Who’s Who on the Malolo

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 835, 2 December 1929, Page 14

Who’s Who on the Malolo

“See that man there—he began life doing pick and shovel work—today he is a millionaire.”

Tho speaker was one of the “average” passengers on tho luxury liner Malolo, yesterday morning. “But, we’re not all millionaires,” he hastened to assure a Sun man who was gathering a few impressions from the international tourists. “There are several millionaires on board, but most of us are people who have made enough to live comfortably and travel when we want to. Lots of our fellow-travellers are men who have retired from active business life and now take things easily.”

A neatly-arranged little booklet tells everyone on the Malolo just who everyone else is. Here is a typical entry. It concerns Mr. Charles C. Moore, who is “father” and the general chairman of the “goodwill” cruise: President C. C. Moore and Co., engineers. President, Sylmar Packing Corporations, Los Angeles. Past President, San Francisco Chamber of Commerce. Director, the Anglo-London-Paris Bank. Director, Anglo-Califoßnian Trust Co. Director, Golden State Milk Products Co. Director, Occidental Insurance Co. Director, West Coast Life Insurance Co. Director, North American Investment Corporation. Director, Society of California Pioneers. National vice-president. Boy Scouts of America. National vice-president, English-Speak-ing Union. President, Panama-Pacific International Exposition, 1915. And who, after that, can say that the American tourist is not efficient? “We are not commercial. This is purely a trip of international amity,” Mr. Moore told a Sun representative. “We cannot get international peace or international trade without international goodwill. “We carry no handbags or samples—rather we bring something in our hearts. We bring ourselves and our friends to learn something of the Orient and aid in a better understanding. We come to the ports of the Pacific with ‘clean hands.’ We bring friendship—we ask nothing in return. We do not come to increase our exports, but rather, by friendly contracts, to increase your exports to our country. Australia, for instance, imports approximately 2,000,000,000 dollars worth of goods from the United States and exports only 45,000,000 dollars worth. This cannot go on indefinitely.” And Mr. Moore, after delivering his message of goodwill, snatched up his grip, eluded a crowd of inquirers, and hurried ofC to catch the train to Rotorua.

Captain C. A. Berndston, commander of the Malolo, left Sweden when he was 14 years of age. He is only a young man, but he has been in command of most of the Matson Company’s liners.

Mr. J. C. Taylor, president of the Pennsylvania National Bank and vicepresident of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, had something to say about prohibition. “The Eighteenth Amendment, which came into effect on January 16, 1920, outlawed the barroom and the corner saloon once and forever. They are as dead as slavery and will remain so.

“It is argued by some that the youth of the upper classes is being demoralised by bootleg liquor. It is illogical to believe that our youth will drink less by making alcoholic liquors easier to get. Perhaps our unprecedented prosperity and the contribution of the automobile and jazz to the social circle has been overlooked.

“America is perhaps too experimental with legislative enactment, and perhaps too tolerant with law enforcement. However, we have had a high average of success after giving our experiments a fair trial. Judging from our President’s present attitude and that of our Congress, prohibition and law enforcement will be no exception.”

Mr. H. C. Strong, of Ketchikan, Alaska, who has retired after controlling big power, light, cold storage and •packing concerns, including the most modern salmon-canning factory in the world, got the impression in Australia that there was very little encouragement for young men to develop from small beginnings. To him the laws and labour conditions seemed to stifle initiative. In America, he said, most of the big men in industry started with nothing.

Mr. J. B. Guard, secretary of a big stevedoring company in Honolulu, said that very little business had been done on the tour because it was primarily a trip to foster international goodwill.

There are representatives of every branch of commerce on the Malolo and many of the women passengers are heads of. big business enterprises.

For instance there is Mrs. Frank Fuller, of San Francisco, who is concerned with a paint and varnish manufacturing establishment; Mrs. A. Krough, proprietor of a city drug store in Salinas, California; Mrs. Charles Mann, of Detroit, who is interested in Kobe College and a medical college; Mrs. Ida McQuesten, who is the official delegate of the Tacoma Chamber of Commerce, and a member of the State Legislature of Washington; Mrs. Merle Moon, of Los Gatos, who is concerned with the making of educational films; Mrs. Louise Patterson, of Seattle, who belongs to a hardware specialties company, and Miss Gwendolyn Strong, a Californian citrus fruit grower.

Many of the women on board are members of the English Speaking Union, and others are interested in various arts and other activities.

Mrs. Virginia Wood took a speciaL flag from New Orleans to the boys in Manila; Miss Millicent Yackney was a former .associate editor of the “Ladies’ Home Journal”: Mrs. Lenore Romaine is a singer who was soloist with Sousa’sf Band; Mrs. Julie Sawdon, New Y ork, belongs to the Lyceum Club in London and Paris; Miss Helen Gibbs is a director of the Girls’ Friendly Lodge, San Francisco; Miss Dorothy Crawford is a composer; Mrs. John Daly was founder of the Young People’s Symphony in San Francisco; Mrs. O. De Bouchel, of New Orleans, is an authoress and Theosophist; Mrs Arthur Benoit is a director of the Y.W.C.A., Malden, Massachusetts.

I have always had a longing to come to New Zealand. Most of us feel the same.” So said Mr. E G Davies, director of the San Diego Chamber of Commerce. “I am a Rotarian and am hoping to meet Rotary members during our stay at Auckland. We are immensely proud of the reception tendered us in Australia and all of us were astounded at the size of that continent.”

On the Malolo are three churchmen each travelling for pleasure, but each helping to promote the religious life of the ship. They are Fathers Ryan and Walsh and the Rev. W. M. Sidener an Anglican clergyman. “I am here in a private capacity,” Mr. Sidener explained, but I have been assisting with the services. The object of this trip is to establish goodwill and I feel that its object is being attained. Our welcome in Australia was truly touching, especially at Melbourne, where people could not do enough for us" We were overcome with emotion at the kindness of the people.”