NEW ZEALANDERS IN LONDON.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20643, 15 February 1929, Page 14

NEW ZEALANDERS IN LONDON.

ART, STAGE, AND LITERATURE. HIGH COMMISSIONER’S DINNER PARTY. MR D. LOW CHIEF, GUEST. . ■ I (From Our Own- Correspondent.) LONDON, December 21. . On. Sunday evening Sir. James and Lady Parr gave-a dinner party to 28 New Zealanders whose business in London- is connected with journalism, literature, art, or the theatre. As the High Commissioner said m his after-dinner speech, he wanted some relaxation from talking about butter and cheese for the benefit of the New Zealu nd ft 1 ® 6 ?*, T^ e y mu st not let it be thought that, the Dominion produced only good butter ‘and lamb. It* produced (rood men and women as well. It was a very happy party, and no one 5f. n deny it was a distinguished one! The IDgli Commissioner had a word or two. to say of each one of the guests at a ’ater part of the evening, but first he proposed the health of the King, and, as is usual at this time of- anxiety, he referred. to the nation’s love for his Majesty. There was not a New Zealander alive, he said, who.-was 'not as anxious about the “ts s health as any man outside'the cates of- Buckingham Palace to-day. -rr party whs held in the Mayfair Hotel,-and the guests were seated, at one ■ big, table. Sir James Parr had on his right MiSs Isabel Wilford,-. and in his left Miss -Marie Ney. Lady Parr had on her right Mr. David Low. the- cartoonist, and on her left the Hon. W Pember Reeves. The table was charm-' lUgly decorated with red carnations. A year ago, said Sir James,- he realised', that the High Commissioner was doing far better work .by getting about theprovinces and urging the people'* to eat" our produce,, and persuading' the" diopkeepers to. stock! our butter! instead of butter, incidentally '.thus helping the New Zealand farmers'. But he wanted a relaxation from this, and so he thought' he would gather round him some ,-hoice spirits whose concern was not with butter" and cheese, but with , literature and art The High Commissioner went on to mention by name the guests sitting round the table.’ The .’list was an interesting one, as it showed what New Zealanders who were not in-;'commercial life .are doing in London.; Four of those invited sent letters of regret for not-being prefierit —Mine Rosina Buckman, “ the queen of the opera stage so far as New, Zealand was concerned”; Miss Jane -Mahde.r one-of-the leading New Zealand novelists;- Ur Shayle Gardner; who has made a name for himself in the . British film world; and Mr Hector Bolitho, a writer of promise. THE PRESS. Sir James said that he was. grateful lor the kindness shown, to him by the press, and for the courtesy; shown to ’ him; personally. A High Commissioner naturally depended largely upon the press for the success or otherwise of. his '.'office. ' The New Zealand'press had been very good to him, and he had never bad a better press than he had had during the past two years and. a-half. They had with them New, Zfealanders, who had made good • iu the press, of this country. There was Mr 'F; W. Doidge, whom he had known as a reporter on the Auckland . Star. ! He was üb\y one of the managing directors of. the great Beaver brook system of newspapers. They had Dr A. J. Harrop, of the Dailv Mail and Weekly Despatch, who had had a brilliant university career, apd who had done good work as an historian in his books on early New Zealand history, and Gibbon Wakefield; Mr J. P. Whitelaw who was a sub-editor of the Daily Chronicle; Miss Evelyn Isitt, on the staff of the Manchester Guardian; Miss-E. Watson, ®f. the New Zealand Press Agency; and Miss A. E. Evans, “the doyen among New Zealanders in Fleet street.” . “ Where could you find so fine a woman and so wonderful a journalist,” said Sir James. It is not often possible for the two to go together.” Among the painters there were Mr R. S. Hellaby, who had established a reputation already in London; Mr H. Rouii tree, -whose reputation as a poster artist had long been established; Mr R. Hipldns from Napier, .whose recent exhibition of New Zealand paintings had- been highly esteemed by those able to judge. - ■/- Then there ’ was Mr Pember Reeves, whos book “ The Long White. Cloud ,60 wonderful, because the writer loved his country with all the fibre of his being and he put that affection ! atb his work ‘ I wish he had gone or, writing books and poetry. He fell from grace and went into politics, and he produced the legislation that has led to nothing but mischief ever , since.”—(Laughter.) No one had written more charming stories of New Zealand than Rosemary Rees,, continued Sir James, and there was 'Captain F. Hudson, who as a journalist, a writer., and.a poet, was well known. ■ , ;' . THE STAGE.

