A TRIP HOME.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIV, Issue 10, 13 January 1902, Page 2

A TRIP HOME.

Notes by Me. W. Ambury. (Continued.) Factory workers.—Having handed my family over co the care of our many friends in Bristol and Gloncester, I made for business. In making very

extensive purchases for my own firm I j visited London six times, Manchester J twice, also Luton, Leices'er, Bradford, Halifax, Glasgow, and Beljfast, coming into direct contact with the manufacturers. I did very satisfactory business, and had an opportunity of seeing the condition of the .workers in these large centres. I found that better wages and shorter hours had done much for the betterment of the masses as compared with 20 years ago, but the great canker that seems to be gnawing at the very heart of the nations and affects all classes of Society is the drink, the traffic in which is appalling. Horticultural and Agricultural.—l , attended the Temple Gardens Flower Show in London, and having an introduction from our own Society I was introduced to the secretary and mem-

oers ot CEe commnnee woo were iuubu kind and showed me through the various sections. I visited the Royal Agricultural Show at Cardiff, the Bath and West of England at Croydon, the Wiltshire at Chippenham, and the Yorkshireat Bradford ■ These were all very successful shows, representing the very best stock in England, and the most up-to-date appliances from all parts of the world. Frozen meat, —I went several times to Smithfield market, saw and handled a great quantity of New Zealand meat in splendid condition and spoken very highly of by < the merchants, and is far, superior to any other imported meat. I also partook of New Zealand mutton and lamb in some of the largest warehouses in London, where from 800 to 2000 men dined every day, and the principals assured me that they ate a great quantity of our meat, though they must not let their employees know it to be froz<m meat (only best English), I a'«o had New Zeahnd mutton or lamb in Weston Super Mare, Bristol, Cardiff, Gloucester, Cheltenham, Derby, Leicester, Liverpool, Newcastle, and Glasgow. The butchers speik very highly of the quality and say it has an increasing demand. Butter, etc.—ln company with Mr Cohen (the well-known representative of Messrs Lovell and Christmas) I saw butter opened up from one of our Taranaki factories, which turned out very well, though the end of the season; also French, Danish, Irish, Canadian, and some from the Argentine, all competing with our product. I was also introduced to one of the largest importers of frozen poultry, and saw large quantities of fowls, ducks and turkeys and guinei fowls just received from France, Russia and the S'ates, and got some information re killing, packing and shipping that may he of use to breeders in our district, I also called upon a number of leading merchants who deal largely, in our produce, Messrs Lovell and ChriV.mas; Nwdin and Peacock, Bart ram and Sons, and Weddell and Company, London, Messrs Fowler Bros., of Manchester and Liverpool, Messrs Pearson and Rutter, of Manchester. Most of these firms are I represented in this district. I was most kindly received and entertained by these various firms, and discussed the vexed question of fishiness in the butter, salting, best method of packing, i etc, and I find everywhere a great improvement in quality, flavour, and finish, and a general growing in favour among merchants and consumers of the New Zealand artiole. Branding. —I think every pack' age should be branded with a dissinguishing New Zealand brand, the same applying to meat, as I am under the impression that much of out choice produce is not sold as representing our country. I consider each circase should be branded in at least eight different places with a distinctive New Zealand braad that cannot be mistaken f for any other, for t am confident our

I quality will stand any/air 'oompeti[tion. [ Getting about in England and Wales I found the props very light in most places, except fruit, which was very plentiful; but my impression is that the average farmer doss not produce nearly as much on his land as he might do by utilising the up-to-date jmohi-; nery for agricultural purposes, and growing more small goods for the large centres of population, having such cheap and constant communication by rail. In Scotland and Ireland; the crops were looking very tjce, and with, good weather a very successful harvest certain. When passing through Ayrshire I saw a number of iioe herds of that favourite breed of cattle, but I am quite of opinion that we cin breed them equal in every respect in this colony. In Devonshire I saw m*ny hundreds of the celebrated red Devons ius.t. re, leased from the winter yards to the spring grass, soma of the dairying herds being fine specimens of the breed. In Gloucestershire (the home of the Shorthorn) and in all the western and midland counties the Shorthorn is, the* great favourite for beef an,d, dairying. The championships }n the great shows were mo.st carried off by the Shorthorns, where the King, the Prince of Wales, and Lord Rothschild were all sorapeting with tbeir rflagntfywnt roans. The greatest curiosity in cattle it the shows were the black Highland :attle, full grown cows (in milk) standing 2ft. lOin. high, psrfect models of ;heir breed. A strong feature of the big shows was the butter-making competition and in exhibition of butter-miking by Go- , rernment experts, which I should like o see introduced in our own show. Mso poultry killing, plucking, and < irus«ing by experts. j The GlaSffOW Exhibition nrna n m .™_ .

