ERSONALITY OF THE WEEK

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 213, 9 September 1933, Page 8

ERSONALITY OF THE WEEK

The Commodore of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron bears his immense popularity with modesty. In fact he blushed when asked to disclose his past. Mr. NO. 403. * James Henderson Frater

(universally "Jim") is an Aucklander born and bred. Has been "of no mean city" since 1884. Schooled at the Auckland Grammar School, the coming stockbroker joined the firm of Frater Brothers as a boy of seventeen, and is still of it at the age of forty-nine. The Commodore hoists his flag on the Waitangi and has in his yachting career of twenty-eight years owned also Matua and Ngatira. He is interested not only in boats, but babies—is chairman of the advisory committee of the Plunket Society, famed wherever an infant voice is raised in the world. He admits a partiality for football as a schoolboy, but modestly disclaims eminence in this religion. Frequently he has left Auckland for a breath of warm air in Australia or the Islands, but has not yet seen the Old World. There are three young Fraters.

Repercussions and reverberations of a vigorous academical discussion amongst Southern brethren have been heard and read in

Auckland. The question ARTHUR AND is shall Arthur's Pass be HORATIO, called Arthur Pass or

not. Arthur Dobson found the place, but he never owned it, so it can't be his. Applying the possessive "s" universally we should in Auckland obtain "Queen's Street," although we shouldn't pause to think which queen was the owner. "Albert's Park," too, would be a little incongruous, seeing that Albert the Good not only never saw it, but certainly never owned the fee simple. If "Arthur's Pass," why not "Mr. Lambton's Quay" or "Lord Jellicoe's Avenue"? A related controversy occurred in the Hub generations ago, and it was ultimately decided that "Nelson's Monument" should drop its possessive title and be called "Tho Nelson Monument." Observe, however, that use is second nature and that despite academicians every second person calls the erection "Nelson's Monument." As for Horatio—he doesn't care. One wonders, too, if Arthur Dobson really worries. He doesn't want to possess that Pass. If the Commissioner of Taxes was really convinced that the pass was Arthur's he'd be bound to desire that Arthur's Pass be constituted a special taxing area.

Dear M.A.T., —An amusing incident occurred on tho Auckland station prior to the departure of tho 7 p.m. Limited express

on a recent date. An outHONESTY of-work man found a walREWARDED. let, empty save for the

return half of a ticket to Wanganui, wliieli also entitled the ticket-holder to a reserved sent. A friend called the finder's attention to this fact, and lie promptly ran down to the station., hoping to find the owner of the wallet. He succeeded, and when told that he could not at that moment be rewarded financially, smilingly assured the young lady who had lost the ticket that in spite of her financial embarrassment she could reward him just the same. "But how," she inquired. "Yon see," said the young man, "I haven't had the pleasure of kissing a girl from Wanganui." Amidst the cheers of the bystanders his reward was given him. —A.N.W.

Dear M.A.T., —The other day a canvasser, with dictionaries as his line of wares, called at a house in the suburbs of Palmerston

North. His sales talk was "PURE AND something to wonder at, UNDEFILED." and a lengthy treatise on the value of a dictionary in the home was interrupted by the man of the house (a student of the King's English) mildly inquiring if the "book of words" was up to date. Did it contain every word in present-day use and was it prone to the English or American method of spelling? "Yes, sir, -this dictionary is up to the minute in its contents; in It you will find every recognised word in the English language." "Is that so?" replied Mr. Householder. "Then how does it spell 'finalise'—with an V or 'z'V "Finalise?" echoed the canvasser. "Finalise—now let us see. F-i, F-i-n, F-i-n-a, F-i-n-a-1; Final, final —Great Scott! It hasn't got 'finalise , in it!" exclaimed the astonished and greatly dismayed man of many words. "1 thought not," said the householder, with a chuckle. "You see, there is no such word in the English language!" i—Homo,