COMMERCIAL TRAVELLERS

NZ Truth, 15 March 1924, Page 8

COMMERCIAL TRAVELLERS

♦ Knights Of The Highways Officers of Orders and Ordering. The Prince of "Wales is the Commercial Traveller of Empire. Mr. Massey, when m Belfast, was dubbed the Imperial Commercial Traveller. The Commercial Traveller "has a very fine calling," says Lord Leverhulme, who has confessed to having been a C.T, himself, and was happy on tho road. Let us ponder, folks, on the place, position, and pride of the C.T. He goes up and down the land m battalions. "That's the 20th that's called on 'me to-day," exclaimed a country storekeeper, nodding towards the C.T. leaving his shop. There is the word of one of the fraternity for it that, there were 100 of them m New Plymduth on one day last week! A weary C.T. dropped into the S.M. Court m a country town recently to enjoy a rest m a cool corner. "Order!" cried the bailiff. "Tes, sir— what is it?" cried the C.T., all the weariness dissipated on hearing that magic password, of the Order of Orderings. It is an oldism that the trade follows the flag — and the C.T.. is out there making the trade worth while for the flag. The C.T. has been grandiloquently betitled. He has been called the Ambassador of Commerce. Lord Leverhulme, at times a phrase maker, calls him the Bridge of Commerce. You may call him whatever you like, so long as there is an order to it, and that's the be-all and end-all of the C.T.s life. There was a veteran passed away at Christchurch the other day who had been 42 years on the road m New Zealand. That is some going. What a whale of a lot that oldster must have known about the highways and byways of the Dominion. It is an ever-recurrent source of surprise ..that the C.T. Association, which is m the heart of every big drive throughout the land, does not induce the Government of this or any other day to appoint a C.T. to the Upper House to represent the interests of the Ambassadors of Trade and Commerce m the land where it is always afternoon. There are many men called up there who are far less worthy of the call than would be the case with regard to some of our C.T.'s. For knowledge of men, manners, and methods, of cities, towns, and townlets, who can compare with the C.T.? The Road calls the C.T. even as the sea calls the mariner. The lure of the lurking places of good business is irresistible. On the other hand, there are many men m solidly satisfactory positions m our four cities and m the semi-cities who were broken In on the Road, and who to-day still remember vividly the days when they had to cover so much country within the week. There was the rush out back — and the speedway towards the desired week-ending. -, There was the lightning-like expedition m Masterton that there might be a game of bowls at Palmerston. There was the leisurely saunter through Timaru so as to get to Temuka for that favorite game. Nowadays, there is the knight of the road who performs miracles of expeditlousnesses because he has a twoseater car. There is many a tale untold of romance by the wayside gathered by the C.T. who has a car. There is many a yarn with some original who has the loose foot, and who may or may not accept a lift along the highway of a life with which they are quite satisfied. Radio has nothing on the interest to be maintained by listening-in to the tales of travellers — especially the C.T. o' that ilk. The best stories extant and unpublished are those of the knights of the road. One of them has filled a book with publlshable stuff— his address is Nelson. But there are books and books and still more books unfilled that might *he contained within the memory-box of a dozen of New Zealand's C.T.'s. ' It would be well worth while for an enterprising publisher m New Zealand or any other country to gather the C.T. yarns and use them to brighten tho columns of his dally paper. It maybe, of course, that the Clan C.T. would not loosen up for publication. But surely its members would take an order for such! The C.T. is an expert In every sport and pastime. On the road In New Zealand to-day there' are men who have been experts m cricket, m football, m golf, m bowls, m swimming, In Ashing, m shooting, In hockey. The C.T. ls the Eighth "Wonder of the World. He is the Enigma of the Energetic. He Is tho Selfless of the Selfish. Collectively, he ls the champion coin gatherer for the cause that lacks assistance. Of the tactful, he has the most tact. Has he a temper? He holds lt well m leash. Is he a politician — then under which flag? Are you puzzled over any matter? Ask a C.T. It's settled. Are you hard up? "Here's half-a-crown, old man," even before you have said so. The world is the bonnier, tho better, the brighter, the busier, the huskier because of the leaven of commercial travellers ln the lump of stodglness that we call humanity. Here's to the C.T. — may there be orders and orders and then some more orders ever and always for him throughout the length and breadth of a land that Is all the better for tlie rush and bustle he puts Into lt.