TRIP IN WHALER

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXII, Issue 19439, 27 October 1925, Page 8

TRIP IN WHALER

VISIT TO BIRTHPLACE. NEW ZEALAND. An arrival by the Sir James Clark Ross was Mr. M. E. Wiig, ConsularAgent for Norway in Southland and a business man in Bluff. Mr. Wiig went home to Norway in the whaler as ship’s secretary and had a wonderful reception, being received by his Majesty King Haakon, and entertained by various commercial and social bodies in. Norway. Interviewed by a “Press” reporter, Mr. Wiig said the ship left Port Chalmers on March 20 and arrived at Sandefjord after an uneventful passage of 53 days. As their ship passed up the English Channel, his impression was that the whole of the world’s shipping was in the Channel, so many vessels were to be seen. They arrived at Sandefjord, the home port of the Sir James Clark Ross, on May 11. He thought it was the most beautiful harbour he had ever seen. On every little island in the harbour, and there were hundreds of them, were summer residences. As they proceeded up tho harbour every flag on every house was half-masted as a mark of respect to Captain Larsen, who died at the beginning of last year’s expedition, and whose body the whaler bore home, and it was very impressive to see all the inhabitants of the waterfront standing outside their residences with bare heads. Captain Larsen’s funeral was the largest ever held in Sandefjord.

Mr. Wiig said he arrived iff the land of his birth after an absence of 36 years, all of which had been spent in New Zealand. Captain Nilsen, who assumed command of the expedition after the death of Captain Larsen, arrived just in time to greet a little son,

who was born the night the ship landed in port. Renewing Old Acquaintances. The first few days in Norway Mr. Wiig spent in visiting relatives and renewing old aquaintances. On Ascension Day, May 21, he went to church and sat in the family pew which he had sat in when a boy. A few days Inter he went to Oslo, the capital, and immediately on arrival he was interviewed on New Zealand by a representative of the “Aftenposten,” and a long article ou New Zealand subsequently appeared in that paper. Oslo impressed him as being very clean and beautiful. The cafes and restaurants were splendid and well served, but the tipping evil was rife. “If you don’t tip,” said Mr. Wiig, “you suffer next iu;e u<ii call.” The barbers were a ns". ()v: ' asked for a shave, but the barbers all the time worried the customer to have other things done, and girls fussed around begging the customer to have his nails manicured.

One night he visited a theatre but found the play poor, consisting mostly of swearing and noise. The picture shoves, however, he found to be good. He visited the big sports ground outside Oslo where the winter sports are hold and saw the big ski jump, wnere the jumpers take off from a platform 100 ft. high and jump distances of from 150 to 180 feet. At Oslo several prospective emigrants to New Zealand called on him for information about tho country. He also met a former resident of Palmerston North, a Mr. Wexert. Much of his time was taken up with business people. He was made an honorary member of the Oslo Merchants’ Guild, and was also entertained at various Masonic Lodges. One Sunday he saw the big Association football match, Finland v. Norway. Mr. Wiig describes the game as one of the cleanest and closest he has ever witnessed. Shipping Trade With New Zealand. While in Oslo, Mr. Wiig interviewed one of the leading shipping companies in regard to a shipping service to New Zealand. The officials of tho company were most interested, and promised to try to work up a trade. Mr. Wiig’s experience with the Norwegian Telegraph Department was most unfortunate. On one occasion it

took four hours for a telegram to traverse a few miles. “They want shaking up,” said Mr. Wiig. “There are too many Bolsheviks in their service.” Ho said he preferred New Zealand every time and was by then feeling a little home-sick. Another thing that struck him was that the work on the wharves was very slow compared with New Zealand.

As his stay in Oslo lengthened, more people visited him to ask about New Zealand, and much of his time was spent in giving information. At Stokke he visited a “large” dairy farm, where 17 cows were milked dailj'. Evidently the farms are much smaller than those in New Zealand, but the cows were all pedigree animals. In a brief visit to Sandefjord, ho found the Sir James Clark Ross in an awful mess, refitting for the next voyage. He next visited Frederikstad, his birthplace, where in response to an invitation, ho gave an illustrated lecture on New Zealand. The hall was packed, and Mr. Wiig spoke on the economic, political, and social life of New Zealand. He; got a splendid hearing, and was warmly thanked. He returned to Oslo in time to be present at the Centenary celebrations of the first Norwegian emigration to America, the first emigrants having left Norway in the cutter Restaurant in 1825. Tho celebrations extended over some days and were attended by many Norwegian-Americans. An Audience With the King. “June 25 was a memorable day in my life,” said Mr. Wiig, “as on that day, in response to a command, 1 visited the Palace and paid my respects to his Majesty King Haakon VII. Ho was most gracious and kind to me. He. asked me questions about New Zealand and was greatly interested in what I told him. I spent nearly an hour with the King, and we talked about New Zealand all the time. When leaving he gave me a message to the Norwegians in New Zealand, and told mo to give them his greetings, and that he wished them the best of luck. I replied that I would have great pleasure in taking his message to New Zealand.’’ Amundsen’s Return. Mr. Wiig was fortunate enough to be in Oslo when Amundsen returned from his Arctic flight. The people simply went mad over their hero and gave him a reception that will never bo forgotten. Amundsen made a most spectacular arrival, his ’plane flying over the main street of tho city so low that pedestrians could hear him calling out to them. Mr. Wiig was one of the first men to greet him on arrival, being well known to Amundsen, whom he had greeted first of all Norwegians at Hobart ou the explorers return from the Antarctic about 1910. By a strange coincidence Mr. Wiig’s son-in-law was master of the steamer J. 8. Holmes which took Amundsen on his Alaskan trip some few years ago, while Mr. Wiig’s son was chief officer of the vessel/ Amundsen and Mr. Wiig went to the same school in Fredrikstad, although they did not know each other at that time.

Wages and cost of Living. Mr. Wiig said ho found a great change in Norway since he was there 39 years ago. The people appeared to be "more prosperous than before and the standard of living had undoubtedly gone up. Wages wore higher than in the Dominion, and practically every man received at least £1 per day. Against this, however, the cost of living was much higher than it was in New Zealand, and a pound of beef steak cost about 2s 9d. Great strides had been made with electricity, and In .liis respect New Zealand had much to learn from Norway, where the whole country was electrically reticulated. Under"the “whip” system, which Mr. Wiig considered was worth adopting in the Dominion, each householder was charged a flat rate, and if the regular amount of power was exceeded the lights began to flicker, thus giving warning. New industries had been started” and in pretty nearly every instance the power used was electricity. Mr. Wiig said that while beef was extensively eaten in Norway, there was practically no mutton to be obtained. There" was a splendid opening in this connexion for New Zealand if the Norwegian Government could be prevailed upon to admit such meat into the country. Unfortunately, however, there was very little chance of such taking place, as the farmers were very strongly protected.