CONDITIONS ABROAD

Hokitika Guardian, 8 October 1931, Page 6

CONDITIONS ABROAD

DR. F. V. BEVAN-BROWN’S - ... - IMPRESSIONS.

AUCKLAND, October' (3. A well-known Christchurch medical man, Dr K. V. Bevan-Brown arrived in Auckland by the Maunganui from Sydney this morning, after a ■ sixmonths’ business and pleasure trip to England. He leaves for Wellington by tlie Limited express this evening.

Dr. Bevan-Brown was one of five New Zealand representatives at the annual conference of the British Medical) Association, which was held recently at Eastbourne. He said that he had visited hospitals in London, Edinburgh, and the North of England and found that. .Great Britain was well hold-' ing its place in the medical world. Medicine was developing and there had been more progress in -recent years than at ary previous time.

People should not get the impression that England was down and out, or anything approaching that. Although TCrigland was passing through difficult times, everyone believed that things were beginning to improve, and were continuing to do so. In all parts of the country there were no outward or visible signs of / serious poverty or distress.

T)r Hevan-Urown mentioned the Customs regulations in Australia, and described them as irritating, complicated and unreasonable. “There is a desire to accumulate revenue in all sorts of artificial ways,, and w n ys that in the (md react harmfully on the' country which the regulations are intended to benefit.” he said. “Overseas shipping is hedged in with Customs regulations that are almost baffling in their complexity and detail.” Dr. Revan-Brown said he noticed that a large number of men were loit>- .- ing about the streets of Sydney, and this was comparatively more noticeable than in London. One of the prominent means of livelihood in Sydney seemed to Ik* the lotteries that are in vogue. It was like trying to. live bv taking in eaeli other’s washing.