WELLINGTON NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 26 August 1918, Page 4

WELLINGTON NOTES.

CAPTAIN T. E. Y. SEDDON IN AMERICA. SOME INTERESTING EXPERIENCES. (Our Special Correspondent) Captain T. K. Y. Seddon M.P., who went to the United States some months ago as a member of the British military mission, certainly lias “ made good ” among our American allies. He has been visiting important people, appearing at public gatherings and addressing meetings of all kinds—meetings of shipyard workers. Red Cross-members, school girls-, business men and war loan subscribers. The newspapers have given him much attention, and it is interesting to notice that many of Them have mentioned his relationship to. New Zealand’s great Premier. The labour and social legislation associated with the name of Seddon

is regarded with admiration and envy by reformers in The United States, and- Captain Seddon is giving his native land an extraordinarily good advertisement. He has been telling the Americans about New Zealand’s militaiy effort, describing some of the deeds of New Zealand’s sons and acquainting huge audiences with the fact that the Dominion is “ a real live eountrv,” with a will and a destiny of its own.

VISIT TO MR ROOSEVELT. One day at the end of June Cap tain vSeddon paid a visit to Mr Theodore Roosevelt. “ITis first question,” writes Captain Seddon, was, “ Are you a relative of Seddon of New Zealand?” After that we were friends. He talked of outlabour legislation. With clenched fist lie declaimed about America’s slackness in following our legislative footsteps. He waxed eloquent and and talked about arbitration and conciliation, punishment for breach of award ; he looked like a tornado wrapped in a personality, He is remarkably like his pictures. ITe inspires all around him. Ilis personable is electric. His laugh is hearty and infectious. lie asked who were the governing persons in New Zealand and quickly followed it up with a question whether we liad got rid of tlie Conservative element. I told him ol Massey, Ward and the political parties, and he threw his head back and roared with laughter as he said, “ So you have sufficient Irishmen in New Zealand to rule you !” Mr Roosevelt expressed his regret that America had not entered the war in 1915. He thought the United States should have declared war on Germany without further parley when the Lusitania was sunk. THIS “ HIG SPLASH.”

After the “big splash on July 4, when over 100 ships were launched in the United States, Captain Seddon visited the Hog Island shipyards, the largest 111 the world. He had previously made a speech at the launching of an 8,000 ton freighter. The Hog Island yards are turning out two standard ships each week. “ The sheets of steel,” says Captain Seddon, “ are sent to the yards from all parts of the States. Millions of bolts and fittings of all kinds are made elsewhere, and at tlie works the parts are assembled and the complete ships produced. It is like sending to a tailor the cloth for suits, already cut lor the tailor simply to sew together. The yards are a scene of bewildering activity. Steam engines whistle shrilly and dash about with car-loads of steel, armies of workers swarm at their jobs and all clay long sounds the rat-tat-tatting of the riveters. The din is ceaseless. Boys stand round forges throwing in the rivets. When the rivets are red-hot the youngsters pull them out and Ihiow them from ten to thirty yards to their mates, who hand them to the rivet drivers. The ‘ fielding’ is wonderful. The flying piece of red-hot steel is caught every time. These boys are paid from £5 to £6 a week and they earn it.”

A PLEASING TRIBUTE. Some very nice things are being said of Captain Seddon by his new American friends. The New Zealander and Major Lankester, another member of the .British Mission, were entertained at dinner by the United States Chamber of Commerce in New York. “We were all of the opinion that we had none of ns ever seen a more charming personality on his feet than Captain Seddon,” wrote a prominent member of the Chamber afterwards. “He speaks fluently and to the point, and is exactly the man lor such a gathering of red-blooded men as we had at our dinner. His tact, his sense of the fitness of things and his conservative presentation of facts were just what one might expect of a British officer and gentleman. Although I have spent a good deal of time m Washington with the representatives of the Allies and in New York as well, I have never attended a more interesting dinner nor enjoyed the company oi any of our visitors quite so well.” Kvi dently Captain Seddon is doing his important work in quite the right wav.