AUSTRALIA

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 135, 9 June 1937, Page 6

AUSTRALIA

A VISITOR’S IMPRESSIONS MR. JENKINS AT ROTARY Sydney and Melbourne, as cities, differ markedly from each other, said Mr. Hugh C. Jenkins when addressing the Rotary Club nn Monday. Pitt Street in Sydney is a crooked street because it was first a bullock track which had to avoid the water pits in the early days of the settlement. They say that the only straight street in Sydney is Beat Street, it being too short to have a crook in it. Melbourne, on the other hand, is laid out on the block system like Invercargill, with a broad street and a narrow lane running parallel. Melbourne is a beautiful city with fine open parks, because the original site was a dismal marsh which called for the beautifier and the planner in the making of the city. Melbourne’s Murals Sydney is a city of sunshine; it has some splendid beaches and delightful buildings. The pace of the city is fast indeed and everything seems td be done at high pressure. Melbourne is renowned for its culture and rightly so. One of the new features of Melbourne is the delightful murals with which the new buildings are decorated. Some of these are on the outside and and some in the porticoes. These murals are truly delightful and are the work of an artist, Napier Welling, who has had his left arm amputated. When I asked him whether it was a great handicap he answered: “Well, I can do all classes of art work save poker-work and wood-cuts.” I should like to see some of Napier Welling’s work on the new buildings which are to be erected in New Zealand. These artistic embellishments would add greatly to the attractiveness of commercial architecture. The Business Man’s Outlook Of the business men whom I met I was impressed by the width and generosity of their viewpoint. They thought in terms of general well being realising that they could only make profits when the community prospered. It was possibly because practically all of them were either directly or indirectly associated with retail trade in one way or another for in Australia most monied men have a wide range of interests. It was generally recognised that only when all sections shared in the prosperity of the country that their personal interests would be served. The chief emphasis, however, was a general prosperity. Profits were regarded as a resultant. The Hon. D. S- Stevens The Premier of New South Wales is actually a Prime Minister, but the title of Premier is adopted to differentiate between the head of the Commonwealth Government, who is the Prime Minister of Australia. Mr. D. S. Stevens was a Treasury official who clashed with Mr. Lang when the latter was Premier. Mr. Stevens thereupon entered the political arena and ousted Mr. Lang from office. Mr. Stevens’ strength lies in his capacity for enlisting in his support able men who are outside the political arena. To oust Mr. Lang Mr. Stevens called together 12 first-class business men, who brought their talents and their resources to bear upon the political task. Having won the election. Mr. Stevens built up for himself an efficient staff, and these kept him informed concerning economic trends in New South Wales which is his State, Australia, New Zealand and the world generally. He also has supplied to him a weekly summary of world affairs. You will not be surprised, therefore, when I tell you that I regard him as an exceptionally wellinformed man. He has a winning personality and a warm friendly voice. Apparently he meets candour with candour and guile with guile, Mr. Brunsulon Fletcher Outstanding among the personalities of Sydney is Mr. Charles Brunsdon Fletcher, the editor of the Sydney Morning Herald. He is now 76 years of age and as alert as ever. His spech is rich in apt similes and as a raconteur he is of the first order. Cnee at a dinner the famous wartime Prime Minister, the bushranger, “Billy” Hughes, had been keeping the company in good spirits with his excellent stories when he turned to Mr. Brunsdon Fletcher and asked why they had not heard from him. “I’ve not had a chance,” said C.8.F., “but have you ever heard of the? bush ba»s who died and went t(T Heaven. He joined the Celestial Choir, There were thousands of sopranos and altos and hundreds of tenors, but only one bass. After two bars of the Anthem had been sung the conductor stopped the singing and called out “kiess bass please.” Hughes Mr. Fletcher told me of an early adventure of “Billy” Hughes. “Billy,” shouldering his swag and carrying a puppy dog, went to a station and applied for a job. He was small and thin, and the farmer feared that he would not get along with the rough and tough wheat threshers. But “Billy” soon became first favourite with the men, who always encouraged “Billy” to make speeches to them on all sorts of subjects. They were also impressed by the care taken of the dog. Unfortunately, the dog died and Billy buried it with a sad heart. His job was to hold the bags under the shute which delivered the chaff from the stripper, and, to his surprise, he found the dog which he had buried on the previous day delivered to him down the chute. It was the rough man’s idea of a joke. However, “Billy” retintemed the dog, which was left unmolested. C.B.F. asked Mr. Hughes whether the story was true, and the latter confessed that it was. “But,” he said, “You do not tell it right. I did not just pick up the dog as I asked for that job. J carried that puppy for three hundred miles in a bag hung round my nock.” Patriotism “Billy" Hughes Is still first favourite with the Diggers. The Diggers still turn out in strength to the Anzac Day Parades. At the Dawn Parade at 4-30 in the morning there were 25,000 people present in the middle of Sydney. The service was formal and impressive. I doubt whether 1 shall ever be at so moving a ceremony

t’ha* A,'". n ’r The P atl 'iotism of the Australian is a fierce belligerent force. Here is New Zealand as it is generally accepted, but in Australia it It aBf ?H CSSi 4 ' C ’ Tt is wrong ,o hsaume that ,he Australian is not a fervent pa ‘ rl ° L , , He is - bat he is unwilling to line ' himself to purposeless discipRnrnosive DiscipUnc ' r h‘s {natter of discipline needs to he emphasised because Australia is fast moving into an industrial counuj, and Australians are quite canahip and willing to submit to alll the pure posive discipline necessary to sustain m?h» e r atl ( On ’- 1 S u aW this in evidence n the factories, shops ond other estab, lishments that I visited. A,f-relu er ’ 1 am , conv ‘nced that the Australian people have a genius for • K efforts courageously planned ana that they will go forward developing / tha remark «ble resources which Nature has stored up for the world in that continent and which Hen o, f ' ly be unlocked by the applica- t non of the advanced evolved ? by scientific achievement.