The Social Round

Southland Times, Issue 23378, 9 December 1937, Page 15

The Social Round

Miss K. Cheyne, Burrows _ street, Bluff, has returned from a holiday in Auckland. Miss Elsie Stronach and her niece, Miss Betty Stronach, both of Auckland, are the guests of Mrs Ashley Lennie, West Plains. Mrs C. J. Brodrick, Wellesley, was hostess at tea yesterday morning in honour of Mrs F. G. Hall-Jones, Lennel, who has recently returned from a holiday abroad.

The Countess of Sligo and the Lady Mac Lean of Ardgour, have been visiting places of interest in the South Island. They have left Wellington for the islands by the Matua. Mrs T. Steele, of Hamilton, Scotland, and her daughter, Miss R. Steele, who are visiting New Zealand, are the guests of Mrs Steele’s son and daugh-ter-in-law, Mr and Mrs L. J. Steele, Broughton Bush, Dacre.

Two Danish girls, visiting Oslo, Norway, attracted so much attention by smoking cigarettes on the main street that they jammed vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Police took them to headquarters, but no law against women smoking could be found. They were released later.

Sir Richard and Lady Rankine are passengers on the Rangitane, due in Wellington on December 18. For a number of years Sir Richard has held the post of British Resident for the Zanzibar Protectorate. Lady Rankine, who is a New Zealander, and was formerly Miss Hilda Dalzell, has many friends in Timaru. Her home town is Oamaru. S>r Richard has enjoyed a distinguished career. He has acted as Colonial Secretary on many occasions, and in 1919 he went to India as the personal representative of the Governor on a special mission dealing with the question of emigration of Indians to Fiji. He was Governor of Nyassaland for four years to 1926, and acting Governor of Uganda in 1928. In 1930 he was appointed British Resident in Zanzibar.

The Government of India is about to restore the Taj Mahal, that gem of Eastern architecture that is one of the world’s wonders and its noblest monument to the power of a woman. Nearly three hundred years ago it was erected by the .Emperor Shah Jehan to the memory of the beloved wife whose name of Arjamand Banu Begum he had changed to Mumtaz Mahal, “Crown of the Palace.” It is said to have cost millions of pounds, and although it has been described times without number, any real conception of its surpassing loveliness is to be obtained only through one’s own eyes. Set in the garden of the banks of the sacred River Jumma, and approached by a marble pathway, bordered on each side by cypress trees and long shadow reservoirs of clear water, its pure white marble dome rises from a marble platform with a slender minaret at each comer, and is flanked by two red sandstone mosques. Its construction employed 20,000 men nearly twenty years.

The lady editor will be pleased to receive for publication in “The Social Round” each day items of social or personal news. Such items should be sent in promptly and should be fully authenticated. Engagement notices must bear the signatures of both parties. Correspondence is invited on any matters effecting, or of interest to, women.

Californian Visitor

NATURAL BEAUTY OF COUNTRY

IMPRESSIONS OF NEW ZEALAND

An interesting visitor to Bluff at present is Miss Coxhead, of San Francisco, U.S.A. Endowed with a particularly attractive personality, _ Miss Coxhead is a delightful conversationalist, and takes a real and intelligent interest in the land of her birth. “I left New Zealand as a child” said Miss Coxhead to a Southland Times reporter, “and I have lived in California for a considerable number of years. It is very nice I can assure you to make contact with my native land again, and it simply amazes me the way that New Zealand has progressed. lam now of course a naturalized American, and very happy to be an American. I don’t know that travellers on the whole see the best points of Americans, but I must admit that I have found the average American to be a hard-working, generous, fine type of person.” New Zealand scenery Miss Coxhead found very wonderful, despite the fact that she had heard people say it was of the pocket edition variety, but she thought that that was probably because the beauty spots were all so close together, whereas in America one often had to travel a considerable distance from one noted tourist resort to another. “What appeals to me so strongly is the natural unspoilt beauty of the country.” DIGGING FOR TOHEROAS When asked if she had visited Oreti beach, Miss Coxhead answered in the affirmative, and said that it was one of the finest stretches of beach she had ever seen. She had there one of the most exciting experiences she had had since arriving in New Zealand —digging for toheroas. Toheroa soup had quite a ready sale in America, but she had no idea what the toheroa itself looked like, and was amused to see how quickly it could move. New Zealand beaches as a whole she thought very fine, and it was a real delight not to have them spoilt by the .smell of hot dogs, peanuts and popcorn!” Eglinton Valley proved to be awe inspiring, the birch forests were much admired, and one thrilling experience was on a day of torrential rain at the Homer tunnel watching the numerous waterfalls leaping down the mountain sides. A beauty of another kind were the hedgerows of Taranaki which gave the province such a neat, homely look. As regard women’s dress, Miss Coxhead was of the opinion that New Zealand women on the whole presentea a

natty appearance—on wet days as well as fine, but the men certainly did not seem to take the same interest in clothes.

“The profusion and variety of the flowers are a source of great delight to me,” said Miss Coxhead. “In California we have beautiful flowers, particularly roses and poppies, but nothing like the variety in New Zealand, and needless to say we have to water our gardens regularly on account of the small rainfall. LACK OF NATURAL TEETH “One thing I have noticed with great concern is the lack of natural teeth among the young people; it may be because of the lack of fruit and vegetables in the diet, as to me they seem to be such a frightful price here. Americans eat a tremendous lot of salads of every description, these consisting usually of lettuce, globe artichokes, cottage cheese, nuts, and various kinds of fruits. It is the lack of these things I noticed in the hotel menus, and it is probably because of the prohibitive price that people canont afford to buy them, yet New Zealand is looked upon as a fruit and dairy country. The meat, however, I find very good indeed.” Miss Coxhead’s impressions of New Zealand children were very complimentary. “I have talked to them on trams, in railway trains, and at the

seaside, and have found them to be courteous, helpful, and very intelligent. Quite a number of them seem to take a tremendous interest in pictures, but there are so many publicity stunts in connection with movie picture actors and actresses that the glamour surrounding them wears off, and as far as Los Angeles is concerned, the picture industry is just one of the many industries, and does not occupy the vital part in the town that one is led to believe.” Miss Coxhead enthused about the Maoris at Rotorua, their intelligence and charm, their music and sense of rhythm, and their keen sense of humour. “Despite the narrow gauge, I find travelling in New Zealand trains very comfortable, though it seems strange to me that the railways and so many of the tourist resorts are run by the Government, whereas in America all railways are privately-owned, and so are the majority of the tourist resorts.”

Before leaving for America in March, Miss Coxhead will spend some time in Otago, and also hopes to visit Stewart Island.