OF NEW ZEALAND INTEREST.

Otago Witness, Issue 3806, 22 February 1927, Page 18

OF NEW ZEALAND INTEREST.

EASTER ISLAND STATUES. LINKS WITH HASTINGS. (From Our Own Correspondent-) LONDON, December 30. A New’ Zealander stay’ing in Hastings, Sussex, writes to the Hastings Observer mentioning the fact that Mr Coates had learned of the existence of two very’ old ladies living in Hastings who were direct descendants of Colonel Wakefield, and that he had sent a letter to them. The Prime Minister said: “I hav recently received a letter from a New Zealand friend in which he mentions the fact that you are among the only surviving relations of Colonel Wakefield. This being the case, I am taking the liberty of sending you an expression of New’ Zealand’s greeting to you both. I can assure you the name of Wakefield is held in respectful and grateful remembrance in the Dominion. With all good wishes. I am, yours sincerely, G. COATES.” “Another fact of interest (says the Observer) that may be mentioned regarding the Young Nation of the South is that Rye, Sussex, owns the unique distinction of having built many of the ships that took the first colonists to New Zealand, and this certainly links this country’ up again with the Wakefield family.” ,_ EXCHANGE OF CARDS'. The same journal mentions that the ■ people of Hastings, England, have already exchanged flags, “and this alone Jias brought the school children nearer each other, but still many feel they would like to learn much more about one another, the difference in the appearance of the two towns, the class of country surrounding each city, the mode of life and products, etc. A very fine movement has now been set on foot by the Normanhurst Ladies’ College, who are sending Christmas postcards with surrounding views to the lona Ladies’ College, Hastings, New Zealand, asking for exchange cards in return. This should prove a great educational lesson and may be the means of forming lasting friendships. It is certainly an excellent idea and other schools in the town and district might well take a leaf out of the Normanhurst book.”

CAPTAIN F. C. CROOKSHANK'S IMPRESSIONS. Members of the Empire parliamentary delegation, lately returned to England, will doubtless continue to give their impressions of New Zealand for some time to come. Here are the impressions of Captain F. C. Crookshank, the member for Gainsborough. Tiue most remarkable thing about New Zealand was how extremely British they found everything. “I went very carefully into different immigration schemes,” he said, “and found that at the present time New Zealand is absorbing about 12.000 Britishers per year. There is a very great demand for women emigrants, and very fine work is being done both by the Salvation Army and what is called the Flock House scheme, which is a part of New Zealand’s war memorial. Boys under this scheme are sent to training farms in order to get accustomed to local conditions before going out to work either foj- farmers or on their own. I satisfied myself that everything possible was done for fresh arrivals as soon as they arrive at port. Another feature of New Zealand is the develop

ment in hydro-electricity. “Racing is perhaps even more universal out there than it is at Home, and for a visitor it was very interesting to see how completely devoted they all are to the totalisator system of betting. Speaking generally, the people are very proud of their country. They claim that there are very few rich people and also very few poor. They have, practically speaking, no unemployed. The system of compulsory arbitration has apparently worked well, and applies to very nearly every industry. The consumption of British goods per head ot the population is higher in New Zealand than in any other country in the world. They have advanced very far in the way both of co-operative production and of selling through centra) boards in London.” BLACKBERRIES.

Many people in the Dominion will find a letter on the subject of blackberries in the Saturday Review rather amusing than instructive. “It is paradoxical to learn from your columns,” says a correspondent signing himself “Mulberry,” ‘‘that the blackberry has become a pest in New or rn any other country for (that matter, for neither in England nor in America have I ever heard that they were redundant, as, for example, the prickly pear is in South Africa; .though a species of that fruit is cultivated in California to be chopped up as. food for certain birds. “In the United States, however, they are more highly esteemed than here, for they are cultivated to a largo extent, being planted out in kitchen gardens along with strawberries, gooseberries, and loganberries, and are canned also for use in winter in restaurants. There seems, therefore, a good chance for enterprising people to profit by their profusion in . New Zealand to collect them and can them for export to other countries, as the notion that they are vulgar is entirely wrong. EASTER ISLAND STATUES. The following letter in the Spectator is from the pen of Miss Ettiir Rout (Mrs F. A. Hornibrook): “Information has recently come into my possession which appears to indicate that certain native peoples were in the habit of fashioning the molten material of active volcanoes into ornaments, weapons, statues, and even" megaliths. Hence obsidian spearheads may not have been laboriously sculptured. but easily shaped and cut whilst this natural glass was warm and soft. “Gigantic, statues, such as those on Easter Island (round about the volcanic mountain of Rano Raraku) may not have been hardhewn but soft-cut, not only from the lava streams but also on the faces of natural fissures, and in the artificial openings made in the mountain sides. On this Easter Island volcanic mountain there are many examples of rock carvings on the floors, walls, and ceilings of the so-called ‘quarries’ and on other natural rock faces, all of which carvings may have been done before the rock cooled. The well-known Spanish bulls may have had ajgjmilar mode of manufacture; thev also are clustered within a comparatively small area.

“These suggestions could be tested by individual observers living 'near active volcanoes in any part of the world. Small objects, such as arrow-heads, • figurines> blocks, bowls, and so forth could be made quite simply. New Zealand would be a particularly favourable ground for this experiment. _ Perhaps the New Zealand Government, in the interests of scientific research, might bo persuaded to make a few gigantic statues, similar to those on Easter Island, from some of the abundant molten volcanic materials in the Hot Lakes district, the National Park and elsewhere. “If any .of the readers of the Spectator have any information or can obtain this, I shall be most grateful if they will send it to me, care of the High Commissioner for New Zealand, 415 Strand London, W.C.2.” WONDERS OF WIRELESS.

Mr T. P. O’Connor, writing in T.P.’s and Cassell’s Weekly, refers to his first meeting with Mr T. M. WilfQjxl. “I have spoken through tire wireless broadcasting now twice,” he says. “The first occasion was when I was asked to pronounce a tribute to the late Queen Alexandra just after her death. . Almost immediately afterwards I got accidentally a remarkable tribute to the effectiveness of this new and almost miraculous means of communication to almost . the. whole world. A gentleman who occupied the position of Father of the House of Commons in the New Zealand Parliament was naturally introduced to me as his fellowfather when he came down to the House of Commons, and the first thing he said to me was that he had heard my speech on Queen Alexandra when he was on the ocean, 1500 miles from land, and that one of bis fellow-passengers was so moved that he left the cabin in tears.”