ROUND THE WORLD.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 22 March 1913, Page 4

ROUND THE WORLD.

What an interesting narrative, Mr George Luing, formerly of Mangarei, near Uideford, gave of the trip round the world just performed by himself and his brother Harry. Less thflli a year has passed since the members of theWairarnpa Caledonian Society gave them a send off and on Thursday night some fifty of the same members assembled in the Club Hotel, Masterton. gave them a hearty welcome back.—"After leaving New Zealand," he said, "we visited some of the South Sea Islands, and witnessed the various fruits growing vigorously—bananas, palms, cocoa nuts, bread fruit, and other typical delicacies. The natives were kind and hospitable, and some oi them were even musical. They tried to entertain us with Scotch tunes on their instruments and we gave them a fling or two. At Tahiti we had plenty of fun. Our sea travelling was grand foY the ocean was mostly like a mill pond-. Making our way to San Francisco, we visited the Rocky Mountains, and crossed through California. I did not think much of a lot of the laud; the crops were poor, in many places about 18 inches, high. We pressed along gigantic cliffs into which the railway track was cut. In many places the rocks were perpendicular and once a thousand feet in he-'ght. Then we passed through white Alkali fields, a weird looking region covered with the same white substanc' as far as the eye could reach. I was told there were thousands of miles of this material. On we went to Salt Lake, but I dxl not care much for the iconlntry there. There was nothing but salt springs, and salt deposits, in fact salt in some shape of another everywhere. Then we passed through Nebraska, and Denver whore we saw good fields of lucerne, ft is most prolific, the farmers secure their crops in the year, yielding three tons to the acre and worth i.3 per ton. The grandeur and magnificence of Niagara I will not try to describe, nor will T refer to the palatial buildings in New York. From New York we sailed to England in the steamer available — the Olympic. We wanted to do e\crything b : g, and the passage was £3 extra, which went against the grain I can tell you. When we reached our native land T packed a. little box with Scotch heather, and despatched it to yonr President, Mr James Pauling, but Mrs Pauling tells me that it only reached them when ho was too near the point of death

to become conKrfertis of the present. On olir return taip we passed through Switzerland and Italy. The great feature of Italy iaits irrigation works. Tho riverif are tapped high lip on the mountain aides near their source, Then we went to Rome .and through Naples, where we saw* wonderfully rich country and huge vineyards, but the towns' wore fairly infested with professional beggars. As we wont through the Rod Sea the place was indicated where Moses led tho Isrealites across. We called at Colomba and then on to Australia. Adelaide seemed a dry place, not, however, m the same way as Master-ton. Melbourne is one of the best laid out cities in the world and Sydney is n well built, clean and attractive centre but its streets are not uniform- m width and neatly aJki evenly planned like the Victorian Metropolis. My journey" ho added, "was not made in vain, for I here made tho acquaintance of a voun K lady who I hope will be a life partner"—(Laughted and applause followed tho concluding revelation.