A MODERN UTOPIA.

Waikato Times, Volume 96, Issue 15360, 8 October 1923, Page 6

A MODERN UTOPIA.

ILL-ORGANISED EXPEDITION.

STORY OF FAILURE, ,

In August of last year a cable mes- | sage from London intimated that a small party of students had set sail from a Scottish port for some South Sea Island. There they were going to escape taxation and to create a modern. Utopia, but they never accomplished their object. A cable message may have informed us of that; but yesterday the story of their failure was unfolded to a "Dominion" reporter by one who was in touch wftb the expedition. "I did not start off with the expedition," stated Mr N. de Courcy Parry, who arrived at Wellington from Tahiti by the French vessel Antinous, "for I was at Lisbon in Portugal at the time, and my part of it did not commence until the vessel arrived there. But I met the students at Lisbon, and they told me of their perilous journey from Scotland. "The idea of a self-governing life found birth in the Loughborough Engineering College, in Leicester," stated Mr de Parry to the reporter. "Some fourteen of- fifteen students, evidently

tired of the rigid conditions of civilisation, banded together, and bought a Scotch fishing steamer. She was not very big, and not suited for deepsea travel. Sheets, beds, seeds, blankets, guns, in fact everything that they would need for a new settlement were stored on board. Their venture became known, and they had a right royal send-off. The bands were playing, flags were flying, and the people were excited when the vSiia Goose," lor that is what they named their craft, sailed out of the Scottish port of Buckie on August 27, 1922. They were heroes. "But the expedition was 111-fatea and hopelessly organised. Only two

of the fifteen students had ever been to sea before. The captain was an excellent navigation officer, but an inexperienced seaman. Bully beef and biscuits was the only kind of food on board. They believed that other food would not keep. Bad weather was encountered, and to make matters worse the galley caught lire. The .little vessel was driven to the Bay or Biscay but the crew of students thought they were far out in the Atlantic until they picked up their bearings off Corunna. Here the "Wild Goose" began to leak badly, and the water was gaining, as the bilge pumps would not work. It was then a case of reaching Lisbon or foundering. Luckily, the ship reached the Portuguese port, and anchored a few miles up the river Tagus. There she was to be repaired. "I was working at Lisbon at the time, but 'when I saw the captain he aske'd me if I would care to come with him to the South Sea islands. I jumped at the idea. Meanwhile, the students had scattered about. Some went to Africa to do some wild game shooting, while others frittered away their time and money in the romantic and dreamy environment of Lisbon. It is a delightful place. After about six weeks most of them had lost the vision of their conceived Utopia, and after a heated quarrel all but three returned to England. The "Wild Goose" was sold to a Portuguese fishing company, ; and the captain returned to England to attend to the affairs of

(he Pacific Settlement Coumpany, for that is what it was called. "The captain returned to Lisbon again during March of this year, and bought a two-masted sailing schooner, which we named "Wild Goose II." With a crew of five we set sail from Lisbon in April for Tahiti. After many adventures in this boat we eventually reached the French island. Here the expedition disbanded, and Wild Goose II was sold. I did not remain long in Tahiti, for no concessions are granted to Englishmen there. Since then I have roamed around the Pacific and returning to Tahiti again, embarked aboard the Antinous for Wellington. And, by the way, I think this is a delightful city," concluded Mr de Parry. ••' '" Mr de Parry is a Welshman, and has had the wanderlust since boyhood. He does a good deal of writing, chielly travelogue. He is leaving Wellington by the Antinous, and will visit the Ne,v Hebrides and Solomon Islands.