LIKES NEW ZEALAND

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19773, 22 February 1927, Page 11

LIKES NEW ZEALAND

ACTOR’S ENTHUSIASM MR H. NORCROSS INTERVIEWED. An interesting and striking personality is Mr Hale Norcross, of the “Is Zat So?’’ company. At Iciast a “Daily Telegraph” (Napier) representative found him so to be. An amazing thing about Mr Norcross is that, although .an lactotj he has an obvious dislike of talking about himself and relegates the subject of histrionics to the limb of topics that are barred. “Some actors like to talk (about themselves,” said Mr Norcross with a smile, “in fact it is their principal outdoor and indoor sport. There are so many actors about that I never think their opinions Uro worth much. The average plumber has a better experience of life than an actor. Actors always go about with -mother and talk shop for the most part. “Then,” he continued, “it is the usual thing to say how much one likes whatever town one happens to be in. I can tell you with absolute sincerity, though, that I am crazy about New Zealand. I love it, land if I had the means of making a living I’d be content to stay here for the rest of my life.” Beautiful Flowers.

Mr Norcross, obviously a lover of horticulture, waxed enthusiastic about the carefully tended reserves in Niapier. A more beautiful collection of outside flowers and shrubs, he thought, he had never seen.

The gardens were beautiful, and he supposed the extent and variety of display was due in a measure to climate. At home in New York there was no attempt at so much variety. Even in California the thing applied. The varied bods in. the Niapier gardens formed a riot of colour which was simply wonderful. ‘‘There do not seem to be many people who go to see a-ll this,” remarked Mr Norcross, “I can’t understand it. And yet you find the same thing everywhere. The average New Yorker has never seen the Brooklyn Bridge, you know. It is left for the people from outside to come land see these things.” Interested in Wool. Mr Norcross was interested in the wool sales and system of buying and operating in New Zealand. He had not known previously that the country had such a big wool trade. “The (average American is pretty ignorant about this part of th c world, ’' he said. “We always associate Australia with wool and New Zealand with butter and dairy produce. And don’t laugh! We saw some cows the other day, the most wonderful cows I’ve ever seen, standing knee-deep in grass. We took some photos of them which we are going to take home to show some friends in Pennsylvanta, which is one of our biggest places for dairying and that kind of thing. We are going to show them these cows as examples of what cows ought to be. ’ ’ Better Than Australia.

Both Mr and Mrs Norcross say that they prefer New Zealand to Australia, and it is safe to slay that anyone they know in America will undergo a readjustment .of ideas about thc Dominion if the need arises. Mr Norcross is evidently willing to Assimilate everything that he can about the country. He did not know previously that there was a tree called kauri, but now he says he must find out about it, and (about several other things he did not know before. “One particular thing I would like to stress,” concluded Air Norcross “which I don’t wish you to ascribe to ‘soft soaping,’ is the unfailing courtesy of the Press representatives in New Zealand. I consider them to be real decent fellows.” “Is zat so?” inquired the newspaper man. “Yes, zat’s so,” was the laconic response.