“Dinner” Hoax Ends With Paying Of Bill

Press, Volume C, Issue 29509, 10 May 1961, Page 14

“Dinner” Hoax Ends With Paying Of Bill

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON. May 9 I The "dinner party” hoax played on the Prime Minis-1 ter (Mr Holyoake) and Mrs Holyoake has ended with payment of the printer’s bill for the bogus invitations. Last month someone sent invitations to several prominent Wellington citizens asking them to dinner with Mr and Mrs Holyoake at their official residence last night. The hoax was revealed when the “guests” began telephoning Mrs Holyoake and sending letters accepting or "regretting " Some embarrassed “guests” first learnt of the hoax in newspaper reports. The result was that Mr and

I Mrs Holyoake had dinner at home last night—alone. | Earlier the Prime Minister had a telephone call from a worried Wellington printer who had printed the invitations on the instructions of the hoaxster who said he was the Prime Minister's “private secretary.” Mr Holyoake rang the printer and offered to pay the £2 bill for the invitations. But the printer had already extracted the money from Victoria University students, some of whom were suspected to be the hoaxsters. He gave the money to charity. “Guests’ invited included the Chief Justice (Sir Harold Barrowclough >, the Roman Catholic Archbishop (Archbishop McKeefry), the Soviet Charge d’Affairs (Mr G. Ivanov), and the former All Black, Ron Jarden.