INCONSEQUENCE OF TIME

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33790, 12 March 1975, Page 26

INCONSEQUENCE OF TIME

The venerable building at the back of the Square houses an even more ven-' erable company. A nine-teenth-century atmosphere still lingers in spite of some recent despairing attempts at modernisation of the premises. Grained oak for the ■ furniture is regarded with quiet satisfaction and plastic and metal with frank distaste. Thus, although the extremely dark and occasionally bulbous Edwardian linoleum on the floor has been replaced with jaunty carpet, and although shoulder-high wooden panelling has been superseded by painted wall board of such inexplicabh but undeniably modern colours as Etruscan Glov and Acapulco Gossamer the grained oak desks re main — sagging a little perhaps, and in need of t wad of paper inserte under a leg here an there, but examples o craftmanship when ever door and cupboard had key, and a gentlema wore a waistcoat wit proper storage for sue items The company produce- 1

a high-quality product just like Rolls Royce (not ! the same product) but the gently tinkling tea-trolley tentatively wheeled about ] by a wrinkled retainer ; with mutton-chop whiskers was abandoned, we fancy, about the time ofj the South African War. i Some members of the, ; staff still report to the' I office in the evening for i I esoteric activities, but i they have been persuaded; I that it is no longer neces-l I sary — on warm even-1 j ings at least — to wear a! pinner jacket. ' Progress in the building; has included the adoption! of electricity for lighting! I and some other purposes, i Electric clocks have been! nstalled in just not one| oom in the building, but! .everal. On a recent morning ill the electric clocks vere showing different imes. Some members of he staff regarded this as i challenge and quickly; onstructed a conversion! chedule. Armed with! his. all were able to go onfidently about their usiness. In one room they! ould add, say, 4min to! .:ie clocks time top

achieve national time; in another room they would take off 7min; and so on. It took only a glance at the schedule. An expert asked whether the clocks were master Pand slave, or synchro|nous. This was a most ! unwelcome question for I those who didn’t know I the answer. ; Some staff members isaid it couldn’t be the : I former system because I the famous judge, Lord I Mansfield, ruled in 1772 I that as soon as a slave jset foot on English soil ihe became free. And it I was well known that Iwhat was good for Eng- ; land was even better for ' Christchurch. Moreover | the company had been i formed at some time I since the eighteenth century’, although many people wouldn’t believe it. The expert fixed the clocks so that they were 'all reading the same, ant' ! the same as the national time. It was then founc’ that the Government Lift clock was 2min slower. I A conversion notice was quickly issued to ithose with window seats. !