A YOUNG VIKING

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 73, Issue 34, 10 February 1930, Page 6

A YOUNG VIKING

TO GAIN EXPERIENCE TOUR OF THE WORLD MADE The spirit of the Vikings abides with Bertil W. Palmertz, a young Swede at present on a tour of the world. Three years ago he was a junior reporter on a Stockholm newspaper, to-day he is in New Zealand, at the other end of the earth, pursuing an adventurous quest. Ho is at present in Wanganui as press representative of Wirth’s Circus, and his Story, unfolded to a “Chronicle” reporter, was a most interesting one. In Stockholm, Mr Palmertz explained he was attached to the staff of the Dagems Nyheter, ” which means Daily News,” but, during the last six months of his journalistic career, he was connected with a sporting publication of the same firm. He decided to enlarge his knowledge of the world from first-hand knowledge, and. accord'ng!y, he sot out on a tour which now finds him so far from home. Starting out from Sweden, he went to Germany and, cycling through that country, touching at Berlin and other cities, arrived at the borders of Holland. The latter was a truly beautiful country, although somewhat small in fact all Europeon countries were comparatively small. Distances had less Significance in these days of the aeroplane when, for instance, one could breakfast in Stockholm, lunch in Berlin and dine in Paris.

Little Knowledge of English 1 rom Holland, Mr Palmertz went to England where, however, he made a short stay. His knowledge of English he said, was not of tho best and he decided to tour the Dominions before venturing beyond one or two towns which he visited in the Old Country. He accordingly boarded a vessel, a Swedish steamer it so happened, bound for Australia and journeyed to that country via the Panama. He had a brother in Melbourne, chief engineer of a large chemical works, and he lived with him for a while. He became acquainted with English, and, when knew it well enough, he arranged to work on a big station in the Mallee, where soldier settlers and assisted immigrants from England have been placed. The country was a poor nature, said Mr Palmertz, and the lot of the settlers there -was a hard one. The people from. England, to a great extent, had never seen a plough before coining out, and their position was unenviable. After having studied conditions in the Mallee for four and a-half months Mr Palmertz returned to Melbourne and entered the chemical works controlled by his brother. He remained there six months studying labour conditions and doing the ordinary workingman’s job. During this time, he saved up sufficient money to enable him to start out on a tour of Australia, and he visited all the States with the exception of Queensland. Returning ultimately to Melbourne, he accepted a position as salesman. “But,” he said with a smile, “They soon found out that I was no salesman, and I had to get.” He then happened to meet J\fr Philip AA r irth, of circus fame, and this gentleman offered him his present position which has given him a unique and excellent opportunity of seeing New Zealand. Seeing the Dominion

In the course of the four and a-half months he has spent in this country, he has so far gained a good impression of conditions in the South Island. He has been through some of the dairy factories, a paper mill, and flax mills, and visited poultry farms and other large holdings in tho south. All these, he said, interested him very much, because he compared them with the industries in his own country. He found that the standard of cheese production in New Zealand was as high as ever, but he thought that the butter produced in Sweden was slightly better than ours. The paper industry was on a small scale here, but, with the development of forestry, this should become as great an industry as in Sweden. “I hope you won’t beat us, as far as that is concerned,” said Mr Palmertz, “as it is our main industry. The Government look after it so as to see that it will never be out of existence. We produce timber for matches, paper and pulp as well as for the making of furniture.”