BRITAIN RE-VISITED

Southland Times, Issue 19393, 6 November 1924, Page 6

BRITAIN RE-VISITED

SOUTHLANDER’S IMPRESSIONS THE EMPIRE EXHIBITION “I don’t think the New Zealand section at the British Empire Exhibition got as much credit as it deserved,” said Mr Walter White of Inglewood, who has just returned from a trip to the Old Country, to a Southland Times reporter last night. “At the New Zealand restaurant, everyone was very anxious to get in and sample New Zealand mutton and lamb. I had to wait a good half hour myself. The place was blocked up all day long. The exhibit of cheese, butter and lamb in the New Zealand section was a particularly good on and among the novelties exhibited was a three ton cheese from Taranaki, which was higher than a man. “The shows in the Stadium were magnificent,” continued Mr White. “They included historical pageants, military and fire brigade displays and sports of all description.” INDUSTRIAL CONDITIONS. “I travelled through both England and Scotland,” said Mr White. “Industrial conditions in South Wales, which is the centre of very considerable mining and manufacturing activities did not appear to be too bright. While I was there, there was good deal of unemployment, and four colleries closed down, throwing 5000 or 6000 men out of work. I saw miles and miles of sidings full of truck of coal, which-were held up for lack of orders. In Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, trade conditions appeared to be good. This is a lovely place, and if I were stopping anywhere, I would sooner live in Edinburgh than anywhere eke. I was particularly struck by its cleanliness and the beautiful streets. AGRICULTURAL PROSPECTS. “So far as agriculture is concerned,” said Mr White, “many farmers in England must be just about ruined. It has been one of the worst summers for years, and when I was in South Wales at one stage of my trip, I saw only one fine day in seven. Travelling from the West of England to London, I saw big crops of wheat—and fine heavy crops at that—just rotting in the stook. I saw the same hay being turned over a month after I first saw it. It was as black as that chimney there, and could have been only good for bedding. A point that struck me about English farming methods is that they don’t work together enough, as we do in New Zealand. Where valuable crops like that are going to waste, one would have expected more collective enterprise, but in many cases only one waggon was being used to bring in a crop. CHANGING METHODS. “The quality of the farms in the United Kingdom seemed to me to be good, and they are a long way cheaper in England than they are out here. The English farmer does not seem to be able to get over the ground as we do in the Colonies. Nevertheless, one improvement I noticed since I left England 46 years ago, was that where a man and a boy used to work a single furrow plough with two horses, now one man works a double furrow plough and three horses.” “In Gloucester, my home town, I did not see much alteration in the town itself. All these Cathedral cities don’t change much. One thing I don’t like about the towns-of the United Kingdom is the way houses are built in one solid block. The danger of fire sweeping the whole block must be very great, and it does not make for the good health of the community. “I visited the House of Commons and the House of Lords, and I must confess I was very much disappointed. The buildings are quite good inside, but in some parts of the Commons, members have nothing but ordinary benejies to sit on. They won’t let you sit on the members seats either. I saw a lady, evidently tired, who sat on a seat, but she was very soon shifted by a policeman. Rather different to Wellington, where I sat in the Speaker’s and Prime Minister’s chair. TRANSPORT AND ROADS. “They have lovely roads in Britain. They are not afraid of the initial outlay, and put down good ones. Usually it is a couple of feet of tarred rough metal and three or four inches of fine stuff. The English ’bus system, in my opinion, is much before tramcars. “The tour of the All Blacks was arousing a good deal of interest in England when I left,” said Mr White in conclusion. “I did not see them play, as I left Gloucester just before they came there, but I was very pleased to see that they had started well.”