DELIGHTFUL TRIP ABROAD.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LI, Issue 16671, 26 February 1925, Page 3

DELIGHTFUL TRIP ABROAD.

RETURN OF MR, AND MRS. J. If. KIRK. INTERESTING IMPRESSIONS OF MANY LAjYDS. Mr. and Mis .T. R. Kirk, who have been absent from Gisborne for close on twelve months, returned last night. Their .journey out was accomplished on the palatial liner Aorangi. the trip proving a fitting wind-up to a holiday full of incident and enjoyment. Interviewed on Ids return, Mr. Kirk said that his wife and lie had, during iheir almost twelve moidlts’ holiday, experiences of which liter had hardly dared to dream. They had reached England at a. most interesting time, with the opening of the Empire Exhibition at Wembley and the present; Government in Opposition because of its desire to help the Dominions with a preferential tariff. They were in England during the course of the Empire Exhibition, when the Labor Government was in office; experienced a general election, and saw the defeat of Mr. Ramsay MacDonald and the restoration, with an overwhelming majority, of the Conservative party. This election was more than a local one. more than a British one; it was an Empire one; and Labor. Liberal and Conservative supporters in this belief contributed to the result. In the Shrewsbury contest Mr. Kirk was actively engaged for 21 weeks speaking nightly in behalf of Viscount Snndon, M.P., son of Hie Earl and Countess of Harrowbv, who was returned by a majority of over -1000 above the sitting member. Air. and Airs. Kirk arrived in London just before Empire Day and were guests at ike Empire Day dinner over which the Duke of Connaught presided and at which the Duke of York spoke. Air. Kirk attended several conferences on education, notably tin* Empire conference at Wembley, the League of Empire conference at London University, and a further one at University College, Reading, at all of which lie spoke. Ho also presented the prizes and gave the annual address at (lie Greycoat School, ‘Westminster, an old foundation school dating hack to Queen Anne’s day. A HECTIC ROUND. Among the events which impressed thorn were the trooping of the colors on the King’s Birthday, the Derby race in a deluge of rain over a sodden course, the delights of visits to Kent, Hampshire, Sussex and Surrey during the English summer, and to some of the great industrial centres such as Birmingham. Shortly after their arrival they went for a week to Penkridge, near Stafford, as the guests of Lord Hathcrton, and while there visited Cannock Chase where the New Zealand Rifle Brigade trained in England. Almost all trace of the Ncyr Zealand camp has gone, but the cemotgry is silent witness to the fact that New Zealand gave tin grudgingly in a great cause. Each New Zealand grave was visited, and relatives-will he glad to knoiv that, this last resting-place of their soldier sons is not neglected. Another week was spent at Sandon Hall, the Staffordshire seat of the Earl and Countess of Harrowbv, where a delightful time was enjoyed, and on returning to London the visitors found themselves in the London season. They were at tlio King’s garden party at Buckingham Palace, and at the Prime Minister’s at Hampton Court, also at a reception at Kensington Palace hv the Duke of Connaught, memorable dinners of some of the old Livery Guilds of London—the Goldsmith’s Company and the Alercors’ Company, and Lord and Lady Bcavorhrook’s. LONDON SOCIETY. They wore the guests, on different, occasions, of many leaders in the social world, including the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, Lord and Lady St. John of Bletso, Lady Greenwell. Afajor-Genera! Lord Edward Gleichen and Lady Gleieheii, Lady Whitburgh, the Archbishop of Canterbury- and Airs Randell Davidson, lunched as the guests of the Empire Press Union, the Women Journalists,, and the Institute of Journalists. Others in honor of our new Governor and of Colonel Amcry, Secretary for the Colonies, were greatly enjoyed, while one given by the Soropto'mist ' Club was amongst the most interesting. This club is entirely for women . and is organised for them somewhat on the linos of the Rotary Club for men.

