PERSONS, PLEBS & PLUTES

NZ Truth, Issue 854, 1 April 1922, Page 1

PERSONS, PLEBS & PLUTES

■ Henri Verbrugghen, the musical genius who wags a magic baton over the New South Wales State Orchestra, has left Aussie for a well-earned holiday. The question as to whose shoulders his mantle should temporarily descend on has been exercising the minds of ' musical circles m Sydney. There were, as may be imagined, some local aspirants for the coveted billet, butJ the home-made article got "a nasty jar when it was announced that i a young Polish artist named Skalski, who is visiting Australasia, had been appointed. They do say that our Alfred Hill waxeth very wroth over the matter. Perhaps the committee thought the engagement of an imported article the best way out of it. Still it hasn't stopped the local home-grown product, from indulging m heartburnings — not the kind that you get from, too many goes at the lobster" mayonnaise, but from being scorned.

The credit for being ' the first to make the announcement that Hugh J. Ward had broken with the firm of J. C. Williamson, Ltd., and had formed a company known as the Hugh J. Ward Theatres, Limited, with the substantial backing of Sir Ben and young John Fuller, belongs to Sydney "Truth." Since our Sydney office broke the news there have been several versions of the affair going* the rounds. The inside story seems to be that with the advent of the Taits into the J.C.W. organisation there seem to have been to many men.with strong-, virile, masterful personalities on the premises. ' A safety valve had to be found and it -vvoulcl Seem that this has been secured by Hugh J. getting out. His join-up with the Fullers presages an incursion by that organisation into .high-class theatrical fare, also concerts and recitals, and so, when the new Combination get going properly, the übiquitous Fullers will have a finger m every form of amusement pie m Australasia. Hugh J.. Ward will always be remembered In Wellington •so long aa the Children's Hospital exists. Inthat building- is the "Hugh" ward, a wing built by monies collected by Hugh J. when he was touring the Dominion- with a comedy company m which he played the lead. Their piece de resistance was "The Girl 'from Rectors," a very mild musical farce ■when measured by some we have had since; but .decried by the wowsers of ten years ago as a monstrously sinful production. The unco' quid gave the piece a splendid- ad. 1 by their moanings and groanings, . and after playing an extended season to capacity business, Hugh J. proceeded to heap coals of fire upon their heads by -pointing out to them that the city was short of a properly equipped children's ■- hospital. He then told \them that he was out to raise the money for same. And he was as good as his word. Thus Wellington Hospital has its Hugh "Ward" and Its IPalotta "Cot." .

The staff of the Union S.S. Coy. gathered together last week to make a fuss of Mr. R. J. Hartley, • who has severed his association with the company m order to become manager of the Grand Hotel, Rotorua. To show the esteem; m which he was held by his fellow workers, the latter passed over a very nice typewriter to R.J.H., besides wishing him every success m his new sphere. The presentation was made by Mr. Carter, manager of the company at Auckland. .

t; :: :: Maurice Cohen, who helps to run the Harbor Board m the intervals of doing other things, has been granted nine months leave of absence from the deliberations of that august body, and will spend the tune m a trip to the Old Dart, with a view to recuperating his failing health. Mr. Cohen will take with him, m addition to his passport and his wad-, a precise and elaborate letter of Introduction from the Board, with a view to facilitate any inquiries 'he may desire to make m the interests of the Board, more particularly concerning^ waterside work and kindred subjects.

Dead— W. M. Hannay, hard-headed Scot, business man; and a likeable personality. Seventy-three years of age, deceased came out to Wellington from Glesga' with a sound knowledge of railway management. This was m '75, and it wasn't lonjj before he found himself one of the country's railway commissioners. He ' held down the billet .until the swing of the political •pendulum knocked tne commissioner idea on tlie head. Then another plum fell his way when the management ofthe Wellington- Manawatu Railway Company fell vacant, and deceased was the king-pin, of this prosperous concern until it was merged into the Government railway system. By the time this happened the young Scot had grown into a middle-aged one, and the years had brought increasing cannlness. Hfi was now a director m a nuniber of big: concerns. These included the Waipa Railways and Collieries, Ltd., Turnbull and Jones, Ltd., Dental and Medical Supplies Co., Commercial Union Assurance Co., Metropolitan BuilcMng and Investment Co-, Golden Bay Cement Co., Manson and Barr, Ltd., Victoria Laundry Co., arid Wellington Automatic Bakeries. A staunch Presbyterian, deceased was also a mighty man m the counsels of the Kent Terrace Presbyterian Church. With a pillar of his perspicacity on the premises the x church simply could not help prospering. It became customary for the counsels of Hannay to be religiously followed at the kirk session, and such was his. shrewdness, prudence and caution, that the church doesn't remember ever having occasion to regret his advice. The late Mr; Hannay leaves a widow, two' eons, and three daughters.

There's no useless embroidery about Wyyern Wilson, who S.M.s at the Christchurch Magistrate's Church. In dealing with a culprit the other day, ' he said, "You are fined a fiver and costs^" which reminds "Truth" of another occupant of the Bench at Christchurch the other day, who remarked anenti one of the witnesses, that "he had done his whack !" After all, the introduction of a little Australianese does relieve the monotony, of Court ! proceedings. -^ . ■ I » s: :; r: .. . i John Gemmell Turner, one of Wellington's best known professional mujsicians, passed away duririj? the ! week at the- comparatively early t age of 55 years. The late I Mr. Turner was born m Scotland and arrived with his parents m, Melbourne at the age of 12, whore he received his v musical education under Ringwood Alma West, pupil of the famous Signor Zelman and Signor Manuel Lopez; The ■ late Mr. Turner arrived with >his wife m New Zealand m the (early nineties, and later settled m i Wellington, where 'he commenced {teaching. He was a musician of exceptional attainments and was reputed to have mastered- thirty instruments. Very many hundreds of pupils passed through his hands, and yet he found time to conduct a very successful orchestra, whose services have always been freely given to deserving causes. The deceased was appointed examiner m Wellington for banjo, mandoline and guitar by the! London College of Banjoists and the International Union of Musicians. - He leaves a widow and two daughters. t: :: .. Every now and again there bobs up m the cable news &. brief par to the effect that the' motor yacht "Speejacks" has arrived at some place. The Speeja.cks is. a motor cruiser belonging to av Yankee business man, Albert Y. Gb.wen. He is vice president to the Lehigh Portland Cement Company and the boat and its outfitting- cost (him two hund-red thousand dollars by the time he. and his wife and the rest .| of the boat's complement, which amounts to seven m all, had packed their tooth brushes and clean collars ! on board, but, seeing that Albert Y. is a millionaire he seems to be able to afford.it. The Gowens are taking a year to roam round the globe m their motor boat de luxe. We cannot help contrasting their sumptuous method of world touring- with another experiment at globe trotting along somewhat the same lines. We refer to the ill-starred cruise of "The Snark," as undertaken by the late Jack London and his wife. Not having- a million dbllai's to go gay with, Jack raised a mortgage on his lares and penates, and together with a friend and a man to assist with the navigation, he. set out from 'Frisco to circumnavigate the worlds Afte^r putting, up with .clivers discomforts the cruise came to an^ untimely end by the time they /had. made the Solomons. Here . the novelist and his wife went down with a tropical disease which, from their description, seems to have been worse than the boils that Job complained about; Jack London finished up between the sheets of a Sydney hospital. All the same he gathered, a lot of good material , for his South sSea stories., ■■■•/'-. .■..'•- . ■•. • ' ■ •