IN THE FAR EAST

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 72, Issue 198, 21 August 1929, Page 8

IN THE FAR EAST

MALAYA AND SIAM MR HEUGHAN’S EXPERIENCES It is twelve months, almost to the day, since William Heughan, the famous bass singer, was last in Wanganui. With his return to the city he has completed a tour which has included Australia, the Malay Peninsula, Siam, Hong Kong, and China. Mr Heughan, is in himself, what is said of his countrymen in general—the übiquitous Scot, and in the course of his travels in all parts of the world he has had a keen, observant eye for the interesting features of the countries visited. Thus a “Chronicle” reporter, who interviewed the actorsinger yesterday, was furnished with many illuminating facts concerning Australia and the East re-visited by Mr Heughan in the seemingly short twelve months. To commence with Australia, this was a marvellous country, said the singer, on account of its size and its prodigality. It was remarkable also for its thoroughness in all things. If it rained, the downpour was torrential; if the weather was dry a drought developed, in some places lasting for years. The same applied to the people. Mr Heughan compared notes with an old traveller and they agreed that there was a bigger gap between the finest types of Australians and the worst than between the people of almost any other country they knew. Most of the Australians, it was thought, seemed to be badly led. There were some men who did not want to be out of work and who, on account of the various strikes, were losing more than they could hope to gain. Taken as a whole, however, there was an inclination not to work. No country, even one like Australia, could be prosperous without the people putting their shoulders to the .heel. Men said that they were proud to be Australians and yet they did not help the country in any way. There was an inclination on their part to think of self and not of the country. This was reflected in the rivalry between the states and cities.

Railway in the Jungle. From Australia, Mr Heughan went to the Malay Archipelago and was amazed at the development in both AX .Straits .Settlement and the Federated Malay States, since his previous visit. The Federated Malay States are under the protection of Britain and h ve native rulers. It was very interesting to see the narrow guage railway like that of New Zealand, but Mr Heughan confessed that, of the two, he preferred the Malayan trains. The Pullman sleeping carriages were roomy and comfortable and the seats were not placed so closely to each other as in the New Zealand type. Tables are also provided so that everyone can read and write as they sit. From the main railway which runs from Singapore to Bangkok in Siam, via the west coast of the Peninsula, a line is being pushed out eastwards in Pahang, thus opening up for development the jungles of these parts. There are no people to speak of as yet to develop the country, but that has been the policy—to construct the railway to develop the country and not wait until this has taken place before putting tho railway through. The country is about the size of New Zealand and there they are making available the potential wealth in its minerals and the further acquisition of tracts of land for rubber plantations. The country is also noted for its roads of bitumen. On the island of Penang this feature was particularly striking. “This is one of the most beautiful places on earth,” said the singer. “They have a motor road right round the edge of the island. The coast, in some parts, rises quite precipitously from the shore and this road has been cut out of the cliffs. There are wonderful palms to be seen hanging down to the yellow, sandy beaches. The centre of the island rises to a heighth of 3000 feet, and this part has been developed with the erection of villas and hotels, so that, although in the trophies, one caif go up the mountain railway to the top and have lunch in a comparatively temperate climate. In the evenings, of course, it is quite chilly.”

Siam’s Royal Orchestra. Passing on, Mr Heughan and his party duly arrived in Siam, an absolute monarchy with advisers of all nationalities in the Royal household, the Financial Minister, for instance, being British, The Siamese railway, like that of Malay, is of narrow guage. The sleeping compartments are outstanding, and Mr Heughan considered them the best narrow-guage compartments he had ever been in. In the daytime the bunks fold up and leave room for two people to each compartment. Netting is provided to keep off the mosquito, which is of a more vicious variety than those found in Malay.

The visitors missed the fine roads of Malay, for, in Siam there are nothing but tracks in the back country. In Siam the Government owns the railways and the problem of rail versus road is not allowed to develop by simply refusing to form roads. Except for the rice fields, the country does not look tidy. Nevertheless there is a picturesque touch about it all which appeals to the traveller.

The Siamese are very nice people and are most polite. At Bangkok, English is the language commonly used by the different nationalities. The city boasts three or four English newspapers, one of which is in the American style. The noteworthy features of Bangkok are the palace and temples. People come from the ends of the earth to see the workmanship and carving of these edifices, and one tourist, on viewing them, was moved to exclaim, “And \ e call them heathens!” Amid this oriental architecture, however, is the throne room standing alone in the palace gardens, the work of an Italian.

Dancing Girls. A fortunate circumstance of Mr Heughan’s visit was a special performance by the dancing girls. The contortions of the dance and the manner in which they bend their fingers back, for they are all double-jointed, is truly remarkable. To the surprise of the visitors they heard a Royal Symphony orchestra of over 60 instruments. Everyone of the players was Siamese but each played upon a western instrument. A programme wholly classical was rendered and was finer than any which had been heard in Australia or New Zealand.

In Siam there is a school of music, the teachers of which are Siamese, and the pupils are trained for the orchestra which owed its origin to the previous king bringing a German musical professor to the country. This professor settled there and married a Siamese lady, the present conductor being their son. All the members of the orchestra are gentlemen of the Royal household. They have not been out of Siam, nor heard an orchestra other than their own. Their ideas regarding music interpretation are gleaned from gramophone records of great orchestras of the world.

From Siam, Mr Heughan journeyed to Hong-Kong, which he found was progressing by leaps and bounds. Reclamation work was being carried out and fine roads were being engineered right to the top of the famous peak. It is a matter for pride that HongKong is a free part, open to all who like to come and live there, sure of justice and protection so long as they behave themselves.

Shanghai, said ilr Heughan, was also making a quick recovery from the difficult times passed through. The Chinese were much more friendly, one of the things which had made a ence being the British soldiers. On their arrival at Hong-Kong the Chinese were rather afraid of them. They had been used to soldiers being practically bandits but when, to their surprise, the men paid for the goods they bought and in other ways showed no desire to plunder, a change of attitude was manifest. The soldiers, therefore, played a great part in raising the prestige of our race. “In that sense,” Mr Heughan went on to say, “various countries in the world are judged by the rank and file. Going back to Australia, when these things get abroad, people judge them by their actions. And that is why everybody should remember not to live for themseelves. The thing that strikes through all is that, wherever you go, the Chinese rre working and working hard. If there is a lesson to be learned from them, it is that lesson. They can recover from all troubles on account of the ability for work and the wonderful patience of the Oriental, especially the Chinese. Our lesson is that if we work we, in turn, will help to make our country and Empire prosperous. It is only through work that people can be happy.”