N.Z. HOTELS ARE COMFORTABLE

Southland Times, Issue 23544, 25 June 1938, Page 9

N.Z. HOTELS ARE COMFORTABLE

English Visitor’s Opinions MISS MARJORIE KNIGHT INTERVIEWED “I have heard that English people complain about the hotels in New Zealand, but I have no fault to find with those I have stayed in. I have found them comfortable, and the employees very obliging about finding out things for me. It is just a matter of adjusting oneself to the conditions of a strange country.” This remark was made by Miss Marjorie Knight, of Yorkshire, England, who is visiting Invercargill in the course of a tour of New Zealand, in an interview with The Southland Times. , . ' Miss Knight who has recently been awarded the Chief Guide’s diploma, is known in England as “The Great Brown Owl,” and while in New Zealand she is conducting training courses for guiders. She joined a guide company at her boarding school, not because she was particularly interested in it, but because the other girls joined, and it seemed the thing to do. In a. little while she found she was enjoying it immensely, and became deeply interested. Now she has been awarded the highest honour a Guider can get—the diploma—and her job is to train officers to run companies and packs. As well she has her own company, and she is in charge of a district which has seven guide companies and eight brownie packs. “My district is a varied one and has some bad slums. One .company is in an industrial slum area’neat Sheffield, and when one of the. guides joined, I found she ‘was sewn into her clothes. Camping is the greatest way we can help these children, and we take them into the country, where they discover all sorts of things which they never dreamed even existed. ENTHUSIASM ADMIRED

“Guiders in New Zealand are putting up a very good fight, and I take off my hat to them for their enthusiasm. Their work is more difficult because of distances. In the majority of places in England the greatest distance a guide or guider has to travel to a meeting is probably about five miles, whereas at Gore the other night some came as far as 35 miles to the meeting. The weakest side of guiding, in your country seems to be brownie work, and I haven’t yet discovered why. Another difficulty you have is the need for the right type of girl to train for officers. We, too, have the same difficulty in England, but it is not so acute, for we have more people to choose from.”

Miss Knight had her first experience of flying when she came to New Zealand. She has travelled from Auckland to Wellington and back, and will fly from Dunedin to Blenheim on. Tuesday. She considers it a splendid way to travel when time is limited and where trains are slow. “I don’t like your trains very much, but I think your service buses are excellent. They are comfortable, and the drivers are most agreeable as well as being very good at their work.”

Miss Kdight has visited the southern lakes and the Eglinton Valley, and she was delighted with what she saw. She also mentioned particularly the Franz Josef glacier as .being exceptionally beautiful. She likes the New Zealand country, but is not so impressed by the cities and towns. Her two favourites are mountains and sea, and she has found with pleasure that wherever she has gone she has been able to see both.

OBITUARY

MRS J. H. MITCHELL

The death has occurred of Mrs Miriam Amelia Mitchell, wife of Mr J. H. Mitchell, of Kenwyn, Waimate. Mrs Mitchell was the daughter of Mr and Mrs Alpheus Hayes, pioneer settlers in Waimate, and she saw Waimate grow from a bush township engaged solely in bush felling to its present position as the centre of a big agricultural and pastoral district. Except for some few years when she lived in Australia, Mrs Mitchell spent the whole of her life in the Waimate district. She took a keen interest in the welfare of the* town and district. When Mrs Mitchell’s father left New Zealand during the years of depression in the nineties in the hope of finding fortune in other countries, to Mrs Mitchell fell a large part of the management of the Centrewood estate. It was Mrs Mitchell’s great desire to visit the land where her father died and find where he was buried. After her marriage in 1908 she had an opportunity to visit the Klondyke and, with her husband, she made her way to the outposts of that bleak region, a trip at that time very seldom undertaken by a woman After long inquiries she was able to find her father’s grave and there she erected a headstone. Mrs Mitchell is survived by her husband and one son.

COUNTRY NEWS

BLUFF Mr and Mrs P. Greener, Bann street, are spending a holiday at Christchurch. Miss Elsie Preston, Foyle street, left on Wednesday for Queenstown, where she is the guest of Mrs Vernon McDougal. Mrs F. Trail, Stewart Island, who has been staying with Mrs J. A. Hamilton, Foyle street, has left for Christchurch.

Captain and Mrs R. J. Hamilton, Bandon street, left during the week for Wellington. Last Wednesday afternoon the members of the Methodist Church Ladies’ Guild held a bring and buy sale in Willard hall. Those in charge of the stall were Mesdames Creagh, M. Tennet and W. T. Walker. During the afternoon the following items were contributed:—Duet, Coral Jamieson and Alexa Murray; solos, Mrs W. Crozier and Mrs W. Johnston, jun.; humorous reading, the Rev. Noel Smith. Afternoon tea was provided by the members. Mrs A, Partridge, of Christchurch, arrives on Tuesday to spend a holiday with her daughter, Mrs D. E. S. Mason, Marine parade. On Tuesday the Bluff Plunket Society held a 500 evening in the Plunket rooms, Palmer street. The hostesses were Mesdames W. B. Dixon, L. Morrison and F. Edwards, and the winners were Mr and Mrs L. Mortimer. Those present were Mr and Mrs F. H. Pearce, Mr and Mrs L. Weir, Mr and Mrs G.

Muir, Mr and Mrs L. Mortimer; Mesdames W. B. Dixon, R. V. Weir, R. Waddell, E. Albertson, L. Morrison, F. Edwards, W. Valentine, A. Morrison, J. H. Doyle and Miss Enid Collett; Messrs Ford and J. Dixon. OTAUTAU Mrs A. Clement, Invercargill, has been the guest of Mr and Mrs A. P. Harrington. Mrs A. Ferguson, South Wyndham, has been spending a few days with Mr and Mrs C. Renowden.

Mr and Mrs J. Campbell are spending a motoring holiday in the north. Mrs Gray, Browns, was the guest of Mrs D. Morton recently. An enjoyable party was held on a recent evening in Mr John Flett’s barn, Scotts Gap, to celebrate the coming-of-age of Miss Marion Coster, Games and competitions were played, and Miss Coster was presented with several gifts. Miss Mary Rowe, who has left the district, also received a small gift from hei friends. Those present were: Mr and Mrs J. G. Flett, Mr and Mrs E. Coster, Mr and Mrs R. S. Hill, Mrs Flintoff (Green Island); Messrs M. Rowe, L. Marshall, A. Tatton, Walker, D., G. and M. Coster; Messrs A. Dixon (Nightcaps), P. and S. Symons, J. E. Coster, W. and J. Flett, W. and R. Hassed and R. Hall.