PRESENT DAY ENGLAND.

Shannon News, 2 November 1926, Page 3

PRESENT DAY ENGLAND.

SOME INTERESTING OBSERVAt. TIONS. » (Frim the Levin Chronicle). ,-' Mr and Mrs S. E. Aldwinckle, who, j with their > daughter Mabel, left N-?w j Zealand on February 23rd, by the Rua- ! hiup, reached London on April 8:h and ■ returned to Levin this week. after ! spending the summer in the Old Coun- | try. Both Mr and Mrs Aldwinckle and 1 '.heir daughter returned to Levin much I invigoiated by their holiday, having I profited much by many pleasant experiences and glad to have had the opportunity of renewing old acquaintanceships of 17 years ago. They were glad, nevertheless, to got back to New Zeaand particularly Levin, where they had made their home and a widespread circle of friends. In the course of an interview with a "Chronicle" reporter, Mr Aldwinckle gave some interesting comparisons with the England of seventeen years ago. DEPEESSION IN THE CHURCHES. There is a noticeable falling-off in the church congregations in England at the present time, he remarked, a condition which many religious bodies are attempting to overcome by the introduction of innovations in order to attract people to worship. Largely this was due to the opportunities offered to towndwellers to go to the country over the weekend. Char-a-banc trips are inexpensive and enable the workers to get < .right away from the town and its atimosphere. A very strong factor in this movement away from the churches, is the erection of powerful broadcasting stations; from which are transmitted the services of the larger churches in: London, so that on a wet night it is possible to tune-in to the desired station", and hear an inspiring from the lips , of England's greatest divines, without having to experience the discomfort! of I tramping- through muddy streets. Radio has swept away a good deal; of the old narrowness which characterised the existence of dwellers in the r ural 1 districts—places, where the -outburs t of war was not heard till several months! after the 4th of August, 19114—and >?ot- j tages which were once almost complete- ] ly cut off are now in constant toinch with all the. movements of the largjer cities in the United Kingdom. Afterrdinner speeches by the Prince of Walets, intercessory services for the cessatioui of the coal strike, dance bands, ora - J torios,' weather forecasts and current j news are all available to country peo- j pie. ' [ \ Wireless sets have been installed in \ the North Evington (Leicester) hospi- I tal, and patients cau now lie in bed, j don head-phones and listen to the gay J melodies of the latest' jvevure fiom a I London music-hall. In some wards in- i dividual head-phones are < displaced by I ioud-sjpeakers. ' . I RALLWAYS AND TILTS MOTOR I OCTOPUS. I

Traffic control, in its ti ruwst ■ sense, is exercised in both town and country. 1 Along roads and dangeroi is corners not covered by police organii sarion will be found an official of the I loyal Automobile Club, who will dire et one/ to the nearest town, assist in c ases of breakdown or accident, or mal ce any suggestions as to the nearest or bist campingsite. The excellent surf a «es of English roads is a cogent reason, for the rapid development of motor transport, and vans-from all parts of 1 ;he country deliver goods in the Midla,,nets', while during the strike it was p<ossible to order goods from almost any; p art of the country, and be assured of their arrival on the following day, L -ocalisation of indstries, in additio jj to g ood, roads, has made this practic able, re suiting in the /airway companies looking j to their organisation as well 'as proviiding the manufacturers with jyno.ther a?, venue, of transportation. . " SUBSIDY": HOUSES,-

Super-tax: and all fcbe other exactions j placed upon properties owned! b;v the : pre-war rich people of Englavt'd has [ been largely responsible for the bt 'caking up of old estates,- and their di vis- , ion into smaller building sites or far ms, j which means that cultivation of coyin- | try land lia« received a fillip and the I country as a whole benefitting'' as a ! consequence. There is, at the pr esent ; tune, a scheme in operation whe u-eby the Government will subsidise the building cosf, of houses built to Go\ 'eminent specification, which requires the dwelling to be constructed of cither eo' - crcte brick or iron, and enclosed b>y a garden. J" These are . workers' lionises, and when Mr Aldwin.'-kle left Leiee. Bier the 300UU i house was just being c ouipleted, w.' hile a new estate" was be ing opened ivj , for the erection of a f urt, her 3000, pre: cere nee being given to retu rn-ed-soldioi ■ tenants, Throughout t he country ■ there appeared an earnest c udeavour tc.overcome the housing question, and this project of subsidising the cost con. stitiited a powerful agent in overcoming what is a very distress 1 big conditio! i that has existed in the < Old Country for a number of years. BAIL* WAY TRAVELLING DEAI i.

A sui prising thing about travel ling I oil the ] English railway' fc.ystems is 'that t'f™ ar ' ° a good deal higher than tteoso of New .Zealand, without' any greater comfort ,tbau that of 20 years ago, a. factor M-hieh 3 ias encouraged, the eneroachrounrt of the motor bus and char-a. i banc, Ui£ time-tables for which were), often a,'s voluminous as that of ■, the N.Z.. I railway-s ;i while the service given by 1 these anotor transport systems w. ere every whit? equal to those of comrn rtitive ■ tranifj. l