Evening star., 1937-03-28

of folk who shudder at Roosevelt in
the UniteL States and Hepburn in On
tario. There are no land or property
taxes in Nassau, which makes it
haven for Canadian and American
millionaires who wish to circumvent
such pestiferous tolls of government in
continental North America. There Is
current in Nassau report that Pre-
mier Hepburn of the Province OF On
tario is ION the trail' of wealthy con-
stituents who, he believes, are cheat
stantial revenues.
THE principal, and therefore the
most expensive, hotels are the Brit
ish Colonial and the Fort Montagu.
The former. a friend remarked, sug-
gests the Tai Mahal. There the wait
ers are white and speak Spanish.
Money speaks any language. The
guest" at $40, $50 and $40
day suites run as high as STA daily
dress up for dinner and walk around
in the lobby displaying costly clothes
and costly sun tanS.
If you can breathe in the refined
atmosphere Of the Colonial, it's fun to
sit at lawn table and sip rum swiz-
zles and see if you can spot C.lebri-
ties and newlyweds. In one afternoon
I glimpsed Sir Bede Clifford, Governor
of the Bahamas, bronzed, lean and in
gray flannel shorts; Senator McAdoo
and his young wife, the governor of
the Bank of Montreal and Wo Cana
dian millionaires. Only fair haul.
At anchor in Nassau harbor when
arrived was a steam yacht about as
big as the Queen Mary. When I re-
marked that she was flying the Cuban
passenger, who told me it was the
Panamanian flag, that he was the cap
tain of the gilded barge and that she
belonged to Howard Hughes, Million
aire movie producer and speed flyer.
I later learned that Hughes bought
the Southern Cross under misappre-
hension. He thought he had chartered
her She cost 100000
Unlike Bermuda, there are automo-
biles in Nassau-plenty of them. I
hired bicycle. the mode trans
portation used by most natives but few
tourists, to discover that at times
cycling on Bay street tmain streeD
was almost as hazardous as cyc lg on
Fifth avenue.
Nassau has three daily newspapers,
though gosh only knows why. The
Guardian prints news of chief interest
to the local citizenry in column on
the editorial page called Notes and
Comments" Those familiar with
news handling in the United States
style may be amused by an item in
that amazing column which reported
that among the many ssengers who
arrived here yesterday aboard the
Saturnia was Mr.. Humphreys, alias
Ken johnson, who was deported from
the colony in 1885 after being ac-
quilted Of murder charge"
The report went on to say that Mr..
Humphreys, gymnasium instructor
aboard the cruise ship, had been ar
rested in Bay street and taken to the
central police station. Under the i'm
migration laws" the account said, "he
was liable to fine of 100 pounds or
one years imprisonment, or both, but
since court is not in session and his
detention would have involved consid-
erable expense, he was allowed to re-
turn to the ship at pm"
BEFORE going to the cinema Il e.,
movies) in Nassau it is the custom
to call up and reserve your seats.
You find when you arrive that this
precaution is laughable, for the au-
dience totals about 20. Who wants
to go to movie, anyhow, when the
moon is ripe and they serve 15-year-
old Scotch for a quarter at the Prince
George veranda bar?
Movie theater o. night club, house
or hotel, everything in Nassau is air
conditioned by nature. The jungle
Club at Montagu Beach is, would
venture to say, the only night club
in creation where smoke doesn't get
into your eyes until you feel they've
been stabbed by some torture instru-
ment Of the Spanish Inquisition.
The gray hulk Of a German war
ship stands boldly at the harbor en-
trance one day. Streets and bars
are filled with officers in their white
uniforms and sailors in cap. with rib
bons that hang down the back like
twin pigtails
The native Negroes at the sponge
wharf speak English, but darned if
you can understand them, and per-
haps that Is why it is great habit
among the Bahama blacks to talk to
themselves.
Bay street always is alive with ma
tives peddling some sort Of wares or
alleged talent, from straw goods,
which they weave as you watch, to
songs about Bahama Mama" writ
ten by specialist from Tin Pan al
ley) and 'rice, peas n coconut OIL"
And, of course, there are the carriage
men, with their funny old vehicles
drawn by bony little horses whose
muscles have absorbed the laziness
so characteristic of each motion the
island over. AS implements of warm
ing the carriages have bells operated
by foot pedals like those on street
cars. These give musical sound that |
blends nicely with the sweeter, higher
notes of the bicycle bells. Across the
backs OF the carriages are little red
curtains, strung on wire, to afford
some privacy to couples as well as
shield passengers necks from the SUM-
WATCHING over these vehicles,
their operators and their motive
power is the agent of the colonial hu-
name society, startingly-c -costumed
individual whose face and get-up re-
semble Buffalo Bills. -clopping
around the place on a large and
sturdy steed, he sees to it that the
carriage men pay reasonable atten-
ton to the welfare of their horses.
The equestrian activities of Nassau
are not limited to the carriages. There
are races twice a week, on Tuesdays
and FRIDAYS. Virtually every one roes