"MEMORY" WOODFALL

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 6, 6 July 1935, Page 7

"MEMORY" WOODFALL

PIONEEE OF REPOETING

PARLIAMENTARY VIGILS

The name of Woodfall is a landmark in the history of the Press, writes C. G. C. Christie in the "Sydney Morning Herald." There.were two Woodfall brothers, sons of- a London printer, Henry Sampson Woodfall. Our subject is William Woodfall, who introduced the modern system of reporting, particularly parliamentary reporting, including the form which we know as "Hansard." Following his father's profession, William became the printer of the "Morning Chronicle," which started in 1769. In those days division of labour was little practised, so we find him performing the mechanical work, as well as that of the reporter and editor, but.it is only the effects of his reporting methods that have come down to us and of which Press traditions are so full. From early sheets of his paper it is apparent that his work was a wonderful feat, and he was justly entitled to be dubbed "Memory Woodfall." His practice was to sit in the front row of the Strangers' Gallery of the House of Commons, never budge the long night through, rivet his attention on the speakers, feeding himself the while on indigestible but portable hard-boiled eggs. He dared not make' a single note, for the appearance of pencil and paper would have spelt his immediate expulsion for good and all. In this way he would absorb every detail of* the proceedings, and produce in his paper the following evening extraordinarily accurate reports of the debates running into many columns. This proved a great1 boon to the politicians and public, and raised the "Chronicle" to pre-eminence. OTHERS COME IN. Naturally, rival papers soon followed suit, and literary men with good memories became in great demand. In years to come we find such literary giants as Coleridge, Lamb, and Dickens, apart from many great political figures, who pursued the profession of newspapermen as editors, contributors, and reporters. It was a strenuous life, maintaining monotonous and wearisome .vigil in the gallery all night, and writing out ,the recollections next day, Only the most'brilliant succeeded, and even they were • often seven days behind in their reports, and then mostly in a colourless and vapid form. Not so Woodfall: Always methodical and punctual, the next evening's paper never failed to contain the previous evening's debates. This was the germ of the great Hansard system. Woolfall outdistanced every reporter acting singly. One man might remember as much, another express it as elegantly, and a third reproduce as quickly as Woodfall, but, possessing all three qualities, none could match him. His perfection led to the dimming of his star. He could do six men's work, but his rivals commenced to put on six reporters in relays to do the work. This system was suggested by one James Perry, another brilliant luminary of the, newspaper world, who rose to fame on its elaboration on a more complete scale in the "Chronicle" after -Woodfall retired from that paper to start a new journal, the "Diary," to which he carried his extraordinary powers of reporting. Woodfall never departed from his solo methods, and the wonder is that he managed so long to make head against the decided superiority of Perry's new system. NO GALLERY. Though the principles of this system are in operation today, Perry's arrangements, in the first instance, must have been imperfectly developed and crude, for so sorry were the facilities and privileges accorded the Press of those times that reporters had no gallery of their own to enter arid leave at will. As strangers, their seat depended on a member's order. It was "first'come first served," and an unlucky reporter often missed his seat for the night, not only for himself but also for his reliefs. The centre seats in the front row were the best, and many unseemly struggles for them took place each night. When a special debate>was expected, the first reporters for each paper would wait in the lobby all day for the doors to open, and then the melee for places commenced. As time moved on, however, a sort of prescriptive right to certain seats was established, which- strangers to the gallery respected; but bitter contention for them was maintained amongst the reporters. ■ Difficult as it was for them to gain admission and a seat, the difficulty of getting out and giving place to another required just as much cunning and brawn. Under such circumstances, Woodfall's single-handed method, provided he obtained his early-door seat, proved more efficient, less disturbing,.and decidedly more comfortable to the man himself, with the result that Woodfall and the "Diary" maintained their pre-eminence for a considerable period. His system could only be expected to be transitory, and, besides, the growing demands for fullness, accuracy, and expedition, could not have continued to be met by the reports as he produced them; but still the foundation of the modern style of reporting must, in all fairness, be attributed to "Memory" Woodfall. THE UNDERPAID PERRY. James Perry was nearly the match for William Woodfall in his own department of reporting, but, recognising his inferiority, Perry was compelled in his fight for supremacy to augment his forces by the addition of the services of other men. Yet before Perry introduced the new system he, too, performed some most prodigious feats in reporting, notably in what was practically his first serious assignment for the "General Advertiser." The whole country was at fever heat over the failure of the English Fleet to bring the French Fleet to action off Cape Ushant. Eventually, Admiral Keppel and his second in command, Sir Hugh Palliser, were given a court-martial, at Portsmouth, which lasted six weeks. i Perry was sent to report the proceedings. With a quill pen, Perry took down the. whole of the voluminous evidence, often highly technical, the pleadings, and the addresses of counsel and the Judge,