SUNSHINE IN WINTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 3972, 29 April 1930, Page 24

SUNSHINE IN WINTER.

A TOUR IN EUROPE.

SIR J. PARR’S HOLIDAY.

IMPRESSIONS OF THE MOORS

A FLIGHT OF LOCUSTS. (From Our Own Correspondent.)

LONDON, March 6

“I have had the most interesting holiday of my life, a really wonderful time; I could fill a book with my experiences and impressions,” remarked Sir James Parr, who is again in England, and is with Lady Parr at Seaford.

At the end of December, when he completed his term of office as High Commissioner for New Zealand, Sir James uent away to seek reinvigoration prior tc entering upon what looks like being a busy time as a worker under Lord Beaverbrook’s banner in the new United Empire Party. His round of travel has been of great benefit, and also has provided useful impressions from a British trade viewpoint. Miss Betty Parr accompanied her father, and she has had a very gay time, especially at Gibraltar, where a great deal of festivity was going on, much of it under the aegis of Lieut.general Sir A. J. Godley (the Governor) and Lady Godley. Lady Parr decided to remain in England and to have motor tours with Miss Christine Parr—-the 14-year-old baby of the family—during the vacation periods of the famous Downs School, at Seaford, where she is still a pupil. Southern Spain, Gibraltar, Morocco, Algiers, and the French Riviera were toured in turn, and Sir James has come back with the very definite opinion that the South of Spain—and particularly Malaga—possesses the best climate in Europe. “It beats the famous Riviera,” he said, “ and the Spaniards are all very civil and pleasant to the English. The tariffs also are reasonable, and the sunshine is like the sunshine of Auckland in March.” FIRE AT THE HOTEL.

Asked about the fire which burnt down the notable Reina Cristina Hotel at Algeciras, at which Sir James and his daughter were residing, the former said: “ I am afraid the cables led my friends to think that we lost all our effects, and that we just escaped with our lives. But such was not the case. Really, we had plenty of time to throw our possessions into our trunks and to get our luggage out. After the fire General Godley put us up, and was most courteous in affording ns the best oppportunities of seeing the fortress —the Rock of Gibraltar—-

which has been held by the English for over 200 years. COALING AND OIL STATION FOR THE FLEET.

The hill of Gibraltar is a rabbit warren of tremendous tunnels and galleries where the huge guns are mounted. “ But,” said Sir James, “of course, the longrange guns of great modern battleships have made Gibraltar rather useless as a fortress, and it really does not now dominate the Straits as before. But English prestige will not permit of our withdrawing from it. It is of value as a coaling and oil station for the Fleet.”

It happened that both the Atlantic and Mediterranean Fleets were at “ Gib.” for the annual manoeuvres. and the hotels were thronged with the wives and daughters of the admirals, captains, and other officers. Dances, hunting, and sport were the order of the day, and the New Zealand travellers enjoyed it all. A MONTH IN MOROCCO. Taking advantage of the advice of General Godley, Sir James and Miss Parr crossed the Straits to Tangier-—a journey of only two hours and a-half—and they spent a month in Morocco, visiting both the Spanish and French zones. “The Moors,” remarked Sir James, are very interesting; also they are very backward. They are aloof and impassive, and keep to themselves. Thy treat their women little better than their animals. Moorish women share with the universal donkey the task of carrying the family burdens, and every day and everywhere one sees the women of the lowest class bearing on their backs huge loads of firewood and produce for sale in the bazaars or markets. Here, I thought, is work for our Suffrage and Women’s Welfare Leagues to do. “To me, the son of a New Zealand farmer, it was a weird sight to observe the ancient wooden plough of Pharaoh’s time in use—a tall camel and a tiny ass being yoked and drawing it together.

PESTALENT—BUT A DELICACY. One day we counted ourselves fortunate in motoring right irTto a flight of locusts—an unusual and extraordinary spectacle! They covered a front of 25 miles, and they must have been about three miles across, as it took our car, going slowly, more than 20 minutes to get through them. The air was black with them, and they bumped into outcar front all the time. I could then understand the significance of the historical, Egyptian plague of locusts. “Of course, they do immense damage to the crops and to the pastures. Tire French, who control this part, sent aeroplanes among these millions of flying insects, and spread poison gas among the army of pests. The soldiers afterwards gathered the dead in heaps and burned them. No fewer than 200,000 sacks were gathered, and thus destroyed. With the Moors the locust is rather a delicacy. He eats them! IMPORTANT FRENCH ENTERPRISE.

“ In Southern Morocco (the French Protectorate) the French are spending huge sums in development,” continued Sir James. “ Harbours are being constructed, French farmers are being imported, and new French towns are springing up everywhere. The phosphate mines in Morocco are perhaps the largest in the world, and all are being developed with French capital. The French roads are excellent, and huge French motor buses run into the towns of the interior. The bus tariff is most moderate. I recall that one day we travelled 100 miles for six shillings. DECLINE OF BRITAIN’S TRADE. “ I called on the various British Consuls, and they were very kind to us. Everywhere, I am sorry to say, I found evidence that British trade and influence were declining. Once we had over 50 per cent, of the trade of Morocco, 15ut now it has dwindled to about 15 per cent. This is another proof of the necessity for protecting British industries, and

thus securing a mass production of cheap goods for foreign sale. I have become more than ever convinced of the necessity of the present Empire Trade campaign. “ The climate of Morocco is delightful in the winter, but in the summer the farms are burnt up—so. indeed, is the whole country. This is the great drawback. I shall never forget the Moorish life, the bazaars, the great mosques, towers, and minarets. All these are evidence, of a former era of science, architecture, and splendour. The fall of the Moors after being driven from Spain in 1490 (at that time the most civilised of all the peoples) into wretched barbarism, is one of the extraordinary incidents in human history. PEEP AT SPAIN.

“Next,” said Sir James, “we toured Southern Spain, and saw the glories of the ancient Moorish palace of the Alhambra, in Granada, one of the wonders of the European world, and of the great Cathedral at Seville, and the great Mosque of Cordova. Spain, with its grey mountains and its purple shadows among its ancient hills, is at this time of year a romantic and fascinating country. There is no better place in which to spend a winter holiday. Our voyage of two days from Spain to the Riviera in a P. and O. boat was very pleasant and very jolly.” The French Riviera this year Sir James found to be comparatively deserted. For this he suggests two reasons. One he attributes to the Hatry failures and to the low condition of British industry and business, and the other is that even the patient English visitor has grown a little tired of the French hotels of the Cote d’Azur.