Here and There.

Observer, Volume X, Issue 603, 24 January 1891, Page 12

Here and There.

A NEW ZEALANDERS TRIP HOME.

MR R. H. ABBOTT INTERVIEWED.

After an absence of nine years from the land of his birth, Mr B. H. Abbott, a very successful man of business in Auckland, resolved about five months ago to revisit the Boenes of early association, his parents and other relatives. Hs has just returned, and the OM. thinking that a traveller's impressions could not fail to be of interest, made a point of interviewing Mr Abbott. My first question, of course, was — 1 What were your impressions of England, Mr Abbott?' I Well, I must say I could not work up any enthusiasm on the subject. There is generally an overcast sky, and everything has a dismal, gloomy aspect. Work girls, poorly clad, pale faced, undergrown, going to work between 7 and 8 in the morning. What a different thing to the well-attired, fine-looking, well-cerried colonial girl, who works considerably less hours for double the pay.' • You visited London, of course ?' ' Yes ; in that great city I passed several years of my youth, and it seemed just the same. It seems as if the many years' interval had only been a long dream, and as if 'twas but yesterday that I was there before. The same old crowds, muddy streets, endless stream of vehicles ; the same hoardings, plastered with similar advertisements ; the same dull, overcast, gloomy, yet wonderful London.' • Then you admire the little village?' •In a way ; but I love Auckland. The difference is this: We have in Auckland a delightful climate, a cheerful sunshine, a balmy atmosphere, everything in nature that can please or delight the eye or heart of man ; practically no poverty, and comparitive comfort to all. In London, there is generally a gloomy, overcaßt sky, perpetual fogs, a dismal aspect; immense wealth in the upper classes ; considerable and substantial wealth and comfort among the middle classes ; but absolute, abject poverty and despair among the lower olasses, who are by far the most numerous class. To put il shortly— ln London, where one man gets rich, 50 remain with noses to the grindstone. With us, the comforts and conveniences of life are more or less distributed to all. This does not take into consideration the question of climate and health, where the difference is even more in our favour. Speaking personally, lam a great lover of sunshine. There is a certain therapeutic value in sunshine that my nature needs. It may be quite a personal experience, but in New Zealand I experience a feeling of contentedness of heart, yet buoyancy of disposition, that I never experience in England, where I often feel gloomy and irritable.' • Did you meet any Aucklanders on your travels V I 1 met an old Aucklander at the very start, in Collins-street, Melbourne. He was once one of the biggest men in Queen-street, but is now down on his luck. He says New Zealand was never in suoh a bad state as Melbourne now is. In London I met several Aucklanders, every one of whom had a dig at the British olimate.' ' What about other parts of England ?' « I made a business tour through the manufacturing districts, visiting Birmingham, Coventry, Nottingham, Leicester, Bradford, Manchester and other places. These cities are wonderful hives of industry. I visited some of the larger factories, and there can be little doubt that the manufacturing interests and capabilities of Great Britain are unassailable. At the same time, these cities are full of pale-faced, undergrown factory operatives, who exhibit a social and physical condition that I should be sorry to see in New Zealand. In these cities are many fabulously rich, but the poor are in multitudes. In passing the poorer localities I was appealed to a dozen times with the words— "for the love of God, sir, give me a penny for bread," and many of the features bore the true bad mark of distress. • What do I think of the conditions of life in New Zealand compared with England ? With regard to the rank and file, I think the New Zealand working man lives in a comparative paradise, but doesn't know it. If all our grumblers were shipped off co England, landed with £5 in their pocket and told that if, at the end of 12 months they wished to return, the boat would be waiting to take them back, I undertake to say that at the end of that term every man would be waiting for his passage;- and ' croaking ' would cease in the colon" for some time to come. We in New Zealand, with our free institutions and virgin lands, have a valuable heritage, and the community should be jealous that this heritage should not get into the hands of a few, but should be preserved for all alike. Otherwise, in a few generations we shall be only repeating the wretched condition of England, where the masses are practically the serfs of titled landlords. Immigration should be encouraged only in the direction of farmers with some means, raw producers, and experts who can teach us something.' • Was anything sensational going on while you were in London ?' • Yes ; just before I left, two events were attracting , considerable attention in London. One was the O'Shea divorce case, in which Mr Parnell figured as co-respond-ent, and the evidence adduced showed a state of affairs by the side of which Sir Charles Dilke would shine as a saint compared to Parnell. During the week, also, a great financial panic prevailed in London. Money rose very high, several small financial houses fell, and London was. awed by the announcement that the great house of Baring Bros., supposed to be as stable as the Bank of England, had asked for time and had placed their affairs in commission.' 'What are your impressions of London business men and their methods ?' ' Well, Britishers are, it ia true, " mostly fools," but

