The ‘Star’ In The Seventies

Evening Star, Issue 20059, 27 December 1928, Page 7

The ‘Star’ In The Seventies

Personal Recollections BY THE SENIOR MEMBER OE THE STATE. THREE of Iho proscut employees joined before the ’eighties. The oldest of them, enrolled in 1871, supplies fragmentary notes that arc conjured out of his memory. He was called on, when temporarily on holiday from another employer ,in town, to set a column for The first supplement. The brothers Coull 'were in control of the composing room, William the printer, Thomas the stoneluuid, T’rauk at the case. They came from London in 1870. Joseph Drumm. and Joseph Beaker had ‘■‘frames,” and Andrew Walker was the apprentice. Gilbert Buchanan did the jobbing and between whiles ‘Wet ” for the daily. Andrew Walker, who now resides in Wellington, can probably look back into the ‘ Star’ history further than any other living man, for be entered the service as a boy in 1808 and was apprenticed to the trade in 1871. After many years’ work in the employ as a compositor he became the proof reader, and held that position when sent (o Parliament as a Labour member. George Connolly came to the ■‘■Star’ as a turnover in 1871 or 1872. Ho and Walker used to race every day to the railway station with papers for the train. Jack Davis also enrolled at about the same time to till in .part of his apprenticeship. Connolly and Davis were born comiques, and often appeared as cornermen in amateur minstrel shows. It was a happy family upstairs in that building at the corner of

Stafford and Princes streets, which still stands. The composing room had a flood of light from its two frontages, the men were sociable and cheery, and it was a pleasant office to work in, made so by the agreeable conditions and the benign personal control of Mr George Bell, the editor and proprietor, whose governance was of. the.-'patriarchal order—so much so that he knew everyone personally, often emerging from the sanctum at the head of the stairs, when taking a brief respite from multitudinous labours, to say “ Good day ” to whoever he chanced to meet, and never forgetting to inquire about anybody or anybody’s wife wbo happened to be unwell. J. ,13. Whiteway, who had succeeded W. J. Henningham as manager, was hut rarely seen aloft; he kept to his office on the street level alongside the publishing room, where James Henry ' Clayton had charge, and close to the press room, wherein George Miuifie worked his wonders first with a hand press and subsequently with a Wharfedalo machine of which the office was quite proud. Clayton and Minilie were the dressiest men in the employ. At work Minifio donned dungarees; on the street ho was invariably top-hatted and paget-coatcd. He was in all his , ways a specimen of the .smart Londoner. His hobby was the Volunteer Lire Brigade, in which ho ranked as one of the most efficient members*in the days when Job Wain was captain. What of the literary staff 1 ? There was none., You cannot cull one man “ a staff.”. Mark Cohen was the sole aid to the editor at that period., The editor wrote all the leaders and .did the bulk of the work that nowadays falls to the sub-editor; Mark Cohen helped with the scissors and ran about for the news of the day, making it no hardship to “do” a court or a company meeting, cover the regular inquiries, scratch for his lunch, and report a night fixture. That the ‘ Star ’ at that stage was a good paper to be on, or even to be connected with, was largely duo to the happy nature ’of tho men who brought it out. They fraternised out of respect to and reverence tor the employer, and he in turn was consistently thoughtful of their welfare. It was not commonly regarded as a wealthy paper. Twice during the early ’seventies the advertising fell off grievously. The stonehand looked serious as he took for daily use certain “ ads ’’ that were on contract for twice or thrice a week—this being done not only to save eipenso in compositors’ charges, but to make it possible for the'small staff to fill tho columns —and all hands had an idea that tho proprietor, was having a struggle financially.. Maybe his resources

were stronger than was generally supposed. Possibly he really was cutting it fine. Nobody ever knew. Mr 801 l was not the sort of man to appeal for sympathy. On one of the occasions referred to the upstairs employee's met and resolved to venture on a proposal to accept a reduction of one-third in their wages as a help till times mended. Mr Bell listened to tho deputation, and, making an effort to control his emotion, lie replied that he could carry on for a while, .but that if matters became really serious ho would admit it to the men and let them stand’ n share of the loss for a while. A year or two subsequently a crisis did arise, and when it was suggested that a percentage bo deducted the men as a body agreed without any sign of demur, knowing that full pay would bo restored as soon as possible, and probably before long. So it turned out. The business brightened up quickly, and has never since had a set-back. These facts are recorded as showing the good feeling that existed, and still exists, in the' employ. Mr 801 l made no promise to anyone as .to a return for the consideration shown, but it stands as part of the history of the ‘ Star ’ that not one of those who consented to the arrangement referred to was ever discharged or reduced in rank. Even in its adolescence the ‘ Star ’ commanded respect by its

