BARONET AND WIFE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20623, 23 July 1930, Page 16

BARONET AND WIFE.

VERY SEVERE REPROOF.

YORKSHIREMAN'S LOYALTY.

REMARKABLE DISAGREEMENT.

Remarkable expressions of disagreement between a well-known Yorkshire baronet, and bis wife were (bo sequel to a holiday tour in China, and Japan from which Lady Gunter, wife of Sir Ronald Gunter, Bt., recently returned. Lady Gunter, who, as Miss Daisy Simmonds, of Kentish Town, was married to Sir Ronald, (ho racing motorist, in 1925, lives at Park Hill, Wetherby, Yorkshire, tho family scat. An interview with her appeared in the. Yorkshire edition of tho Daily Express a few weeks ago and tho disparaging comments Lady Gunter then rnado on (hat county in general—and Leeds in particular—aroused a storm of indignation. "Leeds," said Lady Gunter, "is nothing better than a cheap imitation of London. If I want to see anything smart in Yorkshire I go to Harrogate. That is the only place where you can find smartness —and that is because the residents are mostly not Yorkshiro people, I leaye Yorkshire for London with a feeling of relief. Every face [ meet here is miserable and depressing and everyone I speak to is rude." Lady Gunter added:-—"The very tramcar conductors insult one. 'I hey offer no help or directions; they are gratuitously offensive 'and if they bad Ihe chance would all but push one off tho tramcar. I suppose it is your vaunted Yorkshiro independence." A. great number of letters reached the Daily Express following the publication of tho interview, among them being the following one from Sir Ronald Gunter:— "I read with more 'disgust than surprise tho interview with Lady Gunter on her opinion of Yorkshire and Yorkshire people. While it is'hardly necessary to mention that I am a Yorkshireman, and proud of it, I think I may here sav that I do not sharo her views. The majority of people in Leeds and Wetherby will, without doubt, look upon this outburst of publicity as not in the best, taste. Fcr myself, I am particularly grieved that this uncalled-for criticism- should have come from my wife."

"I wish you to publish my letter, so that it will be made clear that I havo no sympathy with Lady Gunter's views on Yorkshire," said Sir Ronald to an interviewer. "I want it to bo known that .not only do I not associate myself with her statements, but that I disapprove of them strongly and disagree with what she says.

"I can well i magi no that Lady Guntcr's statements must have caused considerable offence and to make my. own position clear, most particularly to the people in Wet her by, who havo known and respected iny. family for so long, X should like to say what I think of Yorkshire, Like all-decent Englishmen, I think my county i 3 tho best in the world and leay that there .is no county better than Yorkshire •in all England. , ''l have lived in Yorkshire since tho age of two and I havo always found, the people most efficient at business, hardworking and loyal. I speak from my experience of those who have worked for myself and my family. There are no peoplo on earth who are more goodnatured or warm-hearted."

lii illo meantime, however, so much resentment was caused by her remarks that Lady Gunter herself had taken steps to modify them. In a further interview sho sni(]: —"I am extremely distressed by tho impressions created among Yorkshire people. They think I have snubbed Yorkshire, That is absolutely wrong. I like \ orkshire and tho last tiling I want to Ho is to offend the Yorkshire people, among whom I have come to live. I will defornl Yorkshire folk against everyone." Lady Gunter was formerly on the stngo. Sir Ronald, tho third baronet, is 26 years of age.