’“DONT CARE” ATTITUDE

Taranaki Daily News, 27 August 1930, Page 11

’“DONT CARE” ATTITUDE

PREVALENT IN ENGLAND NATION STILL SOUND AT HEART* THE PEOPLE WHO PLAY THE GAME (Dy Wire —Special to News.) Auckland, Last Night. The general sense of "don’t care” which prevails in England to-day deeply impressed Mr. J. S. Barton, S.M., as a particularly bad sign. He' returned by the lonic to-day, with his daughter, after an . extended tour abroad lasting seven months. “In England to-day there are signs of poverty and unemployment everywhere,” he said. "With it all is this ‘don’t care’ attitude. If the posters of the newspapers in London are any guide they are devoted to sporting events five days of every week. . “I discussed the position with men of every class and of every school of thought. None of them seemed to ,?ee. any way.;out.There: were no> signs. of.. the political parties, coming together. Each .party, seemed perfectly content to point out the defects of the other. “The Labour. Party is doing good in one direction; it is educating the Labour Party, the members of which are attaining a sense of responsibility and m knowledge , of what politics means. With this, of course, they are losing the confidence of the people who * put them there.” On- the brighter side Mr. Barton was impressed, by..the. good .humour, of the Cockney and the. wonderful sense of fair play, evidence of. . which he...saw •everywhere. One., instance was in a theatre queue, where everybody , aited and made.sufficient space in, the crowd. 'so.that.-g, .'woman-)vho had dropped six--peiiqo .could, find it again. Another instance was at Lords cricket ground at an interval. The officials had forgotten to rope .off. the pitch, but when the crowd swept over the. ground they all avoided walking on the- pitch and..went only as far as the ropes would have ahowed them. This, said 'Mr. Barton, showed that the English people had a wonderful gift for governing themselves in small things which concerned them, and. it was a hopeful sign for the fut-; lire. “It will be impossible for anyone, to stir up the English people or create a revolution,” he said.