WANGANUI GIRL HEARS THAT N.Z. PEOPLE DRINK OUT OF MUGS

Wanganui Chronicle, 22 April 1950, Page 4

WANGANUI GIRL HEARS THAT N.Z. PEOPLE DRINK OUT OF MUGS

How an elderly woman speaking to several others in the lounge of a small hotel in Wales had stated that New Zealanders drank out of mugs because they could not get cups and saucers and that the small town of Cambridge in the Waikato, was just a few tin shacks is described by a ’Wanganui girl now living in England in a letter to her parents in Wanganui. The ’’old dear" who was holding the floor in the lounge had been to New Zealand for a three months' holiday, stated the letter. She said she had made a trip by bus and was told that the little village of Cambridge which they would pass through was pretty. However, when she came to it it was just a few tin shacks with a few trees about but as she did not want to hurt anyone’s feelings she pretended to like it.

‘She was going to stay with a cousin but could not get there as one had to shout across a river. If you were lucky someone came over in a canoe and rowed you across,’ 'states the letter. "New Zealanders were dreadful snobs. She was buying an electric egg beater for someone because in New Zealand the farmers’ wives had to use ordinary egg beaters to make their butter and it was hard work. Everyone was saying 'oh' and 'fancy' and taking it all in and generally deciding that New Zealand must be a queer country.

“I did not say anything until she went out to get her hat and coat and one of the other women said to me: ‘lsn’t she interesting my dear, and wasn’t it entertaining to hear about New Zealand,’ ” states the letter. ‘‘l said: ‘lt was interesting and entertaining for me to listen to her. You see, I am a New Zealander and her little talk was very enlightening. I am just wondering what part of New Zealand she lived in and with what type of people she stayed.’ “I did not say anything more and everyone's mouth dropped. They knew I meant she was telling lies,” states the letter. “When she came back into the room one brave soul said: ‘We have a surprise my dear. This lady' comes from New Zealand.’ You should have seen her face. She went red and said: ‘Oh, why didn’t you say so.’ I said: ‘I was too interested in listening and as you went on it became more difficult to tell you without embarrassing you.’ She was in a great state and said: ‘New Zealanders are lovely people ’ and gushed about the lovely country but by that time everyone could tell that she had been making things up and she departed soon after and we heard her say: ‘Fancy that girl sitting there all the time letting me talk on and not stopping me’ which really made things worse for her.

“She did tell a lot of lies,” states the letter. “She said that when she arrived on the boat at Napier all the young men said: ‘Hi. Are you an English woman’ and collected everyone around to shake hands with her because they were so proud to meet her. She said that all New Zealanders say ‘ee’ just like the Yorkshire people, at which they all laughed.”