RANDOM REMINDER

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31376, 23 May 1967, Page 28

RANDOM REMINDER

PUTTING THE FOOT IN THE MOUTH DISEASE

The steady increase in international air travel has made the airports of the world very busy places, and there is seldom time to take espedal trouble with incoming passengers, who tend, of necessity, to become little more than numbers on plane tickets. But occasionally, even in New Zealand, a traveller of particular eminence arrives, and then use is made of what is known as the V.I.P. room—a pleasant enough place, if a little restricted in space, in which the great man or woman can be interviewed by representatives of the various news media, to use a now familiar phrase. One of the last most recent victims of the inter-

view in this room was Sir Leslie O’Brien, Governor of the Bank of England, and he became, quite unwillingly, a sort of football in a game played between the customs and agricultural departments at the airport Before he reached the V.I.P. room, his bags had been cleared, and this an understandable practice if it was based on the belief that there was little likelihood of him bothering to bring in a heap of reefers or seditious literature. But the agricultural people had heard that Sir Leslie had visited a farm at Alice Springs, and were Intent on making sure that he had not brought foot and mouth disease in his suitcases.

It was quite a battle, evidently, and it was won, ultimately, by the agriculturists. The Interview in the V.I.P. room was interrupted so that Sir Leslie's keys could be taken from him; a little later, he went out to see how things were progressing. There before him, he found all 10 of his cases—Lady O’Brien was travelling with him—with people going through them from top to bottom and with considerable vigour. One bystander came to the conclusion that Sir Leslie was fortunate indeed to be allowed to keep his shoes on, and to escape the indignity of a personal search.