FROM THE CLUB WINDOW

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 2, 12 January 1907, Page 15

FROM THE CLUB WINDOW

By

MARMADUKE

"W <4 HILE I was leisurely reading the ■ A / “Graphic" the other day. the ■/*/ boy brought me a message V f that a visitor wanted to see me. and was waiting in the strangers' room. I found my visitor was a Frenchman, who brought me a letter of introduction from a very old friend of mine. He had just arrived from Sydney. and was anxious to see something of the colonies. 1 drove him round to see the principal sights in our city and suburbs, and explained things a- far aI could: but I thought he would learn more if I introduced him to a few of our fellows, who could tell him more about the colony in general than I could. I accordingly asked a few chaps round to my rooms to meet him: one of them a traveller for one of our big houses, another a runholder from down South, and another one of our Civil servant-. The Frenchman was talking about French colonies, and he said: " Where we fail is that we do not really trust our people. We have not your English public school spirit. We spy on our boys at school, and we treat our colonists like

schoo boys. In Tahiti, for instance, there is too much of the government official. Tour people make money—ours get paid a salary." THE TRAI ELLER: I ought to know a little about how people spend their money. We have a very real and solid prosperity in spite of what our prophets of evil say. People want good articles, and they can afford most of the comforts of life, but we don't find much demand for fancy luxuries. Money is pretty evenly distributed and is spent freely. THE RUNHOLDER: But we. too. have our army of Government officials. Every second man is an inspector of something of other. I know a man in a small way. living not far from my place, and he tells me his life is made a perfect burden to him by people poking round his place to inspect different things, or to air their expert knowledge. Then we never know when our runs may be cut up by the Government chaps, who want good, improved land for their supporters. But for political fads we should see more settlement in the back-blocks. THE CIVIL SERVANT: I should have

thought America had given us an object lesson on the value of proper inspection. We must protect our people against being imposed upon, and protect the man who works his place properly from the idle or careless man who does not care to keep down weeds or blights or other pests. It i» not real liberty which allows your neighbour to destroy the value of your work. THE FRENCHMAN: You English do not enjoy vourselves like our people. And yet you have not the fog here, as in London. You have the beautiful sea and the sun. but you are very triste. You have not the casino or the belle plage or the open air cafe, but you have the plum pudding and rosbif when it is still so hot. THE TRAVELLER: We have a good deal of enjoyment all the same. Where could you find better yachting than in our gulf! We are not a gay nation. I grant you. and Mrs. Grundy is a very terrible wet blanket even here. But we lead a freer and mere open-air life than they do at Home. I willingly admit that our cooking is still very barbarous. I often groan when I see the frightfully solid fare provided for the midday meal at some of our country hotels. THE FRENCHMAN: The children all seem very happy. They have more liberty than ours, and are more independent. Your country people are certainly better off than our peasantry, and have not that hopeless look I have seen so often in the Breton. Your Jacques Bon homme is not a stupid fellow at all. he is often very intelligent. THE RUNHOLDER: No. we have no Hodge here. I have had many men in the sheds at shearing time who have had a first-class education. Even the smallest

settlers are more generally shrewd and intelligent than some of our large Eng lish farmers. In a new country there is more scope for initiative and more chance of acquiring vour own land, and working it profitably. The New Zealander is an all-round man. but we are too small a country to produce many men of firstrate abilities. THE FRENCHMAN: You have a beautiful country, and good, sensible, sturdy people in it. You are all very kind, and always offer drink except at meal times. You English are so strange. You have tea. always the tea. But you drink not the ligth wine. But there! T love my France, but I love your people, too. We Frenchmen cry ” Vive la France! " but you say ' 'God save the King! " It is the same thing. We have the casino, we are gay. happy: you have the club, you eat. drink, and sleep. But I know the English custom. You will five o’doquer with me to-morrow- at four o'clock! THE RUNHOLDER: I for one shall be delighted, and if I may I will bring a friends who is interested in grape-grow-ing. He would be pleased to get a few hint- from you on the subject. THE FRENCHMAN: Then I will say “Au revoir." and we will have of the rive o'clock tea at four at my hotel.