The sun., 1910-02-17
AS SEEN IN AUSTRALIAN EYES
IMPRESSIONS or NEW YORk
NJ ". ". mock or MELBOU RNE.


some idea as to how New York looks
from an antipodean standpoint was
gathered yesterday from W. W. Rock.
an Australian who is here for the first
time and has been looking US over. Mr.
Rock lives in Melbourne and came here
rom his first visit to London. He was
an editor OF the HdRsdTd. a journal OF the
Australian Parliament which corre-
spends to our Congressional Record.
though Il is not franked about the Com
nonwealth to the same extent az the
repository OF the eloquenCe of our states
men crculates in this country.
The main difference between London
and New York is that the former gets hold
OF your very heartstrings on account of
It's history and associations. You feel
familiar with the place when you get there
for the first time. But New York makes
YOU open your eyes and at the same time
il gets hold OF your purse strings" said
MIR. Rock when seen at the Hotel Belmont.
1T is a city Of up to date wonders
Il have never seen hotels that were
brought to such a perfection of system as
the great hotels here. And the comforts
and conveniences that exist simply cause
a man from the other end OF the world
At the high cost Of living here in COM
parison with the prices in Australia.
You pay 81. so here for a modest luncheon.
In Australia you can get the same meal.
only more OF it. for three shillings. or
IS cents. 1t may not be served in such a
splendid building but it is quite as well
cooked.
Il have never seen such handling OF
passenger traffic as is done by your under
ground railways. stood the other night
on the platform at Fourteenth street and
II was amazing % see with what rapidity
four trains were foaded and reloaded and
then sent whirling at lightning speed
uptown and down. The London subway
system Is very slow in comparison. They
have no express trains there and there Ia
not the same movement.
But | don't think your street traffic
Is rs yet handled by any means as well
A that OF London. Your policemen seem
10 have dificulty in having their com
msnds enforced, They have to whistle and
wave their hands and frequently yell ct
drivers to come on or hurry up. The
London bobby merely holds up his he nd
and everything comes TO standstill.
and when he waves it everything moves.
Then IL seems to me they keep the streets
Il great deal better in London than here.
This morning l was going downtown
L
veritsble little rivers. In London they
, would never let water and mud stay in
the streets as long as that mud has been
here.
type of city from London that it is difficult
70 make comparisons. / got my best
and most impressive view OF the city
when coming over after dusk one evening
from the Statue OF Liberty. Then there
were lights in the tall buildings and
m ha 0f n W
built on hill. The highest building we
have in Melbourne is fourteen stories.
We dent have to go in much for tall
buildings in Melbourne. We have more
room in our Australian cities than you
have here. Consequently we haven't
the hathouse to any extent. Out there
when a man gets able to have house of
his own or is able to rent one even, he
wants IL to occupy "A lot of ground and
all on one floor and a garden around il.
Consequently in the suburbs you will
see miles of streets lined with one story
houses and gardens. Sydney, with its
100000 inhs sbitants, will cover as much
room as an American city OF twice its
Il have found that New Workers are
brusque and curt in manner and inclined
TO be a little uncivil Nobody seems to
have any time for you and a stranger will
save himself much discomfort il he tries
10 find his own way about without in
quiring. 1t is not wise for him to ask
many questions. This struck me all the
more because l had just come from
London. where people will 90 out OF their
way TO put you on your road. This rude
meas that meets the stranger in New York
in my opinion is not Intentional, but Ii
comes from everybody here being busy
and feeling that nobody else has a right
10 he otherwise.
Il have not met anybody yet who has
tried to work a confidence game on me.
We have that institution in Australia.
- + Al 4. \ =.
the Australian seaports than anywhere
else in the world. They told me before
left Australia that Melbourne was like
a typical American city" Mr.. Rock added
with a smile. we have splendid shops.
A customer is likely to get much more
attention in our shops. however. than in
those in New York. l have been in two
stores to purchase articles. and in each
case the salesman said that he did not
have such a thing and walked away
from me. Now in Melbourne the sales
man would have offered to show me
something else or to order for me what
wished.
People blame the Austria lians for
being too fond OF sport. We do like 1t.
Our climate permits outdoor sports all
the year round Our football and cricket
seasons interlap. Our Sunday half holi-
day. which is given up to games. "a
great institution. l think Americans
work a lot harder and longer than we
do and our laboring classes are better
provided for by law than they are any
where else in the world. Nobody works
more than eight hours in one day. Labor
ers are as well on there they are in the
United States. for While the scale OF wages
may not be 80 high the added cost OF
living here makes up the difference.
=. Still there is nowhere in the world have
heen where the people you see on the
streets look 50 prosperous as in New York.
Melbourne and Sydney are growing
50 rapidly that you can see them spread.
The great subject in Australia Is the
transcontinental railway which ID to
connect Perth West Australia, with Ade-
lsde, Melbourne and Sydney and cut
"A at least three days in the mail route
10 London. The main difficulty is in
the lack OF water in most places along
the route, as the road will cross the des-
srt The coal strike in New South Wales
kept last year from being the most proe-
nerous in the history OF Australia. IL
Affected almost every industry. because