WITHOUT PREJUDICE

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 228, 27 June 1928, Page 10

WITHOUT PREJUDICE

NOTES AT RANDOM

(By

T.D.H.)

One advantage of the radio is that when somebody gets the breeze up at sea all the world knows about it. Keeping track of the Chinese generals in the news is child’s play to keeping track of who’s lost and who’s found at Spitzbergen. One gathers from the news message that nothing can keep Governor Smith out of the White House, except a possible shortage of Democrats. Mr. Whitley, we are told, has declined a peerage on retiring from the speakership of Britain’s House of Commons, and is the first Speaker for a K hundred and twenty years to go out of office without the customary sprinkling at the fountain of honour. The last Speaker to do this was Mr. Henry Addington, and he only kept out of the House of Lords because he had left the Speaker’s chair in 1802 in order to succeed Pitt as Prime Minister and to run the House of Commons. Mr. Whitley, one takes it, has an aversion to honours in general, but Mr. Addington had none, for when it suited him he speedily became Lord Sidmouth. In the end he finally left Britain’s Cabinet because he disagreed with the action of the other Ministers in ending the British occupation of Buenos Aires. Three other Speakers of the House of Commons besides Mr. Addington afterwards became Prime Ministers, the latest of them being Lord Grenville in ISO 6.

It is two and a half centuries now since .Mr. Speaker ceased to be the Speaker for the House of Commons, but though he does next to nothing of the speaking nowadays the old name still sticks, and nobody has ever thought it worth while to alter it in illogical Britain. In the old days when the House of Commons was a set of delegates summoned by the Crown to negotiate with it concerning the payment of taxes, it used to take advantage of its position to remonstrate with the Sovereign about various grievances. For this purpose a bold, upstanding member not to be brow-beaten by the Lord's Anointed, was chosen as spokesman. This member was Mr. Speaker, and besides talking back to the monarch he used to preside over the debates. Since then, of course, the CroVvn’s claws have been drawn, the privilege of misgoverning the realm is now possessed by the Commons. and Mr. Speaker’s original function has vanished.

Mention of Parliament and its privileges reminds us that the othei day in looking up a Wellington paper of 1867 we came on a column report of a debate in the Provincial Council about the steps that should be taken to preserve the Council s dignity, seems that an ill-natured newspaper had printed in its columns , notice of motion exactly as chatted by a member of the council, i As this Provincial Councillor was no scholar, his spelling and grammar were piratic. Attention was directed by Mr. Milne to this grave journalistic lapin not putting the notice of motion in a proper state of repair befoie publishing it. The council, he contended, should have some protection against "maligernant scribblers of this description. Moreover, ioi a Io down reporter to publish an uncoirected notice of motion was plainly tantamount to an insinuation that the whole council spelt bad.y, and that -one gathered—ran pretty close to high treason.

air. Pharazyn declared the printing of an uncorrected notice of motion was a disgrace to the Press. Mr. Ludlam contended that the eduneil shou ‘1 take some steps to protect itself, the printer of the newspaper should be brought to the bar of the House. Mt. Haleombe declared that the community had been startled by tins dastardly back-hand blow through the newspapers. He considered a much more effectual step than bringing the printers to lhe bar of the House would be to punish them through the pockets. The Council, it seemeu, passed out its printing jobs anion* the various newspaper offices, and Mr. Halcombe’s idea was that the offending newspaper should receive no more Provincial Government pnutiu". In the end the Council went on to the next, business after making it plain that if the legislators did not chance to talk or write grammar it had to be made into grammar heto it got into print, or somebody would probably be boiled in oil in event of any future affront on the awe and majesty of the Legislature.

A reader supplies this hither unpublished storv of a famous singer ot a visiM oj our provincial towns. The pipers of the district did him honour xn mating him, heading a procession to his ho S te i_but asking for a donation to their funds 1' The honoured guest forked out a half-sovereign—and increased the price of his P r °S™ m “ that evening by threepence! Can any one guess the nationality of the singer?

Author: "I’m convinced that the pub; Ushers have a conspiracy against me Friend: "What makes Jon think.

S °Author: "Ten of them have refused the same story."

Sir Henry Irving was once present during the rehearsing in the Ljceum Theatre in London of stage thundeiclaps for a storm scene. . Irving thought the effects were anything but good “That won't do. Not a bit like it,” he cried. "Excuse me, sir Eiiry, said one of the property hands. But I wasn't rattling the sheet just then. That ’appened to be the genuine thunder outside.” "Quite probably,’/ replied Sir Ilenrv. "But the Almightj s thunder is not necessarily good enough for the Lyceum I SONG IN AUTUMN. Where should a young man turn his eyes But to his loved one’s cheek, That Hushing there he may surprise More than her lips will speak? Where should a young man turn his ears But to his loved one’s voice, Which charms all other sounds he hears Into an empty noise? Where should a young man turn his thought But to a dream of bliss, Which on night’s cobweb arras wrought Pictures the loved one his?

But ho who walks in middle years Should home the truants win; And hood his eyes and stop his ear? ins thoughts within. -r-Oxlo William*.