“What I Saw in America.”

Hokitika Guardian, 26 August 1922, Page 1

“What I Saw in America.”

ENGLISH JOURNALIST’S IMPRESSIONS. Mr Ralph D. Blumenfeld, editor of tlie London “Daily Express,” recently gave the readers of his newspaper an opportunity to read his impressions of three of the principal cities of the United States and what the people over here were mostly interested in (says the “Fourth Estate,” New York, of May 27th). Ho says the people here “are well informed by their wonderfully alert and finely conducted press.” The subject of bootleggers and conversation’s relative to obtaining fresh supplies of illegal intoxicants were brought out by the editor in his treatise of “What I saw jn America.” Mr Blumenfeld is an American by birth, hut for many, years has been identified in the newspaper business of England, where he went as a correspondent early in the nineties. His visit here a few months ago was of three weeks’ duration, and when he was about to set sail for his homo was confronted with some of the complicated laws of the United States.

He was asked to pay an income tax because the Government officers main, tained that because lie purchased new machinery and equipment for his newspaper during his -visit he therefore had earned inoney in the United States, consequently must pay tho Government an incpn’.c tax. Mr Blumenfeld was allowed to sail after the New York representative of the “Daily Express” vouched for payment of. the tax should the case be decided against tin? editor.

In the course of his article pertaining to his visit to the States, Mr Blumenfeld said:

“Indeed, wherever you go, in the Clubs, in the trams, in the Twentieth Century express which whirls you from Chicagq to New York on the magic carpet in eighteen hours; tho negro porter, the travelling magnate and the society dame all discuss their success in having obtained a fresh supply of illegal intoxicants.

There is . just one other subject that interests Americans. It is. not tho League of Nations or who won the war, or whether Ireland iB right in trying to bo a Republic. They are exceedingly well informed by their wonderfully alert- and finely conducted press. They know all about the Prince of Wales and like him immensely, and they were deeply interested in Princess Mary’s wedding.

“lint tlie one thing, beyond Prohibition, that engages and intrigues the great -American public, one hundred millions of it, is tho personality of Mr Lloyd George. “Evarywhere I met these questions: ‘Wliat Is he like? Is lie energetic as thev say lie is? , What does he think of our crazy drink laws? Why didn’t ho come to America? Will lie come? Isn’t he the greatest man in Europe ? Sure, lie must he, I’ll tell the world,’ and

so on. . “As your steamer draws away from New York, silent and majestic in the noonday sun, and you glide past tho Statue of Liberty, which seems to have taken on an ironical look, your mind filled m’th kaleidoscope of pictures, conjures up visions of a great, a vigorous, a generous, and a simple-hearted people, who have governed themselves into a position from which only their sense of humour has been able to rescue them.”