A HOOK FARMER.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 14209, 25 May 1910, Page 2

A HOOK FARMER.

HIS TRAVELS ABROAD

■ V, a '' aco .- retired solicitor, of tue Hook, who is at present 011 his way Home, v. rote Irom -San Francissco to one of his mends here a very newsy letter, in which lie describes sonic of his experiences iu San Francisco. lie Buys t-uat wnen tlie steamer by which he travelled (.it Mas the same boat as that in wnich Lord -Kitchener went over from .New Zealand), came to auchor in the bay, an urniv of reporters gasping tor news went aboard, lie satisfied tiieir curiosity, and next morning the. papers were i'nll <>l" beaut iiul stories, which, of course, had their foundation in fact. One dav in San Francisco lie took a IDs 6d "seat in a sijiht-seeiiii; -15-h.p. motor-car, and went fur a tour of the city and its surrouiidings. After this, lie was not surprised that tile Yankees were fond of their country. The city. he describes as a gorgeous collection of noble buildings, everything being done on a scale which gives evidence of tremendous wealth. In various places however, one could still see the effect of the terrible earthquake and lire. Golden Gate 1' ark, of 10U0 acres, was a beautifully appointed place. There are 60 miles ol : drives in it, and it was stocked with all manner of interesting things—buffalo, elk, deer, bears, etc. It was a most noticeable fact that one saw few old men in San Francisco, but hundreds of young men who looked dreadfully old, were to be always seen. They drink, smoke and live hard, ?<lr Wallace Bays, and it is all shown in their faces. Very few line faces were to be seen there. As ! for the women, 95 per cent, of them . powdered, and 50 per cent, paint. : This ruined their looks, and they lacked all natural charm. They wear hats which would take a long time to ride round on a bicycle, and carry huge leather bags, like portmanteaux. The Princess robe, he noticed, mkis universally worn (Mr Wallace is a staid bachelor), and being solely intended to display the charms of a figure, was eminently suited to the taste of the gay San Franciscans. Mr Wallace is travelling principally with the object of gleaning information concerning pigs, the controlling ambition of his life being to become known as "the" pig man of Xow Zealand. Tin's being so. he made a journey of 90 miles from San Francisco to visit a farm of 4000 acres. on which, hogs, as well as other

;tnvk, arc k"pt. Here lie sun *ume I p!i■ in i;ii .-•!:. ii-.. ;|. ,[".i : L li• mil use 1 lK>rM\«, .-hrcp. :tini lii-.-s, iwro very di>-appi-unting,. A. i'T woh-m lli"» iiil'irifi" 1i: k"J would uol !cl>-U i'L l "' in \.-n /.e-jiynd, .As tor ih» pigs, ii» n-oi,|f| S3.r nothing —Ih<»y no., worth >i. '.trie farmer «« vorv proud of his ;-hrop c hire and asi.erj whether thcr-* were any in ,\ew Zealand. Mr Wallace replied ; "One or two, I. guess." Sunday yrps just UkP any other day in .Sun I' rfmeiscu. Trains g", trams run, simps open, theatres aiii! .shows go nil just as on a week rlay. lie did nm like this feature at ;iii, and as long as lie had anything to do with it. Ho. wouid vote I'nr the Sunday ■jhureh a u tiie Hook school —even though lie did not always go- The cost of living was very high in Francisco. Hoot brushing cost -3d, which meant that to have one's boots cleaned once a day cost £6 I,os a year. Tlie morning papers cost 'J Ad each, hair-cut Is. Kvery barber sports a manicurist, or in simplo language, a powdered young lady, who, lor so many cents, holds your hand, and clips and shines, and polishes, and worries generally,, your inoffensive nails. Mr Wallace concludes by stating that is his intention to 'thoroughly exploit the hog industry before returning to New Zealand.