LETTER FROM HOME.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXV, Issue 18971, 2 September 1931, Page 10

LETTER FROM HOME.

DR. W. R. FEA’S IMPRESSIONS. NEW ZEALAND'S PRODUCTS. Writing to friends in Timaru, Dr. W. R. Fea, who is at present visiting England, had something interesting to say concerning conditions in the Old Country. When the letter was written, Dr. Fea was attending the 99th annual conierencc 01 w ,c British hlc&iczl Association at Eastbourne, as delegate representing the South Canterbury Division of the Association. At Eastbourne. “Eastbourne is beautiful.” the letter states, “and signs of wealth are everywhere present in the beautiful homes with which the surroundings are dotted." The sea-front was encompassed by hotels, good, bad and indifferent. but all having imposing appearances. The bathing was good, but when it was realised, that the sand grains were as big as hen’s eggs, and had as many sharp edges as diamonds, it could be seen that there was a vast difference from conditions on Caroline Bay. The majority of visitors sat about on the esplanades, enjoying the sun, or sheltering from the rain, mostly the latter since he had been there. Many ’bus trips could be taken, and these were a feature. Beachy Head was just outside Eastbourne, and was famous for its lighthouse, its nesting gulls, and its suicides. There was another of the latter yesterday morning. Not far away was Battle Abbey, built by William the Conqueror to celebrate his victory at Hastings. The Abbey guide, in his inimitable style, told with pathos “ow 'Arold got the harrow in 'is heye,” and showed the party the exact spot. It was on that spot that the high altar of the church was built. The Abbey had for many years been a girls’ high school, but was recently gutted by fire. The stone work, however, had survived. That night, continued the letter, there was a sham air raid on London, and from the writer’s hotel room, he could hear the roar of the engines, and see the little green and white lights carried by the ’planes. Out in the roadstead lay H.M.S. Repulse, a sister ship to the Renown, which brought the Prince of Wales to the Colonies. Tennis Tournament. Dr. Fea stated that he had spent a couple of hours at a tennis tournament between the different English and Scottish counties. There were a numl)er of good players, but the very highest rankers were not playing. The tennis was interesting, and a thing which particularly struck him was the serving. It was without exception, very good, and it was brought home to the writer very clearly that New Zealand players must learn to serve. It was interesting in this connection to note that H. W. Austin had pointed out that the service, especially in singles, was too great an advantage and in that nights paper it was suggested that only one service be allowed instead of two as at present. This would eliminate the first cannon-ball serve. As for the running of the tournament, • the less said the better. A charge of 1/- was made for admission. The courts and the surroundings were beautiful. There were no umpires, and it was difficult to know the scores, and impossible to know the players. There were so many balls being used in each game that at times the courts looked like turnip fields, where the sheep had eaten the green tops off. He could not see the advantage of using more than three at the most, and it must add to the expense. He watched this most closely, and considered that the time and effort saved was more than counterbalanced by that involved in kicking the spare balls off the courts. There were no spectators inside the netting, as it would be dangerous under such hardhitting conditions. He was sure that all tournaments were not run like the one under discussion, but the facts were as the writer had stated. Butter and Cheese. “New Zealand products have a good name here in England and in Scotland,” continued Dr. Fea. “I have made it a rule to insist on New Zealand butter and cheese wherever I have been, and it has caused much commotion at times. I do not always reveal the fact that I am a New Zealander but that I relish the very best, and that is made in New Zealand. I find that the majority of people do not like our butter as much as the Danish product. This is, I think, simply because they prefer no taste at all to the flavour which our butter undoubtedly has. There has been a commotion in the butter markets since Russia started to flood England with cheap butter, and I am pleased to say that many shops and dairies have notices, ‘No Russian butter sold here,’ and ‘Only best Danish and New Zealand butter sold here.’ New Zealand butter is selling in Scotland at 1/2 per lb., an unprofitable price for our dairy farmers. I think that if all New Zealanders over here would insist on New Zealand butter and cheese, it would be excellent advertising.” Motoring Problems. Dr. Fea went on to say that motoring problems had interested him a lot in the Old Country. The average speed of cars in the towns right through the United Kingdom was considerably in excess of the speed in New Zealand. Traffic seemed well controlled, and automatic signals did a lot to adjust it. He thought the installation of automatic signals at the intersection of Church and Stafford Streets would be a solid idea. Automatic controls in England were worked only at certain times, and were foolproof. Motorists entering from side streets were extremely careful, much more than they were in New Zealand. Fines for speeding were not common, but for dangerous driving they were. The police had been trained to differentiate, and of course there was a difference. There was far less sounding of motor horns than in New Zealand, this being the outcome of necessity, as if all the cars in London were to toot as motorists did in New Zealand the people of London would soon become a band of insensitive eardrums. Of course there were many accidents, but these were inevitable when one considered the enormity of the traffic.