BOYHOOD DAYS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 237, 6 October 1932, Page 5

BOYHOOD DAYS.

NEW SOUTH WALES PREMIER. FIRST MODEST EARNINGS. "BLOWING THE OLD PIPE ORGAN." The Premier of New South Wales, Mr. Stevens, recently narrated reminiscences of his boyhood days. "The home in which I spent quite a lot of my boyhood is on the opposite side of the street," said the Premier, who was speaking in the working class suburb of Glebe. "It is an old twostorey house, near the fire station. That was one of the reasons which actuated me to be present at this function. The second reason is that I went to school in this district —at the Forest Lodge School, which hae earned the great distinction of having turned put half a dozen international cricketers. (Cheers.)

"When I was quite a small boy," proceeded Mr. Stevens, amid laughter, "they used to call me 'Tubby.' Some people still do. But sometimes they used to call me Tatty.' One day a man at the church asked my mother whether 'Fatty' was her boy. Hβ wanted him to do three- days' work a week. The job he gave v me, three evenings a week, for which I was to earn 4/0 a week, was blowing the old pipe organ, while he learned to play it. For 18 months I turned that to profit. (Laughter.) I became a pretty efficient organ player, because I impressed him so much that he taught me to play the organ. ...

/ "Twenty years afterwards I became Director of Finance for New South Wales. One day, when I was presiding at a conference, at which a number of bank officers were present, a man -was shown in, representing one of the biggest banks. He came up to me, anil whispered, 'You are not "Fatty" Stevens, are you f 'Yes,' I replied. It was the man for whom I blew the old pipe organ and who paid me the first money I ever earned in my life, and I saved every penny of it. I was very proud to take home a little table, which stands in the drawing-room of my parents' home today." (Cheers.)

Mr. Stevens said that a public man had often to deafen hie ears to things that people said. He had to do things which some people did not understand or were misinterpreted. If .he were courageous and wise he would go ahead and say, "No, that is the right thing, , ' and lend a deaf ear to misrepresentation and noise. But he hoped his ears would never be deaf to the constant appeal on behalf of boys and boys' movements in this country. (Cheers.) I , __________