virility and dignity, and it gradually waxed strong in every way. Its strength was perhaps best known to the men in the office, they-being well aware that no extra spurt was required of them whenever another evening paper appeared iu competition, but the public, watching from the circumference, must have perceived that the 1 Star ’ never allowed itself to lengthen its columns or retaliates when attacked. Several such opposing papers sprang into being at one time or another. The first of these, politically inspired; ran a thorny course a little before the first of the General Elections in the ’seventies, issued from the office of Mills, Dick, and Co., then iu Stafford street, Woodifield the printer. It had a short career, dying of inanition. ‘ The Age,’ produced by compositors and others who were s on strike, was also starved. Subsequently ‘The Globe,’ and then ’ Thq Evening Herald ’ showed tight, "and disappeared without even scarring tho established journal,- though they Were capably conducted and went down with swords iu hand. Persons who remember those matters and have any knowledge of their inner history must unite in ascribing the results largely to the unseen influence which Mr-801l had in the community—an influence derived not from money or intellect, nor from expertness in tho usages of commercial warfare, but from his

high personal character. The mob slanged him occasionally when he took a stand with which he did not agree; they nevertheless believed in him as unpurchaseable and straight. On the occasion of the opening of the Vauxhall Gardens a great dinner was-'given, attended by the leading men of the day. It was the fashion in those days to say grace before meat, and the usual thing was to invite a clergyman to do the thing properly. The director of the feast looked aghast when he could not sight a minister nor even arf elder at the table, _but, as though it came about in due course, he called on Mr Bell, and the company rose as reverently as if called to their feet by a bishop. The office seemed to lit him. Reference may also be made to Mr Bell’s handling of an irate actor who bounced in and demanded the name of the person who had written the previous day’s theatre notice, accompanying his question with the flourish of a riding whip. The one witness of the interview—the “sub” —afterwards related the story thus: “The chief motioned Bombastes Furioso to a scat, asked his name and the nature of his business, and, the demand being repeated, quickly answered; ‘For your purposes I wrote it—if you. wish any further information my solicitors, Iloworth and Hodgkins, will supply it. Good day.’

The verbal alkali operated at once, and ho who came in as a. lion went out as a lamb.” Quite unruffled, the editor went on with and finished his “loader,” then, as usual, looked in the composing room, and chanced to put his question, as to who wrote the offending paragraph, to the very man who had written it. . This man was thereupon sum-, monod inside, and Mr Bell, after perusing the lines, remarked in his fatherly way: “A good notice, but you will write a better one when you are older. Satire should bo more' delicate. ’’ The sentence that made the actor wild contained the suggestion that the part he played, that of the speechless hero in ‘ The Dumb Man of Manchester, ’ suited h.im perfectly, and it was a pity that he had not more opportunities of the kind. Nothing further was heard of Bombastes Ifurioso or ids grievance, but the writer of the notice, then very young, has since admitted to his fellows that Mr Beil's .little sermon cured him of a fault that if not rooted out early might have spoiled his career as a reporter. That was the founder’s way. liis counsel to his young men was invaluable to them in after life. Two rules that ho laid down arc preserved in the traditions of the office: “ Never look for a way to break a confidence,” “ Tear up your paragraph if it cannot be phrased so

that you cun meet your informant next day,” and he promptly drew, his blue pencil through any item of news that lie considered, 100 in-. Innately personal or too sensationally worded. When the Messrs Coull resigned to set up their own office in High si reel—before Thomas Culling came into the partnership and lb a shift made to Kattray street—Joseph Drumm was appointed printer of the ‘ Star,’ and he took on, to replace the vacancies, David Stark,; Thomas Walker, and Matthew Griffin, Walker being made ■stonehand. G. A. Mayhew was before long ,given a frame. That .was the first enlargement of the mechanical staff upstairs. It was a-merry companionship, enlivened every day with singing and ah occasional resort to “ jelling,” a pastime that was popular amongst the composilors of Unit period. In 1875 J. TI. Clayton left the office, and his work as publisher and general controller of.the commercial department under the manager was taken up by J. G. Moody, who lias continuously kept in the employ and now is the second in seniority. W'. Thompson (liuotyper) ranks as third, and James Dunn (principal reader) comes fourth in order on the present staff, he having joined in. 1882. Of greater significance as a move ahead by the ‘ Star ’ was the appointment of a reporter. Dp to that point the news of the day had been gathered by Mr Cohen or by unattached contributors under bis direction. When F. G. Whetham was engaged the department was organised. Whetham reported the courts and attended other engagements; lie also contributed sporting news over the name of ‘‘.Beacon,” and in the early days of his term lie served as proof reader between whiles. A versatile man, well brouglit-up and educated, he could turn his hand to any duty of the clerkly nature. After a while a second man was taken on as reporter. Several were tried, Garwood amongst them, and be held on for a time; but this extra appointment was not in any way permanent until Albert Cohen joined

