"GREATNESS THRUST UPON HIM"

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 282, 25 August 1919, Page 4

"GREATNESS THRUST UPON HIM"

* NOT THE RIGHT PRIME MINISTER, "You can always trust the Navy" said the Right Hon. W. F. Massey in the presence of Lord Jellicoe and his officers at tho Orphans Club on Saturday evening. On one occasion it became neces™ry for the Primo Minister to forgo the charms of Paris for a time during the leace Conference in order to visit London. Unfortunately ho missed tho morning train to Boulogne, and was wondering how lie would get across, when he bethought himself of tho representative of ihe British Navy in Paris, knowing that they always had a lot of little ships about. So he waited on the naval lepieseutative. Could he run him over to Dover?' "Certainly!" came tho mf nce ' so ,h® an d his secretary (Mr. J?. Thompson) took train to Boulogne, and on arrival there found a little boat awaiting them-not a destroyer but a submarine-catcher-one of a tyna of boat built specially for the war. This speedy little craft ran them over to Dover m an hour and a quarter." When they left the ship, he, to his great surprise, saw that the admiral of the port was present with a guard of honour, and though he tried to look as if he knew all about it, he was puzzled at tho unusual honour beins paid him. Tho admiral came forward: "Good morning, Mr. Massey, hope you had a good run "cross, , You'll find breakfast all ready at the hotel I" Mr. Massey thaiiked him\ and passed on with a thankful heart to tho breakfast. . . . But the secret was too good a joke, even for the silent Navy to kcop silent about. A naval officer who was behind the scenes said that the evening before tho admiral of the port had receivod from Paris the wire: "Prime Minister arriving in the morn-' ing." The Navy's representative had omitted to say that it was the Prime Minister of New; Zealand. (Laughter.)' When ho met Mr. Lloyd George a few days later he could not resist telling lum the joke, and, in renly, he said: ""Well, you filled tho ijill!"