CONDITIONS IN ENGLAND

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXX, Issue 5371, 7 January 1929, Page 1

CONDITIONS IN ENGLAND

LANGUISHING INDUSTRIES. AN UNFAVOURABLE COMPARISON. “London is living on it’s, interest,” said Mr A. I. Rattray, secnetary of. ■the Metropolitan Trotting, Club, who arrived back in Christchurch after a ten months’ tour abroad. Mr Rattray’s trip, which was undertaken largely for health reasons, embraced Great Britain and the Continent and America. He has returned fully restored to health, but by no means pleased with the conditions he found prevailing in the Old Country. Mr Rattray, who toured about 1800 miles in Great Britain, speaking to a press representative, said: — “The country is, very pretty, but unfortunately it is not used to the ex-

tent that it should) be. You will pass thousands upon thousands of acres of land and not see a beast on it." Mr Rattray said a good deal of this was due to the large estates, many of which were now being broken up. The imperssion that he gained from his tour through the country districts however, was that thq land waX not being profitably used. “The farmers are terribly dissatisfied,” he added, “They maintain that they have not sufficient mai-gjn to keep going, what with taxes and one thing and another. Whether conditions will improve or not you cannot tell. Many of th®, things that I noticed were noticed by ther. people from New Zealand who visited England.” DESERTED MINES. Mr Rattray said the industrial depression was very marked. “You will pa’ss coal mine after coal mine that has been shut down,” he said. “There) were fifteejn mines shut up in one month in Fifeshir,e, while I was in Edinburgh. I met miners with their families tramping round the roads and trying to get shakedowns at farm houses. It was heartrending to see the poor little kiddies.” Asi to the causes for this, condition Mb Rattray was unable to venture a definite opinion. He thought- that it was due; in the first instance to .the strikes. “Then gain,” he said, “the industries in. England are languishing. They are not as they should be. I met people in Glasgow who told me that they had lost tine linen industry to Italy. I met people in Glasgow who told me they had lost ith-Q rope industry.” IN A GROOVE. Goitng down the Clyde, Mr, Rattraysaid it was really saddening to see the number of slips that were empty. ‘There were dozensi and dozens of them unoccupied by vessels,” he said. “I understand; .that the position has improved a little since. The industrial o.utlock all round is bad. They cannot compete against the; Continent. “When I was Home there were 1,350,000 .unemployed,” added Mr Rattray. “I spoke to some operators at some printing wgnks, ani they told me that another half a million coud be added to that number of those out of work who had not registered. When I went to the Royal Show I passed a registry office; and outside it there was a queiie that was about a quarter of a mile long—men waiting to register. J don’t know what the trouble is. The popple seem to have got into a groove and they are not able to get themselves out of it.” “Ah,” he exclaimed, in answer to a question as to how things appeared on the Continent. “There you .ha,ve a different story.” He said that the “The Times” sent a special commissioner, to France; who made inquiries from the highest authorities and could find only; 1300' unemployed in the country. THE BUSY CONTINENT. “Every acre] of. France is used,” said Mr. Rattray. ““There are vineyards, vegetable tarms, farms grow-, ing flowers fox the London market, wheat and other cropsi, all on small holdings. On my way to Marseilles I passed a valley there were thousands and thousands of cattle grazing. All the industries are going full swing. You s,ee villages all with their, factories going. Italy is the same, and so is Switzerland. In Belgium there; is also great activity and great agricultural production. | The iron works are going full swing, both thejre and in Alsace-Lorraine. In Belgium every little homestead has its herd of cattle. Everywhere on the Continent th,er.e is activity. It is totally different from England.”

PRAISE F'OR MUSSOLINI. “The dole is'a great curse in. Engr land. If they give thie dble th.e;y should make /the men work for it , even if it is /only on the: roads. The whole of th© Continent is becoming electrified. 'Tiie reticulation is being pushed everywhere, j. was; told that Mussolini intends) to have : the whole of the railways of Italy /electrified within '.the next two or three years, and so be independent of. coal. Hq is a dictator, of course, but he is a dictator o f .the right scurf, a nd the people absolutely worship him.” Mr Rattray said the people of the Continental nations were pa trioti.c, and were prepared .to work liJ'e Trojans for their ( country. They p.laced their country above , everyth; ng. They wanted to make :good. They had dis-, covered their backwardness since the war,, and intended to make themselves independent of all outside so.urceSl

■Mr Rattray spemt some time in the United States. “Everythin;? was very busy,” ij e said.: “They aire a very ingenious people, and in fifity years’ time they will be a race of their own.” Mr Rattray added /humorously that by that time they would have a language- of their, own. “I found it very hard to, .understand' some -of them,.” he said.