EMINENT PEOPLE MET, The hospitality extended to visitors was magnificent, while the opportunities afforded of meeting and conversing with eminent personalities in tho political, educational, legal and social realms were many. Air. Ivirk in this way met five Prime Ministers of (treat Britain —the Earl of Balfour, Mr. Asquith, Mr, Llovd George, Mr. Ramsay MacDonald, and Mr. Stanley .Baldwin, many authors and newspaper men, including John Buchan nml IT. G. Wells, Alfred Noyes and W. Pelt Ridge, Lord Burnham, Eir Robert Donald. Dir Beach Thomas, and Major Astor, M.P., Lord Eustace Percy and Mr. (J. P. Trevelyan, present and lute Ministers for Education, and the Rt. lion. 11. A. L. Fisher, a previous Education' Minister; Tim Healey, Governor-General of Ireland; Admiral iSlurdee and Admiral Fremantle, ’and ut hers. On behalf of the Gisborne School children, Mr. and Mrs Kirk visited Marton, the birthplace of Captain Cook, and presented to the village a New Zealand Ensign. They were' also guests at the Navy League dinner, Air. Kirk representing the local branch at the Empire conference of branches. An interesting day was spent at Lords, watching the Oxford - Oambridge cricket match, won by Cambridge, captained by Lowry, a New Zealander. Later they met, the all Blacks, and saw some great football. ON THE CONTINENT. During August the Gisbornitos crossed to the Continent, visiting Paris, and than making a comprehensive tour of Switzerland, Italy and France. They motored over the. Grirnsel and Fnrkn passes, proceeding through AltdoiT. reminiscent of William Tell, and, crossing the Rhone Glacier, ascended to 8000 feet. From tho Rigi a panoramic View of 200 miles was obtained, including 1-1 lakes and the most celebrated snow-covered mountains of the Alps. They ascended over 1 1,000 feet nip the Jungfrau .Toeh and had some tobogganing in iho snow at 8001) feet. From ilia Jungfrau could lie seen the great Allotsoh Glue-

ier, 22 miles long, with which our own Tasman glacier is comparable. A visit was also paid to the great St. Bernard Hospice, high upon the mountains between Switzerland and Italy, where they met. the world-renowned monks and saw the famous St. Bernard dogs. The Simplon tunnel was travelled ' through, and many towns visited and ' stayed at were Interlaken, Grindelmald, Murron, Lucerne, Aiontreux, ■ Geneva, Sifcsa, Milan, Lngana. One, i of the most delightful visits was to 1 Bellagio, on Lake Como, Italy’s most charming lake, which, it was hard to leave. Venice, going hv way of Padua and Verona, was next experienced and ,much enjoyed. The visitors had seen many cathedrals and churches, Inn none which impressed them in the same way as Si. Mark’s. York Minster and Westminster Abbey, Salisbury and Winchester Cathedrals. Notre Llnme and the Cathedral of Milan —even St. Peter’s in Rome — arc churches, hut St. Mark's is a temple. It is said of Turner’s pictures that one can easily distinguish the pictures painted before and after the artist 's visit to Venice, and he could quite understand this. They were carried, in the gondolas over the Grand Canal from which they witnessed an interesting carnival. Our hotel was nexl ro Desdemona’s palace, while on the Rialto, at the spot where Shylock is reputed to have changed the money of the traders, another of his faith is now exchanging all kinds of second-hand articles. They visited 1 the Lido, queen of Adriatic watering places, and then went on to Florence, Rome, I’isa and Genoa. Here they, saw many of the wonders and marvels j of the world —historic, artistic, literary—hut. there is not space to tell of. them just now. I LIFE AT MONTE CARLO. j Leaving Italy, they journeyed to charming Nice, visited Monte Carlo' and its tables, and after revelling in the delights of the French Riviera, 1 passed by way of Cannes to Marseilles and Avignon, once the home of the . Popes. Their continental tour was | concluded with a delightful 12 days in 1 Paris. They were recommended to I stay with a Russian princess who, since the Soviet rule in Russia, is reduced to keeping a pension in a for-j eign country. The experience was in j every way memorable, for at, first,, hand they were aide to learn much of, the dreadful suffering occasioned by the present conditions in Russia, ami J to meet, some of the most courtly and delightful persons it has been their j fortune to come across. A tour of England was then made, after which Mr. Kirk, who intends shortly to resume practice in Gisborne, spent much time in the English Law Courts, where he met Lord Justice Darling and heard the remarkable “Mr. A.” case in which Sir John Simon and Lord Halsbury were the principal counsel engaged. The visitors were at, functions to meet the members of the American and' Canadian Bars and flic Canadian Press delegates, and were again the guests, before leaving England, of the Earl and Countess of Hamnvby at their Burnt Norton scat in Gloucestershire. Leaving by the new motor ship Aorangi, they visited Jamaica, passed through the Panama Canal to Balboa, which, with old and new Panama they visted, also Los Angeles, San Francisco (from which they made, a memorable journey through the Rockies to Calgary), Honolulu,. Suva and Auckland. “And so we are back,’’ concluded Air. Kirk, “with, great experiences, wonderful memories, and enlarged views, to take up the work that is to he done in the hope and belief that, our wide travels and diverse interests during our exceptionally educative holiday, will the hotter have fitted us for it.’’