WAKING UP LONDON.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3373, 30 December 1919, Page 2

WAKING UP LONDON.

AN AMERICAN’S IMI>IéEsSIoNs. “Eight. millions,of humans,” --said a. 'brol:hol' New Yorker to me here :1 few ‘weeks ago,’ ““'llerc are they? This old L(mdon is 21 xnzzjostic but a d€';ld-looking town.”

Yesterday I ran across the same man at “The Times” Book Store in Oxford (Street.

“Eight mil]ion's‘?” he said. “It. is more like eiglmeen. Where have .311 the people come from‘? Lpolk at the automobiles rushing‘ and roaring as in Michcgan A\'cnl'lc, Chicago, or like the down-~town rush’ -ouf.sido the Plaza, New York City; sideuwalks alive with folks’,_all(l. such good.-Booking ‘girls, tgo; weather perfect~—just like our I'11(1i:1n Sllnlmel' all home——-and the wllole city hustling and alive. Lon don’s a wonderful place.”

Londoners, indeed. have not until now. realised how many people have travelled in the wonderful series of subways extending under their streets to the extent of about 90 miles. The strike has shown Lonclcrn ‘to be ‘the most populous white. man’s.»city in the World. The eight millions of peo~ ple. are visible at last.

As for the strike no visitor sud«lenly dropped here would guess such 3 thing was taking place. It merely looks as though the whole -of your vast metropolis had become Americanised. There even seems now to be that same “life” in the «air that ‘one gets on the other side,‘ and there? is in the bearing of the thousands of pedestrians‘ that pour down the "main streets, that {alertness which in the past has ‘been considered by some, a characteristic peculiar to the American people. There is none of the «alleged British smnno-leuce here. Every man and every woman steps out as with definite purpose. T? is a great city. ‘lf it kept like this—so long as it did not go “dry”-1 sho’ul<ln’t mind prolonging my visit! ‘As for Americans ability quickly to tackle la. big situation——well, I guess we couldn’t teach you much in smart adaptation to the problem which faced you a few days ago. I never thought it possible that this old city could shake off its apparently leisurely ways and show how speedily It could set L 1 hustle ton and help to put it over those‘ who thought they could create chaos, I hardly think that even in New York City we could so quickly adapt ourselves to such a situation. ‘

It is wonderful how the people here in all grades of society—business men, fessional men—ha.ve suddenly shown what has been called “the American spirit” and are doing their bit with all the push and go imiaginzrble ‘in 01-c'!.er to meet the situation.

London is .a. great city these days and its people are gl-eatel'.——“Daily Mail,” '