NEW ZEALANDERS ABROAD.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 305, 26 December 1928, Page 11

NEW ZEALANDERS ABROAD.

■'■■■" ■ ■ — PERSONAL NOTES FROM LONDON. PAGEANTRY OF PARLIAMENT. LORD JELLICOE AND THE BRITISH LEGIOX. (From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, November 8. The outstanding event of the week was the opening of Parliament, and one watched the medieval pageantry of the scene with the thought obtruding, who will next occupy the first place in the councils of the nation? For, plain for all to see, were Mr. and Mrs. Baldwin watching the royal procession and that state coach straight out of Cinderella which bore the King and Queen to and fro .from Buckingham Palace.

The Duke of York presided at the Hardwicke Society's annual dinner. This society was founded in honour of the tirst Baron of that name, the famous Lord Chief Justice and Lord Chancellor of early Georgian times, and is composed of members of the legal profession.

"I fear I have little personal experi-! once of the law. It falls to my lot to hold many positions. 1 am president of hospitals and societies of every kind, I hold commissions in all three lighting services, I am a Maori chief, a Boy Scout, a draper, and last, but not least. a bencher of the Inner Temple. But l have never been invited to liecoine a judge, and so I cannot speak from personal experience of a legal education,"' said the Duke of York. "Still," he continued, "it seems to me to involve two main principles—the training of tiie mind and the training of the tongue. Accuracy and alertness of mind are essential, but are themselves of little use unless the possessor of these qualities can also express himself clearly and tersely. I do not mean with such terseaess as the American gentleman who asked a lady to dance in these expressive words. 'Say, kid, lend me your form for a twist.'"

Admiral of the Fleet. Earl Jellicoc, has taken his duties as President of the British Legion greatly to heart. He is indefatigable not only in liis personal interest in the war-disabled men. but in his efforts to interest the # public in whose hands in the last resort lies the welfai-e of the disabled man. On Tuesday Lord Jellicoe opened an exhibition and sale of goods made by war-disabled men at the Imperial Institute. South Kensington, and he made an extraordinarily exhaustive tour of the exhibits before declaring the exhibition officially opened. At almost every stall he seemed to know the disabled man in attendance. He made a most eloquent appeal for support of the exhibiton which is Tield at this time in order to give people a chance to buy their Christmas presents and so do a double good by getting their goods from disabled soldiers. Lord Jellicoe stated that as a result of the first exhibition a year ago some of the smaller organisations were enabled to pay off at least part of their deficits while some of the larger establishments were able to employ still further numbers of disabled ex-servicemen. He added that the quality of the goods, in spite of the disabilities of the men, was of such excellence that they could compete in the market i and were indeed being sold to the trade.

The High Commissioner's engagements this week comprise taking the chair at a lecture by Mr. E. W. White at the Royal Colonial Institute. He will, oi course, be present ex-ofhcially to-morrow night at the Lord Mayor's banquet at the Guildhall, the occasion on which we expect the Prime Minister always to give some indication ctf the Government's policy. On Saturday he and Lady Fanwill "attend a reception to be given by the Japanese Ambassador, and on Sunday, Armistice Day. he will attend the service at the Cenotaph. The wreaths which are to be laid on the Cenotaph by the various Dominions are all this year, we understand, to be made of Flanders poppies from the work shops of the British Legion.

The preservation of the fauna and flora of the Empire is becoming more than ever imperative if we are to retain our characteristic flowers and animals. A good example has l>een set by the county of Hertfordshire, the council of which have issued a by-law making it an offence to uproot wild flowers and ferns. The movement to do something to stop the denudation of the countryside of its wild flowers has been going on for several years, and while about a dozen county councils have taken similar steps to that of Hertfordshire, there still remains much to be done. The widespread invasion of country parts by motorists has, of course, speeded up the craze for flower gathering —a thoroughly wasteful craze—and this step by the local authority has not come before time. On the day of the opening of Parliament the Empire Parliamentary Association entertained a number of its members from overseas, among them bein-r Sir Thomas Mackenzie and Mr. W. J. Jordan. M.P.. and Mrs. Jordan.

Mr. and Mrs. 11. B. Philcox. of Auckland, and their daughter. Miss Biddy Philcox. came over via Panama on the Remuera. Mr. Philcox hn« taken the trip for the sake of his health. At present thev are staying at the Waldorf Hotel. Aldwych, but are going to spend the Christmas at Torquay. They will nrobablv leave here about Anril. returning via Sydney, as it is their intention to spend two or three months in Sydney.