AMERICA MEETS THE EMPIRE

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLXII, Issue 15243, 8 January 1943, Page 2

AMERICA MEETS THE EMPIRE

SIDELIGHTS FROM A LETTER Interesting little sidelights 0 11 the plain American at war are contained in a letter from a Nebraska newspaperman, r< reived in Pahiatua yesterday. British tioops told him that New Zealanders are th© most cold blooded, unemotional, and dogmatic soldiers to be found in the Allied * ranks and they accepted discipline, however harsh, without complaint. He says: “From my contact and correspondence with many New Zealanders I find this extremely difficult to believe and would lx* glad to receive your comments.” We could make plenty. Railroad schedules liar© been slowed for safety on account of increasing traffic densities and civilians find it hard to book reserves. Tlie postal authorities have prohibited the posting of periodicals to private addresses outside the United States or Canada Whil,. New Zealand is building railways, the correspondent remarks. America is tearing up non-paying branches for scrap and using the rolling stock elsewhere. Where several companies hav© rail routes between cities, freight is routed by Inter-State Commerce Commission officers, instead of by the competitive rail road agents. He says one thing heard repeatedly by Australians is that tbe U.S.A. expects Australia and New Zealand to link with them either as Dominions or a group of States. “I do not recall ever having heard this from New Zealanders, and T wonder if yon have anything to say We had enough worry with the Philippines and nothing is further from our minds over here.” Commenting on war mentality, he says: “Tt is a funny tiling this reaction to war. There have alw.avs been tw„ permanent lorts near herand before the war a soldier from one or other of these on the street of Omaha was little better than a stray dog. but what a difference now! They go down Main Street with a girl on each arm. The writer "ho has an adnlt family, remarks that it is not sour grapes on his part. In conclusion, the writer says the war news is certainly better! but the American public is keener than ever for efficiency in both the field aud the factory. His comments on the New Zealanders, Australians and the English may have originated from his covering of assignments at nearbv fields used for the Empire Air Training