WORLD TRAVELLER.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20510, 11 January 1935, Page 8

WORLD TRAVELLER.

Was With Christchurch Y.M.C.A. SHANGHAI AND GENEVA. Visiting Christchurch for one day ( after an absence of many years, Mr j T. M. Ilaslett arrived from the nort.i this morning and will return this even- j ing. Eleven years ago Mr Haslett was Bovs’ Work Director at the Christchurch Y.M.C.A. Now he is headmaster of the preparatory department of Knox Grammar School, Sydney. In the intervening years he has held posts that have taken him into many queer corners of the world. He has been stationed at Geneva and in the East and he was in Shanghai during the Sino-Japanese clash of 1932. Mr Ilaslett left Christchurch for England on holiday in 1924 and while away he was asked to accept a post with the World Student Christian Federation at Geneva. After three years at Geneva, he was sent to the East to organise a conference of Pacific area university students. He travelled in America/China, Japan, the Philippines and Korea. Delegates from fourteen countries were on the eve of sailing to attend the conference when it was postponed indefinitely on account of the strained relations between the Japanese and Chinese. “ That ence was finally held last year but I could not be present,” said Mr Haslett. Chinese Government.

On that tour of the East Mr Haslett was in Shanghai during the critical time when Nanking was attacked by lawless troops from the provinces. “ The Chinese themselves quelled that rebellion,” he added. “ Everybody talks of lawlessness of China, but I would like to emphasise that the present National Government has been in operation from 1928 without any change,” said Mr Haslett. “ The Government’s influence is growing steadily and it is attacking the difficult task of suppressing bandits and Communists with grim determination.” From the East, Mr Ilaslett returned to Geneva and his next undertaking was to travel Europe on behalf of the Student Christian Movement. Latvia, the Scandinavian countries and central European States—all these were on his list. The movement, of course, no longer existed in Russia, but there was a strong branch among the 14,000 White Russian students in Paris. Then came another term in the East. Mr Haslett was sent out as educational secretary to the foreign Y.M.C.A. in Shanghai. “This Y.M.C.A. is situated in one of the finest buildings in the East,” he said. “ It is lavishly equipped and does a very important work among the young Europeans of Shanghai.”

After leaving Shanghai, Mr Haslett was invited to come out to Australia as temporary headmaster of the Knox Grammar School in New South Wales. This school is controlled by the same board as Scots College, to which Mr A. K. Anderson, late headmaster of St Andrew’s College, Christchurch, was recently appointed. Mr Haslett commented on the number of New Zealanders to be met in Australian schools. There -were three besides himself at Knox. They were Messrs D. A. Carr, L. Jamieson and D. Oakey, the last two being both old boys of the Christchurch Boys’ High School. Mr Haslett is visiting New Zealand on holiday with the primary object of seeing his mother who lives in Auckland. _________________