"WE HAVE WITH US TO-DAY—"

NZ Truth, Issue 1080, 12 August 1926, Page 6

"WE HAVE WITH US TO-DAY—"

THE EAGLE EYE WHEN the ominous notice summfaning a bankrupt to attend a meeting p'f his creditors arrives, .the cashless one trembles slightly,, for he i

knows that he will have to brave the eagle eye of A. W. Watters, the Official Assignee of Christchurcli. And what a keen eye it is, too. No bankrupt who has ever filed is clever enough to deceive Watters. Some have tried, but under that

steady and x*elentless gaze which looks right into the soul of a man, their voices have faltered and the color has left their cheeks, leaving them mere symbols of stammering incoherency. "What have you done with your sugar?" is — m effect— the attitude of Watters. Indeed a thorny question, and under his interrogation it cannot be pushed aside with airy generalities. Watters stands • no nonsense or hedging. He has a, knack of getting at the truth with unerring precision, and if a bankrupt' tries" bluff he quickly finds himself without a leg to stand on, for Watters does not .mince words when the occasion arises. ■ At first glance there is an impression of brutal directness and iron-fisted methods— but it passes immediately he starts to speak. A pleasant voice and rare courtesy characterize the, manner of the Official Assignee. ; " MOTHER" SCOTT THE maintenance of rights of women on Gistoorne local bodies rests solely on the shoulders of Mrs. , Agnes Scott, who succeeded to a seat on the Cook Hospital Board after several vain attempts. . Mrs. Scott has never much to say on that august body of Jersey co\V3 arid aristpcratic ' sheepfarmers, but when she does spoak it's m ho unceitain voice, and with no beg-pardons. Few of her fellow, -members would admit the value of her services, but that does not lessen her real merit. The appellation of "Mother" which is frequently applied to her carries no suggestion of disrespect, for' practically the whole of her time is devoted to .the mothering of. the bairns m the children's creche. They are her special care, arid thore arc ,a number of young Gisborne people who can pay tribute to a careful upbringing by this warmhearted foster-mother. , "Mother", Scott spends 16 hours a day doing social welfare work and the rejst of the time she's dreaming about it. . ■ ''1■•••'• : . . . - PORCELAIN ART P> OBEET W. SNEDDONhiai rightly - be . termed the advance agent of porcelain m the British colonies. ■ ' ' ' ■ "■'.■■ His father taught him all there was to know about the art m the workshops m Glasgow. Another five years Robert spent m a laboratory m Glasgow learning an atiout chemicals, and a>furthef'tw6- years m the factory trying himself ,;put as a fully-fledged master pf the' art of porcelain manufacture. :...■. ' . ■ Then he. made tracks for Australia. That was; e|ghteen years ago. Since that time 'he' has started the porcelain industry 1 in.TasmaniiV*;:arid m Sydney, n'.s.w. . ; ;;.v-i>- : k' .-■■ : '■■'• ■•■>\-\ ,: ;To-'day jfew Zealand has her factory for/vthey manufacture of porcelain, and it isv'sJLt'uated. at rpetone.,^", : T;h e^maYi w,hp : ;star ted s >'the -• fi rst ■ factory ifor.itlie manufacture of this class of; goodg" was. Robert' W: Srieddon. His sibgaTi'iti whatever country he happens- to be : introducing. the art of porcelain -.is: ."Help both your . primary ;in;d^u.stries».a;rid- your: secondary industries' I 'by buying the 'good's of your own :cquntry.." ;'■;/'. ' v .;.'_.;> ' ; : - A LAWYER'^ LASSOO HE was only a littlo r.hap, but the atmosphere of . the Wellington Magistrate's Court had taken toll of his nerves. . He was the principal witness against a man who was alleged, to have committed a serious crime. It was Lawyer J. F. Russell WaJlace, though, . who administered the cotip-de-grace and by the time he had finished with; the cross-examination the youngster didn't quite know whether he was expected to answer a crossword puzzle or called upon to express his juvenile views :on the political situation, of Jugo-Slavia m relation to the price, of the glass eyes of imported teddy; bears. "It's no good, sir," he cried; ''I don't know where I are." Between the "uphoriious Court and sporti Lawyer J.F.R.W. makes a tolerable arid- happy existence. Budding tegal practitioner and Rugby fan. deerstalking .crank -aid ah all-round good sort, this legal light will not allow himself to be extinguished. ■ . . PAINLESS ORDEAL HE is a man of close on six feet an.l of powerful build. His voice— in keeping with his physique — is deep, and his mariner bluff. And there, m a nutshell, you have Harry Green, of Wellington.. "It 'Ms possible that, had his lot been cast' m another sphere, New Zealand would have known his as a ', champion . heavyweight boxer, for on appearance he has all the desired qualities. As it is, his vocation m life is the relief of pain, and .the improvement of' the public's facial appearance, for he has developed into one. of the tcapital city's most prominent dentists. Big m build, he has built up a big business. . . ■ . BACKING THE BANKS WHEN he found, it expedient to launch an attick on banks and banking m ;the Supreme Court at Auckland the other day, Lawyer J. F. W. Dickson "rubbed it m" good arid hearty about these financial octopi "taking theii* pound of flesh." Judge Herdman, however, was •on the bench arid classed some of the refnarks of learned counsel as' "absurd nonsense.' 1 His Honor made it: clear that he could speak 1 with, some authority on banks and bank procedure when he stated that' he had himself once been a bank official. ■ '.■.•'• ".''' SECRETARY SEDD6N ' ITtrHEREVER. you see brass bands Vy assembled m contest you Avill find Frederick George Seddon, of Wanganui,' m their midst. Fred is the. genial secretary ot the N.Z. Brass Bands' Association, and what he does not know about the job is hardly worth learning. For years past he has been the secretarial pivot of the Wanganui Agricultural Association, around whom the farmers gather m clusters at show time.. In later years the'- Winter Show Association, also availed themselves of his services, and' now the Farmers' Union have' also placed their doubles m. his hands. During the Boer War Fred did his whack on the. veldt and ever since he lias been a live member of; the South African f.Veteuans' Association. What with brass bands and the affairs of the man; on the land, he is, indeed a busy man,; j ■

