LADY WARD INTERVIEWED.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 8305, 8 June 1907, Page 3

LADY WARD INTERVIEWED.

EXPERIENCES OF A LONDON

REPORTER,

LONDOtf,'April 19

An amusing account is given by the reporter of a London daily paper of his experience when he went to call at the Cecil Hotel, in the hope of obtaining an interview with Lady Ward and some of the other visiting colonial notabilities. He says : —

"The real capital of the British Empire is at the present moment the Hotel Cecil. On the first and second floors a succession of suites of rooms represent the seats of Governments of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Natal, the Transvaal and Cape Colony. And from these strongholds the colonial Premiers and their wives and daughters issue early in the morning to live laborious days. They may or may not pay hurried visits to their own possessions during the afternoon, but they only return late at night for an all-too-brief rest. "It is, indeed, only by calling at breakfast-time that one can be sure of finding any of the British colonies at the Hotel Cecil possessed of any native population at all. "It was early in the forenoon when I found Lady Ward, who was, with the assistance of her son and a secretary, despatching scores of telegrams refusing offers of hospitality which she regretted that she had no time to accept. She paused in the midst of this heavy task with a pencil that hovered feverishly above the . telegraph forms. " 'Yes,' she said to me, 'I believe the other ladies' —meaning the wives and daughters of the other colonial Premiers —'are in the hotel somewhere. At least we have exchanged calls, but that is all I can say about them. We have had no time to talk. There is really no time to think.' " First of all,' she went on plaintively, 'it's the dressmaker, and then it's a luncheon party, and then it's a little shopping sandwiched in between half a dozen 'at homes,' and then it's a dinner, and after that a reception.' "At this moment a messenger entered and laid a fresh pile of invitations on the table.

"Poor Lady Ward sighed. "Sir Joseph Ward came rushing from an adjoining room and held the door on nhe swing with his foot. He had his hat on, and stood with a watch in one hand and a half-finished cigar in the other. He gazed a little pathetically at the cigar, and his face wore a dreamy but anxious expression, as though he were speculating as to whether he would have time to finish his smoke on his way to the Conference. However, he kindly paused to sketch out the map of the British Empire as contained in the Hotel Cecil.

" 'Yes, yes,' he said, 'this is New Zealand territory. Australia and Canada are along the passage,' and he waved the cigar towards the east. 'Natal is below us, and the Transvaal is in the other wing.' And he jerked his watch towards the north. Then he pocketed the watch, grabbed with his teeth at the cigar, shook me by one hand, waved to his wife with the other, and vanished. "Looking round, I beheld Lady Ward's pencil careering over the face of telegraph forms. She wrote with one eye on the paper and one on the clock. "I had not the heart to detain her longer, and withdrew. THfe ARMY OF BESIEGERS. "Across the courtyard, in what is known as the 'Colonial Office,' the two rooms set apart for the reception and detention of pressing guests to the colonial Premiers, I discovered Mr Gough. It is Mr Gough's duty to cross-examine all intending visitors to the Premiers, and either pass them on or bid them begone. Mr Gough is, in fact, a sort of gentlemanly and official 'chuckorout' to the colonial Premiers. "When I first saw him he stood at the door with his blue eyes blazing. I observed a couple of photographers ambushed behind a taxicab. Standing in a row with patient appeal in their eyes were several young men who were obviously picture dealers. Other young men shifted nervously from toot to foot as they anxiously surveyed Mr Gough, and fumbled with jewel-cases and catalogues of motor-cars "Mr Gough gave the photographei s one final glare and then made a magnificent bow.

" 'Now sir,' said he, and he wore the aspect of holding the keys ol' all the Embassies. I explained my mission. Mr Gough relaxed and lemt against the door-post. " 'Though it is only eleven o'clock.' he said, 'I am already tired out. These rooms act as a filter all day long, and I am skimming the dregs from the filter all day long and pouring them into the street. By the time the filtering work is done, it is practically only Cabinet Ministers and personal friends of the Px*emiers who survive. I really believe I have had to deal with every crank and tradesman in Christendom. There are men with wild-cat schemes, financiers, hatters with hats, antique dealers, and Heaven knows who besides. Ido my best to be patient, but it is very difficult.' "Mr Gough paised and mopped his moist foreher-d. A messenger hurried up and whispered in his ear. Then he beckoned to an athletic page-boy. " 'Run upstairs,' commanded Mr Gough, 'and tell General Botha that the Chancellor of the Exchequer wants to speak to him on the telephone.' "The brass-buttoned descendant of Mercury sped away on his important errand. Even he seemed to grasp the tremendous possibilities of that telephonic conversation. "Observing his forces to be weakened, the -photographers boldly advanced from the cover of the taxicab, and the'long line of callers began to march upon Mr Gough's fortress. Mr Gough took up a strong strategic position in the doorway, and there I left him battling nobly with the ad\ ancing hosts. "From noon till eve Mr Gough fights a plucky tut losing fight with the increasing armies of the besiegers. The Premiers rush out and rush in and rush out again amid clouds of petrol fumes. The Premiers' wives and daughters also rush cut and rush back again.

"So things continue till the last American visitor is sipping his last cocktail at the American bar. It is orly in the small hours that Canada. Australia, New Zealand, Natal, the Transvaal, and Cape Colony lie down to sleep."