COMMERCIAL TRAVELLERS' HUMOUR

King Country Chronicle, Volume XVIII, Issue 1858, 6 September 1923, Page 7

COMMERCIAL TRAVELLERS' HUMOUR

As is usually the case at such gatherings, considerable humour was imparted to the proceedings at the anniversary smoke night of the Commercial Travellers' Association of Victoria recently (remarks the Age). During the evening two of the members gave an exhibition of "thought transference." Taking the parliamentary pass of the Minister of Customs (Mr Chapman) in his hand, one of the "performers" inquired of his blindfolded comrade what was written on the pass. Quick as thought came the retort, "Australia expects every man to pay his duty." The quip was heartily applauded. Later in the evening the Minister said he was prepared to appoint the thought transference experts as Customs searchers, and went on to relate an incident which he declared had occurred that day in his department. One of the Customs staff, upon informing a new arrival —a female—that he desired to search her portmanteau to ascertain whether there were any articles subject to duty, was greeted with astonishment. "Why, the bag contains only my under-linen, and surely you are not going to insist on a search." In the circumstances, the officer, a young bachelor, blushingly said he would not look in the bag. He put his hand in the portmanteau, however, and the jirst thing he encountered was a bottle of gin. "Is that linen?" asked the officer, with a triumphant grin. "It is part of my apparel," responded the unabashed female. "In our country we call that a nightcap." The story went off well, though some of the less unsophisticated members of the C.T.A., whose repertoire of yarns is an extensive one, appeared to recognise an old "chestnut."