A TRIP ABROAD

Hokitika Guardian, 23 January 1932, Page 6

A TRIP ABROAD

CONTRASTS ON CONTINENT.

MR. 11. HAMILTON'S VIEWS

CHRISTCHURCH, January 20.

Back from a nine months’ trip abroad, during which time Ire visited Britain, France, Germany, Switzerland, and Belgium, Mr Hugh Hamilton, a Christchurch architect, had some interesting remarks to make concerning conditions in those countries and the feeling of their inhabitants towards foreigners.

“I found the people of Switzerland hard-working, thrifty, deeply religious, and very honest,” said Air Hamilton. “The French display a.n artistic temperament in ornament and buildings, but seem to be very'nervy and irritable, and alwjays ready to quarrel and argue with anyone. j.

found that there is a spiteful feeling shown towards England. This is rather .surprising in view of what England sacrificed in time, money, and men in the last war. “I found that the Germans had a very kindly feeling towards England, and one could move about in Germany without any prejudice being shown by them. They were always ready to help the Englishman. The German people are very clean and methodical in their work. This is in contrast to Belgium, which displays rather slipshod and slovenly habits. The Belgians o« the whole are rather illmannered towards the foreigner. It its surprising that there should be such a, contrast between the Belgians and the people of the countries surrounding them.

“I met Air Karl Joosten, one-time German Consul in Christchurch, in Leipzig, and received a lot of information from him as to the true state of affairs in Germany. In summing up, he said that the German spirit ie broken. They seem to have no hope for the future, and are in a very bad way.

BRITISH STATESMEN. “I heard Lord Beaverbrook speak at a great gathering in the Paddington Town Hall on ‘Trade within the Empire.’ He stated that if we could stop the purchase of £300,000,000 worth of manufactured goods from the foreigner we could wipe out the deficit three times over, but there is a much greater leakage. England is. sipending £500, 000,000 on foodstuffs imported from the foreigner; from 1922 to 1930 there was an increase of over £40,000,000 in doles, while for the same period the imports of foodstuffs increased by £60,000,000.

“I also heard Air Ramsay MacDonald, Sit' John Simon, Air Stanley Baldwin, Mr Lloyd George, and Mr Snowdan of Exchequer) “I had the privilege of listening to a debate in the House of Parliament on 'tli© Indian question, and while there had the opportunity of shaking hands with Zaro Agha, the 166 years old Turk, who stands 6ft. high. Later his two escorts quarrelled, and one was murdered.

THE ELECTIONS. ‘‘l was ia (Glasgow when John MeOovau, Socialist M.P., was a r •.■steel with eleven others, when 50,000 gathered on the Glasgow green. There was rioting all night, and considerable damage was done. I was in Birmingham when Sir Oswald -Mosley .was holding a meeting and the crowd threatened to kill him. He and his party had to (lee into the hotel, where we were staying, for protection. The Communists were doing their best to create disturbances prior to the election. They organised parade* throiign the industrial areas with banners. .1 •saw parades of this sort reputed to consist of 30,000. They were lined tip with police on each side and also at; the front ■ and rear.

FINANCIAL TROUBLE. “During my visit to Germany the Continental financial crisis took place. Queues of people were formed outside all banks waiting their turn to get the limited allowance made’ them from week to week, irrespective of the customer. Soldiers were parading the streets fully armed protecting State officials iiiud buildings. Riots were the fashion, while many attempts were made to blow up trains. “Germany is in a very bad way and it is increasingly bard for them to keep law and order in view of tho tremendous taxation and fall in exports. I went round the famous shipbuilding yards of Hamburg, but found them practically all idle. Communism is forcing itself in on the east, while the Hitlerites, a revolutionary party, are a factor troubling them internnllv.”