A BOUQUET OF SORTS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2722, 17 March 1916, Page 7

A BOUQUET OF SORTS

FROM AUSTRALIA'S POSTMASTER- ' GENERAL MR. WEBSTER : S HOLIDAY PHILOSOPHY i On leaving New Zealand by tho Moeraki yesterday, Mr. Win. Webster, the Federal Postmaster-General of Australia,, handed us the following farewell •bouquet:—"Before saying good-bye to j New Zealand and the many kind folk 11 have met, who have made my visit both profitable and pleasant, and mado me feel very much at home, I desire to thank ono and all, and to say that, thougli my mission was one more of duty than pleasure, yet I succeeded in completing the former and making tho latter possible. This combination spells happiness. Tho trip on tho main line from Wellington to Auckland by daylight is an education in itself; and no wonder Auckland spreads its plumes with pride, and feels that the_ future is assured. The countrysMo is Auckland's pride. Its hopes are centred there. . In Warm Places. "Proceeding to B-otorua, one realised the varied composition of hill and vale, and the change in tree and fern, not to mention the earthy deposit which is freely bestowed on great or small ere you reach the centre of thermal activities. My stay was all too short to investigate the mysteries of this weird land-. Strange must be the feelings of those who try to solve tho problems. I left it to Guide Bob Inglis to explain tho phonemSna, and I felt quite safo in bis keeping. Ho seems to know tho cause and effect of every jet of steam, ©very boiling cauldron, scalding geyser, or bubbling pool of mud. It matters not ivliothor the result bo petrification, perforation, • consolidation, or liquidation, Bob can explain them satisfactorily; nay, he can even tell you whence, when and bow they come, also "how they go, , above vor below. The divergence between Biblical history and natural phenomena is easy to explain. No longer does Adam's story and Darwin's disagree. After the war is over, this life-long and contentions problem will disappear by. thermal revelations, and many should be available to work in the earthly, vineyard who hitherto only pointed tlie way to a problematic hapslness.5 Iness. \ feel relieved after, studying obert Inglis,' the student of tlie thermal mysteries of this tourist resort. If I had any doubts, M'Cormack, of Fry-ing-Pan Flat, would have settled them; as it was he merely corroborated his brother guide. It was unlucky, for me that the geyser would not work ; neveri theless .the region in which 'Mac 1 works is weird enough, to make him 'talk in [ strange language in the daytime. I Lope he never wanders abroad at night, especially when the moon is full—don't risk it, Mac,' on that weird and lonely track—or another asset may be lost to Now Zealand. ' .

"These ore not' the only guides, for there aire some gay, a few gray, members of the Maori school so engaged, mostly women or girls. The latter seem popular, interesting, and, in a' measure, instructive. They recognise 'tis well to keep on good "forms with'their next door neighbour, and point to the heat which is generated down below. The girls guide for silver, while the boys aivo for copper at Whaka, which seems to be a wise distribution of effort in the family interest. Those who don't guido or dive dance ' the haka or poi on tho stage to-tho tired tourists, and brace thom up for the next .day's effort. The /weather was warm, and rain was wanted to lay the dust and freshen up the, foliage; nevertheless ,the lake.-tripj. round trip, five-lakes' trip, and Wairakei, were crammed into my brief stay. Each was interesting iu its special features.- I saw the volcano belching forth at 6 a.m. .1 saw the rapids above and below the lovely Huka falls. I dined amidst the gods of the Maoris at the Spa —a collection of, great value anA unique carving. I had tho best bath I ever took at the Terraces at 6 a.m.—the iron 'bath, temperature, about 90. . i' A Came of Bowls. "My last day I spent in the restful resort surrounding the Sanitorium, which was "bedecked, with flowers of the most varied and beautiful shades-. Here the elderly folk . took their leisure and rest, the younger their pleasure, and the soldiers able to i leave their beautiful hospital sought' that convalescence possible after their trying experiences on .Uallipoli. It was here I indulged in a game of bowls.on a splendidly-equipped green, and renewed my acquaintance with my biassed . friend 'after many knonths. I was kindly privileged to play ill a match, and though the champion skip, Mr. Sneddon, violently bombarded onr fortifications,' and scattered our 1 forces, we rallied and pulled an exciting game out of tho fire by one point. Such a result seemed hopeless when our opponents were 16 to 7; buV on the 24th head we were -l 7 fo 20; we laid the necessary four to win. Sneddon missed by a hair, and next time laid the shot. Our skip, Dr. . came with a deadly drive, causing Sneddon's bowl to vault over ours, and we still laid four and won. None know how proud I was to have been selected in such a team. The return match had to he indefinitely postponed. . About a Houseboat. "We left for Taumarunui, and next morning proceeded to navigate the Wanganui River. The absence of rain I makes navigation difficult. And 6oou I | realised that it was possible to travel by land' and water at the one time. The. boat at times travelled with the aid of the wire rope on ball-bearings. Itapids wore difficult, to negotiate; yet with'remarkable skill and much scraping, we survived many, a shock. It is marvellous . how they manage to get down to the houseboat. Here we had to remain until the morrow. I was •sorry at first, then pleased. The houseboat is an ideal rest-, . well conducted, clean, . and homely. We spent a happy evening with the aid of two kindly artists, . who sang beautifully beautifulfy, and were supported by a few lesser stars.. The trip from houseboat to Pipiriki was delightful; the scenery at times was gorgeous_,and though we had trouble at times with tho ball-bear-ings, still no one noticed it. The troubles were swept aside by Uie-beauti-ful foliage, mosses, and tree ferns. Such is a national asset to New Zealand, and destruction would be treason. I recognise wo cannot live on scenery alone; no. more can we really live without it, and the small reward secured by the destruction of tho river scenery would not amount to much in cash, while destroying an 'essential in the lives of a normal people. Hence I say this scenery should bo preserved at any cost. Below Pipiriki tho landscape is blurred by the destruction of natnro's coverings, and holds few attractions for the eyo or mind. A similar fato above Pipir'Ki would close this wonderland to the world's tourists. Tile river is a tough prjiilohi. but I think it will be solved and rr-main a valuable highway. Such involves engineering and financial genius. My friends eventually he f-irohow/g. My friends made my short stay in Wanganui very interesting, showing me their harbour, wharves, and freezing works, also ninth valuable oountrry within a twenty-five milo radius. will conti'.iue to grow, though I think land at £40 to £6u per acre is near high-water mark. Personally, St puzzles me Ik-w they get a decent return oil the outlay, hut they say it is a sound investment. Perhaps Ml. Nearly Lost Ills Earthquake. "I thought 1 was going io leave >cw Zealand without 'an earth-shine. But about- 8.80 a.m. 1 woke and saw the

toilet shake and the cliandolier swing to and fro; just ns 1 was getting interested it-passed on. I shall have to writa my friend Bob Ingles and ask him if ho" arranged that part of my programmo; if so, I am under further obligation to 556 Tviatrd of Whaka. I leave Now Zealand wiser than I came, and feol you have a grand and glorious future ahead if we can only settle the Kaiser and keep your country from boiling. over. Bob says such, can never be; he knows. "The only feature! saw with regret was .what I took to bo tho horns and hoofs of tho American Beef Trust; it is establishing ■ itself in palatial quarters, fabulous sums are being expended, and such savours of the trail of tho Trust. [ hope I am wrong; if not, then I fear tho stock raisers of New Zealand will realise how decoptive are the ways of man, and ever regret placing their trust in Trusts. Maybe you can control it; many have tried, but none 6ucceedcd. Wait and watch. "Adieu, kind friends, adieu."'