People and Their Doings.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 732, 8 April 1933, Page 8

People and Their Doings.

Will Local Maori Art Disappear? : A Canterbury Man s Expenenc in the Royal Air Force : Famous Men Who have Married Their Secretaries. .. . • pitvtv vttarq AGO (from the “ Stai

WALTER G. FISH, C.8.E., until two two years ago editor of the London “ Daily Mail ”, has married Miss Margery Townshend, his former secretary, and one of the most charming and efficient women in Fleet Street. Mr Fish, although retired from the cares of editorship, is a director of Associated Newspapers, Ltd., and is in his fifty-ninth year. He was one of Lord Northcliffe’s ” finds ”, and for years has been one of the most vigorous personalities in modern journalism. Other well-known men who married their secretaries are Lord Reading, the Rev R. J. Campbell, the Bishop of Norwich (Dr Bertram Pollock), Sir Trevor Bigham, Sir Ronald Waterhouse, Sir George Hume, M.P., the Rev R. F. Horton, the late Edgar Wallace and the late Thomas Hardy. ® »T*HE MEMORY of the late Captain R. E. Sassoon, the famous steeplechase rider, is to be perpetuated on a racecourse. Mrs Meyer Sassoon, his mother, has given a challenge cup which is to be competed for annually by amateur riders at the Hurst Park February meeting. The Hurst Park executive will give each year, in addition, a cup to the trainer of the winner, and a gold-mounted whip to the rider. Captain Sassoon nw with fatal injuries while riding Clear Note at Lingfield in January. Clear Note was bought at auction recently by Mr P. V. Cazalet. & W ® ■yyHEN MR CERMAK, the late Mayor of Chicago, was hovering between life and death, a transatlantic telephone call from Chicago, said to be from Mayor Cermak’s daughter, was received in Riga for Rabbi Schneerson, a celebrated Jewish faith-healer. It was stated that a request was made that the Rabbi should intercede by prayer for Mayor Cermak’s recovery, and it was pointed out that the Mayor, although a Gentile, had always helped the Jews to the utmost. When the caller was informed that Rabbi Schneerson was in Berlin, she decided to ring him up there.

CIR APIRANA NGATA’S recent advice to Hokianga Maoris to make an effort to restore their olden ceremonies centring in the marae and the carved meetinghouse is certain to give pleasure to many who have watched the progress of events among the natives of the north (writes J.C.). While the Native Minister is about it, he might do a further service to the Ngapuhi people and their kindred tribes in the north by assisting them to develop the local latent talent in artcraft. Too many Maori communities which have improved the kainga by building carved houses have relied on Rotorua for their artcraft work in carvings. This, if it continues, is likely to result in a sameness and a standardising of decorative work. Originally each large tribe had its own skilled artisans and decorators ; nowadays there is a tendency to a broadcasting of conventional patterns. In the north they have, at any rate, an abundance of the raw material; the local artists can be produced again, given sufficient encouragement.

lyjß REX KIPPENBERGER, the young South Canterbury aviator, who recently went to England to join the Royal Air Force, is enjoying life over there and having many interesting experiences, but the farming traditions amongst which he was brought up and the love of New Zealand are so strong in him that he has not so far expressed any desire to remain permanently in England. Those who remember the film “ Hell Divers ”, which was screened here a little while ago, will have some idea of the nature of the stunting that often falls to the lot of this young man. On one occasion so certain were the ground observers that Kippenberger and his companions operating a small fleet of planes would not be able to recover from their seemingly impossible stunts, that they sent up other planes to warn them. But all landed safely. Then the officers in charge, realising that they had witnessed stunts that had never been performed before, called up all the most important officials of the Air Force and requested the pilots to repeat the performance.

GIXTY YEARS AGO (from the “ Star ” ° of April 8, 1873) : Education. —A Nelson telegram of April 3 to a southern contemporary is to the following effect: —The Board of Education has passed a resolution recommending the Provincial Council to consider the desirability of compulsory education. Ministerial.—A Wellington telegram is to the effect that Mr Fox has resigned the Premiership after being pressed to retain it by Mr Vogel, that he recommended the Acting Governor to send for the latter, which was done, and that Mr Vogel consented to accept the Premiership. Hops.—lt may interest the lovers of a “ glass o’ good beer ” to know that the hop crop at New Norfolk, Tasmania, is much heavier than was the case last year. Over 500 acres are in full bearing, and nearly 3000 men, women and children are employed in picking. Is this not a promising industry for New Zealand?

9 ® SUGIMURA, the Japanese Under-Secretary-General of the League of Nations, who resigned when Japan broke away from the League, is a man of tremendous physique and a mighty swimmer h e i s reputed to have swum the Hellespont—and his presence suggests the traditional idea of a Japanese wrestler, and is impressive in any League meeting. His resignation recalls a story of the days when he represented Japan as a delegate at Geneva. Not then a fluent speaker of French, he went, so the story goes, to Marseilles to polish up the language. Pleased with his achievement and with the cadences of the Gallic tongue ringing in his mind, he returned to Geneva. At the next meeting of one of the League bodies he took exception to some suggestion of principle. On being asked his reason this representative of the last absolute monarch on earth is said to have replied in resounding Marseillaise French, “ Parceque ce n’est pas en accord avec les principles de la Revolution Francaise (“ Because it is not in accordance with the principles of the French Revolution.”).