SOME CONTRASTS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 192, 22 January 1915, Page 3

SOME CONTRASTS.

IMPRESSIONS OF A COLONIAL. "In many respects New Zealanders are much better o:T than they imagine," said Councillor Jainc3 Clarke, who returned last week from a trip to England. He explained. He went to the music halls in London and expected to hear and see something extra special. But for one item, starred for all it was worth, the programme was very disappointing. And the charges! Nothing under a shilling and the seats at this price were not always very desirable. The theatres were built, too without any regard for the safety of the public. He saw hardly one theatre Which would have met the requirements of any New Zealand fire board or fire brigade superintendent. As for the picture theatres, they were not half as up-to-date as they were in New Zealand. People might not believe tliis, added Mr. Clarke, but it was perfectly true, as was the statement that he saw no picture programme half as good as \vas shown every night in New Plymouth and other centres in New Zealand. 'The prices here were also cheaper than in London. You could not get a decent seat under a shilling, the six-penny seats being such that no colonial would sit in twice. The programmes in New Zealand were much more diversified and interesting. Boarding in London was expensive. Four to five shillings for a room per night had to be paid even at a moderate class hotel, and meals had to be paid for in addition. These would average nothing less than two shillings, and the food was nothing to write home about. In" the matter of cheapness and quality ■of food, New Zealand was hard to beat. One, had to go away to recognise this. Then as to railway fares, these were fairly stiff, except excursion fares which were very reasonable. A person only got wise to these by looking about. Then as to the newspapers, we in New Zealand had nothing with which to reproach ourselves. He honestly saw nothing whilst away in England or America to equal our illustrated weeklies, whilst our leading dailies bore very favorable comparison with even the big London dailies. They were not as bulky, not filled with pages of advertisements like them, but for general "newsiness" the New Zealand papers appealed to him more. The cable service of our press was excellent, especially that relating to the doings of the war. "Do you know." said Mr Clarke, "that you acI tually in the Daily News give as much I war news as appears in any of the Loni don morning papers? Yo udon't? Well, you should' take up your English contemporaries and see for yourself." Mr. Clarke was in England at the time war was declared and has nothing but praise for the calm and resolute manner in which the English faced the crisis. They did not go into hysterics ; about it, but simply accepted the inevitable with the determination to see it ' through to the end. Our men in France and Belgium had done wonders. This he had gathered not so much-from the wounded Tommies as from the French ( and Belgium refugees and wounded sol- j Idiers he had personally seen and eon- ] versed with. The British force, however, ( was all too small for the big job they j had in hand, and there was no denying the fact that had Britain a million I men where she only had 200,000 there. would have been a vastly different story I to tell to-day both in France and Belgium. The British as fighters were just as brave and successful to-dav as at nny liuie in the history of the nation, and they could be depended upon to hold twice their number in check, but, wlmi it came to ten to one, as had been the case, ill the fighting, it was putting them to too great a strain and too great a risk of annihilation. At first, like a good many more, Mr. Clarke would not believe the stories re- . lated regarding the savagery of the German soldiers. He refused to believe it of any civilised beings. But he had had to alter his opinion. "You can believe the very worst you have ever heard regarding' the atrocities committed by these twentieth century Red Indians," said Mr. Clarke, "and you won't be doing the Germans an injustice." He had spoken to Belgians, to Frenchmen, and to British wounded soldiers. Thev all told the same tale. Besides which they had ample evidence afforded by the mutilations of the victims now in England. Tt was something frightful. Many of the fiendish acts could and never will be described in print. They were too horrible. The Belgians simply worship the British. About that there was no doubt, said Mr. Clarke. They trust the British absolutely, and there was 110 doubt, the people of the Old Land were rising magnificently to the occasion and doing their duty by the afflicted refugees! All were making sacrifices, from the poorest to the richest, and all were gladly doing it. ITe felt proud of beincr a Britisher. Foreigners he had come across at various stages of his wanderings had a deep respect for the British and trusted them implicitly. This was espeeiallv true of the black races who had been taught to believe that the word of a Britisher was his bond. A knowledge of this fact made the colonial "buck up" and endeavor to sustain this reputation. Mr Clarke did not like America. You could stop in London for months and want to stop years, so interesting is it, but New York —well, a few days tire vou of it and you soon want to leave Thev have a lot to show one in America all the same. The business people were pushful and smart, but for thoroughness and all round ability commend liiir to the British every time. In the rac< for commercial and industrial snprem , acy, he did not fear that the Yank: | would ever oust the British