People and Their Doings.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20650, 26 June 1935, Page 8

People and Their Doings.

Why Miss Grace Moore Favours Politics as an Alternative to Singing : Secretary of the Institute of Pacific Relations to Visit Christchurch : The “Hooker ” Brothers Explained.

VISIT will be paid to New Zealand in July by Mr Edward C. Carter, secre-tary-general to the Institute of Pacific Relations, who is making a survey of the work of the institute throughout the Pacific. As far as is known at present. Mr Carter will arrive at Wellington on July 8, and will visit the four main centres and a number of other cities and towns as well. He will also pay a short visit to Rotorua. As secretary to the American council of the institute, Mr Carter has attended all the conferences of the institute. Within the last few months he has visited the leading countries of the world, and w'as induced by an earnest invitation to extend his visit to New Zealand. ® & gIXTY YEARS AGO (from the “Star” of June 26, 1875) : Shipping.—The New Zealand Shipping Company (Limited), has despatched the following ships since the date of the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company’s circular:—April 13, Collingwood, for Wellington, 293 passengers; April 14, Flechero, for Auckland; April 19, Star of China, for Canterbury, 230 passengers; May 2, Knight of Snowdoun, for Otago, 18 passengers. And were to despatch on May 7 Alumbagh, for Auckland; May 18, Teviotdale, for Wellington; May 20, British Empire, for Otago; May 25, Lactura, for Canterbury, and Colombus, for Auckland; May 30, Carisbrooke Castle, for Auckland; (from Liverpool) June 10, Border Chief, for Wellington; June 10, Waimea, for Otago; June 20, Waikato, lor Canterbury.

Miss Grace Moore sailed for Europe from New York in the He de France with her husband, Valentine Parera. she announced that she might go in for politics if. she ever gav’e up singing. She

had received the previous night 53 telegrams from different organisations inviting her to speak. The lie de France was the liner on which Miss Moore found romance four years ago, meeting Mr Parera, a Spanish cinema actor. They said they would make their trip a sentimental jour-^

nev, observing their wedding anniversary on July 15, at the villa in Venice where they stayed on their wedding trip. “ After that we will go to Cannes,” Miss Moore said. We’ll collect all the things we furnished our villa with, put the place tip for sale, and make our permanent home in Aifierica. If I ever wanted to live in a foreign country if would be Spain, the on* country which retains its courtesy and its appreciation of the United States. But my husband wants to live in the States, too. I’m married to a Spaniard who loves America.” 52? 52? SJ? 'JMIE R.S.P.C.A. has just secured the conviction for cruelty of a man who in the name of “ Professor Frankeryn ” tours the country with a performing flea circus, says London “Truth.” Whether the memof his troupe prey on one another like the

fleas in Swift’s much-quoted verse was not mentioned, but anyhow they were the instruments of the cruelty with which he was charged. It appeared that for the breeding and feeding of his performers the defendant kept dogs, which were found in a shockingly emaciated condition, one Yorkshire terrier being weak and blind, covered with vermin, and almost a skeleton. The Prestatyn Bench imposed a fine of £lO and costs—and much more important—disqualified the defendant from keeping a dog for a period of five years. It is on record that Queen Victoria was once curious enough to witness a private exhibition* of performing fleas at Balmoral, and there is a diverting story of the commotion that occurred when the star of the cast unluckily escaped from the custody of the showman—he was also a professor—and sought the nourishment of royal blood. ® REVIEW recently by a radio announcer of the players chosen to tour the Old Country with the All Blacks was followed with considerable interest, but his frequent use of Rugby terms was somewhat above the heads of some listeners. His mention of the various hookers in the team, for instance, caused one demure young miss to fall into a grave blunder, for she was heard to remark: “Isn’t it simply marvellous that all those Hooker brothers should get into the team?” Much of the remainder of the announcer’s comments was drowned in laughter, but there is one young woman at least who knows more about Rugby now.