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Hokitika Guardian, 14 June 1926, Page 2

* Tjtat romance has not disappeared | from tlw world is surely proved by the I amazing career of Lord Reading, a remarkable episode in which was featured in the London newspapers recent--1 lv. Lord Reading, who was at one time Ambassador to the United States, the Lord Chief Justice and finally Vice- ‘ rov of India, was entertained hy the 1 Pilgrims on his return from India. ■ Lord Birkenhead, proposing his health mentioned that the distinguished guest ‘ had once been a cabin hoy on a sailing ship. Lord Reading, when he rose to reply, denied having been cabin boy. He was, he said, a ship’s hov, 1 and there was a vital difference, because the cabin boy enjoyed the residue of the meals partaken of by the captain,and officers “That was not my fortunate lot. I was ship’s boy. I cannot forget that moment when I sailed up the Hoogly on the cargo ves- ■ sel Blair Atholl, belonging to a Scottish owner. (Laughter). My duties were various, but consisted chiefly of polishing the brass-work, scouring the deck, cleaning out the pigsty—which I might have been spared, in view of my origin (laughter)—and generally doing all the work that fell naturally to the lowest person in the ship’s company. I remember well the day I left Calcutta, when I stood at the capstan head and helped to heave my small ’weight at the. capstan bar in order to get the ship’s head into pro-

per position. I remember wo sang ‘Good-bye, Calcutta.’ I know my dream was ‘Good-bye, Calcutta, I shall return, but not on the forecastle head.’ You may be surprised to hear, that the then Viceroy utterly failed to recognise in me on the forecastle head that successor to him in the years to come, and I never even received an invitation to a garden party.”