VISCOUNT HAMPDEN

Hokitika Guardian, 17 May 1929, Page 8

VISCOUNT HAMPDEN

TOUR OF NEW ZEALAND

SO.AIEI FAVOUR ARI-iE LMPRKSSIONS. LONDON, April 5. At the annual met'tin”; of the National .Mortgage aikl Agency Company next ’Wednesday Visceonnt Hampden will malic an official report of his tour of New Zealand. As chairman of the company his visit was primarily a business one, hut obviously he and his family had time to enjoy and appreciate the scenery of the Dominion and indulge in a certain amount of sport. They were told it was the worst summer in living memory, hut, said Lord Hampden. “we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.”

“1 think it is a beautiful country to live in,” he said, this morning when I saw him at the office of the National Mortgage, “and people who live there are very lucky. We received liospitalitv everv here we went.”

One criticism Lord Hampden had to make. If New Zealanders wished to attract- Hie American tourists they would have to improve their hotel accommodation. The big hotels were far ftvm up-to-date, and the service was not good. “They say their tenancy is so pre-

arious owing to the’ licensing laws .hat they dare not spend inoiK-y on improvements, hut the fact remains that with the present hotels the Ameri.ans will simply not come to the Dominion. We spent our pleasantest time in one of two of the hotels in the smaller centres where we were treated as the family, hut even there, so far as the service was concerned, they could not do more than they were allowed to do. There is no doubt that the hotels are a tremendous bai to the tourist traffic.”

Lord Hampden thoroughly enjoyed iiis visits to the Ookl Lakes and bo Mount Cook, and regretted that he was not aide to set* Franz Josef Glacier. The fishing lie was able to go. in tin* Tongnriro remains was one ol liis pleasantest memories. It wa.s early, in the season, bub they did finite well, and he regrets that lie is not fishing the stream to-day. Like many -other people he was.greatly impressed with" the crystal streams mu ml .alii ut-; Lake ■ Taupe. He had never.seen anything like it in any other part of the world. FARMING METHODS. • “I was favourably impressed with the outlook in New Zealand from a farming point of view,” he said. “They have goti through their bad days very well. The optimism of the fanners was rather refreshing after England. I farm here, and 1 was interested to know why (I could not compete with the New Zealand producers. It 'is obviously, a matter of climate. There three man can .look alter eighty cows. Here it 'takes i eight or ten men to look alter eighty cows, and there is all the expense of feeding in the winter time.”

I/Gjrd Hampden enjoyed the race meetings in the Dominion. “They were extraordinarily good,” • lie said, “and very well i>managed-. ‘They eater for the public very- well.” Reverting finally to farming matters. Lord Hampden said he was surprised New Zealand could not produce good bacon. All the time he was there he tasted no good bacon at all.