nificent display of mechanical and electrical engineering, also nu,mberle§s exhibits of produce' and. manufactures frqm many countries, and most of th« colonies except our own were represented. I think we have missed a splendid advertisement for the colonj through not having a good d'splay oi our products on view. In my tra veils I visited qome of th< public schools, I find, though the sylabus slightly differs from ours, methods ol teaching are much the same, but verj much more attention is giving t( physical drill and the teaching of. sjn.g ing, which is very m,u,ch. oeglfoted ii many of p,u,r spboola. These su bj ecti>, J think, should receive much more at tention, as the expansion of the lungs and the development of the physica structure is of vital importance, The technical Hohoojs }n many centra are y.ery extensive, and. the youth o th.e land hive sp'endid opportunitiei for learning tbe various arts and trade; by day, cr in evening classes. We ought to be (up and doing) muol in the same Hoes in our own town ant district, as we are far behind uao<

foreign countries in this respect, where the child's education is nob considered by any means complete until he has mastered some trade or profession. Swimming is also taught in connection with many of the schools, both boys and girls are taught by professionals at a small fee. I think it is ' highly important that the youog should i be taught early to swim, and I sie no reason why some such method ould not be adopted out here. The exercises and object leesons taught in the Kindergarden Schools are also very pleasing and instructive* ' to the little folks.

I also visited those wonderful institutions, George Muller's orphanage, and Dr Barnardos Homes, There I was very much impressed with the splendid methods adopted for the housing, feeding, educating, and training of the thousands of children that are given a start in life by the generosity, of people in all lands, and the subsidies by the State. Many of the cocoanut mats used in this coontry everyday at our door steps and the brush used by almost every horse owner to brush his horg», are made by the boys at Dr. Barnardo's Homes. Every destitute boy entering the Homes is cared for and taught a trade, and every girl gets a fail education and becomfs thoroughly domesticated before leaving the institution. 1 would suggest to the thoughtful people of this country that the many spare shillings and half crowns invested lat the total isator, would bring fa- better returns to the investors if nhi.l along to these institutions to help to lift the waifs and strays out of their pitiable condition, into these Homes of comfort and usefulness.

I visited the great shipbuilding yards in Belfast where the largest ships afloat are built, also several of the large spinning mills and bleaching greens in that part of Ireland where the bast, linens are manufactured, and I could Dot help being impressed with the > thought that if there were more good ships built and more good linen manufactured, and very much less whiskey distilled, the world generally and Ireland in particular would be bettor ofi / I found in most places that the gross ignorance which a few years ago existed regarding the geographic J position, and the possibilities of our fair land is fast disappearing, and the people art hearing and reading of our colony, and a very strong desire among thousands of people to see aod live in Now Zealand is springing up, and no doubt cheaper and quicker communication will bring large numbers to our shores; this, is what we want. What seems to puzzle most people is the fact of such a small population producing and exporting such great quantities of useful comodities that the world needs. I am fully convinced that partly as the result of the attitude our colony has taken in connection with the war, partly on account of the people at Home getting to know more of us and cur wares, and that old prejudice against anything colonial " getting rubbed off, there is a good future for our produce in England; but i« be-1 hovis us as colonists to sea to it that we produce the very best Article, turned out and put on the £jugliah market in the very neatest and best style, quality, and condition possible, so that we can continue more successfully than aver to compete with other countries :in helping to feed and clothe th« masses of EogUnd. This can be done by every man attending ctrefully to the email details of every day,