straight from the High School. He quickly proved himself as a news* gatherer, was a perfect “ tiger ” for work, and spent the whole of, his manhood in the service. Whotham also lusted well. In duo course ho developed marked ability us dramatic critic, adding this to his many, duties. After he left, in 1889, to go to England and inherit under his father’s will—his father was Lord Mayor of: London—Albert Cohen became chief reporter, and later lie succeeded his brother as sub* editor. It was while the ‘ Star’ occupied tire Stafford street corner that C. E. Haughtou accepted the post of leader writer so as to relievo Mr Loll of part of his growing responsibilities. This was a very inn portant step in advance. Mr Haughtou would have counted amongst the twenty best scholars in New Zealand; his strong point was a' knowledge of English politics; and he had served as a Minister in the Provincial Government. He continued for many years in the ‘ Star* employ, anil his able writing helped the paper in its swift course.. Writing solely from memory, it is difficult to assign dates for all theichanges in the personnel of the staff, hut it may here bo recorded,; somewhat out of order, that Mr J. W. dago came in as manager during the occupancy of the Stafford street premises. He was a tower of strength in every way, taking firm control so capably as to further lighten Mr Bell’s burdens and give him a little leisure. The older hands remember Mr dago most respectfully. They could always trust him for straight dealing, and his sometimes gruff -‘--No ” did not give offence. At the time of the move to the old iron-walled store in Bond street —a shift that was not joyous to the men, for the store was excessively inconvenient and dark, and only intended as a makeshift till a new building could be erected—the printer was Gilbert Buchanan, with J. 13i 1 sou as stenchand. The composing staff consisted of <T. B. Hunter, Alex. Judge, and T. H. Pax, whilst I\. Millis had joined up as machinist. This construction of the new building was an awkward job for the contractor, Walter Carlton, for he had to poke great Oregon beams through the old store whilst the newspaper men were doing their work. Hubert Crawford, who died not long ago, was Carlton’s leading hand, and the ‘ Star ’ men reckoned him a marvel. To the compositors and others the building operations word perfectly awful, and it was a glad day for ail concerned when the word-, was given • to

bavo an early paj/cr and then set in to occupy the new premises. That was a dirty but a jolly job. Every man and boy helped, and one ot the regular hands who had served at sea undertook to sling the frames and type and all the rest of the gear for hoisting by whip tackle to the upper story. The “ chapel ” at that time consisted of George Bateman, T. H. Iti.x, \V. Wilkinson, Andrew Walker, George Connolly (the comedian of the room), H. M'Concchy, J. Dcaker, Alex. Judge, George Dickson, and W. Quin (the liveliest of a vary lively and fraternal companionship). Many old printers regret the passing of the period when the craftsmen were traditionally merry at their work. The linotype has changed all that. The machines make a rattle in which conversation is impossible, and, besides, they necessitate close attention to the work, since the copy is going through quite four times faster than by hand setting. But the writer, who is familiar with both methods, maintains that the silence of the comps of to-day is necessitated, nob optional. The men arc as gay as ever in off hours, and they are certainly not less steady than their predecessors. LONG SERVICE MEN. The relations between the proprietors and their employees have ' always been of a most cordial nature, and the company is proud of the fact that a number of employees have completed half a century’s connection with the ‘ Star.’ At present three members of the staff are carrying out their duties efficiently after fifty years’ continuous service—Tom Walker (for many years chief reporter), J. G. Moody (publisher), and Win. Thompson (linotype operator and father of the chapel). Amongst the names of those who have passed away with similar records are Mark Cohen (editor) and Gilbert Buchanan (printer, Mr Bell’s first apprentice). There are many instances of sons following in their fathers’ footsteps, and in some eases working side by side, in' the t daily production of the ‘ Star.’