TREATED AS A JOKE

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 75, 22 December 1920, Page 7

TREATED AS A JOKE

j MILLIONAIRE'S .£20,M1) CHEQUE.

London, December ti. A message from Paris states that a diverting story of how a chequo for •£20,(100, bearing the signature of a famous Anglo-Greek millionaire, Sir Basil Zabaroff, was treated as a joke, has to light. "p appears that two mouths ago Sir Basil Zaharotf visited the Pari6 "Zoo" and talked to the guardian of the monkey house. Ho waxed indignant at the miserable state of the monkey house, niul when, told that ,£20,000 was .wanted k> put it in proptv order ho immediately wrote a cheque for that amount and handed it to the keeper. The latter, thinking ho had to deal ■with an amiable lunatic, gave the cheque to the office chief, who laughingly put it in a drawer and forgot all about, it for two months, when, as a matter of form lie sent it to the Ministry of Education. To his horror he promptly received a sharp noto asking what was meant by keeping a chequo §igned by Sir Basil Z&haroff, for two months.—Renter. fSir Ssisil Znharotf is a well-known Conj tincntal banker, and was born in Greece in 1850. Flo was educated at London and I Paris, and established Chairs of .Aviation at the Universities of PaTifand PetI rograd, and also one in England attaoh--1 ed to the Imperial College of Bcienoa.l