SIR HARRY LAUDER.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 3 December 1928, Page 8

SIR HARRY LAUDER.

JOKE ABOUT UNDERTAKERS

COMING NJiW ZEALAND VISIT

LONDON, Oct. 19. Sir Hairy Laucler was one of the guests at a recent meeting of the Birmingham notary Club. His speech, proposing a. vote of thanks to the giver of the “talk,’’ Mr H. W. Gosling, was punctuated by many hursts of laughter. Mr Gosling’s speech was one of the best of its kind ever heard at the Botary Club gathering. His subject was “On Being .a Packing-case Maker,’’ a vocation that plays an important part in local industry. Mr. Gosling had a good-natured grumble at Midland manufacturers ol exported goods, who, he said, did not seem to realise the importance of the fact that shipping companies base freight charges on the external measurement of the packing-cases used. An inch or so that might be unnecessary would mean tiic addition of several shillings to the landing charges to the consignee. He suggested there was a. certain lack of imagination in considering the feelings of the customer in matters of this sort.

Certain South American port 'authorities, said Mr Gosling, had inflicted a fine of over £5 because his firm made a mistake in 141 b in stating the net weight of a consignment, in a sense, the packing-case industry was a modern development due to the invention of lifting appliances and mechanical runways. In his grandfather’s time 90 per cent, of the employees ot the firm were coopers. Casks were then in demand, because casks could be rolled. Now the coopers had practically _disappeared. Sir .Harry Lauder cracked his first ject by introducing undertakers as case-makers; and on being informed that at present no undertaker belonged. to the club, lie suggested there would be a rush for membership once the fact got known. Referring to Mr Gosling’s mention of the difficulty of making a collapsible pacldng-case that could be l'oided up after use, he said: “I’ll try my best to make ye a collapsible case.; but mind, I’ll charge ye well for it.” He went on to confess lie could not get any “inspeeration” while wearing “troosers,” but if he had worn kilts the case would have been different.

A story was told by Sir Harry about ail-elderly Scottish lady w hom lie had tried to entertain for a solid hour—together with her guests—and who confessed to a friend afterwards that “it took me all nut’ time not to be laughing at him.” The old lady evidently thought she would be offencling him if she laughed at her guest. “It just shows the Presbyterian spirit,” added the speaker.

Sir Harry ended on a rather pathetic note. He had been having a trying time in the last year, lie said, and he felt he was getting to the end of his tether. As a result he had decided to take a long holiday by travelling to New Zealand, where it will be summer soon.