SIDELIGHTS ON THE COLONIES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 173, 21 January 1914, Page 6

SIDELIGHTS ON THE COLONIES.

KNOLI.-ll SCIENTISTS' VIEWS. ; INTERVIEWED AT .NEW PI.Y- 3 MOUTH. S New I'lymou! ii has recently been entertaining, for the most pan unawar—. an Kngli.ih scientist of ipl a liltli- note, and a man who lias travelled ino.-l ol the countries of the world and formed some decided opnious concerning t belli. Headers of Captain Scott's "Yo'vagc oi the Diicoverv" will have seen il'icre appreciative reference to Dr. 11. 11. Mill, who accompanied the expedition as tar as Madeira foi the purpose, of organ sing part of tin; scientific research ,n which he is an expert. Dr. Miil lias written several books on geography, and is a director of the Jir.tish Rainfall Organisation, a body with over 51101) members, all of whom are engaged in col-I h-ctiug rainfall statistics, which are at the d.sposal of anyone wdio needs them. There, is no Oovornmein, nieleorologiit in England. Dr. Milt was interviewed in N'ew Plymouth, where he spent a few days' hob- ' day, by a N'ows representative. IMPRESSION i 01-' .NEW ZEALAND, j "I am looking forward to touring both Islands." said Dr. Mill in answer to a question regarding bis impressions ol New Zealand. "t am taking a holiday 1 on account of eye trouble. Of course, j having been in New Zealand only about ten days I can't say much about it, but ; so far I. have been most favorably | struck." One great mistake wh cii ' Englishmen wUo visited New Zealand j always made, continued Dr. Mid, ua, to compare il with England. He prefined lo compare •New Zealand with ' ■Canada, South Africa, or the Argentina i licpiihl.e, and of these four he much i preferred New Zealand. | "I was amazed," he continued, "at the little difference between England | and New Zealand. It is the most home- | like of all the I'.ritish colonies. 11l Can- , ada there is a strange coinage, a strange accent, the people are a mixture o.' French and American, and the whole inlorcsts of the country seem to be dominated by America. ' The people are very loyal lo England, but Canada is not home-like.." Dr. Mill remarked that be had been surprised by the pleasant voices and the .pure English of the N'ew Zealand-born children. lie had as Jet heard nothing of the ".New Zealand twang," but ol course he had not been far awa;, from the towns. Tin: New Zealand railways, he remark - | ed, were ccrta'nly rather slow, but so ' were the English railways seventy years ] after they were introduced there.' lie - had travelled from Wellington to New millionth on the train and had suffered less fatigue from vibration than on any ' other journey of equal length, although, of course, he had travelled much fa-ter. They were better in this respect than the South African and Canadian Pacific railways when he was there 17 years ago. The steamer* from Wellington to Lyttelton were magnificent, quite equal lo the Continental ferry steamers, and decidedly more seaworthy. lie had met Mr. lliley, the new General Manager for New Zealand Railways, while in England. Air. lliley had been connected with the tlreat.Northern line, wjtiuh was a pioneer of all railroad improvements, and should do much for N'ew Zealand railways. . ".New Zealand," Dr. Jlill continued, "is ja wonderful country. At Home we I look upon it as the pioneer in all legislative experiments. All that the Radicals of Knglaud have been calling' for f for years you have in N'ew Zealand." The N'ew /(calami press, he went on to say, had made a great impression on him. lie was surprised lo lind sum an admirable amount of space devoted to matters of national importance. Ikhad not,expected to see so much fojeign news. He was amazed at the number of newspapers published in. New Zealand and at the excellent manner in which they were edited and printed. There was one thing in which he was a little disappointed. While acknowledging at once that he was not a sportsman, be could not help a feeling of regret at seeing a young country devoting so much attention to sport and athletics. "Not," be said, ■'that it is ] more apparent than in England, but the i ' people of Xew Zealand have been in a j sense decanted away from the dregs, which we have in parts of the Old Country. This is a young, clean country, I and there is a. great danger that material well-being may load you to neglect matters of intellectual activity. This is just the sort of country which should develop a new art, a new' literature, entirely its own. I know that von have some line writers, but I should like to •see the development of a N'ew Zealand literature, distinctive and pre-eminent." "We expect more from such a wonderful country as this than from England," he added, half-apologotieallv. as if he did not wish to be deemed too censorious. "The breaking of that strike was wonderful,'' exclaimed Dr. .Mill, when the .conversation turned to labor matters. In England people were told that the workingiuan represented the down-trod-den man struggling for his rights and the, employer represented a grinding aristocracy. .New Zealand bad shown clearly that a strike was primailv a war between the wages man and the producer, which must re-act on the country, and it was the producers who had stopped the slriko—not the Government, nor the employers, but the men whom the strike really affected. In this respect the breaking of the N'ew Zealand strike was a splendid and unique example. In England all the strikes but the railway strike of two vears ago had had the sympathy of ih'r public, who were always ready to listen to a genuine grievance. There was a certain amount of justification for some of UnEnglish strikes. P r |,. 1(1 ),,,,,„ „„. nig up. and the adjustment, of wanes had not been properly completed. '[ n .some cases -hikes had actually taken place, as in the Welsh miners' strike, in definite,- of the mandates of the union oliicials. "-Now," concluded Dr. Mill, "pleas,don't let any of my remarks about N'ew | Zealand seem to appear dogmatic. I have .inly been here a shmrt time, and speak somewhat, diffidently. lam no l-'osler Eraser!"