SOME "H.H." STORIES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXII, 24 October 1916, Page 3

SOME "H.H." STORIES.

I

THE IMPERIAL PENNY POSTAGE

PARNELL AS AN.ASSAYER

Mrs Adrian Porter, daughter of tha late Sir J. Henniker Heaton,, has written the life of her father, who was known as "Member for Australia" in the Hoiise of Commons, and better still as the inaugurator of Imperial penny postage. The life is published by John Lane. It is lull of capital stories, and among them the following:— To the Duke of Norway, as Post-master-General, fell the duty of conveying to Queen Victoria the news of the introduction of Imperial penny postage.

"When does this come into force?" enquired Her Majesty.

"W 6 thought of the Prince's birthday," replied the Duke

In an instant the Queen, ever mindful of her sunereme authority, had drawn herself un.

"And what Prince?" she enquired in her most icy tone. Bat the Duke was quite equal to the emergency.

"The Prince of Peace, ma'am —on Christmas Day," he replied quickly. Thus it came about that penny postage was established on Christmas Day, 1898.

In the foreword Sir George Reid pays a graceful tribute to his friend, and Mr Henniker Heaton thought Sir George a master of the art of repartee at political meetings. On one occasion a member of the audience shouted out: "You are double-faced." » Sir Georg-a Reid considered the man reflectively: "It is easy to see that that gentleman has not two faces, or he would not have come with the one he has to-night." Mr Henniker Heaton early realised the power of questions in his work of baiting Postmasters-General, but this did not commend itself to his" son in the Navy.' .' . . . ■. ■ . . ■ . - One day when R. was home on leave, H. H. said to him: "I a,m always ve#y glad to get your letters, but I notice that you never 'tell me anything of interest about the Navy." "No, thank you," replied the small midshmman- f'too many of our fellows have had their careers simply ruined by their fathers asking questions in Parliament."

Mr Henniker Heaton was particularly fond of the tale of the man at Monte Carlo who rose from the tables muttering "Ruined! Ruined!" as he staggered out of the room. A minute later a shot was fired, in the garden, and the officials, rushing out, found the man lying in the middle of the path with a smoking revolver in his hand. In accordance with custom the officials stuffed his pockets with banknotes ere they went to get assistance. The moment they were out of sight the "corpse'; rose to his feet, and reentered the Casino. The indignation of the officials can be imagined when, after a hue and cry, they finally discovered him playing a winning game of rouge et noir with their money, secure in the knowledge that they dared not arrest him!

H. H. was in Jamaica when the great earthquake of 1907 occurred. He used to rejoice in telling the' following story: It happened that' immediately before the earthquake the proprietor of some hotel had taken the manager into the garden .and fgiven him a month's notice. No sooner had 'the words, "I shall not require your services any longer"; falien from his lips than the entirs building collapsed in a heap. "Evidently not!" replied the manager, beneath a nile oi debris.

Among the friends of Henniker Heaton was Char las Stewart Parnell, and it will be a surprise to many to learn that he was an expert metallurgist. At the time all the world was discussing the forged letters, Parnell went into the House, and in a short speech denied the authorship, and immediately afterwards button-holed H. H. in the Lobby. He did not discuss the letters, but said he had read that a mountain of gold had b«en discovered in Australia. Mr Heaton, who replied it was true, gave him a wineglaesful of the "crushing." A week later Parnell walked vp1 to H. H. and said, smilingly: 'I have analysed the specimens, and they go 32 ounces of gold to the ton." H. H. said he was wrong. Parnell took from his pocket a scrap of paper and read "27 ounces gold and 5 ounces of silver." This agreed exactly with the analysis of Messrs Johnson,. Matthey -and Co. Parnell explained: "I take an *interest in the matter. I have a small workshop to test the materials in the mountain of Wicklow, some portion of which I own."_ When opponents thought his political career was at an end, Parnell was quietly working in a laboratory the least concerned of all men.