speaking to a Daily Times reporter at the City Hotel last evening. Mr Phillips, who is visiting New Zealand for the first time, is combining business with pleasure and aims at seeing as much as possible of the country, which he describes as possessing a little of England, a little of Switzerland, and a little of Norway. He has already been to the Franz Josef Glacier, which he considers one of the finest scenic resorts he has visited in his travels in various parts of the world. Mr Phillips, who is travelling by car through New Zealand, was also particularly impressed with his trip through the Buller Gorge. Britain's Trade Recovery Discussing business conditions in Britain to-day, Mr Phillips said that trade had experienced a great remeasure to the sound financial policy of the Government and the work of the Prime Minister (Mr Neville Chamberlain). Lately there had been a great growth in the tobacco business, Mr Phillips said, and England's export trade in this respect was still the highest in the world. In comparison America's export trade was very small. The wide variety of tastes and preferences in cigarettes was peculiar, Mr Phillips said, but New Zealanders appeared to favour brands which were popular in England. In fact, this similarity of tastes extended to all British countries. Amongst the coloured races the demand was for the short, fat and flashy type of cigarette. There had been a noticeable decline in the number of pipe smokers in England during the past few years, Mr Phillips continued, and since he had been in the Dominion he had learned that a similar movement had taken place here. The old idea of the contented Englishman with his pipe was slowly fading, and this he attributed to the influence of feminine smokers and the increased amount of advertising of cigarettes carried out in the daily papers. Interest in Aviation Mr Phillips, who takes a very keen interest in commercial aviation, flew from England to Australia, travelling via Peking, India, and Penang. He made calls at various cities and, in all, travelled by 10 different services before reaching Australia four months after leaving England. In all, he has done about 1000 hours of commercial flying. It is his intention, when his tour of New Zealand is completed within the next month, to fly back to England from Australia. During his stay in Sydney he had the pleasure of meeting Miss Jean Batten at the Mascot aerodrome, and at that time, he said, the aviatrix had not expressed her intention of carrying out a solo flight to England. Mr Phillips will be in Dunedin for a day or two before going on to Mount Cook, and he will then tour the North Island before returning to Wellington to embark for Australia.