AN INTERESTING VISITOR

Otago Witness, Issue 3196, 16 June 1915, Page 79

AN INTERESTING VISITOR

DANISH FIRM’S REPRESENTATIVE,

UNIQUE EXPERIENCE/

Far removed as New Zealand is from the seat of war, and good though the service of nows is, the talas of travellers from various parts have a particular interest, and such travellers have not been tew. Many New Zealand citizens have visited various portions of the Empire or Europe, and a few visitors from other countries have come here. At the present time there is one in Dunedin whoso experience as. far as the dominion is concerned must be unique. This -is Mr Christian Aistrup, a representative of the well-known shipping, exporting, and importing firm of Messrs Henry Olsen and Co., Copenhagen. He has visited New Zealand annually in connection with that house for several years past, but on the present occasion, since the outbreak of the war, he has been m his own native laud, travelled to Sweden and Denmark, passed through the North Sea patrol, visited various places in England, and thence journeyed to South Aii’ica, where he was present during the whole course of the rebellion, from its rise to its close. It is from his connection with these countries, of course, that his experience gains its chief interest for the people he meets in this country, but as he continues his journey, and eventually, by way of Australia, which ho has already visited, Africa, and Britain, gets hack to his native city, it will bo seen that he will have a record that few could boast, and a value that must mean much in his own; country. Placed as Denmark has so long been in relation to Germany, hardly knowing at what moment she may be drawn into the vortex, what ho can tell of the great British Empire is certain to bo not only of interest, but of moment, particularly as lie is distinctly what is generally referred to as a "live” man, one who goes about “ with his eyes open.” He was quite unprepared to meet the demands of a newspaper man when one of our representatives called upon him yesterday, thinking he was only required “on business,” but when he found out the drift of his visitor, though somewhat taken aback, he proved Ins capacity to meet any emergency, and made the interview a. really pleasant one.

When ho first approached Mr Aistrup the interviewer was totally unaware of the wide ness of the field covered by him since the outbreak of the war. All he surmised was that Mr Aistrup had passed through the North Sea licet, and could "toll something of the submarines.” That ho had passed through the North Sea fleet was perfectly correct; that he could “tell something of tho submarines” proved to be entirely wrong. Mr Aistrup has seen no German submarines, and his passage through the North Sea fleet is to him almost ancient history, occurring several months ago. In answer to a request that he siioulcl give some indication of his movements, Mr Aistrup gave tho welcome intelligence that he had been in Norway and Sweden, crossed to England, and afterwards spent some time in Africa before proceeding to Australia and New Zealand. Leaving Copenhagen, he crossed to Mabna, in Sweden, whence he passed overland to Stockholm, and afterwards went to Christiania, tho capital of Norway. The firm of Messrs Olsen and Co. are big exporters of tinned fish, and Mr Aistrup went on to Stavanger, and thence to the clecp-sca port, ITiedrickstad, where ho took ship to England. The passage from Copenhagen' to Malma was made on one of tho boats of the regular ferry service, a passage of two hours through a sea full of mines laid by the Danish and Swedish Governments, the vessel in charge of one of tho Government pilots who alone know tho road of safety through those perilous waves. The journey to England was taken on a “tramp,” port of destination mentioned, but not that at which the vessel ultimately dropped anchor —Southampton. The passage between these two ports is generally made in two clays and a-half, but a whole week was required under the exigencies of war. Captain and officers occupied tho bridge, but theirs was not the work of navigation. Their course was in other hands, and none knew where it might lie next. From patrol to patrol the steamer awlccl through tho sea at a snail’s pace. I very few hours the patrol hove in sight, j and on each occasion the vessel was boarded j and search made to see that she was clear ox contraband or offence, and fresh in-

structions being given as to where she should make next. Fifty miles apart, it might be more, it might bo less, the sea bore proudly the might of Britain, and within this range of vessels, visualised in the imagination though unseen from the deck, and all in ceaseless touch by the triumph of wireless, the merchantman pursued her course of safety, clear of offence against the country to which she was making. From Friedrickstad the route lay in a zig-zag almost to the coast of Scotland before any change to the south was made, and then, skirting the shores of England, she found her tedious way to the waters of Southampton. That was in the month of November. '

After a short stop in England Mr Aistrup took ship for Africa, and landed without accident at Durban. Here he stayed for about a fortnight, and then went to Capetown, whence he took train to Johannesburg, and later went on to Pretoria, and thence to X*oronzo Marquez, in Portuguese East Africa. Leaving that place he proceeded down the coast, revisiting Durban and -going to Port Elizabeth, East London, and Mussel Bay. On the journey from Capetown to Johannesburg he saw considerable numbers of the rebels, but nothing to indicate their military character save their caps and the guns or clubs they carried, for many were without guns. Mr Aistrup was by no means inclined to make light of that movement —indeed, he regarded its early discovery as a most fortunate event for South Africa. Ever since the Boer war discontent had been simmering at the hearts of the Dutch countrymen, especially in what was formerly the Orange .Free Stats, and the possibilities of what the rising might amount to had not even yet been fully grasped by the Dutchmen in the cities. When he was at Durban ho found almost immediately a man who had just received an order for supplies to the extent of £5030, but the merchant was wary, and would not execute it. This shyness L 3 soon found was a characteristic in all the towns. There was no doubt that the whole affair had been fomented] by the promise of assistance from German East Ainca, and the whole of the country Boers were persuaded that with that help a republic would soon be established. Tne early pursuit of the leaders, however, made Mcotivc organisation impossible; otherwise the results would have been severe. As it was, he estimated that at least 30,000 men were at one tune ready to take the field. He was on the Johannesburg Railway Station when Do Wet was taken to that town after his capture. He saw the rebel leader, but one would not have judged from his appearance that such vast designs had been on foot. Mr Aistrup greatly admired the splendid diplomacy with which the Government had dealt with the situation. It was a most delicate problem, and the slightest false move might have precipitated a con-llagrat-on extending from end to end ol the country. * . , When asked if he* had seen anything of the campaigns in either the E'ast_ qr West of the German possessions, the visitor said he had seen nothing of what was going on in the West, which, - in comparison with the East, presented an easy problem. His business, however, had taken him up to the East, where he had secured several contracts for supplies. It was here that the fastest bit of railway engineering and construction on record had just boon accomplished, the pushing of a line from British territory (Pruska) to Windhoek, a distance of 120 miles-, being accomplished in two months. Of the actual campaign he had seen nothing. On being asked if ho would give any indication as to the general sentiment in his own country and in Norway and Sweden as he found them, the visitor was at first a little chary. At the suggestion, however, that sympathy with the Allies would be more openly manifested in the two northern countries, ho said that was not so; it was the opposite. The manifestation of feeling in Denmark was not in the least cloaked it was much more evident than in Norway and Sweden, though both these countries gave expression to it. He scouted the idea of Sweden being concerned about Russia with regard to Finland. That incident, he was certain, had been closed with the recognition of Finland’s independence some years ago. Mr Aistrup, in the course of further conversation, stated that he was a member of the Danish Reserve, and gave an interesting account of the military system prevailing in the country. Compulsory service prevailed, and a certain amount of training is required yearly up to the age of 45 years. An interesting matter came up at the close of the interview, this being the fact that Denmark is seeking to capture a portion of the trade in lager beer that Germany has lost. Mr Aistrup is seeing to the welfare of this, and already a first shipment has arrived in New Zealand. The breweries of Copenhagen are fctatb controlled, the proceeds being devoted to the advancement of science.and art. _Mr Aistrup was satisfied that the production was a much superior manufacture to the Gorman, both in quality and purity.