A WORLD-TRAVELLED VISITOR.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8060, 12 March 1906, Page 3

A WORLD-TRAVELLED VISITOR.

A CHAT WITH UK. BIUIGESS. "A newspaper iisiui ! J No, thanks, I am not looking for publicity, and I don I waul to appear in print." '' You don't think you would like to tell us anything of your travels, thou r" postered tile reporter. Mo, thank you. 1 have been interviewed twice in (his colony, and each time it was because the Mayor brought the newspaper man. At Wellington and Paluierstoii it happened, and now your Mayor of New Plymouth has " Let you in for another little interview, I ttiink," V e supplied the eonelusion of the sentence. After a few moments' conversation on swimming—the doctor was " held " at the Municipal Baths—the " News " man was gratified to learn that the visitor would unbend and talk. Half an hour later, Dr. Burgess, M.D., F.K.G.S., Ph.S., was seated in his private parlor, chatting with us over his impressions of the colonies, " Starting at tho beginning, I was born at Berne, in Switzerland, was educated and studied medicine at Hcidleberg, and went to Edinburgh for luy surgery course." Continuing, he said lie had been for some years attached to the Swiss Embassy as Medical Attache, and subsequently practised in the East for twenty-two years, principally iu Burniah and Persia. His contact with the Buddhists had made him bv natural inclination a Buddhist " for they arc far above us," he said. > " By the way, what was it that started you on your travels ?" "Simply that I had been long confined. I wanted to see the world—to see the world as it is—and this can't be done through the windows of a lirst-class railway carriage: so I am walking. There are, of course, somo wagers. I back mysolf for from 62000 to £BOOO to cover 25000 miles, tho circumference of tho globe, on foot, Then we looked through his postmark book, in which the record of travols was shown by the postage stamps of the various countries, dated at the post offices of the towns visited, and certified by the postmaster. " My journey commenced at Teheran, whence I walked across Persia, Cashmere, Beloochistan, and right through the Indian Empire, Straits Settlements, Australia, and New Zealand." " How docs New Zealand compare with Australia !*"

"Wwll, Australia is a country, n continent; New Zealand is a satellite, an insular, isolated colony, and Australia is infinitely more important. But you arc superior, physically and natur-ally—-superior in every way. I don't say this for flattery, for I don't care a fig for any personal opinion of myself. ... Take the average half-dozen Australian men, and sit down with them. Thoy arc ready to talk horseracing, barmaids, light and dubious literature, but not on any of the higher branches. In New Zealand I have spent many enjoyable hours in discussing with your people subjects in the higher sphere," Dr. Burgess smilingly remarked thai New Zcalamlcrs suffered severely from " swelled head." At the same time, he thought we were right in stating that Now Zealand was not appreciated as it ought to be, especially from a tourist's point of view. But ho was plcasod to sec there was a good deal of commonsense about tho Government Departments. " Your Tourist Department is the best and the most up-to-date in the world"—he grow enthusiastic, "it shows points to all of them, including Switzerland," and he considered that the work of the Department was a necessity, for people must be made alive to the fact that this was a great tourists'

"Somic parts of your colony Nrc.'iii to have no other asset but tile tourist traffic," lie remarked. ".Veiv Plymouth. l "Well, I have been much struck with it. One of the first tilings that occurs to my mind is that you have very good hotels hero, excellent. This \Yhiie Ifart Hotel—it is oue of the best I have struck in all Australasia, and I may tell you that, as a traveller of some experience. I am only too anxious to acknowledge a godsend of this kind. I have sltyed in some awful holes in this 'God's own country' of yours —I like rubbing in that term. I notice very greatly the up-to-datedness cf the provincial towns in this colony Their clean streets, water supplies, ulecific Sighting, and other improvements made them incomparable with any I have visited." " You don't happen to know what rates the people pay for these things ?" suggested the reporter. " It doesn't mailer what you pay for health and cleanliness," he exclaimed, "it always pays in the long run." New Plymouth appeared to him to be especially favored with good things, ll must have up-to-date men at the head of affairs.

Reverting to tourist matters again. Dr. Burgess said that if only the general public could realise what good catering meant to the tourist irafbV, and the amount of good that would accrue to the colony from the establish-, mcut of more first-class hotels such as he bad stayed at in Wangauui. -\rw Plymouth,' and 'Wellington, they " would drop (be prohibition bi/sii|css. These houses are simply irreproachable, and not drinking dens." " 13y the way," queried the re]iorter, getting in edgeways, " did you ever stay in, or pass through, a prohibition district Y' " Yes, and got plenty of whisky there. The houses were dirty, too. In the Old Country, we can't understand how on earth any country can be worked into the belief shared by some of you New Zcalauders that you can compel people to be sobir by Act of Parliament."

Concluding, Dr. Burgess said he had been in the colony for over two months, and was much impressed with our climatic advantages, and scenic attractions. The young .New Zealanders, lie considered, were a splendidly built race of people, second to none in physique. He had had many opportunities of viewing our social life and public life, and had found much to be pleasing, whilst, of course, there were things that he could criticise. He had met the Maori, and thought the Government had misunderstood their requirements. Such a race of people, so highly developed, and of such physique, should get more consideration, and he hoped that something would be done to ameliorate their condition.