A BREAD AND BUTTER ROMANCE TJILLi GAMBLE, of the firm of Gamble and Creed, Wellington, is nowadays •*-* a contented-looking sort of chap. Some 20 years ago, however, anxiety sat on his brow. ' . ■ . ■ ; \ He was then mending saddles and -harness m a country town near Wellington. Business was dwindling. Bill was <slick at His job and; industrious, but th.c motor-car was making its malodorous debut on rustic byways and folk were beginning to eschew Dobbin and the family buggy for the new means of travel. , ' '■. .'■'': If motor-cars had: worn harness, Bill need riot have worried: but he foresaw certain extinction by a process of attrition. He deflected from this ignoble finish of his life's hopes and looked for a new calling. Along with a kindred spirit, the late Johnnie Creed, he turned his energies into a very . modest tea venture. , The pair bought -tea m bulk, packed it and hawked it from door to door. As a regular clientele was established, they were able to invest m a bicycle, then m a horse and trap, and later m a motor-car. The very evil genius, m fact, that had. driven Bill from his humble calling was now to serve his interests. , ■,■.,-. ■ : : The partners hit upon the idea of opening a small shop and supplying a cup of their choicest brew with bread and 'butter for the modest charge of 3d. The bread and butter was really a secondary matter. The idea was a. subtle scheme to submit their tea to public approval. By one of those queer chance-shots m life, however, the pair found they had hit upon a public need. The brand of tea was immaterial, but the people who rushed the homely spread at a "thrummer" a time could not be accommodated. For a little time, the innovation was looked at askance— there was a catch somewhere-^ but the quality of; the service soon got round. , •■. ■ The initial venture is now a well -organized firm with up-to-date tearooms. There are over 100 names on the pay-roll. The firm has, its own ■bakery, vjwhile the tasty ham m the sandwiches is from the porkers reared on the firms own farm near Wellington. Some. two years ago a grievous *?ri? A vf m occurred m. the death of Johnnie Creed; the partner and pal ot Jbiu Gamble. . , .',■' :■.".,'^ „-.'/ 1 U a Wi r|] alwa y s find Bill on deck giving his. personal supervision to the' S ca ,' of , course i Sj the great beverage he. purveys, but he is not at otkeJtev^rale'^^Xeer! 1 oheerfull y^ oln 1 m partaking of^ny

f WIG AND GOWN - I ,- ■ . •'-■-.; ■-; '.■ ■ IT is surprising what dignity attaches to a worn-out and dishevelled ■wis and still more surprising the' num- . ber of ' this description Seen m the |

c°u r ts to-day. course, exceptions. . On 6 9 f tlie mi ost these m the sittings of the Auckland Supreme Court is crowned byafreshlooking, glistening *wrig, lie carries :a *. discerning taste ;to the other appur- ; tenances ; of the