Last, but not least, were those two ladies who had made their name in the London world of dramatic art—'MWb Mane Ney, Miss Isabel Wilford. while Miss Marjorie Bassett, Miss -Una Buddie, and Miss. Molly Plimmer were aspirants m the same. direction. In the world of music Miss Esther Fisher was a great pianist, and all London had been charmed by Miss Stella Murray’s singing. The High Commissioner also made happy reference to Miss 'N. Scanlan, .Miss E Maguire. Mrs .Woollcombei. Mr F MTI- - MivG. Ihnes, Mr P, Bayley, and Mr 1. J. Pemberton—air connected with the business' of journalism or authorShip. ; . . ....

Sir James mentioned some of the early literature of Mew Zealand. He recalled the fact that Samuel Butler presented his .-.irks t.) Canterbury College, where they were locked up as. not being suitable tor young minds. -‘No such thing could have happened in my own town, of Aucklan V’ he said, amidst laughter. Sir James went on to speak of Alfred Domett, o.’ W,; Pember Reeves, of Walpole, and_ then of the' principal guest present—David Low, Who had already niade his mark as the best and he most eminent caricaturist of the’day. It was a- great thing- that Mr, Low had spent his early days in New. Zealand. CARICATURIST AND POLITICS.

Mr Pember Reeves spoke of the'work of the caricaturist in. political life. A politician was fortunate, he said, to have a good orator and a good article writer on his side. But the orator could stir only a roomful.of people. . The article winter could address a larger number of people. But he was not sure of the People reading his article, and if they read it they probably forgot about it. .The political _ cartoonist, however,' addressed the public in a-way if could not ignore, iOr having once got hie audience he gave it no. trouble. He made his impres■sipn on the very lowest of his audience. However unintelligent they were, he made them think. Mr Pember Reeves meutioned i Tenniel’s famous " Dropping the Pilot ’’ and ‘‘ Disraeli am the Sphinx ” as cartoons that had changed entirely the mental attitude of ;i nation towards the Kaiser and Disraeli. . ■ , The present political situation in Now Zealand would suppl: an admirable subject for Mr Low. “For 40 years.” said Mr Pember Reeves, "I have tried to learn something about rinance. 1 always Lpund it was not a very easy subject to master. After reading some 40 or 50 speeches made during the recent New Zealand election campaign I have ■ come to the conclusirn that it is.a far moi; difficult subject than ever believed” Mr Reeves recalled the immortal , speech .of k . certain New Zealand politician wdjo s-aid: " Mr Speaker. I have listened during this debate .to many, dreadful attempts at im-prn-ed legislation, but. sir, I say . that New Zealand will survive all He believed t- Dominion would survive oven the nest year or so. A POLITICAL PHfENIX. ' Mr Low, in, replying to the toast of the guests. ; aid. that when he looked round at the gathering of beauty and talent ho was convinced that the destiny of New Zealand did not entirely depend noon butter and cheese. “ If as a New Zealander I might make. a shgge-t 011.” . lie said. “I would have wav models niade .'of the ladies here to be exhibited-in the windows of New Zealand House, and to take the place of the rather depressing •wax mode's of New Zealand lamb.” Refer ring to political events in the Dominion. ' Low recalled that 20. rears ago . when hf " ns in -New 'Zealand it Was part- o h|s duty to cherish the Government of Sir Joseph Ward. ‘ n l, alwavs recall with smile c:meo"n thlil some thr.ee woei-v af*er 1 .le r '’ v ow Zealand ®ir Joseph dii--. appeared into oblivion M -eems • (hal amdher geiit'eiran rf- the, same name ree''!iGv cropped 1 up. and Ims assnn)»d the resnntisibilit ; e<i -of Rmme Minh-'t"-

' and I hear that he, intends to borrow £70,000,000. I am. sure he must be some relation.” After v revealing some oi chi, linaucial secrets of the Daily Express group, and telling the story of how the Evening Standard secured the services of Mr Low; Mr Doidge spoke in a way, that made, one conclude that his enthusiasm for Ibis, own cohntry had something to do with the way in which successful New Zealanders were acclaimed in • the pages of the 1 Beayerbrook group of papers. He announced that Miss Rosemary Rees .was to have another of her serials published in the, 'Evening' Standard, and the price to be paid would’ make other authors envious. In Miss Marie Ney he believed we had the very finest and cleverest actress in London. ' . - A very pxeasant evening concluded with the toast to' the host and hostess.