it will not do to run away with erroneous impressions. We will take " mostly "to mean 90 per cent. The remaining 10 per cent, are largely those who control the commerce and money of England. These were the men I had to do with — shrewd men, cautious in their methods, eager to do business, though somewhat conservative in custom ; rather suspicious* of New Zealand, but hopeful of the future; who seldom, if ever, are found off the right track. If business in the colony were done on the same lines, there would be fewer losses or failures.' 1 Did you mix pleasure with business ?' ' Very slightly. My trip was chiefly on business ; but I availed myself of the occasion to undergo a very painful and delicate operation for an affection of the ear that threatened me with deafness. This proved very successful. I failed, somehow, to feel at home in London or England at all. It was a case of head versus heart. My head was in England, but my heart was in Auckland. My stay in London, however, was made as pleasurable as possible, through the good offices and perfect hospitality of an uncle and aunt with whom I stayed.' 4 Do you find English social habits old-fashioned or strange as compared with those of New Zealand ?' 4 In many respects New Zealand has little to learn or copy from England, but much to teach her. Yet England is supposed to be the best and most flourishing of all European nations. Hotel expenses in England are nearly double what they are in New Zealand. My bills generally averaged £1 a day, for what I should not in New Zealand be charged more than about 10s per diem.' j 4 Did your travelling impress you with the vastness of the world ?' 4 On the contrary, my chief impression was— How small the earth is becoming I When in Birmingham, I met one of my old friends while in the Brazils nine years ago ; and while in Paris, London, Manchester and Italy, I met fellows that I had known in the New World, either from South America, Africa, Australia or New Zealand. I met the nephew of a well-known Auckland medico in a large London warehouse, where he is head of the department. Also dozens of people who loaded me with names and addresses of sons, brothers, relatives and friends in New Zealand to see should I ever be in their locality. ' The most amusing instance, however, was my meeting with a New Zealander on board the Massilia on my way back to Auckland. This was a gentleman who came to Auckland last year, but went away disappointed with business prospects, and was now coming out again, on account of our climate, which he says has spoilt him for England. Although there are five millions of people in London, this gentleman happened to be riding next my uncle in a 'bus in the city one day. They were, of course, perfect strangers, but antered into conversation about the British strikes, when this gentleman commenced relating his Auckland experiences. My uncle, without disclosing his identity, then inquired if he knew me. He replied, by repute only, but was able to give my entire colonial history to my uncle. They parted without having time to have learnt each other's names. But my uncle, on my arrival, astonished me by a complete 'man-in-the-street ' version of my history, as related by a l gentleman on the 'bus ' just from Auckland.' 1 Any more funny experiences ?' 4 Just one that I think of, with reference to the difficulties that travellers experience in Europe, owing to diversity of language. On the railway journey to Brindisi, I ' chummed ' with a Greek gentleman, and we had a curious way of conversing. Hia Greek counted for nothing, as)l could not understand a word of modern Greek, neither did he understand any English. I spoke Portuguese, a little French and Italian, while my Greek friend spoke French and Italian and a little Portuguese, and between these three languages, sometimes using a word of each in a sentence, we managed to converse, but occasionally with difficulty, the whole way.' [A further conversation, dealing with Mr Abbott's observations of agricultural pursuits in Europe, and comparisons with farming in New Zealand, will appear in a future issued