VISITOR’S HOBBIES

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18284, 30 December 1933, Page 5

VISITOR’S HOBBIES

MOTORS AND STAMPS TRAVELLED 300,000 MILES Motoring and stamp-collecting are the hobbies of Mr. E. J. Lee, who is ; at present on a round-the-world tour 1 • with his chauffeur and car, and in 1 both of these fields of interest he has 1 attained unusual distinction. Mr Lee has now travelled 300,000 miles in ■ 101 different countries. He has kept a 1 motor diary since 1905, so that these figures, which ho supplied to the Wellington Dominion, may be considered as much more accurate than ' any mere estimate of distances. | Mr. Lee started out on his present trip especially to have a month’s motoring in New Zealand, which, in- < cidentaliy, he describes himself as! enjoying immensely. From England ' Mr. Lee motored to Naples, and shipped the car to Fremantle through the Suez Canal. From Fremantle he motored through the desert to Adelaide, and then to Melbourne. He shipped ' the ear to Tasmania, motored over ' that island, returned to Melbourne, front on to Sydney and Brisbane, then went back to Sydney, and took the car to Auckland. The car is an 1.1- ; vear-old Voisin, and up to Thursday , morning had done 127,000 miles. ( Mr. Leo visited' the Ninety Mile Beach, and attained a good speed on : it. “It is a fine beach,” he commented. His chiof compliment, how- ( ever, was for New Zealand’s roads. “I would like to say,” he remarked, : “that I have never motored in any country where the roads have been better flagged than in New Zealand, and in very few where they have been as, good. I cannot emphasise that point too strongly. This is a glorious country, and it is a great pity it is npt nearer Europe. If it were, there would be tourists galore.” Mr. Leo is a keen philatelist, who has made a speciality of collecting the postage stamps of Uruguay and the Argentine. His collection of the stamps of the former country is housed in IIJB volumes. It has been awarded four grand prix, and has twice been placed second in international exhibi- , tions all over the world. Mr. Lee 's a Fellow of the Royal Philatelic Society, of which the King is presi- j dent, and in October last was awarded the Crawford Medal, an honor of very , high distinction.