MIGHTY AMERICA

Southland Times, Issue 18916, 1 September 1920, Page 6

MIGHTY AMERICA

APOTHEOSIS OF PROGRESS. GRAPHIC IMPRESSIONS. “No other word than magnificent is applicable to this great people; in the cleanliness of (heir cities and towns, the surpassing regularity of their traffic, the perfection of their roads and highways, their faultless courtesy in social or business intercourse alike.” This was the epitomised opinion of America formed by Mr Lional J. A. Bridge, of John Bridge and Co., who returned to Australia recently. CLASH OF CITIES. “Friendly, but nevertheless intense, rivalry exists between city and city, town and town, right down to hamlet and hamlet. For instance, Chicago is now intent upon rivalling New York City both in point of population and volume of business. Ambitious, no doubt, but palpably earnest. Likewise Seattle has set out to eclipse San Francisco, When I left Seattle the Mayor was appealing to the citizens thereof to subscribe voluntarily sufficient funds to erect in the city the largest auditorium in the Union. If the appeal is responded to, as I quite believe it will be, patriotism and pride of city will be glorified to the tune of about half a million sterling. Seattle is one of (he many beauty spots of the country, and 2(1 years or so ago was a mere village of a population of 30,000. To-day it is a thriving city of over 300,000 souls. " 'Boost St. Louis’ is a familiar slogan artistically placarded about that city, and it is typical of the movement in general. PROFITEERING AND FINANCE. “The high cost of living in America is atrocious, so much so that I wondered what our royal and other commissions have been inquiring into in Australia during the last two years. There can be no doubt of the conceited action by Government and people to remedy this evil, and to deal effectively with the profiteer in the process—even unto the commercial death thereof. Co-opera-tion between producer and consumer is >a real live-wire, and spreading rapidly throughout the country. “The rate of exchange on sterling is seriously perturbing the American. Palpable alarm exists as to the reaction against American trade, while sterling exchange remains as it is. Many bankers and other business men with whom I discussed the matter expressed an earnest wish for normality.

“While I was in America the discussion was rife anent the proposal by the British Imperial Government to Washington to cancel Britain’s war debt to the U.S.A., providing Britain reciprocated with France to an equivalent amount. The press featured the proposal prominently, and, with the exception of the Hearst yellow press, not unsympathetically. I was given many indications of the deep respect in which the British banker is held by his brother American, and the same may he said of (hose engaged in other business activities. WATCHING AUSTRALIA. “Intense interest was manifested in our Australian politics and the feelings of the Australians as a body towards America. The greatest goodwill is manifested towards Australian visitors in the great republic, as thousands of our soldiers can testify. Regret was expressed to me in many directions for unkindly Australian press criticisms of America. I had no hesitation in urging a closer trade relationship between America and Australia, and I expressed the view that, the vast majority of my fellow-Aus-tralians admired the prowess and the progress of the great American people, and would heartily welcome closer trade relationship with them. “The yacht race for the America’s Cup and the Irish cities*.ion were subjects for seconds of recreation. Still, the sporting s-pirit is very much alive, indeed, in the American. He had no two opinions about (he respective merits of the Resolute and Shamrock IV, nor has he any of the why and the wherefore of the Veto Bill. There are some 25 millions of Irish and their descendants in U.S.A., and the situation is being watched with intense interest. A “DRY’’ SUBJECT. “Total prohibition is the law throughout the country —almost. The qualification is being remedied by process of organised raids on various obscure shrines where Bacchus surreptitiously presumes to ' quench the drought of Phoebus.’ Opinion favourable to prohibition is by no means unanimous, and it is amusing how innumerable spokesmen for the respective candidatures of the Republican and Democratic nominees for the Presidency of the republic scrupulously eschew the subject, good or bad, from (heir utterances. Perhaps the candidates are studious of the feelings of their fellow-sons of Liberty. Whatever the cause of silence on this great subject, it is significant, per hop-, that 26 million women will exercise the franchise at the next presidential election for the first time in the history of the republic. THE AMERICAN WOMAN. “There is a distinctiveness and a grace about the costuming and millinery adornments and shoeing of the American women that may bo fairly said to be of their own creation. The appearance of the American women is in keeping with the beauty of their country, and seems to shed its beneficial influence over the American man, than whom none is better groomed and manicured.”