profession. / , : .:.. He wears his neat-fitting vestment at every, appearance and his flowing, gown is. always carefully kept m position. • ' ' ■/': . -„ . Others who are meticulous m their uniforming are Lawyer George Finlay (always neat -and tidy, m his legal attire), and Lawyer. Leary, .who, however, has the habit of allowing his gown to get very much astray about his back. ■ . • ''■--' . Lawyer Luxford is . another . who brings •■ to the Bar an air of dignity and grace when bowing to his Honor.;, :_ MUSICAL MAINLAND'S TN Gisborne tho name of Mainland li. r Foster is synonymous with, musicr-r not jazz or ragtime, but the real thing. :He spends all his spare time, and . perhaps some that he really cannot spare, m dispensing harmony;'.As conductor of the Savage Club prches- ■ ti'a he commands a musical; cdmbina^ tioh of rare excellence, and it is his work m this connection that .has .done > more than, anything else to make the .. Savage Club one of the most.popular : organizations, of its kind. . If "it's not the musicar. savages "that • M.L. is training m the finer p'bihts; its some other orchestra. He has just seen the Amateur CJperatic Society's ' annual production through a strenuous ; season, and • even the most ambitious, artist behind ■ the footlights will admit that ttie orchestra m front was an outstanding feature, while any member'of the orchestra wiir willingly.: acknow;ledge that. M. X.. was the man behind . the gun. , . ■-.'■'■.■ He is not the only musical member ; of his family. His life's partner; is a pianiste ;of no ordinary merit, and a notable adjunct to the Operatic Society's orchestra. . During business hours , Mainland Foster manages Williams and Kettle's :[ Gisbprrie branch. ; ■..''■, . : '•'■' bADDY OF 'EM ALL SIXTY years with the., same firm! \ What a record! Millions of people don't live as- long. ■ Archie.,Bruce, ■■: "Phaeton" ' , of-' the "New Zealand Herald," recently . completed 60 years , of service with his present: employers. \ .Through .all, these yeafs he lias beeri;' . trusted and respected by his employers. As a sporting writer of more recentk*? t times/ he has had ample opportunity : to become acquainted with every phase • of.the game. . ,; ' ', He is the blde'st sporting writer m the Dominion. He is also the father of '"'the 1- "chapel," for . before he went: over to the pen-pushing side of life he was comp., foreman, printer and deputy-publisher. He was P.D.. When r only 11 years of age and after 1 a life [of.-•much, activity : and conscientious' . [work he is still hale and heartyv.;,.,-- ' 1. Just turned: -three score years yanxT ten. he is yet chock-full' of: energyjin = spite of 40 years of night work.- He ■ has attended niore race meetings perhaps than any other man m New Zea- ; land arid "backed-' fewer horses. Oiie bf the old school, lie" loves racing for ;. racing's sake. . , ' ;'•"', .'-.-.•■*■'■ V- EVE IN EDEN ':^ y,; MRS. BALLANTYWE, . of Mount. • Eden, Auckland, is the • only ; .-. woman of the executive' of the , Labor Representation* Committee. This is m itself a testimonial of tact, judgment, and discretion, for it ;is generaally believed—though she would loyally " ; deny it —that her, party has no objection to at Eden or elsewhere; only • so long as positions of great power are. |iot seized by her. , ' ,-"■'•' ' The question, that is asked by others, though not by herself, is: ."Will Mrs. Ballantyne perhaps some day. take a. higter flight—to /Parliament "itself,?" She has had plenty of training, doing much work connected with Labor, being also leader of the Women's Labor h Party m -Aucklandi where lately she. gave out an invitation for all unemployed women to meet her at the Trades Hall. '"'■' \ ' When speaking to Mrs/Ballantyne one has the. impression that she has travelled, but this she.has done with- . the wings of the mind only.' Born m New Zealand, she has drawn every breath' m its once free^—but liow riot quite "so free^atmosphere. ,;. A BUSH LOLLIE. C[ATURD AY afternoon finds him hard »Z)^ at-it. Flourishing some article m his hand, he shouts: "Going, going, gone!" and J. Y D. Candy Crewe, Pahiatua's auctioneer-mayor, has. effected a sale. Candy— that's his real name— . has grown up with the Bush capitalfi.... Formerly a land agent, he now combines his interests m his the meeting. place of the'town. Tall and spare, he has none of .the doleful attributes which persons of meagre proportions generally possess, but is a . jovial, good-natured chap.. Candy is; an ardent: disciple of Henry and until just recently possessed a/Liz." of prewar vintage with which he used to do circus tricks. He now has a more up-to-date model. ' ■ *A DINKUM' ANZAC; AMONG the legion.of prosaic, civil servants carrying on day by day, '. the functions" of the State, m that huge wooden pile m the Empire City, there is one, at least, AVhose; thoughts .must occasionally,; stray from.dull,;"red tape" to the ad-^ venturous days;' of the past. . '^ fc It is not so many years ago smce Teddie Hulbert, :now of the Treasury Department, was a harum-scarum boy. At the age of 14, with an imagination alive .to the marvellous adventures of ; the great outside world, he slipped off to sea- on one of the old familiar windjammers. Out of pocket m good old London," but by' no means down and out. m ,spii-it, he "took: the shilling" and-Vwas^ decked out as a dashing trooper m the • Inniskilling Dragoons. Shortly before.;.; the big row m Europe.he obtained exw," tended furlough to visit his people im^ New Zealand. • ■ :■. -",:,;; ■ When the Main Body left m 1914;y^: Teddie stepped aboard the flagshipl as:.-' lieutenant m charge of the mounted " signal troop. It is known thafe*: he performed excellent work on Gallipoli. • " m establishing lines of communication. After the folding of tents of Gallipoli, he served throughout the Palestine campaign as commanding officer of the signal troop of the N.Z.M. Brigade. He returned home as Lieut.-Colonel Hulbert, with . the D.S.O. ribbon aU tacihed to his tunic. In these peaceful times lie is the popular commanding officer of the 6th Wellington Mounted Rifle*.