NOTES FROM LONDON.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 January 1919, Page 5

NOTES FROM LONDON.

Writing from S/ondon -on I4tb OcttUfSif ot si alow Plymouth friend, 'Sir Thootatj Mackenzie, High Commiasiouer, inter alia.:—

On Friday S we*i to the New Forest; with tiie Chief' Government Forester, in. order to see something of the work that' has been carried on under the Crown. I obtained a great deal of valuable ia< formation. Some ox tho flr forests which have been growing for about' twenty years are worth £2OO per acre. I learned much of the nature of pests and dii-. .ses, which attack the trees and ox tii» classes of trees that are adapted to this climate and are the most pro-, litable to grow, which I was pleased to> observe are those which our experienco" has taught us are also the most pro* fi table to New Zealand. |

I seized the opportunity, for meeting' member.'! of the 41st and 42nd Rsinforceinents. What a splendid body orj men they arc! : i never saw finer I] addressed a few words to them, a.nd'l said X wouid ha happy to supplement'] in any way the effort of- their officers,'j all .of whom $ knew, from tho officer in? command to the most recent subalternyj who were solicitors a3 to their welfare;) Classes of instruction for the men' aieS being held. I visited some of them find! found that the men taka interest in'l what is going on The teachers in the] claaeiw I visited have the faculty ofij making their instruction understood by? their pupils. "Whilst I was at CodfordJ I visited the bookkeeping classes ftndfl gave a short account of our methods of| finance and recent loans. I then call-;] ed at a class where r. lesson in English;j wag being given on the blackboard. Theij subject was a soldier's letter asking per-.i mission to get married. After the tcr containing the request had been <or-| reeled, the question was asked:—"Whatl in the name of the intended!" "Annie* Laurie,." was the general response, "ad-J dress. Saacliichall Street, Glasgow." Ia need-hardly udd that Scotland is afavo-1 rite hunting ground for our young fel-1 Iliad a ruu to North Scotland, hopinga to get a fortnight or three weeks' rest.; Unfortunately I had to take a good deal] 1 of work with me, and in the midst of? my holiday serious questions arose in] London necessitating my return.- _ Still,'' it was delightful to be once more in th»Mighhmda and to tread the heather.J (much of which I gathered to send to' friends in New Zealand), and I got a! few days' shooting and some fishing, ij could not help feeling concerned at the' apparent steady depopulation in the north. Speaking to one of the gamekeepers I remarked that tile country! we were walking over ought to carry sj number of small farms. Be told me that,' it had done so in times past, and wo could see traces of fences and buildicgsJ He said the difficulty would be to getj tlie men who had been driven off to return, as they had learned something of opportunities abroad and of the comfort.9 of town life. .One hears much talk of land not carrying any crops, hut .1 noticed that on large properties perhaps twenty to forty "acres were educated at different places, and I never stw iinev crops anywhort. A large American Y.M.C.A. has beep built opposite the N ?- Office in London, ft is always thronged with soldiers (writes Sir Thomas Mackenzie). Tho American is quite a feature in this country now. There was .an impression abroad that the American was rather inclined io ■•o'.ow," but the idea has been entirely refuted. A more courteous and unassuming body of men it has never been my privilege to meet. Some of them cio r.oo quite understand the English people yet, hut they are getting ' along splendidly. I met one the other d&y, and pointing to "U.S." op his arm, I said: "These are fine letters. 1 ' He replied, "Do you know what they stand' for? They stand for unconditional surrender." .The streets are getting terriblv crowded. One night recently as I was entering my office, a little street; waif of about seven or eight happened to hump against a huge, burly, bullyinglooking fellow, who said to the waif: "If you hump against mo again: I'll knock your head off." Tho street lurab, looking up at him, said quite composed-; ly "Who would you got to help yon?" I can now see the approach of what' Lord Kitchener declared at the beginning! of the war, was his object, before he ( would be done with the Germans II happened to remark that we were all| looking to him to guide ua to a successful issue He thereupon rose, and, raisin:! himself to his full height, doubled' his list. :,nd said:— I "Whether the war' will Inst for six months or threo years. I will not leave these Germans till I have beaten them down on their bendedi knees."