AMERICAN PRAISES SOUTH ISLAND.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18407, 8 March 1928, Page 14

AMERICAN PRAISES SOUTH ISLAND.

TOOK OVER 1000 FEET OF FILM IN DOMINION. TWO-FARE SYSTEM IN RAILWAYS SHOULD BE ABOLISHED, HE SAYS. (Special to the “ Star.”) DUNEDIN, March 7. “If we had not seen your beautiful South Island we should have gone home very much disappointed with New Zealand. When we get back to Auckland we shall ask why no encouragement was there given to us to visit the South.” These are the remarks of Mr H. A. Crossman, of Boston (U.S. A.), who with his wife yesterday finished a tour of Central Otago, accompanied by four other citizens of the United States, whom they picked up on the way, the party leaving Dunedin for the north by this morning's express. “ We are so much pleased with what we saw of the country and its people and its live stock,” Mr Crossman went on to say, “ that we intend to come back as soon as we can within a few years, and then stay longer in the south. “ Some people seem to think that Americans come here to see your hotels and your cities. That is not so. I can say anyway that personally your attractions are your wonderful lakes and mountains, your fine cattle and sheep, and other sights of open air life that are novel to Americans. Our tour has been restful and delightful, and it is to us a memorable experience. “We are going now to New Ply-r mouth, and we are to see the Waitomo caves and other sights. Well, we have caves in America, and some show of cattle and sheep outnumbering yours, but the charm of New Zealand, especially in the south, is that your beautiful fields of cattle and sheep are to be found near villages as part of your home life, not as we have them, in great ranches and remote pastures. I have taken over 1000 ft of films in both islands, and propose when getting home again to show them as private movies. When I say ‘ private ’ I shall take care that from 5000 to 10,000 people shall see these bits of New Zealand and hear what I have to say on the subject.” “ I suppose,” said Mr Crossman, “ that as railway matters now are, not onl> r here but all over the world, it would not be right to ask too much of New Zealand, but there is one thing you could do without imperilling the exchequer—you could abolish the tw’O fare system. It is quite out of date and unreasonable to have one carriage at one fare and the next one twice as much. It is not democratic. We won’t have it in the northern States of America. Down south they still have ‘Jim Crow cars’ for the negroes, but not so with us northerners. You cannot change 3'our gauges, but you can make your fares equal and give the passengers nice clean seats. Japan is ahead of you by a long way in railway matters.”