"ME LUD LIVERPILL"

NZ Truth, Issue 605, 20 January 1917, Page 12

"ME LUD LIVERPILL"

"HIS EX." HITS THE ROOF AND EXPLODES LIKE , A PACKET OF CRACKERS s Roars and Raves at a "Bus" Reporter What are the Wowiers Going to do About It ? _..■/■■ (From "Truth's* Christchurch Hep.)

His Excellency the Governor, Lord "Liverpool, tvas m Christchurch last week, paying distinctive attention to the batch of men, since drafted into his Ex's pet patriotic hobby, the hospital ship Maheno. The ; men were camped at the Addingrton show grounds and, on a particular morning, when they were to receive a special favor, which we wonder whether men of other hospital ships received, the ENTERPRISING. GHRISTCHTJRCH "BUN" sent a reporter out. to. the camp (for the purpose of picking, up an interesting piece of news before the other local rags woke up. It seems that there was no guard at the gates of tho show grounds, and the reporter, who was a returned solSier, wearing his well- won armlet, strolled to where the Maheno men were paraded for an interesting ceremony. His Ex. and staff were inspecting the draft, and the unsuspecting "Bun" rep., keen on "copy," took it all m and made notes concerning liis Ex's presentation of lanyards to the men, while he was awaiting an opportunity to, introduce himself to the vice-regal potentate. The scribbler, however, is said to have introduced himself to the aide-de-camp of Lord Liverpool — the soldiers \ good humoredly call him "Ijord LiverplH"— and then— , but lot the "Bun" tell the story as it had the enterprise to publish it on the evening of the occurrence. Said the "Bun": ' The inspection and formal ceremony concluded, the men were given the command to stand easy. His Excellency then addressed a few words to the men, pointing out that previous drafts had set a high standard and that the corps had thus a reputation to live up to. After speaking m this strain for a few minutes, during which "The Sun" representative made a short written not© of the utterances, his Excellency spoke on the movements of the hospital-ship after leaving New Zealand. Information of this sort, cannot be published, of course, by the War Regulations, and the reporter, recognising that fact, placed his note-book back m His pocket. "THAT MAN THERE!" H© had no sooner done this, when his presence was evidently brought to his Excellency's notice for the first time, who, pointing to him said: "That man there! Damn it, what is he doing there? 1 ! < ■ This information, of course, was promptly supplied — it may be explained that the whole of the remarks were addressed, and replies given, m i the hearing of the assembled troops. ; "Tho Sun" representative replied < that he was a pressman. i "Then, why the hell are you hero?.? Damn it, by what right?" came the j forceful and heated reply oi hie Inter- i rogator. "I was sot aware thstt " I wxuo doing anything wrong, sfcrl" w»d to« pressman's rejoinder. "Damn it, some of my remarks to the men tiere h/tva been on confidential matters," wus his Excellency's retort — M I recognise that, sir," was the reporter's reply, "and for that reason refrained from noting them." Again came a stormy rejoinder from his Excellency,'" which bare down the "Sun" representative's explanation of his presence, and the fact that the aide-de-camp had been (aware of his Identity. His Excellency concluded 1 with: "Take that man out and off tho premises." '' As, m compliance with this order, the' "Sun" representative was being escorted off the scene, he was overtaken by Major Bond, who quite courteously demanded that the short-hand notes of this Excellency's speech • should be handed over to bim on behalf of his Excellency. These notes were promptly handed over, and the Incident ended with the departure of our representative." "VIOLENT GUBERNATORIAL LANGUAGE," tho "Bun" calls tho remarks of his Ex. "Govemomatorlar would perhaps have been nearer tho mark, because the vice-regal touch would then probably have privileged the lurid out-

burst. ''Truth," however, is greatly concerned over the effect which the publication of such language will have on the felicity of New Zealand's combined wowserdom towards his Ex. Will he be called upon by wowser "heads" to explain his departure from the path called virtuous, - but which is dreadfully joyless an ck monotonous to a man of the world like M'lord Liverpool? Will his name be wiped off the roil of his church? Wowserdom undoubtedly regards the use of such lan-

guage as ungodly, , although "Truth" dares to say that an occasional "damn" is no greater blot on a man's name than the frequent "bother" and "dash," legitimately indulged m by wowsers. Lord Liverpool, m fact, has rather "rlz" m "Truth's" estimation. Really, we now regard him as "one of us," Tho point of his remarks which causes pain, however, is that he should so far forget himself as to humiliate a member of the press, as he seems to have done. There seems to have been nothing which would have prevented his Lordship from quietly and privately expressing his sentiments to the pressman, rather than bailing him -up In front of a crowd of soldiers, as the "Bun" report of tho incident Implies. Perhaps his Ex was "riled" at, the thought of a pressman hearing his remarks to the men, remarks of the nature which the War Regulations probably prohibit being published by anybody. Nevertheless, he could have relied on the discretion of any newspaper to prevent the publication of those remarks rather than invite a

severe penalty under the Regulations The" whole bother seems to have beer that his Excellency got A LITTLE BIT BEYOND' HIMSELF Seeing, however, that the kaleidescopic observations credited' to him have now been scattered broadcast over the country, he surely should have giver his subjects a somewhat more effective apology than the following explanation, which appeared next day ir the paper which published the original incident: "The adjutant of the N.Z.M.C. drafl at present m camp at "AddingtoE (Major Bond) takes exception to the version published m- the "Sun" oil Thursday of the incident which resulted m the removal -of our reportei from the> buildings where his Excel\ency the Governor addressed the Maheno's hospital staff. • "Major Bond stated that his Excellency had given instructions that the proceedings were to be private anc when he discovered our reporter's presence he inquired of Major Bone! who he was and why he was there Major Bond further states that his Excellency did not address our reporter, but made the observations published to him. "Our reporter is equally confident that, m the main, he was addressed personally by his Excellency. "Major Bond further states that oin reporter, who was conducted outside by a n.co. and two or three men, was merely removed from the building anc not from the camp. -Needless to say our reporter took it that his presence m the camp was not desired anc promptly returned to town." |