INTERESTING VIEWS

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 157, 29 March 1939, Page 4

INTERESTING VIEWS

Guests Of Honour Speak At Morning Tea

Bringing with them first-hand contacts from England and America. Miss Isobel Biggar and Miss Balllie St ’art. who recently arrived in New Zealand, gave members of the EnglishSpeaking Union their impressions of the country at a morning tea yesterday, Miss Biggar as .i visitor for the first, time and Miss St art as a Dunedin girl revisiting the Dominion after an absence of five years.

Both were the guests of honour of the Wellington branch of the union, a large gathering of women members listening to the visitors’ impressions. A niece of Sir Harry and Lady Batterbee, Miss Biggar spoke enthusiastically of New Zealand, which she found a beautiful place. She had read all she could about it before leaving England, but even so the country pleasurably' exceeded her expectations. She had been a member of the London branch of the union and was very' interested in its work. During her stay of at least two years in New Zealand Miss Biggar said she hoped to become thoroughly acquainted with the people and the country.

A posy' of rosebuds was given to her by' Mrs. E. D. Good, hostess, and chairman of the women's committee. Mrs. Good was in a navy tailored ensemble with small navy hat and Miss Biggar wore a navy suit with a rose jumper and high crowned navy hat. Miss St ..art wore black, with black glengarry hat and boxed hip coat of skunk fur. Mrs. Lowell Pinkerton welcomed Miss Biggar on behalf of the American colony in Wellington. “I have noticed a lack of enthusiasm among the young people of New Zealand for their country. They should be taught to be more enthusiastic about it,” said Miss Bathie S . /art. She deplored the tendency which was often displayed of deprecating that which tourists praised about the scenery. America's Interest. As publicity agent for New Zealand in the United Stales. Miss St ■ -'art said great interest was shown in the Dominion, not only' in a tourist sense hut in view of the remarkable experiments in national affairs being carried out. Americans could not imagine a community' such as New Zealand boasted, for the country' appeared such a tiny' place on the map that they wondered just what could possibly be there to attract. “New Zealand is a country' of ‘samples’ where scenery is concerned, each one perfect,” she said. There was a great effort on the part of Americans to see America first. When people in the States said they had the biggest of everything it was true so far as scenery’ was concerned, at least. For example, the Waitomo Caves, perfect in their own way, were infinitesimal compared with the Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, which were 750 feet underground.

Her knowledge of the Maoris and their language had been most useful to her. The Maoris had named her Kotuku, or white heron, as she came so infrequently to her homeland shores. While visiting the Blackfoot tribe of Red Indians in the American Rockies a while ago, they made her a tribal princess, dancing the sun dance round her, as initiation, and presenting her with a suede “scroll” depicting the ceremony.