STILL THERE

Patea Mail, 4 May 1938, Page 4

STILL THERE

AMERICAN CONCERN TOR LONDON

San Francisco turned the tables on London recently when a morning news, paper reporter, weary at queries from London newspapers about imaginary major disasters, phoned the London “Daily Sketch" to ask if a storm had swept that city into the North Sea.

A few' weeks ago w'hen a gasoline storage tank burned in a remote part of the business district, the London papers phoned to find out about “streets running, with flame." 'Then last week when a gale blew down a few trees London papers phoned to ask if San Francisco would be rebuilt.

“Are you there?" asked the San Francisco reporter, this time. When the London editor replied that the 'was, the reporter asked, “Well, is London there?" He explained that he had heard reports that the storm ;had nndg. ed the city into the North Sea.

“Oh, no," replied the editor. “It isn’t like that at all." He put the ■reporter fin with an assistant editor who could clear up the storm reports.

“It was rather a good storm," said the assistant. “ At Norfolk the sea ran in five miles, but that happens fair, ly regularly— * ’ “But what about London itself?" the San Franciscan persisted. “Isn’t the city almost done in! Didn’t your subway flood and drown thousands like rats?"

“Oh, gracious, no. You see* —"

“Didn’t his Majesty and the Royal Family have to flee Buckingham, in a punt? Didn’t London Bridge fall down? Didn’t —"

“Oh, I say. Are you pulling my leg?"

“I wouldn’t telephone 8000 miles," the .San Franciscan declared, “to pull a chap’s leg. •

To which the assistant replied with finality: “It 'wasn’t any storm at all. " And hung np.