FROM THE HOME LAND.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 13726, 16 October 1908, Page 3

FROM THE HOME LAND.

A CHAT WITH MR COX. Mr Ueurge Cox, the well-known fruiterer of this town, has just returned with his wife, afar a six months holiday spent chiefly in England. Mr Cox enjoyed the trip immensely, the most pleasing feature of which, he says, was the voyage to and lrom England. He went Home in the Corinthic and came back in the Athenic, ana he speaks in terms of the highest j praise of the comfort and convenience on these boate and of the kindness and courtesy of the respective commanders and their officers. The only part of the sea. voyage which was the reverse of pleasant, was that between Wellington and Lyttelton. Mr Cox says he would much sooner go to England and back in one of the two o) above named, than travel over the jihort stretch ol water in one of the Union Company s boats, between Wellington and Eytteiton. Ail the way coming out, not a passenger was sick, but on the ■journey -.from Wellington- to Lyttelton, ..i.icucally »U were upset. Mr Coi came out to New Zealand from Cornwall 34 years ago, and on revisiting the scenes of hie boyhood he expected to iud things altered for the better, but inMead, he found to his disappointment that ili.y had gone back rather than forward, .uui taken all over he considered that England was 50 years behind the times. A I large proportion of tho men of Cornwall had left to make homes in other parte of the world, where prospect* were brighter, 11U this had gone on to such an extent that now there were seven women to every man in Cornwall. As an instance j of how thev are behind the times in Eng- ; land, Mr "Cox says that they do not, even know how to harvest decently yet, and their tools are surprisingly primitive. He had wen farmers cutiinsc grain with three horses in the reaping two abreast, and one in the lead, the latter being ridden by a man who would sit on tie animals back until he was too sore j to stop there any longer. He went up to | •me fanner and asked him why he allowed a man to waste Jiis time in this way, and the repW wis that he had nothing ett» in particular for him to do. The Cahfornian thistle was very bad in England manr fields being covered with it. ine thistle was allowed to grow to a good height before being cut, and then the dead thistles were carted off, no care be . ing taken to , revrnt the seed trom sprev - in* It seemed to be allowed to grow and >prcad at its own sweet will. In connection with another branch of "Rncnlture. Mr Cox considers that he is entitled : „ : , tfovernment bonus for "hat he did in connection with the fi«iw>n meat Iradt at Home. He ,uec<cdcd w po.cuad ng were house iit which be stayed to use it in future. Mr Coi «■»« not at »» favourably im-nie-->ed with the climate of England. There was « great deal of snow when m was there, and he ravs that if lie »« le ..trered £=oo a year to i.inain there 111 idlen->x, he would l»-f-r to leturn to New Zealand though lie might have, '<> cam lum living by cracking stone on the roadside. He has not a high o|. nion, either, of the hotelkeep-r* »' l'»i:l.<nd. win., he sav>. vviy »<«>n ge ; a pound from a traveller, the bill- lor accommodation being swelled by all manner of unexpected -cxtias" over ami abov.- tlistipulated tariir. For instance, the morir ing bath cost Ir, extra, boot* polls-bed 4d extra. and nnolli-r exti.i charge ma<lc under the heading of " altemian. e. In wiiik places tli.v «cie ti.atcd as !■> leignein. becati-c tli-v came fiom -><••" Z. aland, and u-tc niv- 11 a sii|.]h>--.! .oil cession ~11 that a.cut,: When li • 'old then, at Mom- that as good a ni-.d eoiil.t !«• go; n Wellington lor Is a» 'hey .haigcd 3- lor. he «... a-k-.i :i he • am--11. .111 AiiHiica. Siuh .. M.itcincnt »ar> not itedited. He h.i.- biough: back wj:h liim •> 'in-r lilll- tl'lllillilcr o! llir, till.. 11l llf 10111 l of a railnav ticket. One (lav he «a> g">ng to ill- Hoyal A. .Hid I*. >\>»-t in C..111W..11. and tlicn weie some thousand- ol peopltrying to Ward the tiain wln-h »a- t.. take th-111 i" tli- Miou -ti.un.i-. ln-t-ad of piepar ng (or an rnui-ioti •..'>»'>. ;,l< ' railway auilioiiti. - '.<>.,k thing- UiHi-Iy. «lth "the l-Mll'- that tli.v 1..11 "Ut of tickets, while ikie n-ie - : ill htuidi.-cls waiting t" \f -.iv.-.i lio- '-lain »■•- due to stall. and he thought h- " ■'" going to he Ivlt, but tip- »ta:iotima»!'-r Mid oh. no. thrv would k..|, tin- tram Im.-k until lb. v'li.i.l written on! ••■""- <re-h t ckee.! ' And kc |. i: >'.,. k ' U- > did. Til- Timaitiviiu .a.d - ....-thing liol . i.||,|illlllrl,'.,l\ t>> till- '".' ■■! "tale tll--!.1."' of bininoj.'aml hr .. k.d .:' !>.- Ill'.„h:

keep the band-made ticket he'had purchased. The etationmaster asked what for, and Mr Cox informed him that lie desired to frame it and take it back to New Zealand. He obtained perorssion from the guard and kept the ticket. -. Mr Cox met Mr and Mrs Hunt, of Timaru, when at Home, and they travelled about together a good deal.