GUN BATTLE

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 3, 5 January 1932, Page 7

GUN BATTLE

GANGSTERS*

PHILADELPHIA, 29th December. "Mickey" Diffy, Philadelphia's leading "beer baron," was "executed" in a gun fight recently. His friends to-day celebrated, the Christmas season by seeking revenge. Five gangsters invaded a down-town gambling, house and quite openly killed two of Diffy's rival racketeers, wounded three others, and escaped before the police were even called.

bo noted further in a subsequent article. The fifth, published Ist December, contained observations on voluntary emigration in a letter to Joseph Somes, Governor of the New Zealand Company, after whom Somes Island in Wellington Harbour was named; also a letter by A. T. Holroyd on banking in New Zealand. The sixth, published 31st December, contained observations on tho advantages of a Representative Assembly for New Zealand, together with a general title and introduction to the series. PAKTS OF A BOOK IN PARTS. The parts were issued in thin coloured paper covers, the first grey, the others a faded lavender. The front cover of each contained a title page for the part; the back cover was devoted to advertisements; all these were lost when the covers were discarded on the parts being bound in one volume, and tho loss is a serious one, as the advertisements, all relating to New Zealand matters, contained information of value to collectors, and to others besides them. A reading of Hocken's "Bibliography" would lead ouo to suppose that there were seven parts issued; but part 5 contained two notes, which Hockcn.has numbered parts 5 and 6, so that his part 7 is really part 6. There is no noto cither in Hockcn or in the book itself of illustrations to the "New Zealand Portfolio," and no illustrations appear with the parts, nor are they mentioned in the various advertisements of tho Portfolio in. the "New Zealand Journal"; yet included in some of the bound volumes are the same two engravings that had already appeared in Pctre and in Jemeson. Some of the volumes, however, are without them, and as they iind no mention in the volumes themselves I can only conclude that Smith, Elder, and Co. had copies of tho engravings to spare, and inserted them in some of the volumes gratis. Hocken makes no mention of them, as evidently his copy was without them; when present, the view, of Lambton Harbour is the frontispiece; that of New Plymouth faces page .1. With part 6 was also issued a leaf containing a two-page advertisement of tho start of a new volume of the "New Zealand Journal." This appears in some of tho bound volumes, but is absent from others. I was one day asked by a collector if it was worth while keeping part 2, which he had secured, on the chance of securing the lest. My reply was, "Certainly." I know of a set of five parts—only one missing; unfortunately tho one missing is not part 2. A good copy of the bound volume will fetch from £1 to £2 at auction; with tho two engravings it is worth the latter figure, and more; in parts complete with the wrappers much more.

This fragment of history concerning tho publication of three of our early New Zealand books gives an indication of tho interest the collector finds in the pursuit of his hobby; the Turnbull Library is an indication of what such pursuit may finally lead to.