AS OTHERS SEE US.

Manawatu Herald, Volume LI, Issue 4515, 9 October 1930, Page 1

AS OTHERS SEE US.

PROFESSOR HORN ELL’S IDEAS.

IMPRESSIONS OF DOMINION.

Impressions on such diverse subjects as roads, women’s woik, pnkeha-Maori relations and theatres were trfljvealed by Professor Hornell, the Swedish hydro-elec-tricity expert, in an interview in Christchurch last week.

“Your roads, I would wish to say, are very fine,” said Professor Hornell. “They are the steepest, orookedest and best-kept roads I have ever seen. In fact, I think they are too good. Perhaps I should not say it .before Mr. Fnrkert, but I think mote money has been spent on them than is warranted by the traffic. They are the crookedest I have seen.”

“We had nowhere to put them; so we had to fold the roads up into knots,” explained Mr. Funkert. “That, is the only explanation I can find for it,” said the professor.

The visitor said lie had been particularly impressed with the hard work done by the New Zealand women. In Sweden the housewife felt badly off with only one servant; here she had none at all. fie would tell the Swedish women about it.

The conduct of the white race toward the Maoris had pleased Professor Hornell. “I have visited no country in which the white race has spoken with so much respect and understanding of the original inhabitants,” he said. “When I ask the Europeans how they like the Maoris, they speak highly of them. T have been in IClhina, Japan, India and other countries/ but nowhere else have I heard this.” Professor Hornell has missed theatres and opera houses in New Zealand. In Sweden, where opera and c|rama flourish, even a small town has three or four of them. He had asked M(r. Fnrkert how many opera houses there were in a North 'lsland city and what operas wore being presented. The|re was one only and that had the talkies. “The hotels* are good,” he id, “but one cannot get a proper meal when one wants it.

“I should like to mention my most pleasant collaboration with the engineers, geologists and phvsisists I have dealt with,” Professor Hornell added. “There has been no exception to their loyalty. No jealousy of any kind has hindered our work.”