THE KIA-ORA CALL.

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 9, 14 May 1920, Page 3

THE KIA-ORA CALL.

CHARM OF ENGLISH GIRLS FOR COLONIALS. TORQUAY THE NEW ZEALANDERS IIONEYMOON CENTRE. Come, pretty maid, with me to Timbuctoo, Oh! come where skies are always azure blue And in that sunny landWe'll wander hand in hand — • Come, pretty maid with me to Timbuctoo. It is quite possible that the above lines aro as old as the hills. It is equally possible that I haven't got them quite right. I did mahe a grab for my note book and pencil to get them properly, but wa£ so absorbed with what going on around me that I failed in the attempt and have to rely on my memory. Timbuctoo, they used to teach us at school, was a little mining village in California. That may be but there must certainly be another place of the same name in New Zealand. That song must be a New Zealand love song. I refuse to believe otherwise. It all came about in a singular way. I had been sent down to Torquay to find out why it is that the New Zealanders are taking home with them wives from this country in such large numbers. The New Zealand force was the second smallest Colonial contigent, which was not surprising, seeing that we have several cities in this country with larger populations tlian the whole of that colony can scrape togetker. The size of theiu fighting force comparatively, was big, though they did not exceed one division — but a division second to none. Notwithstanding the fact that the New Zealanders were only one division strong, more of them have been married in England than any of the other overseas troops. They are taking back wives by the ship load. At this moment there are said to be no less than fifteen hundred New Zealand honeymoon couples waiting at Torquay for their Blighty boat, and scattered over England a matter of seven thousand of them are said to be impatiently looking forward to the day when they can take home their brides to introduce to parents the latter have never seen, AUDIENCE OF HONEYMOONERS. All this is very interesting, and it was with the idea of finding out what was the special interest of the New Zealanders in the British girl, or vice versa, that I journeyed to Torquay. Arriving in the evening, I strolled into the pavilion, where, curiously enough the New Zealand hand was performing. Tlre main part of the audience consisteR of the honeymoon couples, and whau the Kiwi Quartette sang the little number I have quoted I thonght the secret was out. The vocalists lauglied heartily as they sang, everybody smiled in different ways. The happy hiidegrooms had a guilty expression. They consulted their programmes or reached over the seats for their hate. The newly-wed wives blushed slightly, and garve "the impression that they had somewhere heard the burden of the story before. And I began to wonder whether

I had not already found the solution to the mysteiy. Had those quiet looking colcnials with hats pinched up at the crowns and a streak of red or blue around it, been "telling the tale?" From long cxperience I know they can do it. Then on second thoughts, it seemed that after all I had only got an idea of the possible tactics of the -offensive, and that the real reason which caused the outbreak of hostilities was as far off as ever. Accordingly I buttonholed quite a number of the interested parties and heard their op~ inions of the situation. In passing it might be interesting to note that in the majority of cas.es the type of young woman who has married the New Zealanders struck me. They are b right, pleasant, healthy, sensible looking girls. There are very few of the "fluffy" or sup-er-fascinating sort. The men, too, are obviously steady, agreeable, and intelligent fellows, and there seems no reason to believe other than that most of the matches will prove very happy ones. One of the rnen — who confessed that he was not married — seemed rather brutal about the New Zealand girls, and I am surr they would have a word to say to tho contrary. When I asked him whether there was a big majority of young men in the Antipodes, he replied in the negative. There were plenty of girls in New Zealand, he said, but he did not wonder that tho fellows would not marry them. They were too stuck-up, they wanted, when married, a life of ease and pleasure, with no work, plenty of amusement, and no end of fine clothes. "I wouldn't marry one of them," he said, and added, "and the blokes are sensible to get 'hitched up' before they go back." DIFFERENT VIEW OF HOME. "Sour grapes," remarked his companion drawing me gently on one side. Then he told me his view on the matter. He explained that in this country the girls are entirely different from those at home. Here, he said, girls are brought up in a different way. They are taught at home that the home is their proper sphere, and that although a lot of them are getting their livings in shops and offices and factories, their great mission in life is to keep a home of their own, and to regard that and mofcherhood as the greatost thing in life. "Down there," he explained, "things are not the same. The girls do not take tho same interest in kffcme life. They are not as sociable as the British girls. Here the young women were always "chummy" with male aoquaintances, and eventually that often ripened into something closer than mere platonic friendship. Provided a man is respectable the British girlg don't expect to rule his every movement. I like your British girls. But then, perhaps I am prejudiced, for," he concluded, with a broad grin, "you see, I married one of them." A number of other New Zealanders exprcssed similar opinions. Then I asked one of the wives the other side of tbe question. She summed it all up in a few words. The girls were not carried away with the pretty uniform, or tales of possible wealth or a desire to travel and conquer fresh worlds ; she did not marry her husband because he was a New Zealander, but simply because he was "her Bill." As "Bill" took her arm and escorted her down the broad staircase he obviously winked at me, and very softly he started to whistio : "When love crceps in your heart." I thought I was beginning, to nnderstand. And New Zealand? New Zealand is waiting to say "Kai -ora" — welcome — to them all.