People and Their Doings.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19241, 1 December 1930, Page 8

People and Their Doings.

The Archbishop’s Light Fails : What Order Of Precedence Exists In Flying Circles ? : Mararoa Was Once Nearly Ashore At Lyttelton.

IT was rather difficult for those at Sockburn on Saturday to decide which was Oscar Garden’s ’’plane when the formation was seen over the city. In Air Force work, the guest of honour is normally in the front of the formation, which, on these occasions, is usually arrowhead. If the guest does not know the route, however, another ’plane precedes him until the landing ground has been indicated, when the guest is given the honour of alighting first, while the others circle overhead. Christchurch people had an example of this when the Southern Cross landed after Kingsford-Smith’s flight across the Tasman Sea. The formation on Saturday consisted of Aero Club members who, while on the incoming flight, held remarkably good positions. In the landing, however, the formation was lost —at least it seemed so to the spectators—and another machine touched the ground before Oscar Garden’s. W W W JOULES OP PRECEDENCE for occasions such as the arrival of a distinguished personage are rigidly fixed for the Army, Navy and Air Force. In the case of the two older services, these have been unchanged for many years, and are steeped in tradition, although In a great number of cases the actual meaning of various actions has been lost with the passing of time. The Air Force, being very young as compared with the older services, has been able to make its own customs. Some of these arose out of the war, and their significance is not apparent to many people. An example of an old-time custom is found in the Navy, where the health of the King is always drunk sitting. There are various stories concerning the origin of this custom, but the two most popular are: (I) That in the olden days, there was not head room to stand up in a ship’s cabin, and (2) that there was no need for officers to stand up as an act of loyalty, for their loyalty could not be disputed. WWW TAWRENCE OF ARABIA, who is presumed to be the Colonel Lawrence referred to by Professor Ramzin in his confession before the Soviet Court, changed his name twice in order to avoid the publicity which followed the publication of his books. He enlisted in the Royal Air Force as a private tinder the name of Ross, but an officer identified him and sold the information to a daily paper for £3O, with the result that there was an unwelcome publicity stunt, and the authorities dismissed him. A month after his dismissal, however, he

was allowed to enlist in the Tank Corps, and then to exchange into the Royal Air Force as T. E. Shaw. The story goes that in 1927 * G. 8.5.” sent him a book with the inscription “ From Public Shaw to Private Shaw.” W V W J'HERE is an injunction somewhere in the Scriptures to “let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works.” But on Sunday Archbishop Julius, of all men, drove over the Cashel Street crossing after dark without a light. To the traffic officer’s hail of “Where’s your light?” he made some reply that was lost on the wings of the nor’-wester, but he flashed on his light, and the officer was satisfied. It is said that on Saturday evening, from 5 to 5.30, not 25 per cent of the motorists on this crossing observed the new light signals, but last night only 25 per cent ignored them. But the Archbishop was not among this number. He went through on the green signal, which was accounted to him for grace. w w w fJ'HE rather dramatic and disconncerting reaction of the electors of New South Wales to the efforts of Sir Otto Niemeyer to straighten out, as far as advice could do it, the public finances of Australia, has brought this expert prominently into the foreground, writes Professor B. E. Murphy in the Financial 'limes." If his mission in Australia has been to convince the people of the necessity of moving in the direction of financial rectitude, he appears to have failed somewhat signally. For this failure he is probably hardly to blame, if at all. In spite of all pretences, Sir Otto is really in a position analogous to a bailiff in Austraha ,n that he is clearly over there to ascertain on behalf of English financial interests what the present position and future prospects are. The role of bailiff, even when unofficial and carefully camouflaged, is not one calculated to win popularity, nor have the platitudes of Sir Utto himself and the unfortunate fulminations of some of his lieutenants been calculated to smooth a path that would be difficult enough in any circumstances The lesson that emerges from recent Australian events is the impossibility of weaning a democracy from the paths of dangerous ease bv anything short of a catastrophe. Nothing but sheer inability to get further loans will ever pull up the inflationist trend of Australian finance. These observations are not without considerable application to our own country.

J/OG was the principal enemy of the old Mararoa during her long lifetime, for she often had to feel her way into port for the sake of making an express connection. It is said that her only mishap occurred in a dense fog, when she ran aground near Pencarrow Head. There was another occasion, which never got into the newspapers, when she crawled up Lyttelton Harbour in a • anc * at one sta Se, going astern, came within a dozen yards of the eastern mole, j violently Captain Manning realised that he had had a narrow shave, for he anchored, and waited for the fog to lift. Captain Manning was the personification of caution, and the nom de plume (R.N.R.) under which he wrote a number of articles for the newspapers was a contraction of his motto, “Run no risks.” IJp 38? 3S? QN ANOTHER OCCASION, in fog, when the Mararoa was crawling into Weilington late, the stewards had to hurry on breakfast, and there were two sittings. When the saloon had filled up, the other passengers who were filing down the stairs were suddenly halted. At the head of them was the Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Ward, and the second steward, noticing him there, said “Oh, come on, Sir Joseph, we’ll find you a seat.” “ No,” said Sir Joseph, “I am in charge of the second detachment,” and he stayed there chatting with those around him. WWW JN the days when films were silent one _ heard legends of the fabulous values which attached to the personalities of favoured players. Those values have been reduced to nothingness now that the talking pictures are here. People like Mr John Gilbert, for example, no longer have that appeal to the sentimental heart which at one time brought them such vast profit. The talking pictures have brought reality to the personalities of the films. That is why the shadows of Hollywood’s elect have recently become so dimmed, and why other heroes have appeared on the screen. Mr Chevalier is one of those recent recruits. 1-Ie was once an impoverished singer of naughty and slightly sentimental songs in Parisian cafes. He knew no English then. The Great War had not begun. During the War he was made a prisoner by the Germans, and by a fortunate chance, he then met a fellow-prisoner —a man whose job it was to teach. The teacher was Sergeant Kennedy, of the Durham Light Infantry. It was Sergeant Kennedy who taught Mr Chevalier in a prison camp the elements of the English which he now sings and talks so deliciously on the screen.