A TRIP TO ENGLAND.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 280, 24 November 1914, Page 7

A TRIP TO ENGLAND.

MR FOOKES ON TOUR.

(Continued.)

i At Portsmouth Mr Fookes was shown I over the dockyards and saw everything I from battleships to submarines. He ,-aw several submarines going down I he harbor—an interesting sight for a I New Zealander. Ho also saw being I carried out a great deal of experimenI tal warfare with air craft. A large I airship hovered round the dockyard lor I wme days and was played on with a I )ig searchlight. Hydroplanes were I also seen flying over the Solent and I descending to the water. In London I aeroplanes were to be seen by the hunI lied. It was a common sight to see * diem flying to Aldershot from the .aerodrome at Hendon. The noise made by an aeroplane was terrific —it was iike a magnified motor car in the air. The machine looked a mere dot in the sky, but the noise of the engine was neard very plainly. Watching the air,hips and aeroplanes Mr Fookos found very interesting. He was particularly lesirous of viewing a hydroplane, as just before his visit to Portsmouth dicre had been a sad calamity in one «Inch resulted in the loss of several lives. The party had a, line time in Devon, which Mr Fookes holds is the bc-yt county in England from a point of i view of the pleasure seeker. They . stayed with Dr. Law, a cousin of Mrs - Fookes, who motored them all over tincountry. They visited a great number of towns, including Newton Abbott, where Mr N. Miller, dentist, well ' known in New Plymouth, is in pia.erice. Mr Fookes thought Mr Miiler was at Torquay, and lie passed thn ugh Newton Abbott before he knew he was resident there. A trip was made to dude, a seaside resort on die north roast of Cornwall on the Bristol Chanlel side. There were magnificent hotels .ml the place was a favor in resoiftor golfers and for those seeki. g a ic-si. Veres and acres wee devoted to ent•et grounds ani gc f Pairs. The place .as,full of residential flats, there he- 1 ig every facility lo>' acccmmofating arge crowds of visitors; and this busiess of supplying accommodation seem'd the chief activity of the town—the mly other activity was a little sea isliing. The climate is bleak and jracing. On the day the visit was mule to Bude the party motored 150 ailes, going across Dartmoor en route. The party next went to the north of England, staying with friends at Bolon, Lancashire, and they were far rom being agreeably impressed with hat part of the country. The whole if the air was simply black with smoke rom the factories, which can be count'd by the hundred. The landscape reninded Mr Fookes of the bush fire .cenes in old Stratford—the chimneys eminded him of the scarred, blackened, smoky tree-trunks. But, added Mr Fookes, the smoke in the north of England was very much blacker. One could not go outside without catching smuts, and everything outside' was .'lack and smutty. However, the coun.ry was fine and the.climate excellent. Mr Fookes inspected several paper and •otton mills. He made a trip to Liverpool and went over to Port Sunlight, hr William Lever’s model village. All die houses'have to be built according o his ideas. The village was laid out hi excellent lines and the houses were milt on a good plan, and altogethei die whole place was pleasant to look ipon. The day Mr Fookes was there, vrtS; however, an unfortunate one in me respect, as it was the anniversary if the battle of the Boyne,and the Irish >f’ Liverpool were lidding a celebradon. atkPort Sunlight, having practical Large of the place, making it difficult ;o properly see it. Liverpool was a magnificent city, with fine buildings, mt the smoke nuisance spoilt the view if thq city and harbor. The smoke ■vas not so lipid as at Bolton and diereabouts, but was quite bad enough! Vll over Lancashire and Yorkshire the .moke nuisance was in evidence. From doltoii Mr Fookes went to Rochdale aid *spent a pleasant time with Mr j. M. Porritt’s people. Mr Porritt’s ddest brother is' managing director of a large machinery firm, and he made die visit of the party very pleasant indeed. Mrs Porritt’s brother-in-law, Mr U.ve- is manager of the firm of John Bright and Bright Bros., cotton and carpet manufacturers. Mr Lye showed Mr Fookes over the whole of the carpet-making works, the visit being pleasant and interesting. The mill is one of the best and oldest established in England. The party proceeded south through the centre of the island, going through Birmingham without shopping; but at Stratford-on-Avon a stop of a quarter of an hour was made to change trains. Mr Fookes got into conversation with a railway porter and stated that he came from Stratford, New Zealand. The porter said they knew all about the town because the school had j]ent a flag to the English school, as also had the school at Stratford, Canada. The porter w;r anxious that Mr Fookes should go to the school and see the flags, but he could not make it convenient to do so. ft was a line country from Stafford to Worcester, where Mr Monkhouse lives. After the stay with Mr Monkhouse the party continued south by the Great Western. Railway through Oxford, where Mr Fookes spent au afternoon. He visited a large number of flip University colleges, had a look at the most interesting parts of the old city, saw some friends, and continued the trip to London by the evening train. It had been intended to make j further excursions north and smith (From London—-to go to Scotland and j cross over to the Continent—but the outbreak of war made travelling very uncertain. Trains wore all the time being commandeered for military purposes, and one could never be sure that the train wanted was running. Mr Ejookes thought London would be ’ the safest place in view of possible eventualities, and it was decided to spend the rest of I he time available there, Even nl (bat Air Fookes did not see everything there was to be

seen in London—one could go round for months and months and still leave something unseen. Week-end excursions were made to Kent and Surrey. (To be continued).